Zac Efron looks to be at his most massive physique yet after his workout transformation for “The Iron Claw.”
Bulking for movie roles is common for actors. It often involves lots of protein, calories, and high-volume training. With the release date for The Iron Claw on the horizon, now’s the perfect opportunity to delve into Zac Efron’s diet and workout regimen that helped him pack on mass for his role and possibly his biggest physique yet!
Zac Efron is a name we’ve known since the days of High School Musical. However, he shed the pretty boy persona for a shredded beach bum alongside Dwayne Rock Johnson in Baywatch. For that role, Zack Efron shared his challenges, including dealing with depression, a struggle that many professional bodybuilders can attest to when keeping their body fat and calories low. For that role, his goal was to cut and get as lean as possible.
In Iron Claw, he portrays a pro wrestler, and to achieve the right body, he works closely with fitness instructor Farren Morgan to bulk up. We’ve been following this transformation since he shared this physique update last year so that we can bring you the full details. Let’s look at what he did and how he achieved it below.
Bulking
Zack Efron did a caloric surplus for this movie to add muscle to his frame. This involves eating more calories than you burn to gain weight. However, bulking doesn’t mean just eating anything; focusing on nutrients like protein to promote muscle growth is essential. In addition, you have to be careful with the foods and the calories you consume in proportion to your training regimen. Otherwise, you’ll store fat when the goal is building muscle.
For Zack Efron, the plan was to undergo clean bulking to avoid the side effects of eating just anything like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and unwanted fat. Bulking can also involve supplements like creatine to help fuel your muscles further.
Zac Efron’s Workout
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For his training, the focus for Efron was to remain fast and agile while building strength. So, he and his trainer used a mix of isolation exercises and compound lifts to target multiple muscles. Here’s a list of general exercises they relied on for this transformation.
| Exercises |
| Overhead Squats |
| Pull-Ups |
| Back Extensions |
| Weighted Hanging Leg Raises |
| Incline Bench Presses |
Overhead Squats
The overhead squat is a challenging compound exercise that works on your full body, targeting muscles like your triceps, delts, core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Holding a barbell overhead challenges your shoulder and core stability.
To do an overhead squat, you need a loaded barbell and can use supportive gear like a weightlifting belt. You might also have to lighten the load for this squat, as it is more challenging. Overhead squats are great for your coordination and stability.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are another compound movement that involves multiple joints to hit your back. This exercise requires lifting your bodyweight to engage your biceps, lats, traps, rhomboids, core, forearms, brachialis, and brachioradialis. Pull-ups are also great for your grip strength and help to stabilize your scapula, elbow, and shoulder joint.
Back Extensions
The back extension is an isolation exercise that packs mass on the muscles in your posterior chain, specifically focusing on your erector spinae. Strengthening your spine is crucial for your posture and preventing injuries. It also trains the flexibility of your spine, as with many back exercises, you have to maintain a neutral spine. This training is more functional as you bend your spine in real life.
Weighted Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises work on your abdominals, specifically your lower abs, which play a big role in most movements. Hanging leg raises also improve your hip mobility and flexibility. Adding weights to the hanging leg increases can make the exercise more demanding to grow your core, and research shows that load is vital in inducing muscle growth (1). The hanging leg raise also engages your arms and back for stability.
Incline Bench Presses
The bench press builds the muscles of your chest, shoulders, and triceps. An incline bench press emphasizes your upper pecs and shoulder muscles because the mechanics of this exercise closely resemble the shoulder press at this point. Doing an incline bench press also puts less stress on your rotator cuff, which is often a source of injury when doing a flat bench press.
The incline of the bench also makes it easier to hit a full range of motion, which research shows is great for muscle strength (2). You can do this routine with either dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells. The barbell will help you focus on strength and hypertrophy. Meanwhile, the kettlebell and dumbbells will help you improve your mind-muscle connection, correct muscle imbalance, and strengthen your stabilizers.
Recovery
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One thing to also pay attention to is that Zac Efron used rest days while training to maximize muscle hypertrophy. Implementing rest is as vital as your training, as it is only during these rest periods that your muscles grow (3).
Final Word
Efron did various exercises consisting of mainly compound movements to target the big muscle groups in his upper and lower body, along with a few core movements. Overall, he didn’t do many movements to prepare for his movie role. He focused heavily on recovery. Besides this workout, focusing on eating more calories and protein helped him build the muscle he amassed. It’s essential to increase your caloric intake slowly to avoid gaining fat and build lean muscle like Efron.
The trailer for The Iron Claw was released on October 11, 2023, which showed Efron’s most built physique yet. In previous roles, getting ripped was his focus. The Iron Claw is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2023.
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References
- Marcotte, G. R., West, D. W., & Baar, K. (2015). The molecular basis for load-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Calcified tissue international, 96(3), 196–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-014-9925-9
- Pinto, R. S., Gomes, N., Radaelli, R., Botton, C. E., Brown, L. E., & Bottaro, M. (2012). Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 26(8), 2140–2145. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3b15
- de Salles, B. F., Simão, R., Miranda, F., Novaes, J.daS., Lemos, A., & Willardson, J. M. (2009). Rest interval between sets in strength training. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 39(9), 765–777. https://doi.org/10.2165/11315230-000000000-00000
