Hardest training Pros or Semi Pros out there today?

[alfresco]

The only thing I’d possibly disagree with here is that training is boring, I look forward with zeal to my 4/5 am alarm every day - the gym is by far the most fun I have even after training for a decade and a half with religious consistency.

Maybe after 20/30 years it’ll get boring, but I think it can be fun if you make it fun - even if usually the “fun” is a warped, masochistic journey to the pain cave to see how far you can go.

Try 50 years.

Now . . . if only my development was in concert with my longevity

 

[alfresco]

I like a lot to watch Nick Walker training, he explains quite well what he is doing, and i applied some of his advice here and there and training improved.

Nowadays most of the guys train high intensity low volume, it's just 2 working sets basically, nothing much to say, so videos become boring with time.

At least the training videos that are circulating now give people a clue how they train. I had not close. All I had was still pictures, magazines.

When I visited my first bodybuilding gym in 1974 (Gold’s Gym, Venice, CA), what stunned me most, aside from their size was how hard they DID’NT train.

 

[Virtuous]

Try 50 years.

Now . . . if only my development was in concert with my longevity

Good point man

 

[Aikman56]

I believe he fell down the stairs and tore something

Evan Cantopani slipped on ice

You’re both right. Branch’s triceps was the stairway, his quad was ice in the parking lot getting out of his truck, IIRC.

 

[BigZeus]

You're correct man, but most of them trained like animals to obtain the size. Now they're all about fine tuning what they already have because they don't need no more size. I still believe Ronnie, Dorian, and Tom platz really took training to a whole another level. No one compares to them nowadays.

 

[lookslikesausage]

Didn't Branch get hurt falling off a horse?

 

[fisther69]

Didn't Branch get hurt falling off a horse?

I still don’t know how he got on that horse!

 

[bbxtreme]

Bottom line for me.

Training is boring and hard and lonely and exhausting and repetitive and painful and potentially dangerous and can be expensive with the ultimate gratification delayed (think bodybuilding here).

If that was effectively communicated the videos would appeal to very few people in my opinion.

It’s not all rainbows and lollipops.

This is a good thread.

I think a lot of people forget too that a lot of guys used to and still do train much different with a camera on them. Ronnie may have been the exception, but look how that turned out… lol

I’ve heard Derek, Cbum and Walker mention it in their videos that they knew they had to film so amped themselves up. When you’ve got Cbum, Derek and Hany there with a camera on you things are going to be much more amped up compared to their regular day of training day in and day out.

You’re absolutely right- there’s no exciting plays in bodybuilding like there is in a NFL or college football game.

 

[Aikman56]

Didn't Branch get hurt falling off a horse?

No injury…just busted his butt.

 

[Elvia1023]

The only thing I’d possibly disagree with here is that training is boring, I look forward with zeal to my 4/5 am alarm every day - the gym is by far the most fun I have even after training for a decade and a half with religious consistency.

Maybe after 20/30 years it’ll get boring, but I think it can be fun if you make it fun - even if usually the “fun” is a warped, masochistic journey to the pain cave to see how far you can go.

I completely agree. Well for anyone who pushes things the lead up to the gym some days may be a struggle and you may not want to go at times but I love the gym and I am always glad I went. I have a passion for training and I don't think that will ever go away. I see a lot of guys throughout their lives training in cycles. They have highs and lows and often don't train for long periods then they may train for years consistently then they fall back off etc. I have only trained for just over 20 years but there have been no gaps. I would hate to not train and I couldn't think of anything worse. I can only see this being more true the older I get. It's part of the reason I have backed off the craziness for certain movements because I want to be able to train throughout my life. I know if I carried on like I was that may not have been possible. I have so much fun in the gym. From deciding what to do, making up movements or intensity techniques to the actual training itself. Anyone with a real passion for training will understand.

 

[st114]

Training nowadays is boring. It’s like a mathematical equation. I go on this machine, push myself on my one top set, feeder sets of 1-4 reps up to it, talk inbetween sets. 4 exercises like this, and barely sweating when they leave the gym.

I miss the days of watching dudes try to Jill themselves and their training partners in the gym. Set after set with little rest. Not worrying about having a matching outfit and “pump cover”, stylish hat, and matching pair of Jordans. Not sure when things got so pussyfied.

 

[Elvia1023]

You're correct man, but most of them trained like animals to obtain the size. Now they're all about fine tuning what they already have because they don't need no more size. I still believe Ronnie, Dorian, and Tom platz really took training to a whole another level. No one compares to them nowadays.

Everything you state is true but I disagree with the final sentence. Although I completely understand why you stated that but the word "nostalgia" comes to mind. I am sure nearly everyone on here would have Ronnie's old training videos as number 1 of past vids that may them think wow. The banging of the iron and the "Yeah Buddy" never gets old. Tom Platz was a complete maniac and he was actually too crazy but I copied a lot of his ways in my training especially earlier on and takings sets well beyond what people would consider failure. Another worth mentioning is Dorian's Blood and Guts and that was a big inspiration for me. I agree they did take training to another level but there are plenty of people who compare to them nowadays.

