Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

My husband and I saw your column of Fave Foods of the Famous in our newspaper last week. It was a lot of fun. We both joined a gym 6 months ago; I am 45 and he is 48. He thinks he needs to work out every day, and I say he needs at least one day a week where he doesn’t even lift a finger! Can you knock some sense into him?

Thanks for the note of appreciation.

We can train every day, if we’re slightly crazy and don’t train frenetically. Some folks like to cruise the gym daily to stimulate their muscles and entertain themselves. Fine.

However, hard training — seriously overloading the muscles — demands plenty of rest for repair. Try two or three days on, one or two days off, with some light cardio between.

Generally speaking, new trainees (and six months still fits this category) are rarely able to seriously overload the muscles. Training more often during this beginning phase is usually fine; it’s only after we get better at this weightlifting stuff, more able to blast it, that over-work enters the scene.

Commonsense is our greatest attribute and needs to be developed, applied and trusted. Weightlifting is a super instructor of this facility and I suspect you and your husband will advance in this area, as well as in many others as you continue your iron journey: discipline, character, personal awareness, people sensitivity… all added reasons to continue your gym membership forever.

Have fun… 2008 here we come… Godspeed… Dave