REYNOLDS RAPS
Dave Draper Today

Muscle, December, 1979

By Bill Reynolds. Property of Weider Publications

The Blond Bomber! For 10 years Dave Draper was at the top of the sport, appearing in this magazine virtually every month. He won Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe. He appeared in numerous films and television productions. Then at the height of his bodybuilding career, Draper abruptly dropped out of sight.

Now the Blond Bomber is back, and I recently sat with him at Byron Hudson's and Paul Love's outstanding Mr. USA contest. We talked for an hour and discussed Dave's life, including the eight years he was out of the sport.

BR: What do you think of Joe Weider's "Blond Bomber" tag?
DD: At first I didn't like it, which is a reflection of the way bodybuilding was at the time. To me the sport seemed immature and lacked public support, and being the Blond Bomber made me feel like a fool. Now that the sport has grown up and gained public acceptance, I take great pride in being the Blond Bomber. Now I think it's really hot, and I have to thank Joe for his foresight. People call me the Bomber with a great deal of affection, instead of the mocking attitude they had in the mid-1960s.

BR: When did you start appearing in Muscle Builder?
DD: I started out with Joe Weider in 1962 and still can't understand what he saw in me at first. I was big and strong, but covered with fat. Somehow Joe saw a little potential and gave me a job in his warehouse in New Jersey so I could train under him. Slowly my muscularity came out, which gave Joe considerable joy.

BR: You've been in the sport for 17-18 years, therefore. How old are you?
DD: I'm 37.

BR: Do you find that you still have the same enthusiasm for the sport that you had in the 1960's?
DD: Definitely. In a lot of ways I'm even more enthusiastic than 10-12 years ago. I've gone through several steps of maturity in the sport. There's more energy in the sport now, more prestige and more pride.

When I won the America and Universe, I trained hard due to my youth, but I was never that proud of what I was doing. I never felt productive in those days. It was sort of demeaning to be a bodybuilder, because we were often ridiculed by the general public. It was embarrassing.

I won Mr. America, felt nice for an evening and then started the next day bucking people who were making fun of me. I was sensitive to it, and they made me very angry at times. My social life moved from being semi-public to being involved totally with my friends in the sport. I never was able to use the term "bodybuilder" to describe myself.

BR: And now?
DD: Now I'm proud of being a bodybuilder. It's gone beyond being merely accepted. Being a top bodybuilder is now something that's respected. Now we are considered as champion athletes. There are still a few fools trying to cut us down to their level, but for the most part we are appreciated.

As a result of this acceptance, I have pride in myself and can train with renewed enthusiasm. I'm training with bodybuilders from another era - guys 10-15 years younger - and am feeding off their energy. Their type of energy is fresh, and they have the respect that I fought for so hard.

BR: How do you feel physically? Are you still able to make good gains?
DD: I feel pretty good and can make very good gains when my diet and training come together. Last year I was injured running when I slipped on a mountain trail and fell down a steep hill. That was the first time I was ever out of condition, and I didn't like that feeling at all. Because of the layoff my shoulder required I gained weight and felt extremely frustrated. It was like heaven when I could finally get back into the gym to pump some iron.

BR: Would you consider competing again?
DD: I've considered it, because I'm asked the question so often. I would, if I could put my attention totally on one or two shows per year. Right now, however, I'm deeply involved with my seminars and exhibitions. In the past ten months I've done thirty shows, which means staying in good shape and semi-peaking for a long period of time, which is very abusive to the body. There have been times when I needed to back off on my diet and training but couldn't.

Once I'm in a good financial position, I will take three or four months off and go through the full training cycle that it would take to reach peak competitive condition. If I could get in top shape, I would definitely compete again. I'd like to give the Olympia another shot.

BR: You're involved with the Santa Cruz Health Club, which is 400 miles from Santa Monica. Do you miss Southern California?
DD: Yes, to a certain extent, although I like very much living where I do now. From a training standpoint, however, I miss being in the World Gym with all the great bodybuilders who train there. I can get a good workout at the Santa Cruz Health Club, but to get into Mr. Olympia shape I'd need a few weeks of training at the World Gym. I need to feed off the energy that is generated by the superstars of the sport when they're training for a big show.

BR: When we were in Australia a few months ago, you told me about the incredible energy at the old Gold's gym in Venice during your last year of competition. Can we go into that?
DD: That was in 1970 while I was training for the Mr. World. Arnold, Franco, Zane, Waller, Katz and I were training extremely hard for the shows that Fall and we really got into a regular, comradely, energy-charged situation.

