Bodybuilding.com - Zachary S. Sokolik - Male Transformation Of The Week

I accomplished my goals by staying focused and dedicated and never forgetting what I was working for. I had constant support in this challenge where I lost 85 lbs and 20 % body fat. Read on for the story!

Male Transformation Of The Week - Zachary S. Sokolik.

By: Zachary S. Sokolik

Before:
270 lbs

After:
185 lbs

Vital Stats

Name: Zachary S. Sokolik
Email: zsokolik@willamette.edu

Before (August 2005):
Height: 6'3
Weight: 270
BF%: Roughly 30

After (May 2006):
Height: 6'3
Weight: 185
BF%: Roughly 10 on Day of "Show"

Why I Got Started

In late August I began working out and dieting to try and make a second attempt at losing weight. I had lost a lot of weight before but had done it in an unhealthy way and ended up gaining most of the weight back. After about two weeks of working out, I was at my two friend's house; Chris, who is a bodybuilder himself, and John, who was in the same boat I was in.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Zachary S. Sokolik.

After some conversation about lifting, John and I decided to make losing weight a friendly competition to help motivate ourselves. We bet each other $550 each and set a date for May in which we would have a "pose down" which was called the OPTIMUS PRIME FITNESS CHALLENGE to see who had done the best at changing their body. Here is the official contract:

Who Is Optimus Prime?
From 1984 series Transformers, Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, a faction of heroic robots from the planet Cybertron who battle their enemies, the evil Decepticons, for control of their homeworld, and by extension, peace in the Universe. Optimus Prime transforms into a 1980s style cab-over-engine semi-trailer.

John Harvey Peixotto Vs. Zachary Scott Sokolik
(OPTIMUS PRIME FITNESS CHALLENGE 2006 Official Contract):

This contract is a legally binding document between Zachary Sokolik and John Peixotto.

The parties entering into this contract agree to participate in an NPC style bodybuilding show to be judged by a panel of their peers. Judges shall include Christopher Krueger, Corey Matthaei, Benjamin Weyerhaeuser, David Estermann, and a mutually agreed upon fifth judge.

This event shall be known as the Optimus Prime Fitness Challenge. The Challenge shall be held no later than June 1st, 2006.

Each competitor is responsible for paying a $550.00 entrance fee. This will be provided to head judge Christopher Krueger by February 12th, 2006.

The fees if in the form of checks shall not be cashed until the week of the Fitness Challenge. Should competitors fail to set a date for the fitness challenge by March 1st, 2006, entrance fees and prizes shall be forfeited.
The official date of this challenge must be mutually agreed upon by the competitors no-later than March 1st, 2006. Should the competitors fail to reach an agreed upon challenge date by March 1st, 2006 their entrance fees shall be forfeited and split equally between the judges named in this contract.
The Optimus Prime Fitness Challenge will be conducted using standard NPC protocol. The judging panel's results are final and non-negotiable.
This event shall be held in Pierce County, Washington at a site to be decided by head judge Christopher Krueger with input from other judges and competitors.
The winner, as chosen by the panel of judges, shall receive an $1100.00 cash prize. There shall be no ties; a definitive winner must be chosen by the judging panel.

We, even had a web site to promote the challenge, if you want to check that out here.

How I Did It

I accomplished my goals by staying focused and dedicated and never forgetting what I was working for (and what I didn't want to lose, the money, ha-ha). Also, constant support from my friends and family made it even easier.

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However, once I got into the swing of things I started to enjoy working out, eating healthy, and feeling better overall so being in the gym was actually one of my favorite parts of the day.

Supplements

Sample Diet

My Diet was the same every day and it looked like this:

Breakfast - Banana and Milk or Cereal
Snack - Protein Bar or 1/2 Protein Shake
Lunch - Turkey Sandwich on Wheat Snack - Protein Bar or 1/2 Protein Shake
Dinner - Chicken Breast and Pasta Snack - Protein Bar or Bowl of Fruits and Veggies

I would also allow myself one day every two weeks to eat whatever I wanted, but I never got out of control with it. It would mostly be things like a Quizno's sandwich.

Sample Week Of Training

Monday & Thursday - Chest & Back (Inc. Traps and Lats):

Chest Exercises:

Bench Press SUPERSET with Incline Machine Press 4 x 10
Decline Bench Press 4 x 10
Pec Dec 4 x 10
Dips 3 x 10

Back Exercises:

Bent Over Barbell Row SUPERSET with Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row 4 x 10
One Arm Dumbbell Row 4 x 10
Seated Cable Rows 4 x 10
T-Bar 4 x 10
Pull Ups 3 x Failure

Lats and Trap Exercises:

Upright Row 4 x 10
Shrugs 4 x 10
Lat Pull Downs 4 x 10

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Monday & Thursday.

Tuesday & Friday - Shoulders & Arms:

Shoulder Exercises:

Seated DB Press 4 x 10
Front DB Raises SUPERSET with Side DB Raises 4 x 10
Machine Shoulder Raises 4 x 10

Biceps:

Standing DB Curls 4 x Failure WHEN hit failure switch to lower weight and hit failure again SAME THING WITH HAMMER CURLS
Preacher Curls 3 x 10
Overhead Cable Curls 3 x 10

Triceps:

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Tuesday & Friday.

Wednesday & Saturday - Legs & Abs:

Legs: