Zyzz: The Legacy & The Lessons

9 min readJun 3, 2020

It has nearly been a decade since the death of Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian, more commonly known as ‘Zyzz’.

The Russian/Australian fitness sensation exploded into the lives of many through his motivational outlook on life and impressive body transformation. Zyzz suffered a heart attack and died on 5 August 2011 aged 22 while on holiday in Thailand.

It is crazy to think of the impact he had and legacy he left at such a young age, all through the power of the internet.

Zyzz moved to Australia with his family as a child in 1993. Zyzz was described as a “Skinny Kid” growing up and his body reflected that of a typical ectomorph. Inspired by his brother who was making significant body transformation gains, he joined the gym after completing school and immersed himself into the world of training and dieting.

He reportedly spent three to four hours a day training in those early days whilst aspiring to achieve a classic physique that resembled the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane.

Like many, Zyzz stated that his initial motivation to improve his physique was to get more attention from girls. But his motivations soon changed to more of an internal battle as time progressed. In an interview with Simply Shredded he claimed…

“my motivation is derived from the feeling of having set goals and achieving them and outdoing myself in the gym”.

He went from being entirely motivated by ego to being focused on mastery and individual progress.

Zyzz was one of the first real icons to ride the wave of the fitness/internet revolution. Since his death, many have followed his path and claimed him to be a major source of inspiration.

He was building a small empire before he died. He created his own protein label (Protein of the Gods), released his own clothing line and produced an eBook titled ‘Zyzz’s Bodybuilding Bible’. You get the sense that in 2011 he was only just getting started and as social media continued to rise, he would naturally rise with it.

Zyzz became more then just a person. Zyzz was a brand and a way of life.

Many have criticised Zyzz in the past for his claims that his physique was natural. There has been much controversy over his potential steroid abuse and a simple google search will enlighten you with all you need on this matter. I’m no expert on the use of steroids so I’m not even going to attempt to justify either side of the argument. What I do want to do though is express the positive effects Zyzz had on his followers, some of which only discovered him after his death.

The Transformation of Zyzz

The story of Zyzz is an inspirational one. He started out as a shy, skinny teenager wanting to change his identity to become more fulfilled not only physically but also within life itself. From the outside it seemed getting girls and vanity were his main driving forces which drove the transformation. I don’t think there’s any shame in this to be honest, it’s better to understand and nurture your motivations then not have any motivation at all.

It’s quite clear that his physical transformation seemed to go hand in hand with his transformation as a person. The bigger and more ripped he got the more confidence it gave him.

I’m a believer that a body transformation is the purest form of self-development. To transform your body in this way it teaches you certain characteristics such as consistency, patience and hard work. Zyzz must have had these in abundance along with a strong underlying motivation to change and become a bigger person then he already was.

The Identity Zyzz Created

It’s obvious that Zyzz liked attention and would actively seek it out wherever he was.

YouTube footage proves this through his self-centred webcam sessions where he would get on a webcam to random strangers in a chat room and just take his top off and start tensing his muscles. The reaction from those watching was probably something he craved and what gave him a buzz.

He spent a lot of time at festivals with his ‘crew’. His dance moves, physique and demeanour would ensure he got plenty of attention. Even in the Gym you got a sense that he wanted attention. YouTube footage shows him regularly taking his top off and just generally building a scene around himself.

Even in his own words though, ‘Zyzz’ was not a real person. Zyzz was a fictional character that Aziz Shavershian created for himself. He’s seen in one video saying, “everyone’s got a little bit of Zyzz in them.”

It appears ‘Zyzz’ is an alter ego which acted as the vehicle to allow the real Aziz Shavershian to live out his fantasy life. Maybe this is something we can all learn from?

5 Lessons Zyzz Passed Onto A Generation

While Zyzz may come across as very egotistical to the untrained eye, I think there’s plenty of lessons he passed on to a generation looking to better themselves as people. You’ve got to admire his ability to create a cult following through simply living out the life he dreamed of.

1. Never take yourself too seriously

“I love playing up to my perceived stereotype, and at the end of the day, never take myself seriously, which is one of the reasons I have accrued the fan base that I have”. Zyzz (Simply Shredded Interview)

The above quote shows that Zyzz is aware of this alter ego he has created. He was able to separate his real self with the fictional character of Zyzz he created and use it to his advantage. This allowed him to really play up to his stereotype without it harming his real self.

You see many high-profile people creating an alter ego with similar effect. I think Donald Trump is a good example of someone who has overtime created a separate personality he tries to live up to in public.

This tactic can be used to better yourself. Many of us carry limiting beliefs that prevent us moving forward. These limiting beliefs are usually rooted in some perception about our own identity.

