Dave Goodin – Complete Profile: Height, Workout And Diet

Dave Goodin is a retired American IFBB Pro bodybuilder and powerlifter that is fondly known as ‘Texas Shredder’. A lifelong natural athlete, Goodin earned his IFBB Pro card while being completely drug-free. He preaches the importance of consistency and simplicity to enjoy performance longevity and long-term health. This article explores his biography, workout routine, diet as well as statistics.

Dave Goodin (The Texas Shredder)

Born: March 8, 1959
Birthplace: Victoria, Texas, USA
Residence: Austin, Texas, USA
Nickname: The Texas Shredder
Height: 5′ 6″ (170 cm)
Competition Weight: 170 lbs (77 kg)
Off-Season Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)

Dave Goodin Biography

Dave Goodin is known in the bodybuilding world as the Texas Shredder was born in Victoria, Texas, USA, on 8 March 1959, and he is an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, the promoter/director of the Texas Shredder Classic IFBB and NPC Bodybuilding Contests in Austin, and a regular columnist for Iron Man Magazine.

Dave says ‘Bodybuilding is just what I’m good at… other than that I’m just a regular guy. I’ve been playing guitar and singing since I was 9 years old. I started playing baseball and football when I was a kid. In high school, I lettered in football, basketball, and track. I ran track in Jr. College…400m, 800m, a mile, and cross country.’

After graduating from the University of Texas with a B.S. in Physical Education, and an M.Ed. in Exercise Physiology, Dave taught and coached in the Texas public schools for 9 years.

Dave says ‘I joined a bodybuilding gym after I graduated and have been competing since 1983. I’ve won 3 state, and 9 international titles in drug-free bodybuilding. I’ve won 5 state and 1 national title in powerlifting and briefly held a drug-free world record.’ In 1994 he moved back to Austin, Texas where he started his personal training career. Dave has successfully worked with clients of all fitness levels, from complete beginners who are just trying to get into shape, to world-class physique athletes who want to excel in their chosen field.

Dave Goodin is unique in the fitness world, not only possessing a vast amount of knowledge through both education and 32 years of practical experience, but he also practices what he preaches and is still winning bodybuilding championships in his 50s as a drug-free athlete.

Dave’s titles include WNBF Natural Universe (2006), IFBB North Americans Championships Masters 50+ (2009), NPC Team Universe Championships (2009), and IFBB World Amateur Championships Masters 50+ (2009).

Dave says ‘I love working out and being healthy. I’m lucky to have led this life and have never been out of shape. I have two beautiful daughters, Blythe and Molly. They’re both very sweet wonderful girls. I feel fortunate to have such good kids!

Mr. & Masters Olympia Results

Never competed

Titles Won

2000 – WNBF Pro Natural World (LightWeight)
2001 – WNBF Pro Natural International
2003 – WNBF Pro Natural Masters
2005 – WNBF Pro Natural Masters
2006 – WNBF Pro Natural US Cup (LightWeight)
2006 – WNBF Natural Universe (LightWeight)
2007 – NPC Team Universe
2007 – NPC Lone Star Classic Bodybuilding
2008 – NPC John Sherman Classic Bodybuilding
2008 – NPC Europa (Middleweight)
2008 – NPC Europa (Masters 50+)
2009 – IFBB North Americans (Masters 50+)
2009 – NPC Team Universe (WelterWeight)
2009 – IFBB World Amateur Champ. (Masters 50+)

Dave Goodin Workout

One of the most remarkable aspects of Dave Goodin’s physique is that he has maintained an excellent physique well into his sixties. It’s normal for people to wonder what the secret behind his performance longevity is. The short answer is, there is no secret!

Dave Goodin realized early in his life that consistency and persistence are the best training methods. He is a proud drug-free athlete who believes that you have to pay the price of being natty by spending quality time in the gym.

“My philosophy in training is to stick with the basics. If you do the basic bodybuilding exercises, train hard, and train consistently, you’ll keep building muscle year after year.”

Dave Goodin believes in old-school training methods and adheres to basic weight training with simple exercises and training programs. Following these simple rules helps him stay on track without getting burned out.

Training principles

With growing age, Goodin found it more challenging to stay in shape but he maneuvered around the challenges masterfully and preserved his physique. With growing age, Gooden slowed down his rep speed and focused more on doing controlled and smooth reps. He found that to be more effective and safer than hurling around weights without technique.

Although techniques like supersets and drop sets help increase the training intensity, Goodin scarcely uses them in his workouts when he is short on time.

Rest periods between exercises and sets are often a debated topic and many experts seem to have differing opinions on the right rest periods. For Goodin, however, it is simple. He uses longer rest periods for lower body compound movements.

While warm-up sets have 60 to 90-second rest periods between them, the veteran bodybuilder does not mind resting up to three to four minutes to allow the lactic acid to clear and respiration to come down to normal when doing heavy sets. He feels that the upper body can generally work with shorter rest periods between sets:

“Generally with upper body you can get away with shorter rest periods because the cross-sectional area of muscle worked is much smaller. For those bodyparts it’s 45 to 60 seconds between warmups and maybe two minutes between max sets.”

