Dave Draper Column Archive
This Week's Article— Winding This Down
We Were Making Such Good Progress
You and the Iron Are Good Together
I Ride with the Hell’s Dogs Outta Jersey. I’m Bad.
It's the Season of Restoration
Clear Skies, Warm Temperatures
We win not by luck or brilliance
Save the World One Bomber at a Time
Instinctive Training Is Not Random
What Do You Want to Accomplish?
You Need Brains, Instincts and Action
Training with Doubt Is Training Imprisonment
A Sure Grip on This Thing Called Life
Today's Questions Are Tomorrow's Answers
Taking the Sting out of a Thorny Day
The Learn from My Mistakes Interview, Part Two
The Learn from My Mistakes Interview, Part One
It's been a long day and you feel pummeled
A Bomber is Not Hard to Please
John Izzo Interviews Dave, Part Two
John Izzo Interviews Dave, Part One
Consider This: What if You Don't?
Not a Secret or a Hot Idea in the Lot
The Holiday Foothills, Redux (X4)
Bodybuilding's Best Ever Writer
The Challenge Is in All of It<
May I impose upon you to use your imagination?
To Have Fortitude Each Morning
Here's Where Some of Us Go Wrong
What's the Best Muscularizing Strategy?
Let's Not Grow Old While We're Still Young
What Might Prevent You From Succeeding?
All The Reading on The Web Confuses Me More And More
Huge and Ripped, Which Will it Be?
Each rep is a charge, every set a blast
We’re Making It Up as We Go Along
It’s in The Delivery and The Deliverer
The Relationship between Iron and Man
A Few Basic Training Principles Are in Order
At the Gym Door Looking for Sanity
You’ve Got to Chomp on That Iron
What Was It Like in the Golden Era?
Training for the Over-40 Gang, Part Two
Training for the Over-40 Gang, Part One
Look Forward and Don’t Stumble
How Do We Keep Them Going Next Year?
I’d Rather Have Iron Than Silver or Gold
A Real Gym Does That to a Person
The Don’t Make Waves Interview, Part Two
The Don’t Make Waves Interview, Part One
Planning a Weight Gain Program
The OnFitness Interview, Part Two
The OnFitness Interview, Part One
Last Week the Facts, This Week the Factors
The Critical Bench Interview, Part Two
The Critical Bench Interview, Part One
Hysterical Historical, Part Two
Hysterical Historical, Part One
Learn From My Mistakes, Part Two
Learn From My Mistakes, Part One
Mid July and Sunless in California
Moving on with a Swagger Stagger
Some of My Best Friends are Dumbbells
Connecting the Dots, Filling in the Blanks
B-72 Without a Plan or Propellers
Nutrition and Muscle Building Can Wait
A Quick Glimpse in the Rear View
The Needle’s on Empty, But There’s Gas in the Tank
Once There Was a Tree in the Woods
Perplexed, Bothered, Bewildered and Silly
Snooze Letter: Patchwork Update
A Christmas Song and a New Year Dance
December Aerobics -- Shop Till You Drop
It Can't Be Thanksgiving, It Was Just Christmas
Counting Sets and Reps and Other Blessings
Choice Morsels, Tasty Delights
For the Ladies and Gentlemen in the Bleachers
Bomber Affordable Health Care -- Bombercare
Bentover Rows, Powerful Mass Builders
Night Moves, Dancing in the Dark
Incoming, Outgoing, Never Ending
Let’s Not Train and Say We Did
Optimal Conditions - Perfect Timing
Lift a Little a Lot -- Lift a Lot a Little
Partial Movement, Partial Muscle
Too Distracted to Have a Purpose
Q: What is the IRS? A: The Inner Reverse Squat
The Weightiness of Time and Iron
Extra Extra -- The Weekly Bomber Buzz
Joe Weider in A Thousand Words
The First Day of Spring: Rejoice and Be Glad
Let’s Do More, Let’s Do It Again
Simplicity Made Simple: Push, Pull, Grunt, Grin
I Hear You Knocking at My Front Door
Serious Matters -- Time, Age, Life, Iron
There’s a Bear in Them Thar Hills
Email, Twitter, iPod, Facebook
Fiscal Cliff, Health Care, Entitlements, Social Security
The Limbo -- How Low Can You Go?
