Interview With Dave Goodin, The Texas Shredder

To say that Dave, the Texas Shredder, Goodin in a veteran competitor is a colossal understatement. Dave has been competing in drug-free bodybuilding contests for over 23 years, and is the all-time WNBF money winner. In addition to bodybuilding, he's also won a national powerlifting title, and is a contest promoter. And believe it or not, Dave Goodin also has a competition named after him...The Texas Shredder Classic.

For more information on Dave Goodin, please visit www.DaveGoodin.com.

DAVE GOODIN INTERVIEW

Muscle and Strength: I have to ask right off the bat...how did you get the nickname, the Texas Shredder?

Dave Goodin: In 1994, I was invited in to compete in the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation. Based on the photos I saw in the only issue of Natural Bodybuilding Magazine that I had found, I felt that I would be very competitive in the World Championships. I did a photo shoot the day before the Worlds, but then I didn't make the top 15 in the show (no weight classes). I didn't figure anything would be done with the photos but someone from the magazine called and interviewed me over the phone.  The article came out in the spring of 1995 and the editor, Steve Downs, had titled it Dave Goodin...The Texas Shredder. At that point I had quite a reputation for always showing up in shredded condition and Steve liked the photos that were taken in NYC before the Worlds. So, Steve Downs just came up with it as the title for the article and it stuck. My friends at the gym started calling me Shredder and when I went to WNBF shows everybody called me Shredder. By the way, after the '94 Worlds I made a significant increase in muscle and never placed out of the money again. In fact I went on to become the number one money winner in the history of the WNBF, racking up 2 World Championships, 3 Mr. Universe titles, 2 Pro Masters Cup Championships, Pro Mr. International and Pro US Cup Champion.

Muscle and Strength: You mentioned that you just returned from a photo shoot with Ironman. Can you tell us about that experience? And was it your first?

Dave Goodin: The photo shoot for Ironman was a blast! They wore me out physically, but I really enjoy the experience. This was my 4th photo shoot with the incredible Michael Neveux of Ironman Magazine. The first time I went to shoot with him I had to fly out to LA at my own expense with no guarantee that I'd get in the magazine.  Mike was very impressed with my physique and my conditioning. The photos from that first shoot were the best I'd ever done up to that point. Mike's use of lighting is just phenomenal!! So, Ironman really like the photos and the article that Ken O'Neill wrote about me. Apparently I was a big hit with the readers. They flew me out for another shoot in 2006 and over the course of a year they did 5 articles on me and had my abs on the cover. In 2007 the publisher, John Balik, asked me to write a blog for IronmanMagazine.com. Apparently they really liked that too as just a few months later they asked me write a monthly column. In 2007 I ruptured a hamstring tendon requiring reattachment surgery, so I didn't get to do my shoot that year. Last summer they had me shoot for a cover with LA model Raven Lexy. We were on the cover of the Jan 2009 issue. That was quite a thrill!

For my shoot last week we did 2 ab training workout videos and a power bench press workout video. These vids will be available for download to an Ipod or Iphone soon.  People can take me to the gym with them and follow the workouts. We did a lot of stills for the ab training and bench press too. On the second day Mike shot me for a cover with Crystal West (aka The Pullup Queen). We will be on the cover of the Jan 2010 issue which will hit the stands Dec 1st. The cover shoot took about 2 hours.  After we had lunch, Crystal left and we went back to work doing a series of posing photos, then about 3 hours of workout photos. I toweled the sweat of my worn out body and headed straight to the airport to catch an evening flight home. The photo shoots are very intense physically because you have the stop and hold weights in various points throughout the range of motion, and flex everything for the photos. After the 2 days of shooting my abs were so sore I think they were actually swollen! But, Mike and his staff are great! The shoots are fun and I know that the photos are going to blow me away when I see them!

Muscle and Strength: I can't say that I've ever been guilty of reaching an ab pump to that degree.

Dave Goodin: Well, just try doing 2 hours of ab training, then flex your abs during everything thing you do for the next day and a half.  (laughs loudly)

Muscle and Strength: Has cutting always come easy for you? Or did it take you a while to master the art of "shredding"?

Dave Goodin: Actually I'm naturally a thin person. Through high school and college I was always very lean, but part of that was because my activity level was always extremely high. In the spring of 1983 there was a bodybuilder (Charles Nichols) bugging me to enter a show. I had never been to a bodybuilding contest, so I went to watch the NPC Southwest Classic in Houston. I decided that while I might be one of the smallest guys on stage, I knew that I could get as lean or leaner than most of the guys that competed that day. I weighed 147 lbs for my first show. I placed 3rd in a novice lightweight class of 16 guys. I wasn't big, but I was shredded. So, yes....to answer your question, getting ripped comes more easily to me than putting on muscle.

