Know More, Grow More

Ox 51

Musclechemistry Guru
KNOW MORE, GROW MORE

zane_lg_0.jpg


Frank Zane on mental and muscle improvements

April 6, 2010
FLEXONLINE.COM

Though never one of the biggest, Frank Zane is nevertheless one of the best bodybuilders to ever strike a pose. Between 1968 and 1972 he won the Mr. America, Mr. International, Mr. World, and three different Mr. Universe titles. When he took the first such Mr. U title, someone named Arnold Schwarzenegger, making his American debut, was relegated to runner-up. Still, Zane is best remembered for his three consecutive Mr. Olympia titles from 1977-79 when his classical aesthetics and detailed definition slew the world’s greatest Goliaths.

Zane, who taught high school math and chemistry for 13 years and returned to college to earn a B.A. in psychology and a master’s in experimental psychology, is the thinking man’s bodybuilder. He tells us about the importance of continuous learning for continuous growth, and he details an ab routine from the late ‘;70s when his mind-blowing midsection was a key reason for his Sandow success versus the mass monsters.

ZANE’S EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

"I’m always learning. If I didn’t make an effort to continuously learn new ways to improve my physique I definitely wouldn’t have won consistently over the years. And with each change in my knowledge about bodybuilding diet, training and mental approach, my overall philosophy changes. Life is change. Without change, we stagnate as individuals. The same holds true in bodybuilding. I certainly don’t train and diet in the same way that I did ten years ago. I’ve learned to do it better, and I improve more quickly as a result. Today I hope to learn something knew and tomorrow I’ll apply it to my workout.”

<TABLE class=exercise><THEAD><TR><TD colSpan=3>FRANK ZANE’S AB WORKOUT


</TD></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR><TH>EXERCISE </TH><TH>SETS </TH><TH>REPS </TH></TR><TR class=even><TD>Roman chair situps </TD><TD>3-4 </TD><TD>25-30 </TD></TR><TR class=odd><TD>Hanging leg raises</TD><TD>3-4 </TD><TD>15-30 </TD></TR><TR class=even><TD>Crunches </TD><TD>3-4 </TD><TD>25-30 </TD></TR><TR class=odd><TD>Side bends </TD><TD>3-4 </TD><TD>50 </TD></TR><TR class=even><TD>Rope crunches </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
I've read both sides on the issue of reps for abs. It seems that most agree that more reps are needed although some state that you train abs just like any other muscle. Just the other day I read from some pencil neck online journal that all you need are 30 reps PER WORKOUT. The slackers will love to hear that!
 
Yea, I've read both sides as well, and I must say that if you are doing a lot of compound lifts, then you probably don't need a lot of ab training as they'll get a lot of work from stabilizing your core in these movements, otherwise, you need a lot. I have a decent stomach and I rarely do abs, but when I do, I do a lot of reps
 
Back
Top