It's 4am - CoryG Fitness

Sharing the mindset

When I look up in the dumbbell room, it’s only the greats that are watching. They obviously are not really watching, but metaphorically speaking they are. I have met almost every one of these guys, and even friends with some. I know what we all have in common, even up to Arnold. It’s an unmatched love of the iron and what it has done for us as people on the inside and outside.

I have had the privilege of speaking with these greats about the Golden Era. They spoke about how great the competition was and the grueling double day sessions, but how they absolutely loved it and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I share the same mindset as these guys… except 50 years later.

Our version

I know that we are not them, but we are in our own way at Old School. Our crew at 4am shares common goals inside and outside the gym. We push and compete with each other, whether it’s on stage or on the platform. I tell them all that it’s special what’s going on inside these walls at 4am… it’s our Golden Era.

We have men getting up in the middle of the night and driving over 60 minutes on a regular basis to be engulfed in the atmosphere. We have people that have moved from all over the country to get a taste of the intensity we bring. When we moved the crew from 5am to 4am it sparked a whole new level of enthusiasm and potential for greatness. I like to manufacture things in my head before they become real. We have all the right pieces of the puzzle, and we add great hardworking guys all the time. We are a family, we are a team, and we are rooting for each other inside and outside the gym.

Don’t get it twisted, I do not want to lose. I don’t ever want to see my name come off the board, or to get second at a show. I want to stay on top, but I equally want a crew member of ours to push the envelope with their numbers or physique.

Through competition we can all become great. The fact that we start at 4am weeds out the wannabes and the non-committed individuals. You can’t accidentally want to train 6-7 days per week at 4am. When my training partner whoops my ass on squats, I start telling them to bring it on meet day. I know inside my head that I didn’t have it that day, but I always have it on game day.

Mixed & matched

We have young kats and old lions in the crew, so we are mixed and matched in all professions and business. We are all working towards a common goal. By pushing your training partners regularly, we continue to move the bar higher because we are competitive and no one likes to lose. We didn’t live in 1974, we are not Mr. Olympia, but we are doing things in our own way with far reaching goals and camaraderie.

I want to make abundantly clear that squatting daily, lunging for miles and hitting our volume is not for everyone. This is exactly how we stand out and make our mark. The 4am Crew at Old School is different… we might be having fun, but we are putting in real work to push ourselves to our true limits. Even if you don’t live here, you live the life of the early riser and for that I appreciate you too. You are my extended family of savages that keep up the crazy path to greatness.