(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
ROSS: So, talk me through it so I can understand.
-Okay, you were an athlete. -Yeah.
But then you became Chris, the actor.
Through high school, you know, I would surf,
I did athletics, played football. I had a very all-round sort of fitness.
And once I got cast as Thor, I had a very specific job
which was look like a cartoon character, look like a comic book hero.
Right.
CHRIS: On my mission to boost longevity, I'm back on the road
with sports scientist, Ross Edgely.
Before my next round of Thor filming kicks in,
he wants me to focus less on how my muscles look,
and more on how they can help me push back the ravages of time.
Ross, what are we doing? Where are we going?
What we're trying to now to do for Chris 2.0
is to make sure that you can go toe to toe with Father Time
and, you know, win a few rounds.
You might not win the fight, but you'll win a few rounds.
Sounds like a lot of hard work. What do you got in store for me?
-We’re gonna take it up a few levels. -'Course we are!
(LAUGHS)
(MUSIC ENDS)
Take a peek at this.
Richard!
That is a hundred-foot rope, dangling from 1,000 feet,
straight down into that canyon.
What I’m proposing is you dangle at the bottom, climb it all the way up.
Intimidated.
So, have you done much stuff like this before?
-Like this kind of scale or... -Dangled off cable cars on a rope...
-Yeah. -...a thousand feet off the ground? No.
-No? -Strangely.
It's not in my weekly program.
How long have we got before we do this?
-How long before Thor filming? -Five months, I think, yeah.
-I would love to do this in three, and-- -Three months of training.
-But I'm going to be heavy. -How big? How-- how heavy?
I don't know. Heavier than I am now.
Is that gonna be an advantage or disadvantage?
Or probably a combination, right?
A complete disadvantage. I'll be completely honest.
-A disadvan-- -It will be a complete disadvantage.
People your size don't climb ropes dangling from mountains.
Make no mistake about it. This will be brutal.
CHRIS: So, how did I end up staring at a hundred-foot rope
dangling over an abyss?
Playing action roles like Thor means that I've spent
a decade maintaining superhero-type muscles.
But a few months ago, I decided to find out
if my body's on course for a healthier future.
-Hey, Chris. Good to see you, man. -Good to see you.
CHRIS: So, I met with longevity expert, Dr. Peter Attia.
So, Chris, you obviously spend a lot of time
working on your strength training. What type of program do you do?
I mean, I've... over the years, trained for different... different roles.
You know, for Thor in particular, about getting big in mass.
I'll do shoulders one day, arms another. Back, chest, legs.
Got it. Okay.
-FEMALE VOICE: Feel okay? -Mm-hmm.
PETER: Obviously, he's in amazing shape.
Most of us would look at Chris and give anything to look like that.
But there's always room for improvement.
There are more than 600 muscles in the human body.
And for longevity, you've got to make good use
of as many as possible.
So, when I assessed Chris' muscular power and efficiency, his flexibility
and agility, I found he could be working a wider range of those muscles.
MALE VOICE: That's it. So, two... one, that's it. Done.
PETER: And he could improve his stamina.
So, Chris, good news is, in general, your results look fantastic.
But it turns out that, in a couple of super important ways,
your test results were not consistent with someone who is gearing up
to be the best, most robust 90-year-old of all time.
(CHUCKLES)
I feel like I'm getting my report card at a high school read to me, so...
So, what kind of things do I do to kick ass in those numbers?
Well, a lot of this is stuff that we can change.
And by targeting even more of your muscle groups
and improving your endurance,
we can make you live longer and make you live better.
All right. Well...
let's begin.
The genius of Ross' challenge is actually twofold.
Training for that rope
will develop Chris' superhero strength even further.
And it sets him on a course for a longer, healthier life.
But to begin with, I expect that Chris will really struggle.
To turn me into a rope-climbing machine, Ross has hooked me up
with some of the best in the business.
Acclaimed acrobats, Alex Frith and Moira Campbell,
teach aerial tricks for the stage and screen.
So, I want you to step on my hand and put your other foot on there.
Press with your legs, and that's it.
That's it, and up, and press with the legs, push.
-I need to get my foot... -(ALL CHUCKLE)
-Getting me up this rope... -No...
...might be their toughest assignment yet.