Report of a Missing Newsletter
A Small Gathering, but All Present
There’s No Turning Back. This Is Serious Business
Odds and Ends, Hand-Me-Downs, Cheap Knock-Offs
White Noise, Echoing Silence of Iron
July Fourth -- Independence Day
The Little Inn for the Big Boys
Me and the Mob, The Grand Conclusion
The Beginning, The End, The Center of Things
That’s One Bad Exercise, Harry
A Tad of Discipline and a Chunk of Habits, Please
Muscles: Pure Delight, Total Satisfaction, a Lasting Joy
Work Like the Devil for My Pay
Rise Up, Lift Weights, Be Strong
Rough ’Er Up, Tough ’Er Out, Suffer ’In
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Never Forgotten
Out of Order According to Plan
About Motivation, Then and Now
My Imitation of a Cranky Old Bomber
Buy Three, Get Two—While They Last
Around the Corner, Over the Hill
Trivia, Nonsense and Gobbledegoop
The Bench Press Revisited Doowap Dowah
Freedom, Liberty, Independence
Questions Not Enough People are Asking
Nostalgia, Curiosity, Need and Nonsense
When Sanity and Intelligence Fail, There’s Always Absurdity
Smooch Face, Sets, Reps, Archetypical Exercise
Dr. Whatshisname and Dr. Whatshername
Musclebuilding -- Past, Present and Future
Is There a Shrink in the House?
Spring Boot Camp -- A Kick in the Butt
The Expectant Spectator, Huge and Rippling
Sketchy History of a Musclehead
Witty, Willful and Wiley Wascals
I Work Out Cuz I Feel Lousy if I Don’t
Like I Said Five Years Ago, We Press On
Bomber Research and Development Update
Lies, Prevarications, Fibs and Deception
Rejoice: December is Here for Good
Two Quarters, A Dime and A Nickel
Late Night at the Cuckoo's Nest
The Most Forgettable Characters I’ve Met
Through Hot and Cold, Thick and Thin
On the Bluffs of Metal Mountain
Blimps, Biplanes, Gliders, Hot Air Balloons and B-50s
Training in the Timeless Trenches
Forecast: Sniffles and Overcast Skies
Welcome Home, My Wife, the Bookie
I Wish I Was a Kid Again… Again
With Cliches, Who Needs to Think?
Sports and Iron and Playing and Winning
From One Cuckoo Nest to the Next
Live ’N Learn, a Tough Combination
The Thought of Summer Makes Me Silly
Time Out -- What’s the Hurry, Why the Rush?
Look Between the Lines and See
Waste Not Time, Effort or Spare Parts
The Building Blocks of Society
Penetrating Study of Training ABCs
Pushing and Pulling in Concert
National Bombing and Blasting Magazine
A Little Foolishness Can Be a Good Thing
A Toll-Free Bridge, Workout to Workout
Yes, it’s a Merry Christmas as Promised
Another Week, Another Newsletter
Let Not the Season Be Lost to Worry and Hurry
December Song and Dance, Act One
Holiday Spirits and Heart Burn
Don’t Just Stand There, Go to the Gym
Open Door, Enter Gym, Lift Hard, Exit Gym, Close Door
Oh, That I Could be a Tree, Thick Limbed and A’swaying
Sights and Sounds Free of Charge
There’s No Business like Show Business
A Golden Opportunity Amid Tarnished Times
Life’s Lessons and Secrets, Friends and Foes
All Aboard... The Train is Leaving the Station
Bungee Cord and Exertube Training for Power, Mass and Cuts
Pull Over, Mack. You’re Speeding
A Bomber Does What a Bomber Has to Do
Champ, Big Guy and Bubba to the Rescue
To Twitter or Not to Twitter -- Tweet Tweet
Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Sumertime
Gravity, Iron, Force, Time, Space (GIFTS)
A Day at the Beach on a Sunday Afternoon
Flash: Fitness is for Everyone -- You, Me, Them
Take Me to the 100-Pound Dumbbells
Muscleheads: Here, There and Everywhere
Attitude and Altitude -- Higher and Higher
Weights: To Lift or Not to Lift
Now and Then -- Muscle and Might
Come and Get Your Fresh Roasted Peanuts
Lost and Alone Without the Iron
Light Weight -- Heavy Exertion
Trivial Pursuit: Muscle, Strength and Health
All I Want for Christmas is Two Twenty-Inch Arms
GDB -- Getting Down to Business
Tis The Season Of Jingling Bells And Iron ‘A Clanking
Garage Sale: Barbells, Dumbbells, Old Muscle Mags
You, Sir, the Muscular Guy in the Third Row
The Essential Nothingness of Weight Training
Let Go, Lighten Up, Back Off Now or Never
Draper Financials, Inc -- Invest in Iron and Steel
The Diverse Paths of Winter Training
Cluttered Garages and Passing Time
Mister Robert Jones Will Not Go Away
Mister Robert Jones Returns to the Gym
Muscular Mass, Strength of a Giant
The Overflowing Riches of Iron and Steel
Where Have I Heard That One Before?
