Behold the now legendary first meeting between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vince Gironda, as told by John Balik, former editor of Iron Man Magazine:
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“Two years later I was talking with Vince Gironda at his gym in Studio City when the biggest bodybuilder I’d ever seen walked into the gym and introduced himself in a very heavy Austrian accent: “I am Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe.” Arnold was about 255 pounds, the heaviest he’d ever be in his bodybuilding career. Not cut but monstrous. Vince slowly took the unlit cigar that he’d been chewing on out of his mouth and made a statement that would change Arnold’s physique forever: “You just look like a fat f#@$ to me.”
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The article I pulled that quote from is called “Arnold: A Bodybuilding Success Story for the Age” and you can find it on Iron Man Magazine’s website (I highly recommend you read it, ideally several times, as there is much wisdom contained within).
Vince’s message is more pertinent today than it was back then, in my opinion.
Why?
No longer does it merely apply to professional bodybuilders who bulk to the moon at the expense of their health, appearance, and, in some cases, sanity.
Instead, it applies pretty generally to probably 80% of recreational weightlifters.
How so?
Walk into any weightroom and you will notice that the vast majority of men and women within are carrying an unhealthy and unsightly amount of body fat. Oftentimes despite being respectably strong and muscular.
I posit two main causes for this:
1) Our environment (food, screens, travel, etc.) is not conducive to leanness, so you have to actively work to stay in shape whereas in the past this was not the case, and,
2) “Proper” cardiovascular exercise like running has been demonised to the point that many lifters believe it to be actively harmful, leading them to replace it with inferior HIIT-style training or omitting it altogether.
The solution if you are among the majority of lifters who could stand to lose a few pounds is deducible for all but the hardest of thinking.
For concrete information to aid you in your quest to be strong *and* in shape, I recommend one of my inexpensive Bargain Bucket Books:
“The Muscle and Strength Building Manual for the Natural Trainee”
This title examines the training methods used by bodybuilders from Vince’s day (although the book does not cover Gironda specifically – I have a book about him planned that I will probably put to paper some time next year).
Both Kindle and paperback versions are available.
More:
If you purchase between now and 23:59 on the 18th of December AND forward me a copy of your receipt as proof of purchase you will be entitled to a free, one-hour consultation with me to talk about ways to get strong and in shape, answer questions you may have, and so on.
Purchase below:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Muscle-Strength-Building-Natural-Trainee-ebook/dp/B0DL4G6C1B
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman