Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I’d like your opinion on something. The magazines usually say to take, say, 25 grams of whey protein and 50 grams of carbs both before and after you train. Or 50 and 100 grams. They say that it releases insulin, which has an anabolic effect. But I was reading up on growth hormone on the internet, and the articles I read said that high amino acid levels in the blood and intense exercise stimulate GH release, and high glucose levels from carbs, inhibit GH. These articles said train on on empty stomach, then ingest protein but no carbs for a hour or two. What do you think — some carbs a hour before training, protein and fast carbs after training; or nothing before training and only protein after?

I’ll pass on all the fat science and rely on my lean commonsense.

Protein, nutritious fats (EFA’s — no grease) and mostly worthy carbs (complex – no junk and best alive — fresh veg and fruit). This balanced fare throughout the day at smart intervals… breakfast and dinner and before and after workouts and when obviously needed.

Let your body do the miraculous sorting and managing as you lift and rest and provide ample sustenance.

Or, study nutrition, chemistry and the secret world of metabolism and hormones, and the propaganda of muscle magazines and journals, and undo and clarify the mysteries and miracles and magic that arise.

Libraries, universities, institutes, research centers or the gym… words and ideas or exercise, sets and reps…

Liberty or confinement… DD (Duh Dave)

The sport of modern bodybuilding I feel is blemished and tarnished compared to what is often called the glory days. How do you feel about competitive bodybuilding these days?

You are not alone in viewing the bodybuilding scene as if from the outside looking in. The subjects we see being glorified on stage and in the mags represent a relatively small subculture and I thus regard them as such. I liken them to NASCAR autos screaming around oval courses or Monster Trucks careening across mounds of dirt… spectators wild-eyed and cheering. They are modified, amplified, totally committed performers and they have accomplished their deeds with great zeal and sacrifice. They are truly impressive. Wow!

But as beings walking the surface of the earth pursuing muscle and might they have in effect missed the boat. They have become the boat. Grand as their pursuits are, they are confined to a small and tight circle, and I’m not sure it’s the center of the target.

You and I and our mates lift for a hundred reasons, a few of them the same as the pros (muscle and might), but many are different — health, fitness, authentic development, real discipline, earned patience and long-suffering perseverance, honorable self-achievement; a day at the beach, the cool fit of a tank top, the first rep of the first set of an honest to goodness workout… lifting weights for the rewards of lifting weights.

Stay afloat under your own power and love for the sport, the challenge, the action, the hard-gained mass, muscularity and might. What’s yours is yours. Be strong, be generous, be unafraid and be safe.

Go… Godspeed… Bomber Draper, Dave P.

Is there an effective substitute for Seated Cable Rows? My equipment is just barbells and dumbbells.

Bentover barbell rows and one-arm dumbbell rows (full range of motion) are super back builders… substitutes for the cables.

Throw in wide-grip and close-grip chins and you’re covered.

Go… Godspeed… dd

How late is your last meal of the day? And what food do you suggest?

I worry less about my last meal as gaining weight is difficult and retaining muscularity is not (providing I train and eat smartly, which I do unless I’m in the hospital or doctor’s waiting room — inside joke, ha).

An hour before retiring is good unless it’s a major meal… sleep is delayed and colorful and scary.

I’ll down a Bomber Blend anytime I feel the need for provision, late or early; a can of tuna and a glass of water is another Draper stabilizer. A small omelet works, if you’re less hardcore. We have great thick yogurt in my neighborhood, brand name The Greek Gods, that I like a lot.

If you train or work hard in the AM, a late meal will provide valuable energy and sustenance and not store as fat.

dd

I am 60 years old and would like to know what kind of stomach routine and diet I can do to lose that pooch in the lower stomach below the waistline. I have been working out with weights for about a month now, mostly on a weight machine, and doing some stomach work such as crunches and situps.

Add leg raises, hanging leg raises, rope tucks and hyperextensions to your routine in a fashion customized to suit your day-by-day needs and desires and energy.

Crunches should be done with attention to lifting pelvic area to upper torso for healthiest muscle engagement.

Mix multiple sets of fixed reps of your chosen exercise one workout alternated with single sets of max reps for another.

Mainly, work hard and with focus and a sound, likeable pace. Three days a week should be sufficient.

Throw in aerobics (bike, walk) and certainly musclebuilding weight training-a-plenty.
Eat right and be consistent or you’ll go nowhere slowly. Your first month should lead to another and another without termination. We call it living, lifting, learning and growing.

Long live the bombers… Godspeed… Dave

Does the Top Squat fit into a gym locker?

Sorry, that answer is no.

Our first prototype was collapsible, but costly. Also, the solid version we settled on is SOLID and SURE.

The consequences of an unchecked handle popping out are real and scary… I was demonstrating the device for the first time at an Arnold Classic some years ago and the right handle did exactly that — popped out — and I proceeded to go down spinning like a missiled helicopter with 225 on my back.

Lots of laughs. I survived to tell the story.

