Limitless (2022): Season 1, Episode 4 - Strength - full transcript

(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)