Zak George is the strongest man in the UK. And he used to pump himself up for the console.

It used to be that many of us wanted to have video game consoles at our disposal. For older generations it was Dendy or Sega, which were later replaced by PlayStation. Kids and teenagers were willing to do anything to get their hands on a brand new console. As a rule, parents made a deal, and the main condition was good grades at school.

The parents of British Zack George were more creative. They told their son that they would not buy a PlayStation until he lost weight. The guy got so carried away that he became the strongest person in the UK according to the CrossFit Games ranking and an example for hundreds of thousands of people. Only Adam Bishop – the strongest Briton from another, no less authoritative rating – can compete with George in coolness.

“McDonald’s every day

Zach grew up in the suburbs of Leicester and as a child simply adored fast food. By his own admission, he went to McDonald’s every day after school. If on weekends his parents could somehow control him, then during five weekdays his diet consisted mainly of not very healthy food.

In an interview with The Insider, the Brit admitted that burgers and fries were not his only food sins.

I also loved all things sweet, I loved chocolate bars and candy bars and cookies and everything else. I had a terrible diet, to be honest.

An offer that couldn’t be refused

At some point, the parents just couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was happening to their favorite son. The teenager was overweight and overweight. And then they came up with a great idea. They offered to let Zach lose weight in exchange for buying a video game console. And not just a PlayStation, but a PlayStation 2!

When I was 12-13 years old, my parents realized that if I started this business, I would get bigger and bigger every year. And then it would be impossible to change anything anymore. During that period of time, I dreamed of a second PlayStation, and my father made an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The first step was to refuse fast food, so now after school George had to pass by McDonald’s. He also had to forget about his favorite marmalade candies. At this stage, weight was lost quite easily, so the parents rewarded their son with a cherished console. Zach was over the moon.

The Tony Robbins seminar changed everything

Nevertheless, globally, Zach was not interested in weight loss and did not dream about bringing himself into perfect shape. According to the Briton, he didn’t care how he looked, because he just wanted to get the console. Everything was changed by the seminar of the world-famous motivational trainer Tony Robbins. Then the guy wanted to lose weight for himself, not for anyone else.

Zach not only started working out in the gym, but also joined school teams in different sports.

Now people who know me are sure that I have always been slim and pumped up. How surprised they are when I show them my old photos.

A long-awaited victory

After graduating from high school, Zach went to get a degree as a professional fitness trainer at a British university. During his studies, he discovered the British Crossfit Championships. And realized that one day he wanted to become a champion and the strongest man in the country.

George watched videos on YouTube, practiced a lot, but successes did not come immediately. For the first time he took part in the championship in 2014 and only in 2018 managed to take a decent sixth place. And this year he won a long-awaited victory, getting at least one year the title of the strongest man in the UK.

What’s the secret to Zach’s training?

Zak trains twice a day. In the morning he usually does cardio exercises. Sometimes it can be a 40-minute bike workout, sometimes it’s interval running. In the afternoon, the workload increases. The second workout is about 2.5 hours and the main focus shifts to calisthenics and strength training. On Sunday, the Briton usually gives himself a rest day and just swims in the pool.

Unlike most professional athletes, Zach does not have a personal trainer. However, he does not work out alone. He believes that by training with other athletes, he can get motivation and aspiration to become better.