Here are a few old World gym stories from 79', 80' and maybe 81' or 82'.
First my friends Dan & Rosie Keller got me into bodybuilding and lifting seriouosly. Their daughters were friends of mine in high school. Dan & rosie trained at the original Gold's Gym and were also part of Muscle beach back in the 50's. They were in incredible shape and rosie was very hot for a mom.
They introduced me to Ron Depolito who has been bodybuilding since the 50's and was very popular with the guys at the gym(s) because he was like a white pimp. he had a convertible corvette and/or cadillac and always had hot women around him. He would get guys laid at the gym all the time. I heard recently he had one of his legs amputated which he blamed on the many years of steroids (?).
Anyway, he paid for my first year at World's for me. Which if I remember was $150. The only thing I didn't like is he was a morning person. We trained at around 8am or 9am. I lived in Hawthorne back then and it was a drive taking into account the traffic. Even back then.
he knew allot of stuff and I learned allot from him. But it was also learning from the others in the gym. Back then you could basically ask anyone if you could jump in with them or ask them a question and learn more from them for free than you would paying a personal trainer $70 an hour anyday nowadays.
I learned allot by either watching or working in with guys like Ferrigno, Pearson, Columbo, Callendar, Tinnerino, Dickerson, Platz, Skalak, Waller, Pettis, and others. It was great. I'll never forget doing arms with Lou. He really helped me and worked with me to each me how. I never knew how much dips could help you till I did them with Roy Callendar. Nothing like seeing a guy do full dips with (2) 150 lb. dumbells hanging from his waist. And him and Pettis would do full chinups the same way. Deadlifts which I hated and rows were great after doing them with Franco. I remember Franco taking his shirt off while doing bent over rows. His lats were so big from the back, to this day I have seen any like them.
I remember Kal, going around the gym like a secret agent measuring the equipment. I asked him what he was doing and he tells me he is going to make his own equipment and sell it. Joe made some of the equipment in the gym I think. Joe was a welder if I recall. when Joe would come in and walk around Kal would hide his little notebook and tape so Joe didn't see him.
And how about Tony Novak. he was Joe's very own security. he made sure things stayed in order at the gym. I remember there were signs all over saying "NO Pictures allowed without permission" Well one day some guy comes up the stairs and is looking around. Then he starts taking pictures. tony yells at him from across the gym. He starts to walk towards the guy. Now if you know Tony he was a very big and intimadating looking guy. In fact when I frst started there I thought he was Raiders John Matuszak. And tony can be loud. So now the whole gym is watching Tony dart across the gym towards this guy. There is no talking quietly for Tony. he gets in this guys face and yells. He tells the guy no pictures. Now this guy is scared as hell. And starts to leave. Tony grabs his camera tears out the film and throws it down the stairs. They guy is just standing there scare stiff and probably thing he is going to die. And now there's no proof, not even enough for Columbu to figure out. well grabs the guys and gently (in Tony version of gently) throws the guy down the stairs. then he yells "and quit tresspassing". Then everyone just went back to training like nothing happened.
Tony was also the supplement guy back then for most of us, if you knwo what I mean. His training partner was a guy named Bugsy. he was a chubby older guy who had a Rolls Royce.
I have more but this one got to be to long.
