Is Zac Efron Natural?

Who Is Zac Efron?

There probably isn’t a single person in existence that doesn’t know who celebrity superstar Zac Efron is.

The Baywatch actor first stole the hearts of women around the world when he made his acting breakthrough, back in 2006, in Disney’s High School Musical.

Guys, on the other hand, probably didn’t think much of him until photos of his jacked physique surfaced online in 2016.

Zac also recently got a lot of people talking when he played serial killer Ted Bundy in a Netflix production titled “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile”.

Unlike other Disney child actors, the 32-year-old heartthrob managed to successfully leave his Disney image behind and moved on to building an impressive acting career.

Even more impressive than his career though, is his physique.

Those who've followed his career know that Zac has always been fairly skinny – lean, but skinny.

When tabloids first published photos of his ripped physique in 2016, people couldn’t stop talking about it – my gym buddies and I included.

It also didn’t take long before naive teenagers wanted to know how they could build a chick-magnet physique like his.

While the mainstream part of society attributed his physique to strict dieting and training, the bodybuilding world had a very different opinion.

It didn't take long before people began throwing around senseless accusations and yelling steroids.

Zac never addressed these comments and, to this day, a lot of people still wonder how he actually transformed his physique.

Did he do it naturally or did he get some help from steroids?

If you’re one of those people that wants to know how he did it, you'll definitely won't want to skip this article.

Zac Efron Stats

The first thing that people need to realize is that while Zac has a muscular physique, he isn’t a very big guy, genetically.

What do I mean by this? Take for example someone like The Rock or Chris Hemsworth.

They genetically have large, tall frames that can accommodate a lot of muscle mass.

Zac, on the other hand, doesn’t have a big frame or is very tall.

What Zac does have is incredible muscle shape and insertions – which make him look a lot bigger than he actually is.

I did some research and couldn’t manage to find much information on his physique’s measurements.

What I did find is a website with some basic stats. Sadly, it doesn’t state any sources.

Zac Efron Body Measurements

Age: 31

Height: 5’9 (175cm)

Weight: 175lbs (79kg)

Waist: 32 Inches (81cm)

Chest: 42 Inches (107cm)

Arms: 15 Inches (38cm)

Although these stats come from a non-reputable website, they honestly aren’t too far-fetched from the numbers I had in mind.

Honestly, the only thing I would second-guess would be his waist measurement.

Although 32 inches is not big at all, I’m inclined to believe that it’s even smaller than that.

Zac Efron Transformation

The crazy thing about Zac Efron is that he wasn't always known for his physique.

During his Disney days, Zac wasn't really that muscular; on the contrary, he was very skinny.

This is not to say that he wasn't in shape though, because he always had visible abs and some type of definition.

It wasn't until he joined the Baywatch cast that he underwent the crazy physical transformation that people still keep talking about.

So, what exactly did Zac Efron do to transform his physique from skinny to jacked?

I have an idea of how he did it, but first, let's take a look at what Zac and his trainer have to say about it.

Zac Efron Diet

As most fitness fanatics probably already know, diet is -arguably- the most important part of building an impressive physique.

All the training in the world won't amount to much, if you aren't following a strict, intelligent diet.

In order to get ready for Baywatch, Zac had to really suffer and make a lot sacrifices in the kitchen.

According to Patrick Murphy -Zac's trainer- the first thing the young actor had to do was get rid of all refined foods.

This meant that for twelve weeks, the Baywatch star would limit his food choices to whole foods that were both natural and packed with nutritional content.

His diet was being consistently monitored and changed, according to how his physique was looking.

His nutritional protocol was so intense that methods such as intermittent fasting and carb loading were used to accelerate his progress.

At one point, Zac underwent a zero-carb and zero-sugar diet for nine whole days!

His food choices literally consisted of lean protein and leafy greens.

The diet wasn't all suffering though, because he was allowed to have a few cheat meals here and there.

After the nine days of suffering were over, Zac moved on to have a cheat meal that would probably make his co-star, The Rock, jealous.

What was the meal? Steak, four potatoes, veggies, mac & cheese, bread & butter, brick cheese, caviar, and three desserts.

Absolutely insane and definitely worth the wait, if you ask me!

With that being said, it's important to remember that cheat meals are actually a dieting tool that are extremely effective.

Overall, when Zac wasn't chowing down countless amounts of food, here's what he was eating on a daily basis.

Protein

A lot of people already know this, but protein is one of the most important building blocks of muscle.

In order to get shredded while gaining muscle, Zac had to consume a lot of it.

Zac's go-to protein foods were:

• Chicken
• Turkey Breast
• Steak
• Pork Loin
• Salmon
• Egg Whites

Carbohydrates

Contrary to popular belief, fats aren't solely responsible for making people gain weight – that honor has to go to carbs.

Why? Because carbs are everywhere and they are rather easy to overeat; something that doesn't happen entirely with fats.

This means that cutting carbs will lead to accelerated weight loss, right?

Sadly, no.

Carbohydrates are an essential part of building muscle.

Without carbs, your body won't have the necessary nutrients or energy to perform in the gym.

