90s Style Training for New School Gains by G Diesel
My foundation in this game is in the 1990s. Like so many of my lifelong passions and obsessions, they were rooted in my adolescence in the 1980s but like the bamboo growing for years unseen beneath the soil, they began to break ground and blossom in the decade to follow.
The nineties featured breakthroughs in music and media, food and nutrition, equipment and technology—ushering in a bold new millennium. For me personally, it was a teenage time of learning and discovery. Lessons and inspiration that set a trajectory for my life.
It is in that spirit, that I will reflect back as we blast forward, finding rules and jewels from the nineties that would serve us well today. A “code” I live by to this day, one built on the wisdom of the iron elders. Let’s go back to the future, and inject some of that retro work ethic and nineties nostalgia into our daily grind.
-Mentality
The gym afforded an opportunity for self-investment. An outlet for aggression. A workshop for people compelled by an inner urge to improve. Be stronger. Look better. Make the team. Stand up to the bully. Get her attention. Believe in yourself. This was a place to make those visions a reality. There were some serious gyms. But often “hardcore” was more about atmosphere and the collective mindset of those who trained there regularly. Black paint and black pad upholstery on the benches might make a room literally dark, but it does not a dungeon make. I have lifted in many a family fitness center that was far more intense than any boutique barbell club where the “hardcore vibe” was merely painted on the walls. This was the attitude era of Dorian, Iron Mike and the nWo. The mild-mannered need not apply.
-Fashion
Everybody has their favorite shirt or tank, their lucky sweats or hat… I’ve always been into kicks. But the gym ‘fit is a new phenomenon. Every era has its specific personality, and the 80s and 90s had plenty of regrettable faux pas like bright-colored parachute pants and boatneck sweatshirts. But for most of us, the clothing was utilitarian and about a feeling. Work boots and hoodies and bandanas were common attire because we were there to put in work and it wasn’t supposed to be pretty. We were planning our workouts, not our outfits, as the weights were the top priority. As Deion once said “Look good, you play good… Play good, they pay good.” I agree, but keep it within reason with your drip—this is leg day not your junior prom. The iron doesn’t care what you wear.
-Food
As far as we knew, like any other serious athlete, carbs were our friend. The preferred fuel source of working muscle, meals included large servings of staples like oatmeal, rice and potatoes. But also fruit, pasta, pancakes, juice, bread and bagels. Still do. Paired with ample lean protein and healthy fats, carbohydrates were sought out, not shunned. Heavy, higher volume training and consistent cardio required proper, fully-leaded fuel to perform optimally. Keto and carnivore were not an option—more the Atkins-esque “lose weight fast” gimmicks of the elderly and sedentary. Think Ronnie, Jay and Dorian… Kobe, Bo and Michael Phelps. Champions who pushed their physical and mental limits, and ate accordingly. Pushing always for bigger, faster, stronger. Create the need and your high performance human machine will run on premium gas optimally.
-Media
Before the time of social media, lifting culture was decidedly more analog. My initial foray into bodybuilding self-education was the magazines, primarily IronMan, MuscleMedia 2000, MuscleMag and of course FLEX. As I did with basketball, baseball and football periodicals, I read these religiously, monthly and cover-to-cover, hungry for any and all knowledge and inspiration I could acquire. My first two bodybuilding-related videos were Pumping Iron and Blood & Guts. VHS tapes that I watched over and over again with my bros, they provided infinite inspiration and “edutainment” becoming required viewing each day before I’d head to the gym, right around my freshman year of college and for years thereafter. Right around this time, the digital revolution began and magazines and video tapes seemingly transitioned to the internet and DVDs overnight. The message boards of “Internet 1.0” became a place to learn and exchange ideas. Likeminded athletes could suddenly connect around the world, radically adjusting their perspective of what’s possible, simply because they could now compare themselves to a global peer group.
-Music
The gym is not a night club, but music is most certainly a part of the ambiance. The nineties featured grunge and gangster rap—stripped down, gritty responses to the pop and glam of the decade prior. Music that’s hard and has an edge contributes greatly to the intensity of training. Either through weathered house speakers suspended from the ceiling or the headphones from your Walkman, music set the mood. For me it was Wu-Tang and Nas… Cypress Hill, House of Pain and Onyx. To this day, when I hear some of those tracks, I am transported back to the Brigantine Fitness Center in 1995, the bass banging in my ears.
-Supplements
The “sense memory” goes beyond just the hip-hop beats of the 1990s, the supplement industry began to boom, and I recall the smells and flavors of my favorites from when I was first bitten by the iron bug. In the cooler at the BFC were RTDs from American Bodybuilding, some of the best tasting and most effective drinks to this day—Carbo Force, Cutting Force, Super Shake, Blue Thunder, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and more. Ultimate Orange dropped as the original “preworkout”—mystical, mysterious and strange-tasting it hit like nothing before—you could literally train for hours. EAS brought creatine to the mass-seeking masses with Phosphagen. And Met-Rx was all the rage—providing a premium-quality, high protein meal replacement to dedicated athletes, prioritizing convenience and precision nutrition. I miss those shakes, they were magical.
