Tom Platz and 80's gym culture (much different than now)

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 05:41 PM

I imagine that most the people on this site are in their 20's. I figured I'd share some old tales with you.

I'm 38 and I started training in 1986. Through 86-89 I trained at a basement facility called South Shore gym in Oakdale Long Island owned by two hardcore bodybuilders. I paid 200 bucks for the year. It was a small gym but it had everything you needed (including every conceivable calf machine and about 10 squat racks) with handle bars added to the calf equiptment for extra weight so you'd never fall short on the weight you can add. The gym, back then, was filled with mostly hardcore bodybuilders and power athletes all of whom juiced, all of whom were friends - a kind of testosterone fraternity. It was common to see 600 pound squats and 500 pnd benching.

This particular gym was a legs culture all the way. We all loved Tom Platz and he was at his pinnacle back then. During a leg session we'd always motivate each other by channelling Platz saying, "come on baby. Legs like Platz." Or "big wheels keep on turnin, proud mary keep on boining" How annoying was that last one. Anyway, back then, we'd all scream at each other (can you imagine screaming at each other at a gym today?) during those last painful five reps. There were times when there would be some puking on legs day and I can remember the first time I puked big dave (the owner) came up and gave me a pat on the back. I felt like I was initiated and the gym was my home.

The real torture was high reps legs. The most painful sets where the ones on the hacks. We'd do two plates each side and do about 50 reps (which was very Platz-like of us). I challenge anyone to suck up that kind of pain. We'd give calves a good wackin' too. I modeled my calf training from Arnold. We'd wack em every day for 40-90 minutes with tons of weight, supersetting, decending sets, every conceivable way of shocking 'em. Calves definately weren't an after thought by any means. I can remember how they'd quiver in the shower and I'd just fall into a giggle fit from the high. Driving home after calves was no easy task either. The quiver made for interesting braking and more giggles..

Partnering up was a big fascilitor. Being screamed at at by your partner made the difference between succuming to the pain and small-scale heroism. "NO MATTER WHAT, ONE MORE REP!" That would be good for three more reps - one at a time. There was always time for fun too. Everyone seemed to be playing pranks on each other. I remember this guy scott who had huge legs, took some other bodybuilders pleather dress shoes in the shower and turned it on. Then he asked me, "did scott do this?" I pleaded the fifth. Plenty of impish anticks back then.

Little bit of a tangent there but to rap it up, I still have fond memories of Tom Platz and the old school gym culture. You'll never see a little hard core gym like that again. An end of an era. Glory days! They'll pass you by! Tom Platz forever baby! Long live South Shore Gym!

**Hoggage_54** · 05-09-2007, 05:42 PM

I can't yell at my gym. It's a family gym

But it has the best equipment I've been to out of any gym, and I've been training since I was 15.

**Hoggage_54** · 05-09-2007, 05:44 PM

I'm guessing the culture changed because it would be too intimidating to new guys, and since most gym companies are obsessed with profits, they need to appeal to the largest possibly audience.

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 05:50 PM

That's it. Bally's dumbells only go up to 85 pounds to keep the serious athletes away. I read recently a person got kicked out of a gym for grunting during a tough set. Resistance training has a more general appeal than it did in the eightees. Back then, people did cardio for health and thought that lifting made you "muscle bound" or less flexible.

Originally Posted by Hoggage_54

I'm guessing the culture changed because it would be too intimidating to new guys, and since most gym companies are obsessed with profits, they need to appeal to the largest possibly audience.

**IronReload04** · 05-09-2007, 05:53 PM

man, being only 21, i wish i coulda been around back then, sounds awesome, sounds amazing...

as far as legs go, well, my little saying "****it, im bringing a bucket" . hi reps are part of doggcrapp training. pick a weight you can only squat ass to grass for 12 reps, and find it within yourself to get t0 20, or go home a *****. good ole 20 rep squats.

I am a minority at my college, i long to meet somone with my same mentality.

**number twelve** · 05-09-2007, 05:54 PM

there are still a few gyms left on long island that are relatively hardcore, but they are few and far between

**dupa95** · 05-09-2007, 05:55 PM

Mmmmm the 80's protine powder nasty nasty!

**number twelve** · 05-09-2007, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by IronReload04

man, being only 21, i wish i coulda been around back then, sounds awesome, sounds amazing...

as far as legs go, well, my little saying "****it, im bringing a bucket" . hi reps are part of doggcrapp training. pick a weight you can only squat ass to grass for 12 reps, and find it within yourself to get t0 20, or go home a *****. good ole 20 rep squats.

I am a minority at my college, i long to meet somone with my same mentality.

what college are you at bro? PM me if u dont wanna say it on the open fforum...

