“Baywatch” just hit theaters, and it seems as though Zac Efron’s newly developed physique has created a bigger reaction than the flick itself.
Now, let’s be clear, Zac Efron is notorious for sporting an awesome body in many of his flicks and it’s hard to think of a single movie he has done, where his shirt hasn’t come off. Not that I’m hating, I’m all for showing off a great physique on the big screen.
That said, Efron has completely taken things to a whole new level in his latest film and in this article I’m going to explore and showcase how to achieve the Zac Efron Baywatch Physique.
Now before we get down to business, a little word on the film. I went into the movie expecting to see a funny and relatively cheesy comedy featuring two big stars, the Rock and Zac Efron, and that is exactly what I got.
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There was lots of fun action, funny scenes, beautiful women and muscle! Basically everything you need for a bankable movie.
Speaking of beautiful women, the film left me with a new celebrity crush! That Kelly Rohrbach was an absolute babe.
As far as the reviews, well, it didn’t do too well. But if you go into it, knowing exactly what type of movie you’re getting, you’re sure to enjoy it.
The Zac Efron Physique Breakdown
There is a scene in the movie, where Zac Efron’s character, Brody, performs an intense obstacle course, mainly consisting of hanging and pull ups.
While I was in the theater watching the film, the entire audience gasped – his physique popped out like crazy. The reason being, there was virtually no fat on his body.
He looked like a human anatomy chart.
And ladies and gentlemen, that is the reason why he looked so damn crazy. He simply brought his body fat down to extremely low levels, while maintaining a natural amount of muscle.
I’d estimate his body fat somewhere around 5%. I tend to stay around 7-8% body fat year round, and I can quite honestly say, Efron, is much leaner!
For example, here’s a recent pic of me on Instagram:
While my abs and muscles seem to pop out quite well, there’s no question that Efron is quite a few body fat points leaner. His physique just holds so much detail.
ZAC EFRON BODYFAT PERCENTAGE
Now if you’re not aware, being at 5% body fat is absolutely freaking crazy. Heck, it’s hard enough to be there for a couple days, let alone for multiple weeks of filming.
So I have to give Zac some serious credit for this discipline he must have had. Being that lean is incredibly impressive. Now for basically 98% of the population, getting to that level of leanness will simply be out of the cards.
It simply will be too difficult and there will be too many sacrifices. For example, maintaining an extremely low body fat can have negative hormonal consequences and your metabolism might suffer and you also might go crazy trying not to bite your arm off.
You see, as you get closer and closer to essential levels of body fat, your body has certain hormones that up-regulate to keep you at a healthy weight.
Leptin levels go down, which triggers you to eat more and conserve energy. Getting to 5% body fat, largely means having to push through your own natural impulses.
It’s why if you ever meet a contest bodybuilder or fitness model that’s getting ready for a show, they tend to be absolutely miserable and neurotic.
Many times, their metabolisms and hormonal levels don’t recover for months and months!
WHAT’S MY POINT?
The point is that, I’m all for helping people get very lean and develop the Hollywood body, but I would absolutely be mis-informing you, if I told you that you could achieve a similar level of leanness and maintain it.
Perhaps you can, but unless you’re getting paid millions of dollars for a movie, it’s probably not worth it, nor healthy. I’ve been able to stay very lean without any negative consequences, but not quite where Efron is.
Plus, from an aesthetics standpoint, being too lean gives your face an overly chiseled, skeleton look. You see, we all store a little fat in our face. When you drop fat, your face becomes slimmer and more angular.
To be quite honest, watching the film, Zac Efron’s physique looked a little too chiseled. He’d look healthier if he let his body fat come up a few pounds. For example, see the photo below!
When you get too lean, your face can look a little bit overly sunken in and skeleton like. For men, your face tends to look best around 7-10% body fat. Below 7% and it can be too lean.
Over 10% body fat, and your face loses the chiseled model look. So for guys that want to maximize their aesthetics and create the Hollywood Look, you should aim to be around 7-10% body fat.
Zac Efron’s Muscle Development
Now here is where a lot of people talking about Zac Efron’s physique are completely mistaken. He’s actually not that big at all.
Again, the reason he looks so damn good is because he has a natural amount of muscle for his frame, while being extremely lean.
I’d estimate him to be around 162-164 lbs at about 5’9, MAX. As well, I’d estimate his chest to be around 41” in circumference, his arms to be about 15” and his waist to be a very taut 29-30”.
If you watch the movie, you can tell that Efron, isn’t really that big when he’s wearing a shirt or jacket. Besides, his veins popping out, which is an indication of low body fat (not muscle size), he looks like he has a pretty normal athletic build.
The point I’m trying to make here is that most people can reach his level of muscle mass in a few years of proper training, and for some people with very good genetics, just a couple years.
Now the caveat is that holding that level of muscle mass, below 8% body fat, can be quite challenging, unless you have superior genetics.
In the case of Efron, there’s no question he has great genetics for maintaining a low body fat. He’s had a six pack his whole life, so he probably doesn’t experience as many negative consequences at extremely low levels of body fat.
