Days of Thunder
November 30th, 2009
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by admin · Filed Under: Announcements · Articles · Strength Building · Success · Zach's Workouts · muscle building
It was September of 1994. I was training at a now defunct gym, it was hardcore, called Dynamic Fitness. Such a shame that it went down the tubes….
My friend and aspiring pro bodybuilder was there catching a workout and I told him of my plans to compete in a bodybuilding show for 1995. He said “Train with me, I’m doing the Jersey in April and we can train together”.
I was psyched! Andy was a freak. He was also a former wrestler and we had the same mind set when training: It was ALL out War!
I told him I’ll ask my Mom (hey, I was only 18, ha ha) and see if she can handle cooking 6 meals a day for me. She gave me the green light and it was ON!
I immediately cut out all bread, milk and dairy and it was 6 months out! I wrote down everything I ate, started doing cardio in the early mornings and my training with Andy in the evenings after school was done. I was a Sophomore in College at the time and also coaching Wrestling!
Once you make a decision, you gotta go ALL out on it. I did exactly that.
Andy and I trained like mad men possessed! It was WAR….
Who would be the last man standing? 
Heck, who could let alone STAND after a workout, especially leg workouts.
I remember Andy throwing up during a shoulders and tris workout.
We pushed the intensity and refused to finish a set unless it was a balls out effort.
Is this the smartest way to train? NO. I didn’t know any better back in 1994 and 1995, and on the flip side, I was a straight up PSYCHO when I trained.
I was also natural, and I knew that if I was going to compete as a natural bodybuilder, I was gonna have to crush the opposition with my work ethic.
Leg workouts sent my training partners running to vomit every single time.
Heavy squats, heavy leg presses, leg extensions with drop sets and high reps….. It was brutality and we loved having others join us for workouts because our only goal was to CRUSH them and make them quit.
There was NO time to rest, only time to get stronger and bigger.
The gym we trained at was serious. The music was blaring loud and we could barely hear what others were saying, which was great, as it discouraged talking.
The members only understood TWO things:
- train hard
- train heavy
Some of the physiques in that gym still blow me away today. It ALL came through gut busting hard work, intensity, commitment and desire to transform your body into something others only dreamed of.
It was my only time that made me feel like this was THE Golden Era!
After workouts we hung out in the locker room and the older guys told stories of the Freaks from the 80’s were stronger than many geared up powerlifters of todays era.
Deadlifts, Squats, Benching, Clean and Press, Barbell and Dumbbell Rows, Weighted Chins and Dips….. these were all common place at the gym, and ALL HEAVY.
Dumbbells ran up to 180 lbs and YES they got used for dumbbell benching, shrugs and rows.
Cheat Curls with 225 lbs
Flat Benching with 315 lbs and heavier was common place.
Squats with over 405 lbs was a common thing as well.
Rack pulls were being performed on an OLD, York isometric rack – I had never seen these before, but the guys doing them had BIG traps and jacked up backs!
The Days of Thunder continue today at my Underground Strength Gym in Good Ol’ Edison, NJ.
It also looks like my old training partner is coming back.
Stay tuned for more….. this could get scarey….in a GOOD way 
Peace!
–Z–
PS: Hardcore Gyms are rare and tough to find. But you and some buddies can create your own hardcore dungeon in a garage or basement, OR, 5 or more of you can pool together and rent a storage garage.
PPS: I suggest you follow The BEAST Program as well. Click HERE to become a BEAST.
13 Responses to “Days of Thunder”
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Zach
Your training was stupid as hell when you were younger.
As were mind, and I would not trade them in for the world. They build that ironwill that you cant get rid of. People that are under the bar, I mean REALLY under the bar, know whats up with setbacks, goals, accomplishments, in other words, crazy ass workouts help us deal with life.
Way to go brother!
Larry
Larry, ha ha – I prob shoulda titled this ‘Days of Stupidity’
But, you are right, it taught me the fire necessary to kick ass, and now I know how to tame the fire.
It’s the delicate balance, the fine line…. I know it.
Others never get near the line, and thus never achieve any goals, let alone greatness!
we should just all strap ourselves in a Time Machine
..back to the dayz when men wielded iron sh#te for a livin’
always make me wanna train harder, Zach!!
I definitely do not have a gym like this around here (central NY), well at least not one that I know of. Sadly I am just learning about this type of workouts. I never even heard of the terms “clean”, “hang”, deadlifts etc. until this last year. They should teach this kind of stuff in high school and offer a college course in Olympic type lifts.
‘others never get near the line’ – nice
you are so right, body composition is 80% diet, 20% excercise, but what about the MIND – you’ve got to get there to learn that.
best wishes
zero_trooper
Hey Zach!
I’ve always had this thing about being bored when I stand around curling DB’s and puffing at counting reps. Darn! doing it hard and hitting it tough is glorious! I love it! I like your style! The Beast speaks for itself! Bloody good treatment against boredom.
lol even to this day when benching people always ask “how many reps are you going to do”…to which i always respond…”when you hear my sternm crack i’ll probably want to do one more”.
hey zach the early 90’s was the same for me also anyone that trained with me was gonna get crushed or the workout of there life.
Haha…this reminds me of when I was just starting to lift too. I remember watching my Dad and the guys he worked out with. They’d be on the leg press machine…they would have as much weight as they could on the thing and then they would sit on it to add more weight! I wanted to get to that level so bad…and I did. I remember doing leg extensions with the full rack, I’d go to the gym and work out again after football lifting sessions…all sorts of dumb stuff, but I did not know any better. They were dumb times..but they were good times!
That reminds me of the days in a little hole in the wall gym in belmar NJ. it had tons of free weights and home made machines.We worked out hard and heavy.
Those were the good old days.
Still work out like that but just a lot less frequently.
keep up the work Zach, God Bless.
Now this is how every gym should be. HARDCORE. I mean, putting better info aside, this should be at the core of every guy who lifts. it’s war \m/
Oh, my. I’d never lift anything that’s not part of a bright chromed machine, in front of a mirror!!. And of course, only after my class of spinning!!
Nahhh, rusty and heavy!! That’s the way to do it!!
P.S: Why people insist in exercising sat down??
Ha – man, this reminds me of my bodybuilding-inspired training days back in high school. Working out 3x/day, pyramiding up to 1RMs on OH work 2x/week, benches/squats/cleans all 1x/week, DL 1x/week, rows for heavy sets of 3-5 2x/week, chins in the 50-60 total rep range 2-3x/week, working arms directly 3x/week…
Yeah, I was 18, ate kinda decent, and had raging hormones. I was also strong as a f@ckin’ bull.
Gotta say, seeing how pussified gyms have become today, I’d rather see kids that didn’t know any better train that way than how they are today.
Just sayin’. *shrug*
Wiggy
http://www.workingclasscardioworkout.com
http://www.workingclassfitness.com