Frank Zane: biography. Frank Zane Biography Frank Zane Volumes

Frank Zane(English - Frank Zane) is an American bodybuilder, multiple medalist and three-time winner of the Mr. Olympia competition (won in 1977, 1978 and 1979). He is one of the ten most titled bodybuilders in the history of this sport, second only to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, Phil Heath and Jay Cutler in the number of awards. According to many experts and fans, Zane is the best aesthetic, with the most harmoniously developed muscles among all athletes of the past or present.

Frank Zane: full biography

Frank was born in Kingston (Pennsylvania, USA) on June 28, 1942. He was raised by strict but loving parents. My father was an electrician and owner of a private radio/television repair company in Philadelphia. Mother - a housewife who taught and instructed the guy in his youth. Zane's mother lived to a ripe old age - 80 years old, but her father died early - at 57 years old. Frank himself explains this by the parent's addiction to cigarettes and alcohol, which cost him his health.

The life of the young Frank Zane took place in a quiet neighborhood. But there was one problem: in the middle of the last century, purely Catholic families lived in Kingston, and the Zein couple adhered to the Protestant faith. It is no wonder that the neighborhood children often bullied Frank and his younger brother Adam, to which the boys had to respond with force. Therefore, the future bodybuilder, in order to be able to stand up for himself and his brother, went in for sports as a teenager.

At the age of 14, Frank Zane was fond of boxing, after wrestling, and then bodybuilding, which he liked the most. Frank describes the results of his first workouts with iron as follows: “after two weeks, the muscles seemed to pop out from everywhere.” The rapid progress has given Zane the motivation to exercise physically.

Frank Zane's amateur training for 4 years gives pronounced results and at 18 he decides to try his luck at competitions. However, besides Adam, surrounded by the future legend of bodybuilding, there was no one to support. From the rest, Frank heard only criticism and ridicule. This upset the guy, but did not force him to give up his favorite pastime. He decided to prove to himself and to society that bodybuilding can benefit both morally and financially.

Zane has always been interested in innovations related to self-development. This applies not only to sports, but also to psychology. In 1960, he graduated from high school and entered the university to become a graduate: in 1964 he graduated from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania with a degree in psychology, receiving a bachelor's degree. But it doesn't stop there. Already in the period of professional performances - in 1977, Frank enters and graduates from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Frank Zane's first major bodybuilding victory came in 1968. He wins the Mr. Universe title. Around the same time, he meets the love of his life, Christina, with whom they are happy together to this day.

Over 22 years of performances as a professional bodybuilder, Frank Zane has won numerous awards - more than 150, among which the most significant, by his own admission, are victories at Mr. America in 1968, Mr. Universe in 1968 and Mr. Olympia in 1977-1979 - all these are International Bodybuilding Federation.

In 1985, Frank Zane and his wife Christina Zane founded and run Zane Heaven, based in Palm Springs, California, USA, and they consult clients who want to achieve the same physical fitness. Today, the Zane couple settled in San Diego (California, USA), and their training center is called the “Zane Experience”.

Frank Zane was inducted into the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in 1994. Which is not surprising, given the merits and influence of the athlete in this sport.

The role of the cult personal in bodybuilding, which gained popularity just in the sixties and eighties, allowed Frank to break into television. As a host, commentator and star, he even today receives invitations from ABC, CBS, NBC and ESPN.

It is noteworthy that in his middle years (he is now over 70), Frank Zane is still passionate about sports and keeps himself in great shape, which confirms his Instagram account. According to the bodybuilder, he has a lot of new sports ideas and goals that need to be implemented. Therefore, he is not going to abandon the training!

Frank Zane: career titles

Frank Zane officially ended his career in 1983, speaking professionally for 22 years, from 1961 to 1983. During this time, he won countless awards, in which few bodybuilding giants can compete with him.

Here are just those victories of Frank Zane, which he dubbed at the IFBB tournaments:

  • Mr. America 1968;
  • Mister Universe 1968;
  • Mr. Olympia 1977;
  • Mr. Olympia 1978;
  • Mr. Olympia 1979.

At Olympia, he also took several prizes: second in 1976 - lost to Franco Colombo, third in 1980 - lost to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Dickerson, second in 1982 - lost to Chris Dickerson, fourth in 1983 - lost to Samir Bannut and Lee Haney.

