As a model and actor, Parker Young has stayed in consistently great shape for scenes that require few clothes, but when the opportunity to play a vampire in the new CBS comedy, Eternally Yours came his way, Young decided to pack on some mass to fill the role. Taking off his fangs to talk fitness, the star sat down with M&F to share his love of weights, passion for the great outdoors, and why he’s a team player at heart.
As an ectomorph, or “hard gainer,” who has modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and sent pulses racing with his six-pack on shows like Suburgatory, Young set himself a serious challenge to get bigger for the role of “Jesse,” a 30-something-year-old man turned vampire. “This character is a little bit older than the younger, high school guys I’ve been playing,” says the actor. “He’s a personal trainer by trade, so I felt I wanted to put on a little bit of size, just to look more like the trainers that I see out in the real world.”
Young explains that he began ramping up his training around a month before shooting the pilot and then stayed consistent for an additional five months while waiting to shoot subsequent episodes. A big consideration was the fact that the in-demand actor could not undertake a traditional bulking phase, because he needed to stay lean for any short notice, shirtless scenes that might come his way. So, the actor focused on increasing his protein intake, hitting somewhere between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein per day.
This was a revelation, because Young had previously kept his appetite at bay by grazing on fruit and vegetables. “I was not getting enough protein,” he tells M&F. “And, in an attempt to be lean on camera, it’s very easy to demonize carbohydrates, so I had to switch my mindset a little bit, and allow carbs to have a place, to fuel those workouts.”
How Did Parker Young Pack On Muscle for CBS’s ‘Eternally Yours’?
Fortunately, the physical fundamentals for forging a bigger physique were already there, as Young had first developed a love of lifting weights as a football running back at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, AZ.
“I was a sophomore on varsity, so I was surrounded by guys that were older, bigger, more mature, and I was trying to compete with them,” the former Catalina team captain recalls. “I just wanted to be competitive, with these guys being much stronger than me, and so I remember that we were ‘ego’ lifting from a very early age. I was pushing weight around that I had no business pushing around, not to seem like the weaker athlete.”
A wiser approach would be needed to build mature muscle at 39, however.
The actor says that while proper lifting form had gone out of the window in his formative years, the chance to train with a team was something that constantly pushed him to try harder. But by the time Young made his move to Hollywood and began taking more care with his technique, there was no team to spur him on, and this presented a motivational challenge. Fortunately, settling in Coronado, California provided an opportunity to find a new tribe.
“If you want to get in shape, find some Navy SEAL friends,” shares the star. “Coronado is where they go through the BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training), so all my best friends are Navy SEALs. I lift with one, run with another. I have another friend for rock climbing and another for jiu jitsu. These are the best specimens possible, not just for the camera, but for the real world.” Now, Young could draw inspiration from his servicemen pals, in order to look his best on screen while balancing a busy life as a proud father of three daughters.
Parker Young’s Upper/Lower Workout Split for Busy Lifters
With a hectic filming schedule and a busy family life, Young still executes a split workout but simplifies this to upper and lower body days. This is smart, because if he were to drill down into smaller muscle groups, and then miss a session due to a shoot, it could take days to circle back. The actor explains that he adds core work to each session as follows:
Day 1: Chest and Back
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders and Arms
Young explains that completes these three sessions and then repeats them, so that he can hit the same body parts multiple times per week, when time permits. “So, I’m never feeling like I neglected something for five days,” he says.
To drill into the details, Young says that his chest staples are bench press, and an incline dumbbell chest press. For back, the actor practices his pullups. Young says that key to building muscle has been working toward failure. “It is important to feel the muscles contract, and make sure I get a good squeeze,” he explains. “For legs, I have found that the Zercher squat is a nice exercise for me. They are a taxing lift and while I’m primarily working my legs, I also feel it in my arms, my core, and my back.” Young also adds Romanian Deadlifts, with heavy dumbbells, into his leg day mix, along with Bulgarian split squats. For arms and shoulders, the star says he is a fan of the landmine press.
But having packed on the muscle with intense gym sessions, Young says there is nothing like the great outdoors for gaining a sense of mental clarity. Currently shooting in Montreal, the actor shares that he has brought his family along to enjoy the environment. “I’ve got a little cabin by the lake with a sauna and a Jacuzzi outside, right by the water,” he beams. “There’s nothing like a hot sauna!” Conversely, Young is also a fan of cold-water therapy, “Once you acclimate to that cold water, breathe through it, and anxieties slip away.”
Parker Young stars as Jesse in Eternally Yours, available on CBS and Paramount+
