Legends of Bodybuilding : Frank Zane

Zane is a three-time Mr. Olympia (1977 to 1979). His reign represented a shift of emphasis from mass to aesthetics. 

Zane's proportionate physique featured the second thinnest waistline of all the Mr. Olympias, with his wide shoulders making for a distinctive V-taper. He stood at 5'9" and had a competition weight of 187-195 pounds when he won Mr Olympia (He weighed over 200 lbs when he competed in the 60s). 

Zane is one of only three people who have beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest (1968 Mr. Universe in Miami, FL) and one of the very few Mr. Olympia winners under 200 pounds. Overall, he competed for over 20 years (retiring after the 1983 Mr Olympia contest) and won Mr America, Mr Universe, Mr World and Mr Olympia throughout his illustrious career.

Frank grew up in a tough Pennsylvania coal-mining town. A shy quiet guy when young, he often found himself trying to finish a fight his younger brother had started, only to get beat up. 

At age 14 Frank discovered bodybuilding when he walked into his high school math class and spotted a muscle building magazine in the wastebasket. Studying the magazine, he soon started training at the local Wilkes-Barre YMCA weight room. He also bought a 30 pound set of dumbbells and began training at home. His father was angry at him for devoting time to training when he should have been doing work around the house. "Build yourself up by cutting the grass" he was told. This only made Frank all the more determined to succeed and he worked out with weights for three years in high school, with two four month lapses during football season. He grew from 130 pounds at age 14 to 160 pounds at age 17 and felt great because he could actually see the visible results from his workouts.

During his junior and senior years in high school Frank spent his summers as an archery instructor at a Boys Scout camp in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, working out hard and drinking lots of milk. He would hitchhike home 20 miles on weekends and since his weights were all at camp, Frank would carry 55 pounds of weights along with him so he could train. This way he made sure never to miss a workout. His parents' attitude about bodybuilding began changing as they realized his dedication. Frank's mother especially encouraged him in his training.

Frank met his future wife, Christine in Florida in September 1966.  Frank had been bodybuilding for almost ten years before he moved to Florida in search of a better climate and training conditions. When Christine met Frank, this was her first encounter with anyone had developed his body so completely. She had seen all the Hercules movies when she was younger but had just assumed these men grew that way naturally. She soon learned otherwise and took up bodybuilding as a means to improve her own figure. She had always had a good figure but found it a challenge to keep her weight under control. With weight training, she found her bodyweight easier to control and felt a lot more energetic from her daily training sessions.   

Frank won the Mr. World title in Brugge, Belgium in 1969, the Mr. Universe title in 1970 and 1972 in London, England and the coveted Mr. Olympia title (world professional bodybuilding champion) in 1977, 1978, and 1979 after 21 years of training. He also earned a second bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University in Los Angeles in 1977, a California Life Teaching Credential in all subjects k through grades 14, and a Master's degree in experimental psychology in 1990 from California State University in San Bernardino.

 

Christine won the Miss Universe Bikini Crown in 1970 and then retired from competition to devote her time to her studies and art. She graduated from California State University in Los Angeles summa cum laude earning a Masters Degree in Fine Arts with skills in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and jewelry. She also earned a California Life Teaching Credential in elementary education and obtained a teaching position with Santa Monica City Schools where she taught from 1973 to 1977. In 1990, Christine earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from California State University in San Bernardino.

Frank and Christine worked to develop each other into the most perfect people they could be. This is the crux of a loving relationship, the lover focuses all effort on bringing out the best in his beloved and vice versa.  

Drag your cursor across the picture to view before and after pictures of Frank

Competitive stats

• Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
• Contest weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
• Off-season weight: 200 lbs
• Arms: 18"
• Neck: 17.5"
• Chest: 51"
• Waist: 29"
• Thighs: 26"
• Calves: 16.5"
• Wrist: 6.5"
• Ankle: 8"