Frank Zane's anthropometric data in peak form was:

  • 176 centimeters tall;
  • 84-92 kilograms of weight;
  • 46 centimeters of biceps;
  • 132 centimeters of chest volume;
  • 67 centimeters of leg volume;
  • 76 centimeters waist;
  • 44 centimeters of calf volume.

Some interesting facts about the athlete:

Among experts and competitors, Frank Zane earned the nickname "chemist": presumably because he was one of the first to start taking sports pharmacology in really high doses. There is also a theory that this name was given to him for the harmonious proportions of the muscles, which he carefully carved like an alchemist.

In 2005, Frank Zane, as an actor and consulting producer, was involved in the filming of See Arnold Coming. This is a movie about the life and career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, which received dubious reviews from viewers and critics.

Frank "The Chemist" Zane, outfitted with Sergio Oliva and Chester Yorton, is one of the few athletes who managed to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a professional bodybuilding competition.

Frank Zane's books on healthy eating and proper training are actively published in the United States, even translated into foreign languages, including Russian.

Frank Zane Workout Program

During the period of professional performances, the main goal of Zane, like his competitors, was to achieve peak conditions by mid-autumn. Therefore, the summer for him is the period of the most intensive training. In order to achieve muscle growth and fat burning by the deadline, Frank had to start the cycle in June, training 3 out of 5 days. The athlete himself considers this approach to be optimal, since there is enough time for both development and recovery.

Frank Zane's training plan assumes that the athlete works on 2 large and 1 small muscle groups during each training session. Moreover, these muscle groups are necessarily interconnected anatomically and according to the principle of work, which allows you to maximize the stimulation of blood flow and anabolism.

Subsequence Frank Zane workout on average was as follows: on day 1 - back, forearm and biceps; on day 2 - thighs and lower legs; day 3 - rest; on day 4 - chest, shoulders and triceps; day 5 - rest. The athlete worked on the press every training day.

Frank Zane workout in 1 day:

  • Back - pull of the upper block to the chest, pull of the upper block to the chest with a narrow parallel grip, pull of the block to the stomach while sitting, shrugs and pull of the dumbbell to the belt;
  • Forearms - lifting for biceps with a reverse grip (EZ-bar), bending the arms at the wrists with a barbell and working with a hand trainer;
  • Biceps – alternating dumbbell bicep curls, dumbbell concentration curls, and Scott bench curls.

Frank Zane Workout Day 2:

  • Hips - work on the hip machine, superset of flexion and extension of the legs, leg press and squats, stretching the quadriceps and biceps of the thighs between sets;
  • Calves – standing calf raise, donkey calf raise, seated calf raise, toe extension on the leg press machine.

Frank Zane workout on day 4:

  • Chest – 70% Incline Dumbbell Press or Bench Press, 30% Incline Dumbbell Press, Dips, Pullover, and Bowtie;
  • Shoulders and triceps - at the beginning of the workout, a chest stretch in the doorway and a shoulder stretch are done, during the training - a superset of lifting the dumbbell through the side and extension from behind the head with a dumbbell, as well as extension of the arms on the block or extension in an inclination with a dumbbell.

Separately, about pumping up the press: lifting on a Roman chair, lifting legs, twisting, twisting with a cable, turning the body with a neck. The press is pumped every training day

Between sets, the athlete considers it necessary to carry out a 15-second stretch of those muscles that are being exercised; rest between sets should be ≈ 2-3 minutes. His workout lasted a total of ≈ 75 minutes, and before completing it, Zane worked out from 12 to 20 minutes on the treadmill.

frank zane steroid cycle

There is little doubt that Frank Zane was taking steroids to sane bodybuilding fans. But what kind of AAS he used, only the athlete himself and his close circle know. Apparently, he had a serious approach to steroid anabolics-androgens, after all, the nickname “chemist” in sports is not given for the skills of splitting atoms.

Of course, you can build endless theories on the similarity of sites with rumors: they say that Frank smoked testosterone cypionate and nandrolone decanoate, methandienone and methenolone enanthate or trenbolone acetate and stanozolol. But we are not used to operating without an evidence base, so we will not mislead readers.