Goodin is not big on cardio and does not do more than 30 minutes of cardio during the off-season. Walking is the preferred form of cardiovascular exercise for him.

Competition prep training

Dave Goodin follows a few different training splits based on specific goals. Although he is not actively competing now, Goodin does make a few guest-posing appearances. His training routine for guest posing is similar to his training routine during the competition prep.

Goodin follows a four-day training split for this purpose and he adheres to it for at least eight to nine months of the year. He trained six days per week previously but found that incorporating more rest days was more beneficial.

“When I cut my precontest training from six days per week to four, I found that I was able to come in bigger and much stronger. Previously, I’d lose a lot of strength precontest. When I gave myself more rest days, I maintained more muscle and more strength, plus I didn’t have a postcontest fat rebound.”

The four-day training split has separate sessions dedicated to legs, shoulders-arms, back, and chest. He varies the rep range depending on the weight used and may go as heavy as three reps max on some exercises like squats, bench press, and deadlifts.

For the upper body, Goodin generally employs an eight to 12 rep range. He sticks to eight to 20 reps while doing lower body exercises. But these are only general ranges and Goodin does not blindly follow them irrespective of the situation. He explained:

“Let’s say I’m working in a heavier rep range, like six to eight reps max. I’ll do it as long as I’m making progress. If progress stalls, then I’ll switch it up. Sometimes I work mostly in low rep, medium rep or high rep for periods of time. Other times I combine rep ranges in modified pyramids.”

Goodin’s training split during competition prep looks like this:

Monday – Legs

• Barbell Squats – 1 to 3 sets of 10 reps for warm-up, 2 sets of 10 rep max weight, 1 set of 20 rep max weight
• Leg Press – 2 to 3 sets of 20 reps for warm-up, 3 sets of 20 rep max weight
• Leg Curls – 4 sets of 12 reps max
• Leg Extensions – 4 sets of 12 reps max
• Standing Calf Raises – 2 sets of 15 reps for warm-up, 4 sets of 15 reps max weight

Tuesday – Chest

• Bench Press – 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps for warm-up, 3 to 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Incline Bench Press – 1 set of 10 reps for warm-up, 3 to 4 sets of 10 rep max weight
• Cable Crossover or Machine Chest Flyes – 4 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Dumbbell Pullovers – 1 set of 12 reps for warm-up, 3 sets of 12 reps max weight

Wednesday – Abs and Cardio

• Hanging Leg Raises – 4 sets to failure
• Crunches – 4 sets to failure

Thursday – Back

• Deadlifts – 1 to 3 warm-up sets of 8 reps, 2 sets of 6 rep max weight, 3 sets of 15 partial rep max weight (Partial reps are from the knees up, with legs slightly bent)
• Lat Pulldowns – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Seated Cable Rows – 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• High Pulley Rows or Hammer Strength High Rows – 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Cable Straight Arm Pulldowns – 4 sets of 12 reps max weight

Friday – Shoulders and Arms

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 1 to 2 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 4 sets of 10 rep max weight
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 4 sets of 12 reps max weight
• Machine Rear Delt Flyes or Bent Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 4 sets of 12 reps max weight
• Seated Dumbbell Curls – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Cable or EZ Bar Curls – 4 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Triceps Dips – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Cable Triceps Pushdowns or Skull Crushers – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 10 reps max weight

(‘Reps max weight’ means the maximum number of reps he can perform with the chosen weight)

Off-season training

For the off-season training, Goodin employs a modest three-day training split. But that was not always the case. Up until 1995, Dave Goodin was following a five-day training split in the off-season. Similar to his pre-contest training, reducing the frequency brought miraculous results.

“I started gaining size and strength so fast that people were asking my training partner if I was using steroids. In nine months I gained more muscle than I had in the previous four years.”

A typical off-season training week in Goodin’s routine looks like this:

Monday – Legs and Abs

• Barbell Squats – 2 to 3 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8 rep max weight, 1 set of 20 rep max weight
• Leg Press – 2 to 3 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 10 rep max weight and 1 set of 20  rep max weight
• Leg Curls – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 10 rep max weight
• Standing Calf Raises – 2 warm-up sets of 15 reps, 4 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Hanging Leg Raises / Knee Raises – 3 sets to failure
• Crunches – 3 sets to failure 

Wednesday – Chest, Shoulders and Biceps

• Bench Press – 3 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 4 sets of 8 reps max weight
• Incline Bench Press – 1 to 2 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8 reps max weight
• Pec Deck Flyes – 3 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 1 to 2 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8 reps max weight
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 3 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Barbell Curls – 1 to 2 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 4 sets of 8 reps max weight
• Cable Curls – 3 sets of 15 reps max weight

Friday – Back, Rear Delts and Triceps

• Partial Deadlifts (From the knees up, legs slightly bent) – 1 to 2  warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 15 reps max weight
• Lat Pulldowns – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 8 reps max weight
• Seated Cable Rows – 1 to 2 warm-up sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 8 reps max weight
• High Pulley Rows – 3 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Machine Rear Delt Flyes or Bent Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 1 warm-up set of 10 eps, 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Triceps Dips – 1 warm-up set of 10 reps, 4 sets of 10 reps max weight
• Cable Triceps Pushdowns or Skullcrushers – 1 warm-up set of 8 reps, 4 sets of 8 reps max weight

Powerlifting training

Apart from bodybuilding, Dave Goodin has also trained for powerlifting meets. He used to take weight to 10 weeks to cycle into a one-rep max to prepare for these meets. However, his powerlifting training differed in one key area as compared with traditional powerlifting training. Goodin incorporated several isolation movements and high-rep sets in his powerlifting training, even towards the end of his ten-week training cycle.

