Zyzz Aziz Shavershian

Celebrity, Personal Trainer, Model

Zyzz (Aziz Shavershian) has been known around the world as an “aesthetic icon” people everywhere have tried to emulate his physique and attitude towards life.

He soon became an internet sensation and word quickly spread about his larger than life personality. He made history when his name, the “Zyzz” became published in the Urban Dictionary as the “epitome of aesthetics”.

Quickly rising to the top and tasting fame and notoriety for his personality and online antics, meant the news of his death came as a huge shock to thousands, if not millions of fans everywhere when Zyzz’s death was announced in 2011 on a holiday abroad. He was only 22.

His name still lives on today as “the epitome of aesthetics”.

This is Zyzz’s story:

---

 

Athlete Stats

---

 

“I had absolutely no idea about anything gym-related, and it took months and months of research to know exactly what to do and how to go about my training and eating.”

Biography

Zyzz – The Beginning

Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian was originally born in Russia on the 24th of March 1989. He’s been known around the world as Zyzz through his popular social media channels online. He was known for his high-energy antics on and off screen.

Zyzz became a famous bodybuilder, model, part-time stripper. He created a huge following of loyal fans after posting numerous videos of himself being “Zyzz.” It all started in 2007.

Before Zyzz became a bodybuilder, Shavershian was the self-exclaimed “skinny kid” in school. In his videos, he’d talk about his ectomorph body type. But being inspired by his brother who was bodybuilding at the time, Zyzz decided he wanted to change his body and build some muscle.

“Throughout high school, I was always an extreme ectomorph. I could eat anything and not put on fat, muscle, or weight, or so I thought. I was always fascinated with bodybuilding but lacked the motivation to start training hard until after I was done with my final year of school and exams were completed – it was time for a lifestyle change. I was ridiculously thin, I’m talking the skinniest guy in my grade in school; people always commented on how skinny I was and I hated it.”

Needless to say, Zyzz quickly became accustomed to weight training and in the matter of no time, he went on to become much bigger, both in his muscular frame and his popularity online.

Successful Entrepreneur

Zyzz Aziz Shavershian established his own protein brand which released in 2011, he also created his own clothing line along with a book comprising of his wealth of bodybuilding knowledge throughout his four years of training. He said that he was partly successful due to the popularity of his social media channels.

---

 

A young Zyzz then and now.

---

Online Sensation And Urban Legend

Starting in February 2010, Zyzz wrote on fitness boards for popular bodybuilding websites where he would send links to his online social media videos. he’s picture himself taunting other members with phrases such as “u mirin’?” or “u jelly?” suggesting that others were admiring and being jealous of his physique.

On April the 4th in 2010, the word Zyzz was defined in the Urban Dictionary as “the epitome of aesthetics.”

He also appeared on the first episode of the Australian reality show “National Road Trip” in 2011 on September the 23rd. It featured Zyzz and other cast members traveling around Australia. Zyzz also appeared in other reality videos online which helped to grow his fame.

Zyzz Death

To the shock of thousands of people around the world, in August 2011, was found dead in a sauna while on a trip in Thailand at the age of 22. The post-mortem report revealed an undiagnosed congenital heart defect that caused a cardiac arrest. His name continues to live on among his thousands of fans everywhere. 

---

 

“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.”

Training

Mental Focus

Zyzz was a firm believer of listing to his body, he said that if he could do more reps than his standard 8 or 10 he would push through and keep going. Here’s Zyzz when he talked about pushing through and finding motivation for his workouts;

“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.”

“If you’re counting every single rep like its nothing, you aren’t training hard enough. When I deadlift, I don’t think “hey I’ll stop at 5 reps” I think, I’ll stop when my wrists won’t let me hold the damn bar. It’s all about pushing yourself. The human body wants to stay idle and does not want to change unless you force it to. The more uncomfortable and the more pain you feel in your workouts, the greater the end result of your physique.”

“Pump your favorite music, visualize your goals in your head, and eliminate all negativity in your mind and get into the zone.”

For Zyzz, the gym was an epic event. He’d build it up for hours and days in his mind, in Zyzz’s word’s, he’d create the “mind-pump.”

When he stepped into the gym, he meant business. While others were chatting and waiting for long periods of time between sets, Zyzz was smashing through his workouts with an intense mental focus “mind-pump.”

He knew it was much more of a mental game than just a physical one. When he had to struggle through every last rep, he knew ultimately it was willpower that made the difference between him creating the best physique possible of looking like an average guy.

Zyzz Top 3 Exercises

1. Deadlifts
2. Lateral Raises
3. Incline Dumbell Chest Press

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

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 super-set 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 Pullups 8-10 reps

Cardio

Although he did understand the importance of cardio and the many benefits it could offer along with accelerated fat loss, Zyzz relied mainly on his diet to lose fat. He also stated that although cardio is good for fat loss, it’s also muscle wasting.

---

 

“It’s a simple case of calories in vs. calories out. If you consume more calories than you burn, you put on weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight.”

Nutrition

Zyzz was fortunate enough to have a metabolism which could burn almost anything he ate, which resulted in almost zero fat gain. He did, however, make sure he had enough protein, fats, and carbs in each meal.

There were certain rules he’d follow to make dieting and creating a lean physique much easier, these rules were;

• No fast food.
• No soft drinks
• No sweets or sugar
• Only fluid you shall drink is water and green tea

Zyzz Diet

• Meal 1 – 6 boiled Eggs, 2 cups of Oatmeal and a Protein Shake
• Meal 2 – 300g Chicken Breast (boiled) Broccoli and Brown Rice
• Meal 3 – 200g Tuna chunks in spring water, mixed with Spinach Leaves, and Wholemeal Past
• Meal 4 – Stir-fry Beef/Kangaroo Mince with some vegetables
• Meal 5 – Steak or Kangaroo and Brussels Sprouts
• Meal 6 – 4 scrambled Eggs and some Salmon
• Meal 7 – One cup of no fat Cottage Cheese 10m before bed

Supplements

• Hydrolyzed whey protein
• Fish oil caps (6 a day)
• Multivitamin
• BCAA’s
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Vitamin C
• Green Tea
• Pre workout energy
• Fat burners

---

 

“love the classic bodybuilder look, with lean, tapered waists, rather than the blocky physiques of today.”

Idols and Influences

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane were among Zyzz’s favorite bodybuilders of all time. He admired the classic tapered waist that the bodybuilders of the “golden era” proudly created. He also liked bodybuilders such as Marco Pietrowski, Pham Woodbridge, and Tyler McPeak for inspiration.

---

 

“Don’t ever pay people out or put people down. Instead just put yourself up and let the haters do their thing. I’d rather be a person that’s hated on, than a person that does the hating. A wise man one said..haters gonna hate!”

What We Can Learn From Zyzz Aziz Shavershian

What we can learn from Zyzz is that he overcame many difficulties in his youth with self-image as a “skinny kid” and built his body into what is formally known in the Urban Dictionary as “the epitome of aesthetics.”

He was a unique character with a huge passion for bodybuilding and fitness. His confidence shot him to the limelight and people everywhere have tried to emulate his positive attitude for fitness and training. He became an idol for thousands of bodybuilders the world over.

Facing ridicule and numerous negative allegations against his approach to bodybuilding and lifestyle, he stayed true to himself the “Zyzz” and lived his life the way he wanted. “Haters gonna hate” – Zyzz Aziz Shavershian