Frank Zane is an interesting figure in bodybuilding. He was a champion and a competitor but he did it with an eastern philosophy, and those are implication that we could explore for many spans of time and words, as his personal belief system. This included health and longevity as a priority while progressing in meditation and philosophical studies and simultaneously cultivating superior masculine virility and physique development. Naturally at a certain point these ideas were pushed to the background while pursuing the personal war for greatness as a bodybuilder.
Could he compete and be a champion today? Maybe.
Would he? Maybe not.
Would he be a great bodybuilder either way? Yes.
Bodybuilding’s raw basis, like many things, can be simplified and described in a triad.
1 Building greater levels of muscle and strength purposely and aesthetically through diversity in weight training styles.
2 Utilizing multiplied nourishment strategies to manifest theses desires of surpassing levels of physique development, aesthetically and also as strength which in any way is always functional.
3 Prioritizing ones personal complexity mentally, physically, and emotionally to align life’s resources to support this endeavor.
Each of us must find the balance of art and science, sacrifice and priority, fluidity and ritual determination of lifestyle and personal being to make the concept of bodybuilder animated and alive within themselves and the world they occupy.
We can be a Taoist(Anything and Everything) first and bodybuilder second. We can also be a bodybuilder first and Anything and Everything second. Today tomorrow and yesterday we can meet our different priorities and see them as in harmony with the greater whole that is life. The rivers of this personal and collective life are one yet the water is new and fresh and different with each day and hour and moment.
Frank Zane is one champion bodybuilder worth emulating for some some of the time but no one is always THE one for all all the time. We can share a drink of water from the river of bodybuilding and each of us feel the truth that our drink is different, the same, and the best, while being no better than the any others all at the same time.
PS:
To those who don’t get it don’t make me go Bruce Norris Schwarzenegger on you and flame you with my leet pyramid combat complex’s. I AM THE WIND!!! I have a PHDs in everything especially workouts and having a giant penis. My granddaddy used Joe Weider as a flesh light and even Mike Mentzer and Bill Phillips combined couldn’t talk him out of heavy duty jedi knight mma high volume t-cell alpha training. Everyone knows what I say goes and if you don’t believe me just ask me and I’ll post pics right after I remind you that I took the initiative on inventing the internet. I’m off to squat 1000 by loading the bar with the leg press machine and after eating pancakes and waffles and all vegetables, fruit, and arctic and terrestrial marine life that costco can supply. But especially Anaconda! I AM T Nation Mag Testosterone Muscle Fitness Athlete Powerful Image hear me roar!!! And yes I am immortal too.
I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I can say is that this cab was rare
But I thought ‘Man forget it’ - ‘Yo home to Bel Air’
I pulled up to the house about seven or eight
And I yelled to the cabbie ‘Yo homes smell ya later’
I looked to my kingdom
I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air
