\u201cI want a Heated Rivalry ass.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first thing I said to my trainer when we met at Equinox yesterday for our biweekly session. I\u2019d just finished episode three of HBO Max\u2019s viral gay romance series, and the star hockey players at its center may just have the most jaw-dropping bodies that have ever graced a streaming platform.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not the only one inspired by what I\u2019ve seen: Fans have been posting ogling odes and glutes routines<\/a> inspired by the backsides of main characters Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) since the show premiered last month.<\/p>\n In a way, Williams saw this coming. \u201cWhen I got the audition, I was like, fuck, if I get this role a lot of people are going to see me naked,\u201d he recently told Vogue over Zoom.<\/p>\n Although he was in \u201cpretty good shape\u201d already, landing the role of Shane demanded sweeping changes to his routine. They began with his diet. \u201cThe first time I saw Connor, I was amazed by how muscular he is,\u201d Williams confesses. \u201cI just started pounding the protein, eating as much ground beef as possible, and through the process I gained 10 pounds of really lean muscle.\u201d Chicken thighs were another important addition.<\/p>\n Then came the workouts: Suddenly, he was exercising six days a week, plus taking hockey lessons. (Rather than work with a trainer, Williams mostly followed the advice of kinesiologist friends at the gym.) So, to what does he owe the derri\u00e8re that fans can\u2019t stop talking about? \u201cThe Pitt Shark<\/a> will change your butt immediately,\u201d he says, referring to a monstrous-looking glutes machine. \u201cIt takes all the pressure off your back so your butt is just being ripped apart.\u201d Also in rotation were weighted hip thrusts (something my trainer had me try\u2014very intense) and Romanian dead lifts.<\/p>\n Now, he considers himself a bit of an ass expert. \u201cHip thrusts are amazing for growing your butt out, while RDLs are key for growing that bottom part out,\u201d Williams offers sagely. \u201cIf you want to grow your butt out sideways, not just get a long butt, you should do banded walks and abductor exercises.\u201d Noted for my next gym session.<\/p>\n He has only one regret about his Heated Rivalry prep: that he didn\u2019t start sooner. \u201cUnfortunately, when we filmed that first shower scene, I hadn\u2019t had a chance to train that much yet,\u201d Williams says. \u201cMy butt got so much bigger, and we never filmed me from the back again. I need to really show it off in season two.\u201d<\/p>\n