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 05:57 PM

I wish I had a time capsal we'd go back for a visit and wack legs and calves with pure rage! That would be a kick!

Originally Posted by IronReload04

man, being only 21, i wish i coulda been around back then, sounds awesome, sounds amazing...

as far as legs go, well, my little saying "****it, im bringing a bucket" . hi reps are part of doggcrapp training. pick a weight you can only squat ass to grass for 12 reps, and find it within yourself to get t0 20, or go home a *****. good ole 20 rep squats.

I am a minority at my college, i long to meet somone with my same mentality.

**dupa95** · 05-09-2007, 05:59 PM

i was ski racing at that time so for me wheel wheel wheels

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 06:00 PM

Lol. Sure was. The only company back that was Weider (as far as I know). And the big supplements where free form aminos and liver tabs. The protein drinks were egg and milk based (no whey) and tasted like ass. The free form aminos were a bit expensive so we'd take bonded aminos and the made you fart like a champ. I used to fart in the back of my high school economics class and blame it on my training partner John. Good times!

Originally Posted by dupa95

Mmmmm the 80's protine powder nasty nasty!

**IronReload04** · 05-09-2007, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Mike Dura

I wish I had a time capsal we'd go back for a visit and wack legs and calves with pure rage! That would be a kick!

Its just to damn bad man

number12 you got a pm

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 06:02 PM

One such gym is Golds in Deer Park. I was a personal trainer there for a while. It's kind of a nasty environment there though. It seems like a bunch of back stabbing snakes and plenty of narcissistic types.

Originally Posted by number twelve

there are still a few gyms left on long island that are relatively hardcore, but they are few and far between

**number twelve** · 05-09-2007, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Mike Dura

One such gym is Golds in Deer Park. I was a personal trainer there for a while. It's kind of a nasty environment there though. It seems like a bunch of back stabbing snakes and plenty of narcissistic types.

yeh i know the one your talkin about. i live in huntington...i go to the powerhouse in farmingdale. its a pretty good environment, a lot of headcases tho.

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 06:09 PM

You always get some characters in the gym. It's a colorful place really. The narcissism and the backstabbing is irksome.

Originally Posted by number twelve

yeh i know the one your talkin about. i live in huntington...i go to the powerhouse in farmingdale. its a pretty good environment, a lot of headcases tho.

**number twelve** · 05-09-2007, 06:13 PM

good word...irksome lol

**CoreyTampa09** · 05-09-2007, 06:40 PM

I just started working at lifestyles fitness. The dumbells only go up to 100, but they have TONS of equipment. 5 flat benches, 2 incline, 2 decline, 3 military, many smith and squat stations, hack squat anything you name it. Besides I work at the busiest lifestyles in the nation and THE HOTTEST GIRLS/WOMAN COME IN, Its AMAZING. Swingers style quote, but its like the 1% of all the hottest woman work out at my gym.

**gixxerboy1** · 05-09-2007, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by Mike Dura

That's it. Bally's dumbells only go up to 85 pounds to keep the serious athletes away. I read recently a person got kicked out of a gym for grunting during a tough set. Resistance training has a more general appeal than it did in the eightees. Back then, people did cardio for health and thought that lifting made you "muscle bound" or less flexible.

Its for insurance reasons

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 07:07 PM

Do you know that for sure? Does gold's with their 150s pay more?

Originally Posted by gixxerboy1

Its for insurance reasons

**skank** · 05-09-2007, 07:25 PM

Mike Dura, You guys really were hard core! I lifted during the 80's and still have a Tom Platz training book. Tom was the best at posing.

Mike, how did pct differ back then from now?

**Mike Dura** · 05-09-2007, 07:32 PM

I learned from the best and I'm not ashamed to admit I trained as hard as anyone down there. I don't endure that kind of leg pain now but I train much smarter these days. There's a kind of charm to the eightees pros. On of my favorites was Rich Gaspari. That dude didn't really have the genetics but he really had heart and damn he ripped up. He was the first to ever have striated glutes. Back then there were more X-man, like Lee Haney and Bob Paris. It wasn't a freak show. It was about aesthetics and beauty. That's exactly what I strive for today.

Originally Posted by skank

Mike Dura, You guys really were hard core! I lifted during the 80's and still have a Tom Platz training book. Tom was the best at posing.

Mike, how did pct differ back then from now?

**gixxerboy1** · 05-10-2007, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by Mike Dura

Do you know that for sure? Does gold's with their 150s pay more?

I was the PT director for balleys for about a month. That was the reason i was given by the Regional Director

**MFT81** · 05-10-2007, 06:34 AM

OK, 80's bodybuilding question for you mike,

what the hell did you guys put in fanny packs???? Ive seen them in old photos and cant ever figure out why or what would take that much room...

the 80's era would of been so cool to lift in. esp on the east or west coast...

