Bodybuilding legend who defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger and won Mr. Olympia THREE times reveals his top tips for strengthening your body – as he continues to hit the gym at AGE 81
- Frank Zane is a bodybuilding pioneer and three-time Mr. Olympia champion
- He has 213,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts his workout advice
- FEMAIL has compiled a list of his best advice for looking and feeling your best
A bodybuilding legend is appealing to a new generation of fans by sharing his best workout advice on social media at the age of 81.
Frank Zane, a three-time Mr. Olympia champion, has more than 213,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts tips for strengthening the body and the mind.
The octogenarian has adjusted his gym routine over the years, but he still trains with weight machines, walks, and meditates.
‘The important thing is getting a good workout, not talking about it. You don’t have to know why something works for it to work,’ he explained in a recent post.
Frank Zane, 81, is a bodybuilding pioneer and three-time Mr. Olympia champion
Zane (pictured in 1982) is one of only three men to have defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger in a competition. His physique is still lauded as one of the greatest in the history of bodybuilding
‘[But] you do need to know procedure, you need to know how to do it,’ he added. ‘During a workout, it’s all about how, not why.’
Zane was born in raised in Kingston, a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania. He discovered bodybuilding after coming across a muscle-building magazine as a teenager.
He began training at home at the age of 14, and he went from 130 pounds to 160 pounds in three years. He started competitive bodybuilding in college, which he continued while working as a teacher.
In 1968, he won the Mr. America competition, and a week later, he took home the Mr. Universe title after beating Arnold Schwarzenegger. Zane is one of only three men to have defeated Schwarzenegger.
After moving to California with his wife and fellow bodybuilder, Christine, he won the Mr. World title in 1969 followed by the Mr. Universe title in 1970 and 1972.
Zane was crowned Mr. Olympia three years in a row, winning the highly-coveted top spot in 1977, 1978, and 1979.
Four decades later, his famous physique is still lauded as one of the greatest in the history of bodybuilding.
As the retired professional bodybuilder continues to prioritize health and fitness, FEMAIL has compiled his top tips for looking and feeling your best.
Do reps slowly and focus on technique
Zane is an advocate for doing reps slowly to increase the impact of your movement
The former professional bodybuilder (pictured working out in 1984) explained that you ‘don’t have to lift enormous weight to grow muscle’
Zane values having proper form over lifting heavier weights, and he is an advocate for doing reps slowly to increase the impact of your movement.
‘The truth I’ve discovered is that you don’t have to lift enormous weights to grow muscle,’ he explained. ‘By using stricter form, slower negatives, and stretching between sets you can get an incredible pump in all your workouts.
‘Numbers are an abstraction, especially to muscles,’ he noted. ‘The secret is to make lighter weights feel heavier.’
The former bodybuilder advises keeping track of your weights, sets, and repetitions while monitoring your progress.
‘If you are getting stronger, you are growing muscle, providing the strength,’ he said. ‘Increases are made with good form and not cheating on exercises.’
Make time to stretch
Zane shared that you should always make time to stretch between sets and in your free time
‘By adding stretching between each set of an exercise you will get a much better workout, a better pump, and more overall flexibility,’ he explained
Zane shared that if you want to see results, you should always make time to stretch.
According to the bodybuilding pioneer, you should not only stretch at the end of your workout, but you should also be stretching between sets.
‘By adding stretching between each set of an exercise you will get a much better workout, a better pump, and more overall flexibility,’ he explained.
Zane said that when you are training a particular body part, you should be doing roughly ten different stretches targeting that area between sets.
‘Each stretch should last 15-20 seconds,’ he noted. ‘After a set, you want to rest and drop your heart rate. This is the ideal recovery tool as you relax into the stretch; it saves a lot of time and keeps you warm.’
Zane advised stretching ‘whenever you can,’ saying swimming is a great activity to do between workouts ‘because of the relaxing stretching effect it has on the body.’
Watch your nutrition
Zane follows a high-protein, moderate-fat, low-carb diet ‘to stay healthy’ and ‘maximize lean muscle mass growth’
The bodybuilding legend (pictured with his wife, Christine, in 1979) stressed that you should only eat when you’re hungry
Zane has been candid about his diet and the importance of listening to your body.
‘To stay healthy, maximize lean muscle mass growth, and supply enough energy for the workouts, I typically follow a high-protein, moderate-fat, low-carb diet,’ he said.
He relied on pre-workout food and would have protein and carbohydrates before training. After his workouts, he would relax and eat when he got hungry, which was sometimes a few hours later.
‘It depended on how demanding my training was,’ he explained. ‘When I got hungry, I just ate. Usually, my first meal after training was a protein drink — some sort of protein-carbohydrate mix.’
Zane has also stressed that you should only eat when you are hungry.
‘By not forcing yourself to eat when you aren’t hungry, you can burn more fat and look better as a result,’ he said.
Practice meditation
Zane has been practicing meditation for the past 50 years. ‘Many do not realize that the body only grows during complete rest,’ he said
The fitness guru (pictured with his wife in 1980) noted that deep relaxation is ‘the most neglected factor of the bodybuilding equation’
Zane is a longtime devotee of medication and often touts its benefits on his social media pages and blog.
‘I realized the importance of meditation at an early age and have been practicing it for over 50 years,’ he explained. ‘The effects are wonderful, but there’s the effort of “not doing, shutting your mind off, mastering the art of boredom” that is a constant challenge.
‘Our minds keep talking to us, shaping our perception of our world, entertaining us. If you can learn how to meditate and do it on a regular basis you can position yourself for the best development possible.’
Deep relaxation is ‘the most neglected factor of the bodybuilding equation,’ according to the form Mr. Olympia.
‘Many do not realize that the body only grows during complete rest,’ he said. ‘This happens in sleep, especially the first four hours. In addition, I do a deep relaxation meditation for one half to one full hour.’
Have the right attitude
For Zane, reaching his goals has always been about mind over matter.
‘Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think,’ he explained. ‘Action follows thought. What we think leads to what we say leads to what we do. So, it is important to think the right thoughts, to elicit the right behaviors.’
Zane believes that consistent hard work is more important than genetics when it comes to building your best possible physique.
He noted that continuity and discipline will enable you to outperform bodybuilders who have ‘ideal genes’ but are lazy.
‘Having the right attitude was my secret to success and it still is!’ he said.
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