Zack George: How I Became the UK's Fittest Man

Zack George—newest member of the Body Power ProTeam—takes us through his fitness journey, which has led to him starring in the CrossFit Games and being named the UK's Fittest Man in 2020.

Rewind 20 years and I’m a very different person to who I am now. I was extremely overweight, unhappy within my own body, lazy and loved junk food.

I would eat McDonald’s or KFC multiple times a week, in addition to Haribo sweets and chocolate almost every day. I wasn’t interested in any sort of exercise and only really enjoyed playing sports such as rugby.

My dad noticed that I was getting unhappy and starting to skip swimming lessons as I was ashamed of how my body looked. He sat me down and said “I know you really want a PlayStation 2, how about we set some goals around nutrition and exercise and if we hit those goals we can go and get you your PlayStation 2.”

So I decided to take out crisps, chocolate and fast food from my diet and started to do a little bit of exercise. I maintained this for a couple months, achieved good results and a great feeling of self-achievement, and this is what really kick-started my fitness journey. I was 13 when this started—fast forward 5 years and this is where my relationship with Fitness Superstore began.

I qualified to be a personal trainer and set up a little studio in the back of my garden with some money my gran gave me. I went to Fitness Superstore and bought a cable machine, bench, rack, dumbbells, rower and some matting. The service was incredible and they really helped me choose the right kit for my needs. I then trained clients from that studio for 6 years and got some amazing results from clients.

Then at the age of 24 I started my CrossFit journey—CrossFit is a sport Involving weightlifting, gymnastics and bodyweight fitness. This then become my new focus and I trained twice-a-day, 6-days-a-week for what has been 10 years now. In 2020 I qualified for the CrossFit Games which is the pinnacle of our sport, won the title of the UK’s Fittest Man and became a Men’s Health front cover model.

My 13-year-old overweight body-conscious self would never believe it. And this is what brings my relationship with Fitness Superstore full circle. From helping me set up my first studio when I was 18, to now allowing me to pursue new levels of competitions and ventures, and kitting out my home gym for my own training with their exclusive Body Power products, they are a fantastic sponsor. Some of my clients even used the original Fitness Superstore kit back when I was 18 and are now still training with me with the newly kitted out home gym!