Vex Vinny, Vol. 1 by Vinny Galanti I have been lifting weights since I was about 14 years old. I started out in my basement, my dad brought home some weights, and when I was about 16 I joined my first gym--Billy's Gym in Bayonne, NJ. To me, Billy's was like school, but a more enjoyable school. A place where the power lifters taught me the importance of deadlifting, squats, and how valuable the power rack was. While at the same time the competitive bodybuilders taught me how to train with intensity and the proper way to lift, what kinds of food to eat and what supplements to take. What I learned in Billy's over the 6 years that I trained there, cannot be found today in the average gym. Today hardcore gyms are very few and hard to find. Today, the LA Fitness centers are more into the fitness minded crowd, and you're looked at like a freak if you bench 315. I come from an era of “weightlifters” that knew the true meaning of “hardcore”… The true meaning of “balls to the wall” training. And I have read many magazines since 1984. I can't tell you how many times I have read over and over on how to do the bench press or squats. After a while it gets boring. I have been with Universal for 10 years, and in these 10 years I have watched the birth of the Animal and an avenue to express my years of knowledge onto the new generation of weightlifters. I am giving a few people from The Forvm at Animalpak.com the chance to interview me about my 24 years in this game. I thought it would be a cool idea to have the questions thrown at me from the perspective of my brothers, rather than a professional writer. So here we go… Question # 1, Angst I'm curious what injuries you had in the past and what you've done differently to prevent them? My first injury happened around 1994 in Gold's Gym in Venice CA. Jason Arntz just competed in the Jr USA and was in LA doing photo shoots. When he had a day off we both trained legs together and while warming up on the single leg curl, my right hamstring tore right off. I was black and blue from my ass to my ankle. Since that I time, I make sure I ride the bike for 10 min and use a foam roller to warm up properly. Question # 2 Hollow1 Do you approach each workout with a set game plan or do you base it on how you feel physically/mentally? I train on how I feel, sometimes I might go into the gym thinking I'm cold and not going to get a good workout, and it turns out that I'm strong and lifting weights that I was not thinking I could handle on that day. For the most part I start to train, and if I feel a certain way, I let it guide me. Question # 3 Renegade What does you Post Workout Supplementation look like? What do you consume immediately PWO and then what and how far apart do you have a whole food meal? I wish my stomach would be cool, but it just does not like high carb drinks. I get bloated, so I'm stuck eating my carbs, and after a leg session, who feels like eating right away? Good thing I love sweet potatoes. I eat 1 sweet potato with 2 scoops of whey protein powder and about 2 hours later I have 1 bag of white success rice with a 6 ounce can of tuna. Question # 4 Broken 515 From competing while you were younger and doing the Masters now has the competition changed at all that you can tell. And has your training had to under go changes as well? I have to be honest, I enjoyed the regional and local level of competition much more than going into the USA or the Nationals, and when I was backstage at the Masters this year I loved it, I loved the guys, the whole thing, it was very cool competing there. It reminded me of the early years for me. For example, at the Nationals you can get into talking to a guy about how much he lifted or how long he dieted, and at the Masters Nationals, guys were talking about getting back to work on Monday and one guy pulled out pictures of his kids. Very stress free, I liked it. All fun. That said, I am looking forward to kicking ass again next year at the the USAs. Question # 5 Nightshift What's the single best piece of advice you have ever received? I met Shawn Ray at a show he was guest posing, and we talked about marketing and promoting. He told me take your USA title and market your self, who cares if you never turn pro? You will make more money than most pros anyway. Question # 6 Hollow1 Do you find the need to increase rest periods between workouts or does your work/personal life provide breaks? When I go on vacation I might train once at a local gym just for fun, but when I'm on vacation I eat what ever I want. When I decided to train for a contest I take a full week off from the gym and begin eating good food at about 15 weeks out. 14-12 weeks out I'm all business. When I am in training and I have a family affair to attend, my tupperware comes with me, but if I have to travel for family stuff, at this point in my life, family comes first and I skip the gym. Question #8 IRN-NML How do you get a bodybuilding mentality in the gym, even if there isn't a competition in sight or down the road? We all lift weights, the bottom line is what you do the other 23 hours outside of the gym. I don't care if you are just weightlifting or bodybuilding, what you eat dictates your outcome. My training never changes just because I'm training for a contest. I train hard all year long, for show time my body gets better only because I stop eating higher calories and I clean the diet up. I enjoy eating food. Do you think I like eating 6 small meals a day? Hell no. My motivation in the gym comes from the sheer love of lifting weights, after 24 years I still really enjoy going to the gym....