Carbohydrates for the Muscles

Dr. Darden,

In Massive Muscles In 10 Weeks you stated that the muscles of the body thrive from carbohydrate-rich meals. That thought has been in my mind since i originally read the book in 1987.

Recently, I read an article with Frank Zane and he stated that when he was competing that he only ate protein and vegetables mainly. He said that once per day he might have a piece of fruit or a sweet potato.

Frank Zane was a great champion but was undersized muscularly compared to his peers. I was wondering if you thought that by eating very little carbohydrates (very little starch and fruit) that that could be a reason why his muscles lacked the fullness and size that the bodybuilders he competed against? To me it seems like he could have been 15 pounds bigger if he had eaten pasta and rice, etc. like other bodybuilders. Your thoughts?

SlowTwitch

Zane would have lost the lines, balance, and aesthetic shape that made him a champion. If he were just to play the size game, he wouldā€™ve likely been lost in the crowd and still been light years behind guys like Arnold, Mentzer, and Bertil Fox in that department. Yes, Iā€™m sure he couldā€™ve been bigger, but he won 3 Olympias at the size he was. Iā€™m sure if he thought getting bigger wouldā€™ve benefitted him, he would have done that.

Curious how you came up with this number.

Do you think perhaps genetics had a bigger role in his genetic potential than being low carb? Tongue is fully in my cheek.

Not going to convince me Zane didnā€™t know precisely what he was doing to look his best ā€¦ do you really think he didnā€™t know how to eat at his level to win the Olympia three times ?

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Zane certainly knew how to market his unique look. Iā€™ve read that during the big contests, he did not allow his picture to be taken standing next to the taller, heavier guys. He moved out of the way and covered up.

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image
I think he knew what he was doing, and I doubt many people on this site have the credentials to refute his methods or say anything akin to ā€œhe would have been bigger ifā€¦ā€.

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But isnā€™t that what this site is for?! :rofl::rofl:

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yes, unsolicited advice

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I always liked Zane but of course like most starting out was obsessed with size and ā€˜back in the dayā€™ always looked more at the big guys like Bertil Fox . Later I appreciated physiques like Zaneā€™s more and more. Mohamed Makaway was another smaller guy that was incredible.

Just look at that pic above that was posted ā€¦ I donā€™t see it get much better than that. You arenā€™t seeing mid sections like that these days. Some will argue about the lack of big traps but that is something he said he wanted to avoid to give the illusion of being wider and accenting his taper.

I think he held his own incredibly well with the bigger guys of his time. in one interview he said he trained to get bigger at one point and entered a contest near 200 lbs but realized that it was just too much for his frame.

Dr D,

If you would have trained Zane yourself, you would have recommended he eat a more balanced diet with a greater % of carbs, correct? If so, could you have achieved a larger more muscular physique with your training and diet techniques on Zaneā€™s physique?

Zaneā€™s size was mostly about his bone and frame size, proportionally, compared to his bone/frame size, his muscles were huge. The really huge guys with 8 inch wrists and arm bones larger than my femur are that big because of their genetic frame size.
those are not little arms
zane

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I believe with more carbohydrates in his diet, Zane would have reached his best physique in a more efficient manner.

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Thank you Dr. Darden for replying. Let me add that I personally think that Zane could have been bigger and just as cut (heaven forbid I suggest this, fellas) had he eating more carbs and even bigger then had he trained in HIT-style.

He is also pushing his arm against his body to make it look bigger in that pose.

Zane said that he tried to bulk up several times and it has always been a disaster. Like training, nutritional regime is very individual. Zane definitely knew what has worked for him - I have a number of his books and can see how his physique has really improved during those years (from late 1960s to late 1970s). Having trained in Vince Girondaā€™s gym, Zane knew that the body has a capacity to absorb only so much protein in one meal (30-35 grams at most), and he knew how much carbs he needed off-season (about 1 gram per pound of weight - not so little, by the way) and before competition. With his frame and bone structure he hardly could achieve more bulkier type of physique with the same leanness level. For me Zane is a good example to measure muscle potential for similar ectomorphic guys training naturally: deduct 40lbs (generally considered gains due to steroids) from his competitive weight and you will arrive at your potential for a 5ā€™8" guy with a small wrist and light bone structure.

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Maybe it was the foot wear that held Zane back.

image

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Many trained with this kind of slippers those years and I remember it was popular in my home country too. I used to squat with double of my bodyweight barefooted because it was too hot in summer in our gym those days.

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yeah but itā€™s still pretty huge for his frame size, and he has a nice narrow waste, not like these current over drugged bloated up whales now a days

This thread is peak HIT

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Well I agree with you about the over-drugged bodybuilders of today.