Going Against ‘King of Squats’ Advocacy, 81-YO Legend Frank Zane Highlights the Detrimental Issues of This ‘Hard’ Exercise

Frank Zane, well-known as a ‘God of aesthetics’ in the realm of bodybuilding, has been sharing his experience through his books, website, and social media has become an asset for him. However, in a recent blog post, he shed light on one specific workout that was considered the most effective exercise of all time.

Zane’s perspective on this may start a feud in the fitness community. However, the 81-year-old has revealed that this particular performance hasn’t been more effective for him. It helped him for some time. In his blog post, He shared two pictures comparing before and after for more clarity. The difference between the photographs was 15 years.

The exercise that wasted Frank Zane’s time

While comparing these images, Zane pointed out something important. In the first picture, he talked about how he was really focused on doing squats. Squats helped him get those well-defined leg muscles, especially in his thighs and waist. This workout carved those muscles nicely. In the meantime, despite getting the results, he was not satisfied with the outcomes. He realized that just doing squats was not going to help him with his overall body growth. And he might not win any show by only emphasizing one body part.

He always emphasized slow and steady wins in the race. Instead of rushing to build big muscles right away, he suggested starting with building core strength first. He wanted to convey a message that, take your time, build a firm foundation and the results will shock you and it will help you in the long run.

Read More: 81-YO Legend, Who Brought Symmetry and Aesthetics Into Bodybuilding, Finds “Body Weight” Analysis a Ridiculous Idea

The author mentioned doing squats when he was 18 years old. He used to do 3 sets with 10 reps each. He started at 300 lbs and then reached 405 lbs while lifting weights. “Although I gained size in my thighs and waist, I gained very little size in my chest and arms. Bulking up this way proved to be a waste of time. I lost about a year on this experiment.” confessed Mr. Olympia.

Does his revelation about squats stir a feud?

Zane further illustrated that to make his upper quads and lower abs look better before the show, he did a lot of abs exercises. One of my favorites was hanging knee-ups. Another was using a pulley machine with ankle straps. He also did 100 reps in total, starting with 30 pounds and then increasing the weight. This change of workout helped his abbs and upper body to look well-defined.

According to former Mr. Universe, “If you want to look your best, do not gain more than 5 pounds of body weight a year. This is a lot of muscle….” He then added, “Fast weight gains are much more fat and water retention than solid muscle.”

His perspective surely going to stir controversy, because there are many well-known legendary bodybuilders who stress the squats exercise. But Zane, however, said that it was a waste of time for him. Do you agree with Frank Zane’s opinion on this, or do you have a different approach while working out? Tell us in the comment section.

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