Australian actor Chris Hemsworth is known for his portrayal of Thor in the Marvel Studios film series. He has brought this popular comic book character to life in a number of Marvel films, maintaining his chiseled muscles and elite fitness throughout the years. How does he keep up his Marvelous-ous muscles? He went vegan.

Last year, Hemsworth’s personal trainer Luke Zocchi appeared on the Australian news and talk show “Today Extra” to discuss the actor’s fitness training. He revealed to host David Campbell that Hemsworth adopted a vegan diet while filming “Thor” and “Avengers.”

This decision could have stemmed from Hemsworth’s younger brother, Liam, who went vegan in 2015. Like Hemsworth, Liam also pursues the active actor’s lifestyle. He’s best known for his role as Gale Hawthorne in the box office hit, “The Hunger Games.” In an interview with Men’s Fitness Magazine, he said, “Through talking to me, [Chris] is somewhat adapting, I think, to eating more vegetables and plant-based stuff.”

Zocchi admitted that even with the support of his thriving plant-based sibling, going vegan was “a big experiment,” both for Hemsworth and himself. “We tried to see if he could keep the muscle being vegan, and it actually surprised me as well because we’re all in this mentality of ‘gotta eat animal protein, protein, protein,’ but you can get a lot of protein from beans.”

Hemsworth’s diet was closely monitored as he continued to film and train. Zocchi cooked the majority of his meals, as opposed to letting him graze from the craft service table on set. To fuel his bulging muscles and aid in workout recovery, the actor ate six times a day, or every two to three hours. His favorite meals, according to Zocchi, were bean and veggie burgers.

Hemsworth has not publicly announced any transition to a vegan diet, and his trainer could not confirm whether he was still committed to the lifestyle. However, he will need to maintain his Marvel-ously muscly physique for his upcoming role as wrestler Hulk Hogan, which was announced earlier this year.

Image Credit: Chris Hemsworth