“I’m the Best in the World”: 80-Year-Old Frank Zane Recalls Landing a Beer Commercial at Gold’s Gym in 1977 with His Sheer Audacity

1977 was a career-changing year for the bodybuilding legend Frank Zane. That year, he sat on the throne of the biggest bodybuilding competition in the world for the first time. Though Zane had bagged many titles before, even defeating the Austrian Oak Arnold Schwarzenegger in the past, he hadn’t done so in the Olympia. However, a glorious Mr. Olympia win comes with its perks. And it eventually landed him in a commercial while training at the Gold’s Gym.

While chatting with fitness mogul Mike O’Hearn and Clark Bartram, the three-time Mr. Olympia recalled how things went down back then. As the three fitness gurus sat down to discuss the know-how of the industry, Zane shared his insights to bridge the gap between the past and the present.

Frank Zane felt confident after his first Olympia win

Generation Iron Fitness & Bodybuilding released the latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show. Herein, Zane shared his opinion on who he thinks has the best physique in modern bodybuilding. While recalling his old days, Zane detailed how he bagged a beer commercial in 1977. Remembering the Golden Era, he said, “I remember doing one for, what was it, I think, it was for the Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial, the beer commercial. And you know everybody at Gold’s Gym is there, doing it, you know. They’re going to talk to the guy, and it was ’77.”

The 80-year-old continued by detailing how his audacity paid off. Zane added, “So, I went, and I said, ‘Look! I know you’re going to talk to a lot of people. But you know you don’t really need to because I’m Mr Olympia. I’m the current Mr. Olympia. I’m the best in the world, and you’re not going to find anybody better at this than me.'”

Read More: Hailed as the ‘King of Aesthetics’, 80-Year-Old Bodybuilding Legend Offers a Simple Advice to Maximize Overall Fitness

Zane himself was surprised when his pitch worked and he got the commercial. Further in the interview, he credited his audacity for making it happen. In his past interviews too, Zane has talked about how he brought about change in 1977.

Years of hard work paid off

In an interview with Men’s Health in 2021, Zane recalled how he was Joe Weider’s number 2 bodybuilder for years. However, surpassing Schwarzenegger to become number one was something he strived to achieve. To do so, he sought Weider’s help to identify where he was lacking in his training.

Weider advised him to train with heavy weights and that ultimately worked wonders for Zane. By 1976, Zane became one of the four grenades of the bodybuilding world. The other three being Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, and Franco Columbu. Eventually, through his persistent efforts, he bagged his first title in 1977.

Watch this story: From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Chris Bumstead – Here Are the Top 5 Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders to Ever Compete in Mr. Olympia

All in all, 1977 proved to be the golden year for The Chemist.