Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

 Is there any difference in using a curl bar instead of a straight bar for standing biceps curls, clean and press, bent-over row, and deadlifts?

There is some diff  because of change in gripping angle, but not startlingly significant or wrong or better.

Do as you please with close observation. You might find yourself going back and forth according urge, or variation for the sake of variation.

One way might be more comfortable, or doable than the other, thus more effective.
Have fun, variety is the spice of lifting.

In a book by Mike Mentzer, he mentioned holding the weight at maximum contraction, and rest-pause sets. Apparently he favored extremely brief, extremely intense workouts. What do you think of those methods? Is high-volume better for some people and ultra-high intensity for others?

Mentzer was a volume trainer when it was time to prepare for competition. I never bought into his HIT methodology.

Best way to train, once it’s established you want and are determined to train, is according to the style that suits your personality or nature. Some folks drive slow in the slow lane, some in the fast and some speed, whether they’ve got someplace to go or not. I prefer the fast lane. Often, after 10 minutes on the road I look over and the guy in the slow lane is 10 cars ahead of me. What’s that all about? Still, I prefer the fast lane.

Oh. You don’t have a car and don’t know what I’m talking about. Do what you like, suit yourself… true musclehead’s philosophy.

Consistency, experiment, mix and match, press on… Godspeed… DD

What do you think a 145-pound, 69-year-old guy might reasonably be pushing and pulling?  I realize you can’t really tell me anything definitive, but I’d like your thoughts anyway.

Being appropriately cautious, always warm up slowly and focus on each rep, the groove and the muscle engagement.

The light-to-moderate weights allow a savvy lifter to crawl into the movement and appreciate all its good work. You can position the bar or dumbbell or handle where you want and need for affect and to avoid injury or pain of injury without being bullied by a heavier weight. The 45s and 50s are plenty heavy to provide the joy and exertion you and your muscles need.

Where once I used 120- to 150-pound dumbbells on bench presses, I now joyfully, gratefully, use 45s and 50s. Admittedly, I cuss under my breath and in the dark recesses of my prideful mind.

Can’t help on pulling cuz we all pull differently (body-thrust, handle variations) and at the ends of different equipment with differing advantages and resistance. Work between 6 and 12 reps with 75% output — room for another rep with no body contortion or sacrifice of worthwhile groove.

Here’s where your commonsense and instincts need sharpening and confident application.
One thing, be sure your non-iron-lifting workouts accommodate your weight lifting workouts in terms of overload, recuperation.

Godspeed… Dave.

I’ve been doing hyperextensions for my lower back.  Ever since I started doing this move, my lower back has been noticeably sore.  I’ve experienced this issue before and discontinued this exercise.  The question is should I keep up this exercise, and will this discomfort ever stop?

Perhaps you do too great a range of motion, especially the upward range or contraction (too tight), or too many sets or reps or too often during a week. If so, moderate… go for stimulation every 5 days, or, maybe, chuck the exercise.

Do light dumbbell deadlifts, seated lat rows and such to beef up the areas involved for health.

Look into the joint mobility exercises for the hip and pelvic regions as encouraged by Laree in the blog in the past months. Major importance to us all who walk and play and lift.

Go… DD

I just can’t get that incentive back I had all my adult life. I don’t know if it’s lack of hormones or that I try to train and I can’t seem to recover at all. Can you offer any advice?

I’d repeat the same thing to you and add that aging is a rascal. It settles upon us with persistence and we must fight the one-on-one battle with courage and consistent might — instinctive training, smart eating and lots of rest.

Be strong and courageous. Never give up. Review and repeat the aforementioned precepts and seek their real meaning. They are not mere idioms to scratch an itch or fill up space. They are as much a part of your training gear as barbells and dumbbells. Apply them daily.

While you’re at it, have fun!

Modify, improvise, adjust exercises, routines and days per week; rest is of greater importance; walking is a worthy aerobic exercise on off days; eat wisely to serve your body; sensibly accept letting go where and as you must; train for workout enjoyment and importance to health, not necessarily the muscle madness we love.

Lots of veiled fulfillment is discovered as we search for the pump.

You might consider hormone optimizing or even hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Go… Godspeed… Dave

 Dave, when you competed or even now when you had to lose weight to look lean and muscular, was it a hard choice? At age 60, I like being bigger, and am afraid to drop weight to cut up. I finally got that look where people notice that I’m muscular and tight, then they say cut up. What’s your opinion?

It’s time to enjoy and be thankful for what you have. One day you may have something real to be worried about and be regretful of the good time you lost fretting about nothing.

Getting bigger and better at 60 can lead to slow death.

