Zac Efron has beefed up big time.
The High School Musical star, 36, was previously been known for his naturally thin, clean-cut physique.
But he has recently undergone intense strength training to gain heaps of muscle for his role of wrestler Kevin von Erich in new thriller, The Iron Claw.
However, experts have warned that the intensive regime, involving lifting heavy weights daily for weeks on end, needed to achieve such a transformation could put the actor at risk of deadly consequences, including stroke.
‘There is no practical reason to put your body under that much pressure and stress, as it can lead to catastrophic results that cannot always be easily reversed,’ said a group of fitness experts at SET FOR SET.
Zac Efron put on heaps of muscle to play wrestler Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw
A collection of experts say that this type of regime requires an excess of oxygem to keep muscles working.
This means that the heart has to pump harder to keep up with increased demand, increasing blood pressure with potentially deadly complications like heart attack or stroke.
The former Disney star revealed that he worked out so much that he became ‘obsessed.’
‘It was a singular focus for months,’ he told Variety. ‘And your life goes out the window during prep.’
‘That necessity to be perfect… became an obsession.’
The SET FOR SET experts warned others not to replicate his routine – or any extreme plan – in the hope of achieving the same result.
The normally thin and clean cut actor (left in 2019) underwent hours of strength training every day and bulking to get his new look (right for The Iron Claw)
‘Pushing both your body and mind to the extreme to achieve unattainable results can be damaging in the long run, and to “become bigger” can become an unhealthy obsession,’ they said.
Going too hard too soon may prevent getting the look you want and could increase the chance of dangerous health consequences like weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer.
Efron told Variety that he worked out for multiple hours every day and practiced volume training to gain about 15 pounds of muscle.
He also revealed that he would wrestle while filming the matches, which lasted seven to 15 minutes long, multiple times a day and consecutive days in a week.
Looking like Efron starts with bulking, the SET FOR SET team said.
Bulking is a phase of bodybuilding that involves progressively consuming more calories than your body needs to provide fuel for weight training and, eventually, boost muscle size.
This can take about four to six months.
Efrom said that the first time he tried the sport was ‘shocking’ as it was not as ‘easy’ as it appeared to be on TV
‘To start bulking, it is essential to consume more calories than your body needs to properly function during the day, approximately 20 percent more,’ the SET FOR SET team said.
This phase is followed by cutting, during which bodybuilders decrease their calorie load so they don’t gain additional muscle but rather maintain it.
A group of researchers at the University of Sydney found that, on average, male bodybuilders consume about 3,800 calories a day compared 2,400 for cutting. Women typically range from 3,200 to 1,200.
However, SET FOR SET doesn’t recommend bulking for the average person.
‘Unless you’re an actor or a professional bodybuilder, there is no practical reason to put your body under that much pressure and stress, as it can lead to catastrophic results that cannot always be easily reversed,’ they said.
The main risk is that people practicing bulking are more likely to develop poor eating habits, as they may turn to more calorific or processed foods to up their calorie intake. This is known as dirty bulking.
Ultra-processed foods and those high in fat and sugar have long been linked to a slew of health issues, with the trainers noting ‘unwanted fat gain, high cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer.’
Additionally, a review in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that while dirty bulking could lead to some muscle growth, most of the weight gain will be fat.
And the practice could have mental health drawbacks as well.
A 2022 study found bulking and cutting was linked to an increased risk of eating disorders and body dysmorphia.
‘Having all that weight on, you don’t feel normal,’ Efron told Variety.
The SET FOR SET team also cautioned that keeping up with a body like Efron’s could be more difficult than getting chisled in the first place.
‘Maintaining the physique achieved through extreme bulking, like Efron did to portray Kevin Von Erich, can be challenging in the long term,’ they said.
‘While in this case the transformation was done for one single movie and it can be slowly and efficiently reversed, if your goal is to preserve this lifestyle, individuals might find it challenging to sustain the required level of calorie intake, leading to a yo-yo effect where they cycle between extreme bulking and cutting phases.’
