Is Frank Zane On Steroids?

TRT Trey

Last Updated August 28, 2022

TRT Trey

 August 28, 2022

Curious…

Is Frank Zane on steroids?

Then you’ve come to the right place. Inside, you’ll find the official Testosterone.org breakdown of whether or not Frank Zane has ever used gear before…

Frank Zane is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He is most famous for his incredibly aesthetic physique, and for winning the coveted Mr. Olympia competition three years in a row from 1976 – 1978.

Some people have accused Frank Zane of using anabolic steroids to build his incredible physique. This is understandable, as Frank Zane was the greatest bodybuilder in the world for three years in a row.

So what’s the verdict – did Frank Zane win the Mr. Olympia contest as a natural bodybuilder? Or did he use anabolic steroids as part of his bodybuilding gameplan? Let’s find out!

Disclaimer: The contents of Testosterone.org are for informational and educational purposes. We do not provide legal advice. Likewise, we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your physician prior to consuming any over-the-counter supplements, like a natural testosterone booster, and/or getting a prescription for a pharmaceutical medication. Your access to Testosterone.org is subject to our full disclaimer and terms of use.


Frank Zane Stats

Age: 79
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 200 pounds
Estimated Body Fat %: About 5 percent
Nickname: The Chemist

What Are Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are one of the main types of performance enhancing drugs used by bodybuilders and other athletes.

Steroids work by increasing your testosterone and other hormones to supra-physiological levels. In other words, a steroid user will usually have testosterone levels that are beyond what a human being can produce naturally.

Steroids may be illegal in the United States and many developed countries, but they are still reasonably popular – especially with bodybuilders and other athletes. Studies show that as many as 1 million men have used steroids in the United States, and the global steroid use rate among men is even higher [1].

If steroids are illegal, why are so many men interested in trying them?

The truth is steroids are extremely effective at building muscle mass and improving overall athletic performance [2]. Many athletes will use steroids to get an unfair advantage over their competitors – including in the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, there is a dark side to steroids.

The truth is they can be extremely dangerous, or even deadly when used improperly. Studies show that steroids have the potential to cause many dangerous side effects, including long-term damage to the cardiovascular system [3] [4].

Some people believe that the benefits of steroids outweigh the risks. However, for most people they should be left alone.

Other options like testosterone replacement therapy are also available for men who want to safely optimize their hormone levels.


frank zane steroids


Signs of Steroid Usage

What if I told you there was a way to tell if someone is on steroids? Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration. But most steroids do have some obvious signs that you can look for.

Here are some of the most common side effects of long-term steroid use:

  • “Growth Hormone Gut”
  • Overpowering Body Parts
  • “Growth Hormone Head”
  • Extremely Weak Muscles
  • Completely Shredded Physique

Let’s take a closer look at each of these side effects.

Two of the biggest signs of long-term steroid use are “growth hormone gut” and overpowering body parts.

Many bodybuilders will use growth hormone and insulin to help them back on muscle mass. Unfortunately, these drugs increase the size of your internal organs. This causes the user’s stomach to push out in front of their body – even when they are extremely lean.

Another obvious sign of steroid use is extremely large and overpowering body parts.

For example, many steroid users have shoulders and traps that dwarf the rest of their upper body. These muscle groups have a large number of androgen receptors and grow very quickly when someone is using anabolic steroids. If you see someone with absolutely ridiculous shoulders and traps, then they may be using drugs.

Other signs of long-term steroid use include “growth hormone head,” extremely large but weak muscle groups, and a completely shredded physique.

If you see someone with these signs, then they may be using performance enhancing drugs.


Is Frank Zane On Steroids?

Is Frank Zane natty? Or did he use anabolic steroids to become one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time? Let’s look at the facts before jumping to any conclusions.

Frank Zane has the following signs of long-term steroid use:

  • Insanely Muscular Physique
  • Massive 3-D Shoulders
  • Completely Shredded
  • Impressive Longevity

Frank Zane was small compared to most modern-day bodybuilders, but he still had an insanely muscular physique – especially compared to other bodybuilders during the 1970s.

Frank Zane was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed an impressive 195 pounds for his bodybuilding competitions. He was relatively small compared to someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Frank Zane still had an insanely muscular physique.

In fact, Frank was probably beyond what most genetically gifted bodybuilders can achieve naturally.

