I was 12 years old, maybe 13 when I first came across the training of Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty. I remember thinking to myself, Holy s--t, this guy looks like he's been carved from stone! Mike had a different physique than the others and the photos of him in training were INTENSE. He looked like he was destroying the gym along with his training partners Casey Viator and Ray Mentzer (his brother). With The Iron Roots Podcast, it's important for me to bring back and share many of … [Read more...]
Strength Lessons from The Iron Gladiators of The 80s & 90s
The photo above is from the no longer open, Gladiator Gym. This gym was housed in "Alphabet City" in The East Village of NYC. Pro Bodybuilders used to train there. Hard charging weightlifters trained there. The unspoken rule was simple: Train Your Ass Off. Intensity Rules. This was the story in MANY local gyms back when I was a teen and in my early 20s. So when I was a teen and in my early 20s, the way I learned was by getting under the bar. I would sometimes have organized training partners, … [Read more...]
Top 5 Benefits Of Minimalist Style Workouts
"Simplicity Is The Key To Brilliance" - Bruce Lee I was driving up to Diamond Gym on a cold winter night. It was just past 5 PM and I was sitting in a boat load of traffic, literally, moving nowhere. I was stressed out of my mind, up to my ears in work for Grad School, teaching, coaching wrestling and trying to manage it all. It was the FIRST time in my life I was truly finding it difficult to find the time to train.... … [Read more...]
Purposeful Primitive Book Review
Above, Kirk Karwoski, world record powerlifter trained under Marty Gallagher, Author of The Purposeful Primitive. One week ago I got a new training book I ordered in the mail, 'The Purposeful Primitive'. It's been a while since I got excited about a book that was published in today's day and age. Most of the info I tend to find accurate, effective and awe inspiring is at least a few decades old but this book has shocked me! All I can say is this: Holy s**t is this book rockin' my world! … [Read more...]