Hey there, I’m Zoran – but you can just call me Zach. I started lifting because I was skinny – and I hated it.
I’d been competing as an athlete since I was a kid, so I knew how to train hard. What I didn’t know was how to build the kind of physique I wanted. I was active, I was fit, but I couldn’t seem to put on size no matter what I did. My peers often made jokes because of it. I was known as the “stick” boy.
That frustration is what drove me into the gym seriously, and what eventually turned into a 25+ year obsession with understanding how the body actually works.
I’ve been a lifetime natural lifter from day one. No shortcuts, no performance-enhancing drugs – just training, nutrition, and an almost unreasonable amount of time spent reading research and testing things. At first on myself, then on my friends from the gym, and eventually on people who wanted to improve their shape and build some muscle.
Over the past 10+ years I shifted from just training to actively studying exercise science and sports nutrition, because I got tired of the amount of misleading information that dominates the fitness industry.
In the late 90s when I started lifting, there were bodybuilding magazines full of bodybuilding pros – geared and massive. Today, there’s the influencers and fake natties, distorting the real picture of what a natural body can really look like.
Why this site exists. I built Fitness and Power because I wanted a place for everyday natural lifters, without pro genetics, to find practical, honest, training and nutrition advice that isn’t driven by influencers or supplement sponsors. I’ve directed and shaped hundreds of articles on this site, always with the same standard: does this actually hold up, or is it just what someone wants you to believe?
How I research. I use published studies and position statements where they exist, and I link the studies behind the main claims. Not all of the older articles have these links yet, and I’m updating them, starting with the health-related ones.
Where I look. I rely on published studies and position statements where they exist. For health, nutrition and training topics I look at:
- PubMed for studies and reviews
- Google Scholar to find papers and see what cites them
- Sports science journals, including the Journal of Sports Sciences, the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance and Sports
- Position statements from the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- Articles and books by Mark Rippetoe, Brad Schoenfeld, Charles Poliquin, Menno Henselmans, Stuart McRobert etc.
What I’m not. I’m not a doctor or a registered dietitian, and nothing on this site is medical advice. If you think you have a health problem, such as low testosterone or an injury, please, see a doctor.
Fitness and Power contributors over the years
Jaime Morocco – Online Personal Trainer & Weight Loss Coach
Susan Arruda – 6 time Fitness/Figure champion
Ross Edgley – British athlete, ultra-marathon sea swimmer and author
Anthony Alayon – best-selling fitness author
Chris Penfold – fitness professional and trainer known primarily for his specialized expertise in calisthenics, handstands, and advanced bodyweight movement
Corrections. If you spot a mistake or a newer study, email me on the contact page and I’ll look into it.
More than twenty five years in, I still train because I love it. I still publish because too much of what’s out there is wrong — and natural lifters deserve better.
