Just Training Stories (Only)

[Carmello]

About 12 years ago I joined my first "hardcore" gym and I'll never forget one member in particular.  He wasn't a bodybuilder, but had an average (or novice) powerlifter physique.  He stood about 6'4" tall, weighed in the neighborhood of 275 lbs, never combed his hair and always smelled terrible.  He literally left a film of filth on whatever piece of equipment he used.  This guy never spoke to anyone, but he definitely made his presence known during every set of every exercise as this dude yelled and screamed at the top of his lungs during everything.  Ocassionally between sets he'd skulk around the gym and let out a "f**k YOU!!" or "ALRIGHT f**cker!".  He had the worst form I've ever seen and would contort and throw his body around in every direction when performing any and all exercises.  It was the entire weight stack on every machine, the heaviest db's and the heaviest barbells for everything imaginable....keep in mind he did sets of 1-2 reps using 1/16 to 1/2 range of motion for everything (it was 1/2 range at best on rare occassions).  He'd use 150lbs db's for multiple sets of 50 rep 2 inch curls at high speed.....virtually everything was done with a 2-inch range of motion with the worst form and the heaviest weights he could possible use.  My favorite moment was one particular back day in which he loaded a bar for deads (1/16 range reps mind you) with something like 700 lbs...it was absurd.  Although, what was more unreal was that prior to each "set" he would fart continuously for a solid 3-5 minutes.  Not quietly passing gas, but loud, bellowing farts and he would walk in circle grunting, farting and talking to himself attempting to pump up for each bizarre set.   Keep in mind that all of this occurred - everyday - while he wore a unwashed, sweat-stained, head-to-toe pink track suit.



MOS

I was believing the whole story, until u threw in the "head to toe pink track suit." No way in hell that's fukin possible! I don't care!!

Well, since I'm here i might as well tell a gym story.
Once, I was on the incline bench, and I felt like going the extra mile. So I decided to do 205lbs by myself. This was about 2 years ago. So I'm up to my sixth rep, and I'm thinking, wow, this feels alot harder than when my gym partner is spotting me. I usually get 8-10 reps out with him there. So on the 7th rep, i come down with it, and it's not moving back up. So i give it all I've got, and still nothing. Then the bar rests on my chest, and I'm like, "what the f**k am i gonna do!" Now I'm also thinking when i get free of this bar, if i don't suffocate, I'm calling my partner up and cursing him to hell for assisting me way too much. So now I'm pissed off, and embarrassed and i don't want to call for help. So I totally start rolling the fukin bar down my body. I don't think I've ever self inflicted that much pain on myself before. inch by inch the fukin 205lbs BB is rolling down toward my lap. Now I'm thinking, oh this must be what fukin dough feels like when it gets rolled by the pin!! Finally, i stand up with the weight on my lap, put the BB on the floor, and remove the weights. I had a long bruise down my body for almost 2  fukin weeks!! Everyone saw, and no one helped me. Needless to say, I'm in a new gym, and train alone!

[cauthon]

The gym I started training at was in the basement of my highschool. It was a one level school and this was the only room in the basement. It had two air vents, one coming from the crawl space under the rest of the school and the other coming from a washroom. I remember coming down after a weekend when the fans had been off for a few days and it smelled like piss. All the equipment we had was a flat bench press, an adjustable incline,flat decline bench press, preacher curl, squat cage, lat pull, one ez curl bar and db up to 50lbs (remember this is just for HS kids. The guy that ran the gym was the school Reverend. He was a crazy dude, about 5'4" but just stacked. He competed in a couple contests in Britain back in the early 70s or something. When I was in grade 12 they built a real gym and put all the weights in a corner. I always liked the basement better though. The year after I graduated the phys ed instructor gave the squat cage away because it was "unsafe". Apparently the Rev almost kicked is ass in front of the whole school. I would have like to see that.

[TestDummy]

This is the best post ever, you guys have some great stories.  the one about the dude in the pink suit made my eyes water I was laughing so hard...
 

The first real gym I worked out in was my high school gym, it wasn't too bad, I just remember some of the equipment looking kinda home made, like the squat rack was some tire rims with metal poles welded to them but it worked.  We had all kinds of dumb asses but the one I remember most was this guy we called "army boy" cuse he had a shaved head and the "bc" glasses and always wore an army shit, he was benchin 145lbs and got up from the bench to do something else while someone else came over and used the bench and added 2 more 45 pound plates then left, so army boy comes back and still thinks it's the way he left it so he gets on the bench and pulls it off and it just falls on his chest and his legs went straight in the air while he lays there screaming for help, everyone was laughing so hard no one could get over to help him.