The unit is worth carrying (balanced and grasp-able) in my opinion, like a gun to the target range or football to the field.

I absolutely love it and am in lots of good company…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Dave, please let me know how to make sagging chest tight.

General recommendations and comments for you:

A well-balanced high-protein, junk-free diet and all exercise contributes to strengthening and muscularizing the body. Be consistent and persistent and positive in both endeavors.
The pecs tend to sag with age as muscle density diminishes and gravity bears its effects. Excessive bodyweight is also a major contributor to loose and sagging chest.

My favorite exercises that most directly shape and tone the chest muscles are cable crossovers (single or two handed), low-to-medium incline dumbbell presses and dumbbell flys and dips. Less directly I like stiffarm pullovers and widegrip pulldowns to the front.

Engage your mind to engage the muscles.

Train hard, eat right and be strong… Dave

I started a new plan of working out 3 days a week and hitting the speed bag and heavy bag after my weight routine. Should I work out on the speed bag and heavy bag the same days that I am doing weight training on my arms or should I do the speedbag and heavy bag workout on opposite days?

I don’t have a specific answer. You’re in charge.

The bag is a great activity by itself and can assist one’s general conditioning if one is young, vital, eats right and is not excessive in either of his workouts. Only a month into the combination of exercises, you’ll have to live, lift, experiment and learn and grow.

Mix the two activities as your energy and desire dictates: same day, alternate days, before and after weight training and evaluate the coordination of activities. Do you favor one over the other?

If your goal is to develop both equally, timing doesn’t matter. Enjoy both and the dilemma will sort out itself.

If big muscles dominate your goals, the bag work will need to be minimal… an aerobic assist and not a muscle overload or teardown.

And so it goes with your skills in bag work… determine your priorities.

Busy… gotta go… Godspeed… DD

At age 20, I have increased my cardio and have started to get leaner. Problem is this: I’m losing size and energy.

When you start to lose muscle size and energy, it’s time to modify your routine and your mindset.

I endorse training to build muscle while accepting the level of bodyfat that serves to strengthen and energize your system. The fat will go with time… slow but sure.

Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio, supersets, eat smart always.

You’re young and fit, learning and growing.

Go… Dave

I’m a young guy — 21 — and trying real hard to gain weight. My thoughts were 6000 clean kcals, split 55% carbs, 25% protein, 20%fats. Is that about right?

We’re a crazy bunch we are.

I’d raise the protein considerably.

I never counted anything when your age and training to get big… just pushed forward day by day. Only thing I counted was the weight on the end of the bar.

Go… get huge, don’t burst… Dave

With at least three tears in my left rotator cuff, my left shoulder is not growing as well as my right. I assume it’s because of the tendon tears, but is there anything I can do to get it to grow? Or would that only happen after repair surgery?

Only the possessor of the injury can direct the methods and exercises for its repair. Shoulders are a mystery to every lifter. No short answer.

Many routes to choose — x-ray, MRI to scope out eventual need for ortho or open surgery, work around injury and do your best, trigger point or Feldenkrais therapy, time for healing, accept impairments and limitations that overcome athletes as they engage and age.

Do your best, then double it…

Godspeed… Dave

I had a friend take some pictures of me posing, but they came out bad. Small camera, bad lighting, and I guess body hair do not make for getting good definition shots. Should a pro or semi-pro photographer take the pix?

To get good physique photos one needs to have a clean shaven body, a tan and a light and smooth application of oil. Lighting is more important than words can express. Flash wipes out shadows and muscle contrasting. Overhead, not bright natural lighting is sought… go black and white.

Poses and posing make a major difference in success and it’s not uncommon for a photographer to take a hundred and more shots for one or two good ones.

Forget a pro from the yellow pages — expensive and don’t know the difference between a bride saying I do, a kid graduating high school or a musclebuilder presenting his body grande… only a seasoned physique photographer does.

Choose a friend with whom you feel comfortable, has patience and commonsense and knows the camera’s basics. Reserve some unhurried time, have a pocketful of disc space, engage trial and error methodology, galvanize your ego and go…

Editing reserved for the brave and bold.

Glad the camera sessions are behind me,

dd

I was wondering if fruit should be a staple in the life of a bodybuilder? I have been eating eggs, followed by a banana or two for my first meal of the day. I have noticed, however, that I have gotten really fatigued and that my muscles seem to give out if I do any type of workout several hours after this meal. What would be the ideal breakfast for a bodybuilder?

Certainly, you could have fruit as part of your breakfast — a swell supply of vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

However, it looks like your meal is not sufficient pre-workout fueling if you intend to crank it up and endure the load. Presumably, your last meal was the night before and, unless you ate heartily to ensure energy and tissue repair ingredients in storage, your fuel gauge is on empty… just before the red light starts blinking.

Typical breakfast: Three feather-free chickens, a dozen rooster eggs, a quart of goat’s milk and home-fried rutabagas.

