Open House Was Like the Golden Era

When I was a young kid, I ate up everything that Arnold wrote.

I read about anything Dave Draper did.

I searched libraries far and wide on bike and begged my parents to drive me to other towns to see if I could find old bodybuilding books - Sergio Oliva, Arnold, Draper, Pearl, Reeves - those guys really had the passion and the love for training, and I LOVED training like nothing else I tell ya!

Well, today, I held the first ever Open House at the Gym and it rocked the house!

People came from all over NY - Queens, Bronx, Manhattan...

People came from Pa.!! Guys that had purchased my Ultimate Underground Kit came to thank me and see the gym and chat with me. I was choked up yet overflowing with excitement!

Coaches from all over NJ - north, central and south - came and we exchanged ideas and information, people tested out the prowler, tire flipping, sandbags, kegs, Bulgarian bags and more!

I got t shirts from other Coaches!! ha ha, I LOVE t shirts from other coaches!

Prizes were raffled off - it was fantastic and really, it REALLY made me feel like this 2 hour time period WAS THE Golden Era all over again!

Some of my athletes stopped by and the Now Famous "Curls" stopped by and flipped the tire as a demo for everyone! What a guy, what a BEAST! ha ha

So, there wasn't posing and shirtless guys, but this was a different Golden Era - the one that is part of the "Strength & Conditioning" Industry I guess we can call it.

NO ANIMOSITY or competition, no jealousy and no bad mouthing!

Fellow Coaches took my cards and told me they would send athletes MY WAY - how freakin' cool is that, talk about having NO ego!

In one way, I have said that the internet has done some shitty stuff and on the other hand, it is because of the internet that all these people knew about our open house and made their way to the USC Gym!

I am grateful beyond words and it REALLY hit me hard as to why I do what I do!

I LOVE the iron, period!

I want to thank everyone who stopped by tonight, this really was the icing on the cake and it kinda helped me travel back in time in some respect, to the day dreaming days of when I would read Arnold's 'Education of a Bodybuilder' and dreamt about working out side by side with the crew in the 70's!

I kinda feel like my gym already has a deep history within, even though I've only been open for 6 weeks, still, there's a spirit in that gym that is unlike anything else!

Thank you again to all my friends who dropped in!

Dedicated to your success,

--Zach--

PS - When I was 22 I took a 2 week trip to Cali, I drove to Venice almost everyday, and I swear to you, when I walked by the original Gold's, I could hear weights clanking and Arnold laughing. Other people have said the same. The spirit lives on!

PPS - I bet the Golden Era crew wishes they were here on the east coast with us!