Goodiin’s 10-week powerlifting split:

Squat Day

• Barbell Squats – Warm-up sets as needed, 3 working sets with prescribed weight and 1 set with 12 rep max weight
• Leg Press or Hack Squats – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Leg Curls – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Standing Calf Raises – 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps
• Crunches – 3 sets to failure

Bench Press Day

• Bench Press – warm-up sets as needed, 3 working  sets with prescribed weight, 1 set with 12 rep max weight
• Incline Bench Press – 3 sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press or Barbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• EZ Bar Curls – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Dummbell Hammer Curls – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Deadlift Day

• Deadlifts – warm-up sets as needed, 3 working sets with prescribed weight
• Partial Deadlifts / Rack Pulls – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Pull-Ups – 3 sets to failure
• Seated Cable Rows or One Arm Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps 
• Machine Rear Delt Flyes – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Dips – 3 sets to failure
• Skullcrushers – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
• Hanging Leg Raises – 3 sets to failure

Weight schedule (Week – Squat/Deadlift, bench Press)

• Week 1 – 315 lbs, 225 lbs
• Week 2 – 335 lbs, 235 lbs
• Week 3 – 355 lbs, 245 lbs
• Week 4 – 375 lbs, 255 lbs
• Week 5 – 395 lbs, 265 lbs
• Week 6 – 415 lbs, 275 lbs
• Week 7 – 435 lbs, 285 lbs
• Week 8 – 455 lbs, 295 lbs
• Week 9 – 475 lbs, 305 lbs
• Week 10 – 495 lbs, 315 lbs
• Meet Day – 500 lbs, 320 lbs

Dave Goodin Diet

You may be able to make progress with a less-than-optimal training routine but when it comes to diet, things are far more unforgiving. It is nearly impossible to have a poor diet and an excellent physique, especially when you are an all-natural bodybuilder.

Dave Goodin realizes this and follows an optimal diet to stay in shape and fuel his workouts. He eats a high-protein diet with moderate carbohydrate intake and keeps fat intake relatively low. He avoids fad dieting or training and believes in following a consistent training routine and diet all year round to stay in shape.

While speaking about his dietary practices, Goodin said:

“I eat very clean year-round so that I don’t have to lose much weight at contest time. Rather than trying to “shock my body,” I prefer to coax it into dropping body fat slowly. That way I don’t lose muscle while I’m getting my body fat to ridiculously low levels.”

Full day of eating

Breakfast (Weekdays)

• Double Expresso Black Coffee
• 1 Bowl of Oatmeal
• 2 scoops of Protein Powder

Breakfast (Weekends)

• Omelet or 4 Scrambled Eggs
• Pancakes

Mid-morning Snack

• 1 Package of Oatmeal or Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Packaged Protein Drink

Intra-workout Drink

• 16 ounces Gatorade and 1/2 scoop Intra-workout Formula

Post-workout Drink

• 20 ounces Gatorade, 2 scoops Pro-Fusion and 1 scoop Creatine

Meal 2

• 10-12 ounces Grilled Chicken
• Green Salad with Low-fat Dressing
• 1-2 pieces Fruit

Mid-afternoon Snacks

• 20 ounces Gatorade and 2 scoops Plant-based Protein supplement

OR

• 1 packet Protein Snack

Dinner1

• 2-16 ounces Grilled Chicken, Fish, or Superlean Ground Beef
• Rice or Pasta
• Spinach Salad

Optional snacks on a busy working day

• Protein Cookies
• High Protein and Fiber Bars

Supplements

• GH Support Supplement: first thing in the morning
• Omega Fatty Acid Supplement: 3 gel capsules with breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Antioxidants Drink: with breakfast
• Creatine: post-workout
• Whey, Casein, and Egg Protein: various times
• Meal-replacement packets: various times
• Beta-alanine and phosphatidylserine: 30 minutes before workout
• Ribose Size: post-workout
• Nano vitamins: with dinner
• Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B6: at bedtime

To Conclude…

The bodybuilding industry is crawling with people who achieved excellent physiques with training, diet, and assistance from PEDs. Dave Goodin is a perfect example of what you can achieve by maxing out natural potential without ever touching PEDs. If young bodybuilders implement Goodin’s ideas of consistency and simplicity, they can achieve phenomenal results without putting their health at risk.

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