The Zane Growth Program!
The Zane Growth Program – a very impressive mass-building routine! In Part 1 of our Olympia Series article on Frank Zane, we focused on the things that cemented his legacy. But now it’s time to look at his training. This is one of the main routines he used to add mass during his training for the 1976 through 1983 Mr. Olympia contests. It’s a 3 Day Split routine that focuses on compound movements and heavy weight as well as slow eccentric rep phases. I have to say, this routine is impressive! With that in mind, let’s jump right into Part 2!
A Quick Recap
| Core Focus Area | Strategy & Targets | The Mindset & “Why” |
| Legacy & Philosophy | • Symmetrical sculpting over raw bulk.• Won 3 Mr. Olympia titles under 200 lbs.• Mastered the vacuum pose for a tiny waist illusion. | • Focus on flawless proportion to defeat heavier opponents.• Treated bodybuilding as an intellectual science and art form.• Used visualization, Zen archery, and meditation for a psychological edge. |
| Zane’s 4-Day “Growth Program” | • Day 1 (Pull): Back & Biceps (Deadlifts, Rows, Curls).• Day 3 (Legs): Quads, Hamstrings, Calves (Squats, Presses).• Day 4 (Push): Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (Presses, Flyes, Extensions).• Day 2 & 6: Scheduled Rest Days. | • Incorporate slow negatives and stop just short of lockout.• Rest exactly 2 minutes between standard sets.• Crucial: Perform intense, specific muscle stretches after every single set. |
| Nutrition & Timing | • Protein: 1g per lb of body weight (4–6 meals or shakes).• Carbs: 100g on rest days / 150–200g on training days.• Fats: 20% of daily calories from clean, healthy fats. | • Eat 50% of your daily carbs around your workout window.• Drink a protein shake immediately post-workout.• Consume a slow-digesting protein (like casein) 30 mins before bed. |
| Modern Supplement Guide | • Pre-Workout: Gorilla Mode (heavy pump) or NutraBio Base.• Intra/Post: Axe & Sledge EAAs + EFX Karbolyn (carbs).• Daily Basics: Myogenix Multivitamin + AllMax Creatine. | • This is a cornerstone supplement program.• Fast-acting carbs power you through heavy volume.• Nighttime whey/casein blends block overnight muscle breakdown. |
Zane’s Growth Program
Zane used this routine successfully add more size.
4-Day Split Schedule
Day 1 – Back, Biceps, Forearms, Abs
Day 2 – Rest
Day 3 – Thighs, Calves, Abs
Day 4 – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs
Day 5 – Repeat
The Routine
Day 1: Pull
Wide Grip Deadlifts with Straps – Perform a hanging lat stretch after every set.
3 sets x 15, 12, 10 reps
3 sets x 10, 10, 8 reps – set the bar a foot high in a Power Rack
T-Bar Rows – Perform a hanging lat stretch after every set.
3 sets x 15, 12, 10 reps
Lat Pulldowns – Perform a hanging lat stretch after every set.
3 sets x 8-10 reps
One-Arm Dumbbell Row – Perform a hanging lat stretch after every set.
3 sets x 8-10 reps
One Arm Concentration Curls – Add weight each set. Hold and squeeze at top for 1 second, lower slowly (3-4 seconds).
3 sets x 8-10 reps each arm
Alternate Dumbbell Curls – Add weight each set. Lower slowly (3-4 seconds) pronate on the way down. Perform a pronated arms back stretch after every set.
3 sets x 8-10 reps
45-degree Incline Dumbbell Curls – Same weight, lower slowly. Perform a pronated arms back stretch after every set.
3 sets x 8-10 reps
Barbell Reverse Curls superset with Seated Barbell Wrist Curls – Perform a pronated arms back stretch after every set.
1 superset x 12 reps Reverse Curls and 20 reps Wrist Curls
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Legs
One-Leg Extensions – Warm-Up
2 sets x 12-15 reps
Squats – Go below parallel, incorporate slow negatives.
6 sets x 15, 12, 10, 11, 10, 9, 8 reps
Leg Presses – Zane did not specify sets or reps, but went for the pump with higher reps, going deep and stopping just before lockout, possibly looking like this:
3 sets x 12-15 reps
Lying Leg Curls – Perform a one leg stretch between sets.
