Golden era bodybuilder Frank Zane has witnessed the sport change drastically since his days of competing on stage. During his active tenure, Zane captivated fans with a shredded physique and artistic posing routines. In his latest endeavor, Zane took part in a special Olympia TV interview to discuss a wide range of topics like his top five favorite physiques of all time and his relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In addition, he spoke on the techniques he’s used to strengthen his mind for competition and shared that his physique would have probably been best suited for the Classic Physique division today.
Frank Zane was known for his resourcefulness on and off the bodybuilding stage throughout the 1960s to the 1980s. He utilized any strategy he could to perfect his aesthetic physique. He regularly practiced meditation, visualization, and other mind-strengthening tactics to bring his best at each contest. As a three-time Mr. Olympia winner, Zane’s methods paid off.
In retirement, Zane has been open about the measures he took to reach the top of the sport. During a recent The Menace Podcast, Zane explained that, unlike today, he didn’t use diuretics to prepare for a competition, instead, he sunbathed and practiced posing in the harsh California sunlight for hours at a time to dry out his physique.
Frank Zane Says He’d Be Classic Physique If He Competed Today, Talks Chris Bumstead & Arnold Schwarzenegger
According to Zane, he would likely be a Classic Physique athlete if he competed today due to the size he carried back in his prime. Zane said the biggest and best he ever looked was at 190 pounds.
“Probably [I would be in Classic Physique]. I was never big. The most I weighed and looked good was 190 pounds at 5’9″. You know that doesn’t cut it. I’d have to weigh about 30 pounds more to stand on stage next to these monsters [in the Open].”
When asked about reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead, Zane admits he was impressed but wants to see him achieve more. As for critiques, Zane said Bumstead has ‘everything’ except bicep peaks. Last year, Bumstead tore his bicep weeks before competing at Olympia but still claimed gold.
“I think he’s [Chris Bumstead] good. I think he’s got a lot of potential. I think he could do a lot more. He’s a big guy too, he’s like 235. Yeah [pretty physique] but he could always get better,” said Zane. “If I were to give him advice, I’d say work on more peak to your biceps. Because when he does his bicep shot, the biceps are sort of flat. They don’t really stand out that much. But he’s got everything else. He’s got the size and he’s compared to Arnold a lot.”
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Then, Frank Zane gave his thoughts on another titan of bodybuilding: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Zane admits he used to enlist Arnold’s help and guidance after the seven-time Olympia retired from the sport. In addition, Zane wasn’t interested in the film Pumping Iron because he thought they centered the project around Schwarzenegger instead of the sport’s integrity.
“I used to rely on Arnold a lot for advice after he you know retired from competition. And I said, I went up and said, ‘Arnold what do you think I should do, should I enter this competition?’ He said, ‘Yeah. I would go to Australia to defend my title,’ he said he was going to be there but just a color commentator. Of course, that was a lie he went there to compete. In Australia, he really wasn’t at his best. He got criticized severely for that.”
“Not much [I didn’t want to do much with Pumping Iron]. It was all based on Arnold I saw. I said why didn’t you just call it Pumping Arnold instead of Pumping Iron. It wasn’t about bodybuilding so much it was all about Arnold.”
Stomach Distention in Open Class?
Zane also shared his thoughts on the concerning trend of bubble guts and distended stomachs in the Open class. He believes athletes are overeating which is causing stomach distention or bloated guts. This is an issue that bodybuilding icon Lee Haney has also tackled in detail, as he stressed that competitors of today are ‘traumatizing themselves’ and 60 pounds overweight.
“Maybe they are eating too much at one time. They’re not really practicing stomach vacuums. They’re letting their guts distend like that. Putting too much in their stomach at one time, you know, letting the stomach distend… it’s not a good look.”
“You have to be able to show what you have, if you can’t show it, it’s not in your favor,” added Zane.
Zane Lists His Top 5 Favorite Physiques of All Time, Looks Back on Being In Attendance for First Mr. Olympia Show in 1965
Despite having built a legacy on aesthetics, Zane included the massive eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman in his list of favorite bodybuilders.
“I’d say [Steve] Reeves, Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva, and after that, it’s sort of up in the air… I’d say maybe Ron Coleman is right up there. For a number of reasons – the guy was enormous – just really. I saw him in person. He was unbelievable, he weighed almost 300 pounds and he was ripped.”“I don’t know [if we’ll see another Ronnie Coleman] maybe, I think there’s a chance it will happen. There’s a generational thing going on where we can’t tell who is going to come up and what they are going to look like. I’d say there’s a good chance of that happening. He’ll [Coleman] probably be exceeded.”“The crowds back then were wild. They were really hungry for it. Larry Scott was like God in that situation. I won Mr. Universe that night. I got to see him backstage and up close and I was amazed at what he looked like up close.”
Finally, Zane reflected on some crucial Buddhist-inspired principles he used to structure his life. He revealed that he began meditating at the age of 14.
“Right thought, right speech, right behavior, right view, right livelihood, there’s eight things like that. You know, it’s just sort of a map for living the correct way so that you don’t accumulate any kind of negative karma. I was very attracted to that and I sort of stuck to that philosophy over the years.”“Oh, for a long time, I started [meditating] when I was 14,” said Zane. “I read some books. I practiced the techniques. And then I just kept adding because I liked it.”
Zane shared that back when he competed, he always trained with weights. He was naturally lean so he only needed to incorporate 15-minute sessions of cardio, which typically occurred on the treadmill.
“My goals were – I always worked out with weights. I did some aerobics but not a lot because I was naturally a lean person. I only did about 15 minutes of treadmill at the end of my workout or the stationary bike. Then I got into cycling after that in the early 1980s.”
While competing, Zane posed daily and ‘rehearsed’ prejudging before shows.
“I would practice every day for a half an hour up to an hour. I would basically sunbathe later in the day and I would stand like I was in the lineup on stage. Front, back, and side for 15 minutes in each position. I got the idea to rehearse the prejudging. I wanted to do things nobody else would do and that’s what I did.”
This isn’t the first time that Zane has discussed the direction of the IFBB Pro League. In a conversation with Mike O’Hearn, Zane reflected on the safety of bodybuilding and longevity tips. He believes athletes often make the mistake of trying to stay peaked year-round. After tons of trial and error, Zane discovered that he could only effectively peak for a show once a year.
At 81 years old, Zane continues to give back to the bodybuilding community. Considering how the Open class has shifted to favor bigger athletes, Zane believes his physique would likely fall into the Classic Physique division if he competed today.
You can watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
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