Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors

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Contents

Dedication.........................................................................vAcknowledgements...................................................................viPrologue I.........................................................................xiPrologue II........................................................................xviiiPart I – Pumping Iron........................................................1Chapter 1 – Joe's Boys?......................................................3Chapter 2 – Arnold's Cuban Muscle Crisi......................................25Chapter 3 – Pumping Iron.....................................................47Chapter 4 – Pumping Drama....................................................69Chapter 5 – Pumping Arnold...................................................94Part 2 – Control of the Game.................................................109Chapter 6 – The Circus of the Pros...........................................111Chapter 7 – The Pro Evolution................................................140Chapter 8 – Wayne's World....................................................156Chapter 9 – And "The Oscar" Goes to ... the Weiders..........................170Chapter 10 – The Felling of York.............................................183Part 3 – Sex, Drugs And More Drugs!.......................................201Chapter 11 – Hustle, Smoke & Mirrors.........................................203Chapter 12 – Muscle, Drugs, and Denial.......................................218Chapter 13 – Bodybuilding's "Wax"............................................235Chapter 14 – Where No Man Had Gone Before!...................................255Chapter 15 – Natural Bodybuilding, huh.......................................271Chapter 16 – Liar, Liar......................................................288Part 4 – Arthur Jones and Nautilus...........................................311Chapter 17 – And Along Comes Jones...........................................313Chapter 18 – From Baboons to Bodybuilders....................................324Chapter 19 – Arthur, Bill & Bob..............................................340Chapter 20 – London Bridge Is Falling Down, Falling Down.....................357Chapter 21 – The Nautilus "Revolution?"......................................376Chapter 22 – Intensity, Density or Insanity?.................................388Chapter 23 – Muscle Pounds and Rebounds......................................411Chapter 24 – Nautilus Makes Waves............................................431Chapter 25 – The Universal Revolution Resolution.............................446Chapter 26 – Short Circuiting the Aerobics Craze.............................461Chapter 27 – Muscle, Tech & Testing..........................................475Chapter 28 – Nautilus vs. Universal..........................................490Chapter 29 – Three's a Charm.................................................506Chapter 30 – The Plot Thickens...............................................516Chapter 31 – Que Sera, Sera..................................................533Part 5 – The Strength Coach..................................................549Chapter 32 – Strength Training for Athletics?................................551Chapter 33 – Sports Specific?................................................569Chapter 34 – Do You Know the Way to San Jose?................................590Part 6 – 1970s Bodybuilding Nutrition........................................609Chapter 35 – Muscle, Smoke & Manure!.........................................611Chapter 36 – Rheo Grande.....................................................633Chapter 37 – Muscle, Meat & Vegans...........................................653Epilogue...........................................................................673Index..............................................................................675

Chapter One

Although the sport of competitive bodybuilding arguably hit its peak of public receptiveness during the 1980s, the actual look or appearance of the bodybuilder, interestingly, had very high appeal back in the 1950s. Dan Lurie portrayed Sealtest Dan the Muscle Man from 1950 to 1957 on the CBS Sealtest Big Top Show. Later in that decade, Steve Reeves portrayed Hercules in two European films. Both men drew thousands of fans worldwide with their amazing physiques.

The success of Reeves spawned many sword and sandal flicks that followed well into the 1960s. However, a good degree of the audience really didn't know exactly what these new celebrities did or that they were referred to as bodybuilders. Whenever they were showcased in a suitable manner such as a mythical hero or circus strongman, their appearance seemed quite acceptable. It was when they came out of costume that the dynamics between the musclemen and the general public changed.

Apparently, swinging a sword or club and wearing a modified toga was fine within the mythical context, but body-shaving, oiling and posing was just too weird and the estrangement grew. Compounding the public alienation, further stereotyping expanded to questioning the bodybuilders' sexuality, especially with the orientation of some of the physique magazines through the 1950s and 1960s. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to matter or resonate with the vastly growing pool of young teenagers watching these muscular athletes on screen. The strong desire for the look outweighed any of the lingering social stigmas.

The 1960s was the perfect decade for bodybuilding to begin breaking the public surface with self-acknowledgement. The musclemen were showing up on television and big screen movies actually portraying bodybuilders. Dave Draper landed a significant role co-starring along with Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, and Sharon Tate in the 1967 release, "Don't Make Waves."

Dave did play a competitive bodybuilder, but he wasn't vying for any of the coveted titles such as the Mr. Universe which he won during the filming of the movie in 1966. The script had him preparing for the "Mr. Big Boy" contest, again a title carrying far more questionable connotations. Nonetheless, his spectacular, standout physique easily negated the funky, fictitious title and thousands of young enthusiasts were inspired.

With that role and a number of other on-screen appearances, Dave Draper became Joe Weider's first dominant bodybuilder in terms of media impact and marketability. He had all the physical attributes that gave Weider a strong commercial presence or shear bodybuilding look. It's not surprising that "the look" weighed in at over 12 pounds at birth on April 16, 1942 in Secaucus, New Jersey.

The youngest of 3 boys, Dave Draper had already begun assembling his home gym before the age of 10. With the traditional hand-squeezer, followed by a cable expander, he eventually added a small, used, rusty set of weights. Pushing 12 years of age, he had no courses to follow or magazines to guide him. As with the rest of his peers of that day, they were left to improvise and take their lumps, bumps and bruises. Dave shared in his 2001 biography, "Brother Iron, Sister Steel:"

I was just a...