My totally inZANE experience

It’s no secret that I am a firm believer in the important to fitness and its relation to my archery accomplishments. I have dedicated time and energy into weight training and cardio since I was only a kid. My first experience with resistance training was when I was about eleven years old and my dad made a purchase of a new Soloflex machine. I remember putting up the poster that came with it and doing all the exercises as they were listed on the poster. Friends would come by and at times we would have contest to see who could do the most weight or should I say the most rubber bands. As years went by I got more and more involved with weight training as I played sports throughout my teenage years. Most of my involvement was from what coaches and trainers had shown me during my requirement weight sessions during football.

After being sidelined from organized sports my figure and athletic shape slowly started to deteriorate and I became what I would call out of shape. I had already turned pro in Archery and had shot for a few years at this point. I think I had fallen into the same rut as every other archer. All I thought I needed was to shoot my bow and walk from target to target to be in good archery shape. However my scores continued to decline and I noticed a drastic difference in my heart rate from target to target depending on the terrain or the amount of effort needed to get there. I had nearly a 38” waste and smoked. I made the choice to step out of competitive shooting that year because I had enough of traveling so much and made the choice to help out with the local high school football team. With that came the training of the young kids and paving the way for them on the gridiron field as well as everyday life. I knew that I needed to be a good example to them and my actions would be a direct reflection to them. I had always been a competitor and for me to get showed up by these kids wasn’t going to be easy to swallow. So I partnered up with a friend of mine from work and started lifting weights at the high school each morning before work. Anything was better than the nothing I had been doing and I noticed progress from the work we were putting in.

Over the next few years I got into what I think would be an above average shape. While shooting at home my archery skills got stronger and stronger as my physical progress grew in the weight room. I started shooting competitively again. Then one day I saw an ad in the US Archer magazine for a tournament to be held at the Arnold Classic, which was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fitness contest. I knew of this event because I had read about it each year in the fitness magazines. I knew that the event had over 100,000 people attending and had more athletes in different sports than the Olympic Games did. I made the call to the organizer and got my name on the list. The registration was already full and I had to wait it out before finally getting a spot to shoot. I was really excited because I was not only shooting but also having a badge to tour around the show and get some photos of the guys that I had seen magazines nearly all my life. Then I got a call one day from the organizer telling me that Arnold himself was going to shoot archery at the event with us with a special friend who he had shot with in the 1970’s. When I asked who this was I was told Frank Zane. I couldn’t believe it! For one I didn’t know any of these guys shot archery and for two Frank was the spokesman for the Soloflex Machine. The piece of equipment that introduced me into all of this to begin with!
The day of the show came and we shot half of our round when all of a sudden they made everyone put their bows away so that Arnold could make his appearance. Most of the archers were in awe of him many because of the movie status. To be honest I didn’t care about that, I was more in awe with what h had done with bodybuilding. He announced he wasn’t going to be able to shoot due to a shoulder injury. So the press herded us together like cattle for a photo with Arnold and as I stood next to him I asked “Where is Frank?” He said he really didn’t know but really want to shoot again with him since it had been so long. After the photos Arnold had left the building and soon after Frank came in with his bow in hand. Frank didn’t know that Arnold had backed out. Frank still wanted to shoot so he put together his equipment .Frank also had a shoulder injury but he didn’t want to miss the chance to shoot against Arnold so he switched to left hand just before coming. He shot a few ends and after putting one in the middle of the target he said he would end on that note. I had Frank sign a few things for me and took a photo and then he headed back into the show to shake hands and smile for the cameras.

