The Barbarian Brothers
They are two big American brothers, Peter and David Paul called “The Barbarian Brothers” - Big, strong guys completely mad and full of steroids and being the first bodybuilders to workout wearing construction boots, tied on bandanas and torn tank tops or flannel shirts both inside and outside the gym.
Nowadays their haircuts, clothing, feather earrings and other jewelry, looks somewhat ridiculous and outdated, but in those years they were tough and trendsetting. But the real trend the Barbarians popularized was not one of trendy clothing or social posturing, but one of lifestyle and attitude.
Getting bigger and stronger was their focus. The Barbarians trained for training’s sake. They didn’t build themselves up to monstrous size just to win trophies, they trained because they loved to get under dangerously heavy weights and would do whatever it took to push greater poundage’s. If breaking a PR (personal record) meant you needed someone to pummel you in the face for a pre-set psyche-up, then punch away!
One of the earlier articles on the Barbarians related the brothers’ outcast status in their hometown in Rhode Island, training their necks on a Friday night while their friends were all out partying. David and Peter Paul didn’t even TRY to fit in. They not only let their quest for ultimate strength set them apart from society; they reveled in their outcast status.
They lifted weights that made other bodybuilders look like Pee wee Herman. They also paid special attention to body parts such as the neck that other bodybuilders totally ignored.
Excerpt from Sports Illustrated from 1982:
“The Barbarians are a team, two 25-year-old giants named Peter and David Paul—how sweetly, how innocently, those names fall upon the ear—recently of Hartford, Conn. and Narragansett, R.I. They stand 6 feet and 6’1″, respectively, weigh 235 and 245, and have 20½-inch necks and 59-inch chests”.
If you grew up in the 80′s-90′s you probably remember seeing the Barbarian brothers show up in a variety of low budget movies. And they had a huge coverage in the media and from the magazines. They were childhood idols of many kids, inspiring them to start pumping iron. Not only the Barbarian brothers, but also legends like Arnold and Lou Ferringo.
They were big, bigger than Arnold, but they didn’t care for aesthetics, symmetry or proportions. Just like the guys from the WWF wrestling. But it was big in those years and people went to see Conan the Barbarian, The Hulk and The Barbarians.
Now the teenagers from the 80′s-90′s are wondering whatever happened to their idols and many of them watch the interviews on YouTube and are disappointed to hear their childhood idols talk incoherently. When you are so much younger you don’t really know and see that not all people are bright. But that doesn’t make their accomplishments for the iron game any less.
Young Barbarians
"We were well known in the hospital emergency ward," Peter says. "We'd push each other's high chairs over—crash!—and cut our heads open. We sawed the legs off antique furniture. And there wasn't anything we couldn't destroy with a screwdriver." Says David, "We were finally diagnosed as hyperactive. They separated us in kindergarten."
A more searching series of tests at the first-grade level established that both Peter and David had severe dyslexia, a learning disability. Peter was kept in public school and David went to a private Catholic school. They were reunited in the sixth grade, and by high school, both were channeling their runaway energies into wrestling and football. "I started in the eighth grade at 90 pounds-and-under football, and I had to lose 10 pounds to make it," says Peter. "Imagine, a poor little schoolkid having to live on ice cubes and celery." Not long after that, as a 15-year-old 145-pounder, David was bench-pressing 300 pounds, "a world record, if we'd known back then." Inevitably, their bodies began to distort and swell.
It figures that David made All-Connecticut as a middle guard in football in 1974 and that both boys made All-New England in wrestling the following summer, despite being awash in what they call negative energy, "because," Peter says, "the stereotype is that, if you're big and strong, you're big and dumb."
But the magic of pumping iron was already starting to cast its inescapable spell, as the Barbarians now put it, and after a run at five colleges between them, the twins opened a casual sort of gym called P & D's House of Iron in Narragansett in 1977.
MOVIES
Man they were awesome. In case any of you forgot or never heard of them they made their first real splash into film in 1983 when one of the brothers (Peter) appeared in Mr T’s D.C Cab. But it wasn’t until 1987 that they got their own movie, The Barbarians that they received any kind of publicity.
Twin brothers Peter and David Paul are best known for their role in The Barbarians (1987). The Paul’s, who acted in several other films including Double Trouble (1992), and The Road Raiders (1989), quickly became well known in the bodybuilding community for their great strength and power, as well as their rebellious barbarian attitude.
