The Rise and Fall of Gym Equipment: Hardcore Prevails!
Written by John Romano
Monday, 01 March 2010 03:07
Free weights aren't the only thing that's hardcore....
Most lifters will tell you that the most hardcore piece of gym equipment is a power rack. I would agree. And when you're young and invincible, tossing around free weights in or out of a power rack is a wonderful thing. Not too many of us use free weights exclusively though. Modern weight lifting machines are an excellent adjunct to your free weight training and can provide a tremendous variety to any training program. For instance, many believe squats are the foundation to a serious leg building campaign, however, leg presses, extensions, curls, hacks, etc., also have their place
Enjoy this Crossword Puzzle that refers to competitors in our Danny Devito Invitational. If you have been following the contest, then many of the clues below were mentioned in the character bios or posted comments. They may be listed here by first name, last name, nickname or any combination of the above.
Weak bodyparts? No problem. This "one-two punch" for correcting muscle imbalances is simple and effective!
His eyes glanced away for just a second, and that was all I needed.
I darted through the doorway without a sound, trying to make myself invisible. Instantly adopting the gait and carriage of someone that belonged there, I switched from the condition of sharpened alertness I needed outside the door to a calm, composed state of being. "Blend" - that is the key and, I have to modestly admit, I was a master chameleon.
Iron Subculture #3: Namat, Rychlak, Storch, and Dreimann
Written by Steve Colescott, Guerrilla Journalist
Thursday, 10 December 2009 01:02
Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat; sometimes it just REALLY pisses him off.
Like many of you, I enjoy checking out hardcore warehouse gyms and independent physique-centric nutrition stores. On this occasion, I wish I hadn't made a hopeful detour into one particular store since it only served to aggravate me for most of the day. We had some time to kill so I had my girlfriend pull her car into the lot of a nutrition store we drove past so I could check it out.
It all began with barbells, weights, and dumbbells. Joe and Ben Weider's I, Brute Enterprises decided to square off against Bob Hoffman's York Barbell for the lucrative weightlifting equipment business. With commercial gyms being a rare luxury and weight training still largely being viewed as a subversive activity, home gyms were the only option for most muscle wannabes.
If you're in the New York area-- specifically "The City"-- you don't have a lot to choose from when it comes to good, old-fashion, hardcore gyms. That is, unless you want to leave the island. . . and that can be a pretty daunting task for most folks. Once you're in Manhattan you just don't want to have to leave and go to another borough, for anything; let alone working out.
"Of all the bodybuilders you've worked with, who showed the greatest potential?"
Without hesitating, Bob Gruskin replied, "Jeff King." He also tells me that Jeff was one of the hardest training athletes he's worked with (although Defendis takes the top spot there).
It's rare for potential and work ethic to meet in one lifter, which is why there are so few men like Yates or Coleman. The third ingredient "luck" was the one factor Jeff King lacked. His untimely rise in the turbulent politic waters of bodybuilding kept him from capitalizing on the other two traits.
Free weights aren't the only thing that's hardcore....
Enjoy this Crossword Puzzle that refers to
Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat; sometimes it just REALLY pisses him off.
"Of all the bodybuilders you've worked with, who showed the greatest potential?" 