Pulling up with the arms. And now slide the hands up.
That's it. And press.
Good one. Come up. Yeah, pull. Yeah, open up.
My hands are, like--
The muscles are going "Whoa, whoa, whoa."
You know what I mean? It's just sort of like--
-MOIRA: Yeah, yeah. -It just-- it's sort of a weird--
It's weird muscles, you know what I mean?
It's, like, not like-- "Okay, I'm gonna pull up."
-No. -...with those muscles.
It's just things that I haven't-- haven't used before.
CHRIS: So, this is really difficult.
I can do chin-ups all day long, but the rope,
holding it in that grip is killing my arms and hands.
ALEX: And press.
CHRIS: I'm actually getting kind of worried at this point.
A challenge has been laid down, and I'm having trouble
getting a couple meters up. And if I do, it's beyond painful.
ROSS: Now all of a sudden, Chris is the beginner again,
and it's hard to accept, but he needs to trust me
when I say that all of this pain is worth it.
Because climbing a rope will unlock huge benefits
that will keep him healthy well into his old age.
CHRIS: It turns out our muscles do way more than keep us moving.
Deep down, each fiber is crammed with tiny power plants
that could help us fend off physical decline.
And with every flex, they release chemicals
that fight all kinds of disease.
Seen as a whole, the muscles are a vital organ
in our fight against aging. And that's the point of the rope climb.
To get up it, I'm going to need not just the big guns,
but every muscle I've got.
To improve my chances on the rope,
and my prospects in old age, Ross wants to expand my range of exercise.
-Get me in a harness. -(ROSS LAUGHS)
Oh, I'm glad we picked a nice, cool day to do this.
It's about 45 degrees right now.
CHRIS: So, he's brought in some interesting new routines.
Great.
There you go! There you go! Yeah! Good, big man.
Good. That's it. Find efficiency.
And then smaller steps as it gets hard. Smaller steps.
Smaller steps, keep that momentum.
Drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive.
-Good! -(GRUNTS)
CHRIS: His methods might seem unusual, but they've allowed him
to push to the edges of what a human body can do.
He's managed an entire marathon pulling a car,
a record-breaking five-month sea swim. And a triathlon carrying a tree.
In a 24-hour challenge, he climbed a total of 29,000 feet of rope.
That's the height of Everest.
And I've just invited this guy to push me as hard as he pushes himself.
(YELLING) Get over here!
-ROSS: There you go! -Get over here!
ROSS: Let's go! Breathe. Let's go!
Good. That, that.
For Chris to succeed on the rope, everything has to come together.
Let's go for it.
ROSS: Grip strength, biceps, legs, shoulders, and back.
He'll need mobility, flexibility, and endurance.
Good. Let's go!
ROSS: So, the plan is to shift the focus, away from gym-based routines
that target specific areas.
Towards real-world exercises that test a wider range of muscles.
Can I climb up, Daddy? Can I climb up?
ROSS: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
CHRIS: But that kind of all-round strength is exactly what we're built for.
-That is amazing. -MALE VOICE: Go ahead, Tristan.
-Go to the end, Tristan. Go! -New world record!
CHRIS: The human body is perfectly adapted to a life full of movement.
That was huge!
And in some places, that's the only way to survive.
CATALINA: (IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) People who pay money to exercise in gyms,
I think they're crazy.
Careful! Don't just throw it.
We work every single day.
It's hard work.
That is how we become strong.
CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) Catalina Motochi lives with her children,
Jimena and Sofi, and her mother, Angelina.
They belong to an indigenous American people called the Rarámuri.
It's hard work every day, using all kinds of muscles.
CATALINA: (IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Mom, the axe broke!
CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) Ross would be in heaven.
CATALINA: (IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Grab it now!
CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) Livestock are herded on foot,
and the nearest town is a day's walk away.
But why waste a day when you can run?
CATALINA: (IN FOREIGN NLANGUAGE) We are called Raramuri.
It means the people who run.
When I run in the mountains,
I feel I can do anything.
CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) Thanks to their lifestyle,
the Rarámuri have incredible stamina.
Running is deeply embedded in their culture
and all generations come together in ritual races
that sometimes last for days.
CATALINA: (IN FOREIGN LANGAUAGE) What happened?
We've nearly passed them.
CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) And studies show
Rarámuri grandparents have the same blood pressure
as not only their children, but their grandchildren.
If I can manage that in my old age, I'll be a happy man.
ALEX: All right, so stretch that end out...
-Yeah, so we'll go through this way. -Yep.
CHRIS: To step up the rope training,
Alex and Moira are rigging one up at my place.
ZOC: Oh, that's the worst pick up ever.
CHRIS: My buddy and longtime fitness trainer Luke Zocchi
is also here to lend a hand.
Getting ready.
-All right. Let's give it a crack. -Okay.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
CHRIS: We're using a pulley system to keep feeding more rope.
I climb up...
the rope comes down.
My very own vertical treadmill.
My hands are done.
-ZOC: You done? -Yeah.
MALE VOICE: So that was like... ten meters.
So... One more.
All right.
-Yeah, there we go. -CHRIS: It's torture.
I'm working all these muscles over and over.
And I'm getting completely exhausted.
-(EXCLAIMS) -Four out of ten. Again.
(EXHALES)
CHRIS: I have to improve my endurance.
So, Ross has been digging in to his bag of training tricks.
So what are we doing here, mate? I don't see any rope to climb.
ROSS: Yeah, no ropes.
CHRIS: Look quite graceful, don't they? Like a... a well-oiled machine.
Similar to a rope climb, rowing blends a lot of strength,
speed, but also pure stamina.
That's where the improvement's gonna come today.
I can talk a good game, but to be honest, I don't actually row.
So here's a proper expert, Olympic bronze medalist, Rowena Meredith.
As a percentage, how likely is it that we're gonna get wet?
Forty percent. I'm giving you good odds today.
(ALL LAUGH)
Ross, I might get you to sit in first, so you're gonna sort of...
CHRIS: Oh, God.
...do it-- No, no, no, put your foot in the bottom of the boat.
Good. All right.
Step on to the boat, and you're gonna do a single-leg squat onto the seat.
I thought I was way more graceful than Ross.
ROSS: Look at 'em go.
See you later.
And in!
-Yes, whoa! -Oh, we're going in!
Don't let go of your oars.
Yeah, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it.
-CHRIS: Save us! Save us! -(ROSS LAUGHS)
Hey, Ross, lift your hands nice and loose and keep them flat in the water.
Yeah, we're off.
ROWENA: Yeah, perfect, that's it.
ROSS: I see what you mean with... 'cause I can just stabilize the whole thing.
-Yeah, yeah. -Yeah.
So, Chris, I want you to use more legs and less arms.
-Okay. -ROWENA: See how that feels for a start.
Keep the movement nice and simple, keep the blades out.
Drop 'em out the front. Drive your legs, that’s it. That’s good.
Now, I know you don't really have a-- a massive love of endurance,
is that fair to say?
No. I mean, I don't have a huge gas tank.
I mean, I've always preferred sprinting than long distance. You know?
ROSS: Okay. okay.
Back when he was tested,
Chris's aversion to endurance training showed up clearly in the results.
Where his numbers were lacking was in the performance
of a key component that's essential in our fight against aging: mitochondria.
CHRIS: Our muscles are home to trillions of these mitochondria.
They're like tiny power plants, providing the energy our bodies need
to keep running smoothly.
As we get older, our mitochondria begin to malfunction
and break down, accelerating the aging process.
But exercise, and particularly endurance training,
stimulates our muscles to overhaul their broken mitochondria
and even build new ones, topping up our energy levels
and pushing back against aging.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
ROWENA: Coming up to the red buoy for your last hundred meters.
(CHRIS GRUNTS)
ROSS: You can row, cycle, jog, anything.
The key to this type of mitochondrial boosting exercise
is to work as hard as you can without getting too breathless.
Just two hours a week could add years to your life.
Here we go, Rowena. Any records broken there?
I think we were pretty close to it.
I think we've got a little bit more room for improvement
-before we get to the Paris Olympics. -Yeah.
-What did you guys think? -I took more of a managerial role.
Yeah, how was that? Must've been comfortable.
ROSS: I don't think me and you are team players.
Good friends. Terrible teammates.
CHRIS: Nah. We're-- If we're lost at sea, be a race to see
who could eat the other person first.
