Zach Zeiler
Story:
Quick Stats:
Full Routine:
When I was around 15 and a half years old, and a sophomore in high school, I received some news that turned my life around completely. I was told that I had cancer, and was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I was also told that I was to go through both chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to cure the cancer. As a very young teenager at the time, I never really understood what I was about to go through until the first day of treatment hit me. I assumed that I would finish out my sophomore year, playing basketball, marching in the band, running track, and hanging out with friends, etc.
It wasn’t until my first night of chemotherapy that I truly understood what a luxury that health is. That fist night, I had the mindset that I would not allow myself to get sick at least until after midnight.
After being hooked up to drugs for several hours, the drugs began to take their toll on me and I didn’t think I could make it without vomiting. As it got later and later into the night, I felt more and more queezy. I told myself that I “had to'” no matter what, make it through the rest of the night without getting sick. I remember this night as if it had happened yesterday, and it was one of the hardest battles I have ever faced against myself. I held it in until the clock struck just after midnight, and everything came out. I had never been so sick in my life, and the entire night went that way. It was a start to an extremely long and painful journey.
To make the story short, cancer had completely put my life on hold, and in many cases, took away opportunities for me to succeed and do the things that I wanted to do. I spent half of my sophomore year in a hospital, missing school, basketball games, band concerts, track meets, prom, time with my friends, and so much more that I will never get back.
There were times where I questioned why I was even still alive…but none the less I continued to push through, and move forward.
Now as most can imagine, chemo and radiation can take a huge toll on a persons physical health, along with the mental aspect. I personally did not like to eat much of anything at all during Cancer treatments, and when I did, it usually came back out anyways. I went from an athletic build, weighing around 150 pounds, to a deathly 106 pounds at one of my low points during treatment. My time in the hospital gave me hours upon hours of time to think about the value of life. About how good most of us had it, yet we complain about things that should have no meaning at all. I told myself that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and once I had that light shining on me again, I would not take it for granted.
After I was finished with treatments, I was drained, both mentally and physically. I needed an “outlet” to release all of my anger and frustration, as well as a way of building myself into who I used to be physically speaking. It was then that I adopted weightlifting. Never did I think that it would become my passion in life, but I soon found that the weights were always there.
Whether I was happy, angry, sad, frustrated, or anything else, the weights were there for me to go to work. After a couple of months I noticed changes. I noticed physical progress, as well as feeling a greater sense of finding who I was. More and more time went by and after a while, people other than myself began to notice my results and question what I was doing to see those results. All of these results lead to my realization that I was getting out whatever it was that I put in. That is the aspect that I truly love about building my body and my mind.
Fitness has become more than just a lifestyle for me. It has become the way that I express myself. All of my attributes can be shined upon through this world of fitness. I have a very long road ahead of me, and I am learning something new every day. The biggest thing that I can do, is help others have a better start than what I did. I want to give them an advantage, and act as a mentor, a role model, and someone to look up to in making life decisions. That is what I hope, and will accomplish with this site. I am seeking to change as many lives as possible, using my story, my journey as a parallel representation of what is possible in our lives.When I was around 15 and a half years old, and a sophomore in high school, I received some news that turned my life around completely. I was told that I had cancer, and was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I was also told that I was to go through both chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to cure the cancer. As a very young teenager at the time, I never really understood what I was about to go through until the first day of treatment hit me. I assumed that I would finish out my sophomore year, playing basketball, marching in the band, running track, and hanging out with friends, etc.
It wasn’t until my first night of chemotherapy that I truly understood what a luxury that health is. That fist night, I had the mindset that I would not allow myself to get sick at least until after midnight.
After being hooked up to drugs for several hours, the drugs began to take their toll on me and I didn’t think I could make it without vomiting. As it got later and later into the night, I felt more and more queezy. I told myself that I “had to'” no matter what, make it through the rest of the night without getting sick. I remember this night as if it had happened yesterday, and it was one of the hardest battles I have ever faced against myself. I held it in until the clock struck just after midnight, and everything came out. I had never been so sick in my life, and the entire night went that way. It was a start to an extremely long and painful journey.
To make the story short, cancer had completely put my life on hold, and in many cases, took away opportunities for me to succeed and do the things that I wanted to do. I spent half of my sophomore year in a hospital, missing school, basketball games, band concerts, track meets, prom, time with my friends, and so much more that I will never get back.
There were times where I questioned why I was even still alive…but none the less I continued to push through, and move forward.
Now as most can imagine, chemo and radiation can take a huge toll on a persons physical health, along with the mental aspect. I personally did not like to eat much of anything at all during Cancer treatments, and when I did, it usually came back out anyways. I went from an athletic build, weighing around 150 pounds, to a deathly 106 pounds at one of my low points during treatment. My time in the hospital gave me hours upon hours of time to think about the value of life. About how good most of us had it, yet we complain about things that should have no meaning at all. I told myself that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and once I had that light shining on me again, I would not take it for granted.