Yes, most likely, Frank Zane used the traditional for the sixties-seventies-eighties and doping that is popular today, such as methane and deca. But again, this is just a guess based on the heavyweight sport trends of the era.

For the lack of specifics, first of all, it is worth saying thanks to WADA. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and its policy of intimidation has driven athletes to the point that they are afraid to think, let alone talk about sports pharmacology. We are not shy, but we invite everyone to go to our online steroid store, where a range of working and up-to-date steroid products is presented for customers.

Based on materials (sources):

  • AthleticPharma.com
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zane
  • frankzane.com/bio
  • forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=901128
  • muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/frank-zane-best-built-man

Frank Zane was born in Pennsylvania on June 28, 1942, in an ordinary American family. His father, Adam Zane, worked as an electrician and owned a small radio and television repair company. Frank's mother was unemployed and mostly did housework and raising children. Also, Frank had a younger brother, Adam, who, unlike him, became very strong in his teens. The Zein family was of the Protestant faith, which made them different from most families living in the city. This, of course, was the cause of ridicule and harassment from the local boys to Frank and his brother. A sense of responsibility for his younger brother prompted Frank to go in for sports, so that as a result he could stand up for himself and his brother. So at the age of 14, Frank tried many sports, among them were boxing, wrestling and others, but when he got a set for lifting weights, Frank immediately realized that he had found his own. Just a few weeks later, the results from training appeared, as Frank himself says, “muscles literally crawled out from everywhere.” Such quick results added determination and self-confidence to Frank, after which he plunged into training even more and after 4 years, when he was 18, he took part in his first competition among bodybuilders. However, despite the successes, there were not many people who supported Frank in his sports endeavor, but even this did not diminish his enthusiasm for achieving even greater success. In addition to training and his sports success, Frank was also attracted by his studies, namely, he always liked psychology. Which influenced the choice of his future path, after graduating from school in 1960, Frank entered Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, graduating from which in 1964, received a bachelor's degree in psychology. What he did not stop at, he also received a diploma from the University of California at Los Angeles, in 1977, in the same field that made Frank a real specialist in the field of psychology. The athlete's personal life began after the competition in 1969 , where at the competition "Mr. Universe", he was able to get around even the young Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was after this that he met his future wife Christina. Continuing to train hard, Frank Zane reached incredible heights in bodybuilding and won about 150 awards, which also include the three highest awards for a bodybuilder, namely the title "Mr. Olympia" in 1977 , 1978 and 1979. However, after such an incredible number of victories, the athlete began to lose ground, and in competitions after 1979, he no longer took first place. But his sports career found a continuation on television, where he became famous as an excellent commentator and became a popular fitness star. Frank also became the author of many popular books about bodybuilding and found himself as a coach for many modern sports stars. Anthropometric data of Frank Zane Height - 176 cm Weight - 84-92 kg Biceps - 46 cm Chest - 132 cm Thigh - 67 cm Waist - 76 cm Calf - 44 cm Zane's bodybuilding titles 1961 Mr. Pennsylvania (17th) 1962 Mr. Keystone (Winner) 1963 Mr. Keystone (2nd place) 1965 Mr. Queensland (Winner) 1965 IFBB Mr. Universe (Medium Height Winner) 1966 IFBB Mr. America (Medium Height Winner) 1967 IFBB Mr. America (Mid-height winner) 1967 IFBB Mr. Universe (3rd tall) 1968 IFBB Mr. America (Winner) 1968 IFBB Mr. Universe (Winner) 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe (Winner) 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro (1st short) 1972 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro (Winner) 1972 IFBB Mr. Olympia (4th in 90kg) 1973 - Did not compete 1974 IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd in 90kg) 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Not placed) 1976 IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd place) 1977 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Winner) 1978 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Winner) 1979 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Winner) 1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd place) 1981 - Did not participate 1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia ( 2nd) 1983 IFBB Mr. Olympia (4th)

Frank Zane is an American bodybuilder nicknamed Chemist, three-time Mr. Olympia, winner of prestigious competitions, the owner of the most proportional body in the history of bodybuilding.

