Summary: Great quotes from Frank Zane that are applicable not only to lifting but also to life in general.

Frank Zane was a Mr. Olympia in the golden age of bodybuilding and also the godfather of aesthetics. He wasn't a mass monster like his competitors and instead decided to focus more on aesthetic appeal. For example he purposely did not develop his traps to make his shoulders appear wider. His signature vacuum pose is awe-inspiring, resembling a statue carved from marble more than a human (as opposed to the vacuum pose of today's Mr. Olympias).

This site recently ran a series of photos and quotes from Frank Zane:

http://www.gymviral.com/the-top-10-frank-zane-photos-quotes/

I've taken a select few for analysis.

“Being weak is a choice, so is being strong.”

As you know, weak men are despised by both men and women. According to /u/illimitableman, "Be powerful if you want to be loved, or you will never be loved. You will be held in contempt for being weak."

The good thing is that we can choose to be strong, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally.

We can decide to go to the gym and lift.

We can decide to improve our knowledge and education.

We can decide to forgo that piece of pie.

We can decide to respect ourselves and set boundaries with our friends and associates.

“The truth I’ve discovered is that you don’t have to lift enormous weights to grow muscle. By using stricter form, slower negatives, and stretching between sets you can get an incredible pump in all your workouts. Numbers are an abstraction, especially to muscles. Your body doesn’t know the absolute weight of what you lift, it only recognises how heavy it feels. The secret is to make lighter weights feel heavier.”

This point leads to focusing on what is important. Unless you are competing, the amount of weight you're moving is not important; the amount of work your muscles are doing is the important thing. You should be lifting the lightest weights possible that work your muscles according to your goals, this will avoid bad form and injury.

This philosophy translates to real life as well. Is there a reason you want that giant SUV, or the 6 bedroom McMansion, or the $10k watch? What is the important goal you're trying to achieve with these purchases, and is there some way you could achieve them without the enormous "weight"?

“To be successful in bodybuilding you have to be a good observer”

Being a good observer is necessary for success in almost any arena. TRP teaches you to pay attention to what women do vs. what they say, and this is a good rule even outside the arena of sexual relations.

“Continuity is how you build a physique.”

According to these stats, about 15% of Americans are gym members, and 90% of people stop going in 90 days or less. This means that by being a long-term gym regular, you're already in the top 1.5% of Americans in terms of gym discipline. This is going to translate to a top 10% or maybe even a top 1% physique.

Continuity is also how you build almost anything of value. I guarantee you that slowly working on a particular skill over time will yield great results, whether it be knowledge, physical skill, or social prowess.

“Live your life by the hour, not by the day. What will you achieve in the next hour?”

Time is precious, and it is extremely easy to procrastinate and squander your time. Make every hour count. Who you are as a person is largely the result of how you chose to spend your time. When you're flirting with a woman, her decision as to whether she will sleep with you will largely depend on how you've been developing yourself in the past year, five years, or even ten years.

“Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.”

No explanation needed for this one.

Lessons Learned:

• Bodybuilding principles often carry over to real life.
• For a man, being strong is supremely important.
• Hit the gym regularly and continuously and you'll be ahead of 98% of people.
• Frank Zane was a badass.