If there’s one man who understands the aesthetics of bodybuilding better than anyone else, it’s Frank Zane. The three-time Mr. Olympia is still considered the gold standard of aesthetic appeal with his trademark small waist and dramatic V-taper of well-developed lats, shoulders, pecs, and a deeply carved serratus.
We asked “The Chemist” to distill his top tips for the classic V-taper down to the following list, and he obliged. Read on and get training like a legend!
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BOB GARDNER/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
Eat Clean
“Besides eating minimally procesed foods, this means fewer carbs than protein,” Zane says. “Eat one gram of protein per pound of body weight when leaning out and a half gram of carbs per pound.”
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Courtesy of Weider Publications
Don’t Ignore Your Serratus
“I discovered the ideal combination to work the serratus, and that was to superset dumbbell pullovers with straight-arm pulldowns. With pullovers I got a deep stretch as I lowered the weight all the way down, almost touching the floor, and then with arms slightly bent pulled the dumbbell up until it was over my face. Pulling any farther would take tension off the serratus and start putting it more on the front deltoids. Right after my set I would do a one-arm overhead shoulder stretch with each arm as I walked to the lat machine to do the pulldowns,” Zane says.
“Standing in front of the lat machine, leaning slightly forward and grasping a straight bar with hands 12 inches apart and elbows slightly bent, I’d pull the weight down in an arc until it touched the tops of my thighs and then slowly lower it back while continuing to lean forward. This movement contracts the lower lats and serratus and completes the arc of what you would get on a pullover machine.”
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Jack Mitchell / Contributor / Getty
Stop Skipping Cardio
“This will keep you tight everywhere. If you get bored, make it interesting. Play basketball or go mountain biking. Don’t overthink it. Just sweat.”
“Over the years I’ve used different versions of the three-way split—workouts spaced according to my level of progression. The one I’ve done the most is Day 1 pull, Day 2 legs, Day 3 push. I train Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, working each body part once a week.”
“Instead, eat frequent small meals,” Zane says. “When you eat a lot of food it takes a long time to digest it; this inefficiency also blunts nutritional benefits.”
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GARDNER/COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
Work Your Abs, A Lot
“Gradually build up reps on four exercises until you get around 1,000 for the day. Break it up however you need to; it’s easy to bank it out in bunches.”