Yes, it’s technically possible to achieve a Frank Zane style physique without performance enhancing drugs. But we’re talking about an extremely gifted individual who has been training hard for 5-10+ years.

Frank Zane also has some overpowering muscle groups, such as his fully capped 3-D delts. His shoulders look like two cannon balls sitting on top of his upper body! It’s extremely difficult for natural bodybuilders to build massive shoulders, so this is another possible sign that Frank used steroids.

However, in my opinion the biggest sign that Frank is probably an “enhanced” athlete is his longevity in the sport of bodybuilding.

Frank Zane looks just as muscular at 70 years old as he did when he competed at the Mr. Olympia competition! In fact, Frank’s deltoid muscles look bigger now than they did when he was in his prime!

Men’s testosterone levels start to decline after about 30 years old, so the fact that Frank Zane maintained his physique well into his old age is another sign that he probably uses performance enhancing drugs.

Maybe this is how Frank Zane earned the nickname “the chemist?”

To be fair, Frank Zane has always denied using anabolic steroids. He says that his hard work and dedication are what made him a champion – not some fancy cocktail of illegal drugs. We have nothing but respect for Frank Zane, but all of the major bodybuilders during the 1970s were using steroids.

It’s very likely that he was using them too.

So what’s the bottom line? We think the odds are extremely high that Frank Zane used anabolic steroids on his quest to become the 3x Mr. Olympia champion.


Frank Zane Before And After Steroids

Frank Zane has many of the usual signs of long-term steroid use, such as his insanely muscular physique, massive shoulders / traps, and completely shredded physique. But did he always look this way?

The truth is, Frank Zane had a muscular physique even before he started training for bodybuilding. He realized he had talent for the sport at a young age, and he won his first major pro bodybuilding title in 1965. However, it took him another 12 years before he eventually won the Mr. Olympia title after Arnold Schwarzenegger retired from professional bodybuilding.

Frank Zane probably used anabolic steroids, but he was clearly one of the hardest working bodybuilders in the world.


Frank Zane steroids before and after


Legal Steroid Alternatives?

Frank Zane probably used anabolic steroids to build his incredible physique. After all, they don’t call him “The Chemist” for nothing!

We have nothing but respect for Frank Zane, but we still think that steroids are a bad idea for most men. They have many dangerous side effects, and they can even be deadly when used improperly.

Fortunately, you don’t have to put your health in danger to speed up your progress in the gym.

Today there are many “legal steroid alternatives” that you can use to make faster size and strength gains and boost your recovery ability.

In our experience, one of the best legal products on the market today is called ecdysterone.

Ecdysterone is one of the hottest supplements in the world today. It works by increasing the rate of protein synthesis in your muscle cells, which in turn helps you build muscle mass and strength.

The latest research shows that ecdysterone can increase muscle protein synthesis by as much as 20% [5]! According to another recent study, ecdysterone works at least as well as many anabolic steroids, such as dianabol. 20% protein synthesis, better than dianabol [6].

Here are a few of the benefits that you can expect when using ecdysterone:

  • Increased Muscle Density
  • Faster Fat Loss
  • Increased Strength Gains
  • Improved Recovery

Best of all, ecdysterone is a natural supplement, which means it has virtually zero side effects.

As long as you take the recommended dose of 500 mg per day, then you will be good to go. Based on our research, we believe Huge Supplements is the #1 ecdysterone vendor in the world.

We like Huge Supplements because they manufacture all of their products right here in the United States. They also have superior customer service, and some of the best buyer reviews in the industry.

Order Ecdysterone from our top-rated USA vendor...


Testosterone Therapy vs. Steroids

Testosterone replacement therapy is the #1 treatment option in the world for men suffering from low T.

The first step in getting started on testosterone therapy is to confirm that you actually have low testosterone levels. This is done using a simple blood test which measures all of your important hormones, like testosterone and estrogen.

After you are diagnosed with low T, your doctor will use a prescription testosterone medication to raise your total testosterone to a more optimal level.

Studies show that TRT has many benefits for men, including [7, 8, 9]:

  • Improved Sexual Function
  • Faster Recovery From Workouts
  • A Leaner, More Muscular Physique
  • Improved Mental Focus
  • Decreased Stress Levels

Talk about a powerful treatment option! Best of all, testosterone therapy is perfectly safe. Your testosterone levels will always stay below the safe upper limit for humans, so you don’t have to worry about the nasty side effects associated with anabolic steroids.

