Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I am a 55-year-old female, who’s been at this for a year. I created a split training routine for building muscle. I plan on doing one warm-up set of 10 reps with a light weight, and one working set to failure with a heavier weight. Should I add a third working set?

Monday: chest (upper); back (upper); shoulders (front); traps; triceps; biceps
Tuesday: quads; hams; calves; butt; forearms; abs (middle & upper); 15 minutes high intensity treadmill
Wednesday: chest (middle); back (middle); shoulders (middle); traps; triceps; biceps
Thursday: quads; hams; calves; butt; forearms; abs (lower); 15 minutes high intensity treadmill
Friday: chest (lower); back (lower); shoulders (rear); traps; triceps; biceps
Saturday: quads; hams; calves; butt; forearms; abs (obliques); 15 minutes high intensity treadmill

Add the third set.

As for your training scheme, may I comment? I believe you are missing the fun and function of training by chopping, slicing and dicing the body into various tidbits. Very confining in the mind and it’s not how the body works as a friendly companion. You might appreciate your training more and find it more productive if you think of you body of muscles as connected and flowing, overlapping and co-operating.

Consider: Working chest by pressing involves front delt and triceps and torso mass; working chest by flys and crossovers works bis and other specific upper torso regions; heavy shrugs for traps works bis, forearms, grip and linear torso; any pulldown work for lats and back engages bis… and so on. You’re visiting the entire body (that’s good) but seem to regard it as very distinct parts.

I find it more delightful and motivating and worthwhile to know each exercise performed has multiple advantages and rewards, and it helps me design routines more wisely and freely.

As a gal you might not want to do too much trap work (gets enough stimulation from the other exercises) and I’d attend the upper chest more than the lower.

Also, I’m not crazy about six-day routines as we gain in years. Body and mind burnout, insufficient repair time. As we get older it’s wise to allow our training to go with the flow of energy, injury, soreness, need based on instincts and commonsense, and often mood. Order is important, but not rigidness.

Two links worth checking out:

Superset Training

Draper Favorite Workout Routine

On that one, trim it down to three sets, don’t tri-set… something to work from for a four-day approach if and when you feel daring to stray from your norm.

Be consistent… Godspeed… DD