In 1994 they played in a movie called Twin Sitters and haven’t done anything of significance since 2005 where they starred in Souled Out with none other than Gary Busey.
TRAINING
Defining quote: “There is no over-training; just undereating, undersleeping and lack of will.” And maybe for them there was no over-dosing either. 
Strong as hell and used to reverse grip bench 500 lbs, behind the neck 315lbs, "stack" most any machine WITH the other brother standing on top of the stack, etc. Huge weights used in a really high volume. What the Barbarian’s brought to bodybuilding was a radical power approach, along with radical attire to go with it, and finally, radical attitudes. A quote from an early interview of theirs...something like "some people like high reps, some people like low reps...we use 'em all...somethings gotta work"
They traditionally started to train with Mike Mentzer and Casey Viator, Heavy Duty style, however as they were being publicized they became part of the Weider machine and so they had articles of them doing the Weider principles in the magazines, which was kind of disappointing because despite their tough attitudes in the gym, ripped shirts, bandanas and construction boots, they gave in for money’s sake.
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One of the earlier articles on the Barbarians related the brothers’ outcast status in their 
hometown in Rhode Island, training their necks on a Friday night while their friends were all out partying. David and Peter Paul didn’t even TRY to fit in. They not only let their quest for ultimate strength set them apart from society; they reveled in their outcast status.
Getting bigger and stronger was their focus. The Barbarians trained for training’s sake. They didn’t build themselves up to monstrous size just to win trophies, they trained because they loved to get under dangerously heavy weights and would do whatever it took to push greater poundage’s. If breaking a PR meant you needed someone to pummel you in the face for a pre-set psyche-up, then punch away!
The Barbarians never competed in bodybuilding (although many tried to goad them into it). Why lose size for a title? They never entered a power meet. Every day in the gym was a lifting contest for them. Despite never competing in either sport, they epitomized the power-bodybuilder for most of us coming up in that era.
The Barbarians knew no limits when it came to lifting. At around 250-260 pounds, they were known for loading machines to the max and then attaching additional 45s to the weight stack (or standing on the stack for added resistance).
Reports of them squatting 465-pounds for twenty reps, performing reps in behind-neck-presses with excess of 315 pounds, T-bar rows with eleven 45-pound plates piled on, or barbell curls with 275-pounds were commonplace. They pushed the limits and it inspired us to attempt the same.
The Body Expo in 1981
The Barbarians are billed as the World's Strongest Twins, the Barbarians are indeed two of the strongest, most muscular individuals I have ever had the opportunity to see. At a Body Expo in 1981 held at the Disneyland Convention Center I noted among the luminaries (Pacifico, Bridges, Dennis Tinerino, John Brown and others) that there was going to be an exhibition of strength by the Barbarians. My initial response was, 'Just who are these two guys supposed to be, anyway?' I'm sure that the audience, many of them knowledgeable fans and lifters, and a lot of the guest stars
reacted similarly, especially when the Barbarians came on stage declaring that they were going to break about 'five or six world records in one night'. They even had the nerve to say that they would repeat the same feats the very next night.
Well, at least these two looked like they could press some big weights. My God, inhuman is the word for their physiques. The fact that they have only been training for about three years adds to their whole incredible nature. Each of them stands over 6 feet; both have immense body proportions which are tapered down to thin hips.
The first record to be broken was the bench press, but done in the reverse grip or knuckles forward fashion. For you brave souls out there, take on a set or two of these bench presses after your regular sets and you will find it a lot more than difficult. They put intense pressure on the wrists and the triceps and are a mind blower to say the least.
David started to warm up at 135 for an easy 10 reps or so. His brother, only a shade less thick than David, was at once spotting him and delivering a Reverend-like sermon on the benefits of 'Barbarian training'. The bar went quickly from 225 to 315 to 405, all smoothly done. 'Okay, people,' announced Peter, 'Now you will see my brother break the world record in the reverse grip bench press . . . are you listening out there, Terry Todd with your 500 lbs?' 'Hey, that's only 495,' yelled some wag from the audience. 'Close enough,' grunted Peter, and David went on to a hard fought, hips raised a bit, but finished 500 lb reverse grip bench press.
