When I say Frank Zane, Bob Paris and Serge Nubret….what comes to mind. Okay let's add in Arnold and Dennis Newman. What is the common thread? If you said they were all great bodybuilders of yesteryear you would be right. But what else did they have in common?
If you said they all have great symmetry and proportions that gifted them with extraordinary aesthetics…you would be right again.
I have just returned from Las Vegas and had a chance to witness several hundred bodybuilders compete for their Pro card at the 2006 NPC USA National Bodybuilding Competition. Only a handful could claim these geometric qualities and rarely do the judges place enough emphasis on these traits. It appears to me that bodybuilders of sheer muscular size are often given extra consideration even when waist lines are at monstrous though muscular proportions.
However one such competitor that day rivaled the qualities of the past greats of Paris or Zane is Dan Decker. Dan was a heavyweight competitor dinging the scales that day at about 215 lbs. Dan has all the makings of a great bodybuilder. Beside his superior symmetry and proportion, he is gifted with small joints that magnify size of his muscles. This adds yet another level or dimension to his proportion elevating the overall aesthetics of his physique. Resting below all that upper body muscle was one of the smallest waists on stage that was carved and chiseled to perfection. No one, seriously, no one had the aesthetic lines on stage that Dan had.
I don't want to overlook either that Dan is a big guy. (You really can't appreciate this unless you stand next to him) His muscles bulge, peak, striate, separate and flex when he throws up a pose. The day of the contest Dan was ripped, vascular, tanned and ready to take on the 33 other competitors in his weight class. Though Dan placed 7 th that day in my opinion he was much higher. This is Dan's first NPC Pro Contest and first time recognition by judges, as you can imagine, likely has some influence in placement in this subjectively determined sport. Expect to see him placing at the top of the pack next year. You can view his past competitions on his website.
Stage Photos of Dan Decker NPC USA Competition by Scott Jameson
Scott Jameson and Dan Decker at NPC USA Competition
I had the opportunity to interview Dan the day of the contest but first a little history.
I first saw Dan at the 2004 NPC Indiana State Bodybuilding competitions in Fort Wayne. That city is home Bodybuilding Program Zone and so it was an easy contest to cover. Dan placed first in the contest and very obviously he had the qualities to move to national level competition.
Dan grew up in the Hoosier State in the town of Granger near South Bend. Fort Wayne is a neighboring city and I immediately felt a kindred spirit to this Indiana competitor. If you have your thinking cap on you'll remember that Bob Paris was also from Indiana. Indiana is known for growing great things and I guess proportional and symmetrical bodybuilders are obviously among of them.
As so many highly potential bodybuilders do, Dan moved to Huntington Beach, CA a couple of years ago to train. Dan has been training about 15 years reaching back to his high school days. I appreciated Dan's honesty with his accurate response on the years of dedicated training during our conversation. So many of the magazines portray their bodybuilder's road to greatness with ridiculously short years of preparation. As I have often said, "sweat eventually hardens to muscle" and Dan is living proof that his sweat has paid off.
As with any great bodybuilder, routines change regularly to stimulate muscle growth. Currently Dan trains 5 days a week with rest strategically placed for muscle recuperation. Typically he trains:
- Monday- Chest
- Tuesday- Back
- Wednesday-Rest
- Thursday-Shoulders
- Friday- Arms
- Saturday- Legs
- Sunday – Rest
While he primarily trains in Huntington Beach, he does occasionally hit Gold's Gym in Venice to keep pulse on the bodybuilding scene and train amongst his peers.
Dan- Monday after NPC USA Contest-Photo Outside of Gold's Gym in Venice
Besides bodybuilding Dan enjoys and trades collectibles on Ebay. This entrepreneurial business allows him flexibility to focus on his training. Dan has an eye for these antiques and collectibles that he often finds at estate sales. He later resells at market value.
On a personal level Dan is one the nicest guys I have meet and very easy to like. (At this moment of this writing, I am pausing here trying to find the right words here that describe Dan adequately and correctly). Dan was humble, a quality rarely found in people of success. He was not puffed up about his rise in the sport nor was he critical of other competitors that day. He was friendly to the fan as well as to those who knew him. Moreover, Dan was gentleman. He took time, for example, to introduce me to his friends, prominent bodybuilders as well key people in the sport whenever the opportunity presented itself. Perhaps it was his Midwest upbringing but regardless it was appreciated by me and others. At the beginning this was an interview but in the end it was friendship.
I hope that judges will recognize that the qualities of today's bodybuilders must be more symmetrical and proportioned as well as muscular to reach the top spots in this sport. Many are already recognizing this shift and I, for one, have my money on Dan.
See you at the top Dan!
Other Full Size Photos of Dan
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Sweat eventually hardens to Muscle".....Scott
This article is property of Bodybuilding Program Zone and may not be reproduced without written permission from Scott Jameson. Besides it wouldn't be right....Scott
