Danny Padilla interview - 1981 Mr. Olympia

[AbrahamG]

One of the best bodybuilding pics ever

Absolutely agreed. 

Wish classic bodybuilding would use these trunks instead of the shit they are currently wearing.

Do you think Danny would have wiped the floor with Flex Lewis?  I do.

[Straw Man]

Natural O include a little more on training with your interviews. What split, how many sets a body part and so on. Interview after interview I hear just about nothing about how they trained.

totally agree

I really couldn't care less about new contests much less old ones

the only thing that interests me are the different ideas on training

If I recall from other interviews  he trained light and fast with a constant weight for 12 reps per set for ~ 4 sets per exercise

[Natural_O]

I can ask about the training they do also. I have discussed this before in several of the interviews although most of the interview is about their bodybuilding career.

[Nether Animal]

I like the current format where you move forward chronologically

[Natural_O]

I like the current format where you move forward chronologically

Thank you

[Simple Simon]

I can ask about the training they do also. I have discussed this before in several of the interviews although most of the interview is about their bodybuilding career.

they pick things up, they put them down in various combinations that stress the muscle.


The end.

[Natural_O]

Awesome picture of Padilla by photographer Garry Bartlett. Looking at the pictures now over 35 years later, Padilla looks perfect.

[Dan-O]

they pick things up, they put them down in various combinations that stress the muscle.


The end.

Agreed.  Training is pretty much training.  The personalities, the stories, the wacky experiences, that's what makes for an interesting interview.

[Natural_O]

Agreed.  Training is pretty much training.  The personalities, the stories, the wacky experiences, that's what makes for an interesting interview.

That's what I'm looking to hear from them. I want to hear the inside story from the legends themselves.

[Mr Anabolic]

I do. I'd like to know what their split was?  Trained body parts once, twice or three times a week? One or two sets to failure or 6 sets per exercise?  Two, three or four exercises a body part?  If bodybuilding is a sport it's what they did in the gym.  I would like to know.  Surely your training is loosely based on someone that came before you. What they do in the gym is the essence of the activity next to drug use.

One common theme I always read about the old school guys like Padilla... they trained with lots of volume and frequency and higher reps, 6 days/wk.  

I found this...

"During most of the year Danny trained 4 to 6 days a week. He always followed the same split.

Day 1 Chest and Back we’d often superset each chest movement with a back movement.
Day 2 Shoulders and Arms we’d often superset 2 shoulder exercises and we’d frequently superset biceps with triceps.
Day 3 legs.
Repeat.

If we missed a workout, he didn’t worry about it. He just does that workout when he returns to the gym. During the off season he did 2 to 3 exercises per body-part for 5 sets of 12 reps where the same weight is used on all sets. That means the first set or 2 is really a warm-up and by set three he’s close to the edge of course set four and five are all out. When he can get 12 reps on all 5 sets, he’ll add weight during the next workout. His rest between sets is short, no longer than a minute. One he began preparing for a competition he’d do 4 exercises for each body part in the same manner… 5 sets of 12 reps.

Even though the volume is high Danny would complete these workouts in just over an hour"

[Mr Anabolic]

Some stuff about how Danny and the other guys trained here as well...

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/golden-age-legends-part-1-q-a-with-golden-age-greats.html

[Taffin]

The real giant killer.

Saying that reminded me of his WBF posing routine which I vaguely recall was based on some sort of Jack and the Beanstalk schtick, wih him among giant mushrooms, maybe?.... or did I just imagine the whole thing....

[Dan-O]

Saying that reminded me of his WBF posing routine which I vaguely recall was based on some sort of Jack and the Beanstalk schtick, wih him among giant mushrooms, maybe?.... or did I just imagine the whole thing....

Unfortunately, that wasn't a hallucination from some bad magic mushrooms you had.  It happened, and it was pretty ridiculous.

[beakdoctor]

Unfortunately, that wasn't a hallucination from some bad magic mushrooms you had.  It happened, and it was pretty ridiculous.

ugh everything about the wbf was just awful. tacky, campy....embarrassing.

[Trev]

Danny is a dude and did some amazing things with his physique. Could whip himself into competition shape faster than anyone

[Mr Anabolic]

ugh everything about the wbf was just awful. tacky, campy....embarrassing.

Absolutely.  However, McManon was paying a hell of a lot more than Weider and all the WBF guys had to abide by the contracts they signed, even if it meant doing silly skits like Danny did.

People will, and often do, anything for money.  The majority of people can be bought and they all have their price.

[oldtimer1]

Danny competing at his heaviest.

[Simple Simon]

Danny competing at his heaviest.

you could put forward a pretty good argument for him winning that show...

[Nether Animal]

Danny competing at his heaviest.

Yup, came back in the 90s and competed well against the best. In the WBF he stopped trying and was nowhere near this shape.

[The Scott]

Danny competing at his heaviest.

A miniaturized Oak.  One of the best ever and should have been Mr. Olympia at least once.  Looks better than the two guys with in that shot.

[MCWAY]

Absolutely.  However, McManon was paying a hell of a lot more than Weider and all the WBF guys had to abide by the contracts they signed, even if it meant doing silly skits like Danny did.

People will, and often do, anything for money.  The majority of people can be bought and they all have their price.

So, Padilla was supposed to stay in the IFBB and starve vs. get the biggest payday of his life in the twilight of his career (even though he was still doing fairly well)?

[Mr Anabolic]

So, Padilla was supposed to stay in the IFBB and starve vs. get the biggest payday of his life in the twilight of his career (even though he was still doing fairly well)?

That is not what I said, I'm merely pointing out that he had to do what McManon told him to do... as silly and ridiculous as it might've been.  The costumes and skits were cringe worthy.

[jude2]

A miniaturized Oak.  One of the best ever and should have been Mr. Olympia at least once.  Looks better than the two guys with in that shot.

Agreed.

[newhouse]

John,
I didn't hear in your Roger Schwab interview about 81 O, when he was discussing qualifications of the judges, what he thought about the AAU Physique Committee Chairman giving Columbu a 59, putting him in first on that judge's scoresheet.  Did I miss his thoughts on that?

[Simple Simon]

John,
I didn't hear in your Roger Schwab interview about 81 O, when he was discussing qualifications of the judges, what he thought about the AAU Physique Committee Chairman giving Columbu a 59, putting him in first on that judge's scoresheet.  Did I miss his thoughts on that?

 I heard it was a 69