I met George Eiferman in his gym in Las Vegas in the early 90s.
I introduced myself, told him of my background in the field, etc.,
and we ended up discussing many things, much of which centered
around how the iron game WAS and how it had...ummm...
progressed. The one distinct thing I recall George saying (after
bringing up the impact of drugs on the sport, as in competition),
was he said something to the effect that he knew everyone
couldn't be a Steve Reeves but drugs weren't the answer (in
a comparative analogy to older, simpler, less complicated and
competitive times).
The objective journalist in me immediately shot back: "Steve Reeves
of course never took drugs?"
George shot back just as quick with a good natured smirk on his face.
"Are you kidding; with his genetics? Besides, Steve was really into
natural health and foods and the physical culture aspect of body-
building. He would have never taken drugs, especially to impact his
own hormone (test) levels." He said a few other things in basic support
of that; things like he and Steve were close friends; that they had
fun, especially with women, but that even liquor was a distant stranger
to his lips, as well as some so-called cutting edge nutritional products.
He finished it off with something like Reeves treated his body like a
temple. That he would have been the LAST person to even try
something like drugs.
Now, of course, my above quote was not word for word, but it's pretty
close and captures the jest of what he said. George was a very nice,
soft spoken guy and had a reputation that was not tarnished in the
least. And he and Steve were close buddies. Yet, George wasn't the
type of guy to lie; he probably couldn't have if a gun was put to his
head. His integrity was without question.
And George and Steve were buds throughout Steve's competitive
career. Keep in mind too that back in those times and up to the time
I met George, steroids were legal. In otherwords, taking drugs would
have had no lawful or legal impact, therefore, no consequences. If
Reeves would have taken, used, tried, experimented in any way, George
would have known; and if he (Reeves) did, George would have simply
said so.
Also, if Reeves tried the stuff, don't you think others, especially in the
competitive arena would have said so. Listen, in that small community
(bodybuilding) someone would have known and it would have gotten out,
and about. Those other bodybuilders had enough to worry about Reeves'
genetics, let alone outside, artifical enhancements.
I don't share this lightly...but I visited the Reeves Ranch after his death,
taking pictures and doing an extensive expose. I also talked to some
people close to Reeves, including caretakers and even his horse vet.
Steve was actually quite a health fanatic and it was obvious all over the
place, including those who knew him best, including his life partner. He was
so incredibly fussy he had to make his own protein drinks from scratch; he
didn't trust others that much when it came to his own body. He was, shall
we say, extremely conservative and cautious. And he was very proud, strong.
Back in the 80s when he contracted with MD magazine (when they were
calling themselves "Natural") to provide articles and his own limited product
line (extremely modest), he left after they (MD) once again changed their
focus away from the natural to more mainstream. He was strict, legit and
the real deal. Look back at some of those issues and read, my friends. He
hated what drugs had done to the sport and made his opinions very clear.
I'll share something else, when I was editor of Muscle Digest (early 80s),
I had heard through the grapevine that Steve wouldn't even lend his name
to nutritional products because he may not have believed in them or taken
them. The guy couldn't be bought. He was seemingly an extremely straight
shooter. Drugs did not fit into his philosophy. Naturally, truly fit did, but with
hard work and absolute dedication. Drugs to Reeves were totally counter-
dictory to why he started bodybuilding in the first place.
Steve also does NOT fit the profile of a user, in any amounts, in any way.
He also never showed any, as the law refers to, as...patterns of behavior.
Patterns of behavior is used in courts all the time and helps to establish
a timeline of possibles and probables. The mental and medical communities
also use patterns of behavior to help establish facts and ascertain truths
from untruths.
Reeves never has in his personal profile any patterns of behavior that would
indicate or even suggest that he may have been a drug (steroid) user or
even experimentor. It doesn't even romotely fit his M.O.
However, his entire life does illustrate patterns of behavior that suggest
just the opposite. We could go on and on.
In my opinion and I believe in a profound way, this topic does not even
dignify a discourse or argument. It simply is without any logic or merit.
