The Zac Efron workout plan for the movie Baywatch has received a ton of attention because of how ripped and aesthetic he shaped his body for the role.
We wouldn't be doing you many favors if we just showed you the Zac Efron workout plan however, as abs are made in the kitchen. Make sure to check out the Zac Efron diet plan for Baywatch directly after the workout routine below.
The good news is that you can achieve the same level of fitness model aesthetics and you don't even have to be this strict. More on this below!
In the movie Baywatch which filmed summer 2016, you will find a chiseled Zac Efron starring beside The Rock. Believe it or not Zac looks impressive even next to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson despite only weighing about 170 lbs.
For his role in Baywatch Zac packed on 10 lbs. of muscle mass to his already ripped frame, and got even leaner!
When you are already ripped, and you pack on 10 more lbs. of muscle mass and lose even more body fat – you have the makings of the best Hollywood body but once again it’s something that ANYONE can do with the right amount of discipline and strategy.

You don't need to be miserable to get ripped, but it certainly helps to follow some sort of a shred plan for your workouts and meals. SuperHuman Ripped gives you the blueprint to get ripped fast!
This physique is achieved through focusing on certain muscle groups and minimizing body fat so his abs pop. By focusing his training on the “beach body” muscle groups like chest, shoulders and biceps while training abs and doing different forms of fat loss cardio – you can achieve this physique as well.
We are going to give you the exact diet plan that Zac Efron followed to get really lean for Baywatch, and dive into his workout plan for maximum fitness model aesthetics right after.
Zac Efron Workout Plan To Get Ripped To The Bone

Zac Efron is very lean and seems to hold almost no water. A side effect of drinking a lot of water and eating a very clean diet.
Zac had a very athletic training split, incorporating the classic push, pull, and leg split that so many elite athletes utilize for strength and proportion. This is actually the workout split we follow on most of the Superhuman training programs, and it’s brutally effective regardless of what your exact physique goal is.
Push days incorporate chest, shoulders and triceps. Pull days meant he was doing back, biceps, and traps. Leg day meant that he was blasting away his quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Here is an example of one of Zac Efron’s PPL workout splits that he followed. Keep in mind he would perform each workout twice per week, so he was training 6 out of every 7 days.
Zac Efron Push Workout
#1 Dumbbell Bench Press | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
Odds are, you generally start your chest workouts with this exercise.
But to finish off a dumbbells-only workout, you can aslo utilize it as a compound, heavy finisher.
The goal – Going as heavy as possible for 4 sets in the 6-8 rep range.
This range will stimulate both myofibrilar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
The first one, responsible for strength gains and the second one, for bulk-muscle, bodybuilder-like growth.
execution
- 1Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie down on the flat bench press
- 2Keep the dumbbells above your chest with elbows slightly bent
- 3Keep head rested and let the dumbbells go down to the outer sides of your lower pecs
- 4Once you feel a good stretch at the bottom, push up explosively
- 5Contract the chest up top without locking out the elbow
#2 Incline Bench Press | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
The barbell incline bench press is my favorite upper body mass builder due to its emphasis on the upper chest and shoulders.
Contrary to popular belief, the barbell incline bench press is a great exercise to build your shoulders as well as your triceps if you have a narrower grip.
With the barbell incline bench press we are going to be performing 3 heavy working sets in the 8-10 rep range with a focus on lowering the weight slowly on the eccentric portion, which will translate into faster muscle gains.
I recommend that you count for 2-3 seconds on the way down on each rep and then explode back up.
The barbell incline bench press might be the best mass building exercise for the upper body, and is extremely effective for building your upper chest and shoulders. I recommend you perform it twice per week for maximum aesthetics.
On the third set you are going to be doing a dropset, where you will rep out the heavy working set for 8-10 reps until failure, then drop the weight by about 50% with no rest and pump out another 10-12 reps, or as many as you can do.
This will add some extra intensity and overload right on your upper chest, shoulders, and triceps!
#3 Barbell Overhead Press | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
Doing compound movements should be your main priority when your goal is gaining muscle.
