Gym Articles

Gym Warriors

GYM WARRIORS
Hard Core Gym #53

Last month we got a bit of an attitude, but this month we?re going to war! I kept getting little cryptic emails from Paul DeSimone about his gym, and about his lifting accomplishments and it made me interested to see if there was any fire under all of that smoke!
He sent photos of himself doing a 220# dumbbell lift, claimed he could close the Captains of Crush #3, sent a photo of a 365# shoulder press (free weight); plus he has crossover interest in competing as bodybuilder, powerlifter, and strongman! Can one do all of this? While running a gym?!?
The name Gym Warrior may come from his preferred training mentality, and also the fact that his family is originally Roman. He used that name to remind him of the great empire. Now we?ll let Paul tell us a little about some of the gym members:
I am Paul DeSimone (the owner of the gym) and I have been doing bodybuilding, and powerlifting since I was 16 years old. I like most people, got started with the AAU program for teens. My first competition, I missed the state record, and qualified for nationals by 40 lbs - only because I never trained with commands. I got lifts but I did not rack my benches, and did not wait for the judges on my deadlifts. I finished 4th place. From there, I went into bodybuilding winning the Teen Mr. Mass competition and going on to nationals finishing 4th place. I kept competing in bodybuilding and then in 2000 I did the Strongest Man in Tampa competition, a 3 lift competition at the University of Tampa, I did a 550 squat, 675 deadlift, and 385 bench to win my class. This was a totally raw event. I got second overall with no trophy. So the guys at the meet took some water bottles and we all signed them as a memento. From there I started doing feats of strength, bending large steel bars, picking up cars, and grip strength. I still compete in the NPC for bodybuilding. I?m 26 years old trying to run a gym, train some great athletes, and bodybuild. Its a hectic lifestyle let me tell you.
My best lifts are 455 bench, 550 squat 675 deadlift raw. Louie keeps trying to get me to enter the strong man competition - which I will try after bodybuilding season is over (July). I have also been known to curl tons of weight and I'm thinking about doing a curling competition. I two hand curled on an ez curl bar (of course cheating) 365 lbs at Extreme Gym in 2000, Tampa, FL, in front of about 200 people. I can also curl 115lb dumbbells for a set of 12 which I have in my many work out videos, the most I ever did on a dumbbell is 135 lb dumbbells for set of 6 reps.
Tom Bailie is a post man who goes to my gym he?s your average Joe, who walked in one day off the street. He said hey can I get a membership, and I said yes you can. A lot of people walk into the gym and are intimidated when you see large young men using what average people would say is huge weights. Tom was actually motivated from seeing us. He in turn is the sponge, soaking up as much information as he possibly can. Trying to make his lifts go up each week is a constant goal for tom. We have all seen him slowly but surely climb up that ladder. When he walked in he could luckily bench 135, and squat 150. Now he?s got his bench up to 275, deadlifting 315 for 6reps, and squatting 275 for 4-5. This was all done in less than a year, and with no one training him. He basically watches guys lift, talks to them and takes things out. Tom is a great guy infact; I know he probably doesn?t want me to tell you this. But small gyms can have rough times, and when he was up to rejoin I told him I would give him his original contract price of 120 dollars for 6months, he told me thanks but no thanks and gave me 170 dollars. He told me he loved this gym and would rather pay more to be there! Now that?s a person who cares about a gym.
Louie Peppe is one of our most creative lifters. He does strongman, powerlifting, and some Olympic lifts. I've seen him do a two hand anyhow with 135 lb barbell, while holding that bar up he picked up a thick dumbbell with 75 and snatch that up. It was truly something else; Louie also has done a 705 deadlift, squats 705, and benches 455 all with the help of a belt. No wraps at all, he was getting ready for an all natural bodybuilding contest about 2 years ago he dieted down to 202. He quit my gym feeling the effects from the diet, about 4 months later he rejoined my gym, stronger than ever. I am the only one who can spot Louie when he does 600 lb box squats, 345lb close grip bench, old school style hack squats with 525. He is one of the strongest people I have ever met in my life, weighing only 216lbs he looks like he weighs 240. Louie is going for his pro card in strongman on April 1st in New Haven, CT.
My brother is the most deserving person to have anything written on him for this reason. Without his original money and ideas this gym could never ever have happened. He was the original owner of the gym, my brother and I hand picked each piece of equipment. Friend of Derosia (Atlantis Foundation) a great guy, we got some amazing equipment at a good cost. My brother has been a powerlifter his whole life, and is a very laid back comical figure. (We love the comics!) People love him, its almost crazy how many people love him. Some of the younger kids like CJ Digambarino tell him that he's their idol. They also call him the witch doctor as a nickname. My brother just found that he has sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and diabetes - which a lot of 300 lb powerlifters find to be a lifestyle changer. My brother is the reason why I know about PLUSA, if it wasn?t for him I would not know your great magazine - which gives factual information instead of imaginary.
He has bench pressed 500 raw, dead lifted 600, and squatted 650 with knee wraps and a belt only at 240 lbs. He now is 315 pounds and we are all urging him to loose some weight and get back to that 240 and win some contests. So Big Law this is for you bro, lets hit the treadmill and the weights hard this year.
All I have to say is the gym is incredible, the best atmosphere any where. You need to come and experience it for yourself.
I would like to say one more thing, without a magazine like this there wouldn?t be any way for a small gym like mine and any of its members to get any recognition for their accomplishments.
The gym address is Gym Warriors ? Paul Desimone, 119 R Foster St. Peabody, MA 01960.
Sounds way cool Paul ? keep up the good work. We love simple, old school, dinosaur training! Carry on! Until next month; lift big, eat big, sleep long.
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