Who is bodybuilder Frank Zane?

RETIRED bodybuilding Frank Zane was considered to have one of the greatest physiques in the history of the sport.

The three-time Mr Olympia champion endured a 22-year career as a bodybuilder and is one of just three men to have ever defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger.

GettyFrank Zane is a three-time Mr Olympia champion[/caption]

Who is bodybuilder Frank Zane?

Frank Zane is a retired American professional bodybuilder whose physique was considered one of the greatest in the history of bodybuilding.

“The Chemist” was a three-time Mr Olympia and inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.

He then received the Arnold Schwarzenegger Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003 Arnold Classic for his dedication and longtime support to the sport.

Thanks to his his meticulous focus on symmetry and proportion, Zane’s physique featured the second-thinnest waistline of all the Mr. Olympias.

Born on June 28, 1942, in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Zane was also an accomplished academic and received a Bachelor of Science from Wilkes University in 1964.

He went on to teach mathematics and chemistry for 13 years in Florida, California and New Jersey, before earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1977.

Zane was then awarded a master’s degree in experimental psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, in 1992

When did Frank Zane start bodybuilding?

Zane started bodybuilding as a teenager after reading Muscle Magazine and went from 130 pounds (59 kg) at 14 to 160 pounds (73 kg) at 17 through weightlifting.

He began his professional career at the age of 19 in 1961 and went on to win 13 bodybuilding titles over the next 22 years – including three consecutive Mr Olympia’s from 1977-1979.

However, shortly before the 1980 competition he suffered a poolside accident in his home and lost 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of muscle mass – ending his reign.

Nonetheless, he also won Mr America, Mr Universe and Mr World during his career and is one of only three men to have defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest.

Zane famously trained with lightweights during his career, despite being urged to train with heavier weights.

However, he eventually increased how much he was lifting after finding the size necessary for success at the Olympia’s.

Zane was nicknamed “The Chemist” due to his Bachelor of Science degree but also because he “took a lot of supplements and tons of amino acids.”

Where is Frank Zane now?

The 81-year-old resides in San Diego, California, with his wife Christine and owns a learning centre called the “Zane Experience”, which they originally opened in 1985.

Previously known as “Zane Haven”, Zane and his wife conducted one-on-one sessions with clients who wished to possess a symmetrical physique.

Zane is also the founder of Zane Gallery in Laguna Beach, which features bodybuilding art and photography, and operates a commerce site selling supplements and training equipment.

The site also sells books, with Zane being an author of 12 bodybuilding titles – releasing his first one in 1979 and his most recent in 2018.

As a result, he is often seen at seminars and book signings, but is frequently busy producing a written newsletter that began in 1998, entitled Frank Zane Newsletter.

In 2005, Zane played the IFBB Announcer and worked as the consulting producer in the movie “See Arnold Run”. As of 2006, HE runs his own website.

Zane also appeared in the documentary Challenging Impossibility, which was an official selection of the 2011 Tribeca Festival, and began filming a feature documentary on his life in June 2020.

The former bodybuilder has kept himself busy since retiring in 1983Getty