Balancing them out is extremely important and will lead to consistent weight loss and muscle building – Zac Efron managed to do just that.

Let's take a look at his favorite carb sources.

• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Oats
• Fruits (Apples, Berries, Pears)
• Vegetables (Kale, Spinach, etc.)

Fats

Healthy fats -from whole foods- are very important; they contribute to building muscle as well as keeping a healthy hormonal balance.

Overdoing them can definitely lead to gaining weight, but if kept in check, they can actually do the opposite.

Here are the fat sources Zac relied on, when getting ready for Baywatch:

• Nuts (Almonds and Walnuts)
• Seeds (Pumpkin and Flax Seeds)
• Avocado

Zac Efron Workout

Now that we know what Zac Efron did in the kitchen to get lean and muscular, let's take a peek at what his training program looked like.

The first thing I want to mention is that, according to Muscle and Fitness, his workouts were continuously evolving.

I also read somewhere that every single workout -leading up to the filming of the movie- was unique.

This meant that he never performed the same workout twice.

Throughout the twelve-week period, Zac followed a three-day split, with one rest day.

After the split was completed, he would repeat it.

Day 1: Back and Biceps

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Shoulders, Chest, and Arms

Day 4: Rest

Since time was of the essence, every single one of Zac's workouts was based on super sets.

This meant that he was combining two exercises -doing them back to back- and only resting for a brief period of time.

The bodybuilding training style – used by Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger- would allow him to keep his workouts short & intense.

He would also burn a lot of calories and maintain an intense pump, throughout the entire session.

Abs were also trained occasionally, but were only a small part of the workout.

His trainer also mentioned that Zac didn't just need to look like a lifeguard, he needed to perform like one.

To achieve this, Murphy included a few exercises from his arsenal to increase Zac's agility, explosiveness, and speed.

Let's see just how intense his training split was.

Zac Efron Training Split

Day 1: Back & Biceps

Super Set #1: Lat Pulldowns and Ab Rollouts

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #2: Seated Cable Rows and Suspended Rows

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #3: Pull-ups and Lat Pulldowns

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #4: Chin-ups and Dumbbell Bicep Curls

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Day 2: Legs

Super Set #1: Leg Press and Squat Jumps

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 on the leg press, 20 on the squat jumps.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #2: Swiss Ball Hip Extensions and Swiss Ball Leg Curls

• Total Sets: 3
• Reps: 8-12 on the extensions, 20 on the curls.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #3: Reverse Lunges and Mountain Climbers

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 (each leg) on lunges and 20 on climbers.
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

Super Set #4: Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells and Butt kicks

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 on deadlifts and 20 on kicks.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Super Set #5: Calf Raises and Single-leg Squats

• Total sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 (each leg) on raises and 20 (each leg) on squats.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Day 3: Chest, Shoulders, and Arms

Super Set #1: Dumbbell Squat Front Raise and Cable Raises.

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Super Set #2: Floor Press with Dumbbells and Push-ups.

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Super Set #3: Incline Presses and Military Presses with Dumbbells

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Super Set #4: Cable Chest Flys with Bosu Ball Push-ups.

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Super Set #5: Tricep Pushdowns with Dumbbell Curls

• Total Sets: 3.
• Reps: 8-12 per exercise.
• Rest: 60 seconds.

Is Zac Efron Natural?

We finally reached the best part of the article, so let's get to it.

Let's me start out by saying that Zac's diet and training -in preparation for Baywatch- was very intense.

Zero-carb days, super-set workouts, and three-day splits can definitely take a huge toll on the body.

With that being said, it's nothing out of the ordinary for those that practice a bodybuilding lifestyle.

Although Zac worked his butt off, I don't believe that his training sessions or diet were crazy enough to stimulate the jaw-dropping transformation that he underwent.

To make matters even more interesting, it's important to note that he got ready for his role in three months; that's only twelve weeks, give or take.

That's why I'm inclined to believe that his transformation wasn't achieved naturally.

I'm sure that a lot of people will question my judgement and say that it's possible for the human body to change very quickly.

Although I agree, the human body doesn't change that much in such a short amount of time… at least, not naturally.

Let's analyze Zac's scenario.

First and foremost, Zac has always been in good shape.

Genetically, the High School Musical star has always been lean and rocked an impressive six pack.

With that being said, the physique that got the media talking looked nothing like the one we've seen in the past.

The Baywatch physique that Zac displayed was a lot bigger, leaner, harder, and more vascular than anyone had ever seen.

No one -no matter the genetics- has the ability to create a physique like that in such a small amount of time.

While he might be natural at the moment, it's possible that he relied on anabolic steroids to get ready for his role.

Normally, to achieve a physique like the one he had in Baywatch, a bodybuilder would use a series of steroids that would help him build muscle, lose fat, and increase performance.

Some of the most popular compounds that would be used are Anavar, Halotestin, Primobolan, Trenbolone, and Winstrol.

Ultimately, whether Zac transformed his physique naturally or not, his Baywatch physique is one of the most impressive to have ever grace the big screen.

His muscularity, leanness, and hardness were absolutely insane.