Born during World War II, Zane is one of the world's oldest living bodybuilders, an expert in bodybuilding and active longevity.

Childhood and youth

Frank Zane was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1942. Father Adam F. Zane repaired television and radio equipment, mother Laura ran the household and raised children, the elder Frank and the younger Adam.


The religious views of Protestant parents distinguished the Zein family from the background of the inhabitants of the city. The boys were laughed at and mocked. Frank was a fragile teenager and could not protect himself and his younger brother. He decided to become stronger and went into sports. At first it was team sports: baseball, football, basketball, then archery. From the age of 14, the future athlete began to train with a barbell.

Another reason that prompted Zane to take up sports was the lifestyle of his father, who died at the age of 57 from alcohol and cigarette abuse. The teenager did not want such a fate and did everything so that bad habits did not take possession of him.


Physical activity did not prevent the young man from studying well. He was strong in math and science, received awards, and became a top student in the 1960 class.

Frank continued his education first at Wilkes University of Pennsylvania and then at the University of California at Los Angeles, receiving a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in experimental psychology.

Training and bodybuilding

Zane is a three-time Mr. Olympia. His training is not aimed at gaining muscle mass, but at the aesthetic shaping of the figure. The athlete is the owner of the second thinnest waist among bodybuilders after Sergio Oliva, he is distinguished by a V-shaped torso with wide shoulders.

Frank was given the nickname Chemist because of his Bachelor of Science degree, and he also took a lot of supplements and amino acids, which was unusual before. In addition, the athlete combined training with the work of a chemistry teacher in Reading, Pennsylvania, and then mathematics in New Jersey and Florida.


Zane participated in bodybuilding competitions for 20 years, until 1983, won about 150 awards. For the first time at the age of 18, he took 5th place out of 50 participants at the Pennsylvania State Tournament. And in 1969, Frank surpassed the young one and won the Mr. Universe contest in Miami.

In 2003, the famous bodybuilder received the Iron Arnie Award "For dedication and long-term support of the sport."


Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane

Frank's anthropometric data is ideal for a bodybuilder: weight - 84-93 kg, height - 176 cm, waist - 76 cm, chest - 132 cm, thigh - 67 cm, biceps - 48.5 cm, lower leg - 44 cm.

Training with light weights has brought Zane many awards. Joe Weider, founder of the International Federation of Bodybuilders, recommended increasing the load, but Frank found a happy medium for himself, which ensured the title of "Mr. Olympia" from 1977 to 1979.


After three consecutive titles of the most prestigious competitions, the year 1980 came. 6 weeks before the competition, a tragedy occurred: the athlete slipped on the edge of the pool and was injured on the inside of the thigh. In the hospital, he lost 7 kg of muscle mass and his chances of winning. The title "Mr. Olympia" in 1980 went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank became the 3rd.

In 1983, Zane ended his competitive career and devoted himself to coaching, writing books and training manuals for bodybuilders. Another page in the biography of the athlete was participation in the Mike Douglas Show from 1961 to 1982 and filming in the films Pumping Iron and The Return.


Frank practiced various sports programs. His “push-pull” concept involved pumping muscles in groups: on day 1, back and biceps, on day 2, legs, and on day 3, torso, shoulders, and triceps. This method worked well on deep and small muscles, but did not give rapid progress in body parameters.

In the 70s, Zane turned to the concept of Iron Arnie, but abandoned it due to the fact that some muscles develop faster than others. As a result, the athlete developed his own universal system, characterized by high intensity. This is a volume-strength training, with alternating cycles. Its meaning is that in one lesson two large muscle groups and one small are worked out.


Bodybuilding coach Frank Zane

This program is suitable for both weight gain and cutting. The difference lies in the caloric content of the diet.

Personal life

In December 1967, Frank married Christina Harris. They were introduced by the sister of the future wife, a student of Zeina. The young lived in California, in Santa Monica, the unofficial capital of bodybuilding, and in 1978 they moved to Palm Springs, founded the Zane Haven resort area with a training center for people seeking to gain a strong, aesthetically developed figure.


In 1988, the couple bought the estate and opened the Zane Experience.