3 sets x 12, 11, 10 reps
Leg Extensions
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
Standing Calf Raises – Perform a calf stretch after every set.
3 sets x 15-20 reps
Donkey Calf Raises – Done as a drop-set, do a calf stretch at the end.
4 weight drops x 5 reps each drop
Ab work (not specified) – Anything except hanging knee ups, it may have looked like this:
2 sets x 50 reps
Day 4: Push
Barbell Bench Press – Shoulder-width grip, stop just before lockout, slow negatives. Perform doorway stretches between sets.
6 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps
70-degree Incline Dumbbell Press – Drop angle to next slot after every set. Don’t lockout, slow negatives, perform a doorway stretch between sets.
4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 4-6 reps
10-Degree Decline Flyes – Perform a doorway stretch and flex between sets.
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
Dumbbell Pullover Across Bench – Do a one arm overhead shoulder stretch between sets.
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
One-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Extensions – Don’t lockout. Do a one-arm shoulder stretch between sets.
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
V-Grip Pressdowns – Pause and hold at the bottom for one second. Perform an arms back stretch between sets.
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
Bent Over Rear Dumbbell Laterals – Perform a rear delt stretch between sets.
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
Cable Side Lateral Raises
3 sets x 12, 10, 8 reps
Leg Raises super set with Crunches
4 sets x 25 reps each exercise
Seated Twists
1 sets x 100 reps (or 5 sets x 20 reps)
Day 5: Repeat Day 1
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Repeat Day 3
Day 8: Repeat Day 4
Other Workout/Rest Variations For The Growth Program
Cycle 1 – Train 3 Days Out Of 5
- Monday – 1
- Tuesday – R
- Wednesday – 2
- Thursday – 3
- Friday – R
Cycle 2 – Train 3 Days Out Of 5
- Saturday – 1
- Sunday – R
- Monday – 2
- Tuesday – 3
- Wednesday – R
Cycle 3– Train 3 Days Out Of 5
- Thursday – 1
- Friday – R
- Saturday – 2
- Sunday – 3
- Monday – R
Cycle 4 – Train 3 Days Out Of 6
- Tuesday – 1
- Wednesday – R
- Thursday – 2
- Friday – R
- Saturday – 3
- Sunday – R
Repeat Again Starting At Cycle One Above.
Additional Performance Notes
Generally, Zane recommended 2 minutes rest between sets. That would change depending on the time of year – contest prep vs. off-season.
Nutritional Guidelines
Frank Zane generally ate 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and spaced out his intake over 4-5 feedings.
Protein
Like Zane, I suggest spreading out your protein intake over 4-6 meals. This includes protein shakes and high protein bars/snacks. This is an adjustable approach to protein consumption. For example, if you’re busy enough to have a tough time sitting down to a meal, you can grab a protein shake or two to fill in the gaps. That approach worked for me for most of my working life. Of course, whole food meals should be your first choice before and after work.
If you aren’t very busy, you can focus more on whole-food meals and use a couple of protein shakes to help meet your daily protein goal. As part of your protein consumption, I suggest drinking a post-workout shake as soon as possible after you’re done with your workout. Make sure you mix it with simple carbs (more on that soon).
Tip: Strategic Nighttime Protein Intake
This is an excellent tip you can add to your program today: about a half-hour before you go to bed, eat or drink a protein source that includes slow digesting proteins. You can pick from several good options: a serving of low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt (low sugar) or you can mix up a shake containing casein protein.
This simple and easy tip helps you stay in positive protein balance during the night. That is important because when you are asleep, your body falls into a state of negative protein balance, which hurts your mass-building efforts.
Carbohydrates
Like many bodybuilders then and now, Zane kept carbs low – around 100 grams a day. However, he’d eat about 150-200 grams on workout days.
That’s good advice, and I would say this approach is very common. Of course, you should experiment with the numbers – if 100 grams a day leaves you feeling lethargic or unable to get a good pump, increase your intake by 50 grams a day until you feel differently. I would not suggest going lower than 100 grams on training days because your brain and your muscles depend on carbs for energy.
Of course, your focus should be on clean cabs – avoid high sugar processed foods, and avoid junk food.
Tip: Strategic Carbohydrate Manipulation
Here’s another good tip, this time for carb intake on your training days. I suggest consuming about half of your daily carb intake (include all your simple carbs) in the hours that surround your workouts.