**Dangerdan** · 05-10-2007, 06:44 AM

Good story Mike; thanks for sharing and I think I might hit up a couple 50rep hack squat sets this weekend.

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 07:05 AM

You made a believer out of me.

Originally Posted by gixxerboy1

I was the PT director for balleys for about a month. That was the reason i was given by the Regional Director

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 07:11 AM

I didn't see the fanny packs at South Shore Gym in the 80's but we all wore spandex (which although gay looking, very comfortable on legs day) and a cut up sweat shirt (neck cut out exposing traps and the straps from the tank top underneath). Almost everyone sported a mullet back then. Once in a while I see a dude wearing them today (with mullet) and it makes me wince.

Originally Posted by MFT81

OK, 80's bodybuilding question for you mike,

what the hell did you guys put in fanny packs???? Ive seen them in old photos and cant ever figure out why or what would take that much room...

the 80's era would of been so cool to lift in. esp on the east or west coast...

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 07:12 AM

It's light enough to do but can you take the burn?

Originally Posted by Dangerdan

Good story Mike; thanks for sharing and I think I might hit up a couple 50rep hack squat sets this weekend.

**ironmike250** · 05-10-2007, 07:18 AM

I used to train at Golds Gym near Arlington Va. (About 10 minutes outside of DC) There, my trainer and I on squat day would drag a trash can near where we were training. That gym is so big and gets so packed in the evening, you couldn't hear the hardcore people training anyhow. That is the best gym I have ever trained at. From time to time we'd get professional atletes in there training. It was cool as hell. Slamming weights to the floor after a rough set and screaming your head off was perrfectly fine!

**MFT81** · 05-10-2007, 08:59 AM

Man I could probably talk about this all day,

How was the steroid scene back then, I assume it was alot easier to get drugs, did guys use more or less, than compared to the avg gym rat these days.... what were some common cycles that you or other guys did back then...

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 04:33 PM

It was easier to get in that gym. I think it may have been legal at the time.
As far as the types of steroids they used I don't really know but I'd be curious myself. I was a teenager so I trained for the most part naturally. At 18 I did do dbol 10mgs daily and deca , 300 mgs a week (one cc). Back then, we'd smack the ass just before injection to ease the pinch. Not a good idea!!!

Originally Posted by MFT81

Man I could probably talk about this all day,

How was the steroid scene back then, I assume it was alot easier to get drugs, did guys use more or less, than compared to the avg gym rat these days.... what were some common cycles that you or other guys did back then...

**Dangerdan** · 05-10-2007, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mike Dura

It's light enough to do but can you take the burn?

Guess I'll find out Saturday. You got a full leg workout from back in the day? I'm not looking for something to do every sessions, just one hardcore vomit-inducing leg blast? You post it. I'll do it.

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 06:56 PM

The funny thing is, workout wise, not much has changed except for my age and my knees. Actually, we'd hit everything twice a week - that was the standard back then (like coleman does now). Now I do only once a week. BAck then, as now, we never had a set workout. WE always switched excersice order, we did every conceivable excersise and plenty of higher rep sets, it was intuitive and spontaneous. Forced reps every set (I didn't feel overtrained) and a few descending sets all the way down to virtually no weight. Now hams are done on their own day. We did hams, quads, and delts (can you imagine that?). Back then I could do that. No way now. At the end of quads, we'd do knee bends (squats without weights) for 100 or so reps. Our legs were noodles. Just follow the basic guidelines and you'll be good to go. That's what we did. My legs grew like ****s. I got em up to 26" and with my shape they looked awesome. Now they are ok at 24"

Originally Posted by Dangerdan

Guess I'll find out Saturday. You got a full leg workout from back in the day? I'm not looking for something to do every sessions, just one hardcore vomit-inducing leg blast? You post it. I'll do it.

**bpm1** · 05-10-2007, 07:20 PM

great post mike!, what an opportunity that must have been.ive always wondered if i could have done more with myself had i had more knowelege when i was younger.im turning 33 this month and things are deff not how they used to be, ive got alot of joint issues and such, but hell im working with what i got and its enough. peace!

**Mike Dura** · 05-10-2007, 07:47 PM

Thanks. Knowing what I know I could have made more out of it. I endured more pain then. I train smarter now. No steroid forums. Just what the next guy told you. Arnolds encyclopedia of bodybuilding was our bible and I still have and refer to that same copy.

Originally Posted by bpm1

great post mike!, what an opportunity that must have been.ive always wondered if i could have done more with myself had i had more knowelege when i was younger.im turning 33 this month and things are deff not how they used to be, ive got alot of joint issues and such, but hell im working with what i got and its enough. peace!