Started Working Out to End Younger Brother’s Alley Fights, 80-YO Frank Zane Unearths Unknown Details About His Childhood

The tale of a legend starting out on his iconic journey is undoubtedly an aspect of utmost fascination. Bodybuilding great, Frank Zane recently unveiled his intriguing story on what led him towards the sport. Stumbling upon a bodybuilding magazine in his maths class, the athlete was instantly hooked on bodybuilding, per Zane’s official website. He even purchased a set of dumbbells for his personal training, however, was restricted by his father urging him to help with the house chores. Moreover, talking to Dennis James, Chris Cormier, and Milos Sarcev in an interview, he shared that his younger brother was an essential reason why he began working out. 

The interview was posted by Muscle and Fitness in collaboration with The Menace Podcast with Dennis James, on YouTube. Zane was asked what really gravitated him towards bodybuilding to which he recalled a difficult time in his life. 

For Frank Zane, bodybuilding was not just an emotional recognition

As per the source, Cormier chimed in with the question saying he wasn’t the biggest guy on the block. Yet, he had the confidence to do what he did. “Well, it’s just something I found myself doing at age 14,” Zane said. Moreover, the former bodybuilder revealed that he and his family lived in a “tough section” of the town 

Therefore, street fights and disputes were part of the norm. On top of that, he had a younger brother who liked to “mouth off” to bigger and tougher guys. Hence, as a means to protect his brother from getting into trouble, Zane started working out. The three-time Mr. Olympia unveiled, “I would end up finishing the argument.”

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After embarking on his bodybuilding journey, the 80-year-old athlete’s physique was showing results. “So I started working out and the results were evident and then it looked like I work out,” he continued. Owing to his shredded looks, later on, none of the tough guys irked him or his brother anymore. “So, nobody bothered me after that,” Zane said. The community’s interest in knowing Zane’s historic career and how he gravitated toward the sport is unending. 

Frank Zane was born amid tough times

Hailed as the King of Aesthetics, Zane was born in the 1940s. Times were difficult in the United States, given the post-World War II situation and other political conflicts. As the country transitioned from a tumultuous phase, even the star athlete found a way to protect himself and his family.

Living in Kingston Borough Luzerne County in Pennsylvania, he took up bodybuilding as a mere teenager. He joined the Wilkes-Barre YMCA weight room in addition to purchasing his own set of 30-pound dumbbells to train at home. Meanwhile, the athlete’s father was unsure of his future in the sport and urged him to “build” himself by “cutting the grass.” This, further boosted his determination, as he trained for 3 years in high school, gaining over 30 pounds. Also, he spoke in an interview from 2018, “So I discovered bodybuilding and ended up…working out in my basement and I saw muscle coming out in two weeks. Came in handy because I lived in a sort of tough area.”

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To think about it, it seems miraculous, how even the simplest intentions and efforts can evolve into something legendary. Do you know any more of such legendary stories? Tell us in the comments.