Personal life has developed successfully. Christina immediately accepted and supported her husband's lifestyle: she trained with weights, became his personal photographer. In 1970, she won the crown in the Miss Universe bikini pageant and then left the competition to devote time to her studies and the arts. She graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Los Angeles with a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and jewelry. And in 1990, Christina received her master's degree in clinical psychology from California State University, San Bernardino.


Frank and Christina Zane

In 1994, Zane was inducted into the Joe Weider Hall of Fame. In 1998, the athlete wrote the Building the Body newsletter, introducing readers to new methods of training, the goal of which is the classic proportional figure.

Frank Zane now

The Zanes now live in San Diego, California, where the training center is located. In her free time, Christina creates jewelry made of precious stones and metals.

The athlete founded the Zane Gallery in Laguna Beach, California, which showcases photographs and art dedicated to the golden era of bodybuilding. In addition, Frank runs a commercial site selling books, self-authored bodybuilding tutorials and training equipment, and maintains a blog.


Frank has pages on social networks. AT Instagram he publishes mostly old photos, there are several modern ones, where the body of an athlete looks no worse than in his youth.

Zane continues to train himself and train those who want to. In 2018, he developed a fitness program for those over 40: 3 days of training on the beach according to the Mr. Olympia system, meditation training, diet, and much more. The cost of the program is $697 per person.

Titles and awards

  • 1965 - Mr. Keystone (Winner)
  • 1965 - Mr. Queensland (Winner)
  • 1965 - Mr. Universe (Winner in middle height)
  • 1966, 67 - Mr. America (Medium Winner)
  • 1968, 70 - Mr. Universe (Winner)
  • 1971 - Mr. Universe among the pros (1 among undersized athletes)
  • 1972 - Mr. Universe among the pros (Winner)
  • 1977 - Mr. Olympia (Winner)
  • 1978 - Mr. Olympia (Winner)
  • 1979 - Mr. Olympia (Winner)

Bibliography

  • 1979 - "Zane's path to a great body"
  • 1982 - "Superfigure in 12 weeks"
  • 1992 - "Incredible Form Forever"
  • 1997 - “Consciousness, Body, Spirit. Personal training diaries»
  • 2005 - The Frank Zane Study Guide
  • 2009 - Mind in Bodybuilding
  • 2016 - "91 Day Wonder Body"
  • 2017 - "91 Day Wonder Abs"

Frank Zane Biography

famous american bodybuilder, idol of modern bodybuilding, "star of the eighties" Frank Zane (Frank Zane) was born in the small town of Kingston, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1942. Comes from an ordinary American family. His dad, Adam Zane, worked as an ordinary electrician, and owned a small company for the technical repair of televisions and radios. Frank's mother did not work anywhere and, to a greater extent, was engaged exclusively in raising children and housekeeping. Frank also had a younger brother, Adam, who, compared to Frank, already, as a teenager, possessed a very impressive strength beyond his years.

Since the Zein family had Protestant roots and corresponding religious views, this significantly distinguished them from the general mass of families living in the city. This, of course, became the main reason for ridicule and mockery from the local guys to the Zein brothers, who often had to get involved in street brawls and come home with fresh bruises. Exactly sense of responsibility for his younger brother brought Frank to the sport, so that in the end he was able to stand up for himself and for him at the right time. Another reason to become stronger is, according to the famous athlete, the sudden early death of his father, who smoked a lot and liked to drink strong drinks regularly without measure. Having lived only 57 years thanks to his pernicious bad habits, Frank's father became a kind of negative example for his son, thereby further strengthening him faith in a healthy lifestyle.

Frank Zane photo:

At the age of 14, Frank tried a lot of different sports, among which were such disciplines as boxing, wrestling, wrestling and many others. But, one day, he got into his hands, the so-called at that time, a home set for weight training. Frank immediately realized that he had found what he lacked so much, and what he had been looking for all the last time. Already after half a month of hard training, the results of the classes began to bear fruit, according to Frank himself: “muscles, literally, crawled out from everywhere” ...

Such a quick success gave Frank more determination and self-confidence, after which he plunged into the training process of the iron sport even more actively and diligently. And four years later, having reached his 18th birthday, he was able to take part in the first serious competition among local bodybuilders. However, despite such impressive successes, Frank really lacked friendly support in his sports endeavors.

