As a working actor and model known for staying camera-ready, Parker Young is no stranger to maintaining a lean physique for shirtless scenes. However, when the opportunity arose to portray a 30-something-year-old vampire named Jesse in the new CBS comedy Eternally Yours, Young decided to alter his approach. Rather than sticking to his usual slender frame, the star made the conscious decision to pack on solid mass to better fit the profile of a character who works as a professional trainer in the real world.
Sitting down with Muscle & Fitness, Young opened up about the physical demands of his new television role, his lifelong passion for weight training, his affinity for the great outdoors, and how he manages to balance a demanding Hollywood career with life as a devoted father of three daughters.
As an ectomorph, or a natural "hard gainer" who has previously modeled for high-profile brands like Tommy Hilfiger and won over television audiences with his physique in shows like Suburgatory, Young faced a unique challenge in gaining size. The role of Jesse required him to look more mature and robust than the younger high-school characters he often played earlier in his career.
"This character is a little bit older than the younger, high school guys I’ve been playing," Young explains. "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."
To achieve this transformation, Young began ramping up his training routine about a month before principal photography on the pilot episode began. He then maintained that strict consistency for an additional five months while waiting for the green light to shoot subsequent episodes. A major logistical hurdle for the in-demand actor was that he could not undergo a traditional, heavy bulking phase. Because television and film productions often shoot scenes out of sequence with short notice, Young needed to remain lean enough to step into shirtless scenes at a moment’s notice.
To resolve this challenge, he shifted his nutritional focus toward increasing his daily protein intake significantly, targeting somewhere between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. This dietary adjustment marked a major shift for the actor, who historically kept his appetite under control by grazing primarily on fruits and vegetables.
"I was not getting enough protein," Young 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, Young did not have to start from scratch when it came to the physical fundamentals of building a larger physique. His appreciation for heavy lifting dates back to his high school days in Tucson, Arizona, where he played running back for the Catalina Foothills High School football team.
"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 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."
While those formative years were characterized by heavy weights and less-than-stellar lifting form, building mature muscle at 39 years old required a much wiser, more sustainable approach. Young realized that while improper form had compromised his early workouts, the environment of training alongside a dedicated team had always pushed him to work harder.
When Young eventually relocated to Hollywood and began prioritizing proper lifting technique, he missed that camaraderie. Without a built-in team to spur him on, finding daily motivation presented a new kind of challenge. Fortunately, after settling down in Coronado, California, Young managed to find a new circle of peers who shared his drive for physical excellence.
"If you want to get in shape, find some Navy SEAL friends," shares the star. "Coronado is where they go through the BUD/S 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."
Surrounding himself with high-performing servicemen provided Young with the ongoing inspiration needed to maintain his physique on screen, all while navigating the daily responsibilities of a busy family life with his three daughters.
Parker Young’s Upper/Lower Workout Split for Busy Lifters
Balancing a hectic television filming schedule with family responsibilities means that Young must keep his gym routine streamlined and efficient. Rather than breaking his body down into hyper-specific muscle groups—a strategy that can derail a weekly routine if an unexpected shooting schedule forces him to miss a session—Young relies on a simplified upper and lower body workout split, integrating core work into every single session.
By organizing his schedule around upper body and lower body days, Young can complete three core sessions and then repeat them throughout the week. This flexible approach allows him to hit the same muscle groups multiple times per week whenever his schedule permits, ensuring that he never feels like a specific part of his body has been neglected for days on end.
When detailing his exercise selection, Young points to classic, compound movements as the foundation of his routine. For his chest days, he relies heavily on the standard bench press and the incline dumbbell chest press. To build back strength, he incorporates pull-ups, emphasizing that the real secret to muscle growth is working each set close to failure and focusing on the contraction.
"It is important to feel the muscles contract, and make sure I get a good squeeze," he explains.
For leg development, Young has found success with the Zercher squat, noting that it provides a unique challenge that extends beyond the lower body. "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," he says. To round out his lower body days, he integrates heavy dumbbell Romanian deadlifts and Bulgarian split squats. When it comes to training his arms and shoulders, the actor frequently utilizes the landmine press.
Despite his dedication to heavy gym sessions and building muscle for the screen, Young maintains that spending time in the great outdoors remains essential for achieving true mental clarity. While shooting on location in Montreal, the actor made sure to bring his family along to experience the natural environment firsthand.
"I’ve got a little cabin by the lake with a sauna and a Jacuzzi outside, right by the water," he beams, noting his appreciation for the restorative power of heat. "There’s nothing like a hot sauna!"
Conversely, Young is also a dedicated advocate for cold-water therapy, finding peace in the physiological reset it provides. "Once you acclimate to that cold water, breathe through it, and anxieties slip away."
Parker Young stars as Jesse in Eternally Yours, which is available to watch on CBS and Paramount+.
