Looking InZane!

Canada's Zane Watson is the Newest 212 Threat

A New Zane Rises

When it comes to initial assessments, I’ve been wrong before. Many times, truth be told. Such was the case with Zane Watson, the 28-year-old 212 pro from Hamilton, Ontario. The first time I saw him in person was outside the elevators on the second floor of the Hilton Columbus Downtown, where my friend Jose Raymond and the rest of the 212 competitors were gathering before being taken to the weigh-in. My first impression, given that Zane was fully clothed, was, “this guy is way too tall for a 212, he’s going to get crushed by the shorter, thicker guys.” At their judging at the expo on Saturday, I saw that he had possibly the best legs in the class, but his upper body, particularly his arms and to a lesser extent, his back, lagged behind. Everything changed Saturday night at the finals of the Arnold Classic 212. The only two men whose condition could compare to Watson’s were winner Ahmad Ashkanani and runner-up David Henry. Arnold himself only got up twice that night to take a Snapchat with competitors. One was with Arnold Classic Cedric McMillan, and the other was Zane. In the end, Zane placed fifth, ahead of veterans like defending champ Hide Yamagishi and Charles Dixon. On paper, at a hair under 5 foot 8 and 211 pounds, that shouldn’t have happened. But bodybuilding is a visual sport that isn’t judged on weights and measures. The overall physique package is what matters, and Zane Watson has a sensational combination of qualities that are making him one of the fastest rising stars of the 212 division.

Second-generation Bodybuilder

Zane is the son of Mike and Michelle Watson, both accomplished amateur bodybuilders. Mike won the Canadian middleweight title twice, and was runner-up on four other occasions. He also took fifth place as a middle at the 1978 IFBB Mr. Universe. Tom Platz won the class there, and beat out Mike Mentzer for the overall. Yet oddly enough, young Zane (named after Zane Grey, famed Western author best known for Riders of the Purple Sage, and not three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane) wasn’t overly interested in becoming a bodybuilder himself. It wasn’t until he was 18 that he finally began weight training. “My dad was an entrepreneur who owned a chain of fitness clubs, and he sold them off,” he tells us. With more time on his hands, Mike started training and coaching his teenage son. Zane enjoyed working out more than he had anticipated, and especially liked the way his body responded.

Genetically, Zane acknowledges he’s a larger version of his father. “My dad was always known for his legs too,” he explains. “He competed between 170 and 180 pounds. I have a larger frame, and I’ve been able to build more mass.” At eight weeks out from their regional or level 1 show, the Hamilton Championships, they decided to go for it. Zane won the whole thing, and proceeded to do the same at the Ontario Championships soon after, before placing third in the heavyweights later that season at the Canadian Championships. “Until this Arnold prep, it was just me and my dad as my coach,” he says. Considering the father/son team managed to turn Zane pro and win a pro show as well, they did pretty well together before he enlisted the services of Chris Aceto for this show.

Aesthetics and Posing – Yes, They Do Count!

As I noted the moment I first saw Zane, he is probably the tallest 212 pro. If you think of every inch of height as equating to about 10 pounds of mass, he gives up 30-40 pounds to the shorter guys like Dixon, Jose and Ahmad. “That’s not always a bad thing though,” he notes. “There’s only so much muscle you can pack on a smaller frame with shorter limbs before it’s no longer aesthetically pleasing.” Watson’s shape and flowing lines certainly scored him points with the fans and judges, as did his masterful posing routine. Zane works hard on his posing, practicing every day. For his actual routine, he hired a choreographer and began working on it three months before the Arnold. That extra effort paid off. Set to the Disturbed cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence, it not only brought the house down, but moved Zane up a full two places from the afternoon’s judging round. “For the longest time, the night show and the posing round really didn’t matter,” he states. “Now they do, at the Arnold Classic shows, and I think that’s great. We are professionals, and we should present ourselves as such.”

Dorian-inspired Training

Though Zane has trained with fellow Canadian Ben Pakulski many times, it’s six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates who has had the biggest influence on his training style. “My dad was a huge Dorian fan, and he loves that system of brief workouts with heavy weights and low reps for off-season mass building. That’s how he trained me, and I still do that.” Zane follows a periodization system of his own design, which is based on his yearly schedule. “I will pick a contest I want to compete in, then work backward from that,” he relates. “I will train in the heavier Dorian style in the early stages, then gradually transition toward more volume with moderate weight and focusing more on the contraction as I get closer to the show. This reduces my risk of injury substantially.”

“Watson! Watson! Watson!”

At both the judging and finals, I couldn’t help but notice that deafening cheer from a sizeable contingent of Zane’s supporters behind me. I wondered, did this guy bring a busload of people from Canada or something? As a matter of fact, he did. “It was about 50 people, mostly my family, and we chartered a bus from Ontario.” Considering it’s about a seven-hour drive, I would say his family is beyond loyal.

Meeting Arnold at Age 11

Zane had met Arnold at this show once before, when he attended it with his dad at age 11. They were running late for the night show when the elevator opened and who was there but Arnold and eight bodyguards/staff. “Arnold told two of his guys to get off so we could get on,” Zane recalls. “My dad chatted with him about past shows, while I just stood there staring like a mannequin.”

Shutting It Down for 2017 After One Show

Even though he had a breakthrough showing at the Arnold Classic 212, Zane is ignoring the advice to ride that wave of momentum and keep pushing on toward this year’s Olympia. “It’s just like last year,” he begins. “I was a little bit off trying to defend my Toronto Pro 212 title, and I got second. I didn’t see the point in doing more shows. Now, I am very happy with fifth place at the Arnold, but realistically, I know if I do more shows and qualify for the Olympia, my body will be exhausted and I won’t have made any improvements. I’m not going to the Olympia to place eighth. I would have to be at 140 percent of my best, and the top guys would all have to be at 80 percent of theirs, for me to win— and they won’t be!”

Zane knows that at 28, taking a year off won’t hurt him, and the improvements he will make by resting his body and getting back into a solid off-season gaining phase will only put him in a much better position for the 2018 season. As for speculation that he might soon outgrow the 212 division, Zane agrees that day will probably come, but not yet. “I don’t have to cut water or do anything crazy to make the 212 cutoff, so realistically, I can still gain another 7 or 8 pounds of quality muscle before I start looking at the open class.”

Will he ever be a 300-pound freak? No, and he won’t need to be. In the near future, a Zane Watson with a thicker upper body could be a true force to be reckoned with in the open class. In the meantime, look for this exciting young man to continue moving up the 212 ranks with style and class.

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Pre-contest Training Split

Monday: Back

Tuesday: Chest and biceps

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Cardio and core

Friday: Shoulders and back

Saturday: Arms

Sunday: OFF

Contest History