In addition to his relatives, the young man has no one else to wait for understanding from. According to Frank himself, the people who encouraged his athletic hobby could be counted with the fingers of one hand. In addition to them, everyone else only “watered” with criticism and ridicule. But the future champion did not give up - such statements only fueled his thirst to prove to everyone that he was capable of achieving serious results. All these negative moments did not reduce his enthusiasm in striving for even greater victories ...

In addition to bodybuilding and sports achievements, Frank was also very attracted to studies. Among all the items he liked the most psychology. Seriously fascinated by it, Frank Zane, after graduating from high school in 1960 and successfully passing the entrance exams, entered Wilkes University in his native state of Pennsylvania. In 1964, he graduated with honors from this university, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology. Not accustomed to stop there, Frank continued to study this monumental and limitless science, and in 1977 he was awarded a diploma from the University of California, Los Angeles. By conquering this second pinnacle in the same field, Frank Zane became a true universally recognized expert in the field of psychology. The athlete always justified his irresistible thirst for training with the desire to have a decent, highly paid job that could easily be combined with his favorite bodybuilding activities.

The personal life of this famous athlete began after moving to Florida and completing the competition in 1969, during which, at the Mr. Universe competition, Frank was able to surpass even himself, though still young, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was then that, grabbing luck by the tail, another victory came to him, no less significant in life: Frank met Christina, his future wife.

Not stopping hard training, Frank Zane has achieved incredible success in bodybuilding and won a total of about 150 different awards, among which are three highest wins for an athlete. It's deservedly won three titles "Mr. Olympia" in 1977-79. However, after such an impressive number of victories, the bodybuilder suddenly began to lose ground, and after 1980 inclusive, he no longer climbed to the highest step of the podium ...

Frank Zane books, TV shows, coaching...

This is not the end of the biography of this amazing personality ... Despite all the hardships, this man did not finish his sports career, but found a worthy use for it. on TV, becoming also a popular sports instructor, a real TV fitness star, and having become famous in another role as an excellent commentator for such well-known TV channels as ABC, ESPN, CBS and NBC. In addition, the three-time champion is also known to us as a teacher. He became the author of a large number of popular books, articles and other methodological literature on bodybuilding, proved himself as an experienced trainer for a large number of modern bodybuilding stars, raising a worthy replacement for himself.

In his already mature years, Zane, as in his youth, looks irresistible thanks to his discipline and determination. According to the athlete, he still has a lot of aspirations and goals in life, although, of course, professional competitions are, alas, long overdue.

The famous champion explains his success in bodybuilding with scrupulous preparatory work and taking into account all, even unlikely, difficulties. To think through everything to the smallest detail - that's his life credo. For example, Zane, realizing that he was rather small in stature, besides thin-boned, immediately abandoned the dream of making himself a "thug", because anyway, it was initially unrealistic. Having thought everything through from the very beginning, he chose aesthetics, proportionality and harmony as his main trump card, and he did not lose, having succeeded very much in this direction...

This is what Frank Zane looks like in old age:

As you can see, even now he has not changed at all - in old age he is just as strong, embossed and muscular, as if years were not a hindrance to him at all. And in general, is the word "old age" applicable to the athlete in these pictures? That's what sport does to a person...

In 1994, the three-time "Mr. Olympia" Frank Zane (Frank Zane) was honorably deservedly included in the well-known Bodybuilding Hall of Fame - a worthy completion of the professional biography of the great athlete. His name is inscribed in golden letters in the book of the history of World athleticism. This man is still considered an icon of style, and an exemplary example for all modern bodybuilders.

  • Next >

Frank Zane(English - Frank Zane) is an American bodybuilder, multiple medalist and three-time winner of the Mr. Olympia competition (won in 1977, 1978 and 1979). He is one of the ten most titled bodybuilders in the history of this sport, second only to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, Phil Heath and Jay Cutler in the number of awards. According to many experts and fans, Zane is the best aesthetic, with the most harmoniously developed muscles among all athletes of the past or present.