Compound movements engage more than 1 muscle group.
The more muscles engaged, the heavier we can lift. The heavier we lift, the bigger the growth stimulus.
This specific exercise is a classic one for the shoulders – It mostly engages the shoulders, but also involves its synergists – The triceps and the upper chest, though at a lesser extent.
On the barbell overhead press i recommend that you lift fairly heavy on this move in the 6-10 rep range. Perform 5 total sets per shoulder workout and rest no more than 90 seconds between sets.
execution
- 1Rack the bar at about shoulder height
- 2Grab the bar at shoulder width, lift your elbows up and below the bar for good support
- 3Un-rack the bar and take a couple steps back
- 4Place feet at about shoulder width, comfortably
- 5Keep torso straight and head looking slightly up
- 6Push the barbell up and over your head
- 7Contract the shoulders up top and keep that flexion for 1 second
- 8Let the bar go down slowly to its initial position
Note that if you are experiencing shoulder discomfort and/or pain, you should consider having the initial position be at about chin height – Don’t let the bar go all the way down.
#4 Weighted Dips | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
If you want activation in your lower chest, this exercise is top rated.
Skip it at your own risk. Chances are you’ve done these before so you don’t need me to tell you much about them.
All I can say is get them in. I like starting all my chest workouts with weighted dips as a primer for what’s to come and to ensure that I’m never skipping over them because I’m just too tired to get it done.
execution
- 1Wrap a weighted belt around your waist
- 2Get up on the parallel bar
- 3Bend elbows slightly to drive the tension through the chest, shoulders and triceps
- 4Dip down slowly, stretching the chest
- 5Push back up explosively, contracting the chest
Note that you should avoid locking out the elbows at the top.
I recommend doing 3 sets total of 8-12 reps for weighted dips.
You’ll want to go heavy enough on this exercise that you do feel the muscles working hard, but not so heavy that you begin to let the triceps start taking over.
This is a common mistake that is made far too often by many guys.
While you always will get some tricep activation, remember this is a chest exercise not a tricep one.
Zac Efron Pull Workout
#1 Barbell Deadlift | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
The barbell deadlift is classically thought of as a leg builder, but don’t forget it’s also one of the superior back exercises.
If you want that wide, thick, powerful look, deadlifts need to be in your game plan.
Because this is such a key mass builder for the body, you’ll want to perform it early on in your workout routine, devoting as much effort to it as possible.
Do it later on in the workout and you simply won’t have the juice left to lift heavy and maximize your gains.
Good form on this move is a must, so if you aren’t quite sure how to do it using good form, be sure to get help in person from a trained professional. Sometimes with a technical exercise like this, having that in person assistance is key.
I recommend that you perform a variety of rep ranges on this exercise, ranging from your 2 rep max all the way to 10 reps. You should deadlift at least once per week for 5 total sets as it's one of the most important compound exercises for total body mass!
execution
- 1Set up the loaded barbell in front of you
- 2Stand behind the bar, so that it is at about the middle of your feet
- 3Bend over with your torso straight and head looking forward
- 4Grab the bar with an overhand shoulder width grip, while squatting down slightly, but keeping the hips above the knees (!)
- 5Lift the barbell up, extending the body
- 6Do NOT overextend up top, but aim for a good contraction in the back musculature
- 7Go down slowly, until the bar slightly touches the ground (Don’t rest at the bottom!)
#2 Barbell Row | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
This horizontal pulling exercise is one of the pillars to back development.
Remember that each and every joint and its muscles can move through a variety of angles.
The barbell row can be done either with a free-weight barbell, or on a smith machine.
Note that the smith machine barbell row will give MASSIVE activation of the lats, mainly because the barbell is fixed and it doesn't allow you to jerk the weight as a barbell would.
execution
- 1Load the smith machine and place the bar at the lowest pin
- 2Place feet at shoulder width for stability and bend knees slightly
- 3Stand behind the bar and grab it at shoulder width, with an underhand grip
- 4Un-rack the bar and bend over until your torso is pretty much parallel to the ground
- 5Without moving the torso up whatsoever, row the barbell to the lower portion of your abdomen
- 6Keeping elbows closer to your torso, contract the back up top
- 7Go back down slowly
#3 Lat Pulldown Behind Head | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
The lat pulldown behind the head is one of the best back exercises on the planet for widening your back and building bigger lats. This move will primarily target the upper back and secondarily, the biceps and forearms. If you are looking for a meaty upper back, do add this to your back exercises list.