For example…

I’m shy so will never be good at sales.
I’ve always been chubby so will never have a six pack.
I’ve never been good at school so won’t do well in college.

The problem is that we create our own identities using our imagination, our actions then try to match this fictional identity we have created. Zyzz was a master at recognising his own limitations and breaking through them using his own creative imagination.

If Zyzz took himself seriously he would have ended up being his own worst enemy. Overtime he became fearless and comfortable in his own skin, this is quite a transformation from where it all began.

2. Showing up

“It’s as much of a mind game as a physical one. You are battling against your body with every single rep, and in the end it’s your willpower and determination that are the ultimate deciders in whether or not you will achieve your goals, or fail and give up”. Zyzz

Anyone who achieves a body transformation like Zyzz will have put in a lot of work over a sustained period. There is much speculation in the media surrounding Zyzz’s steroid use, I’m in no position to comment on this but regardless the transformation he achieved still required consistent effort and persistence over a long period.

As the quote above suggests, a body transformation is not just a physical pursuit but a mental one as well. You need to show up every single day both mentally and physically and just put the work in. Results will not appear immediately, but with time comes progress.

A lot of people lack the patience to persist when they can’t see any immediate results from their actions, you must hold the belief that if you put in the work consistently the results will come.

3. The power of visualisation

“Pretend there is a crowd of thousands watching you, and if you pull out as many reps or pull the weight that you hope (say 200kg deadlift 3 reps) you win a million dollars, and actually believe in your mind that it is true. Watch yourself push harder for reasons that I cannot explain. Try it in your sets tonight. When you think you can’t even push a single more rep out, picture this in your mind and you will push out 3. Or even up the stakes, pretend a gunman is pointing a gun at someone you love and you MUST complete the reps or push the weight to let them live. That’s seriously the lengths I go to in my workouts, sets, and reps, to push myself as hard as possible.” Zyzz

Visualisation is a powerful tool many high performers use to deal with pressure and achieve a higher level of performance.

Visualisation can be used in any pursuit but it’s interesting to hear how Zyzz used it in the gym. He would visualise lifting a goal weight for a set number of reps and place a value on achieving it, such as winning a million dollars. The million dollars acted as the motivation to push through the pain and lift the weight. In a similar fashion, he would turn this technique upside down and imagine someone holding a gun to the head of someone he loved, he would have to finish his reps to let them live. This may seem quite extreme, but it acted as the internal motivation needed to persist through discomfort.

We can all use visualisation to better ourselves and Zyzz teaches this perfectly. Picture the person you want to become and visualise yourself putting in the work to achieve this goal. Hold your vision close to you and make everyday decisions based on this goal.

I get the impression Zyzz would visualise his ideal life from every angle — physically, mentally, socially etc. and work towards achieving it. Many people visualise what they want to achieve, but few have the belief and work ethic required to make things happen.

Vision + Belief + Effort = Progress

4. Positivity

Your attitude towards life will play a significant role in its overall trajectory. Having a positive outlook is critical. While Zyzz may have had ‘haters’ he didn’t let this negativity seep into his life.

Remaining positive is pretty cliché advice but it stands true. Positive thinking tends to have a compound effect. The more positive thoughts we generate the more chance we have of seeing positive outcomes. We must never let negativity infiltrate our own positive state of mind, make a conscious effort to absorb and radiate positivity.

This can be a lot easier said then done. It’s easy to be positive when everything’s going well but the true test will come when things aren’t working out so well. If you can remain positive no matter what your going through you will be putting yourself in the best possible position to succeed.

Positive thinking must be genuine to have an effect; you can’t fake it. Just try to see a little bit of good in every situation.

5. Push the limits of your potential

I’ve always been fascinated by body transformations; I believe it’s the purest form of self-improvement. There is nowhere to hide, the results of your efforts are clear for everyone to see. If you put in the work and have patience you’ll be rewarded, two traits which can be carried over successfully to pretty much any other pursuit in life.

Zyzz left a legacy of breaking down boundaries and creating new ones. Many of the boundaries that we perceive hold us back are simply figments of our own imagination and Zyzz is a living example of this. Through consistent hard work and patience, you will make progress and those self-imposed limitations you once believed will be forgotten.

Zyzz represents a life of progression and reinvention. He was a master at pushing the limits of his own potential both mentally and physically. Many of us can learn from this relentless nature to keep setting the bar higher and higher and put in the work to reach these new levels we once thought impossible.

Whilst the cloud of potential steroid use will always hang over the Zyzz legacy, I think we still need to appreciate the efforts required to achieve his physique.