A recent article in FLEX magazine looked into one of the most iconic bodybuilders of all time, Frank Zane, and one of the main things to come out of the article was to not accept your boundaries. It may seem completely counterintuitive for England Rugby International George Ford to move from fly- half which demands speed, agility and technical prowess, to prop, a position that requires a player to have considerable physical stature. Similarly you wouldn’t expect to see an athlete of Floyd Mayweather’s stature try to gain weight to cut it with the heavyweights in a ring, this would go against his strengths (speed, agility, power). Well going against your initial, obvious strengths is exactly what the legend that is Frank Zane did when he decided to develop his naturally slight frame into an Olympia title worthy body. He was not built to stand on the same stage as 6’2’’ Arnold, or 6’5” Lou Ferrigno, but he made it his mission to do it anyway!
When you next plan your training regime, remember that people can and do step outside of the box, of what is expected of them. Accept no limits but remember to respect the gradual journey of reaching your goal. Frank Zane aka ‘The Chemist’ used technical knowhow, dedication, resilience and sheer genius to go against the hand he was dealt, and methodically sculpt his body into one of the greatest… there has ever been.
