The internet is such a goofy place. I have a friend here at the gym who has gained 78 pounds in the time that he has been here. He walked in one night at 164 pounds and said he wanted to get bigger and stronger. Usually you don’t know if a guy like that is serious or not, yet I taught him the lifts and gave him the low down on eating. He has gained lots of weight and a decent amount of strength, yet there are people on the internet who refuse to believe this. I don’t know, maybe they think Rippetoe is lying, as if fabricating a fake story about a guy gaining a lot of weight is something that he is into.
In any case, here is the data. Rip, an experienced bodyfat caliper user (he has owned a gym for 30+ years), did a 7 site pinch test on Zach to measure his bodyfat. Here is the data (you can find Rip’s post about it here):
Note: The following is a comparison of the progress Zach has made in the last 15 weeks. He has been lifting here for about six months.
Zach Evetts
March 1, 2010
Bodyweight: 242
Bodyfat % measured at 7 skinfold sites (equation detailed below): 20.95%
LBM: 191.29 lbs.
Bodyweight increase in 15.4 weeks: 25 lbs
191.29 – 177.07 = 14.22 lbs. LBM increase
14.22/25 = 56.8% of gain as LBM, .92 lb./week
Equation: 1.112 – .00043499(x) + .00000056(x^2) – .0028826(age) = body density
(4.57/body density – 4.142)100 = Bodyfat %
Skinfold total: 162mm, 7 sites measured and marked
Equipment used: Lange Skinfold Caliper (Cambridge Scientific)
Here are some pictures of him at his current body weight.
Zach has gained almost 80 pounds, and right under 60% of that is muscle. If he wanted to, he could lose the bodyfat that he currently holds, but the last I heard, he was pushing towards 275. The conversation went like this a few months ago,
“So what are your goals?” I asked.
“Other than getting stronger, I dunno. I guess I’ll weigh 275.”
“Cool.”
Zach is not unhealthy right now. Sure, the larger he gets, the harder it will be to complete endurance efforts, but endurance efforts are not a measure of health. Eating to grow for x amount of time is not going to negatively affect long-term health. Furthermore, eating in a manner that skinny people consider “un-clean” when you are training hard will not produce health complications in a normal person.
But a very important point is that the first time Zach ever benched 225 or squatted 300, he did it for a set of five. And that is what matters to him.
FUCK YEA ZACH
AND FUCK YEA GETTIN STRONG
FUCK YEA
Zach”s “definition” looks the same now as it did when he was a skeleton. So the fact that he”s over 240 now = bad ass
Good progress Zach! You should do more bb curls and db skull crushers.
There is a really cool article by Bill Starr up on the starting strength website all about the press. Whats even better is that the drawn model for the movement looks like an outline of Jared Allen.
Zach you are a fucking animal…..keep it up.
I met Zach when Max and I visited WFAC in Jan. I would say that he has put on some serious weight. He still has a goofy stance when he deadlifts but the kid has grown like a weed. Justin I dont think people can comprehend his weight gain because they have never been to WF, TX. There are only a handful of bars, one or two single girls and WFAC. I would say if Max and I moved to WF, TX shit might get serious. There is nothing to do other than lift weights and eat. I live in the OC and we have things like the beach and girls, tough to get shit done around hot chicks. Just a thought, keep up the good work.
I wish Zach was my dad.
Thats awesome. How much does his hair weigh?
I worry about you lot, sometimes…..
So what”s the site(s) that are doubting this? Maybe a mass 70”s Big intervention is in order.
Nice work Zach!
I wish I”d known this stuff when I was younger.
“if he wanted to, he could lose the bodyfat that he currently holds”
what would be the best way for him to do that?
So,
How have his lifts progressed?
Awesome. As evidenced by yesterday”s posts, there are tons of stories out there like this, but not nearly enough. Keep spreading the gospel here on 70”s Big and the rest of us enlightened souls will keep doing the same in our own domains.
@Buscotucky
Really?
Would that not just be stooping to their level?