Or, seriously, you could do as I do: serve yourself a large Bomber Blend protein shake with a raw egg and a banana added (yes, I know it’s forbidden to suggest raw eggs… I’m just telling you what I do). Stand back, children. This is also an extraordinary pre-workout drink for pre-workout fuel, muscle repair and energy restoration.

A Draper ABC: Simple, quick, convenient, inexpensive, delicious, superior in quality and absolutely beyond compare (ABC).

Makes a difference starting with the first fantastic slug, gulp, glub or sip…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I am a 55-year-old female, height 5’5 1/2″. I started weight training with a partner a year and a half ago, and went from 165 down to 140-145, and pants size 18-20 down to 8. My desire is to compete in a bodybuilding figure competition in about a year. I plan to train at home. What advice can you give me to get my body competition ready?

I’m all for goal setting and for high hopes and a strong attitude, but I seldom lead folks in the direction of competition. As a kid it’s certainly a healthy part of growing stronger, but as an adult it can be destructive to a healthy and happy and balanced life.

Contest training drains the body’s resources from top to bottom, front to back, and does not always contribute to one’s physical and mental wellbeing. Training for fun and health, strength and function purposes is much more appealing and realistic and satisfying now and in the long run.

A winning physique is cool, but training to have one is not exactly a winning idea. Disappointment, stress, irritability and discouragement are not unlikely companions along the way.

Train hard, eat right, be strong and be happy… that’s my motto.

I support your continued training. There’s a ton of advice on our web page, and home training is attractive in countless ways. Yet, most competitive training is done in a gym with all the basic equipment at hand.

You might view our forum… or join in… a smart and friendly bunch.

Go… God’s Might… Dave

I altered my training to more reps, lighter weight and more cardio. I am leaning up, but still weigh the same. Getting smaller, more muscular. I figured at 61 this is best for me. Do you agree?

You’re strong as a bull and working out wisely: listening to your gut, experimenting as age introduces compromise, keeping the workouts interesting and pleasing, confronting the inescapable aging challenges with courage and a grin, and understanding your occasional submissions are not weakness but persistence.

We press on … God’s might… Dave

I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a routine I can do after a serious illness. I am able to walk with a walker, do three-pound dumbbells, some stretches with a band for legs.

I don’t know your incapacity, thus a training regimen is difficult to arrange. I can only guess and tell you the things I do.

• Putting time into walking with the walker is great exercise, greater than I ever before realized. I set 50 foot and 100 foot distances in the front yard with plastic deck chair as markers. I go the distance and sit, regain my breath and go again for a total of 10 times. If the idea appeals to you, set the distances and number of sets according to your needs.Try this: Get yourself a pair of simple hand grips of light (to medium) resistance (any sporting goods store). These are great little tools to affect grip exercise and can be performed simultaneously with rhythmic arm and upper body action to simulate a range of exercises (curling, tricep lockouts, pec-contraction a la the Hulk… improvise movements and sets and reps or segue movements into one long set — very aerobic)
• A lightweight exer-band or bungee cord can provide numerous muscle-stimulating exercises… Be playful and improvise and allow time for development of strength, energy, interest, intuit know-how and confidence in the at-first-sight-’n-effort feeble exercises.
• Dynamic Tension, or flexing your muscles in repetitious contractions — alone or against each other — should be considered: mild ab-crunches, partial leg raises, simulated presses and pulls and agreeable torso twists. More invention…

More ideas pop up and develop in time as you apply yourself and take some steps forward.

Whatever your affliction, getting the blood to move and the lungs to expand and contract is essential to hasten healing. Don’t make the designed routine a burden but a precious addition and joy — a smart choice, a fun option to accompany you on yet another journey.

Get strong, stay strong, pray… Dave

I just turned 27 and I’ve been working out for years. I’ve been trying lately to take more days off and have been more willing to rest. In fact your split of 3 on, 1 off/3 on, 2 off has been so helpful. I am very strong, but the size just won’t come. Any suggestions on how I can increase the muscle volume?

My legs are big, but somewhat undefined. Should I maybe stop training them for a while and just focus on the upper?

No… Robust deadlifts and squats are systemic exercises stimulating whole-body growth.

Your training sounds right on. A four-day-a-week routine can be tried for a month with a variation on reps (4 or 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps).

Change-ups are good once you’ve achieved your training level… instincts really kick in if we let them.

Throw in another balanced meal daily; bring on the red meat daily; try Bomber Blend.

You’re young: Lift hard, eat right, rest a lot, think smart (commonsense and intuition), be confident and persist, apply the basics, dismiss the hype, laugh when you get the chance and be good.

Go… Dave

I often hear bodybuilders say that diet amounts to up to 80% or more of the muscle mass that they put on. This statement implies that weight training plays only a minimal role in muscle gain. Is it possible to build muscle without any weight training, but solely through diet?

Commonsense prevails: No exercise, no muscle. The better you eat and live, the greater your muscle gains.

The broad diet comment is to underscore the importance of eating right when seeking muscle tone, density, definition and the finer details of muscularity concomitant with tough workouts.

Blast it, eat right, grow, be happy… Godspeed… Dave