After the shooting was over I had all the archers from the event sign a target and I took it to Frank. I told him that I really respected everything that he had done with his Mr. Universe and multiple Olympia Titles. I let him know the importance to fitness to me and my archery career. He said he loved archery and for him it was a getaway from his training during his competitive career. I told him that for me it was exactly the opposite. I loved to work out as a getaway from shooting my bow everyday. I told him that if he ever wanted any help with his archery or gear to let me know. We exchanged emails and phone numbers and went our separate ways. For the next few months we emailed often and Frank wanted to invest in some new archery equipment. I got him set up with a new Olympic bow. I told him what would be best would be for him to come to my school and get some coaching to get him shooting better than he ever had. Amazingly enough Frank had an appearance scheduled up in Minnesota and I told him to fly in early and that I could work with him for a few days before moving on to his appearance. Next thing I knew I was picking him up at the airport!
We made our way to my place in Wisconsin and those few days were awesome for both of us. We combined bows and bodies. I got him straightened out on what he was doing with his shooting in the mornings and evenings. During the day we went to my gym and worked out together. Frank showed me a few small changes to make in my form that immediately had impact on the muscle groups I was trying to work on. He took me through the grocery store and went through the dos and don’ts of eating and how to buy foods while I traveled. We set a diet that could help my overall health and improve my performances during competition. The time we had was quick to pass but we both left there with a few bones to chew on so to speak until we could next meet. Frank urged me to make the investment to come the Zane Experience. “Zane Experience?” what is that I asked. “My house and training center and my 1 on 1 experience.”, he said. He made the comment if I came to his place for a two day school he could show me more things and really help my archery by getting me stronger in areas I was lacking. Schedule coordination is sometimes hard for both of is and over the next year I only had time to work on the few things he showed me while continuing my hectic schedule. Meanwhile Frank would email me photos of some groups he was shooting at home with his bows. He ended up getting another bow and found peace in having arrows land in the center.
Frank had driven one point into my head and that was that it wasn’t about how heavy the weight was that I was lifting. It was really about how heavy I could make the weight feel that I was lifting. I used lower weight with total control and with a set tempo, focusing on very strict movements and proper form. I used a training schedule we had done together and worked less in the gym but got more out of it. I had more time to devote into archery and had more time between lifting and shooting so it was easier to shoot without being sore. During that year I lost about 15 pounds in total weight and lost 2 inches off my waste. I didn’t eat like a fitness freak, I just ate what I wanted, but at smarter times of the day and my new routines were obviously burning more intake. After several months of this I started implementing some of Frank’s basic supplements into my diet and continued to see change. Mainly some simple vitamins and his egg white protein. It really helped in recovery time and satisfying some hunger urges after workouts. It seemed time had flown by and before I knew it the Arnold Classic was happening again. I had plans on hanging with Frank at his booth when I wasn’t shooting at the venue again.
I was happy when I saw Frank again in Columbus. He noticed right away that I had been working hard on what he had shown. I knew I was thinner, but Frank noticed added width to my shoulders and back. I had thought that anyway but sometimes what you perceive of yourself isn’t truly what others see you as. So his statements were a good source of confirmation. We had a good time that weekend with all the different activities. I won the Arnold for the second year and Frank did well at his booth and held a nice little concert with his band one evening. Frank and I road back to the airport together and we again talked about me coming to his place for a class. Again it all boiled down to timing for both us. In the meantime I just continued to work on the things he had briefly shown me and on the things he referred to during phone consultations. I continued to get stronger while getting leaner.
Well the day finally came to when I had the opportunity to go to San Diego to do the Zane Experience. It just so happened that I needed to go out to the Olympic training center for about 4 days that was only a short drive from Frank’s house. So I scheduled and extra few days to allow for an investment in the schooling of one of the best. Frank picked me up at the airport and we headed out to his place. I was envious to say the least! He had what any man would fantasize about with a personal gym in the lower part of his home decorated with memories and photos guaranteed to spawn workout motivation. We went through it all, pre work out supplementation, post workout supplementation, workout schedules, body evaluations, goals, ECT… The workouts were intense and again he managed to show me some small form changes that just hit my muscles so hard. Since I am a stickler on shooting with perfect form I am also keen on learning strict form for all movements in weight lifting. It makes such a difference when you are only working the muscles you are supposed to be and not all the groups around them. We spent the down time talking as friends and enjoying each others company as well as shooting our bows at the park and playing with the dogs. Every now and then I would get to joke around with his wife Christine. It was a good stress reliever for me.
I am a firm believer in investments. Not just financial but also personal investing like with family, friends, one’s self and their hobbies. I have invested in professionals in different areas to my archery career and this investment to a physical coach is amongst my personal favorites. Not to mention with Franks competing background many of his mental philosophies apply to my competition as well so in a way I got some mental training. My efforts were rewarded with the best scores of my life along with my best physique. Through it all I have lost over 20 lbs of fat and 4 inches off my waste, gained pounds of muscle and assured confidence in my overall conditioning on the field. I get asked time and time again what the secrets to the Pro’s are. To be honest, there is no secret. Just commitment, hard work and a personal desire to be the best you can. If you are looking for the an easy way out of working hard to become better then I think you are only wasting you own time not to mention the time of others. I left the Zane Experience feeling like I had wasted nearly two decades of time working out the wrong way. Its funny how things work in life and how things always seem to come around full circle. Franks Soloflex promotion got me started into fitness and here I am still learning from him twenty years later. Only this time I finally got it right!

Wishing you the best,
John Dudley