Want abs like Zac Efron? Okay, perhaps that’s a little over ambitious. But a flatter stomach and less beer on the gut; now that’s an achievable aim. Celebrity personal trainer Patrick Murphy has whipped actors such as Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz into shape.
His latest project was shredding Efron into a Baywatch hunk and now he wants you to follow in the same footsteps. Unpack your tiniest red shorts and find the nearest beach. Oh, and don’t forget the slow-motion run.
Step 1. Stop drinking alcohol and grab a Holsten 0.0%
“Anyone who wants to lose their beer belly has to sober up and rid alcohol from their diet,” says Murphy.
“Alcohol is a toxin and will only keep the body fat switch turned on. It’s amazing how lean my clients become when they lay off the booze (even wine) for a month.”
Step 2. Eat whole foods
“The best foods to eat are lean proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats in whole food form. A whole food diet is the most nutritious and absorbs carbs far slower than processed foods.”
“Highly refined processed food-like products absorb too rapidly and ruin your blood glucose and insulin relationship. Stay away from flour products as much as possible.”
YES; Apple NO; apple juice
YES; Brown rice NO; brown rice pasta
YES; Chicken breast NO; chicken sausage
YES; Quinoa NO; quinoa crackers
YES; Vegetable salad NO; green juice
YES; Nuts and Seeds NO; Nut/seed milks
Step 3. Drop all additives and sugars
“Cleaning up your diet and getting rid of food additives, chemicals, flavourings, MSG, added sugars, preservatives and more, is the only way to lose gut fat or any excess fat on your body.”
Step 4. Increase your heart rate
“After training for 20 years, it amazes me that so many fitness myths still exist today. There is no truth that one specific exercise will target fat loss in the area you are training. Back exercises will not target back fat, and abdominal exercises will not melt belly fat away.”
“The key to losing the beer belly is heart rate. The fat on your body is stored energy. In order to metabolise the fat off your body, you need to burn more calories with high heart rate training such as sprinting.”
Step 5. Reduce rest times
“Remember to keep your tempo up when weight training in the gym. Rest only 30-45 seconds between sets and only 1 minute between circuits.”
For more info follow @murphyfitness on Instagram and Twitter. Murphy offers nutritional one hour phone consults for only $150.