The obsession, in those formative years, was to get bigger and stronger by any means. Here’s a time-tested, tried and true 1990s-inspired weight gainer recipe to pack on the muscle. I’m drinking one of these immediately postworkout after back today, to kickstart anabolism and recovery. This breaks my fast, rapidly replenishes glycogen and shuttles highly bioavailable amino acids (in the form of whey protein isolate) directly into the muscle at its most heightened state of disrepair. These are critical building materials crucial to your new construction.
G Diesel’s “Mass to the Future” Gainer Shake
2 scoops GCode Nutrition FUEL Whey Protein Isolate
1 pack Oatmeal or 1/2 cup Cereal
1 Banana
1 cup Whole Milk
1 TBSP Peanut Butter
1 TBSP Raw Honey
The approximate math on this shake is as follows: 800 total calories, 65 grams of protein, 85 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of fat. Adjust, making additions and subtractions as you see fit, depending on your specific circumstances and goals.
The author of this article consumed 1-2 such shakes per day for 15+ years.
-Training
Last in this article, but always first in our hearts, the key factor that brought us through the gym doors in the first place and ensured we came back daily ever since, was the transformative power of the iron. Already obsessed with the concept of “self-actualization” since Ma Dukes bought me that first gym membership on my 16th birthday, I fell in love with the idea of making myself better every day exclusively as a result of my own efforts. This “love of process” is endemic to all serious athletes and a common trait of the greats.
With Dorian-inspired Heavy Duty, Arnold-esque volume and a seemingly limitless tool box full of intensity techniques torn from the pages of the magazines, we proudly hammered ourselves with each workout. We were “evidence-based” in that we did as the OGs more advanced than us did. They were huge and jacked and strong and more experienced, and as such, had the knowledge and resulting progress we so coveted, painstakingly acquired via years of trial and error in the trenches. They were living proof. And all the evidence we needed.
“Cardio” back then was strictly for the casuals and aerobics folks and we were paranoid such extraneous activity might undermine the gains. As a result, many of us avoided that section of the gym like the plague, not realizing the improved cardiovascular health and conditioning would only accelerate our muscle-building progress. As my penance, I now smash my cardio first thing in the AM, six days per week. As a tribute, my preferred methods are a StairMaster and LifeFitness Recumbent Bike straight out of these most golden of eras.
“Stairapy”
Six early mornings per week, in a dark garage, I climb onto my vintage StairMaster—exercising while exorcising my demons. Immediately hydrating upon waking with a combo of RISE and LIFE, in a hoodie and bandana, with my headphones, I take part in my daily intensive stair therapy aka “Stairapy”. Chasing the endorphins of a “runner’s high” I aim for a daily minimum of 100 floors in 30 minutes. Emerging drenched in sweat from the stationary climb—winning the war against the steps each day, is a victory worth cherishing.
Inspired by the grind and gritty grandeur of the Nineties, here’s a week of training programming that brings the best era back to life and will be sure to leave you pumped up, sore and coming back for more. A “bro split” truly built for the most hardcore of my brethren.
Mass to the Future Training “Bro Split”
#MondayGunday Arms
Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
Alternating DB Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps
Skullcrushers: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
CGBP: 2 sets x 15 reps
Superset: Hammer DB Curls w/ Overhead Extensions, 2 sets each x 15+ reps per set
Wrist Curls: 2 sets x 25 reps
#DynamiteDelts Shoulders
DB Side Laterals: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
Barbell Behind the Neck Press: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
Superset: Bent Rear DB Laterals w/ Upright Rows, 2 sets each x 12 reps
Shrugs: 2 sets x 25 reps
#WideWednesday Back
Front Pulldowns: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
T-Bar Rows: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
Behind the Neck Pulldowns: 2 sets x 12 reps
One Arm DB Rows: 2 sets x 8 reps
Wide Grip Pullups: 2 sets of BW to failure
#LegendaryLegDay Quads
Squats: 4 sets x 15-10 reps
Bulgarian Split Squats: 2 sets x 12 reps
Leg Extensions: 4 sets x 25+ reps
Wall Sits: 1 set of BW x 60 seconds
#BigFriday Chest
Flat DB Presses: 3 sets x 15-10 reps
Flat Barbell Press: 3 sets x 10-4 reps
Incline DB Press: 2 sets x 15 reps
Superset: Flat DB Flyes w/ Cross Bench DB Pullovers, 2 sets each x 15 reps
Pushups: 1 Burnout Set to Failure
#DetailsDay Hams/Calves/Abs
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 2 sets x 10 reps
Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Calf Raises: 4 sets x 25 reps
Superset: Crunches w/ Leg Raises, 2 sets each x 25 reps per
Planks: 1 set x 60 seconds
Bringing it back—the spirit, the energy, the effort, the enthusiasm, the determined defiance, so we can blast forward making progress like the newbie gains of the early game. Going back to our deeply entrenched roots, to deliver a “feeling”. If I could bottle it up and sell it, it would be GCode’s next product. But infused into what we do daily, is a history of passion and experience, distilled down and shared in the 100 proof words and images on this page. It is a transformative force and now lives on in your imagination. The power is in your hands, don’t let it go to waste.