Frank Zane: full biography

Frank was born in Kingston (Pennsylvania, USA) on June 28, 1942. He was raised by strict but loving parents. My father was an electrician and owner of a private radio/television repair company in Philadelphia. Mother - a housewife who taught and instructed the guy in his youth. Zane's mother lived to a ripe old age - 80 years old, but her father died early - at 57 years old. Frank himself explains this by the parent's addiction to cigarettes and alcohol, which cost him his health.

The life of the young Frank Zane took place in a quiet neighborhood. But there was one problem: in the middle of the last century, purely Catholic families lived in Kingston, and the Zein couple adhered to the Protestant faith. It is no wonder that the neighborhood children often bullied Frank and his younger brother Adam, to which the boys had to respond with force. Therefore, the future bodybuilder, in order to be able to stand up for himself and his brother, went in for sports as a teenager.

At the age of 14, Frank Zane was fond of boxing, after wrestling, and then bodybuilding, which he liked the most. Frank describes the results of his first workouts with iron as follows: “after two weeks, the muscles seemed to pop out from everywhere.” The rapid progress has given Zane the motivation to exercise physically.

Frank Zane's amateur training for 4 years gives pronounced results and at 18 he decides to try his luck at competitions. However, besides Adam, surrounded by the future legend of bodybuilding, there was no one to support. From the rest, Frank heard only criticism and ridicule. This upset the guy, but did not force him to give up his favorite pastime. He decided to prove to himself and to society that bodybuilding can benefit both morally and financially.

Zane has always been interested in innovations related to self-development. This applies not only to sports, but also to psychology. In 1960, he graduated from high school and entered the university to become a graduate: in 1964 he graduated from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania with a degree in psychology, receiving a bachelor's degree. But it doesn't stop there. Already in the period of professional performances - in 1977, Frank enters and graduates from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Frank Zane's first major bodybuilding victory came in 1968. He wins the Mr. Universe title. Around the same time, he meets the love of his life, Christina, with whom they are happy together to this day.

Over 22 years of performances as a professional bodybuilder, Frank Zane has won numerous awards - more than 150, among which the most significant, by his own admission, are victories at Mr. America in 1968, Mr. Universe in 1968 and Mr. Olympia in 1977-1979 - all these are International Bodybuilding Federation.

In 1985, Frank Zane and his wife Christina Zane founded and run Zane Heaven, based in Palm Springs, California, USA, and they consult clients who want to achieve the same physical fitness. Today, the Zane couple settled in San Diego (California, USA), and their training center is called the “Zane Experience”.

Frank Zane was inducted into the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in 1994. Which is not surprising, given the merits and influence of the athlete in this sport.

The role of the cult personal in bodybuilding, which gained popularity just in the sixties and eighties, allowed Frank to break into television. As a host, commentator and star, he even today receives invitations from ABC, CBS, NBC and ESPN.

It is noteworthy that in his middle years (he is now over 70), Frank Zane is still passionate about sports and keeps himself in great shape, which confirms his Instagram account. According to the bodybuilder, he has a lot of new sports ideas and goals that need to be implemented. Therefore, he is not going to abandon the training!

Frank Zane: career titles

Frank Zane officially ended his career in 1983, speaking professionally for 22 years, from 1961 to 1983. During this time, he won countless awards, in which few bodybuilding giants can compete with him.

Here are just those victories of Frank Zane, which he dubbed at the IFBB tournaments:

  • Mr. America 1968;
  • Mister Universe 1968;
  • Mr. Olympia 1977;
  • Mr. Olympia 1978;
  • Mr. Olympia 1979.

At Olympia, he also took several prizes: second in 1976 - lost to Franco Colombo, third in 1980 - lost to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Dickerson, second in 1982 - lost to Chris Dickerson, fourth in 1983 - lost to Samir Bannut and Lee Haney.

Frank Zane's anthropometric data in peak form was:

  • 176 centimeters tall;
  • 84-92 kilograms of weight;
  • 46 centimeters of biceps;
  • 132 centimeters of chest volume;
  • 67 centimeters of leg volume;
  • 76 centimeters waist;
  • 44 centimeters of calf volume.

Some interesting facts about the athlete:

Among experts and competitors, Frank Zane earned the nickname "chemist": presumably because he was one of the first to start taking sports pharmacology in really high doses. There is also a theory that this name was given to him for the harmonious proportions of the muscles, which he carefully carved like an alchemist.

