VINCE GIRONDA

For those who are not familiar with the name Vince Gironda, I would like to start the article like this:
He has been and he still is mostly known as the trainer of the Hollywood stars.
(Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Larry Scott, Mohammad Makkawy, Frank Zane and others;)
Also recognized under the name “Iron Guru” Gironda has been owner of a gym under the name “Vince’s Gym”. This gym was based in California.
Gironda has been and still is very popular as one of the first pioneers and huge advocates of the Low Carb and Ketogenic diets.

In my personal opinion . . .
One of the first true pioneers and leaders of what we now call :
Paleo and Ketogenic lifestyle or movement.

Until this day many people look up on him most likely as some sort of:
Mystical Super Coach or Guru.

Gironda also has the undisputed reputation of :
Man who uses very rare, unconventional and even to certain degree exotic principles when developing his training and dieting methodologies.
Accordingly to a lot of evidence Iron Guru has been a big believer in the statement, that bodybuilding has a lot more to do with creating an art rather than just being a competitive sport.
Gironda has been big believer that it so essential for a bodybuilder to be more of a renaissance type of person.

In other words he has been believer in the statement that:
Bodybuilding is a way of developing not only a beautiful, well balanced, aesthetic, and pleasing physique, but also may become a platform for creating very successful, humble and often times comprehensive personality and character.
He has been the type of coach who believes bodybuilding is a lot more of a spiritual journey than calorie counting and simple lifting of weighs.
He has been the exact type of coach who puts tons of emphasize on the importance of understanding and not neglecting the
Power of visualization.
In order for man or a woman to succeed in whatever he or she desires in life, this individual must first take full control over his mind.
Gironda has been strictly coaching all of his trainees that every success begins with the right state of mind.
*Diets.
All of them based on either staying permanently in ketosis or keto cycling.
Gironda has been also a believer in the statements like:
“Calories do not matter at all.”
And . . .
“All of the calorie counting that bodybuilders of today do is complete nonsense . . . ”

Here I would like to digress for a moment and ask you . . .

Do you know who has the same exact opinion about the calorie counting?
Let me answer this one for you . . .
Serge Nubret.
Yes.
This is correct.
Serge Nubret AKA The Black Panther AKA The man with best aesthetics ever lived in the history. A character based on extreme success and mastery of multiple talents and skills.
Okay now let’s get back on the subject of the non importance of the calorie counting . . .
This also reminds some of the principles behind many of
today’s top notch health and life hacking diets.

Including Dave Asprey’s Bullet Proof Diet . . .

All of the diets and nutrition plans developed by the Iron Guru are either completely
Paleo such as the:
“Green Faces Diet”
(Consisting mostly all kinds of green leafy, fibrous vegetables, whole eggs and all kinds different meats and fishes . . .)
Or . . .
what we nowadays call . . .
Ketogenic and Ketosis Cycling.
Such as the world famous:
Steaks and Eggs and Meat and Egg Diets
(Based mostly all kinds different meats, fishes, a lot of whole eggs and Zero carbohydrates)
Truth to be told they are few options for this diet.
#1. Includes carb re-feeds.
You can use this version of the diet by incorporating some carbohydrate meals or days, but in fact you might find that you feel a lot better without these.

*This can be done by either incorporating one carb meal every 72 hours or
Including Carb re-feeds doing a whole high carb day once every 5 to 6 days.

Here I would like to point out that by carbohydrates we are not talking about junk foods or processed garbage. Gironda has been advising some rice.
Here I feel it is the right place to add this. Since we live in 2016 and the term Rice is too generalized at least for those of us who really pay attention to how we feel after certain foods. Those of use who by any means want reduce or minimize every possibility for potential side effects. So I would recommend doing this re – feeds with some form of safe starch:
(White Basmati Rice imported from india or
Yams /Sweet potatoes. )

#2. Does not includes any form of re-feeds or what so ever.
That means you stay on meat and eggs straight as long as you want.