No Rest for Iron-Hoisting Muscleheads
Commonsense and Adapting: Tools of the Trade
Excerpt from Brother Iron, Sister Steel: MGM Town
Give Me the Iron or Give Me a Pine Box
Spring Madness, Pre-Summer Silliness
Time Flies, Kid -- Hang onto Your Hat
Bombing and Blasting, Dashing and Plodding
Still Crazy After All These Years
Travels with the Secret Unknown Stranger in Disguise
Spring Training for Stealth Bombers
Getting Older is a Laugh a Minute
No, I’m Not Running for President
I’m as Dumb as a Rock (Iron Ore)
Windy Skies Lift Us Higher and Higher
2008 is Gonna be a Great Year, Bombers
Heavy Mid-Season Christmas Message
Lower the Anchor, Don’t Drop the Iron
Another Day of Scheming and Day Dreaming
Hello, Obesity. Sit. Have a Donut.
The Great IronOnline Truth Test
Contentment, the Luster of a Life; Complacency, the Rust
Make-Shift Kitchen, Home-Brewed Muscle Soup
Dragging an Unwilling Body to the Gym
The Question You Always Wanted to Ask
Nothing Changes, Nothing Remains the Same
Timely Instruction for the Young and Not So Young
Muscle: Lean and Healthy, Functional and Attractive
Sacramento Invaded by Musclebound Ambassadors
It Takes a Dumbbell to Know One
Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen
The Tough Love of Weight Training
Ordinary Workouts Made Extraordinary
Startling New Training Scheme from the Dumpster
Musclebuilding and Spring Gliding
Thunder and Lightning, Sunshine and Rainbows
Too Early for Insight —March 8, 2007
You've Gotta be Kidding — February 22, 2007
Training According to the Masked Iron Warrior
Work and Pleasure, Duty and Joy
Health and Strength and the Joys of Living
Bodybuilding, Dancing with the Iron
Muscles and Might, Live and Learn
High Rep Training Investigated
Weight Training, It's all in the Mind, Smiley
Weights, Workouts and Personality
Diet, Exercise and Thanksgiving
Weight Training and the Winter Wilderness
Muscle and Strength for all Reasons and Seasons
My free weekly email training column provides a welcome stimulus to keep your training spirit alive and well, to keep you thinking and performing and growing. I get to write, you get to read and we all grow. Sign up for free using the box above and we'll email it to you automatically each Wednesday night. ~Dave
Musclebuilding, Bombing and Blasting
Musclebuilding Research and Study
Exercise and Strength -- Seasonal Creativity
Weightlifting in Painsville, Land of Opportunity
Gyms and Weight Training -- Take 2006... Camera Rolling
Strength and Health, Goodbye Summer
Muscle and Fitness, Today, Tomorrow and Forever
Muscle and Strength—The Only Way to Fly
Overcoming Discouragement and Disappointment
Where Do Little Girls Come From?