Muscle and Strength: Tell me about the "Texas Shredder Classic"... How did that come about, and how many years has this contest been held?

Dave Goodin: In 1997 I bought Hyde Park Gym in Austin. I decided that I would like to host a drug-tested bodybuilding show in 1998. There had not been a bodybuilding show in Austin since 1991, and there just wasn't much interest in bodybuilding in town, so I wanted to bring it back. I was trying to decide what to call it and for lack of a better name I just named it after myself. Since there seemed to be a lot of bodybuilding enthusiasts who knew about the Texas Shredder, but didn't know my name I figured the Texas Shredder Classic might draw more competitors. The 1998 show had 57 competitors which is really good for a first time show....especially a drug-tested contest. It just kept growing and then it exploded when I started sanctioning with the NPC as a drug-tested Team Universe Qualifier in 2008. This year was my 12th annual Texas Shredder Classic. We had over 125 athletes entered and we sold out the 900 seat auditorium for the first time and had to sell standing room only tickets. I emcee the contest and it was quite a thrill to look out and see a completely packed house for the night show! We are looking for a larger venue for 2010 and hope to have a sizable expo with other events such as powerlifting, strongman, martial arts and wrestling tournaments, and fitness model contests.

Muscle and Strength: Speaking of powerlifting, besides being a bodybuilder, you're also a champion powerlifter. How did you approach training so that you were successful in both sports?

Dave Goodin: I started competing in powerlifting in 1985 after competing in bodybuilding for a couple of years. Some of the powerlifting at my gym were watching me train and were impressed with my intensity. They approached me about lifting in a meet and they coached me through the preparation. I enjoyed challenging myself with the heavy weights. And, I loved lifting in the meet! I set personal bests in all 3 lifts and the adrenaline rush was awesome! Even though I finished mid-pack (8th out of 16, I think) I enjoyed the whole process and continued to lift in a least one meet per year every year through 2000. I competed in the power meets during my bodybuilding off-season. The training up to a peak one rep max was a pretty big change in my training and was very good for my physique. Early on I would go to a straight powerlifting program and I would end up losing some size in my arms and lats during the process. After several years of seeing that happen I modified the program to leave in some high rep work and some bodybuilding exercises. The result was that I actually lifted better and looked better.

Muscle and Strength: What do you like best about powerlifting, and about bodybuilding?

Dave Goodin: When I'm powerlifting I enjoy lifting the super-heavy weights. I like the challenge of trying to lift a weight I've never lifted before. Hitting a new max in squats or deadlifts is such an adrenaline rush! The other thing I like about powerlifting is that I can compete without dieting!

The thing I like best about bodybuilding is the way I look when I'm in contest shape. I like being shredded! At the same time there are so many things that I like about bodybuilding. I like that I have the willpower to stick to the diet and to train hard, even when I'm hungry and tired. I like the sense of urgency I get as the contest gets closer. I love the competitions.....talking to competitors who I only see a few times a year, and I especially love getting on stage....for both prejudging and the night show.  And, when I win that just makes it even more fun!

Muscle and Strength: What draws you to the natural side of lifting and competition?

Dave Goodin: Initially it was the side effects that I read about in the magazines that influenced me to not use any bodybuilding drugs. I started competing the first year that I was training seriously and I saw that I could be very successful without using steroids. However, there was a time about 5 years into it that I considered taking some steroids because it appeared that it was going to take that to be successful on the national level. I had a good friend who pointed out to me how well I had done drug-free and said "just don't do it! You don't need it!" I agreed with him and the rest is history. I'm so glad I had that little nudge in the right direction at that pivotal time in my career. It has been very rewarding to tell people that I've never used any bodybuilding drugs when they ask me the question, "have you ever used steroids?"

Muscle and Strength: What training and/or diet advice can you provide to younger lifters so that they don't spin their wheels?

Dave Goodin: First, I would advise young lifters to leave the drugs alone. There a lot of people out there who have squandered their money and ruined their health with bodybuilding drugs, and were never even able to win a local show.

Second, I would say that you should strive to make bodybuilding a healthy lifestyle rather than just trying to win shows. If you make it a lifestyle you will enjoy the process and you'll always look good. If winning shows is all you're in it for, then you're going to endure a lot of disappointment.

Stick to the basics in both diet and nutrition. Be patient. There are no shortcuts. You have to train hard, train smart, eat clean and be consistent. There's no substitute for hard work and consistency!