Customer Reviews

Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fact is, Draper is the best writer on bodybuilding in print. I don't mean he sprays all kinds of technical (sometimes useful) prose around like more research based writers (though he seems to be current in lifting theory); what he does do is write for the soul of the lifter. Weights for weights sake. The simple, tender but direct, conversations one needs to hear to grow as a person on the gym floor, inside and out, are in this book.

He's funny, yes, and remarkably charming. But at their core the essays in this book are poetic. They clang with the passion of someone who holds belief in a religion or knows an unknown disease cure; they are deeply personal. There are no references to a study done last year on the T levels of ten football players at some college, just to the experiences of one guy who has lifted for 40 years without stopping, East Coast to Muscle Beach to Mr. A and Mr. U to a gym on the California coast; Draper lifts because he has to, he says so all the time; you know what, me too. And I just started.

If you're looking for everything you need to know to begin lifting, you may not find it in this book (Draper writes in more technical depth elsewhere). But you will find a friendly voice every lifter deserves to hear. You will find the heart of lifting, where instead of obsessing over which prohormone stack or what starch has the lowest g.i., you simply stroll your butt to the gym, warm up and find the squat rack and start blasting (or bombing); the sweat stark reality of the squat rack. That's Draper.

If anything, his weekly email posts (found via his web site) show his writing maturing. Skillful word choice, eloquent but casual phrasing, the rhythm in the langauge, even its sound... (yeah, I confess now, I teach English for a living). Dave, at his best, belongs in Best American Essays. He has a gift. I have no doubt. The steel community is lucky to have such a mentor/writer; all lifters will benefit from his tone and content.

As I've hinted, the book isn't perfect; as others have noted, I'd like to see pictures of the exercises (though it seems this was published locally by Dave et. al. and production cost may have been an issue). If he had instructive photos, he could spend less time writing intricate descriptions of the lifts, and do what he really does best: write sermons on iron for those who love it already and need to love it more. And tell his own story.

In some ways perhaps the book is more than one book, or one book trying to know what kind of book it wants to be when it grows up. But have no doubt, it's worthwhile to watch the journey. Those five stars I gave are well-earned.

I recommend the book to anyone interested in bodybuilding. You just have to hear Draper write. If nothing else, it's bound to get you into the gym.

This book is filled with good nutritional advice and workout strategies by one of the long time stalwarts of bodybuilding. Dave's journey through bodybuilding and his experiences are well worth the read.Dave's love of the sport and personal modesty shine through.I trained at the original Golds Gym, when Dave was at his best. With that massive back and monster forearms, he was a sight to behold. I wish he would have written this book 25 years ago!

I've read many bodybuilding books and Dave Draper's is one of the better ones. He writes enthusiastically about bodybuilding and mixes in some nice descriptions of the "good old days" when the sport was a much different animimal than it is today.

I also believe that Dave has some excellent advice to share and a solid plan for beginners, intermediates, and advanced weight lifters.

However, I take a star away because the one major flaw of Dave's book is his poor descriptions of the exercises and the lack of pictures to explain the proper form of each and every exercise. Another problem is that he has some unique names for some of his exercises and they're even difficult to look up in other book or on the web. If this would get correct, I'd give it 5-stars.

All in all, this is a worthwhile read that just about anyone can get some benefit from.

No one is more qualified to discuss the heart and soul of what it takes to become a champion bodybuilder than Dave Draper.

I remember seeing Draper for the first in 1963 at the IFBB Mr. New Jersey contest which he won. What I saw was a big bulky guy that probably wouldn't go much further. Boy was I in for a surprise!

Two years later, Draper would win the IFBB Mr. America in a hotly contested event. He followed that with a win in the 1966 IFBB Mr. Universe. For whatever reason, Draper declined from entering the Mr. Olympia. In the shape he was in, he probably could have won.

1967 was a bad year for Draper. He got sick doing exhibitions in Mexico right before the Mr. Olympia. Oweing to the integrity of the guy, he competed anyway, although way out of shape.

In 1970, Draper would return placing third behind Arnold and Sergio Oliva in the AAU Mr. World in Columbus, Ohio. I was at that contest and in my opinion, Draper should have been second to Arnold. Oliva showed up smooth. Likewise, no way Draper should have lost to Reg Park in the NABBA Mr. Universe. In all due respect to Park, he was past his peak on that night. At his best....it would have been a different story.

Unfortunately, Draper dropped out of competition. What a shame. He surely would have become a Mr. Olympia had he stayed with it. But as Dave relates in his book, he had higher values.

Dave Draper had more heart and desire than probably any other champion bodybuilder other than Arnold. Perhaps it was training with Draper in the late 60's and 1970 that laid the foundation in Arnold for what he eventually became???

This book, Brother Iron Sister Steel is a must read for any serious bodybuilder. It contains the heart and soul of a champion bodybuilder who has done it, not just an author who writes about.