How to Train for a Physique Like Zac Efron
Now, as far as the Kinobody Physique’s, Zac Efron is sporting the Warrior Physique. This is where he looks absolutely astonishing without a shirt on, and relatively fit and athletic in clothes (not big)..
Of course, he’s taken the leanness to a whole new level. To be honest, I think if he went up to 7% body fat, he would have a more appealing and healthy look.
Now to build a physique like Zac’s, you really need to be focusing on your upper chest, shoulder and back development. These three muscles have the biggest effect on your physique.
As well, these three muscle groups most greatly contribute to the coveted V Taper, which is the most attractive sign of physical attraction in men.
For example, see the photo below and notice the width of my shoulders, compared to my waist.
If you lean down to a low body fat, and build up your V taper (shoulders, upper chest and lats), you will look truly amazing.
Zac’s arms aren’t really that big at all. At-least they don’t appear to be big. They simply look great because there’s no fat in them so they are completely ripped up.
Finally, it appears that Efron, didn’t do too much in the way of leg training as his legs seem very slim in the movie.
WHAT ABOUT ZAC EFRON’S ABS?
Well, most of the reason that Efron’s abs look so damn good is largely due to him being at an extremely low body fat and naturally having good abs development.
I mean, he is pretty well known for having a six pack at all times. That said, he’s showcasing some extra thickness. So to achieve his abs density, you’re looking at training them hard a couple times per week.
My favorite approach is to do a few sets of hanging leg raises, with legs absolutely straight and no swinging, whatsoever.
Hanging leg raises are by far the best exercise you can perform to build incredible abs. For a full video on training your abs for maximum results, you can watch this video here:
The Baywatch Workout: Build a Physique Like Zac Efron
Here is how I would design a workout to build a body like Zac Efron. Of course, we are going to stick to the main principles that I talk about in the Warrior Shredding Program.
Three workouts per week to maximize recovery, a focus on key exercises for great aesthetics, while utilizing reverse pyramid training for optimal strength and muscle gain.
The Warrior Shredding Program is the program I created to help men lean down to a very low body fat (7-10%), while building muscle and incredible muscle tone.
This program has helped over 30,000 men all over the world build incredible bodies!
MONDAY
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Barbell Close Grip Bench Press (pause at the bottom of the rep): 2 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Seated Cable Rows: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Incline Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Machine Rear Delt Flyes: Rest Pause
WEDNESDAY
- Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 6-8 reps per leg
- High Box Step ups: 3 sets of 6-8 reps per leg
- Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
- Weighted Machine Calf Raises: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Abs Wheel: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
FRIDAY
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Weighted Pullups: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Standing Hammer Curls: 3 Sets Reverse Pyramid
- Cable Rope Triceps Pushdown: 3 sets Reverse Pyramid
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises: Rest Pause
SATURDAY (Optional)
- 6 x 60-80 yard sprints (80-90% power)
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Side to Side Bent Knee ups: 2 sets of 10-15 reps per side
-Notes
The weighted pullups is one of our favorite movements for developing the musculature on the arms and back. It’s most effective when using the Kino Belt.
For Reverse Pyramid Training, you are to perform your heaviest set first for 4-6 reps. Your second set for 6-8 reps (10-15% lighter) and your third set for 8-10 reps (10-15% lighter). Rest about 3 minutes between sets.
For Rest Pause Training, pick a weight you can do for about 12-20 reps. Perform a set to exhaustion. Rest 10-15 seconds and then perform a set of 4-8 reps. Rest 10-15 seconds and perform another set of 4-8 reps. Do this one more time. Make sure to use the same weight the whole time.
How to Build Muscle While Cutting Fat
In order to shed fat while simultaneously building dense muscle and strength, the “Baywatch” workout routine is designed to be intense but achieve impressive results. In order to see these results, recovery is key when following this plan.
To aid recovery and get the most out of every workout, try Kinobody’s Superhero Stack of Octane, Gains, and Aminos. Kino Octane Organic Pre-Workout is the best on the market for providing smooth, clean energy with no crash. Kino Gains, which contains creatine and carnitine to boost muscle growth and increase recovery, is a terrific post-workout supplement. Lastly, Kino Aminos will support your muscle development and improve training capacity. With this complete stack, you’ll be training and recovering like a superhero.
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Visit the Kinobody blog for tons of free tips, fitness inspiration, additional bodybuilding courses and more celebrity workouts. Kinobody can even help you look your best with Kino Clothing.
Final Notes and Comments ON ZAC EFRON BAYWATCH
I truly believe that most people will have no problem building a physique similar to Zac Efron’s. It absolutely is do able. He’s within the natural limit of how much muscle mass one can posses. That said, where things will get very difficult is getting to that low of a body fat.
That said, there’s really no need to go below 7% body fat. 7-10% body fat looks amazing for most guys. My Warrior Shredding Program covers everything you need to do to build that lean chiseled physique.
You’ll learn exactly how to eat and utilize intermittent fasting to make fat loss effortless, and how to pair your training with diet to both gain muscle while dropping fat.
The program has resulted in some pretty damn crazy testimonials. So if you want a full blown program to lean down and build a Hollywood worthy physique naturally, pick up the program.
Here are a few recent transformations from the program :)
