Zac Efron’s Baywatch body has been hailed as one of the biggest transformations in many years. He went from a teenage heartthrob in High School Musical with a slim but skinny build to a man that is as ripped as you can possibly be.
Fortunately, he has been quite open about his workout routine and diet.
We managed to get a lot of detail from his social media posts as well as interviews he has done since he became the co-star alongside The Rock in Baywatch.
So, do you want that kind of body?
Don’t worry. We collected all that information here so that you won’t have to go through all that research yourself.
Quick Summary
- Zac Efron's workout comprises circuit training, chest and arm training, shoulders and legs, back and biceps, and finally abs training.
- Effron's body transformation was also boosted by cycling his different ketogenic diets.
- Zac's diet is focused more on protein, and healthy fats, while keeping his carbs intake low.
The Zac Efron Body Transformation
The pre-Baywatch Zac Efron was a slim and healthy-looking young man. Some people think that’s an easy starting position, but it could have been a significant hurdle as well.
What do I mean?
People have different body types and metabolic rates. Many slim people might find it rather difficult to build up muscle, even when doing every day workouts that work for bodybuilders.
So, Zac probably had to work a lot harder back then than people might think.
One thing is for sure, though.
Zac Efron’s trainer, Patrick Murphy, must have created some incredible workout routines.
Let’s take a closer look.
His Workout Style And Routine
Zac Efron's Baywatch body workout was carefully planned to help him bulk up in over a 6 to 12-month timeframe.
This means, to be able to achieve what he did, it probably involved hitting the gym more than once a day, plus doing more exercises on rest days.
He also worked closely with The Rock, and it definitely looks like some of his workout ethics rubbed off on Zac.
I bet The Rock would certainly be a motivating and inspiring presence during the whole training program.
His Approach To Training
The first thing we noticed by reading through some of his older social media posts is that he seems to prefer working out every morning. Some of his posts were as early as 7 am after he had finished a run or other fitness session.
We also figured out that he seems to have mixed his workout plan between 50% weight training and 50% high-intensity circuit training [1].
On at least 3 of his training days, he added on an extra session for ab workouts.
Here’s a sample of what's involved.
Sample Workout Plan
Day 1 (Chest and Arms)
- 20 warm-up cardio
- Flat Bench Presses
- Tricep Push Downs
- Tricep Overhead Extensions
- Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
- Front Chest Raises
- Chest Cable Flyes
- Dips
Day 2 (Circuit Training)
- Pull-Ups
- Squats
- Push-Ups
- Deadlifts
- Box Jumps
- One Arm Snatch
- More Squats
- More Pull-Ups
Day 3 (Shoulders and Legs)
- 20 warm-up cardio
- Back Squats
- Military Press
- Leg Press
- Shoulder Raises
- Leg Extension
Day 4 (Circuit Training)
- Similar to Day 2)
Day 5 (Back and Biceps)
- 20 warm-up cardio
- Deadlift
- Bicep Curls
- Lateral Pull Down
- Hammer Curls
- Cable Rows
- Bicep Drop
- Preacher Curls
- Pull-Ups
Zac’s Ab-workout Routine
- Sit-Ups
- Hanging Leg Curls
- Crunches
- Lying Leg Raises
- Cycle Kicks
How Did He Handle His Diet?
My clients have heard this numerous times when I say that you can't out-exercise a bad diet.
If your meals and snacks look like a sugary and fatty mess, then that’s exactly what your abdominal muscles during the beach season will look like as well.
You could put in hours of work and simply not get anywhere at all.
That's something that Zac Efron has been very outspoken about, and he regularly shared his diet achievements on Twitter.
Efron also goes through extended periods of zero sugar and carbs, which essentially means he was cycling the ketogenic diet [2].
Now, you might think that this kind of approach will leave you getting rid of all of life’s pleasures.
But according to the additional information Zac Efron provided on what a typical meal might involve, it’s actually something worth getting excited about.
His typical dinner consists of a large steak, 4 portions of wedges and veggies, a side portion of macaroni and cheese, plus an extra portion of bread with butter and cheese.
Can you imagine that? Those Zac Efron abs can actually consume that much food.
“9 days of absolutely zero carbs & sugar. Only organic grass-fed/free-range protein and organic leafy greens.“
- Zac Efron
I don’t know about you, but I feel like planning some extra sessions at the gym to justify a serving like that.
The takeaway for us was that Efron heavily focused on protein and fat while keeping carbs to a minimum.
Other amazing celebrity physiques:
References:
- https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/fulltext/2013/05000/high_intensity_circuit_training_using_body_weight_.5.aspx
- https://www.news-medical.net/news/20190708/What-happens-when-you-eliminate-sugar-and-adopt-the-keto-diet.aspx
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