Ordinary is for the Birds, Not Bombers
The Musclebuilder Has His Hands Full
Forming Clay With One’s Hands — Function, Art and Joy
Fast as You Can, But Don't Hurry
A Gym on Every Corner a Robust Society Does Not Make
Overcoming Discouragement and Disappointment
More’s Not Better, Few’s Not Enough
Pounding the Iron, Getting Huge
High School Johnny and Mike the Man
I Heard the News Today, Oh Boy
Bomb Squad Confirms Earthshaking Discovery
What Bodybuilding Means to Me -- A Love Story by Dave Drapeless
Exercises are for Kids Who Fly Kites; Movements are for Bombers
It’s Two Zero Zero Six -- Gone Before Ya Know It
True Musclebuilders Don’t Let Go
Eleven Days Till Christmas and All’s Well... So Far
About Weight Training: What, Where, When, How and Why
Breadcrumbs, Birdseed and Bits
Straight Talk from a Crooked Mouth
She Ate Popcorn, I Had Humble Pie
Locked in a Time Zone Without a Clue
Count Thy Blessings, Lest You Forget
The Sun Also Sets Over Missouri
TIME: Colorless, Odorless, Soundless, Weightless
All-Consuming and Everlasting
A Path Unwinding to Places Before Us
In Case We Don’t Answer the Phone
And Now for a Dose of Innocuous Brainwashing
When in Doubt, Remember the Past
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Monday, Monday -- Two More Reasons to Lift Weights
Aren't You Glad You're a Bomber?
Stocks and Bonds, Sliced and Diced
Bored? It’s Not the Movement. It’s the Mover.
Top Priority: Physical Fitness
Bash 05 Guest Announcement: Bill Pearl
IOL Research Clinic Report # 577
The Strong Survive and the Relentless Aspire
The Decadent Tuna and Water Diet
May Your Blasting Be Long Lasting
Russ Warner, A Most Unforgettable Character
Muscling our Way Through the Holiday IronOnline Thanksgiving
Instinctive Training: Allow me to Confuse you
True Adventures Obesity in America
Muscles and Power, Foods Supplements and Diet
Muscle Beach, Venice, California
Weight Training Peaks and Valleys
Weight Training is Character Building
Training Motivation, Intensity
Keeping a Training Schedule While Traveling
How to Adjust Your Ailerons and Stabilize Your Flaps
Egor, Bring Your Pick. What's Under This Rock?
Summertime and the Livin' is Easy
Beats Working for a Living Away from the Maddening Crowd
Obesity Rises as Character Falls
World War III, Man Against Fat
Health and Wealth, Winners and Losers
MTS is Real and Not a Laughing Matter
Can’t Fly Without Wind Under Your Wings
Down the Highway and on My Mind
The Song of the Whooping Crane
Just Another Arnold Spectacular
All Flights—Real, On Time and Non-Stop
The Runway is Clear for Takeoff
Allow Not Life to Hang Limply Over the Bedpost
Time to Climb Repair and Recovery
Smart, Confident and Courageous
The Earthling Contraction Contraption and Much, Much More
Growing up side by side with all our might
Tight nutriton and hard-hitting workouts
Father Revival, Mother Survival
Time—the ripe fruit of barren trees
Where have all the cactus gone?
Cholesterol: Try a little respect
Texas, boots and stones: A true story
Preaching to the Choir Lest They Slept
Prevention's Sweeter than the Cure
The Amazing Hormone Connection
Who are you and where are you going?
Summer Shape Up, Progress in Motion
You, Yourself and Your Personal Trainer
Another Imaginative Musclehead with Nothing Better to do
The Twelve Rules of Right Eating
London TownExtra. Extra. Read all about it
Where have all the Cowboys gone?
I'll Take the Herculean Hundred and Ten Pound Set, Please
The Good Stuff—Basic & Stimulating
Ready for Action, Ready or Not
Another Week Older and Deeper in Debt
Straight Talk for the Overweight
Insecurities are for People Only
You Lift. You Learn. You Grow.
Basic Combinations Fulfill Basic Needs
Tough Times Need Tough Measures
Crank up Your Engines with Camaraderie
Is There A Smoker In The Room?
Strike a Spark - Getting Started
Upper Chest - Engage the Whole
This Incomparable Sport is for All of Us
Prepare for the Psychology of Winter
Challenge Report - Weight Gain Update
Information Overload - You got it?
Didn't Get Prepared for Summer?
Bent Over Rows - Tough Back Work
HIT, Mentzer's Heavy Duty & More
The Process of Shoulder Repair
An Often Asked Question About Shoulder Repair
Muscle Beach Gym, Santa Monica, CA 1963
Forearm Training and Other Tricks
Simple Rules for Proper Nutrition
Intense Outer and Lower Lat Routine
Getting Started in Bodybuilding
Mid-January, The Journey Begins