[TestDummy]

Just thought of another good one.  When I was in the Navy I was first stationed on the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, the ship was a new aircraft carrier and we had a real nice gym, the thing about a gym on a ship is when your out to sea it rocks....so this one night the place is packed and this one guy is on the tredmill running all hard and everyone is looking at him cuse he's really into it like full sprint, with his head phones on, bad ass face and everything well then the ship does a hard lean to the side and this guy looses his balence and steps on the part of the tredmill thats not moving and I swear he flew up in the air and he was almost parellell for a second before he slamed back down on the track that was on full speed and it threw his ass off and he was  pinned between the smith machine   and the fuckin tredmill that was burning a hole through his shirt......that was the funniest shit, then he try's to play it off by getting up and jogging for a couple min. on a low speed befor he limps off out of the gym.

[onlyme]

That was a good one.  I always wondered about training on the ocean and the movement.

Here is a short.  They gym I train at now have quite a few older people.  Which is fine.  Well this one trainer seems to use the Bosa Ball (i think that is what its called, the little half ball you stand on).  Anyway, I watch these older people do all these exercises while stading on this ball and the trainer holding them so they don't fall.  Well the other day, this older lady is doing shoulder presses with dumbells and he older husband is holding her.  Now you have to realize that these people lose their balance on EVERY REP, so if no one is holding them they would crash to the floor because they literally fall off anyway.  Well the old man could hold the lady and she fell right on her ass.  It was so funny and predictable at the same time.  Well the lady hurt her side and they ended up quiting for the day.

I see it everyday I am there.  What are these people thinking.

[Option D]

Okay I will try to start this one.  This thread will be for TRAINING STORIES ONLY.  Stories from inside the gym.

The city I grew up as a kid was Hawthorne, CA. Later moved to Manhattan Beach where I lived till I was 30 then moved to Hawaii.

In Hawthorne there was a man named Doc Duran.  he was collegiate star in the shot.  He was an alternate on the olympic team way back.

Anyway in the early 60's and several neighborhood dads decided to build a gym at Doc's house.  he turned his garage and added somemore space into the classic gym

No way in the world was this place bigger than 1500 sq. ft.  It had a 14' boxing ring and even a shower and toilet.  Very soon it became the place in the area to go get muscles.  Because of Doc's background and the numerous pictures around the gym of himself being all huge and everything, everyone who played a sport at Hawthorne High and Lawndale trained at Doc's Gym.

It cost $20 a month.  with that you could go anytime to train 24 hours.  as long as you turn off all the lights, and made sure the water wasn't running.  There were no locks. Everyone who trained there had there own workout book with their name on the front.  Every night Doc would spend hours going over what you did the day before.  He would then put your next workout in the book.  he was the personal trainer to about 100+ kids.  The firstday he had do certain exercises to get an idea of what exercise to do and how much weight to use.

It amazes me now to think how many people went through that gym that he personally trained and taught.

The euqipment was something else entirely.  Cable machines were the old on the wall type.  He had a push press made with cables and angle iron.  Many other cables machines had old bicycle rims as the pulleys.  All the benches he made himself and covered them.

Many of thelarger plates had pieces cut out of them to make them weigh the correct weight.  They were made from flywheels and giant gears. Only one Olympic bar to bench with.  the other bench press had a chain connected to it so it wouldn't fall on you.  No A/C.  The dust was amazing.  The members either cleaned it or it didn't get cleaned. 

This was my first experince in a gym.  For a true "getdown" gym this was it.  But it was fun and I learned allot from Doc.  He couldn't remember everyones name so he called everyone Charles. 

Bill Pearls gym was out there...off of century kind of near the airport....My grandfather knows him

[knny187]

That was a good one.  I always wondered about training on the ocean and the movement.

Here is a short.  They gym I train at now have quite a few older people.  Which is fine.  Well this one trainer seems to use the Bosa Ball (i think that is what its called, the little half ball you stand on).  Anyway, I watch these older people do all these exercises while stading on this ball and the trainer holding them so they don't fall.  Well the other day, this older lady is doing shoulder presses with dumbells and he older husband is holding her.  Now you have to realize that these people lose their balance on EVERY REP, so if no one is holding them they would crash to the floor because they literally fall off anyway.  Well the old man could hold the lady and she fell right on her ass.  It was so funny and predictable at the same time.  Well the lady hurt her side and they ended up quiting for the day.

I see it everyday I am there.  What are these people thinking.

Bosu Ball

[stilltrainin]

We had the same type of guy at Gold's Oceanside in about 95,96.Big,blond haired guy alway's in sweats,would alway's stomp around and make a racket before every set, and he wasn't really that strong.They finally asked him to leave when he started spitting on the carpets.I heard he went down to the Gold's in cardiff. (Jeff Smullens ex.)

[pumpster]

First gym was in Barbados, summer 1974. Barbados and the West Indies in general was second only to Venice Beach for the world's top BBs - Roy Callender, Bertil Fox, Al & Darcy Beckles, Serge Nubret, etc.