At Arnold's urging, I had gone into the gym after a long layoff. My weight was down to 195, but for eight weeks we trained twice a day, and in that short time I got into my best shape ever at 230 pounds. We were all trying to outdo each other every workout, which got everyone into incredible shape. There was magic in the air that summer, and we looked forward to all of our workouts.

BR: Why did you drop out for the last eight years, and why have you come back?
DD: Very simple, I got to the point where I couldn't handle the way the public looked at the sport. Maybe I was overly sensitive, but the rage I felt at being constantly ridiculed was becoming destructive. Rather than explode into a million pieces, I dropped out.

The change in public attitude - plus the large number of shows now being promoted - gave me a chance to come back. There's a lot of money being offered for seminars and exhibitions. I'd paid my dues, so felt I should be picking up some of that money. The travel also appealed to me. As an example, I loved the trip to Australia last spring for Paul Graham's very successful Pro Mr. Universe show.

BR: If anyone wants to get you for an exhibition or seminar, how should they go about it?
DD: Write me at the Santa Cruz Health Club. Be sure to include a phone number, because I prefer to do all of my business on the phone. I'm just not very good at writing letters.

BR: How would you describe yourself as a person?
DD: Oh, boy! That's a tough question. I'm both complicated and uncomplicated. There are very simple ways about me. I choose to be agreeable in life. I'm a private person, but choose to be pubic in my bodybuilding. I appreciate respect, but don't always expect to get it. I love to love. I'm pleasure oriented, which makes me unhappy when I'm not in a pleasurable situation. I'm devoted to my wife and child and disciplined in my training and diet.

I have my bad habits and have abused myself, but I try to care for myself. I want to expand and grow in a variety of areas. I want simplicity in my life, but find it complicated to achieve. Is that candid enough for you?

BR: How are you training right now?
DD: My philosophy has changed a lot. For many years I was a slave to the set routines. You know what I mean - the same bodypart the same days every week with the same exercises, same poundages, same sets and same reps. All of this same-same-same got to me, because I'm not a "same" person.

Everyone is a unique individual. I am. You are. We are all unique. While a few individuals might thrive on the regimentation of such workouts, I don't think many of us can remain sane very long on such set routines. We need freedom, the chance to play in our environment. And when most of us are subjected to such a regimented routine- to me it was almost like being in prison - we begin to rebel by missing workouts.

As a result of missed workouts, we don't make gains, and not making gains causes a lot of potentially good bodybuilders to drop out of the sport. I almost came to this point in my own life several years ago, and it shook me. All of my best friends had come from bodybuilding and I didn't want to lose them. I had to come up with some good solution to keep myself training hard.

My solution was what I call a "free-style routine." Very simply put, I began to train for enjoyment, doing whatever I felt like doing each workout. It was like suddenly being free to play in the forest! I immediately begin to enjoy training again.

In a short time I discovered that I was hitting bodyparts about the same number of times per week as before, and I was doing about as much work. But when a bodypart had been overworked or a joint was hurting, I'd work around it for that day. A couple of days later my body would tell me to work it again.

I was working hard, enjoying it, and making some very good gains. The free-style routine even gave me the freedom to train with someone else for a day or two if I felt the urge, and without any guilt about letting something of my own slide. All in all, this change really helped me. I'm less prone to injury and more enthusiastic about training. My longevity will be greater as a result.

BR: What's the secret of bodybuilding success?
DD: Persistence. Consistency in training and diet. Discipline and sacrifice. A good positive attitude. The right training techniques. And finally, don't kid yourself about your weak points. Identify them and improve them.

BR: How are you coping with the approach of middle age?
DD: Actually, pretty well. It was harder for me to go from 29 to 30 than it will be to go from 37 to 40. Maturing emotionally has been important, so physically I'll just be keeping my training up and maintaining a good diet. I think I'll be better and happier at 50 than I am now.

BR: What type of diet do you follow?
DD: It's high in protein, low in fats and reasonably low in carbohydrates. I use a variety of supplements. I love meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Gradually, I'm cutting back on red meat and increasing my intake of white meats like fish and poultry. I try to eat a variety of fresh low-carb fruits and vegetables, and especially a lot of fresh salads.

BR: What has been your relationship with Joe Weider over the years?
DD: To put it on the line, it's been up and down over the years, but overall he's had a very positive effect on me. His magazine turned me into a hero in my sport. I owe him a lot.

BR: Winding this up, Dave, is there anything you'd like to get off your chest?
DD: I'd just like to say that I've never had any regrets about getting into bodybuilding. It's had an enormously positive influence on my life, and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's a healthful way of life, and it'll be my way of life until the day I die.