Start the night before by consuming 20-30 grams of extra carbohydrates around dinner time. Then pick it up the morning of your workout right up through your post-workout shake and your eventual post-workout meal.
Healthy Fats
With protein and carbs covered, all that’s left is fat. Therefore, about 20% of your daily calories should come from healthy fats. Your best options are salmon, tuna and other fatty fish, nuts such as walnuts and almonds, and seeds such as sunflower seeds. Finally, cook with olive oil and add it to your salads. In addition, avoid saturated fats and trans fats at all costs (fast food, fried foods, high fat red meat, and high fat dairy products).
Supplement Tips
Zane is a believer in such supplements as egg white protein powder (in his Mr. Olympia heyday, it would have been Blair’s Milk and Egg Protein). He’s also a believer in vitamins/minerals and amino acid capsules.
- Hi-Tech Precision Protein – Zane understood the importance of protein, and with that in mind here is one of the most innovative protein powders on the market. One scoop supplies 25 grams of hydrolyzed whey, but what really makes this powder exceptional is Hi Tech’s exclusive technology that allows leucine to be released in the early stages of protein synthesis.
- Axe & Sledge The Grind – Zane is a big believer in amino acids to this day. Back when he was Mr. O, and even today, he takes amino acid capsules. However, you don’t have to because this powder comes in several delicious flavors. This product provides all nine EAAs plus a Hydration and Recovery Blend, so you’ll be able to stay hydrated during your workout.
- PEScience Select – When the time comes to choose a protein powder for your nighttime protein source, go with this one. A single serving supplies 24 grams of fast and slow digesting whey and milk proteins, perfect for use while you sleep.
- Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode – Zane did not have the advantage of using a pre-workout because they came out after his competition years. The first pre-workouts were really just glorified caffeine – not like this revolutionary product!
- Gorilla Mode is the Pre that changed pre-workout dosages forever. Before it came along, most pre-workouts dosed the pump booster l-citrulline around 3-4 grams. Now it’s dosed around 8-10 grams. Why? Because Gorilla Mode did it first and everybody else had to scramble to keep up.
- NutraBio Base – This pre-workout is a great example of the budget “Core” category. That means it comes at a price that doesn’t require a loan to buy it. While the formula contains 8 ingredients, it’s a more comprehensive and effective formula than many others in this category.
- AllMax Nutrition Creatine – Creatine monohydrate seems to get more mainstream attention every day. I can see why because it works! Here’s a patented AllMax Nutrition formula featuring CreaSyn® micronized creatine monohydrate. Plus, it’s an astounding 99.9% pure.
- Universal Animal Pak – Zane is a believer in vitamins but I would say this goes a little beyond what he used then or uses now. Animal Pak features 55 total nutrients across 8 different complexes in one daily pack. This product originally came out in 1983, at the tail end of Zane’s competitive career.
- EFX Sports Karbolyn – Here’s an advanced carbohydrate powder that gives you fast-digesting carbs for fast ATP energy, with no insulin spikes. Use this to help power through your workouts. If you try Zane’s Growth Program this can make a difference in how you feel and how you perform in the gym. I like to mix it with my Pre. Or, if you’re using The Grind as an intra-workout, you can mix it with that.
Summary
And there you have it – a look at 3-Time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane’s legacy, nutrition, and training. I have to say his “Growth Routine” looks great, right? If you’re thinking about trying it (I know I am), I suggest stopping by illpumpyouup.com and stocking up before you hit the gym!
References:
- Sato, S., Yoshida, R., Kiyono, R., Yahata, K., Yasaka, K., Nunes, J. P., Nosaka, K., & Nakamura, M. (2021). Elbow joint angles in elbow flexor unilateral resistance exercise training determine its effects on muscle strength and thickness of trained and non-trained arms. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, Article 734509. doi.org
- https://leanbody.com/blogs/training-exercise/bigger-arms-fast
- https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/05/triceps-tri-set-larry-scott-1964.html
- Hu, J., Zhang, Z., Shen, W. J., & Azhar, S. (2010). Cellular cholesterol delivery, intracellular processing and utilization for biosynthesis of steroid hormones. Nutrition & metabolism, 7, 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-7-47
By Jim Brewster