A day in the life of an old school bodybuilder

Functional Fitness

Functional Fitness

Well-known member
I see so much complicated info these days about diet, training, steroids that I feel sorry for future generations of bodybuilders and youngsters new to the game. I understand progression and modern research as new ideas and drugs are always emerging but it always makes me think back to just how simple bodybuilding used to be when I was younger and how we all grew into big fuckers without all this modern mumbo-jumbo and fancy cocktails of drugs and complex training routines.

When I started bodybuilding seriously I was claiming benefits and working in a take away at night cash-in-hand and doing all sorts of dodgy deals with mates for even more cash so I was living a cushy lifestyle for a young lad tbh.

A typical day for me would be to wake up and smoke a large spliff and eat a massive breakfast like 6 scrambled eggs, 4 toast, pack of bacon, bowl of porridge, and a whey shake. Mid morning I'd have a high cal weight gainer shake, bag of nuts, and a bunch of bananas. Lunch would be a 10oz rump steak from local butcher or half a roast chicken and always with mash spuds, white rice, mixture of veg, and some sort of cake or pudding for dessert.
Mid afternoon I'd have another high cal weight gainer and hit the gym for 90 minutes for a typical bodybuilder split (i.e chest and triceps or back and biceps etc) and then I'd have another weight gainer shake when I finished followed by another spliff while me and the lads chilled out for the afternoon and watched a movie. Dinner (tea-time) would be the same meal as lunch before I went to work a shift at the takeaway. Mid evening I'd always have a 12 inch meat feast pizza or a jumbo kebab or a curry with rice/naan bread. Before bed I'd have a Micellar Casein shake with a handful of amino pills and vitamins.

I lived that life for about 6 years on basic gear cycles (test/deca/dbol) and transformed from 11st to 19st without any scientific training blurb or experimental drugs so I'll never understand why guys make bodybuilding so complicated for themselves these days. I haven't even got good genetics so I know it's possible for almost anyone to do the same as me if they keep things simple and consistent. We all ran some quite heavy doses towards the end too and Nolva was the only anti-e we ever used/needed to sort out bitch titties.

It's all seriously complicated these days and I'm glad not a serious bodybuilder anymore.
 
K

Kompany4

Moderator
Staff member
Good post mate

I too haven’t really “rolled with the times” and all the new training programmes and splits and neither do I really monitor macros or workout the ratios of them.

I still train the way the old timers at my first gym taught me and try and eat as close to the stuff they advised me on back then too.

Not knocking your diet back then mate but you sounded very similar to the gents who taught me up until the pizzas and kebabs or curries.

Whatever works for you or me is all that should matter.

I’m always up for learning new things but I always seem to revert or stick with what was tried and tested decades ago.

In my opinion that look was much more better than many you see nowadays.

I too have been guilty of running high doses in years gone by, one of my biggest regrets that but after a long lay off on steroids, My first return to a proper oil cycle of 300mg NPP a week shown me sensible cycles are just as, if not better than huge doses.

More drugs equals more drugs for me and I’m not a fan of having to use this and that to combat that etc.
 
darrenG10

darrenG10

Well-known member
Can we see photos great read bud.
You are right it’s simple as eat enough take a simple cycle test deca dbol drol the four horsemen stack and lift not stupidly like back in the day heavy balls out imo as now you see old school needing shoulder surgery’s knee hips we learn now to train smart volume squeezing with enough anabolics food grows muscle not getting freaky strong.
 
Rdavisipad

Rdavisipad

Member
Agree 100% .
I feel that in the age of social media where everyone on Instagram, influencers and of course celebrities are more jacked and shredded than ever, people are in a rush to obtain those physiques.... causing a "more is better" approach.
 
Functional Fitness

Functional Fitness

Well-known member
darrenG10 said:
Can we see photos great read bud.
Click to expand...

No gym-rats from that era were walking around with mobile phones/cameras and taking pics to share on social media /forums mate but looking back I wish had a taken a few at my biggest. The only lads taking pics back then were the pros and amateur competitors.
 
Jayne Scott

Jayne Scott

Member
Functional Fitness said:
I see so much complicated info these days about diet, training, steroids that I feel sorry for future generations of bodybuilders and youngsters new to the game. I understand progression and modern research as new ideas and drugs are always emerging but it always makes me think back to just how simple bodybuilding used to be when I was younger and how we all grew into big fuckers without all this modern mumbo-jumbo and fancy cocktails of drugs and complex training routines.

