Hudson Williams has spent the final yr making ready his physique for one among tv’s most talked-about roles. The 24-year-old Canadian actor, who performs hockey star Shane Hollander within the hit Crave/HBO collection Heated Rivalry, just lately shared his full exercise routine with Males’s Well being, revealing how he maintains the physique that has audiences speaking.
Heated Rivalry Star Hudson Williams Shares Full Coaching Plan
Williams demonstrated his full-body coaching method on the Men’s Health Fitness Hub on January 14, strolling via a seven-exercise routine designed for effectivity and outcomes. The exercise is predicated on years of gymnasium expertise that started a lot sooner than his appearing profession. Williams has been coaching since childhood, when his father launched him to weights round age six. “There’s movies of him attempting to place weights in my hand,” Williams recalled. Hudson Williams as soon as aimed to be an MMA fighter.
The actor trains 5 instances per week when doable, scaling again to 3 periods when journey or work commitments intrude. Every exercise lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, focusing on each main muscle group in a single session. This total-body method offers Williams flexibility when his schedule will get tight. “Relying on when or once I can’t get into the gymnasium, I similar to to know I’ve hit every part,” he defined.
Williams adjusts his coaching quantity primarily based on weekly availability. Throughout busy intervals when he can practice incessantly, he completes two units of every train to take care of consistency. When his schedule limits gymnasium entry, he will increase to 3 or 4 units to maximise every session.
The exercise begins with dumbbell chest flys for 3 units of eight to 10 reps, an train Williams favors for constructing chest width past what urgent actions alone present. He follows with mendacity dumbbell curls for 2 to 3 units, cautioning that lifters ought to keep away from the motion in the event that they expertise shoulder discomfort. Bulgarian cut up squats take middle stage for decrease physique work at three units per aspect, chosen particularly for glute growth. Williams then strikes to seated single-arm cable rows, performing three units per aspect whereas specializing in lat engagement.
The routine continues with overhead triceps extensions and cable lateral raises, which Williams typically performs as a superset to maximise tools effectivity in crowded gyms. The exercise concludes with dragon flags, the signature core train popularized by Bruce Lee. Williams credit his childhood hero for the motion, which he performs for 3 units of three to 5 reps. The train serves his aim of fast, high-intensity belly coaching. “I simply am lazy, so I need to do one thing that’ll simply rip me in half, however in a brief period of time,” he mentioned.
Williams’ coaching focus has developed alongside his profession. Whereas he has lifted weights for years, his emphasis on glute growth is more moderen, pushed by the bodily calls for of Heated Rivalry. “We received an M.O. to maintenance, so I need to preserve this butt and get an even bigger butt as effectively,” he mentioned candidly.
The position required Williams to steadiness athletic realism with display presence. Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney initially advised Williams purpose for a pasta-fed physique typical of hockey gamers, who typically seem wiry or robust in an on a regular basis method relatively than overtly muscular. Williams reconsidered after seeing his co-stars, significantly Connor Storrie, who performs Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov. “I used to be asking Jacob like, ‘What ought to I appear to be?’ And he’s like, ‘It is best to appear to be you eat pasta.’ And I used to be like, ‘I don’t know. I’ve seen these different guys on the present they usually appear to be underwear fashions,’” Williams mentioned.
Williams minimize carbohydrates and centered on constructing dimension to match the physique requirements set on set. His admiration for Storrie’s construct is clear. “Poor Connor Storrie, who has the fattest butt I’ve ever seen on a person, I’m certain simply desires to cease speaking about his stunning cheeks,” Williams joked.
With Heated Rivalry renewed for a second season and filming set to start this summer season, Williams has set formidable bodily targets. He desires so as to add ten kilos of muscle and develop bigger shoulders and legs. “I need to get larger, juicier, thicker. I need to get some huge ass shoulders,” he mentioned. His goal is matching Storrie’s first-season physique, although he expects his co-star to reach much more developed. “I believe that man is simply going to eat a lot protein that he’s going to ascend and he’s going to point out up like an Olympia, Mr. Olympia,” Williams predicted.
Williams and Storrie sometimes practice collectively, sharing methods whereas working separate routines. Storrie has taught Williams bicep workout routines, whereas Williams has launched lat actions to his co-star. Regardless of Storrie’s dimension benefit, Williams maintains there’s worth in studying from one another. “You’ll be able to all the time nonetheless be taught from the smaller, much less constructed man,” he mentioned with self-deprecating humor.
The 2 actors share aggressive vitality each on and off display. A video of them arm wrestling resulted in a tie, although Williams stays skeptical of the outcome given Storrie’s arm dimension. Williams believes he would win a spaghetti-eating contest however concedes Storrie would dominate any pull-up competitors resulting from his gymnastics background.
Earlier than touchdown Heated Rivalry, Williams labored as a server at The Outdated Spaghetti Manufacturing facility in New Westminster, British Columbia, whereas auditioning and creating quick movies. The biracial actor, whose mom is Korean and father is of British and Dutch descent, graduated from Langara Faculty’s Movie Arts program in 2020. His mom initially apprehensive his heritage would restrict appearing alternatives, making his casting as Shane Hollander significantly significant. The position particularly known as for a biracial actor, turning what his mom feared can be an impediment into an important casting ingredient.
Williams drew inspiration from actual hockey gamers Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid when creating his character, each identified for his or her dedication and team-first mentality. “They’re simply good guys. They appear like the most effective teammates they usually eat and breathe one factor, and that’s hockey,” Williams mentioned.
Heated Rivalry, primarily based on Rachel Reid’s Sport Changers novel collection, follows the key romance between Williams’ character Shane Hollander and Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov, rival hockey stars whose on-ice competitors masks an intense private connection. The collection premiered on Crave and HBO Max round Christmas 2025, shortly turning into a cultural phenomenon and incomes renewal for a second season.
Hudson Williams’ Full-Physique Exercise Routine
Coaching Frequency: 5 days per week (3 days minimal when busy)
Session Period: 45-60 minutes
Quantity: 2 units per train (common schedule) or 3-4 units (restricted schedule)
- Dumbbell Chest Flys
- Units: 3
- Reps: 8-10
- Focus: Chest width
- Mendacity Dumbbell Curls
- Units: 2-3
- Reps: Not specified
- Notes: Skip in the event you expertise shoulder discomfort
- Bulgarian Break up Squats
- Units: 3 per leg
- Reps: Not specified
- Focus: Glute growth
- Seated Single-Arm Cable Rows
- Units: 3 per aspect
- Reps: Not specified
- Focus: Lat engagement
- Overhead Triceps Extensions
- Units: Not specified
- Reps: Not specified
- Notes: Could be supersetted with lateral raises
- Cable Lateral Raises
- Units: Not specified
- Reps: Not specified
- Notes: Could be supersetted with triceps extensions
- Dragon Flags
- Units: 3
- Reps: 3-5
- Focus: Core/abs (signature Bruce Lee train)