CHRIS: Embracing this kind of exercise is gonna boost my mitochondria
and improve my stamina. But that's not all it can do.
NORMAN: Oh, Junie! (CHUCKLES)
I mean, I haven't seen this for years. Oh, my gosh!
CHRIS: Professor Norman Lazarus had a long career as a medical scientist.
In their spare time, he and his wife, June, enjoyed life's luxuries.
-Oh. That's the Orient Express. -Oh, my gosh!
That's the Orient Express.
JUNE: When we were in our 50s, Norman and I just loved eating.
Lovely.
He just expanded and expanded.
-Who's a podgy person there? -(NORMAN CHUCKLES)
I decided it was time to lose weight and exercise.
We were cleaning out the garage
and I came across my son's bike.
I got on the bike, went around the block.
With the result, is… I was blown
and I had to lie down and catch my breath.
And I gradually did longer distances,
until one day I rode 200 kilometers.
I began to think, "Why not step up a distance?"
Four hundred kilometers. Six hundred kilometers.
Fourteen hundred kilometers.
At an age when most people begin to rein in,
I was beginning to challenge myself.
CHRIS: Through his 60s and his 70s,
Norman kept those pedals turning with ease.
But the scientist in him spotted something else.
NORMAN: Diseases and illnesses of aging were not appearing either
within myself or within my friends I was cycling with.
Then I thought to myself, "Why? What is it about me and these people?
We're just Average Joes." There was nothing special about us.
CHRIS: With a London university, Norman set up a major study
with himself and his fellow cyclists as guinea pigs.
The ability to fight infection usually declines with age.
But the results showed that Norman's group
had the immune systems of people in their 20s.
An incredible discovery.
And proof that our muscles control so much more than movement.
Deep within our muscle fibers, the mitochondria provide us with energy.
But the muscles have another trick up their sleeve.
As they flex, they release chemical messengers
called myokines, which travel all around the body,
triggering a whole variety of benefits,
preventing the buildup of unwanted fat, suppressing certain cancers,
and as Norman's groundbreaking study confirmed,
stimulating the immune system to work better for longer.
I'm getting older, that's for sure.
But I love cycling.
And exercise allows me to live a fulfilling life
which is free from medication for as long as possible.
JUNE: It makes you proud.
That’s my man. That’s my man.
PETER: The fact that muscles can communicate with the rest of the body
is why using them regularly is so good at cutting the risk
of age-related diseases.
We don't stop moving because we get old.
We get old because we stop moving.
CHRIS: As well as the rope climb, I’m also building up for Thor.
Some rice.
The aim is to add more than 40 pounds of muscle for the next movie.
Buffalo.
CHRIS: So, yeah, that's all for me.
But that extra weight is causing a big problem.
So, you're here...
Yeah. Now, get as high as you can there.
Wow.
Look at the sweat on the back.
Moving like 200 kilos up the rope.
CHRIS: You don't see Thor climbing too many ropes, do you?
Now, you know why.
You have to get less muscles. You should lose weight.
It would be easier.
CHRIS: Great.
Despite zero training, my tiny wife can zip up the rope in no time.
Look.
-ZOC: Maybe we get Elsa to rope climb. -Yeah, she can do it instead of me.
And there's another issue working against me.
Okay.
Breathe.
CHRIS: The tail end of the rope hangs off my feet. And as I climb...
That's it.
...that tail gets longer and heavier.
(EXHALES)
So, one of the big factors is gonna be the tail weight.
And just really understanding when you're doing the big climb.
-That tail weight is gonna be... -Yeah.
...hanging off you, so every lift is gonna be...
So... So... The higher I get, I’m pulling that weight.
Correct. Have a feel of that. See how that feels.
-Oh, no. -Yeah, it's a thing.
CHRIS: Problem is, in the gym, that tail never hangs free.
It would be great to actually practice on a 30-meter rope, though,
'cause here's-- here's the problem. Not once during this whole time...
are we gonna know what it's like on the day.
Chris should be careful what he wishes for.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Oh... (BLEEP)
(CRANE BEEPS)
ROSS: With the hundred-foot climb approaching fast,
I also wanna know if he can cope with the tail weight
and get anywhere near the full height.
So, we're hoisting about 80 feet of rope right here in his driveway,
just to see where he's at.