When I started bodybuilding seriously I was claiming benefits and working in a take away at night cash-in-hand and doing all sorts of dodgy deals with mates for even more cash so I was living a cushy lifestyle for a young lad tbh.

A typical day for me would be to wake up and smoke a large spliff and eat a massive breakfast like 6 scrambled eggs, 4 toast, pack of bacon, bowl of porridge, and a whey shake. Mid morning I'd have a high cal weight gainer shake, bag of nuts, and a bunch of bananas. Lunch would be a 10oz rump steak from local butcher or half a roast chicken and always with mash spuds, white rice, mixture of veg, and some sort of cake or pudding for dessert.
Mid afternoon I'd have another high cal weight gainer and hit the gym for 90 minutes for a typical bodybuilder split (i.e chest and triceps or back and biceps etc) and then I'd have another weight gainer shake when I finished followed by another spliff while me and the lads chilled out for the afternoon and watched a movie. Dinner (tea-time) would be the same meal as lunch before I went to work a shift at the takeaway. Mid evening I'd always have a 12 inch meat feast pizza or a jumbo kebab or a curry with rice/naan bread. Before bed I'd have a Micellar Casein shake with a handful of amino pills and vitamins.

I lived that life for about 6 years on basic gear cycles (test/deca/dbol) and transformed from 11st to 19st without any scientific training blurb or experimental drugs so I'll never understand why guys make bodybuilding so complicated for themselves these days. I haven't even got good genetics so I know it's possible for almost anyone to do the same as me if they keep things simple and consistent. We all ran some quite heavy doses towards the end too and Nolva was the only anti-e we ever used/needed to sort out bitch titties.

It's all seriously complicated these days and I'm glad not a serious bodybuilder anymore.
Click to expand...
Ain't no school like the old-school...brilliant read.
 
K

Kompany4

Moderator
Staff member
Functional Fitness said:
No gym-rats from that era were walking around with mobile phones/cameras and taking pics to share on social media /forums mate but looking back I wish had a taken a few at my biggest. The only lads taking pics back then were the pros and amateur competitors.
Click to expand...
Your right mate and spot on they didn’t.

The couple of spit and sawdust gyms I trained at years ago tho did have plenty of photography work up on the walls of reception or waiting areas etc

Some were snaps of them training or posing, some even backstage, I am glad these were took (even if quality of camera wasn’t very good) because we get to see that era and how they looked and trained.

@darrenG10 I’m not on social media but I know Walter O’Malley is on Instagram and he will have plenty of old school snaps from back in the day mate, couple of famous faces used to train down there too, cracking gym mate.
 
darrenG10

darrenG10

Well-known member
Kompany4 said:
Your right mate and spot on they didn’t.

The couple of spit and sawdust gyms I trained at years ago tho did have plenty of photography work up on the walls of reception or waiting areas etc

Some were snaps of them training or posing, some even backstage, I am glad these were took (even if quality of camera wasn’t very good) because we get to see that era and how they looked and trained.

@darrenG10 I’m not on social media but I know Walter O’Malley is on Instagram and he will have plenty of old school snaps from back in the day mate, couple of famous faces used to train down there too, cracking gym mate.
Click to expand...
Absolutely amazing page hes a legend he was in the documentary it’s on YouTube
 
Functional Fitness

Functional Fitness

Well-known member
Kompany4 said:
The couple of spit and sawdust gyms I trained at years ago
Click to expand...

I trained at Catts in Wigan owned/founded by Harry Catterall. That place was full of seriously brutal guys that didn't fuck about when it was time to train. It's still got a top local rep for hardcore guys in the area even today but they cater for other types of modern training now too.

Here's Old Harry back in the day. Wayne owns Catts now (if he's still alive and hasn't sold it?) and he smashed a few powerlifting titles in his prime.


Harry catterall
 
Bonus

Bonus

Administrator
Staff member
Great post (y)
Problem is, back then there wasn't the abundance of information, misinformation and 'opinion' that's available now online, now there's way too much!
And so much of it conflicting to the point it becomes counterproductive.
The paradox of abundance...
Wonder what Dan Duchane would make of it now, were he still alive?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top