A Closer Look at Danny Padilla the Giant Killer!!!

[Hedgehog]

Here's the definitive Danny owning Franco, but Franco somehow winning the show pic

I wonder what Columbo had to do in order to win?

-Hedge

[LAMA-PAI]

dress up as a greek sailor in chaps !

[Kwon]

If Danny was 180 cm with those proportions, he could have won everything.

Then again, he wouldn't be knows as "The Giant Killer".

[Max_Rep]

Danny 1981 Olympia

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Another from the 1981 O

[240 is Back]

had to be his haircut.

[Max_Rep]

Side Chest circa 1975

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Side chest 1990 verses mid 70's. Check the calves.

[Max_Rep]

1990 NOC 3rd place behind the two men standing next to him.

[Max_Rep]

Same shot as above close-up of Danny check the quad seperation.

[Max_Rep]

Another from 1990 NOC.

[Max_Rep]

And one of my fav's taken at Jim Rockells "Powerhouse" Samsons Gym Roch, NY. a few days before the NOC. Danny was doing 5 to 8 hours of cardio a day for the last week or so.

 

[alexxx]

Very cool Max_Rep!

I had a few small questions about Danny's training..

Why 5 sets of 8 for biceps and everything else is 12?

How is his rep tempo?

Dow do you choose the right weight?

Do you go with the max you can get for one set of 12 and then try to catch up?

Thanks! Feel free to add a story or two.

[XFACTOR]

And one of my fav's taken at Jim Rockells "Powerhouse" Samsons Gym Roch, NY. a few days before the NOC. Danny was doing 5 to 8 hours of cardio a day for the last week or so.

 

Guy is just sick!!  Funny people are talking about this Erik Buyi guy today, Danny would crush him, in my opinion.

[Max_Rep]

One more... I think this was taken at the 1990 Niagra Falls Pro. Danny placed 2nd behind Eddie Robinson. He felt he needed to drop a few more pound for the NOC. He looks a little puffy but huge. That's why he did all the cardio for the next few weeks and at the NOC, Danny was 3rd and Eddie Robinson was 7th.

[donrhummy]

Here's the definitive Danny owning Franco, but Franco somehow winning the show pic

Actually, that photo is the perfect example of friendship.....
....
....
that is, Franco's friendship with the show's promoter...Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[lonewolf]

There is no doubt that Padilla was a great pro. I had the opportunity to see and judge Danny way back when.
His problem was that many times on the day of competition he was not in his best shape,although there were a few tmes when he should have placed higher.
 He had a terrible habit of not taking command of the stage and was almost nonchalant during posing. There was also one other thing that bothered the hell out of me. He couldn't do a front lat spread to save his life, and during the comparisons it really hurt him. If his presentation was better he would have fared a lot better at the top.

[natural al]

One more... I think this was taken at the 1990 Niagra Falls Pro. Danny placed 2nd behind Eddie Robinson. He felt he needed to drop a few more pound for the NOC. He looks a little puffy but huge. That's why he did all the cardio for the next few weeks and at the NOC, Danny was 3rd and Eddie Robinson was 7th.

Danny improved alot from Niagra to the NOC but to be fair Eddie didn't look nearly as good, he slipped alot and slipped even further at the olympia that year...but htat was the "tested" olympia so

[Max_Rep]

Very cool Max_Rep!

Correction… that should read Max_Rep IS very cool! lol  

I had a few small questions about Danny's training..

Why 5 sets of 8 for biceps and everything else is 12?

Just through experimentation he found his biceps responded a little better to the lower reps. Occasionally Danny would go through periods of doing 5 sets of 8 on everything instead of the 5 sets of 12. Mostly for a little variety though. When it came down to serious contest training, Danny would always revert to 5 sets of 12.

I should also say that Danny would always train UP in body-weight for competitions and LOSE weight in the off-season. Arnold was doing this in his last few years of competition and it worked well for Danny.  

How is his rep tempo?

Pretty fast but controlled about 1 to 2 seconds up and 1 to 2 seconds down. No lockout on Bench, Incline, Shoulder presses, hacks.  

Dow do you choose the right weight?
Do you go with the max you can get for one set of 12 and then try to catch up?

It’s a bit of trial and error but remember short rest periods. No longer that 60 seconds. Choose a weight that you can COMFORTABLY get 12 on set one. That means you might have been able to get a few more. If you keep the tempo and you can get 12 then 12, then 12 then maybe 11 then maybe 10, stay with that weight in the next workout. Any time you can get 12 in all five sets go up the next workout. It’s a slightly different philosophy on intensity. Instead intensity for 1 set it’s intense over 5 sets. It’s a different feeling in the muscle. Vince Gironda had Mohamed Makkawy do a very similar workout but instead of 5 sets of 12 he used 8 sets of 8 reps for 4 exercises on a body part. Mohamed supposedly was drug free (who knows… or just lied to Vince).

Thanks! Feel free to add a story or two.

Danny loves doing Joe Weider imitations. Danny and Samir both do great imitations of Joe.

Danny also loved horse racing (gambling) and often donated money to various NY race tracks (lost his a$$).

He also loves glazed donuts and could eat a dozen without blinking.

One of my favorite stories was once when he was living in L.A., his roommate was training for the Mr. L.A. He (the roommate) was low carb dieting for months. Danny comes home and hears all this screaming and banging coming from the kitchen. The roommate had baked a chocolate cake and frosted it intending to cheat but guilt set in so he was beating the cake up punching it, fists filled with cake and frosting, cake all over the kitchen. Danny was laughing his ass off.  