I'm nervous. Nervous. Nervous.
Just give right up, Ross.
Well, Ross, I’ve seen... I've seen the crane. I'm nervous.
It’s so high. And what is he having? He’s having a coffee.
-And it's still hot. -It's so hot.
Is it? Oh, that looks good. You're gonna make me one of those?
Ready, Ross? Ready?
-Ready. -Ready? Ready? Una. Dos.
Oh, man, that went on me.
ROSS: (OVERRPHONE) Hey, okay, make me a pancake. I’m on my way over.
See you soon.
CHRIS: So, I see this rope...
and it's so much bigger and higher than I imagined.
(CRANE BEEPS)
I don't like heights. I don't know
if this is a good time or a bad time to tell you.
ZOC: Too late.
CHRIS: There's a safety rope to catch me
if I fall, but it's not gonna help me climb.
All right.
ROSS: Nice, big man.
CHRIS: I start climbing up this thing,
and I feel all right at the start, bit of confidence.
Climb smarter, not harder. Let's go.
CHRIS: And then very quickly, my legs are burning.
I feel the lactic acid and the fatigue kick in.
Take your time.
I’m in a fair amount of pain at this point.
ROSS: Now, use your legs.
Push, push, push.
And I just think, "There's no way I'm getting up that thing."
Okay, coming down.
I feel like I'm kind of at the end of my rope, so to speak.
Oh! It's just the... that rope is... Dude, when you're lifting your leg,
and lifting the rope. That rope is so heavy.
Am I confident I can climb a hundred feet up to that cable car?
Nah. Guess I'd better keep at it.
So, you were climbing?
Yeah. So, I was climbing the rope A four or five-meter rope.
And then, I let go and landed on the mat, and just rolled my ankle,
and... I heard a pop, felt a pop.
And it was pretty excruciating at the time.
Where did you feel it, mate?
Just the whole... This, you know, ankle, this side.
Hmm. That's all swelling, mate.
-That's not your ankle, obviously. -Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It doesn't normally look like that.
-No. You sure? -(GROANS)
That feels real good when press there.
Yeah, pretty concerning because this is the foot
that I anchor off and lift myself up the rope each time, so...
If I decide to do it with no legs, maybe, then maybe we could up the...
up the ante a bit.
But, yeah, I don't know, don't think that's gonna work.
ROSS: I'm devastated for Chris.
You simply cannot climb with torn ligaments in your ankle.
So, he can't do the climb until after he's finished shooting for Thor.
And the extra bulk is only gonna make it harder to get up the rope.
CHRIS: I’ve had injuries over the years and I've found it really difficult.
I just love to keep moving. I have a... lot of energy
and-- and wanna stay busy,
and so when I’m told or forced to sit and do nothing...
I find it very challenging.
PETER: Injuries are tough to avoid.
And you tend to get more of them as you age.
But you can build a more resilient body to delay the onset of frailty
and reduce the risk of injury. And it's never too late to start.
ERNESTINE: One, looking good. Two...
three, four...
Oh, my goodness.
I love to get out and exercise. I feel it all over.
One, two,
three, four. How's everybody feeling?
-FEMALE VOICE: Great! -ERNESTINE: All right.
Then I say to myself, "It's a vain thing."
I say, "Look at you, girl!
Eighty-five years of age, wearing these tight pants!"
-All that stuff gives me joy. -ERNESTINE: Gonna do 25. Whoo!
You feel so good. (CHUCKLES)
CHRIS: As a young woman,
Ernestine Shepherd had no interest in exercise.
But in her mid-50s,
her sister, Velvet, finally dragged her to the gym.
She wanted to become a bodybuilder.
The gym was very intimidating
because they were lifting weights, and then jumping jacks.
I couldn't do jumping jacks.
I really didn't want to do it...
but I wanted to please her.
CHRIS: The sisters trained side by side.
But then, Velvet became ill.
ERNESTINE: She had a brain aneurysm. In the hospital, she said,
"I want you to promise that you will keep up what we started."
Velvet died.
And I knew right then and there...
I was gonna fulfill my sister's dream.
CHRIS: Now, Ernestine was on a mission.
And it led her to former Mr. Universe, Yohnnie Shambourger.
YOHNNIE: Okay, let's go. Come on.
