6 A.M. With...the Little Big Shot

To play LeBron's high school BFF on the small screen, Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin blended his lifelong passion for fitness with his second love, hoops

- By Branden Peters

Caleb Mclaughlin hangs from the bar, sweat dripping from his forehead. He's midway through his morning workout at EpiFIT Club, just west of Atlanta, and his trainer, Mikael Hadiri, is pushing him through a pullup gauntlet. Each set, McLaughlin switches grips, going from underhand to overhand to wide grip to narrow.

It's a tactic for back gains and serious forearm burn-and it's going to cripple McLaughlin's jump shot when he hits the court later. But the 21-year-old actor wouldn't have it any other way. "I've been super competitive my whole life, and I've always been into, like, physique and health," he says during a 60-second breather between sets. "I just felt that if I stay consistent with doing pushups and situps, I'll be ahead of everybody else."