Pablo Schreiber's role in the American military science fiction series, Halo, required him to bulk up his otherwise lean physique. The gym was one part of it. But it was his interesting eating choices that helped him maintain that weight.

Speaking with eTalk, the Halo actor shared that he had to gain nearly 20-30 lbs from his usual weight for that shredded look in the series. And while the training was challenging, maintaining those pounds was the steepest hill to climb.

"It's tough because I'm actually quite thin built naturally, so it's a challenge for me to hold the muscle weight," Schreiber explained. The training takes only 3 to 4 months, but the Canadian actor has to hold that physique for 9 whole months for the shoot.

Turns out Schreiber does have a dieting trick up his sleeve to maintain calories. "Ice cream helps me hold weight," he shared:

"So I eat as much ice cream as possible on my cheat days. On Saturdays, I give myself Burgers and Fries and ice cream, and that's really important to being able to like hold on to some of this weight because it just wants to go," he added.

Beyond ingesting almost 5000 calories every day, Schreiber's gym sessions were intense as well.

Pablo Schreiber's training regimen that fleshed out Master Chief

Stepping inside the gym, Schreiber had a clear goal: "I needed to be as physically imposing as possible without the suit as I was with it." Trainer Eddie Raburn coached him through the bulk.

So what did the sessions look like? Gladly, Men's Health recorded one of Schreiber's training sessions, sharing a glimpse inside the gym.

Schreiber's day started with a thorough warmup session, prioritizing mobility movements and dead hangs, to activate his body.

Moving over to the cable activation counter, the actor followed it up with crossover pulldowns, rows, and flys. Finishing off strong, Schreiber hit 12 reps of behind-the-neck presses, upright rows, and seated Arnold presses.

With frequent, intense workout sessions like this, recovery becomes a non-negotiable. While training for Halo, massages and weekly ice baths became his best friends.

Despite the trials he faced preparing for the role of Master Chief in Halo, its successful premiere made it all worth it. Is Halo on your watch list yet?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil