Zakary Walizadeh

Personal Stats:

• Name: Zakary Walizadeh
• Date of Birth: 9/1/92
• Location: Sullivan County, New York
• Height: 5'9''
• Off Season Weight:190lbs
• Competition Weight: 153lbs
• Years Training: 4
• Years Competing: 1
• Favorite Body Part: Lats
• Favorite Exercise: Close between Deadlifts and floor presses

Interview:

Have you always been in shape? Not at all, I was always a fat kid growing up until I fell in love with the Iron! Started getting into some cardiovascular training, but eventually caught the bodybuilding bug.

How did you get started in physique competitions? For the past 3 years I've immersed myself in the bodybuilding culture. I've spent time training to compete before I turned 20, and I smashed that goal at the age of 17 and winning the Junior, Novice medium, and Novice Overall classes at my first competition.

Describe your training philosophy: The main goal is to progressively overload the muscle over time. There's a number of ways to do this, but I feel the most efficient as a natural is to get stronger on all of your lifts. If you aren't getting stronger over time then you most likely aren't gaining mass at the rate you could be. Aside from that training has to be balanced in volume, frequency, and intensity. Once you find a balance among those three components there are multiple workout splits that could work. For me, I like strength routines that revolve around the Squat, Deadlift, and Benchpress with accessory work aimed at hypertrophy.

What are your favorite exercises? Nothing beats a deadlift!

What is your diet like in the off season? I eat around 300-500 calories above maintenance so that I gain ~.5 lbs a week. My protein is set at 1g/lb of bodyweight and fat is right around 20-30% of total calories. After that I just fill in the rest with carbohydrates and split up my meals into 4-6 feedings a day with similar macronutrient profiles.

Describe your diet during contest prep: I slowly lower my caloric value over the course of prep by adjusting carbs/fat. I aim to keep carbs in as long as I can so this usually means I have a lower fat intake than many others. (about 35g)

What supplements have worked for you? Tried and true; multivitamin, fishoil, creatine monohydrate, BCAA's, and a preworkout supplement during prep.

What advice would you give to aspiring athletes? Never give up on your dreams. The only thing stopping you from reaching your goals is yourself.

What have you learned about yourself as a physique competitor? I've learned that I can do anything I put my mind too. Going through prep for 9 months has disciplined me more than I could have ever imagined and I can carry this work ethic to everything I do in life.

What are your plans for the future? I plan on taking 2-3 years off from competing to focus on gaining lean mass so that I can attain my pro card before I'm 25. I'll also be focusing on my education and earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree.

Thanks for reading, Zakary Walizadeh  (zakary.walizadeh@gmail.com)