Frank Zane (born June 28, 1942) is a retired American professional

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

and author. He is a three-time

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation ...

, and his physique is considered one of the greatest in the history of bodybuilding due to his meticulous focus on symmetry and proportion. He was inducted in the

IFBB Hall of Fame The IFBB Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor outstanding athletes and officials in the sport of bodybuilding. There have been no inductees since 2011. Induction years 1999 *Carla Dunlap *Cory Everson *John Grimek * Lee Haney * Rachel Mc ...

in 1999.

Biography

Zane was born in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...

on June 28, 1942. He started bodybuilding as a teenager after reading ''Muscle Magazine''. He went from at 14 to at 17 through weightlifting. In 1964, he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from

Wilkes University Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...

. For 13 years, he taught

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

while living in Florida and California. He also taught mathematics and chemistry at

Watchung Hills Regional High School Watchung Hills Regional High School is a regional comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school and school district serving students in portions of Somerset County, New Jerse ...

(in New Jersey) for the 1965–1966 school year. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

in 1977. Zane was awarded a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

experimental psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

from

California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is one of the 23 general campuses of the California State University system. The m ...

in 1992.

Bodybuilding career

Zane is a three-time

(1977 to 1979). His reign represented a shift in emphasis from mass to aesthetics. Zane's physique featured the second-thinnest waistline of all the Mr. Olympias (after

Sergio Oliva Sergio Oliva (July 4, 1941 – November 12, 2012) was a Cuban-American bodybuilder known as The Myth. He was a three-time Mr. Olympia winner. Early life Sergio Oliva was born on July 4, 1941 in Guantanamo, Cuba, during the presidency of Fu ...

), with his wide shoulders making for a distinctive V-taper. He stood at and had a competition weight of less than 190 pounds when he won all three of his Mr. Olympias. He was given the nickname "The Chemist" due to his Bachelor of Science degree and, as he puts it: "Back in the day I took a lot of supplements and tons of amino acids. Still do. But back then it was pretty unusual. That's how I got the nickname The Chemist." He famously trained with light weights which saw him to many victories, but

Joe Weider Joseph Weider (; November 29, 1919 – March 23, 2013) was a Canadian bodybuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of Mr. Olympia, Ms. O ...

urged him to train with heavier weights. Zane then found the size necessary for success at the Olympia. After his three consecutive Mr. Olympia titles came the

1980 Mr. Olympia The 1980 Mr. Olympia contest was an International Federation of BodyBuilders, IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held on October 4, 1980, at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. The event was one of the most debated competitions ...

. Shortly before the competition he suffered a poolside accident in his home and he lost of muscle mass. This saw the end to his reign, as

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

controversially placed at the top of the podium in his comeback, with Zane in third. Zane is one of only three men to have beaten Schwarzenegger (with

Chester Yorton Chester Yorton (1940 – November 21, 2020) also known as Chet Yorton, was an American bodybuilder who became known as "The Father of Natural Bodybuilding" for his advocacy of steroid-free bodybuilding. He defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger at the ...

and

) in a bodybuilding contest and one of the very few Mr. Olympia winners under . Overall, he competed for over 20 years (retiring after the

1983 Mr. Olympia The 1983 Mr. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held on September 24, 1983, at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany. Results Total prize money awarded was $50,000. Notable events *Samir Bannout Samir Bannout ( ...

) and won Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and Mr. Olympia during his career. In 1985, Frank and his wife Christine owned and operated "Zane Haven" in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

where they conducted one-on-one sessions with clients who wished to possess a symmetrical physique. Today, the Zanes live in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, and his learning center is now called "Zane Experience". He is the founder of Zane Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA which features bodybuilding art and photography and is dedicated to bringing Golden Era Bodybuilding back into the mainstream. In addition to this, he operates a commerce site selling books, supplements and training equipment. In 1994, Zane was inducted into the Joe Weider Hall of Fame. Since 1998, Zane has written a newsletter entitled ''Frank Zane Newsletter'', that provides the latest information in all aspects of bodybuilding. He received the Arnold Schwarzenegger Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003

Arnold Classic The IFBB Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arnold Classic''), strongman (''Arnold Strongman Classic''), fitness, figure and ...

for his dedication and longtime support of the sport. In 2005, Zane played the IFBB Announcer and worked as the consulting producer in the movie "See Arnold Run". As of 2006, Zane currently runs his own website, and appears at seminars and book signings. In 2011 Frank Zane appeared in the documentary '' Challenging Impossibility'' describing the weightlifting odyssey of spiritual teacher and peace advocate

Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964.Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

. In June 2020, Frank Zane began filming a feature documentary on his life directed and produced by filmmaker Alex Ardenti.

Bodybuilding titles

* 1961 Mr. Pennsylvania (17th place) * 1962 Mr. Keystone (Winner) * 1963 Mr. Keystone (2nd) * 1965 Mr. Sunshine State (Winner) * 1965 IFBB Mr. Universe (1st, Medium Height category) * 1966 IFBB Mr. America (1st, Medium) * 1967 IFBB Mr. America (1st, Medium) * 1967 IFBB Mr. Universe (3rd, Tall) * 1968 IFBB Mr. America (Winner) * 1968 IFBB Mr. Universe (Winner) * 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe (Winner) * 1971 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (1st, Short) * 1972 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (Winner) * 1972 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs, 4th) * 1973 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs, did not place) * 1974 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs, 2nd) * 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs, 4th) * 1976 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs, 2nd) * 1977 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs & Overall Winner) * 1978 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs & Overall Winner) * 1979 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200 lbs & Overall Winner) * 1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd, after suffering a near-fatal injury at his home, requiring lengthy hospitalization) * 1981 IFBB Mr. Olympia – did not compete (boycotted the Mr Olympia contest after the controversial 1980 contest) * 1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd) * 1983 IFBB Mr. Olympia (4th), after suffering another accident on his bicycle, requiring extensive shoulder surgery shortly after the contest)

Competitive stats

* Height: * Contest weight:

Bibliography

* ''The Zane Way to a Beautiful Body'' (1979) * ''Super Bodies in 12 Weeks'' (1982) * ''Zane Nutrition'' (1986) * ''Fabulously Fit Forever'' (1992) * ''Fabulously Fit Forever Expanded'' (1996) * ''Frank Zane: Mind, Body, Spirit'' (1997) * ''Frank Zane Training Manual'' (2005) * ''The High Def Handbook'' (2008) * ''The Mind in Bodybuilding'' (2009) * ''91 Day Wonder Body'' (2016) * ''91 Day Wonder Abs'' (2017) * ''Zane Bodybuilding Manual'' (2018)

References

External links

* , colspan = 3 align = center ,

, - , width = 30% align = center , Preceded by:

Franco Columbu Francesco Maria Columbu (August 7, 1941 – August 30, 2019) was an Italian bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and a licensed chiropractor. Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981, and competed in the i ...

, width = 40% align = center , First (1977) , width = 30% align = center , Succeeded by:
himself , - , width = 30% align = center , Preceded by:
himself , width = 40% align = center , Second (1978) , width = 30% align = center , Succeeded by:
himself , - , width = 30% align = center , Preceded by:
himself , width = 40% align = center , Third (1979) , width = 30% align = center , Succeeded by:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zane, Frank 1942 births American bodybuilders Living people People associated with physical culture People from Kingston, Pennsylvania Professional bodybuilders American religious skeptics Devotees of Sri Chinmoy Strength training writers American schoolteachers