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The Good Old Days
By Ian Hales (Australia)

If somebody said to you back in the 80’s what’s a gym? You would have most likely replied the place where Rocky gets the shit kicked out of him or the bloke next door!  That’s because back then bodybuilding was in its purity, no 300lb chemically assisted monsters or synthol junkies just man and muscle going head to head (well almost), this was the time Lee labrada was placing 2nds and 3rds in the Olympia with 18 inch biceps and Richard Gaspari placed 6^th with a waist wider than his shoulders! And Arnold had a flat top and almost looked young, and if you didn’t ware striped baggies you weren’t  a bodybuilder. This was the time I began my never-ending pursuit of physical perfection so I entered my first gym and nearly walked straight out!

The guy behind the counter was the size of  Shrek only greener! The reception area was full of men who resembled silver back gorillas discussing their next meal, There was a strange aroma in the air, at first I thought it was sweat it later turned out to be sustanon. I paid my entrance fee and proceeded down a few steps into the main gym area, most of the equipment was hand made, the benches were covered in a leopard skin material, at first glance it looked like Puff daddy’s bedroom, oohh! Sorry I mean P.Diddy,  the sound system was an old tape player perched on the dumbbell  rack booming out “ the eye of the tiger” (what was they thinking) It was a breeding ground for bouncers, practicing their famous glare or the local drug dealer surrounded by his young wannabe’s bench pressing his gold chain or Mr. T starter kit as I like to call it, but the rest of the members looked quite normal…..Normal Alcatraz inmates! But I persisted and entered this strange world of bodybuilding, soon some of these meatheads became my closest friends, only after the usual initiation of sarcasm and good old humour “ I’ve seen more meat on a butchers pencil” Ha ha how funny please tell me that one again……..not!.

The one thing I learned from this experience was we must use other peoples insecurity’s to give us drive and more determination to achieve our goals and not bow down to there verbal attacks because real acceptance can only come this way through respect. This sometimes evil and bullying behaviour  always seemed ironic to me because the gym was in the basement of a church. This gym or should I call it a facility closed down after a few years due to financial problems, mates rates and drug dealers and henchmen getting in free of charge.

So when it became time to choose another training facility I was ready I’d done my apprenticeship in hell and was ready for gym heaven! It had to be big, it had to be flash it had to have Hammer strength and it was all that and more, like Homer in a donut shop I had found it, Total Fitness Centre, with 5 pools, 350 pieces of cardio equipment, 200mtr indoor running track and of course 10 hammer strength stations, I just had to grow looking at the 150lb dumbbells.  I joined up and paid my membership fee or should I say mortgage and entered paradise or so I thought? I was still a little green behind the ears misguide by all the colourful decorative schemes, latest surround a sound music system pumping out dance tunes and of course more lycra covered bodies than Mr Dupont's works Christmas party! As soon as you realise its all just a marketing scam to attract more women ( not a bad thing), and the business classes or anybody who will buy a membership then get bored after 2 weeks your back at the facility. Please don’t get me wrong the equipment was good and the attention from the N.B.F’s (non bodybuilding folk) made me feel good (apart from the men), but at the end of the day I was a fish out of water I missed the swearing, the sarcasm and jokes, the paint peeling off the walls and go on then the smell of sustanon even though the smell of channel No5 was easier on the liver. So this experience( all though expensive) turned out to be a good one, it taught me that you don’t need hi-tech equipment or the latest training gear to build that awesome physique, I trained at this gym for 2 years and then moved to Sydney Australia.

I Know what your saying “it’s a long way to go for a gym” but this was a life style change not a gym thing, once we were settled it was time to find (yes you’ve guessed it ) a gym. My first stop was a small gym in Palm Beach this is were they film Homo’s and Gays ( Home and Away) it seemed ok at first but old wasn’t in it! This place wasn’t built in the 80’s! well maybe the 1880’s, I think the last people to train here was Arnold and Franco the equipment was old and every time you picked up a dumbbell it left rust marks on your hands and on your workout gear! Now I’m not a puff or anything but when rust falls into your eye’s every time you bench, it pisses you off!!! So after many complaints and no action I left the rust pit!

I had to find something middle of the road not to flash but not a death trap,  So I decide on  a gym at a rugby league club, the equipment was quite good ( mostly cybex)  and the members were mostly Rugby players, quite a friendly bunch but very insecure! The presence of another Alpha male who might know a little bit more than themselves put them on the defensive, so tough look!! after spending 2 years with the gorillas in the mist at the gym from hell in good old Manchester I was up for anything. Things are all good with the rugby guy’s,  I’ve given them some good workout advice and diet tips, if we can all help each other climb this ladder of physical and mental development, the climb will become much shorter.

I have trained at many gyms over the years in many different countries these 3 examples are just the ones that have influenced me the most, a bodybuilding life is a constant learning curve with the only result being satisfaction with one’s self image and an awesome body to boot!

Pain is forward, Comfort is backwards.

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