After I was finished with treatments, I was drained, both mentally and physically. I needed an “outlet” to release all of my anger and frustration, as well as a way of building myself into who I used to be physically speaking. It was then that I adopted weightlifting. Never did I think that it would become my passion in life, but I soon found that the weights were always there.
Whether I was happy, angry, sad, frustrated, or anything else, the weights were there for me to go to work. After a couple of months I noticed changes. I noticed physical progress, as well as feeling a greater sense of finding who I was. More and more time went by and after a while, people other than myself began to notice my results and question what I was doing to see those results. All of these results lead to my realization that I was getting out whatever it was that I put in. That is the aspect that I truly love about building my body and my mind.
Fitness has become more than just a lifestyle for me. It has become the way that I express myself. All of my attributes can be shined upon through this world of fitness. I have a very long road ahead of me, and I am learning something new every day. The biggest thing that I can do, is help others have a better start than what I did. I want to give them an advantage, and act as a mentor, a role model, and someone to look up to in making life decisions. That is what I hope, and will accomplish with this site. I am seeking to change as many lives as possible, using my story, my journey as a parallel representation of what is possible in our lives.
Quick Stats:
Age: 22
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Full Routine:
Monday: Chest/Triceps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 3×12,10,6
- Incline Dumbbell Press: 4×12.10,8,6
- Flat Dumbbell Press: 4×12,10,8,6
- Decline Isolateral Machine Press: 3×10
- Dumbbell Fly’s: 3×10-15
- Cable Crossovers: 3×10-15
- Overhead Dumbbell Extension: 4×12,10,8,6
- Overhead Single Arm Triceps Extension: 3×10
- Dumbbell Triceps Skull Crushers: 4×10
- Single Arm Cable Triceps Pushdown: 3×10
Tuesday: Legs
- Squats: 5 working sets 14.12.10,8,6 (last set a dropset)
- Hack squat: 4×12,10,8,6
- Leg Press: 4×10-14
- Leg Extensions: 4×10-20
- Laying Leg Curl: 4×8-12
- Stiff Leg Dumbbell Deadlift: 4×12,10,8,6
- Standing Leg Curl: 4×10
Wednesday: Back/Biceps
- Lat Pulldown: 4×8-12
- Isolateral Lat Pulldown: 4×8-12
- Pull-ups: 2x failure
- T-Bar Row: 4×10
- One Arm Dumbbell Row: 4×12,10,8,6
- Isolateral Row: 3×10
- Cable Row: 4×10-15
- Barbell Curl: 4×20-30
- Dumbbell Alternating Curl: 3-4×20-30
- One Arm Preacher Curl: 4×15-20
Thursday: Shoulders
- Reverse Pec Dec (Rear Delts): 3×15
- Rear Delts Cable Fly: 4×10
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 5×14.12,10,8,6
- Side Lateral Raise: 4×8-12
- Upright Row: 3×10
- Single Arm Side Lateral Raise: 3×10
- Dumbbell Front Raise: 3×8-12
- Isolateral Shoulder Press: 4×10
- Barbell Shrugs: 6×20,16,12,10,8,6 (last set a dropset)
- Dumbbell Shrugs: 5×10
Friday: Chest/Triceps
- Dumbbell Pullover: 3×10
- Barbell Bench Press: 4×12,10,8,6 (last set a dropset)
- Incline Isolateral Bench: 4×12,10,8,6
- Cable Crossover: 4×10
- Pec Dec Fly: 4×10
- Weighted Dips: 4×12,10,8,6
- Barbell Skull Crushers: 4×12,10,8,6
- Cable Overhead Triceps Extension: 3×10
- Rope Triceps Pushdown: 3×20
Saturday:Legs
- Leg Extensions: 4×10
- Squats: 5×5
- Hack Squat/Lunges Superset: 4×10
- Sissy Squats: 4×15
- Single Leg Hamstring Curls: 4×10
- Reverse Hack Squats: 4×10
- Barbell SL Deadlifts: 3×12,10,8
- Laying Leg Curls: 3x failure
Sunday: Back/Biceps
- Deadlifts: 6×20,14,12,10,8,6
- Barbell Row: 4×12,10,8,6
- Wide Grip Cable Row: 3×10
- One Arm Dumbbell Row: 3×10
- Unilateral Row: 3×10
- Weighted Pullups: 3×10
- Dumbbell Pullovers: 3×8
- Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 3×10
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl (One Arm): 4×20-30
- Concentration Curl: 4×20
- Preacher Curl: 3×20
- Cable Curl: 2×30
