Tag: guy Cisternino

Guy Cisternino: Love For Social Media Is Replacing Love For Training In Bodybuilding

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Guy Cisternino shares one of the biggest things he hates about bodybuilding today.
Guy Cisternino is a pro bodybuilder who is not afraid to speak his mind – even if it’s not what people want to hear. That’s why we asked him to share one thing he loves about modern bodybuilding… and one thing he hates about modern bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive, Guy Cisternino details how he loves the camaraderie of bodybuilding but hates how social media has changed training.
In our first GI Exclusive segment with Guy Cisternino, we discussed the viral video showcasing him confronting people at the gym. He was in the middle of a set and was angry due to younger gym patrons filming aggressively close to the current exercise machine Cisternino was using. Ultimately, he was able to explain himself and patch things up with the young gym-goers.
But the problem that started it, filming constantly in the gym during training, is the biggest thing that Guy Cisternino dislikes about modern bodybuilding. In his own words, he believes that, “the love for training is becoming more a love for social media.” What he means by this is that young bodybuilders see training more as “content” rather than a means to improving their physique.
This is, of course, a very generalized statement. But it tracks with what Guy Cisternino was telling us in a previous segment as well. Cisternino loves hardcore focused bodybuilders. Branch Warren is one of his biggest inspiration. Today, he sees less of that and more young bodybuilders constantly filming their training and filming random content in between sets. Cisternino worries that young bodybuilders are trying to skip the line and become famous before they accomplish major victories as a competitive bodybuilder.

Social media has also proved that you can be successful without ever competing. Influencers like Rich Piana, Bradley Martyn, and Craig Golias find success through social media without having to compete on the pro level. Guy Cisternino argues that those individuals are the outliers. The problem is everyone wants to be the outlier instead of doing the hard work of becoming a successful pro.
“They’re trying to be in our shoes as professionals before even stepping on stage. And it’s frustrating,” Guy Cisternino states in our interview. He continues:
“And yeah, in my eyes, and I don’t think it’s bad to say But for me to say it’s not disrespectful to think that a 20 year old kid has a camera crew filing himself working out because he thinks… he’s trying to be somebody on the same level as somebody like me? What I do? It’s crazy. It’s like, I would never act like I’m a professional football player on social media because I’m not a professional football player. But you’re going to act like you’re a professional bodybuilder or professional trainer and you’re 20 years old and have a camera crew? Like work for what you have.”
This is a divide between generations that exists beyond bodybuilding. A portion of millennials and Gen Z grew up a world where it feels like anyone can become famous because sites like YouTube and Instagram have a low bar for entry. Namely, it’s free to upload and broadcast content. Once that content became monetizable – newer generations discovered there was money to be made via influencer success.

But much like fame in any era – it can only be a small percentage who actually achieve it. Now with the bar for entry lower, it at least seems like more individuals are attempting to pursue it. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. But when it enters tried and true traditions or public spaces – it can clash with the old way of doing things.
Is one inherently worse than the other? Time and reflection on an entire generation will be the true teacher. But for Guy Cisternino, it’s simply something he hates about the current state of bodybuilding. It’s not wrong. It’s not right. But it’s something that clashes with what he loves about bodybuilding – the passion for training above all else.
You can watch Guy Cisternino explain his full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!

Guy Cisternino: Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Heavy Weight vs Light Weight Training

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Guy Cisternino shares some wisdom as to why people should stop worrying about free weights vs machines or heavy weight vs light weight.
A common question that comes up when people are looking for bodybuilding advice is what generation training style they should focus on. Is it better to do more free weights or more machine exercises? Is it best to do heavy weight and low volume or light weight and high volume? Guy Cisternino is someone who has been notoriously known for his hardcore heavyweight training. But surprisingly, he gives a different kind of advice when it comes to these general questions. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Guy Cisternino explains why you shouldn’t worry about free weights vs machine or heavy weight vs light weight training.
In one of our previous interviews, Guy Cisternino talked about how Branch Warren was his biggest inspiration. The reason for this was due to his hardcore passionate training style. It’s how Cisternino himself loves to train. He worries that not enough young people still have that hardcore passion in the gym anymore.
But that hardcore style of training has less to do with what is successful for bodybuilding and more to do with the culture. While Guy Cisternino loves to train hardcore – he also understands it is not necessary to be a massive shredded bodybuilder. Rather than it being a necessity for success – he simply sees it as a cultural passion that excites him. He likes that attitude and that atmosphere.
That’s why when we ask him whether or not heavy weight vs light weight matters. Or whether or not free weight vs machines matter – his answer is more open minded. Guy Cisternino has been through some injuries and is now a slightly older (but not old) bodybuilder. He hooked up with John Meadows as his trainer more recently – and Meadows changed up the kind of training he does in light of his age and injuries. What Cisternino learned through this process changed his perception on what is important in bodybuilding training.

