The Iron Guru was just as tough and no-nonsense as his name. Back in the day, once you stepped drove or walked down CA blvrd and into Vince’s Gym aka the Mecca of Bodybuilding, you were now in his kingdom, and Vince reigned supreme, and made sure everyone knew that.
Vince’s rules were absolute
There was only one way to train–his way. If you disagreed with him or didn’t do what he expected, that was the end of your relationship with Vince.
Sheesh.
So let’s talk about 10 things that could get you kicked out… or even expelled from Vince’s Gym back in the day.
RULE NO 10: Failing to work
The Iron Guru never tolerated laziness or half effort. To him, putting in 50% was worse than putting in nothing at all.
If you weren’t ready to give 100%, Vince’s Gym was not for you.
‘ My methods and systems work, but sometimes, my students do not.”
- Vince Anselmo Gironda
NO 9: Leaving shoes on during calf work
No shoes were allowed while you’re training calves. In fact, doing otherwise would get you thrown out. No questions asked.
So make sure your shoes are never musty when it’s calf day.
NO 8: Serving two masters
Vince was really against having two personal trainers at the same time and his reason was quite simple; back in the day a lot of personal trainers had different ideologies for fitness and building muscle. Having two PTs could mean a clash of ideologies or techniques which could be a recipe for disaster.
NO 7: Wearing street clothes in the gym
Going to Vince's Gym? You got to have one of these.
To Vince, the gym was a place of work. And like any other place of work, you have to be in uniform. So no streetwear was allowed; only the appropriate gym clothes that allowed better mobility and zeroed in the fact that you were now in the gym to work. So that means gym shorts and shirts, headbands, tank tops, etc only.
NO 6: Not having a change of clothes
I really doubt that Vince would be able to stand the mustiness in most gyms today. Gym hygiene was really important to Vince, so you had to make sure you always brought in a change of clothes you could switch into after a hard workout.
Plus I’m guessing air conditioning wasn’t really huge back then so it must have gone a long way in keeping the air fresh and clean to breathe.
NO 5: Starting your workouts with biceps exercises
Now this is were things get interesting. The Iron Guru did not appreciate people coming into his gym and kicking things off with bicep curls or other bicep exercises and could throw you out for doing just that.
Vince always believed that the smallest muscle groups should always be saved for last.
NO 4: Doing cardio or aerobic exercises
Vince was firmly against aerobic exercises for bodybuilders as aerobic exercises like cardio lead to muscle loss in the long run and that is not a desirable outcome for a bodybuilder.
NO 3: Wasting time on sets
Vince did not tolerate spending hours on sets as he believed in fully maximizing your time in the gym instead of hanging around on one set for an hour.
NO 2: Chatting or socializing in the gym
Nowadays the gym has become a social hotspot for meeting new people and making new friends.
That’s fine and all, but back in the day at Vince’s Gym, that wouldn’t fly at all. Vince treated the gym like a workplace and expected all his students and disciples to be focused and professional.
That said, some of the strongest bonds and friendships were forged in Vince’s Gym.
NO 1: Eating hamburgers & fries while on a diet
Looks good, right? Forget about it when working with Vince.
Vince was huge on commitment when it came to diet. To him, fitness was 80% nutrition and 20% workouts, and one of the major reasons why he started his own supplement company, NSP Nutrition after becoming dissatisfied with the quality of supplements on the market. And that was why it was very important to him that meant if you made up your mind to go on a diet, there was no turning back.
Zero junk food meant zero junk food; and you’d have to give them all up, especially hamburgers and fries.
Conclusion
In today’s fitness world, very few people would be able to pass all the Iron Gurus’ discipline checks and tests. But what do you think of Vince's rules? Too extreme? Let us know in the comments!
