Glee actor Kevin McHale describes how he got ripped

Glee actor Kevin McHale went from ‘skinny fat’ to lean and jacked with a sustainable training and nutrition plan

Working out of UPFitness in Los Angeles, 30-year-old McHale dropped 8% body fat while still managing to pack of 5 pounds of lean muscle.

A hectic acting schedule took its toll on McHale’s health and physique, which he grew increasingly frustrated with. He said:

“Simply put, I had become skinny fat. I had been working through an intestinal/digestion issue that was eluding diagnosis and that really took a toll on me.

“I was constantly in pain, I had tried so many different elimination diets – nothing was working.”

McHale lost motivation and struggled to get to grips with building a sustainable eating plan.

“I ate out almost every single meal, I was never going grocery shopping or making my own food. In the back of my mind I knew I should be going to work out because my body was getting worse.

“I could see my body changing and I had lost all the muscle I had ever gained.”

Previously, McHale had also found it difficult to stick to a consistent workout plan.

“I hated going into gyms. I knew what exercises to do in a gym. But my anxiety came from, say for example, walking into a gym and thinking I don’t really know what I’m doing, what exercises complement each other, what I should be eating after or before the workout. It’s things you just pick up along the way.”

The Glee actor decided that he had to seek assistance if things were to change in the long-term. He turned to his friend and Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills.

“With the impending doom of turning 30, I thought ‘okay, I have to stop this!’

“I was already feeling miserable because of the intestinal issues and with the self-added guilt of not getting myself to the gym or eating as healthily as possible, it was a recipe for disaster. Luckily my friend Scott Mills texted me out of the blue about Ultimate Performance coming to LA and I jumped at the chance to work with them.”

McHale’s progress skyrocketed under the guidance of personal trainer Eddie.

“It’s a different experience when you have someone there to push you as hard as you can. But I feel better knowing I’m doing the right things and doing the things that are going to be best for my body.”

The confidence this has given McHale took a great deal of his gym anxiety away.

“Walking into a gym now is a completely different thing. I’m not intimidated by all the big muscly people, who really knew what they are doing. I go in there and confidently do what I need to do. And because I have it written down with the exercises, sets and the weight.”

Kevin’s example workout

• A1 split squat 4×10-12
• A2 15-degree dumbbell press 4×10-12
• B1 incline back extension 3×10-12
• B2 diverging row 3×10-12
• C1 incline biceps curl 3×10-12
• C2 flat neutral bar triceps extension 3×10-12
• C3 lat raise with pulley on flat bench 3×10-12
• D1 Watt Bike HIIT sprints 3×30 seconds (90 seconds rest)

Trainer Eddie also helped McHale work his health and fitness goals into a holistic lifestyle change. His schedule dictates that dieting is difficult, but this is where strategy, planning and preparation come in handy.

“I would say the biggest challenges are always going to be the food choices. I’m someone who eats out a lot, who travels a lot, and it’s going to be hard to make your own food or meal prep.”

Logging what he ate into helpful apps proved a decisive measure.

“What I was most excited and most scared for was the diet. I was hoping I could do it, but I don’t have the best eating habits in the world  – burritos and cookies.

“My daily diet goals were set by Eddie and broken down into macros for carbohydrates, fat and protein. All of that sounds like it could be intimidating, but it’s really not because you just use an app and it does all the work for you!”

Eddie also encouraged McHale to take control of his sleeping habits to further enhance the results from his training.

“I’d also be rating my energy, sleep, digestion, etc. each day as well. Knowing if I had a proper nights sleep would directly correlate with how I was training and eating, obviously, but when you track it for 3 months you can see trends and patterns – I loved it.”

Kevin’s new diet

Breakfast:

• 2 egg whites 
• 2 scrambled eggs
• Avocado

Lunch:

• Chicken thighs
• Cauliflower, broccoli 

Dinner:

• Lean beef mince
• Tortillas
• Avocado

Snacks: 

• 2 scoops plant-based protein powder
• Hemp milk
• Banana

McHale now feels great after turning his body composition around.

“I started at 16% body fat and I’m now below 8%. I lost 7lbs of fat and gained 5lbs of muscle. This may not sound that drastic, but for someone as small as me, looking in the mirror it’s pretty drastic.

My whole body composition is completely different.”

If you – or someone you know – has made an impressive transformation with a story to tell, you could be featured on JOE’s Transformation Tuesday!

Just send your nominations to Alex.Roberts@JOE.co.uk

Read more from JOE’s Ditch The Dad Bod series