Far from his days in “High School Musical”, handsome and sexy actor Zac Efron is looking more like a man on the cover of Men’s Health magazine.

Flaunting his bulging biceps, the 24-year-old had to bulk up for his latest role in the movie “The Lucky One,” as a U.S. Marine.  Zac talked about his fitness regimen for the role, saying:

‘Physically I started eating a lot. Eating through walls. Just eating and eating. That’s all I’d do and I put on some weight that way. As far as the training goes, just trying different techniques and methods.

‘It’s one of the only concrete things that you can do to feel differently about a character. I didn’t feel like a Marine. I didn’t have the posture. I didn’t feel like I had the presence and that was just one thing for me that I could do to really up that change.’

Putting on 17 pounds of pure muscle, Zac then needed to understand the emotional side of a Marine, to which he got to train alongside Marines and Navy SEALS – noticing a difference between him and them.  And it wasn’t muscle.

He said:

‘When I went in to meet some of these guys, the sergeants, I was blown away. I was taller than most of the guys, but they were just thick, like there was something about them. They had a definite presence.

‘Here I am, slouched over and I just smile a lot. I’m just always smiling. These guys were always serious. Honestly, it was one of the most awkward moments in my entire life.’