As a bodybulder from the 60's, I am excited to see legends like Draper writing books. It is rare that we can look inside the mind of a real champion.

I have actually read this book several times. Although books such as the Ironman Encyclopedia and Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia hold significantly more bodybuilding-related content and pictures, I consider Draper's book much superior in terms of motivational content (and witty, humorous talk). Like a lot of other comprehensive books, Draper covers everything from newbies in weight training to nutrition, protein drinks and recuperation. As a person who wants to remain fit without forcefully having to push myself all the time, I was able to relate to a lot of Draper's logic and general mindset. And this book has done a better job of convincing me that basic, nonfancy exercises are the best way to build a superior physique. I am not a volume trainer but I have had significantly positive results after practicing Draper's supersetting techniques.

Mr Draper has written a book that has a lot of good common sense advise. This book would be excellent for a person who want to understand the ideas behind bodybuilding from one of the men who made this sport in to what it is today. I highly recommend to watch his A&E biography it will show Draper's struggle that lead to his down fall and eventual raise. It wil help you understand this man and should be a good companion to this book. His experiences made him a better man and bodybuilding. Dave you were among the first and you still the best. God Bless

Draper's passion for the iron game shows on every page of this book. Part autobiography, part iron game philosophy, and part how-to manual, this book does a good job of covering every aspect of your training. Dave's writing style is very motivational and it is clear that he loves his work.

There are better books out there on training, but none quite so brilliantly written.

I bought this book because I read where Poliquin suggested it. Nothing new in the workouts. Dave definately likes to write. I was hoping for inspiration and motivation. I got supersets and 4 calories can be found in a gram of protein. Nothing new here. Some good pictures, but not worh the dough. Recomend Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik or maybe something by Tudor Bompa.

For those of us who spent our misbegotten adolescences in the dusky YMCAs and Boys' Club gyms chasing the elusive muscles of Steve "Hercules" Reeves and Gordon "Tarzan" Scott, the name of Dave Draper (the blond bomber) strikes a mental chord synonymous with California, alluring sexpots, and gigantic muscles. After all, he gazed out at us from endless Muscle magazine covers, the original beach Adonis, the daunting and awe-inspiring realization of our fondest daydreams. Yet, as our ideal Draper also reminded us all that with progressive weight-training, or working out, we could, with enough time and effort, vastly improve our physical beings and in the process transform our own idea of who we are. Now, thirty-five years later we stumble on this book only to discover what a wonderful writer he happens to be!

Here he reminds us of just how good a role model we would-be muscleheads chose so long ago, as he demonstrates his wisdom, good humor, and keen intelligence in explicating with class, verve and thorny personal experiences what it really means to live a life of physical culture, and how attractive that can be in a time of such uncertainty and superficial culture. And he knows of from where he speaks, for Draper, like Reeves and Scott, also appeared in a number of films, most notably with Tony Curtis and the late Sharon Tate in a offbeat Southern California beach comedy called "Don't Make Waves". His huge presence stole the film away from his co-stars.

Indeed, his own presence and personality shine through the typical '60s Hollywood treatment of any given bodybuilder as a naïve, self-absorbed, and narcissistic nonentity. Yet, the viewer finds himself gradually coming to empathize with the natural kindness and thoughtfulness of the character, and in this way Draper showed he had the stuff to do much more cinematically. Alas, it was not to, for it was long before the days of Arnold, and Draper eventually fled back into relative obscurity to work-out, build classic driftwood furniture, which incidentally Schwarzenegger used to furnish his own digs, and eventually became a kind of elder spokesman for the life of physical culture.

Therefore, no one speaks with more authority of such a life and its benefits, characteristics, and pitfalls than does big Dave. One is surprised by just how well he expounds on various ideas and subjects, and one wishes for a dialogue with the big guy on subjects other than those covered here. This is a book or anyone involved in the now almost universally available lifestyle, waiting for one at the local World or Gold's Gym, and hopes that all those X-generation kids could have a glimpse at what it was like thirty or forty years ago, when such emporiums were the stuff of youthful California dreaming, and all we had to lure into the dingy sweatshops of the local YMCA was the image of the blond bomber staring back at us from the latest issue of Muscle Magazine. Enjoy!

Dave Draper knows what he is talking about. He goes back to the old school approach of hard work and common sense to build a great physique. It seems all you read about now is that if you work out more than 2-3 days a week you are overtraining. While there is truth in the fact that overtraining can hurt your progress,I believe that most just want to take the 'easy' way out.

Dave tells it like it is and after you read this book you will have no more excuses about not working out. The motivation is all in here. This book is also full of humor and a great look back at some of the real bodybuilders the sport used to have.

Bottom line is this. If you want a book with an honest approach to helping you get in great shape then look no further. This is the book to light your fire and help get you where you would like to be.

Highest recommendation