I’m a bodybuilding legend – that’s how I stay muscular at 81

A bodybuilding legend is appealing to a new generation of fans by sharing his best workout advice on social media at age 81.

Frank Zane, three-time Mr. Olympia champion, has more than 213,000 followers Instagramwhere he posts tips for strengthening body and mind.

The 80-year-old has modified his fitness routine over the years, but he still works out with weight machines, walks and meditates.

“The most important thing is to train well, not talk about it. You don’t need to know why something works to make it work,” he explained in a recent post.

‘[But] you have to know the procedure, you have to know how to do it,” he added. ‘During training it’s about how, not why.’

Zane was born in Kingston, a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. He discovered bodybuilding after coming across a muscle building magazine as a teenager.

He started training at home at age 14 and went from 130 pounds to 160 pounds in three years. He started competitive bodybuilding in college, which he continued while working as a teacher.

In 1968 he won the Mr. America competition and a week later he took the Mr. Universe title after beating Arnold Schwarzenegger. Zane is one of only three men to beat Schwarzenegger.

After moving to California with his wife and fellow bodybuilder Christine, he won the Mr. World title in 1969, followed by the Mr. Universe title in 1970 and 1972.

Daan was crowned Mr. Olympia and won the coveted top spot in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

Four decades later, his famous physique is still hailed as one of the best in bodybuilding history.

As the retired professional bodybuilder continues to prioritize health and fitness, FEMAIL has put together its best tips for looking and feeling your best.

Perform reps slowly and focus on technique

Zane values ​​having proper form over lifting heavier weights, and he’s a proponent of doing reps slowly to increase the impact of your movement.

“The truth I’ve discovered is that you don’t have to lift huge weights to build muscle,” he explained. “By using stricter form, slower negatives, and stretching between sets, you can get an incredible pump in all of your workouts.”

“Numbers are an abstraction, especially for muscles,” he noted. “The secret is to make lighter weights feel heavier.”

The former bodybuilder advises keeping track of your weights, sets, and reps as you track your progress.

“When you get stronger, you build muscle, which gives you strength,” he said. “Raises are made with good form and not cheating on drills.”

Make time to stretch

Daan shared that if you want to see results, you should always take the time to stretch.

According to the bodybuilding pioneer, you should not only stretch at the end of your workout, but also between sets.

“Adding stretching between each set of an exercise will give you a much better workout, better pump, and more overall flexibility,” he explained.

Zane said if you’re working out a particular body part, you should do about ten different stretches to target that area between sets.

“Each piece should last 15-20 seconds,” he noted. “After a set, you want to rest and lower your heart rate. This is the ideal recovery tool as you relax while stretching; it saves a lot of time and keeps you warm.’

Zane recommended stretching “whenever you can,” saying swimming is a great activity to do between workouts “because of the relaxing stretching effect it has on the body.”

Watch your diet

Daan has been candid about his diet and the importance of listening to your body.

“To stay healthy, maximize lean muscle mass growth, and provide enough energy for workouts, I usually follow a high-protein, moderate-fat, low-carb diet,” he said.

He relied on pre-workout foods and would have protein and carbs before training. After his workouts, he relaxed and ate when he got hungry, which was sometimes a few hours later.

“It depended on how demanding my training was,” he explained. ‘When I got hungry, I just ate. Usually my first post-workout meal was a protein drink, some sort of protein-carbohydrate mix.”

Zane also stressed that you should only eat when you are hungry.

“By not forcing yourself to eat when you’re not hungry, you can burn more fat and look better as a result,” he said.

Practice meditation

Zane has been a long time supporter of meditation and often touts its benefits on his social media pages and blog.

“I realized the importance of meditation at a young age and have been practicing it for over 50 years,” he explained. “The effects are great, but there’s the effort of “don’t do it, shut your mind, master the art of boredom,” that’s a constant challenge.

Our minds keep talking to us, shaping our perception of our world, entertaining us. If you can learn to meditate and do it regularly, you can develop yourself as well as possible.’

Deep relaxation is “the most neglected factor of the bodybuilding equation,” according to the form Mr. Olympia.

“Many don’t realize that the body only grows during complete rest,” he said. “This happens in sleep, especially the first four hours. In addition, I do a deep relaxation meditation for half an hour to a full hour.’

Have the right attitude

For Daan, achieving his goals has always been about mind over matter.

Our life is shaped by our mind. We become what we think,” he explained. Action follows thought. What we think leads to what we say, leads to what we do. So it’s important to think the right thoughts, to elicit the right behavior.’

Zane believes that consistent hard work is more important than genetics when it comes to building your best possible physique.

He noted that continuity and discipline allow you to outperform bodybuilders who have “ideal genes” but are lazy.

‘The right attitude was my secret to success and it still is!’ he said.