To Guy Cisternino, it matters less whether or not you do machines vs free weights or heavy weight vs light weight. Instead, it matters more how you break up your body parts and how much focus you put into each workout. Yes, there are little differences – pros and cons to each approach – but ultimately they are not game changers. Whether you lift heavy weight or hight weight or free weight or machines – you can be a successful and massive bodybuilder with any of these approaches. What matters more is how you do these tactics and the way you break up each body part throughout your week of training.
What he means by this is that by changing up how you break up the body parts you work in a given workout – you can be saving your joints from too much pressure in one session. This can save you injury, wear, and tear in the long run. So someone like Guy Cisternino can train hardcore to his liking with less risk (though still there is always risk) of injury. This provides longevity. So you can be like Dexter Jackson or you can be like Branch Warren.
Both of these bodybuilders are legendary in their own right and they both used vastly different techniques – but if you break up the body parts right, you can extend your longevity as an athlete.
You can watch Guy Cisternino go into full detail in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!

Guy Cisternino: “If You Don’t Have Thick Skin, You Shouldn’t Be On Social Media”

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Guy Cisternino discusses the difference between hardship and depression… and how social media has risen self-induced anxiety.
Guy Cisternino is a bodybuilder who exudes confidence. When he recently went viral for his argument in a gym – many online criticized him harshly. But Cisternino, though defending himself, didn’t seem bothered at all. This is rare in the internet age when many, but not all, can have their mood deeply affected by how well received they are on social media. That being said, Cisternino is not impenetrable. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Guy Cisternino opens up about dealing with anxiety, hardships, and discusses how social media has risen anxiety for nearly everyone in the world.
Though Guy Cisternino appears to have a “I don’t give a crap” attitude, he’s human. And while he overall projects confidence, he would be lying to say he didn’t suffer from anxiety. During our recent conversation, Cisternino opened up about how he’s had some truly dark times in his past. He’s overcome them and he doesn’t consider those bouts of time being real depression. But they were challenging.
In fact, Guy Cisternino uses this moment to discuss the difference between hardship and depression. He thinks that mental health is a very serious thing – but there’s a difference between real clinical depression vs just having hardships in your life. He worries that some people today confuse the two and use it as an excuse to not improve themselves.
Cisternino also discusses how he suffers from chronic anxiety himself. But this anxiety is different than what you might assume based off the standard definition of the word. Guy Cisternino explains how he has trouble sleeping nearly every single night. It’s not because he is kept up by anxious thoughts. Instead, his brain simply doesn’t turn off. He can be lying in bed, wide awake, thinking about nothing. He’s gone to doctors and sought help from psychiatrists. It’s a form of anxiety – but not the kind of social anxiety that brings bad thoughts into his brain.

Guy Cisternino then pivots in the interview to talk about anxiety as a whole in our culture. He believes that social media has made anxiety worse for most people. He considers it self induced though – as most people don’t need to use social media – despite nearly everyone succumbing to it. He believes that individuals who suffer serious anxiety caused by social media – should just log off permanently. It’s only making things harder despite the addictive rush of likes and positive comments.
“I think some people shouldn’t be on social media,” Guy Cisternino states in our interview. He continues:
“Some people I think it effects them in a real negative way. If you don’t have thick skin, you shouldn’t be on social media. Because you’re putting yourself at risk at the opinion of others. And you’re never going to get the majority of people – there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you just because.”
The term “everyone’s a critic” comes to mind with his statement. Social media has allowed us all to be put out into the mass public – and we will be judged. It’s in our nature to judge what we see. Social media makes that more constant and easier to disassociate our words from how it affects the person on the other side. Guy Cisternino doesn’t lose sleep over negative comments – but for those who do – he thinks the best course of action is to leave social media behind completely.
You can watch Guy Cisternino’s full comments on anxiety in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.