Inside Gladiator star Zac ‘Steel’ George’s grueling fitness regimen

Zach George was once a self-conscious student who made fun of McDonald’s every day.

Now he trains 24 hours a day every week as a gladiator star named Steele.

how did he do it? And how does he maintain that “superhuman” strength and muscular physique?

To find out, we did some research.

old rucksack

Zac, from Leicester, was overweight and addicted to fast food as a child.

“I practically inhaled chocolate and ate McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken (family buckets) five times a week,” he said.

“The more fast food I ate, the more I wanted it, and it was a vicious cycle.

“I was trying to skip swimming lessons because I was too concerned about my appearance to take off my jacket.

“Being overweight makes you feel like crap. You don’t want to exercise because you can’t walk or run far, and you often find comfort in fast food.”

Noticing his son’s dissatisfaction, Zach’s father offered to buy him a PlayStation if he tried to lose weight.

He put all his effort into his fitness and diet, and the rest was history.

“I don’t have to say it, [my family] You came on the journey with me,” he said.

“We all changed our eating habits. There was no chocolate or sweets in the house.”

new rucksack

Once Zac, from Birstall, West Yorkshire, got into the habit of exercising, he couldn’t shake it.

He represented Leicestershire as a county athlete in rugby, squash and table tennis before competing in the annual athletics competition, the CrossFit Games.

In 2015 he opened his own gym and in 2018 qualified for the European CrossFit Regional Championships.

He came first at the UK CrossFit Open 2020 and was crowned Britain’s Fittest Man in the same year.

He is currently appearing as Steele in BBC One’s second revival of Gladiator, presented by Bradley Walsh.

Zach trains 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, and has done so for the past 10 years.

“I was inspired by gladiators as a child, but I never imagined that I would be physically strong enough to be considered a ‘superhuman,'” he said.

“Looking back, it’s crazy because when I was young and fat, I would watch gladiators and draw imitations of six-packs on my stomach. I couldn’t imagine having abs.

“I hope a new generation of fans will look up to me as Steel, the strong and indomitable hero.”

at the gym

If it’s not already obvious from looking at him and watching his movements, Zach spends a lot of time in the gym.

According to videos posted on Instagram, his favorite exercises include kettlebell, bar and ring pull-ups.

But overall, he’s a CrossFit fanatic.

CrossFit is a type of high-intensity interval training that consists of functional strengthening and conditioning movements.

This means squatting, pulling, pushing, and lifting, and a lot of it.

Zack’s regime includes:

• kettlebell snatch
• Explosive GHD sit-ups
• ring dips
• strict pull-ups
• ring muscle up
• Handstand – on the ground and on the slope
• static bike cycling
• rowing machine
• wall ball
• Running on track and curved treadmill (15 x 400m, with 1 minute rest between sets)
• sandbag lift
• deadlift
• hang clean
• front squat
• ski erg machine
• skip

He’s also a big fan of a brutal-sounding 40-minute circuit called Mikko’s Triangle. It includes:

1. First minute – 23 calories on an assault bike
2. 2nd minute – 23 calories on rowing machine
3. 3rd minute – 23 calories at SkiErg
4. 4th minute – break

And he doesn’t stop training even on holidays.

While in Portugal last summer, he did five burpees, 10 push-ups and 15 squats on his balcony in 35-degree heat.

But it’s not all about getting your heart rate up and sweating.

Zach, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 223 pounds, also does yoga.

He can hold crow pose (knees on upper arms, butt in the air) for a whopping 1 minute and 32 seconds.

Overall, his training is split into 40 percent fitness, 40 percent gymnastics, and 20 percent strength.

This usually includes several hours of cardio in the morning and weight training in the afternoon.

But I also go swimming on Wednesday.

He also does plenty of stretching and mobility exercises before and after each workout.

recovery and motivation

When Zach is training hard, he takes ice baths to “help with recovery.”

Jumping into cold water is said to improve alertness, reduce pain, and reduce inflammation.

Athletes also use special mental techniques to stay motivated.

His secret, he says, is to “visualize winning the game you’re about to play.”

Zach also takes photos of his parents, as well as his idols, runner Usain Bolt and former basketball player Michael Jordan.

in the kitchen

If you train as hard as Zach, you need to make sure you have enough fuel in the tank.

For him, this means consuming a whopping 4,000 calories per day.

“I found this to be the bare minimum to perform well while keeping weight down,” he told SLMan.

The recommended daily calorie intake for men in the UK is 2,500, but the amount of energy you need varies widely depending on your age, lifestyle and size.

Zak’s typical breakfast is porridge with a spoonful of protein powder.

Lunch usually consists of two salmon fillets, vegetables and rice, and dinner is red meat or white fish with more vegetables and rice or sweet potatoes.

He has porridge as a snack throughout the day and whey protein after training.

To top it all off, he also takes creatine, multivitamins, omega-3s, and zinc.

He follows this strict diet throughout the week, but relaxes a bit on the weekends.

He hasn’t eaten fast food in 10 years, but he loves donuts.

“My guilty pleasure is donuts,” he said in an Instagram interview.

“I love them, just the glazed ones.”

Zac appears to be partnering with My Protein, Nocco, and Fresh Fitness Foods.

Earlier this month, he shared a photo stuffing himself with a protein-rich chocolate chip baked cookie, and in January he posed with a can of Blood Orange Nocco. Blood Orange Nocco is a carbonated drink containing 180mg of caffeine and vitamins B6 and 12, BCAAs that are said to increase muscle mass and strength during training.

Late last year, he said Fresh Fitness Food has made “nutrition easy.”

This meal prep delivery brand is known for its personalized and healthy meals.