Frank Zane was one of the rare bodybuilders to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger and win the Mr. Universe Title. Competing in bodybuilding competitions in the 1970s, Frank belongs to the golden era of bodybuilding. The champion who won the Mr. Universe title thrice, Frank’s legacy is huge.

Currently 80 years old, Frank Zane is still a fitness enthusiast who loves to work out. In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Frank openly spoke about his first contest and one of his heaviest deadlifts. He also candidly revealed the whole story about participating in the Olympia.  

Frank Zane revealed the story behind his first contest

During an interview, Frank disclosed that when he was a teenager, he regularly did a workout before his first competition. This helped him to develop strength for his first contest, though he still had no experience in deadlifting. Zane also spoke about how his back-squatting lift wasn’t good during his first contest. 

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Zane also told about how, in his first contest, he did a deadlift of 425 pounds. This was an achievement, as at that time, he weighed more than 100 pounds. Along with deadlifting, Zane also managed to do bench pressing of about 285 pounds. Due to his amazing performance, he won the Mr. Keystone State Title. 

The bodybuilding champion also expressed how deadlifting hurt him, “I continued to train at dead-lifting and hurt my lower back by coming up crooked in the lift.” This made him stop dead-lifting temporarily.

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Later, Zane once again resumed deadlifting before the 1979 Olympia competition. He also took the guidance of Steve Reeves to do deadlifts more effectively. While Zane became better at dead-lifting, the lifts became more dangerous.

What is the bodybuilding champion doing at present? 

Currently, Frank is focusing on his own Youtube channel where he regularly posts videos related to fitness, exercise, and nutrition. He also founded the Zane Gallery in California to promote bodybuilding and looks after its various affairs. The bodybuilding star also has a center called ‘Zane Experience’ where he helps to train learners to achieve fitness. 

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Frank Zane will always stay a legend in the history of bodybuilding. The story of his first contest once again proves that “nothing is impossible.” As bodybuilding fans, we hope to see Frank Zane achieve several more laurels in the future. What do you think of Frank’s bodybuilding achievements?