When Dave Drake steps onto the stage, it is his muscles that are on display. Judges critique his bronzed biceps and defined quads as he strikes poses to the sound of Robert Randolph’s bluesy guitar on “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That.”

It took some urging for Drake to become this bold person, flexing his form in front of a crowd.

Motivation came from Drake’s friend and workout buddy Lou Ferrigno, known to most of us as television’s Incredible Hulk. Ferrigno encouraged the Bloomington bodybuilder to compete.

More: Photo gallery of Drake

“He’s a 50-year-old with the body of a 30-year-old,” Drake recalled Ferrigno saying of his chiseled form.

Drake’s iron-pumping career really began more than 25 years ago with a job at the front desk of Exercise, Inc. in Bloomington. He then became a personal trainer and eventually graduated from the Krannert School of Physical Therapy at the University of Indianapolis. His interest in competitive bodybuilding didn’t come until years later, though, when he was prodded by Ferrigno.

The actor invited Drake to work out with him at his home in Santa Monica. The workouts were so strenuous that Drake wasn’t sure he would make it through that first session.

“Don’t puke on my floor,” he remembered Ferrigno saying. “At least go outside.”

Despite the intensity of that first workout, Drake continues to lift with Ferrigno once or twice a year. He said he would love to live out west, but can’t seem to break from his Bloomington roots. He tried living in Indianapolis once, but returned here six months later.

“I want to go to California so bad,” Drake said, “but I was born and raised here. I’ll probably be a local boy forever.”

After competing in the June Indianapolis Bodybuilding Championships the past two years, Drake is eager to enter his biggest competition yet. Drake will fight for top honors at the Indiana State Championship and Hoosier Muscle bodybuilding competitions this month. He is now in the most demanding stages of training.

The hardest part of this leg for Drake is keeping up with his “horrid” diet in the 16 weeks prior to a competition. Drake starts the day with six egg whites, eight ounces of lean beef, and half a cup of oatmeal. For lunch he has eight ounces of chicken and an eight-ounce sweet potato. Drake ends the day with eight ounces of fish, a cup of asparagus and another sweet potato. Protein shakes provide energy boosts throughout the day.

When he is not in the most intense weeks of training, Drake “eats clean” by choosing less processed, low-fat foods. He swapped foods containing white sugar and white flour with healthy carbohydrate substitutes, like brown rice, oatmeal, and his favorite, sweet potatoes.

“It’s a little more expensive, but worth it in the long run,” Drake said. “You don’t have as many health issues and you don’t have to see the doctor as often.”

To up the bulk and definition required for competition, Drake schedules some heavy lifting into his workout routine. The basics of his workout, though, are simple. He starts with about 10 minutes of cardio as a warm-up, stretches a bit, lifts weights and concludes with another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio.

Drake’s strict routine culminates when he shows off his hard-earned physique in front of others. Competitions have two components: morning pre-judging and evening free pose. In the pre-judging segment, judges rate the competitor’s form in eight flexing positions. In the free-pose segment, competitors create a posing routine accompanied by 60 seconds of a song of their choice.

Fitness hopefuls don’t have to train for a bodybuiding competition to see results, though. Drake encourages men and women to incorporate even light resistance training into their workouts.

Strength training can cut recovery time in half for physical therapy patients returning from surgery, Drake said. It also increases bone density and offsets the effects of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

For basic weight training, the amount of weight lifted is not as important as using the proper technique. “I’m a stickler for form,” Drake said. “You have got to get the form right to get results.”

Drake expects to continue seeing the rewards of his hard work in his muscular development for many years.

“I hope to compete until I’m 60 or 70,” he said. “I love pushing my body to the limits.”

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Benefits of Resistance Training

It doesn’t take hours in the gym to see results from lifting weights. Practicing even light resistance training can improve health.

• Bone Strength: Post-menopausal women can lose 1 to 2 percent of bone mass each year. Resistance training increases bone density and decreases the risk of fracture.

• Arthritis Relief: Studies show that resistance training can decrease the pain and disability caused by arthritis. In some cases, strength training sessions have proven more effective than medications.

• Weight Control: Since muscle tissue consumes more calories than fat tissue, resistance training increases the body’s metabolic rate. A higher metabolic rate helps in weight maintenance.

• Fall-proof: Serious falls lead to fractured and broken bones that can be very debilitating. Balance and flexibility improve with resistance training, which decreases the risk of a serious fall.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/index.html