The Bomber at 62
An Interview with Dave Draper
by John Koenig
We
don't throw around the term "living legend" much around here because
not many people deserve such accolades. But T-Nation recently sat down
with a man who just might fit the bill: Dave Draper.
Known
as the Blond Bomber, Dave Draper is an icon from what many consider the
Golden Age of bodybuilding. During his competitive career in the
1960's, Dave won just about every title there was to win. He acted in
movies, appeared on TV, wrote books and visited dozens of different
countries as a good will ambassador for bodybuilding. But do you know
what really separates Dave from other legendary bodybuilders?
He never quit.
Today,
when most men his age are picking out a rocking chair, Dave continues
to preach the gospel of iron. Blissfully unaware of his age and always
in ripped condition, the Bomber continues to write, teach, deadlift,
squat and kick serious butt in the gym.
T-Nation felt it was time to sit down with Dave and absorb some of that hard-earned wisdom. T-Nation: How old are you, Dave, and when did you get started in bodybuilding? d
Dave Draper: I was born in Secaucus, New Jersey on April 16^th,
1942. I’m 62. For five bucks I purchased my first set of battered
weights at age ten. I messed with them as most kids do with baseballs
and footballs and became seriously consistent at 15 years old. That was
47 years ago!T-Nation: Has your mindset about weight training changed over the decades?
Draper:
Not exactly. I trust over the years I’ve grown up somewhat emotionally
and psychologically and increased my training and nutritional
understanding. My desire, need and ability to train vigorously have
continued to grow with my appreciation for life. Standing back,
nothing’s new.T-Nation: In a nutshell, give us your basic philosophy about training.Draper: I
train knowing I'm aging by the minute. I want to pursue my training for
the health and fun of it, the interest and challenge of it, and to see
how well I can fend off diminishing while adjusting to the inevitable.
I’m
curious and it’s my business. As long as I have the spirit, energy,
enthusiasm and time, I’ll use my daily abilities to play the
weightlifting game. It's my hobby, a diversion and an expression. When
it becomes one dimensional, unhealthy in mind and body, unappealing and
otherwise negative, I'll adjust accordingly.
I
enjoy training hard, but I'll pull back when the physical and intuitive
signs tell me to. I’m still seeing good things happen along with the
less-than-good things. Some lifts are better than ever and there's new
muscle growth here and there, though this may end tomorrow or the next
day. Until then, I’ll push that iron with the power of experience and
love.T-Nation: Amen to that! What are your general thoughts on nutrition?
Draper:
I established sound eating habits long ago: regular portions of high
protein foods (meat, fish, poultry, dairy and eggs), lots of salads,
sufficient fruits, grains and herbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants... the muscle builder's sacred lineup. Eat frequently
(every three hours) throughout the day from body-up to body-down, and
get two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight if you're a hard
trainer.
Also, avoid sugars, saturated fats and
junk foods. No gorging! Food is fun and a magnificent source of life
and energy; it's not an entertainment or obsession. I simply don’t
desire to eat in ways that aren't healthy in serving the body. In fact,
I repel them.T-Nation: How does all this compare to when you were competing in the 1960's?Draper: Joyful
exercise and sound eating have been practiced since my early training
days at the Dungeon, or Muscle Beach Gym, in the 60's. There I
discovered and adopted most of my understanding of exercise and
nutrition. Over the years there have been ebbs and flows, ups and
downs. One experiments, one experiences, one fails and succeeds and
carries on.
My eating habits today are as
they were in the 60's, only tighter and more highly appreciated. My
workouts are similar to my robust training in the 60's, only tighter
and more highly appreciated. Basically, what was then is now, with
little deviation, improvement or evolvement, despite the so-called
superior technology and hysterical race for more and better.
The
answer and the joy are in the iron, sound eating, hard work,
consistency and courage. No secrets, nothing new, just be strong and do
it. It’s you!T-Nation: How should a middle-aged or older weight trainer eat compared to his training partner in his 20's?Draper: The
answer depends on many variables: comparative bodyweight, rate of
metabolism, training zeal, number of training years invested and so on.
If the muscle is there, the physical condition is sound and the
training is tight, the middle-aged man can do as he pleases (or as he
knows best) regardless of his partner’s habits. Train hard and feed the
body as described above. Age isn't the single and exact determining
factor.
Given both men are equal, the
younger man most likely has advantages in flexibility, hormonal
balance, tissue building and repair, and he can most likely train
harder with less risk of injury. He'll probably grow more quickly and
is less likely to store fat. The older man might require less food
intake (despite high quality nutrition) to avoid adding unwanted body
fat while striving to gain muscle mass.
We also
know it's not unusual that many younger men aren't nearly as fit as
their older counterparts in the gym and have years of training and
correcting bad dietary habits ahead to catch up to their senior
partner. T-Nation: That's often true. What are the most common dietary mistakes older athletes make?
Draper:
Generally, the mistakes made by older athletes are the same ones made
by their younger counterparts: not being regular in their dietary
disciplines, not feeding themselves adequately before (fuel) or after
(repair) a workout session, insufficient protein, too many sugars, not
enough water, ignoring the importance of EFA's and not controlling
their body fat.T-Nation: As weight trainers age and their metabolisms change, how should they deal with it?Draper: A
person's metabolism is determined in part by muscle mass relative to
overall body mass. More muscle and less fat add up to a keener
metabolism. Healthy hormonal activity accompanies an exercised body
with a correct muscle-to-body fat ratio. Further, the quality of foods
ingested affects the body’s chemistry and the metabolic rate, directly
and indirectly.