Maybe we should all just eat a load of meat and go squat, instead of being Inturrnet Waryorrs.
@ Anonymoose
Actually I was thinking more along the lines of backing up Zach”s results by giving similar backgrounds, as opposed to “no, u r a retard” type spamming. Ryger phrased it better.
But it is the internet, so that was a dumb thought on my part. I am curious about why they think the way they do, however.
Great job, Zach! The people doubting the results are posting in Rip”s forum, who for some reason aren”t doing SS. I”ve put on 30+ lbs in 9 weeks, at age 37. My percentage lbm vs fat has been closer to 50/50, which is fine with me. I”ve never had trouble losing weight when I”ve wanted to, but it has always been very hard to gain muscle (until now).
Hell yeah, Zach! Nice work.
Some doubt Zach”s muscle gain. Others think he “got fat.” That”s just a sign of the times. Actually more guys than you would think are brainwashed into wanting to be 90”s small. I”m tempted to send them all a bottle of ipecac so they can achieve their goal more quickly. Especially coreJack.
Its true, im sure if I showed these pictures to any of my friends they would say he just got fat.
What they dont realize is that this “fat” guy is benching more than them after 6 months of training then they could do after working out for years.
Amazing Job Zach, any chance you could his before pictures up too?
@BloodAndOi
You are so so right, I”ve been told that I”ve gotten fat since starting SS a bunch of times, and I still have abs!!
oh man. this guys my inspiration. i have trouble gaining 5-10 pounds and i see this.. im ashamed of myself haha
If people doubt they should just try it and then they would know one way or the other. I didnt really think it would work for me and thats what i did. i tried it. aaaaaand my bodyweight went from 195 to 215 in two weeks. Heck no i dont mind being fat cause my squat went from 295 for 5 reps across to 340 last night only 8 sessions in. thats more weight put on my squat in 8 sessions than a year crossfitting. boo ya. 70S BIG!
Wow great work Zach!
When you say he could lose it at any time, what do you recommend for that?
Weight loss is easy. A STRICT dairy and grain free paleo diet works every time.
Velocity diet also works well.
Zach is the man.
He doesn”t look like he is a genetic freak either. Just someone who ate his food, drank his milk and did his squats. Weight loss still shouldn”t be an option for him. Still looks quite lean. My question is, how did Rip (or whomever took these photos) convince zach to take his shirt off to pose for pics?
In reference to Pengs question:
While this sight kinda talks down about bodybuilders when it comes to traing, When it comes to dieting I believe a bodybuilders and powerlifters goals are one in the same. Here is an excellent article pro natural bbuilders use to diet down.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm
It utilizes these 3 main goals:
1. Spare as much muscle as possible
2. Lose as much fat as possible
3. Not lose intensity in the weight room
Many people I have spoken with have actually set PR while on this diet as well! Hope this helps!
Oh,
this is the same guy from “The Novice Effect.”
He came in at a gangly 170 and 11 weeks later was 225. His squat went from 145X5X5 to 315X5X3. Ok, that””s cool.
So he””s gained almost another 20 pounds in 4 weeks.
What is he lifting now?
I mean, at SOME point it stops making sense to keep gaining weight. Getting up to 275 just to squat 405X5X3 would be excessive, wouldn””t it?
Depends on the individual and what they want. Why the hell would Zach care what you think if he has a goal of squatting x amount of weight? I do not know what Zach squatted his last session, but I think it is at least 350×5 or so.
–Justin
losing fat is EASY. eating paleo plus a strength and CONDITIONING program will melt as much fat as you want much faster than you imagined. ESPECIALLY if you have lots of muscle. a matter of weeks not months. so easy. even when i wasnt strong i could always take my bodyfat from about 12 down to 8 in a few weeks before summer. getting lean is not a concern. getting STRONG is a concern. THATS WHATS HARD.
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Thanks justin and elijah, so I just eat paleo with no grain or dairy. But how much do I eat? 3000, 4000 calories? Or just eat as much as possible as usual.
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