When actor Zack Schor read the script for Hunters, an Amazon-produced show about Nazis living in 1970s New York, he didn’t think about how the role could further his career—he thought about his grandparents, and how he wanted to tell the story as honestly as he could, even if it meant wrecking his muscular body to do it.  

His grandparents were children in Europe during the rise of Nazism, and their lives were forever changed because of it. His French grandmother’s family hid in the attic of a barn for years so they wouldn’t get sent to a camp, while his Polish grandfather was sent to a concentration camp outside Budapest and recalls living in terror, every day, of being shot for not working hard enough. 

Schor’s character, played in later years by Al Pacino, is a Polish Jew sent to Auschwitz, and the actor’s family connection to the Holocaust gave him strong motivation to look the part as much as possible. He set a goal of losing 35 pounds—a formidable number for someone with much more muscle than body fat.

“It was incredibly personal and resonant, this story, and I knew that what I brought to it physically would be very important,” he says. “I wanted people to see what this character went through, I wanted them to be uncomfortable when they saw me on screen.”

 

 

 

 

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Down 35 pounds and wearing hazel contacts. Not looking my prettiest, but so grateful for the opportunity to do justice to this character. (Even if my expression doesn’t show it 😏) @amazonprimevideo #hunterstv

A post shared by Zack Schor (@zackschor) on Jun 12, 2019 at 3:53pm PDT

Getting Lean. Way Too Lean.

Just losing weight for the Hunters role wasn’t enough—Schor had to lose muscle mass as well to achieve that disturbingly too-skinny look. 

While checking in with a doctor on a regular basis, he cut way back on his calories and began running every day, sometimes a few times a day. Because the trail running he usually did offered too much resistance, which would build muscle, he did treadmill-only runs and slogged through the miles. 

He lost 20 pounds in 20 days. The last 15 were tougher, but he kept at it, still keeping his consumption low and his treadmill sessions frequent, for a few more months. Because of the loss of both fat and muscle, his joints often ached, and he began losing stability and energy. He focused on doing long foam roller sessions to help with recovery.

The weight loss wasn’t just physically demanding, as it also took a heavy toll on his mind and spirit, too. 

“As challenging as it is physically to get to that level, it was more difficult mentally and emotionally,” he says. “Then, to be in that condition and go onto sets that look like Auschwitz is an incredibly immersive experience. It’s heavy. I was impacted by the darkness I felt, and I think that will stay with me for a long time.”

Building Back Up

Once filming wrapped at the end of September, Schor had a whole new challenge in getting back to being healthy, and he knew it would be a slow process. He increased his calories very gradually, knowing that a full ramp up would make him sick. 

In a similar way, he waited to get back to lifting, taking six weeks first to build up his core strength and stabilizer muscles.

“Mostly, in those first few months, I focused on feeling like a human again,” he says. “I spent months being meticulous about every calorie and every mile, so I let myself take a break from analytics and numbers, and just come back slow and steady.”

He was happy to go back to activities he’d loved before, like trail running and building upper body muscle mass by lifting, and knows he’ll eventually get the physique he had at his starting point. What he’ll never have is regret for getting so aggressive in changing his body composition.

“With this role, it was vital for me to go as far as I could with it,” he says. “Physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s all there on the screen.”

Catch Hunters now on Amazon Prime Video. 

“It wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for,” Henri-Pierre Ano admits, after reflecting on his 14th-place finish in 2019’s Olympia Classic Physique.

Ano, 38, had plenty of reasons for disappointment. The Canadian stepped onstage with high hopes of improving on his 2018 fourth-place finish. At 6’1″, with a small waist and wide shoulder structure, he’s blessed with ample genetic gifts perfectly suited for the classic division. Combined with his meticulous tempo-focused training style, Ano’s switch from the open bodybuilding class seemed like a perfect match.

That is, until disaster struck in Las Vegas. After having to hit the sauna at the last minute to make the required 230-pound limit during 2018 weigh-ins, Ano and his coach, Chris Aceto, had decided to come in lighter for 2019. 

“[In 2018], five days before the show, I got off the plane at 247, and [in 2019], I was about 232 to 235 pounds,” Ano recounts. “But this time, my metabolism was running high. Two days before the weigh-in, I woke up at 227.” 

Ano ended up overcompensating, leading to fluctuations that ultimately robbed him of his ideal package. “I was ripped and ready body-fat-wise, but I couldn’t carb up enough, and I came in flat,” he acknowledges.

With lessons learned, Ano and Aceto are deciding whether to remain in the classic division or return to the open fray as they eye a contest this May. Meanwhile, in between training clients, Ano has remained busy in the gym, bringing up his legs while also adding some size and shape to his upper body, with this once-per-week chest workout, detailed on the following pages, part of his plan. 

“The Olympia was a good boost of motivation,” he says. “It’s nice when you finish high, but when you don’t, it pushes you to keep going at it.”

The Moves

Incline Dumbbell Flye

• “I start with flyes because of the deep stretch I can get through my pecs,” Ano says. He lies on a bench set at a 45-degree angle, holding a 50- or 60-pound dumbbell in each hand for the first set, and extends his arms straight up so they’re above his neck. From there, maintaining a slight bend in each elbow, he’ll lower the weights out to each side in an arc, going as deep as he can, with his elbows eventually going just below the level of the bench. From set to set, he’ll pyramid the weight, working his way up to 70 or 80 pounders by the last one.
• Do it like Ano: “To maximize the stretch at the bottom, as my arms are coming down into the bottom position, I’ll do a little hand rotation, where my palms go from a neutral grip, my palms facing up toward the ceiling, to where they are facing forward [toward the wall] in the bottom position. I’ll then twist them back to lift the dumbbells back up.”