[Max_Rep]

There is no doubt that Padilla was a great pro. I had the opportunity to see and judge Danny way back when.
His problem was that many times on the day of competition he was not in his best shape,although there were a few tmes when he should have placed higher.
 He had a terrible habit of not taking command of the stage and was almost nonchalant during posing. There was also one other thing that bothered the hell out of me. He couldn't do a front lat spread to save his life, and during the comparisons it really hurt him. If his presentation was better he would have fared a lot better at the top.

I can see your point lonewolf, I agree that he was bit nonchalant at times. I can also tell you that among his friends we'd often watch him train for a show, look unreal two weeks out and then proceed to "blow it" and come in smooth. I remember one time he deep splits everywhere and was huge, then went on a two week donut binge. You don't carb up for two weeks. Imagine the frustration for those of us who were his friends and knew his potential.

But the few times he got serious... magic.

[Max_Rep]

Alexxx… it was Danny’s influence that got me into bodybuilding. I remember vividly I was about 16. I had started working out in my basement a few years earlier but was really just trying to get a little stronger and bigger for wrestling and track. Then I started looking for gyms. At the time it was 1970 there were no real gyms in Rochester… just spa’s. I heard the Rochester Downtown YMCA had an very well equipped weight room (which was true).

I started training there and one day I walk in and Danny had just wo the Mr. Rochester and was getting done with an arm workout. He had on a guinea t-shirt (like a Hanes underwear tank top but that was what we called them… before anyone screams racism… I’m half Italian). I took one look and said to myself “That’s how I want to look” (I’m still trying to look like that). That image and that day will always be etched in my mind. It was several years later that I actually got to train with him. 

Use those times in your life to ignite the fuel in your workouts.

[Hypertrophy]

Danny, more than Arnold, represented the ultimate physique when I began lifting in the early 70's.

At the time, I was going to college at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  When I heard they were having the Mr. Rochester contest a few miles from where I lived, I jumped at the chance to see what a pro bodybuilder looked like in person. It turned out that  the  guest posers were   Danny and Pete Grymkowski!

 They were both awesome, but when I saw Danny walking to the stage, I was blown away by how big he was. His posing was a riot. He really looked like he was having a blast. Grymkowski appeared more serious, while Danny was practically laughing!

[donrhummy]

I wonder what Columbo had to do in order to win?

-Hedge

Nothing since he never competed. Columbu on the other hand was friends with Arnold. 

[alexxx]

Correction… that should read Max_Rep IS very cool! lol  

Just through experimentation he found his biceps responded a little better to the lower reps. Occasionally Danny would go through periods of doing 5 sets of 8 on everything instead of the 5 sets of 12. Mostly for a little variety though. When it came down to serious contest training, Danny would always revert to 5 sets of 12.

I should also say that Danny would always train UP in body-weight for competitions and LOSE weight in the off-season. Arnold was doing this in his last few years of competition and it worked well for Danny.  

Pretty fast but controlled about 1 to 2 seconds up and 1 to 2 seconds down. No lockout on Bench, Incline, Shoulder presses, hacks.  


It’s a bit of trial and error but remember short rest periods. No longer that 60 seconds. Choose a weight that you can COMFORTABLY get 12 on set one. That means you might have been able to get a few more. If you keep the tempo and you can get 12 then 12, then 12 then maybe 11 then maybe 10, stay with that weight in the next workout. Any time you can get 12 in all five sets go up the next workout. It’s a slightly different philosophy on intensity. Instead intensity for 1 set it’s intense over 5 sets. It’s a different feeling in the muscle. Vince Gironda had Mohamed Makkawy do a very similar workout but instead of 5 sets of 12 he used 8 sets of 8 reps for 4 exercises on a body part. Mohamed supposedly was drug free (who knows… or just lied to Vince).

Danny loves doing Joe Weider imitations. Danny and Samir both do great imitations of Joe.

Danny also loved horse racing (gambling) and often donated money to various NY race tracks (lost his a$$).

He also loves glazed donuts and could eat a dozen without blinking.

One of my favorite stories was once when he was living in L.A., his roommate was training for the Mr. L.A. He (the roommate) was low carb dieting for months. Danny comes home and hears all this screaming and banging coming from the kitchen. The roommate had baked a chocolate cake and frosted it intending to cheat but guilt set in so he was beating the cake up punching it, fists filled with cake and frosting, cake all over the kitchen. Danny was laughing his ass off.  

Very cool Max_Rep! You are very cool!! Thanks for all the info!

[Max_Rep]

Danny, more than Arnold, represented the ultimate physique when I began lifting in the early 70's.

At the time, I was going to college at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  When I heard they were having the Mr. Rochester contest a few miles from where I lived, I jumped at the chance to see what a pro bodybuilder looked like in person. It turned out that the guest posers were Danny and Pete Grymkowski!

 They were both awesome, but when I saw Danny walking to the stage, I was blown away by how big he was. His posing was a riot. He really looked like he was having a blast. Grymkowski appeared more serious, while Danny was practically laughing!

I was at that show! In fact, I competed in that show! But it wasn't the Mr. Rochester. It was the Mr. Empire State Competition. Held at the Henrietta, NY dome auitorium. Jim Rochell still has the poster for Danny and Pete posing up in his gym. And I was also going to RIT at the time... okay dude PM me and reveal yourself. I'm guessing we know each other.