Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

The bent over row is emphasized as THE premiere lat exercise. Unfortunately, I can’t do those without ending up flat on my back. Previous injury and all that makes it impossible.

Try one-arm dumbbell rows for the back thickness and lower lat structuring. With your ingenuity and awareness of your needs you should be able to target the area and protect yourself at the same time.

Seated lat rows with a decent cable set-up would be another answer. Devising this is not too tough. Need space, one 6″ pulley attached to an overhead beam and a long cable.

Work on stabilizing the lower back with partial-range hyper extensions and light partial-range deads. Unless there is nasty damage it will repair and give you some good action in time, as you slowly add weight or reps or range. Been there. Let’s call it progressive weight training.

Here’s an expanded forum conversation on hearty back training to keep you occupied for a half hour or so. Meanwhile, focus, concentrate, think and execute. Pray.

I’m considering dropping cow’s milk from my diet. What do you use for alternatives for milk ? I’ve heard some negative info concerning soy. Are you following medical advice regarding not drinking milk?

I like milk for a liquid to accompany my meals, for taste and protein benefit and weight gain. However, mucus is problematic. For four months I tried goat milk as a replacement. Less mucus, not as tasty and very costly. Don’t go soy… estrogen increase. I’m back to reduced-fat cow juice, but less than a quart a day compared to two-plus quarts. Works for me. Was having difficulty maintaining body weight and protein intake and calorie consumption, plus was bored with water only.

Too much milk can contribute to fat-weight increase and thick skin if one seeks hard muscularity.

Whether we need fear other milk complications (hormones, added ingredients), I’m not so sure. Gets crazy being a pure purist.

Das dat… Godspeed… DD

My concern is this: Do you still try to lift as heavy a weight as you can with each set? I’m very strong, but sometimes I feel that if I don’t keep lifting heavier and heavier weights my physique will get smaller. If you are not training pretty much with the weights that you did when you were competing, does this bother you mentally at all?

I lift to the best of my ability, which diminishes as age becomes our companion. Let’s be real. However, I train as hard today, if not harder, as I did in the years in the past. Pressing is down due to injuries and time, but the squats and deads are super. And though I give up strength here and there, my engaged muscle intensity today is greater… by will and focus and care and need and desire.

I count on set 3,4 and 5 to do the real muscle-building overload. I’m a volume trainer as compared to a low-set HIT trainer — whatever! I need sets and reps to guide me as I determine form and output and intensity.

Don’t let the fears or doubts of change prevent you from discovering likable and productive methods of training. There’s fun down those open roads.

You might want to pick up my book, “Brother Iron Sister Steel,” about half price for a slightly scuffed copy — fun straight talk about everything I know, routines, nutritional simplicity, tips, hints, motivation — very popular.

Blast it, by God… DD

My question involves a chronic discomfort I have in what I am told is my rhomboid. It is basically a collection of knots behind my left shoulder blade, that I can’t seem to get rid of and seem to be agitated by bench pressing and occasionally by shoulder pressing.

I believe the knots are exactly that, knots of muscle fibers that need to be basically untangled and dispersed by a knowledgeable sport massage therapist, a chiropractor you trust or a therapist skilled in Active Release Therapy (ART).

Laree’s written a blog post that will explain this more fully, here: Triggerpoint therapy.
Works wonders to relieve pain, regain regional body function and allow healthy neuromuscular transmission… something like that.
Go… DD

Even though I do not mind holding the bar across my back (like Dave is doing, with fewer plates unfortunately) I am very concerned about my upper and lower back and the pressure on it. Would the top squat be a good choice for “back saving” or is it more of a comfort item for those who do not want to hold the bar on their shoulders?

The Top Squat was devised to save the shoulders from the unnatural and stressful positioning while holding the bar in place across the back. This is both painful and risky, and for some trainees impossible.

Upon completion of the unit and rigorously putting it to work, I found it is beneficial in other ways, namely relieving pressure on the lower back by encouraging a more correct and upright squat posture. The knees endure less load as well.

If I were you I’d be including more lower back work, as in light dead lifts and hyperextensions and light partial squats, as part of my long-life training program. They are comprehensive movements, cardio-respiratory and overall muscle builders, demanding on the system as you decide, can be wisely and progressively increased for a challenge, safe if your healthy, fulfilling and exhilarating.

This requires the decision to introduce them into your routine without fanfare, lightning and thunder… three sets of light deads at the end of any workout once a week and three sets of hypers once a week with a midsection workout. In time, months, you’ll be conditioned and ready to press on. By next summer you can be squatting and boasting (humbly) of a strong and vital back and leg structure. All the other muscle groups will be cheering as well.

All is good, thanks. God’s speed… DD

Do you have any opinion on weights and cardio as a package deal? How about if I did my cardio before swinging off a barbell for an hour?

I admit frequently that I don’t spend a lot of time in specific cardio activity. In those years when training with Arnold, Zane and Columbo, no one did any, period. I achieve my heart and lung activity through the tough training on the floor with the weights and save the aerobic for getting in particularly good, lean shape or when injured or slightly sick or backing off intentionally. In brief, aerobic exercise was on hold — on the sidelines — always.

