29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poet of Steel, May 6, 2004
This review is from: Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book (Paperback)
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.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't pass this one up!, October 8, 2000
This review is from: Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book (Paperback)
Dave Draper, bodybuilding's original "Blonde Bomber" and former Mr.America, Mr.Universe and Mr.World has written a fabulous and unique book about not only bodybuilding and creating a healthy life style, but also of his humble beginings and antidotes from his associations with other great bodybuilders from the "Golden Era" of bodybuilding. Dave writes in an easy to understand, down home, everyman style interspearsed with his humor and humility. Beyond sets, reps and diets Dave gets to the heart of taking command of yourself and motivates you from within. I have a small library of books bought over the last 20 years pertaining to workouts, diets, biographies and motivation. Brother Iron and Sister Steel is head and shoulders above them all. It is a must read and I cannot recommend it enough!
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best bodybuilding book there is., September 8, 2001
This review is from: Brother Iron, Sister Steel: A Bodybuilder's Book (Paperback)
This is the book I wish I had when I started weighttraining/bodybuilding 16 years ago at the age of 16. It's simply the best book I've read about bodybuilding (and I've read quite a few). In this book, Dave Draper, former Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. World, gives you the straight talk about bodybuilding. There are no hidden agendas. Like Dave says in the book "The secret is there is no secret". Given this, it is Dave's sincere wish to give you, the reader, the best information available about how to build a strong and healthy body.
In Dave's unique writing style (he has a great sense of humor) he explains the basics of bodybuilding as it pertains to both the beginner, the intermediate and advanced bodybuilder or the person who simply wants to get in great shape. He presents some very workable and realistic training programs that incorporates the superset training principle, which not only gives you superior muscle development and cardiovascular health, but also saves time in the gym and are a lot more fun.
Dave has almost 50 years of bodybuilding experience. In the 60s he build one of the greatest physiques of all time with some of the shabbiest equipment allowable by law. The 60s is considered the golden era of bodybuilding and anyone who like me is a big fan of the golden era bodybuilders will really enjoy reading the section of the book where Dave tells a lot of great stories from those days with insight and humor. Not to mention the great pictures of Dave throughout the book.
I've had the pleasure of meeting Dave in person and at age 58 he is still in fantastic shape. Like Bill Pearl, he is one of the few remaining TRUE bodybuilders.
So if you want to learn from the best, I highly recommend this book.
Henrik Nielsen
Copenhagen, Denmark
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