Tag: Zac Aynsley

Claim The Mr. Biceps Crown With This Zac Aynsley Arm Workout

We are letting you in on Zac Aynsley’s secret to massive arms. 
Before we get to the meat of the article, we want you to put your hand on your heart and answer this for yourself – Would you still workout if you could never have biceps like Arnold Schwarzenegger, no matter how hard you try? 
If you just caught yourself shaking your head, rest assured, you are not alone. Arms are probably the most loved muscle group. Look around your gym on any random day, and you will probably see a good number of people training their arms. Heck, you might even find people who are training their legs flexing their arms in the mirror. 

If building guns is as easy as curling dumbbells for a few sets, everyone would be walking around with bazookas. There is one fitness celebrity, though, who continues to impress with their arms – Zac Aynsley. 
Zac’s arms are so freaky that the Governator himself praised his pythons. 
“For years I had people telling me I was worthless, but here was The Terminator telling me I looked great. It meant the world to me.”

There has been no stopping Aynsley since that day. His physique is improving in every aspect, and his pythons are taking on a life of their own. But things were not always so smooth for Zac Aynsley. 
The Zac Aynsley Story
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Zac Aynsley did not always have perfectly chiseled arms. In fact, Zac had a pretty traumatic childhood. He was bullied for being too thin and weak. In an interview with GQ magazine, Zac revealed that –
“BETWEEN [THE AGES OF ] 10 AND 15, I HAD SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. I’D REGULARLY CLIMB TO THE TOP OF WATER TOWERS THINKING, ‘IS THIS THE DAY I’M GOING TO JUMP?’”
Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let us start from the beginning. 
Zac Aynsley was born on July 2, 1994, in Northumberland, England. In his childhood and teens, he was malnourished, underweight, and ate a poor diet. Zac’s diet mainly consisted of sweets and processed foods.
Also Read: 5 Foods You Need To Cut Out Of Your Diet Right Now
Because of how he looked, he became an easy target for bullies while still in high school. Constant ragging caused Zac depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.
During this time, Zac was not physically active. He spent most of his days playing video games to escape the harsh reality. 

An Unexpected Turn
One day, Zac’s friend asked him if he wanted to try his hand at DJing. Aynsley could not turn down the deal and quickly accepted the offer to try it out to change his monotonous lifestyle.
At the age of 15, Zac Aynsley got a taste of stardom when he became popular at local clubs for his DJ skills. Not only was Zan earning handsome money, but he was also gaining positive attention from people around him. The newfound fame added to Aynsley’s confidence and self-esteem. 
One thing led to the next, and before Zac could make sense of any of it, he was touring the country. 
Even though Zac’s DJ career was taking off, he had to return home to finish college. With all the partying, drinking, and success he had, Zac forgot to work on his worsening health. He was in the worst shape of his life when he got back to Northumberland. 
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To get reconnaissance of his health, he went to the doctors to get his blood work done. To everyone’s dismay, Zac’s internal organs were deteriorating due to his reckless DJ lifestyle.  
According to Zac, the doctor told him that he had a liver of a 50-year old. Zac was warned that he needed to make amends to his lifestyle if he wanted to live a long and healthy life. 
The Tipping Point
At this point, Zac decided to turn around his life. He attended University and earned a degree in photography. Aynsley was eventually introduced to bodybuilding which helped him channel his focus, energy, frustration, and anger into something positive. 
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Like most newbie lifters, Aynsley became a die-hard Arnold Schwarzenegger fan after seeing his pictures and videos. The Austrian Oak gave him additional motivation for working out and becoming healthier. 
Zac Aynsley worked on all aspects of his daily routine to improve his fitness level. He made sure his diet had enough calories and nutrients to help his body recover from the mess it was in.
The progress he saw in a couple of weeks was enough to get him hooked to the new lifestyle.  
Internet’s Coming of Age
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Years of hard work and sacrifice helped Zac build an incredible physique. Little did Aynsley know at that time, but his new and improved body was going to change his life in more ways than he could have imagined. 
Zac started gaining a lot of traction on his social media profiles as soon as he started posting his photos online. Impressed with Zac’s physique, one of Florida’s top photographers offered to do a photoshoot with him. Aynsley knew this was too good and big an opportunity to skip. He flew down to Florida, and this decision became a turning point in his career.
Seven weeks after the photoshoot, Zac started receiving recognition from some of the most influential people in the fitness industry, including Arnie and Phil Heath. 
Since then, Zac Aynsley has hit several milestones, including:

10+ TV appearances
10+ Book covers – USA
5+ Minor magazine covers / 15+ Features
Traveled to over 17 countries

Zac Aynsley’s Nutrition Plan
You do not end up looking like Zac Aynsley while hogging on burgers and fried chicken. Depending on your current weight, you need to determine a daily calorie goal for yourself. Incorporate quality sources of protein, carbs, and fats to meet your daily macro goals. 
Thanks to his ectomorph body type, Aynsley had been a weak kid growing up. Zac eats anywhere between 3200-5000 calories a day, depending on if he is bulking or cutting. To make up for his fast metabolism, Zac eats up to seven meals a day. 
Zac Aynsley’s Bulking Diet Plan
Meal #1

3 egg whites
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 cups milk
1 banana

