Mike O’Hearn Joins Bodybuilding Icon Frank Zane for Golden-Era Training Session

Two iconic bodybuilders —Frank Zane — who won the Mr. Olympia three times, and Mike O'Hearn, who has been featured on countless magazine covers— teamed up last year to train together.

Both men have valuable tips for anyone interested in bodybuilding.

Zane, whose illustrious career includes almost every major bodybuilding competition, once had one of the most aesthetic physiques in history.

The same could be said for O’Hearn, who's a four-time Mr. “Natural” Universe champion. The workout for the legends took place on the Chemist’s turf (Frank’s gym) in his California home.

Mike O’Hearn & Frank Zane's Workout Session

During the workout, they performed only one exercise that was a favorite of Golden Era bodybuilders.

Upper Lats/Cable Pulldown

Zane's favorite movement was a wide grip cable pulldown using a long curved bar attachment.

He explains that it's equivalent to doing a wide grip pull-up, which he doesn't favor too much. However, he likes this exercise, as he can use a hammer grip to take stress off of his elbows.

Frank Zane also used a superset with bungee cords attached to the cable machine, which he used to rehab his shoulders. The bungee cord has good elasticity, which helps him get a good back contraction.

It was difficult to ignore the photos and trophies on the walls during O'Hearn's workout session. The same could be said for the equipment. After O'Hearn finished a set of pulldowns, he asked if there was enough equipment in the small home gym to sculpt the 'ultimate physique'.

Frank Zane said that in 1977, the first year they gave out the Sandow trophy, he won. Of course, he collected the next two in 1978 and 1979 as well.

Zane told O'Hearn that he was disappointed about his 1980 Olympia performance. A tragic accident just weeks before the event caused him to compete at a lower bodyweight than in the previous year, and he wasn't able to bring the same look. Zane aid that he should not have competed, as he wasn't an improved version of himself, and that's what it takes to win such a massive title.

Frank Zane's Tip For Muscle-Mind Connection

Mike O’ Hearn, who usually gives advice to others, was the one learning tips and tricks from Zane. When Zane did another set of pulldowns, it sparked a question in O'Hearn's head. He wondered how important it is to pose when exercising and getting that mind/muscle connection.

Frank Zane said that if you want to see the best results from your weight training, you need to focus on both mind and muscle connection. That can be difficult, as you want to concentrate on the muscle being worked but also focus on controlling the negative portion of each rep.

Isometric exercises involve contracting muscles without changing their length. An example of this is wall sits. The muscles are tense, but they do not change length unlike when you do curls, which have a concentric (muscle shortening) and eccentric (muscle lengthening) phase.

Frank Zane Now

What makes Frank Zane such an intriguing man is his willingness to maintain his physique and keep it up through the years.

He’s in incredible shape irrespective of his age. As a bodybuilding icon, this is something very few others can say, and that makes people stand up and pay attention. Whatever you may think of Frank Zane, you can’t deny that he has been one of the most consistent bodybuilders of all time.