Written by Team Juggernaut
Read Brandon’s Training Log Here
Man are you guys and girls in trouble?! I have not had a laptop in almost 4 months, meaning anything you have seen online from me has been performed from my iPhone (Apple you listening? Free advertising!). But what that has done is prevent me from typing the types or length of articles I would like to. I have the Alpha articles to finish, I have my e-book to complete, and lastly I am going to be delving into my past and contacting old training partners, and having them rehash some old stories. I have recently spoken with two guys that trained here in Berea, KY years ago and it absolutely set me on fire.
There were several gyms that we known as “THE GYM” from time to time, you had Sipple’s in the early to mid 80’s, then Total Fitness, then Powerhouse, then Total Fitness, then Richmond Athletic Center, then Total Fitness. The gym may have changed over and over, but in this small town of 10,000 (thats a stretch) people you could walk into these gyms and see routinely 400, and 500 lbs bench presses, 400, 500, and 600 pound squats for reps, buried ass to grass, wearing a Wal-Mart lifting belt, deadlifts for 500, 600, for reps, and the occassional 700 lbs single.
How did this happen? Most of this was done, prior to the internet explosion, prior to anyone knowing what the hell Westside Barbell was, and oh yeah did I mention most of these guys looked like in shape bodybuilders? Well, as one guy put it “we were too stupid not to get strong.” These guys didnt have SuperPumpHydroAlkyline Ball Scrub Energy Drinks, and they most certainly didnt have the best training knowledge. What they did have was heart, drive, and pride. I remember on numerous occassions seeing a training partner of mine bench 315 for 25 reps on say a Tuesday, someone would come in running their mouth about how they could beat it, and he’d lay down cold and do his best, and my partner would also lay down cold and rep out 27, 28, maybe 29, or 30.
I remember one time our workout was “Hack Squats for an hour”. We just hammered rep after body and mind numbing rep for an hour. Does this fit into any book of methods? Or reason? No. But, you know what it does accomplish? One, I think it built a tremendous base of muscle and strength in my body. Two, it removes your “pussy button”. You know the guy you see in the gym that has some reason to quit during workouts? EVERYTIME? That is his “pussy button”. I wouldnt have been allowed back in the gym had I quit.
So what the hell happened? My gym experience mirrors life. Kids now are pretty damn pathetic. I watched two of the best state football teams play recently and it was like watching middle school kids. 90% of kids I talk to online want huge results with minimal effort. Parents have made their kids pussies, and they expect them to succeed in this life? Anyway without further rambling keep checking back, as I will be reviving my gym past through guys I used to train with, and I am sure some of the stories will inspire you, cause disbelief, and probably make you wish you had trained harder, but thats the point.