Meal #2 

5 oz chicken
8 oz sweet potato
1 banana
2 slices whole-grain bread 

Meal #3

5 oz chicken
1/2 cup brown rice
citrus fruit
salad

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Meal #4

3 egg whites
half cup oatmeal
1 apple
5 oz fish
2 cups vegetables

Meal #5

1 apple
8 oz yogurt 
half cup cottage cheese
1 scoop protein shake

Meal #6

protein shake
brown rice

Post Workout

protein shake
white potato
L-Glutamine

Meal #7

5 oz steak 
1 egg white
4 oz sweet potato
2 BCAA pills

Meal #8

casein protein shake

Eating eight (nine, if you consider the post-workout) meals is no joke. It can be especially tuff for you if you usually eat three meals a day and want to gain weight and put on muscle mass. If you are having trouble eating eight meals a day, supplements can help you meet your daily macro goal. 
Here are some of our favorite supplements:
Best Men’s Protein Powders For Bulking & Lean Muscle Growth 2021
The Best Mass Gainers For Clean Bulking & Muscle Mass 2021
Best Pre-Workout Supplements For Muscle Building (Updated 2021)
Zac Aynsley Arm Workout
Pre-Requisites of The Zac Aynsley Arm Training Split
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1. Partial Repetitions
Zac Aynsley incorporates the partial rep advanced training technique at the end of his sets to annihilate his muscles. In the case of machine preacher curl, he completes 15 full reps and then limits the range of motion to the top half of the movement until he hits muscular failure. 
Related Read: Advanced Training Techniques To Take Your Gains To The Next Level
2. Zero Routine
Aynsley picked up this training principle from the Governator. He never limits himself to a pre-planned workout and usually modifies his routine on the fly. According to Aynsley, your body will get used to your workouts if you follow a set routine and stop responding. For this reason, he never does the same workout twice. 
3. Warm-Up Sets
Before starting the working sets, Aynsley might do a set or two with a lightweight to get a feel for the lift. It also helps in getting the blood flowing to the target muscles.
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4. Short Workouts 
According to Zac Aynsley, most people make the mistake of stretching their workouts too long. His arm workouts never last more than 45 minutes. Aynsley limits his rest duration to less than 45 seconds between sets. 
Keeping the rest time short is necessary for inducing a muscle-ripping pump. Also, since your arms are a small muscle group, they do not need the typical 1-2 minutes of rest for recuperation. 
Must Read: The Science Behind Muscle Recovery: Understanding Active Recovery
5. Mix-Up The Number of Repetitions
Aynsley constantly switches up his rep structure to keep his muscles guessing. For some exercises, he might do as many as 30-40 reps per set. 

Zac Aynsley Bicep and Tricep Workout Routine
1. Machine Preacher Curl – 3 Sets 15-10 Reps – 30-second Rest
Zac Aynsley starts his arm workout with an isolation lift to pre-exhaust his muscles. Exhausting your muscles at the start of the workout will ensure that you do not have to lift heavyweight in compound exercises. You will get almost the same amount of muscle fiber recruitment while lifting lighter weight in compound lifts as compared to lifting heavy without pre-exhaustion. 
2. Superset

EZ Bar Curl (wide grip to narrow grip)- 3 Sets 15-10 Reps – No Rest
Single-Arm Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps (each arm) – 30-second Rest 

Aynsley starts EZ bar curl with a wide grip and performs 15 reps. Without keeping the bar down, he switches to a narrow grip and curls until failure. 
Single-arm cable tricep extension is a high-rep exercise for Zac. He never does less than 15 reps of the lift. Aynsley trains his triceps to failure on the tricep extension. After he is done with 15-20 reps on each side, he does a dropset until failure. 
3. Single-Arm Machine Bicep Curl – 3 Sets 15-12 Reps (each arm)
During single-arm bicep curl, Zac keeps the reps slow and controlled. He follows a 1:1:2:0 (concentric, pause and squeeze, eccentric, and rest at bottom) rep tempo to annihilate his biceps. If you do not have access to a bicep curl machine at your gym, you could use the cable machine by attaching a D-handle bar to the pulley.
4. Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps – 30-second Rest
Zac Aynsley follows a full range of motion while performing the exercise. He brings the bar close to his forehead at the top of the movement and extends his arms straight at the bottom. 
5. Reverse-Grip Cable Tricep Extension – 3 Sets 20-15 Reps – 30-second Rest
Aynsley finishes off his workout with the reverse-grip cable tricep extension. 
This might look like a short workout, but if you keep the intensity high, you will not know what to do with the pump in your arms at the end of the Zac Aynsley arm routine. 
You will never see Zac Aynsley lift crazy weight while training his pythons. He chases a pump and focuses on a mind-muscle connection. 
Conclusion 
Now an official Generation Iron sponsored and managed athlete, we are proud of the fact that Zac Aynsley is growing in popularity inside and outside the gym, and inspiring people to transform their lives. We cannot wait to share more about Zac’s journey as it unfolds. 
Finally, if you are inspired by Zac Aynsley’s story but doubt yourself and your ability to transform your physique, let this message from Zac be the guiding light for you:
“Go ahead, tell me that I’m not good enough. Tell me I can’t do it! Because I will show you over and over again that I can, and trust me… I will.”
We could not have summed up the article better ourselves.

Who, according to you, has the best arms in the fitness industry?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.