In 2005, Frank Zane, as an actor and consulting producer, was involved in the filming of See Arnold Coming. This is a movie about the life and career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, which received dubious reviews from viewers and critics.

Frank "The Chemist" Zane, outfitted with Sergio Oliva and Chester Yorton, is one of the few athletes who managed to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a professional bodybuilding competition.

Frank Zane's books on healthy eating and proper training are actively published in the United States, even translated into foreign languages, including Russian.

Frank Zane Workout Program

During the period of professional performances, the main goal of Zane, like his competitors, was to achieve peak conditions by mid-autumn. Therefore, the summer for him is the period of the most intensive training. In order to achieve muscle growth and fat burning by the deadline, Frank had to start the cycle in June, training 3 out of 5 days. The athlete himself considers this approach to be optimal, since there is enough time for both development and recovery.

Frank Zane's training plan assumes that the athlete works on 2 large and 1 small muscle groups during each training session. Moreover, these muscle groups are necessarily interconnected anatomically and according to the principle of work, which allows you to maximize the stimulation of blood flow and anabolism.

Subsequence Frank Zane workout on average was as follows: on day 1 - back, forearm and biceps; on day 2 - thighs and lower legs; day 3 - rest; on day 4 - chest, shoulders and triceps; day 5 - rest. The athlete worked on the press every training day.

Frank Zane workout in 1 day:

  • Back - pull of the upper block to the chest, pull of the upper block to the chest with a narrow parallel grip, pull of the block to the stomach while sitting, shrugs and pull of the dumbbell to the belt;
  • Forearms - lifting for biceps with a reverse grip (EZ-bar), bending the arms at the wrists with a barbell and working with a hand trainer;
  • Biceps – alternating dumbbell bicep curls, dumbbell concentration curls, and Scott bench curls.

Frank Zane Workout Day 2:

  • Hips - work on the hip machine, superset of flexion and extension of the legs, leg press and squats, stretching the quadriceps and biceps of the thighs between sets;
  • Calves – standing calf raise, donkey calf raise, seated calf raise, toe extension on the leg press machine.

Frank Zane workout on day 4:

  • Chest – 70% Incline Dumbbell Press or Bench Press, 30% Incline Dumbbell Press, Dips, Pullover, and Bowtie;
  • Shoulders and triceps - at the beginning of the workout, a chest stretch in the doorway and a shoulder stretch are done, during the training - a superset of lifting the dumbbell through the side and extension from behind the head with a dumbbell, as well as extension of the arms on the block or extension in an inclination with a dumbbell.

Separately, about pumping up the press: lifting on a Roman chair, lifting legs, twisting, twisting with a cable, turning the body with a neck. The press is pumped every training day

Between sets, the athlete considers it necessary to carry out a 15-second stretch of those muscles that are being exercised; rest between sets should be ≈ 2-3 minutes. His workout lasted a total of ≈ 75 minutes, and before completing it, Zane worked out from 12 to 20 minutes on the treadmill.

frank zane steroid cycle

There is little doubt that Frank Zane was taking steroids to sane bodybuilding fans. But what kind of AAS he used, only the athlete himself and his close circle know. Apparently, he had a serious approach to steroid anabolics-androgens, after all, the nickname “chemist” in sports is not given for the skills of splitting atoms.

Of course, you can build endless theories on the similarity of sites with rumors: they say that Frank smoked testosterone cypionate and nandrolone decanoate, methandienone and methenolone enanthate or trenbolone acetate and stanozolol. But we are not used to operating without an evidence base, so we will not mislead readers.

Yes, most likely, Frank Zane used the traditional for the sixties-seventies-eighties and doping that is popular today, such as methane and deca. But again, this is just a guess based on the heavyweight sport trends of the era.

For the lack of specifics, first of all, it is worth saying thanks to WADA. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and its policy of intimidation has driven athletes to the point that they are afraid to think, let alone talk about sports pharmacology. We are not shy, but we invite everyone to go to our online steroid store, where a range of working and up-to-date steroid products is presented for customers.

Based on materials (sources):

  • AthleticPharma.com
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zane
  • frankzane.com/bio
  • forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=901128
  • muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/frank-zane-best-built-man
Share