Today, I want to write about one of the forgotten pioneers of bodybuilding: Vince Gironda aka the Iron Guru. Vince, born in the Bronx, later settled in California and was one of the first trainers to the stars. His clients were : Clint Eastwood, Cher, Larry Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on. But it wasn't so much his clientele that makes him remarkable , it was the way he pushed the sport in a new direction. He was one of the first to develop a low carb approach to dieting, looked into amino acids as supplements and dismissed the then common notion of bulking for the sake of getting bigger as nonsense since it only lead to fat gain. Vince was the first man to appear "ripped" at a contest and was placed lower for being too lean ...( those judges later founded Lehman Brothers)
He also created the 8x8 routine ( the "honest workout"), the drag curl and was a big proponent of squats as a hormonal optimizer.
Most interesting though was his attitude toward bodybuilding as such. He really cared about the sport, not his financial success. Without hesitation, he would dismiss paying clients if they did not follow his routine and rather work pro bono with a talented and dedicated lifter.
His teachings are all but forgotten, yet many current bodybuilding diets and routines are based on Vince's wisdom.
Thanks Vince!
I am off to an 8x8 shoulder workout
Maik
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