The mind to go with the muscle: When the greatest bodybuilder of all time has questions for you these are the secrets that Cory G revealed.
Arnold Schwarzenegger interviews Cory G Fitness
Arnold
So, Cory I know you are very enthusiastic about the golden era, as well as the intensity that Franco and I kept up during our competitive days. How has training been going?
Cory G
Arnold you’re right, I really think that your era had it right with volume on top of volume. It made your physique, along with the whole 70’s crew, truly the best in my opinion throughout bodybuilding history. When I got a chance to go through all the outtakes when working together, the amount of sets and workload you guys did each day was astounding.
It inspired me to program these things with my own unique spin to this new generation of lifters. What I also loved about you and Franco was that you were also very strong too. I pride myself on having two elite totals in powerlifting: one at 181 totaling 1400lbs, and one at 198 totaling 1475.
I like to think that my programming is the best of both worlds, keeping my physique strong while also in shape.
Arnold
I know when you were at my Christmas party I introduced you to Betty Weider as the guy who has squatted daily for over three years, and upwards of 500 lbs. Are you still doing this?
Cory G
I fell in love with the concept of squatting every day because I wanted to get exponentially better, faster, and become an expert at the squat to some degree. I knew if I practiced each day I would find things out about myself, including the mental aspect of truly getting under the bar each day.
My best squats to date are 540lb, weighing 181, and 550lb weighing 198. This also includes 500lb at 178, on the third day of my muscle trifecta.
The muscle trifecta includes an Olympia meet on Friday, bodybuilding show on Saturday, and finally a powerlifting meet on Sunday. Squatting daily by using a mix of Bulgarian and soviet weightlifting principles has worked incredibly well, and has helped me reach some major milestones.
Arnold
Obviously, we worked together in the past on fantastic projects but have since moved on. Now that we have the training part covered, what are you doing business wise currently?
Cory
What I love about you is that you always ask what I am training for. It is one of the first things you speak about before business. You understood from day one that it is one of the staples of what I do. I am currently building a very successful online membership website called corygfitness.com, which has members in over 50 countries all over the world.
Alongside that, I am building with my managing partner John Fosco, an amazing new supplement brand that is direct to consumer: maxeffortmuscle.com. Your order is delivered to your door in a burlap sack – you’d love it, Arnold. I am also expanding my gym, oldschoolgym.com to other parts of the country.
Our gym was ranked as one of the top 10 hardcore gyms in the country, and is the staple of what I do each day.
Arnold
I know you’re proponent of getting up early like myself. Could you tell everyone how important that is, because I already know of course ha-ha?
Cory G
You said it best – sleep faster that’s the key. I agree, my alarm is set for 2:45am, 6 days a week, and I know I can take on the world with my absurd daily strategy. I am willing to outwork people because I know I am not the strongest or the leanest, but I am maybe the most consistent person out there.
If I get up by 3am, train from 4-6am, study from 6-7am, get my kids to school and I am working by 8am, I feel like I have total jump on the world each day. I feel unstoppable Arnold and have you to thank for that.
Arnold
Lastly, tell me what it was like to be coal miner. I know I worked some crazy jobs in Austria, but how was that experience?
Cory G
I am a 4th generation miner, but I am glad it stopped with me. I wanted to experience it so I understood what over 100+ years of my family have experienced. It made me strive to work with guys like yourself. It made me want to stand out and take the initiative to try and change generations of Gregory’s.
I got up everyday working upwards of 90 hours a week while saving my money to get an opportunity to hopefully open a gym one day. I wanted it more than anything, and that experience showed me as boy how to work, and what it takes to be a miner.
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