If you want to take the lat pulldown behind the head to the next level, I suggest you implement the Balloon Method in all your back workouts so you can maximize the 3 science backed ways your body builds muscle. This is what we do in the SuperHuman Muscle program, and if you are eating enough you will pack on mass much faster.
For a really good pump I recommend that you go for about 10-12 reps and really focus on the stretch of the exercise and your mind-muscle connection in the lats. I like to tell myself to keep my elbows forward as I pull down as well, and this really lights up your lats.
execution
- 1Grab the pulldown bar and sit down on the seat
- 2Angle the torso slightly forward
- 3Look down and pull the bar down and behind your back
- 4Contract the back at the bottom, then go back up slowly.
- 5.Keep your elbows forward as you ascend down.
#4 Barbell Curl | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – If you want REAL gains, it doesn’t get better than heavy, compound bicep exercises.
The barbell curls offer just that, as they are an exercise that is worth including, if your goal is having bigger arms.
However, it is also a move that is commonly done wrong.
What you want to do is have a grip, slightly wider than shoulder width and keep the upper arm static.
That is, if you want to target the short head. If however, you want to gain some peaks, go for a more narrow grip.
execution
- 1Load the barbell and grab it slightly wider than shoulder width
- 2Stand up straight and look forward
- 3Curl the barbell up, without letting the elbows go forward
- 4Squeeze the biceps up top and slowly return down on the negative phase
Note: Don’t curl all the way up to the shoulders, as that will take away from the biceps’ tension. Instead, stop around mid-chest level and hold the peak flexion there.
Zac Efron leg Workout
#1 Barbell Squat | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
You really can’t beat the squat when it comes to building your lower body and giving your fitness a boost.
Squats are going to target your quads, hip flexors, as well as the glutes, while also bringing your core muscles into play as they contract to keep you balanced.
I recommend that you perform a wide variety of rep ranges on this exercise, but if you are a beginner stick to sets in the 6-10 rep range. You should be doing at least 5 sets of squats per week at the minimum as it's arguably the most important compound exercise for building your foundation.
execution
- 1Rack a bar at about shoulder height
- 2Get under the bar, placing it in the middle of your traps
- 3Un-rack the bar and take a step back
- 4Place feet at shoulder width, toes pointing out slightly
- 5Keep torso straight, head looking forward and knees slightly bent
- 6Squat down slowly, until your legs are parallel to the ground
- 7Explode on the way up, without locking out the knees
- 8Repeat the movement pattern
This exercise is the king of leg exercises because it’s a test of your strength, endurance, as well as mental tenacity.
Make no mistake, this is no sissy exercise. If you’re doing heavy back squats, you’ve earned your place in the gym.
I recommend varying your rep range on this move and changing up your weights as well.
Anywhere from 4-12 reps works depending on what you want to focus on that day.
Keep track of the weight and reps you do so you can change it up over time, adjusting something upwards so you’re making progress each and every workout.
Note: Don’t expect the weight to constantly go up. Some days, you’ll need to focus on adding more volume instead. Aim to do it fresh in your workout for maximum performance
#2 Jumping Lunges | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
If you are looking for a more dynamic movement that will make you feel athletic, this is it. The jumping lunge primarily targets the quadriceps, but will also activate the hamstrings, glutes, calves and lower back.
execution
- 1Stand up straight and take a step forward - This is your starting position
- 2Go down, without hitting your knee
- 3As you come up, jump and switch your legs
- 4Repeat and alternate between sides - Right leg in front, left leg in front, etc.
#3 Leg Press | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
As a replacement to the squat or simply to complement that major compound exercise, the leg press is a fantastic move to bring into your arsenal.
