MOTIVATION
By Cory Gregory
HAVE FUN
I am fairly certain that I ’ m on a very short list of people that has actually seen every non-published outtake of one of the best documentaries ever created in fitness : Pumping Iron . I would say if it wasn ’ t for this documentary highlighting a young Arnold Schwarzenegger , it is hard to say how fast the fitness industry would have evolved . I literally got the chance to sit in Arnold ’ s office to watch every clip ever shot on the entire movie . It took me days to complete such a task , but it was an incredible experience .
One common theme surrounding the guys , starting with Arnold , was that they did what they loved to do each day . This included training , competing , and building their business because that ’ s what they had fun doing . It was hilarious to watch the numerous outtakes of Arnold joking around pulling pranks on the other guys , and messing around in general . I also saw the guys giving it right back to him .
The environment was totally light hearted , even though it took extreme discipline to look like G reek G ods . They enjoyed every minute of the process , and would not trade it for anything else . Even Joe Weider was subject to the teasing among the group . After going through the footage , is was particularly unique to see the conversations between Arnold and Joe . So few individuals have witnessed this , and I have got to say it was pretty damn cool to hear and see . The takeaway here is to look at the glass half full no matter what venture you set out to accomplish , and if it ’ s truly your passion , it will lead you the way .
3 TAKEAWAYS FROM WATCHING
PUMPING IRON
EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE
WHO CARES WHAT PEOPLE THINK
In those days , bodybuilding and fitness wasn ’ t as socially acceptable as it is today because the majority was weighing around 15 0 lbs . back then . I know people used to say , “ Arnold , I don ’ t wanna look like you .” He would say , “ G ood , you can ’ t even if you tried .” Arnold and the G olden Era bodybuilders had unparalleled swagger that drew me in at a young age as I began to study them . I knew that I wanted to mold my gym , work ethic , and my physique after Vince G ironda , Steven Reeves and Frank Z ane .
The reason that I mention these guys is because Arnold is so much larger than me . That being said , I do believe that initially my swag and confidence did originate from reading all about Arnold and watching Pumping Iron . An idol worth noting here is MJ of
DAILY INTENSITY & COMPETITION
What ’ s unique about this exceptional era in fitness and one of the huge reasons that I love it , is that all these guys trained together and went to battle every day . As you can imagine , this created more competition between everyone , and with the right amount of smack talk , it pushed them to higher limits . They saw each other every day , and when it came to competition , they saw each other side by side on stage . Arnold said that he would go back and forth between Franco and Ed Corner for training partners because they had strengths that helped push him harder . He simply knew that if he wanted to be the best in the sport , he had to be pushed by those with those strengths .
Trying to do this all on your own would be awfully difficult , borderline impossible to do on your own . Having daily struggles with people that you can count on is imperative to succeeding . For instance , I know that at 4 or 5 am there will be people at Old School G ym , and that will in turn breed intensity and competition . Arnold , Franco , Frank Z ane and others felt the same way when they walked into G old ’ s G ym . I also remember sitting there watching my favorite Ed Corny test Arnold on squats rep for rep . You can ’ t be scared to beat the best , and with that , it pushed him to be great . course , because his poise is out of this world , which has transferred well for me into my line of work . These guys walked around Venice like they owned it , because ultimately they did at this time in history . Having the privilege to see all of this uncut footage , behind the scenes , and outtakes has made me feel blessed , and I am pleased to have shared it with you .
www . NaturalMuscle . net 13