If we are talking about just sheer hard training and impressiveness there are many current guys at that level. There are quite a few guys now putting out vids more impressive than Ronnie's for example. They don't have his name, reputation or any nostalgia tied to them but they are training just as hard and lifting the same sort of weights or even more whilst looking like bodybuilders. Obviously none are at his level bodybuilding wise but they still look great and in a training context are just as or more impressive. I refer to guys like James Hollingshead, Leonidas Arkona, Nicolaas du Preez and Larry Wheels but there are loads. These days due to social media people want short clips so the longer training videos aren't really a thing like in the past but loads of guys could post workouts with 200lb db presses, 800lb+ deadlifts and 800lb+ squats.

 

[Elvia1023]

Training nowadays is boring. It’s like a mathematical equation. I go on this machine, push myself on my one top set, feeder sets of 1-4 reps up to it, talk inbetween sets. 4 exercises like this, and barely sweating when they leave the gym.

I miss the days of watching dudes try to Jill themselves and their training partners in the gym. Set after set with little rest. Not worrying about having a matching outfit and “pump cover”, stylish hat, and matching pair of Jordans. Not sure when things got so pussyfied.

There are still plenty of gyms full of hard training. I think we look back and sometimes see the highlight reel. Fact is gyms have been full of people who don't know what they are doing since the beginning. It's what you make it and if your gym really is that crap you are best going to a new one. I know there is a new wave of scientific trainers with their log books and 10 accessories but like with any other type of person in the gym it doesn't really matter. I go to the regular gym now and it's full of a mix of people and loads of what you state you miss. Most of the gyms I have trained in over the years have been the same and it's usually what you make it. Unless it's so busy everyone gets in your way I have never let anyone else affect my workout. Society has a whole is definitely getting more pussyified but most of those people don't ever step foot into a gym.

 

[b-boy]

Everything you state is true but I disagree with the final sentence. Although I completely understand why you stated that but the word "nostalgia" comes to mind. I am sure nearly everyone on here would have Ronnie's old training videos as number 1 of past vids that may them think wow. The banging of the iron and the "Yeah Buddy" never gets old. Tom Platz was a complete maniac and he was actually too crazy but I copied a lot of his ways in my training especially earlier on and takings sets well beyond what people would consider failure. Another worth mentioning is Dorian's Blood and Guts and that was a big inspiration for me. I agree they did take training to another level but there are plenty of people who compare to them nowadays.

If we are talking about just sheer hard training and impressiveness there are many current guys at that level. There are quite a few guys now putting out vids more impressive than Ronnie's for example. They don't have his name, reputation or any nostalgia tied to them but they are training just as hard and lifting the same sort of weights or even more whilst looking like bodybuilders. Obviously none are at his level bodybuilding wise but they still look great and in a training context are just as or more impressive. I refer to guys like James Hollingshead, Leonidas Arkona, Nicolaas du Preez and Larry Wheels but there are loads. These days due to social media people want short clips so the longer training videos aren't really a thing like in the past but loads of guys could post workouts with 200lb db presses, 800lb+ deadlifts and 800lb+ squats.

I dont believe any of the guys you mentioned were doing those weights just weeks out from a bodybuilding show like Ronnie did for the Olympia, that's what made Ronnie's training video so fucking crazy

 

[comedycentral]

I wished someone would have caught on camera just one of the Casey viator Colorado experiments. They float around as a mythical thing of all out intensity and gut busting effort but we will never know how true that is.

 

[Massive G]

Training nowadays is boring. It’s like a mathematical equation. I go on this machine, push myself on my one top set, feeder sets of 1-4 reps up to it, talk inbetween sets. 4 exercises like this, and barely sweating when they leave the gym.

I miss the days of watching dudes try to Jill themselves and their training partners in the gym. Set after set with little rest. Not worrying about having a matching outfit and “pump cover”, stylish hat, and matching pair of Jordans. Not sure when things got so pussyfied.

Great post. I feel the same way.

 

[dantes]

Bottom line for me.

Training is boring and hard and lonely and exhausting and repetitive and painful and potentially dangerous and can be expensive with the ultimate gratification delayed (think bodybuilding here).

If that was effectively communicated the videos would appeal to very few people in my opinion.

It’s not all rainbows and lollipops.

This is a good thread.

I understand the point you are communicating but if training is boring for you it’s time to find a new hobby. I look forward to every session in the gym.

 

[romo]

It wore me out just watching Dallas training videos.

 

[alfresco]

I understand the point you are communicating but if training is boring for you it’s time to find a new hobby. I look forward to every session in the gym.

Analogy.

So is brushing your teeth but you do it anyway because it is is healthy and important.

Ignore your teeth and they will go away.

Ignore your muscles and and they will go away.

 

[Massive G]

I understand the point you are communicating but if training is boring for you it’s time to find a new hobby. I look forward to every session in the gym.

Been training over 30 years myself. Training is boring as hell but it's my lifestyle not a hobby. I don't weigh myself nor keep a Training or diet log. Everything has been learned and is instinctive. These days it's all about adaptation to aging. Just over 50 and things are changing fast. Constantly updating Training sessions to avoid injury and maintaining what I have. I still use the same split I started on 30 years ago except I train EOD vs 3 on 1 off. Rep ranges used to be 4 to 8 tops. Now it's 8 to 12. TUT is pretty slow and I do more sets than my prime. Boring is just a word we use sometimes to cover a broad spectrum of meanings. I still have fun pumps and enjoy the maintaining process.