. . . Next two versions are by product of my experimentations with the diet. Since I look up on it as something that completely changed my life for better I always wanted to push it is own boundaries in order to hack it and make it even better for different, individuals, situations or goals. Here I would like to suggest you to keep in mind that I see these adjustments more likely as tool for individuals who are athletes . . .

#3. Incorporating Fat re-feeds.
I know Gironda has been big advocate of some of the organic full fat
dairy products such as:
Grass fed Butter and Half and half.
I came up with the idea of having targeted fat re-feeds once in a while.
This can be done by simply incorporating more butter and some sour cream here and there through out the whole week.
Since where I am based there is really no Half&Half products available in the stores I did some research and found the closest to this product.
This is the organic full fat Sour Cream. Great mixture which in100gr combines 20gr of fat and 2 to 3 grams of carbs
(depends on the brand . . .)

#4. Calorie Cycling.
Strategically increase in the input of calories from both fat and protein.
Typically they are 2 right times to do this is either after a 48hour fast or on the day of really taxing heavy and high volume workouts.
I use to do it on situations which combined both.

*Individual Muscle strength.

Gironda has been a huge proponent of the idea that
Bodybuilding and Weightlifting or Power lifting are completely different things. He believed bodybuilders should not train as weight lifters. He has been huge advocate of the training based isolation on certain muscle individually.
By any means Gironda avoided the “3 Big Lifts” and they were totally forbidden in his gym. Even though we all have been told that those are the most important and effective exercises and we will never be able to build the physiques we dream about without those.
Iron guru himself came with a totally different to these lifts and the term Compound.
Gironda has been huge believer deadlifts and squats can ruin the aesthetics and the symmetry specially for men. The reason for this is because both of those movements involve a lot of gluteus stimulation. In other more simple words this means that if uses those there is huge possibility for a trainee to develop big butt.
Which has been taken mostly as a side effect instead of benefit during that times.
(Me personally I see it as a alwful side effect too, but this is just my personal opinion…)
Tiny waist, mid section and glutes are probably some of the most fundamental things when it comes to building a physique inspired by the old school era.
Instead of the regular back barbell squats Gironda advocates front squats, Hack squats and sissy squats. I am pretty sure he would totally agree with the smith sissy hack which is a more of an exotic type of movement.

As long as for the bench presses he came with a special technique. This technique is called Guillotine Press or Bench press to neck. The movement can be performed either with free weighted bar or other pieces of gear such as Iron Master and Smith machine.

It is based around gripping the bar as wide as possible while moving the bar a little bellow your chin and touching the are around your clavicle bone with each and every rep.

The Iron guru came up with a totally different meaning for the term compound exercise. For him this means a super or even a tri-set that involves few or more isolation movements performed immediately one after another.
His routines are full of what I call Gironda signature Exercise.
Movements like Sissy squat, Guillotine Bench press, Frog crunches and the V-bar dips.
*Conclusion.
Lets face the facts:
Gironda has been a lifehacker a lot before the life hacking became so popular.
He has been one before even the term was invented.
Iron Guru has been Paleo and Keto a lot before these terms turned mainstream.
This actually happened at least around 10 to 12 year after he left this world . . .

I cannot stretch this one and I will be completely honest with you by saying this:
Studying this man methodologies, way of thinking and whole approach to everything is something which created incredibly beneficial impact on my whole life: mind state, physique and overall health.
Truth to be told this opened my eyes for one completely new world and one completely new version of me. I will continue with this confession and I will share with you another important for me fact from which I cannot shy away.
I do not look on Gironda as some form of Nutritionist, Strength trainer or “Guru” who gets people in shape for a bodybuilding show or photoshoot.
In my head he is one of the best life coaches ever lived.
If I really have to compare Gironda to some today’s dietitians or trainers, I would never compare him only to the top notch trainers, but most definitely to the best life coaches and motivational speakers of the current era.
A true OG Bodybuilding life hacker.
And obviously a head of his time.
RIP
IRON SUPER GURU.

Thank You for Your Reading.
Yours Truly:
PETEONTHEBEAT