There’s no denying Zack George is a natural-born winner. The latest addition to the Myprotein Team stands in at 6-foot-tall, weighs around 100kg, and has just been crowned the Fittest Man in the UK. And his skills are undeniably impressive. He’s able to perform countless ring muscles and handstand walks for what seems like miles, all while managing some serious injury rehabilitation from his torn bicep (ouch).
Who would’ve thought that Zack stumbling across a video of cross-training back in 2014 would lead to 5 years of training to become the UK’s fittest man?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4m0rsLB7Pt/
Train Like Zack
So, how do you train to be the fittest in the UK? Well, it isn’t easy — we can tell you that for free. Actually, there’s some pretty high-intensity training involved. Zack actually trains up to 12 times a week. That’s two times a day for six days of the week.
However, it isn’t just the volume that plays a factor in Zack’s routine — it’s the intensity and amount of weight he can pull and push. He’s flying incredibly heavy weights over his head at speed, whilst being able to run interval sprints and climb up ropes without his legs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xuQgqh7n2/
Some of his favourite cross-training exercises include thrusters and the dreaded death drops… AKA burpees. In order to be as fit as Zack is, you’re going to need to get good at them — no matter how painful and exhausting they are.
Another key part of Zack’s training is ensuring he completes active recovery, especially with the volume of training he does.
"My go-to workout is 30-minute emom (every minute on the minute), 20-calorie row, 15-calorie assault bike, and 15 burpees"
Fuel Like Zack
Not only does your training need to be on point to become the fittest man in the country, you also need to have excellent nutrition and sufficient fuel to perform at such high intensity over and over again. Zack gave us an insight into what he eats daily, and how he fits it around his training.
"My diet is pretty much the same every day. Morning porridge with raisins, then it’s training session 1. Salmon, rice and mushrooms for lunch, another bowl of porridge, then training session 2, then to finish either chicken or lamb with sweet potatoes and vegetables"
Check out these quick meal prep recipes for ways to fuel your workouts.
Another piece of fuel that this machine uses to perform at his best levels is the THE Pre-Workout in Blue Raspberry flavour.
Recover Like Zack
To be the fittest man in the country, you have to put your body on the line in training — day in and day out. This, however, can come with some unfortunate setbacks and injuries.
"You have to stay super positive and work around the injury as best as possible".
Last year, Zack missed out on qualification for the games and didn’t win the open because of one movement. His kryptonite? The strict handstand push-up. So what did he do?
"I practised them 4 times a week for 9 months and now they’re much better"
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5szr0cBzet/
This dedication to his craft is what has driven him to victory this year.
Zack also uses a simple list of supplements to aid with his recovery:
Take Home Message
To be the fittest in the UK, it’s taken Zack some serious dedication and hard work over the last five years. He’s suffered setbacks and injuries along the way, and it goes to show that to reach your goals you have to be persistent. We’d like to congratulate Zack on his success one more time.