-Four. You're doin' it. -ERNESTINE: Okay.
-My Lord. He really trained me. -YOHNNIE: Come on, come on.
-Work that muscle. -ERNESTINE: I got it. I got it.
Work that muscle.
I said, "Don't you know I'm old"?
-Push it. Push it. Push it. Push it. -All right. I'm doing it. I'm doing it.
He said, "You're not old. You can do this."
There's an athlete inside everyone.
Now, slowly, slowly. Push it up slowly.
As long as you have that desire...
Three, two, one, done. Rack it.
She caught fire.
Give a big hand for this young lady. She was born in 1936.
(CROWD APPLAUDING, CHEERING)
CHRIS: In her 70s, Ernestine became a competitive bodybuilder.
ERNESTINE: I walked out on that stage.
And the music started playing.
And everyone just applauded.
Oh, I was in heaven.
She won. Can you believe that?
And she continued to win.
It felt so wonderful. I was so overjoyed.
And I cried. And I said, "Velvet, I've done it for you."
CHRIS: But that was just the beginning.
After a big push on cardio,
Ernestine has completed nine marathons.
Now, she's targeting balance and mobility,
and even runs her own classes.
ERNESTINE: Feel that stretch on your hamstrings.
YOHNNIE: She's an inspiration to everyone. And she's a roadmap.
She's letting you know what you can possibly look like
if you continue to work out.
Looking good! Looking good. Bring them to me.
CHRIS: Old age often brings muscle loss and a greater risk of falls.
Thanks to a wide variety of daily exercise,
Ernestine and friends are turning those odds in their favor.
ERNESTINE: That's what I want to see. Look at my ladies.
If you let a car sit there, and it doesn't move, gonna rust.
ERNESTINE: Sit up, nice and straight.
Ernestine has made me aware that just because you're a senior,
doesn't mean you can't be fit.
The way she look and how she moves, I want to be like that.
Age is absolutely nothing but a number.
When I tell people that I'm 85, they say to me,
"No! I would think you were about 65."
ERNESTINE: Good job, ladies!
I smile, but I say to myself, "Why can't they say 50"?
CHRIS: If I'm ever gonna manage this climb, I can't stop training now.
Three, two, one, up!
-(GRUNTS) -Come on!
ROSS: Good.
CHRIS: While my ankle recovers, I've gotta try and stick with Ross's plan.
ROSS: Two, three, four.
Yes!
CHRIS: Maintain all these new muscles and keep boosting my stamina.
One. Two, three, and up. Good.
Nice, buddy. Look at that! Strength, technique.
ROSS: Put that around your quad.
CHRIS: Before I take on that rope though,
there's one last gigantic hurdle to overcome.
It is 10:30. Chris had his first meal at 8:30. Going for meal two now.
That’s one meal. That's n-- meal number two of ten.
And then one big tip, always needs his hot sauce.
This is a pre-shirt-off-scene routine.
Just a lot of high reps, a lot of different exercises.
CHRIS: I'm currently tipping the scales at more than 230 pounds.
And it's a full-time job just to maintain it.
But on the rope, all that extra bulk is just gonna weigh me down.
I've gotta keep this shape for the rest of the movie,
but then I'm gonna try and drop a little bit of the weight
for that-- for the rope climb.
'Cause I think at the moment, the heavier I am,
the more weight I'm pulling up the rope, obviously.
So... work on some endurance and speed now,
and back off a little bit on the... on the weight training.
(ALL CHEERING, APPLAUDING)
CHRIS: Ross's training was all about building a body that'll stay strong,
healthy, and mobile for the long haul.
The rope challenge is a test of how well I've laid those foundations.
-ROSS: Oh, boy. -ZOC: Oh, dude.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
I'm sensing a lot of apprehension. What's...
No, I'm all right. I'm just getting in the zone.
CHRIS: We've had a few setbacks and so on, and then injuries.
And now here we are, finally about to attempt it.
It looks higher than I remember.
ROSS: Up until now, we've been training in the gym or even a crane
that was assembled at his house, which is good, but it's training.
Now, we're out of that controlled environment,
and all of a sudden we got variables, wind, height, even just the adrenaline.
Ultimately, training is done. This is game day.
(MUSIC ENDS)
MALE VOICE: Now, I'm gonna tighten up the waist.
