Zac Efron was your average teenager. He may have had a pitch-perfect singing voice and thousands of female admirers but behind his wavy mop of hair was another twiggy kid. You wouldn’t say that to his face now.
In preparation for the new Baywatch series Efron took a huge leap forward in his bodybuilding evolution and packed on eight kilograms of fleshy muscle to an already strapping figure. From Bad Neighbours to his role as Los Angeles County lifeguard Matt Brody, Efron’s physique changed. Massively.
Boasting thick arms and huge slabs of abs attached to a rock hard chest, it was LA-based trainer Patrick Murphy who bolted the 28-year-old together. Murphy blitzed unwanted kilojoules with superset workouts and encouraged Efron to constantly mix up his cardio sessions by taking to the water for lifeguard training. Method acting at it’s finest.
“We avoided plateaus with supersets and body splits,” says Murphy. “We constantly changed the weight of resistance and rest periods, altering cardio sessions and completing several two-a-day workouts.”
When it came to nutrition Eforn stuck to a zero processed whole-food diet. This tactical approach saw the American actor reduce his body fat to a remarkable five per cent, and now he owns the smallest red trunks on set. Eat that Pamela Anderson.
“Highly refined processed carbs like pasta, bread, crackers and tortillas are the worst,” says Murphy.
“Zak avoided these and consumed carbs high in fibre, from fruit.
“You have to be smart with food. For example an apple has six grams of fibre compared to apple juice, which has close to none because of the refining process.”
In October’s issue Efron makes a splash in our 20 Fittest Men of Hollywood feature.
You can expect the best training secrets and diet tips from The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, Jason Statham and more. Grab a copy, OUT SEPTEMBER 12, and pump some iron in the meantime with Efron’s bicep and tricep workout.
Arms Dealer
Super set each pair of exercises three times. Take 45 seconds rest between the pair and aim for 8-12 reps. Let the burn begin.
BICEPS
A. Chin Up
Grab the pull-up bar with palms facing your torso. Pull your body up until your chin reaches the bar, using your biceps and lasts.
B. Dumbbell Curl
Grasp the dumbbells at shoulder width. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the dumbbells up slowly, rotating your wrists so they face up at the top and inwards at the bottom.
TRICEPS
C. Tricep Push Up
Hold yourself in the regular push up position with your hands close together making a diamond shape between your index fingers and thumbs. Lower yourself until your chest and push back up. It’s a difficult move to master, but you’ll get there.
D. Cable Push Down
With an overhand grip hold a straight bar to attached to a pulley machine. Bring the bar down until it touches the front of your thighs, keeping your upper arms still and forearms extending towards the floor.
