En av B&K:s danska läsare har varit i USA och tränat. Här har du ett smakprov på vad han fick vara med om...
My name is Henrik Nielsen, I’m 31 years old and live just outside Copenhagen in Denmark (I’m writing in English since I don’t know how to write in Swedish :-) I’ve been training natural bodybuilding since I was 17 with ok results. I’m 1,98m tall and weigh 115 kg.
In August of 1999 I went on a big bodybuilding adventure in California for 4 weeks, together with my two buddies Boris and Henrik2 (Boris is also a natural trainer and has placed 5th in the Danish Nationals Heavyweights in 1985). Besides the usual tourist stuff, the schedule looked like this:
- Aug. 2-11: Staying in Venice (LA) training in Gold’s Gym, World Gym, Muscle Beach.
- Aug. 11-14: Staying in San Diego. Personal training (2 x 3 hours) with Frank Zane in Zanes home gym (The Zane Experience).
- Aug. 14-28: Staying in Santa Cruz, training in Dave Drapers World Gym, meeting my long time idol Dave Draper and his wife Laree (and many more).
Let me tell you right away that the vacation turned out to be AWESOME. I had high expectations, but the real thing was almost to good to be true.
You may have guessed that I’m a big fan of the Golden Age bodybuilders. Dave Draper has for a long time been my bodybuilding idol, simply because he had a physique that inspires me more than anyone else. Meeting him in person was fantastic (he's 58 and still in great shape) and as hard as it is to believe I’m now really good friends with the Drapers. Meeting Frank Zane was also great of course.
You can read about my California vacation (with pictures) on their great website, davedraper.com (there are 3 parts):
- www.davedraper.com/henrik-bodybuilding-vacation.html
On this page (halfway down the web-page) there’s a great picture of me and Dave. Dave wrote the caption for the picture he has a great sense of humor. As you can see he gave me the nickname, Henrik “The House”:
- www.davedraper.com/iron-online-photo-gallery-1.html
And on these two pages Dave answers two questions from me with a whole column:
- www.davedraper.com/article-63-ultimate-workout.html
- www.davedraper.com/article11-lat-workout.html
I’m in contact with the Drapers via email every week and I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this, but Dave is currently writing a book thats titled "Brother Iron, Sister Steel". It’s coming out in September.
How about doing a profile of Dave Draper in B&K Sports Magazine? I have the feeling to few of the current Scandinavian bodybuilders knows about Dave, who in my opinion is one of the all time greatest. (Dave won Mr. America 1965 drugfree, with a physique that will blow your mind away. When I was in Santa Cruz, Dave gave me a copy of his actual training diary from 1965, what a treasure!!). Last year MuscleMag International did a great interview with Dave that you can read here:
- www.davedraper.com/mag-muscle-contents.html
And on these pages there’s some great pictures of Dave:
- Mr. World 1970
- One more Mr. World 1970
- Classic Zeller photo, Malibu 1968
- Dave and Arnold doing squats at Golds
- Mr. America 1965 drug free!
- Mr. Universe 1966
- Classic DD magazine cover
- Dave today at 58
I hope you all found my story interesting and I’d love to hear your comments. August 23rd I’m going back to California to live in Santa Cruz for a whole month and train under the guidance of Dave Draper. I don’t have to tell you this is a bodybuilders dream come true.
Henrik,