Small outdoor gym maybe 35' x 35', warm weather, a simple roof with no walls suspended by trees. Solid equipment that covered all the bases - standard barbells/dummbells (no olympic bars) along with local custom fabricated equipment such as pulleys, t-bar, chin bar, preacher bench, squat rack, etc. Simple and good-the high & low lat pulleys were attached to a solid wood pole anchored in concrete in the ground. Worked perfectly. Highly inspirational; as a teen i was training alongside a small group of 10-15 of the West Indies' best BBs including some of whom competed in the Universe 1-2 years later. Great genetics: small bones, tiny waists, lean with 18-19" arms cut. Good memories.

[freakfestMD]

Great stories, guys!

They made me think of one I hadn't thought of in years.

I entered my first gym in 1979 at the age of 14. It was called D and E's on Staten Island, New York.  The height of ginzo disco and mafia wanna-bees.  On Staten Island, every fight started and ended with the words "...You have no IDEA who you're fu*kin' with..."  To which came the reply:  "No, you have no idea who YOU'RE fu*kin' with...", and so on, and so on.

Anyway, there was this 1 particularly wierd dude there.  We called him "Tex Cobb".  He had long greasy hair, wore flannel shirts and big black boots with his jeans tucked inside of them, and he had this huge Jesus cross around his neck.  Smelled like sh*t, too.  He had the WORST form you'd ever see.  All over the place, always going way heavier than he could. 

So one day, he starts packin' 45's on an Olympic bar on the floor.  Not unusual for him, but after a while he had about 12 plates on each side.  So people in the gym start noticing.  Next thing, a crowd sort of forms around the guy.  He's paying no attention to anyone (he never engaged in conversations).  He starts walking around, huffing and puffing, getting psyched up I guess.  Then he walks over to the bar, gives this very dramatic pause as he stands over the weight, crouches down and grabs the bar and then lets out the most God-awful scream you've ever heard.  Face gets all red like he's gonna blow a gasket, pulling up as hard as he can for about 30 seconds.  The bar didn't even BUDGE!!!!! I mean, it didn't even roll or anything.  It might as well have been glued to the floor.

He just stood back up, and then walked out.  We were all howling!

[onlyme]

Great stories, guys!

They made me think of one I hadn't thought of in years.

I entered my first gym in 1979 at the age of 14. It was called D and E's on Staten Island, New York.  The height of ginzo disco and mafia wanna-bees.  On Staten Island, every fight started and ended with the words "...You have no IDEA who you're fu*kin' with..."  To which came the reply:  "No, you have no idea who YOU'RE fu*kin' with...", and so on, and so on.

Anyway, there was this 1 particularly wierd dude there.  We called him "Tex Cobb".  He had long greasy hair, wore flannel shirts and big black boots with his jeans tucked inside of them, and he had this huge Jesus cross around his neck.  Smelled like sh*t, too.  He had the WORST form you'd ever see.  All over the place, always going way heavier than he could. 

So one day, he starts packin' 45's on an Olympic bar on the floor.  Not unusual for him, but after a while he had about 12 plates on each side.  So people in the gym start noticing.  Next thing, a crowd sort of forms around the guy.  He's paying no attention to anyone (he never engaged in conversations).  He starts walking around, huffing and puffing, getting psyched up I guess.  Then he walks over to the bar, gives this very dramatic pause as he stands over the weight, crouches down and grabs the bar and then lets out the most God-awful scream you've ever heard.  Face gets all red like he's gonna blow a gasket, pulling up as hard as he can for about 30 seconds.  The bar didn't even BUDGE!!!!! I mean, it didn't even roll or anything.  It might as well have been glued to the floor.

He just stood back up, and then walked out.  We were all howling!

Thats funny!

I love guy like that.  We have a pyscho here that goes into the locker in between every set and yells.  Then he comes out does a set and goes back and yells.  The funniest thing is though he only has 225 on the bar (bench) and he does maybe 5 reps.  Hilarious dude.

[Terry Gibson]

About 10 years ago when I owned the best hardcore gym in Brisbane we had a bloke training there who was not popular with 99% of the members.
Any way it was when Musashi amino acid powders hit the market,and this guy was using it, he used to leave his container on the coffee table in the gym so a couple of the members exchanged his amino powder for epsum salts(they make you go to the toilet) when he took some after his workout he nearly gagged,we where doubled up with laughing but not where he could see us.He said how bad they tasted and we told him he should always keep them in the fridge or they would go off.
He said because they cost so much to buy he would not throw them out but would double his dose to use them up.
I had to tell him what had happened after about 4 days as he was not looking good and his wind problem was polluting the gym.
He also said he was thinking of going to the doctors as he thought he had real serious problems.

Ahh the good old days

[Lee_a_priest]

MMMMMM WONDER WHO THAT WAS

[Jr. Yates]

MMMMMM WONDER WHO THAT WAS

how could you do that to Lee 

[Terry Gibson]

It could not be Lee as I said no one liked him

[Jr. Yates]

It could not be Lee as I said no one liked him

haha good point. funny story though! thanks.

[ozman]

i have not visited this thread since i was man from oz

some funny shit