Gets complicated, but the
fix is simple. Regularly consume wholesome foods offering peak nutrient
advantages, don’t eat sugary, high-glycemic foods which upset the
body’s chemistry and don’t overeat. Exercise vigorously daily to build
muscle, assist hormonal balance, control fat storage and enhance the
cardio-respiratory system. These training precepts fortify the body’s
entire system and reduce the debilitating stresses.T-Nation: Can any of the "typical" changes associated with aging be slowed down, stopped or changed?
Draper:
Certainly. Body chemistry is complex; body care is simple. Train hard,
eat right, be strong and be happy. You’ll live longer and better.T-Nation: Can't argue with that advice! Now, let's dig deeper into the topic of training. Take us through your basic workout program.Draper: My
training input in time and in strength has diminished as I’ve gotten
older. No surprise there. The first heavy, formative years were
dominated by six-day-a-week training programs. I’ve never laid off,
though sickness at about age 40 caused me to halt my training for four
months.
The past 20 years have been hard
and steady, as I built three gyms and established a lively website.
Since I turned 60 I've trained four days a week for two hours each
workout. The workouts are as intense as they were when I was younger,
only modified and limited in poundages to accommodate age and pain
factors. I make up for the limitations with determination, focus and
maximum muscle exertion. Here's what my program looks like:
Day
1) Midsection, chest, back and shoulders. I have a variety of basics I
rely on from dumbbell presses to Smith press-behind-necks, from cable
crossovers to bent-over barbell rows. I do five sets of 12, 10, 8, 6,
and 4 reps of each exercise and superset frequently.
Each
workout includes 35 to 40 total sets plus crunches, leg raises, rope
tucks and hanging leg raises for the gut. I currently do no direct
aerobics exercise, accomplishing sufficient cardio work through the
20-minute, non-stop midsection work and superset training regimen.
Day
2) Midsection and arms, maybe farmers’ walks. I superset bi's and tri's
and perform lots of forearm work. I can pull well — curls and back work
— but pressing and tri's are a drag. Strength’s okay; pain is the
limiting factor.
Day 3) Midsection and legs. Leg
press, squats, extensions, curls, calves. I might squat heavy one day
every three weeks: singles, doubles.
Day Off
Day
4) After midsection I practice a mix of favorite movements to cover the
whole body: thick-bar deadlifts for grip strength and back health,
heavy bent-over rows for back density, thigh-glute-ham work supersetted
with stiff-arm pullovers, press-behind-neck and pulldowns to
behind-the-neck for additional lat and shoulder-width work. I might
deadlift heavy once every three weeks using singles and doubles.
This four-day treatment hits everything directly or sufficiently twice a week.T-Nation: Those are some lengthy workouts with a lot of sets. You're still training like that today?
Draper:
I still count on volume to accomplish the work I set out to do. This
allows more finesse in exercise movement and expression, and gives me
better control of "danger" overload factors. Rhythm and muscle
sensations, extensions and contractions, locating muscular effort and
resistance, and developing and experiencing internal muscle energy are
most desirable, efficacious and exciting.
I also
like singles and low-rep training interspersed throughout the weeks and
months of training. The body, mind and soul call for it sometimes.T-Nation: Any training-related injuries?
Draper:
I’ve endured injuries to the right rotator cuff and biceps with
resulting nerve damage affecting the right elbow and wrist. I attribute
them to a harsh fall while running 25 years ago, decades of heavy use
as woodworker and, of course, the continuous overload of years of hard
weight training.T-Nation: How do you work around chronic pain or injury?Draper: I
had extensive open-surgery repairs on the shoulder and biceps done in
’95 to fix what could be fixed. Now I work around the pain, use wraps
and take Vioxx for associated arthritis. I’ve added Chondroitin,
Glucosamine and MSM, and substantial essential fatty acids to my
already smart nutritional program.
"Working
around the pain" is obviously very personal. The extent to which an
injured trainee pursues his advancement depends on his psychological
needs and desires, the scope of the damage, his understanding of his
body and his fortitude. Some call it madness because sometimes, well,
it is!
I seek chiropractic treatment occasionally
when something is obviously misplaced. I don’t doubt the benefits of
deep-massage therapy, acupuncture and regular chiropractic treatment
from fine practitioners when the symptoms call for it. I've had limited
experience in treatment, but their value is logical.T-Nation: Do you still consistently lift heavy? Is your definition of "heavy" different now than it was 20 years ago?Draper: Heavy,
like Elvis, has left the building! I train consistently hard, that is,
I seek maximum or near-maximum muscle exertion within each set and
final rep. I take exertion intensity to the edge — to the risk of
injury. Sometimes, especially in pressing where my injury-limitation is
most evident, the weight isn't nearly as significant as the effort to
move it. One learns to compromise and be grateful.
Squatting,
deadlifting and direct pulling aren't bad at all. I call upon strength
in these areas regularly for the fun and muscle building effect it
produces.