Peter then took to the weights as he cheat curled 235 for 15 reps, with the crowd chanting all the way. David was now at the podium, extolling the virtues of Barbarian training (I put another picture in comparison (right) to show that Peter still improved enormously after 1981, when the left pic was taken).
As near as I can make out this type of training is the old Dave Draper instinctive training system accelerated by light years in terms of intensity, weight used, etc. They train seven, yes, seven days per week, use no set routine, no specific exercises, nothing. No, don't ask me if they're recording every attempt in a journal, or if they follow a sensible diet that has equal quantities of meat, vegetables, fish, etc., etc. They say they train until they damn near drop from exhaustion, using a lot of basic exercises and working the daylights out of each set. They emphasize what they call positive thinking - - they claim that they can exert a positive force by chanting or screaming. A cycle? Are you mad? David said he has to bench 500 lbs EVERY workout for his head to be right. 'Once I hurt my delt, but I still did want amounted to a one-arm bench of 500 by just lowering my good side down while I used my injured side to support the weight.'
Peter is especially good at dumbbell work, such as monster lifts in the seated dumbbell press with a pair of 155's.
And standing dumbbell curls with 120's for 10 reps (on the pic 130’s and later even 150’s right pic). In 1981 single arm rows with 200 lbs for, GET THIS . . . 60 REPS!
They performed reps, lots & lots of reps. Drop sets, super sets, etc. Train heavy but finish off with drop sets and pump sets. Just like Arnold did in those days.
In 1981 Bob Greaney, the manager/handler of the Barbarians is very cagily trying to market the Barbarians as show business novelties, not as bodybuilders or as strongmen. Apparently there is a plan in the works to 'go Hollywood' via acting and voice lessons etc.
Hey, boys will be boys, but when they came over to my house for the interview I found them surprisingly soft spoken and rather well mannered (although I could see the evil look my wife was giving them for putting their feet up on the coffee table). In regards to powerlifting they seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the sport, at least to the extent of knowing the top lifters on the scene; but even though their main claim to fame is their exploits in the upper body movements, they state quite emphatically that they 'squat like crazy using a very narrow stance and high reps with around 550.' They readily admit that due to their small hip structures their success in moving massive weights in powerlifting would not be as effective as, say, Mike Bridges who has more ideal body leverages. However, they claim that no one is as strong on the bodybuilding movements for reps as they are.
Regarding their diet, they drink a lot of raw carob milk shakes, adding it to anything else they can get their hands on and their daily dietary intake would probably make Clarence Bass want to drown himself in a bodyfat immersion tub. Six, sometimes eight thousand calories a day are the norm. They usually go over to Weider's and cart away a few pallets full of supplements and protein. Rumor has it that they hang around the slaughter house and when the foreman is looking the other way, nab a few extra heads of cattle.
Memorable story: “David was trying to get psyched for a set. He charged up to Ali Malla and told him to punch him. Ali gave him an open-handed slap but David thought it didn’t hurt enough, so he asked for a second one. Ali drew back and drilled him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. The impact was so hard that tears were running from his eyes. He smiled though because now he was ready for his set.” (from personal interview with Mike Christian)
Anyway I just happened to stumble upon a recent pic of David Paul who must now be in his late 50's, lost a lot of size but still look in crazy shape. Right part of the above picture.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2EAGmHrNag David Paul interview 27 minutes… bodybuilding is an art form. Really worth watching
Although both men were beasts in their day, they are much smaller in size these days. David has become a professional photographer and does photos for books and muscle magazines like MuscleMag.
But the other brother, Peter Paul, apparently hangs out/goes to the University of Rhode Island. There he runs around wearing old rags and ripped up belly shirts, proclaiming himself to be the “Knight of the Light”, which may or may not be Jesus.
As someone posted in a thread about them: “Peter Paul is sort of a drifter on my college campus (University of Rhode Island). He wears these weird ass clothes, belly shirts, rags on his head, etc and is seen all over campus doing crazy ****.
-banned from library, made fun of chick working there for being fat (lol) and was howling in the lib-banned from a couple of other places for doing other weird stuff.
He carries around a camera and is always filming **** and just doing some weird stuff. idk if he took too much acid and has lost it or something lol. He still looks pretty ripped, not huge, but in awesome shape. He's kind of a campus amusement/oddity. I’m gonna try to get a pic with him!”
..there are so many phantastic stories and pictures available from these guys that I found it hard to choose…