Squatting, deadlifting, supersetting and continual forward motion and intensity in my training provide plenty of lung and heart work. I save my time, energy and spirits for the iron.

As cardio is part of your training scheme (meets your needs — good), do it first to warm and rev you up. The bad boys are right. Feed yourself after your hard iron work and slow down. Don’t do energy consuming activity. Logic tells me it intrudes upon muscle recuperation and repair.

Due to recent heart concerns, my favorite philosophy has taken a back seat, alas… carry on. DD

I am going to try to lead a group exercise class for women starting in January. It runs through the end of May. So I am wondering how to begin and how to progress. Its only a 30 minute class. Could you give me some exercises and the order to do them along with the reps and sets? Is is possible to have these gals see improvements having only 2 classes per week?

Depending on the group size and their receptiveness, you might encourage them to warm-up, gain focus and add to their conditioning and learning by doing five minutes of crunches and bent-leg leg raises –1 set of maximum crunches (10 -15 reps), plus 1 set max leg raises (10-15 reps). Repeat if popular.

With dumbbells you can do standing or seated curls and alternate curls for biceps, and lying and overhead dumbbell triceps extensions for triceps. Modified floor pushups are a good triceps exercise, which includes shoulder, chest and back muscle engagement as well.

A lot of your instruction success depends on the trainees before you — level of understanding, condition, motivation, willingness and ability to listen and learn. How you approach them and what you offer them is also dependent upon theses factors as well.

Consider starting with two sets of 10-12 reps of any four exercise (standing biceps curl, seated alternate curl / overhead triceps extension, lying stiffarm pullover - the straight-arm version of lying tri ext.), in that order.

Development depends on consistency in training and intensity in training. Only with these disciplines will progress be made.

Progress from light to heavy as equipment allows. Keep focused on the work and muscles involved, keep a smart pace to keep interest and energy and warmth high.

This is a start. Dips, chins and floor pushups are possibles for the toughies — a challenge.
Encourage them to eat right for real results. Check out these links for added input:

Tips on General Nutrition

Keys to Bodybuilding

Have fun… God’s Might… dave

What do you suggest for me as I begin training after a layoff and with a bad back?

Try this:

Warm up with floor crunches and bent-leg leg-raises (according to your back limitations and range of motion) for the core muscles and abdominal area: a set of 15 crunches (more or less, depending on ability) followed by a set of 10+/- leg-raises. Repeat.

Stand up straight (at attention) as a starting position and perform 10 reps of bent-leg good morning exercises (modified deadlifts), reaching for the floor to maximize your range of motion and to continue to work and warm up the back region. Perform a second set. In future workouts you’ll look forward to holding light weights in your hands for resistance and strengthening of involved systemic and ancillary muscles (lower back, grip, thighs).

As you are able, position a pair of light dumbbells over head as you sit on an incline bench. Perform 2 sets of dumbbell inclines for 10 reps. Soon you will move to 3 sets, maybe four sets, and increase the weight as your strength grows (works shoulders, chest, triceps).

Seated on the end of the bench, perform two sets of 10 reps of alternate dumbbell curls (provides biceps, grip and some torso action). In time move to three and four sets, increasing the weight to accommodate strength increase. Lower reps to eight where and when needed. Your commonsense is welcome.

Lying on the bench with both hands gripping and positioning a single dumbbell in an overhead starting point, lower the dumbbell so the plates just pass the forehead by bending the arms at the elbow only, and return to the starting position (triceps, grip). The upper arm should remain stationary, thereby placing the resistance on the triceps. Repeat and follow same rep-weight protocol as suggested above.

Focus, hope, daring, patience and practice. This is a substantial beginners routine for a guy with some possible background, some drive and some heart. It’s great practice to start someone thinking right and take them to the next levels (our website will make more sense with each workout). As you learn and improve you can apply more and more effort and acquired savvy. This routine, though modest, will work an advanced musclebuilder if he or she gives it all he or she has.

Backs are tricky… you be the guardian as you proceed.

Go… God’s Might… Dave

What are your rest cycles when you’re feeling down? When is it a good time to take a week off?

It’s important to separate our mental problems from our physical problems. I enter the gym and greet it and treat it as a good friend. I embark upon the exercises that attract me and are needed to right what’s wrong or fix what’s broke or fill what’s lacking. Common sense and instinct and solid discipline guide me. I follow no set routine.

I regulate my training input like I adjust the gas pedal of my vehicle when cruising or climbing a hill or carrying a heavy load. I step on it. I don’t stop. Brakes are a nuisance.

Go with God… Dave

I wouldn’t be surprised if you covered this before, but what are your thoughts on the use of creatine? A guy at work in his 60s with arms like tree trunks swears by it.

Though it’s been demonized unfairly, it is a vital ingredient in our energy cycle and being used constantly. We don’t store it and must replenish it regularly. It’s Good stuff. Buy quality

Helps get the last rep, causes agreeable intracellular water retention and promotes pump. You will not build arms like tree trunks necessarily. But you can try!

I love Anabol Naturals creatine. Don’t worry about loading or cycling — take two teaspoons a day, AM and PM.

Looking for more input? Here’s a page I wrote on creatine a few years ago, nothing’s changed.

Go… Godspeed… Dave