This is not my usual fitness humor blog post. Is this humor, inspiration, or a little of both? I had never heard of Zach Anner before seeing one of his Workout Wednesdays videos on a friend’s Facebook feed. According to his Wikipedia page, 29-year-old Zach was born with cerebral palsy, and it’s been an interesting life so far. During college he was part of a sketch comedy group, which led to the creation of a web series. A few years later, he was the winner of a reality show contest on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and had the opportunity to star in a (short-lived) television series called Rollin’ With Zach. Currently he creates videos for his YouTube channel (ZachAnner).
Zach uses a wheelchair, and I don’t, but we do share one physical feature: Those distinctive crooked eyes. (Yes, we ARE looking at you!) Anyway, Zach definitely has a unique take on the “workout video.” It’s part comedy, part education (as we see what he can do, despite his disability), and part inspiration, for those who think “I can’t.” He uses workout machines, dumbbells, a boxing partner, and even the stairs. In between the jokes, there are some nuggets of truth.