 Incline Dumbbell Press

• While a typical bench offers a number of incline variations, Ano prefers the 45-degree angle for pressing. “For me, it targets the upper chest without shifting too much tension to the shoulders,” he says. He’ll lie faceup with his feet firmly on the floor, holding an 80-pound dumbbell in each hand for the first set, just outside his delt caps to begin. (Over the four sets, Ano will pyramid to 140-pound dumbbells, sometimes heavier.) He presses the weights upward—moving in a straight line directly in alignment with his neck—in an explosive one-second burst, then takes four seconds to lower the weights to the start.
• Do it like Ano: “Sometimes I’ll twist my wrist on the way up, so I’m going from a pronated grip at the bottom to where the dumbbells form a triangle at the top, with my thumbs closer together than my pinkies, which allows me to squeeze my chest harder than when my wrists remain fully pronated throughout.”

 Flat Bench Barbell Press

• Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench. After pulling the bar from the rack, lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.
• Do it like Ano: “At the end of this exercise, I like to do a strip set. I’ll do three to four reps, then take a 25 off each side and repeat until I’m back down to 135 pounds, where I’ll rep until failure.” 

 Cable Crossover Sets: 

• Standing in the center of a cable cross station with knees slightly bent, Ano grasps D-handles attached to the upper pulleys and steps forward to put his pecs on stretch. Palms facing downward and elbows slightly bent and rigid, he flexes his pecs to draw the handles down and below the level of his waist—at the bottommost position, he’ll hold the static contraction for a second before returning along the same path to start. Don’t let the weight stack touch down between reps.
• Do it like Ano: “One thing I do that I don’t see others do is, instead of just crossing the handles at the end of each rep, I’ll usually press my wrists together to help increase the intensity of the contraction.” 

[RELATED1]

Dexter “The Blade” Jackson, the 2008 Mr. Olympia and the winningest IFBB Professional League competitor, has announced that the 2020 Mr. Olympia will be his final contest. News of the bodybuilding legend’s impending retirement was announced in a release issued by the National Physique Committee.

“I’ve thought long and hard about how I want my career to end,” Jackson said in the release. “I want to go out on my own terms. I’m still capable of winning any show I enter and in September I’m taking one final shot at taking home a second Sandow. The Olympia is the greatest show in bodybuilding and I want my final posedown to be on that stage in Vegas against the best in the world.”

You can see the full statement here: 

 

 

 

 

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DEXTER JACKSON: “THE 2020 OLYMPIA WILL BE MY FINAL CONTEST” In bodybuilding circles he’s been called the 8th Wonder of the World. His 29 professional victories are a world record. His 9 combined Arnold Classic wins are also a record and so are his 20 appearances on the Olympia stage. At 50 years old, Dexter Jackson remains one of the top bodybuilders on the planet, but all good things must come to an end. 12 years removed from winning the 2008 Mr. Olympia, Dexter will compete for the 2020 Mr. Olympia title, but this time The Blade will be doing it for the final time. “I’ve thought long and hard about how I want my career to end.” Explains Jackson, “I want to go out on my own terms. I’m still capable of winning any show I enter and in September I’m taking one final shot at taking home a second Sandow. The Olympia is the greatest show in bodybuilding and I want my final posedown to be on that stage in Vegas against the best in the world.” Dexter adds, “The 2020 Olympia will be my final contest, so I hope everyone who has supported me will be there to make it special.” Dexter will also compete earlier in the year at Arnold Classic events in Columbus, Australia and Brazil before setting his sights on Las Vegas. Acquired last week by Jake Wood, the Olympia continues to make headlines. It was recently reported that long time 212lb champ Flex Lewis will be making his return to the stage at this year’s Mr. Olympia and organizers also revealed the selection of Shaquille O’Neal as Honorary Ambassador of the 2020 Olympia Weekend. This year marks the return of the Ms. Olympia women’s competition after a six year layoff and plans are well underway for a yet-to-be-announced expo expansion. Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon explains, “Dexter is one of the most remarkable athletes of our generation. The opportunity to witness his final competition will be emotional for all of us. We plan on making it special.” For more information including tickets and exhibitor opportunities, visit MrOlympia.com. @npcnewsonlineofficialpage @mrolympiallc @ifbb_pro_league @dansolomon_official #olympia #ifbbprofessionalleague #dexterjackson #bodybuilding #legend

A post shared by NPC News Online Official Page (@npcnewsonlineofficialpage) on Feb 20, 2020 at 4:17am PST

 

Jackson’s accomplishments are many. Besides winning the 2008 Sandow, besting Jay Cutler to do so, he’s also won five Arnold Classics—more than any other competitor—and at 50 years old is one of the oldest competing bodybuilders. His other records include 29 IFBB Professional League competition wins and 20 appearances at the Olympia.

With this announcement, the 2020 Mr. Olympia is shaping up to be on the most exciting contests in recent memory. Seven-time 212 champion Flex Lewis will appear in the Open division after accepting a special invitation to do so, the Ms. Olympia competition is making its return, and Shaquille O’Neal is this year’s Honorary Olympia Ambassador. 

This will also be the first Olympia under new owner Jake Wood, longtime industry insider and Wings of Strength promoter. 

Purchase tickets at mrolympia.com so you can be in Las Vegas for all the excitement from Sept. 9 to 13.