An exercise expert has slammed Zac Efron’s workout and diet routine, calling some of his signature moves a ‘waste of time’.
Podcast host Dr. Mike Israetel, a professor of exercise and sports science at Leman College in New York City, posted a video in March exploring Efron’s routine that has gotten him pumped up for films like Baywatch and The Iron Claw.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 1.1 million times, Dr. Israetel praised Efron’s physique as “lean” and said the star was “in great shape.”
“Most of what’s here is pretty good,” he added.
However, he criticized the trainer Efron worked with for his 2017 Baywatch film, Patrick Murphy, who has worked with the likes of Keanu Reeves, Aubrey Plaza and Cameron Diaz, for teaching the High School Musical alum’s shoulder exercises that “almost nothing doing’.
Furthermore, he criticized the 36-year-old actor for claiming that he only eats organic food and suggesting that all processed foods are unhealthy.
Podcast host Dr. Mike Israetel, professor of exercise and sports science at Leman College in New York City, posted a video in March exploring Zac Efron’s diet and fitness routine.
Efron has grown considerably since rising to fame in High School Musical (left), hitting top form especially in 2017 for Baywatch
Dr. Israetel’s video was a response to an interview Efron did with Men’s Health, in which the actor said he worked the hardest for his role in the Baywatch remake.
Watching a clip from the film, Dr. Israetel said, “First of all, he’s in good shape. He’s skinny. You can see some of the serratus muscles, the ribs separated. You’re in good shape.’
The serratus anterior is a fan-shaped muscle that attaches the scapula to the rib cage.
“Another trick to see who is skinny or not, his face is really sunken, not much fat face. This is already a very good thing because if you are slim, the things you do must work, I think,” said Dr. Israetel.
In the original interview, trainer Murphy claims he gave Efron “one of the most dynamic programs I’ve put together” to “get him in the best shape of my life.”
He said: ‘When I needed to get Zac into the best shape of his life, I decided to introduce the supersetting workouts, and what that involved was two exercises done back-to-back without rest.
‘This increased heart rate, maximizing calorie burning. This ensured muscular efficiency and high muscular endurance, and I created an unstoppable machine’
Dr. Israetel admitted that while supersetting “is a good idea,” “burns a lot of calories and makes the person sweat and get really excited about the exercise,” he criticized the use of several specific movements.
These include external rotations, where the elbow is bent at a 90-degree angle so that the hand moves away from the body.
“External rotations do almost nothing,” he said. “Unless you have a problem with your shoulders, you can just start warming up for the exercise you’re actually going to do that day.”
He also noted that this step should be saved for people with past shoulder problems or other similar problems, otherwise “it’s a waste of your time.”
Another move involved standing on one leg and performing lateral movements, lifting your arms forward while holding weights.
“That’s fucking stupid unless you have brittle ankles and you can’t move them and you need stabilization training, which is almost no one’s case,” Dr. Israetel said.
He added: ‘Standing on one leg and making lateral movements will only reduce your lateral activation, as stability is the main promoter of muscle activation.
‘Once you move with any degree of stability, a certain amount of muscle activation decreases, and it’s usually the largest, most growth-prone parts of the muscle that lose activation.
“So this standing on one leg nonsense is just that: nonsense. Otherwise, this technique is fine for lateral raises.’
Dr. Israetel called several moves given to Efron by trainers “a waste of time,” although he did admit that the actor is in “good shape.”
Dr. Israetel gave Efron’s overall routine a score of seven out of 10, mainly criticizing him for saying he only eats organic food
Dr. Israetel’s video also explored Efron’s diet, which the actor said includes “intermittent fasting, combined with enough nutrition to sustain me all day.”
The expert noted that while this ‘works fine’, he would instead recommend eating three to five protein-rich meals throughout the day, as protein is essential for muscle growth and repair.
His main nutritional criticism was about Efron saying he avoids processed foods and only eats organic.
In addition to calling organic a “nonsense term” that “means absolutely nothing,” Dr. Israetel argued that several healthy foods have undergone some degree of processing, including whey and casein protein, which are popular among fitness enthusiasts.
He said: ‘These are crazy good for you and all those little herbs and mushrooms that you take as pills, that’s great for you too, but that’s crazy processed.
‘Usually having minimally processed foods is a good idea, but that’s not always the case, and it certainly has nothing to do with organic, which is a waste of money and a ***** * scam.’