(BABBLES)
(PANTS)
We're good to start our journey out to our position.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MALE VOICE 1: And it should be the same size as it was last time.
MALE VOICE 2: Stand by for the doors opening.
We've got the rope going out.
Oh, don't look out there. (CHUCKLES)
(GRUNTS)
(IMITATES SLOW MOTION) It's all... hits me.
And all the little voices of doubt that I've been pushing aside in my mind
start to get louder and louder.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
I’m looking down and I'm thinking, "That is not something I fancy doing."
But I cannot let Chris see any moment of doubt in my mind at all.
-(EXHALES, CHUCKLES) -No, no, no. No, no, no.
Switch on, switch on, switch on, switch on.
Yeah. I'm good. Good to go.
MALE VOICE 1: Ready?
(WIND HOWLING)
CHRIS: So, I'm getting winched down.
And it feels a lot longer than a hundred feet.
I don't wanna look back up because I'm like,
"This is so much further than I've ever climbed."
He’s almost touching and he’s now looking to get his feet out.
CHRIS: I know the longer I sit there, the more energy I’m gonna chew up.
So, I just go for it.
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
As expected, he's off like an absolute shot.
(EXHALES)
Good technique. There you go. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
And he's just taking chunks out of this rope with every single climb.
CHRIS: But the higher I'm climbing, each time I try and lift the rope up
with my leg, I've now got the weight of the rope in its entirety.
So, it's getting harder and heavier.
At this point, I start to fatigue. My leg starts to burn. My arms.
Everything's burning.
So, I just pull up and I... nestle
into a little koala position and I just sort of take a breath.
Take a breath.
ROSS: Chris, you cannot stop. Do not stop.
Let's go, let's go.
Stopping is the worst thing you can do.
It feels like you're resting, but you're not.
Fatigue's creeping in.
And ultimately, you're battling gravity.
(CHRIS BREATHES HEAVILY)
The energy is really low.
Um... And at this point, I'm kind of thinking,
"You're not gonna be able to do it."
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
-But then I hear Ross. -ROSS: Chris, keep going.
Now, we finish it. Now, we finish it!
CHRIS: That was like a really invigorating moment for me.
And I grit my teeth and I just start climbing.
ROSS: Let's go, let's go.
Nice! Nice, nice, nice. You got this. You got this.
(PANTING)
Yeah! Good! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
Good, good. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Three more. Give me three more.
Come on. Come, come, come, come. Come on.
Good, big man! Let's go. Up. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Two more. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
More, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more.
Finish this! Yes!
-You absolute... -(EXHALES LOUDLY)
I’ve done it. And it feels great.
-That was beautiful. -That was exhausting.
CHRIS: To be honest, all I can think about is how much my arms hurt.
And the fact that I can't breathe. My leg's throbbing.
And I'm having trouble speaking.
-Love it. -(EXHALES) Oh, man.
You used every technique we practiced over those months.
Yeah. It was just the cardio though,
like, every... every piece of the puzzle had to come together.
-(EXHALES DEEPLY) -CHRIS: I came into this thinking
I knew everything about health and training,
and strength training, and so on. And.. it's been fantastic to have
the doors open up and...
and find that there's so much more knowledge out there.
-That was hard. -I do think the 80-year-old
Chris Hemsworth is gonna look back and be really proud of that.
The thirty-eight-year-old
Chris Hemsworth's pretty... pretty proud of that.
-(ROSS CHUCKLES) -(CHRIS EXHALES)
CHRIS: True strength isn't only about how much I can lift in the gym.
It's also about staying mobile and injury-free.
It's boosting mitochondria and keeping my immune system young.
So, I'm gonna keep working my whole body,
build strength and stamina in all my muscles.
And push back against Father Time.
-MALE VOICE 1: Yeah. Yeah! -MALE VOICE 2: Yeah!
-Nice! -Not a doubt in my mind, bub.
-Not a doubt in my mind. -Oh, that's brilliant.
CHRIS: And then maybe when I hit 90,
I'll show the grandkids a thing or two about shimmying up a rope.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
I'm good. Let's do this.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
-Go. -(GRUNTS)
-Ooh. Let's go again. Come on. -(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS, EXCLAIMS)
(MUSIC ENDS)