This one of the top 10 leg exercises will hit your quads, hamstrings, and glutes and will allow for excellent power generation.
execution
- 1Sit down on the leg press and lie back
- 2Rest your head and back
- 3Press the butt into the seat pad and the back into the back pad
- 4Grab the handles and place the feet on the platform at shoulder width
- 5Un-rack the platform and take the initial position, where your legs are slightly bent at the knees
- 6Let the platform go down slowly, maintaining tension on the legs
- 7Once the legs are at a 90-degree angle, push the platform to the initial position
When doing the leg press, be sure to keep the back pressed flat into the back pad at all times (never let the low back round as you drive the weight up) and go as low down as you can go.
Drop sets are especially effective on this exercise, so try stripping one plate off the machine after each set.
Do a few of 10-15 on these with little rest in between and you'll really feel it burning.
#4 Stiff Leg Deadlift | |
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Sets | 4 |
Reps | 8-10 |
Rest Time | 90 seconds |
As great as squats are for your workout routine, no lower body session would be complete without some sort of deadlift added into the mix and the stiff lead deadlift is a great variation to target the hamstrings and glutes. The hamstrings and gluteus muscle are 2 of the largest muscles in your entire body, and sadly many lifters overlook this exercise.
Squats put a lot of emphasis on the quad muscles, while deadlifts hit the posterior chain to a larger degree. By doing a stiff leg deadlift you are able to target the hamstrings and glutes more effectively.
Having both in your program ensures you are building a well-rounded body and aren't going to be at risk for any muscular weaknesses.
The stiff leg deadlift performed with dumbbells is a great hamstring exercise that builds bigger, stronger and less injury prone hamstrings.
The key with this exercise is in the execution, so be sure to watch the video carefully and follow the execution steps laid out below. I recommend that this hamstring exercise become a staple in your workout routine. You should be training your hamstrings just as often as you train your quads to prevent any muscular imbalances.
Try adding in 5-10 sets per week of the dumbbell stiff leg deadlift. This exercise is featured throughout the SuperHuman Muscle 12 week program as well because of how effective of a mass building movement it is.
execution
- 1Grab a pair of dumbbells
- 2Step with your feet closer than shoulder width
- 3Keep the dumbbells by your sides
- 4Maintain a straight torso and slightly bent knees
- 5Bend over slowly, stretching the hamstrings
- 6Go back up, driving the movement through the hips
- 7Contract the glutes up top and repeat
A dumbbell stiff leg deadlift is great for helping to work the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back and can be done quickly and easily as there's no barbell to set up.
To really reap maximum gains from this move, you want to lower the weight down in a slow and controlled manner until you feel a good stretch on the hamstrings.
Watch as you do this move that you aren’t rounding your back out.
If anything, it should remain relatively flat or even arched as you execute the movement.
Do 8-10 reps per set, focusing on taking the weight heavier on this exercise.
In order to get shredded you need to dial in the nutrition, so let’s take a peek at the Zac Efron Baywatch diet plan now!
Zac Efron's Diet Program

Zac Efron followed a low carbohydrate diet plan for 6 days of the week when preparing for his role in Baywatch, and then had 1 cheat day where he usually slammed down a really high carbohydrate dinner!
The reason for this is that your metabolism slows down a bunch when you diet, and by having 1 day where you consume a larger amount of carbohydrates and calories you are able to reset your metabolism and actually burn more fat than by not having a cheat day. Yes – you can have your cake and get ripped too and that is exactly the motto of the Crave Diet which is the diet plan on the SuperHuman Ripped Program!
Let’s take a look at his low carbohydrate diet plan, and check out what he would do for dessert on his cheat days.
MEAL 1
MEAL 2
MEAL 3
MEAL 4
MEAL 5
On the 7th day of the week Zac would incorporate about 200 grams of carbohydrates, most of which came from a killer cheat meal dinner that he actually tweeted about – take a look for yourself!
When you diet for 6 out of 7 days you can have one epic cheat meal like this and still look super ripped!