Transform Your Physique With The Zyzz Workout
Aziz Shavershian, better known as 'Zyzz' was one of the first real fitness influencers on the internet almost 10 years ago.
Passing away in Thailand while on holidays on the 5th of August, 2011 to this day I continue to hear his name, legacy and training techniques mentioned in the gym almost every single week.
Powerful.
Today we're going to delve into the Zyzz workout, published on SimplyShredded years ago, I personally followed this routine for a solid year around 2011.
Many ectomorphs see Zyzz's transformation - from an extremely skinny, insecure teenager to what many argue to this day is the definition of the perfect 'aesthetic' physique.
It's worth noting that Zyzz did admit to running several steroid cycles as well as using fat burning agents like clenbuterol. Therefore it goes without saying that you will not be able to obtain a physique to the same level as Zyzz naturally...
Should you follow this regime as a natural lifter that's just starting out? Let's take a look...
The Zyzz Workout Routine
Monday: Chest/Biceps
4 sets of Incline Dumbbell Press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Bench Press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Incline Flies, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Chest Dips until failure
3 sets of Barbell Curls, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Preacher Curls, 8-10 reps, then drop the weight to half, and push out another 8
Tuesday: Legs/Calves
4 sets of Squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of Lunges 8-10 reps
3 sets of Leg Press 8-10 reps
3 sets of Leg Extensions till failure
3 sets of Leg Curls 8-10 reps
Calves are self explanatory, just use some of the machines till failure, a lot of reps, feel the burn.
Wednesday: Back
3 sets of Lat Pulldowns 8-10 reps
4 sets of Deadlifts 8-10 reps
3 sets of Bent Over Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Dumbell Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Hyperextensions 8-10 reps
Thursday: Shoulders/Triceps
4 sets of Shoulder Press, alternate with Barbell & Dumbell every week 8-10 reps
3 sets of Upright Rows supersetted with Lateral Raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of front raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of Lying Rear Delt Raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of Close-Grip Bench Press 8-10 reps
4 sets of Pulldowns 8-10 reps
3 sets of Skullcrushers 8-10 reps
Saturday: Full Body
3 sets of Deadlifts 8-10 reps
3 sets of Squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of Clean and Jerk 8-10 reps
3 sets of Weighted Pull ups 8-10 reps
Should You Follow This Regime?
Zyzz's workout routine is solid, however if I were to personally follow this routine today (or recommend someone else follow it) I would without a doubt make a couple of changes.
There's nothing 'wrong' with it per se but to get the best bang for your buck from this regime I recommend:
Altering The Order/Exercise Of The Back Workout
Going through each workout and exercise chosen for the targeted muscle groups looks great until we get to the back workout which is:
3 sets of Lat Pulldowns 8-10 reps
4 sets of Deadlifts 8-10 reps
3 sets of Bent Over Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Dumbell Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Hyperextensions 8-10 reps
As a natural lifter I do not recommend you perform this back workout, there is no reason to start your back workout with lat pullsdown, an exercise that has been proven to be sub-par for back development in comparison to other exercises.
Performing bent over rows after performing 4 sets of heavy deadlifts is also going to place a large amount of stress on your lower back, not to mention deadlifts also being performed several days later during the Saturday full body workout.
As such I recommend swapping out the lat pulldowns for wide grip pull-ups and removing the deadlifts from your back workout and instead just focusing on them during your Saturday full body workout.
My proposed new back routine for the Zyzz workout looks as follows:
4 sets of wide grip pull-ups (8 - 10 reps)
4 sets of bent over rows (8-10 reps)
4 sets of dumbbell one arm rows (8-10 reps)
3 sets of hyperextensions (8-10 reps)
Train On Saturday Based Upon How Your Body Feels
Heavy compound lifts, particularly the squat and the deadlift are quite taxing on the body in terms of your CNS (central nervous system) I recommend seeing how you go during the week and basing how intense/how much volume you perform on your Saturday workout based upon this. Particularly for a beginner the Zyzz workout regime is high volume.
If need be, drop the Saturday workout and focus on training as hard as possible the the remaining 4 workouts each week, or add in the Saturday workout every fortnight.
Remember, a good routine is sustainable, there's no point performing it exactly how Zyzz did if you're unable to recover in time, keep in mind he was able to recover far quicker than the average natural lifter due to his use of anabolics.
Add In Some Cardio For Overall Health
Zyzz didn't believe in performing cardio as he went on the record to say that it's completely unnecessary provided you remain strict with your diet and counting calories.
He maintained single digit body-fat and an impressive amount of muscle mass via diet, no cardio.
"What cardio does is help accelerate burning those calories, but if you are already under your caloric maintenance, there’s no real need to do any cardio, although it can bring about fat losses much faster, you may also find it to be catabolic (muscle-wasting)."
Performing cardio not only allows you a bit of wiggle room on your diet incase your caloric calculations are slightly off (or you want to eat a little more!) but it's also a key component of your overall health.
Throw in a least one or two cardio sessions a week of your choice - be it a swim, spin bike workout or run, there's no need to adopt the 'cardio kills gains' mentality provided you're not eating an absurdly low number of calories each day.
A Few Tips From Zyzz On The Mindset
Zyzz understood that in order to push himself beyond what he was currently capable of he'd have to harness the power of his mind, here are a few quotes and tips when it comes to the mental game from the late Zyzz...
"My philosophy is – in a nutshell – don’t follow what a piece of paper says. Go with how your body feels. If you have written down that you want to do 8-10 reps, but you feel you can push out more, then you do exactly that."
"Pretend there is a crowd of thousands watching you, and if you pull out as many reps or pull the weight that you hope (say 200kg deadlift 3 reps) you win a million dollars, and actually believe in your mind that it is true. Watch yourself push harder for reasons that I cannot explain. Try it in your sets tonight. When you think you can’t even push a single more rep out, picture this in your mind and you will push out 3. Or even up the stakes, pretend a gunman is pointing a gun at someone you love and you MUST complete the reps or push the weight to let them live. That’s seriously the lengths I go to in my workouts, sets, and reps, to push myself as hard as possible."