Known for his ability to adapt and overcome, Frank Zane‘s comprehensive approach to the sport resulted in massive success. He still trains and boasts unbelievable longevity at 82 years old, regularly offering advice to athletes on the rise. In his latest venture, shared on August 6, 2024 to Instagram, Zane broke down his three tips for making progress on body parts lagging in development.
From sunbathing and visualization to positive affirmations, Frank Zane left nothing on the table during his conquest of bodybuilding. His versatile nature inside the training room was one of his most essential ingredients to success in the ultra-competitive Men’s Open class. Having defeated mainstays such as Arnold Schwarzenegger on the sport’s greatest stage, there was no denying the aesthetics, shape, and conditioning of Zane in his prime.
Even today, he continues to train and never shies away from offering his following useful information grounded in real-life experiences. He used a ‘three-way training split’ to acquire three Mr. Olympia titles but attacked bodybuilding preps from all angles, which led to him sporting a physique with little to no weaknesses. With athletes wondering how he shored up his weaker body parts, the bodybuilding legend revealed some of his go-to methods.
3x Mr. Olympia Frank Zane Offers 3 Tips to Improve Areas of the Physique ‘Lagging in Development’
Find a simplified version of his three tips below:
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Quick Breakdown
- Work weak points first in workouts
- Perform additional sets with heavier weights
- Work unresponsive body parts two days consecutively
According to Zane, working on your weak points first when you have the most energy for a workout is ideal. He also believes lifting heavier weights and performing more sets can help shore up lagging body parts. Lastly, he recommends working on weaker body parts for two days in succession for optimal improvements.
“You will probably find that certain parts of your body improve faster than other parts. The way to get around this is by (A) working your weak points first in your workout when your energy, strength and attention are greatest; (B) doing more sets with heavier weights* for areas lagging in development; (C) working the unresponsive body parts two days in succession, resting this area on the third day, and then training it again two more days in succession.”
If I am using specialization on some body part and training it several days in succession, I usually train this area with different exercises each day,” shares Zane.
Using shoulders as an example, Zane said day one of training could be behind-the-neck upright rowing and bent-over lateral raises while day two could consist of dumbbell presses, side dumbbell raises, and rear incline raises.
“For example, if I’m working shoulders, I might do press behind neck, upright rowing and bent-over lateral raise the first day, and dumbbell press, side dumbbell raise, and rear incline raise the following day. This method can be used with any body part but shouldn’t be continued for longer than one month.”
He believes these methods for improving lagging body parts shouldn’t be used for longer than one month.
“After a month you should be able to make the progress, you desire. I often use this method when training for an exhibition or competition and some body part isn’t responding as l’d like it to.”
From his training supplements to his top seven exercises for muscle growth, Frank Zane continues to give back to the bodybuilding community in retirement. If there’s a body part you’re struggling to improve, feel free to give Zane’s three tips a try.
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