There are a lot of great online TRT providers in the United States. However, our #1 recommendation has to go to Fountain TRT.

We like Fountain TRT because they have some of the most qualified TRT doctors in the world, and they have a consistent track record of producing results for their patients.

Get hormone therapy today with Fountain TRT...


Frank Zane and Steroids | Verdict

What’s the verdict – does Frank Zane use steroids?

We believe the odds are extremely high that Frank Zane used anabolic steroids to build his incredible physique and become the 3x Mr. Olympia champion.

Frank Zane has many of the usual signs of long-term steroid use, such as an insanely muscular physique, massive 3-D shoulders, and impressive longevity in the sport of bodybuilding. Frank Zane looked almost as big at 70 years old as he did when he won the Mr. Olympia contest in his mid-30s! Maybe this is how Frank earned the nickname “The Chemist?”

Unfortunately, some people will look at Frank Zane’s Mr. Olympia physique and assume you have to use steroids to build a muscular body. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Steroids certainly help, but it’s very possible to build a great physique as a natural athlete. If you are really struggling to improve your physique, then you may want look into testosterone replacement therapy.

If you are interested in getting started with TRT, then we strongly recommend the online TRT provider Fountain TRT.

If you aren’t ready to get started with testosterone therapy, then a great legal steroid alternative like ecdysterone is another fantastic option.


References

  1. Sagoe D, Molde H, Andreassen CS, Torsheim T, Pallesen S. The global epidemiology of anabolic-androgenic steroid use: a meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis. Ann Epidemiol. 2014 May;24(5):383-98. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.01.009. Epub 2014 Jan 30. PMID: 24582699.
  2. Pope Jr HG, Kanayama G, Athey A, Ryan E, Hudson JI, Baggish A. The lifetime prevalence of anabolic‐androgenic steroid use and dependence in Americans: Current best estimates. The American journal on addictions. 2014 Jul;23(4):371-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12118.x. PMID: 24112239.
  3. Andrews MA, Magee CD, Combest TM, Allard RJ, Douglas KM. Physical Effects of Anabolic-androgenic Steroids in Healthy Exercising Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018 Jul;17(7):232-241. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000500. PMID: 29994823.
  4. Albano GD, Amico F, Cocimano G, et al. Adverse Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: A Literature Review. Healthcare (Basel). 2021;9(1):97. Published 2021 Jan 19. doi:10.3390/healthcare9010097.
  5. Gorelick-Feldman J, Maclean D, Ilic N, Poulev A, Lila MA, Cheng D, Raskin I. Phytoecdysteroids increase protein synthesis in skeletal muscle cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 May 28;56(10):3532-7. doi: 10.1021/jf073059z. Epub 2008 Apr 30. PMID: 18444661.
  6. Parr MK, Botrè F, Naß A, Hengevoss J, Diel P, Wolber G. Ecdysteroids: A novel class of anabolic agents?. Biol Sport. 2015;32(2):169-173. doi:10.5604/20831862.1144420
  7. Al-Zoubi RM, Yassin AA, Alwani M, Al-Qudimat A, Aboumarzouk OM, Zarour A, Al Ansari A. A systematic review on the latest developments in testosterone therapy: Innovations, advances, and paradigm shifts. Arab J Urol. 2021 Aug 8;19(3):370-375. doi: 10.1080/2090598X.2021.1959260. PMID: 34552788; PMCID: PMC8451690.
  8. Kim SH, Park JJ, Kim KH, Yang HJ, Kim DS, Lee CH, Jeon YS, Shim SR, Kim JH. Efficacy of testosterone replacement therapy for treating metabolic disturbances in late-onset hypogonadism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Urol Nephrol. 2021 Sep;53(9):1733-1746. doi: 10.1007/s11255-021-02876-w. Epub 2021 Jun 5. PMID: 34089171.
  9. Lunenfeld B, Mskhalaya G, Zitzmann M, Corona G, Arver S, Kalinchenko S, Tishova Y, Morgentaler A. Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of testosterone deficiency in men. Aging Male. 2021 Dec;24(1):119-138. doi: 10.1080/13685538.2021.1962840. PMID: 34396893.
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