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Official Frank Zane Website
1-800-323-7537
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AUGUST 2003
It wasn’t long, however, before I began paying for those extra pounds of muscle with sore knees and an aching lower back. So I began wrapping my knees and wearing a lifting belt, and although this didn’t take away the pain, it did enable me to continue squatting. I realized I had to squat to keep my bodyweight up as well as develop full, well-rounded thighs with great sweep to the frontal outer area. But my knee and lower back soreness became chronic, and I was always conscious of it when training hard. It seemed that my knees bothered me the most when I squatted in excess of 300 pounds. I remember squatting with Arnold in 1972 before the Mr. Olympia contest. We both made it up to 10 reps with 405 in the full squat. My knees really hurt from that and my lower back went into spasm the very next day. Arnold ended up winning the 1972 Mr. Olympia, beating Sergio Oliva, but needed a knee operation later that year. The last time I squatted with a barbell on my shoulders was in 1982, training for the Mr. Olympia. I worked up to three sets of 20 reps with 300 pounds, and while I was at my heaviest competitive weight, my waist was quite a bit bigger too. Yes, squatting with the upper body thrust forward -- which is the common style when the weight gets heavier -- builds the waist. The gut is forced outward as you descend into the squat. Just look at pictures of any heavyweight power lifter or squat style Olympic lifter and you’ll see what squatting does to the waist. True, a bigger, thicker waist will increase your squatting power because it improves your leverage. The glutes become thicker as well from the barbell squat, and so do the spinal erector muscles of the lower back. All this spells more strength in the squat as well as for overhead lifting, and if this is your goal, fine, more power to you literally. But for those who want maximum thigh development without an enlarged waist and ass, listen to me. I’ve been using a superior method for squatting for the last 20 years. The Leg Blaster enables you to do full squats with your hands free and your upper body in an erect position so that the thighs do all the work. Most people who do this exercise for the first time are amazed at the pump they get from using a weight half of what they normally use in the conventional barbell squat. And what’s even more exciting is that bodybuilders who have been unable to squat for years because of knee and/or lower back problems – me included – are now able to do this exercise in perfect comfort for maximum gains. Although the Leg Blaster can hold a good amount of weight, it’s not necessary to load much over bodyweight to get a maximum effect. And since your hands are free while squatting, you can hold onto the balance bar of the specially designed free standing rack (that's right, you don't need to bolt it to the floor), and do rock bottom full squats (similar to strict front squats) or sissy squats and feel safe and secure. This also prevents you from coming up crooked. The Leg Blaster has replaced barbell squats, front squats, and hack squats in my leg workouts because I get all the benefits of these exercises but without the pain and discomfort that used to plague me from conventional squatting. It’s better than Smith Machine squats too since it’s a free weight exercise and you are not confined to a straight-line vertical movement. The Leg Blaster is a great way to do lunges and is unexcelled for standing calf raises (with the addition of a calf block such as my angled Calf Blaster) too. My new Leg Blaster boasts a secure racking system where the latch on the harness inserts into a slot on the rack, holding it in place for loading and eliminating sideways tipping. In assembly, the latch and balance bar can be attached in a lower position for shorter people or in a higher position if you are taller. The harness is padded and won't dig into your shoulders. The balance bar is curved and rubber coated for gripping comfort and there is room for plate storage on the back of the rack for regular or Olympic plates. The rack is very sturdy due to the unique bolting system. All this in a space less than 4 square feet! Now for the first time we’ve been able to reduce the price to $399 plus UPS (add $20 for 4 heavy-duty Olympic plate holders). It’s a lot of equipment for this lowest price ever. The all new Leg Blaster will soon be available in sporting goods stores, but you can get one right now by calling me at 800-323-7537. Seriously consider what I have to say. Keep squatting heavy and sooner or later you will be forced to discontinue the exercise due to excessive soreness and/or injury. It happened to me and has inflicted most experienced bodybuilders I know. If you want to continue to benefit from squatting don’t hesitate to contact me. For more details log on to www.frankzane.com/equipment.htm .
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