The more “cut up” one gets, the less margin of leeway they have in daily living. They become restrictive in their training and diet and, thereby, lower their resistance. They become more vulnerable to injury and ailments and aches. Energy and endurance often suffer. They become more and more self-absorbed and self-critical and less and less fulfilled and at peace.

Be smart, beware, love yourself healthfully…  D

I have a big discrepancy in shoulder strength. My question to you is to try to strengthen the weaker shoulder most effectively, do you suggest using dumbbells of different weights [one lighter, one heavier] when doing shoulder presses, using dumbbells of the same weight but just continuing on to failure with the strong side after the weak shoulder has failed, or doing more sets with the weak shoulder than the strong one?

Not an uncommon problem. Our bodies are often out of whack from habits or injuries from years ago. A kid might be shy and minimize his or her stature by slouching or rounding their shoulders. He or she grows up with shortened muscle structure here and lengthened muscle there. A minor injury, badly sprained ankle or such, causes the body to compensate and one develops muscle imbalances. Sit in front of a computer for lengths of time, and, oops, we’ve got a pretzel. Most everyone is a victim.

Treatments of Rolfing and/or Feldenkrais (wonderful stuff) can restore or awaken neural pathways that have lost their way and bring health back to the system… just a thought.

I don’t use different weights or rep patterns to overcome a common or typical muscle imbalance. I have the stronger-left-shoulder, weaker-right-shoulder scenario. I treat both the good and its lagging partner as one. I choose the lighter weight and proceed to train with focus and form. If the matter is severe — arm in cast — I engage in emergency tactics. That’s another story.

If you have a significantly injured left or right region — biceps, knee, shoulder strain or soreness– then the use of dumbbells is wise. The injured area requires its own therapy, with attention to groove, range of motion, hand-position and weight, usually guided by pain and common sense.

That’s all… Go… Godspeed… Dave

Try as I might, my obliques seem to be undeveloped. Can you suggest two exercises for obliques (twists don’t seem to work for me) that do not need any equipment?

Don’t try to develop them specifically. Instead, do more core training for the entire mid-section.

I like repetition one-arm dumbbell snatches (clean dumbbell from floor to overhead position and repeat). Accentuate a sufficient torso twist in the action to engage obliques and sweep of the lats. Hold on to a rigid upright (squat rack) for support. 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps.

Great muscle-builder with systemic benefits.

All overhead pressing is good.

See ya… Carry on… Dave

Being the connoisseur that you are of the rare and precious metals, Iron and Steel, do you think bench press, shoulder press, rows and qquats are the way for mass building or should one include something like the beautiful tri exercise superset madness of close-grip bench and concentration curls; skull crushers and preachers and french press and 21s for arms?

It’s all good,  if you’re consistent, devoted (yet not obsessed), train hard (but sensibly), eat plenty of the right foods (but don’t explode) and get plenty of good rest (without getting sluggish).

The basics do it, the supersets work, the food consumption is vital and the time is a must, but you are in charge.

I trust from your note you’ll apply the various MOs and discover what works for you. And then you’ll agree, it’s all good… at the right time.

Beware of heavy bench and those nutty last reps — Injuries are not good for mass building.
Think dumbbells.

I could tell you to add plenty of lean red meat to your daily menu, and quality peanut butter and bananas to your shake, and a meal of tuna and water to your existing diet, and cottage cheese and plenty of raw fresh fruit and vegetables regularly and, by all means, enjoy Bomber Blend – the best protein in the world.

Creatine helps — Anabol Naturals for purity.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I blew out my shoulder a year ago, age 56 now — gained 20 lbs of fat, drink beer, smoke 2 packs a day. I’m depressed and I miss the gym. How do I get started?

Renew your life; the iron will do it.

Dump the cigs and beers, they’re for losers. Wrong direction. Be a hero, not a zero.

Get back to the gym with new eyes and a new mind and apply the old favorites. No expectations. Forget yesterday and your youthful abilities and, of course, the stupidities that we all share.

Enjoy and appreciate what the gym and the iron can do for you today. Play. A few awkward workouts and you’ll slip into gear.

It’s called iron triumph…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I am 76 years old, been working out with weights practically all my life.  I stopped working out with my weights about six months ago (too many back and shoulder injuries) and started doing  just pushups.  Every other day I do 3 sets of 80 pushups, 3 sets of 22 very close-grip pushups and two sets of dips.  Is this overdoing  it?  I really feel good when I do my pushups and want to do them every day–would I really be overdoing it if I did the pushups every day?  What do you think of  a workout like this?

Your ability to do pushups astounds me. I can’t get one good one for similar reasons you can’t weight lift happily any longer — things ain’t workin’ right.

I suggest you do them every other day for health and muscle/joint recovery. As dips and pushup are all pushing, improvise an exercise or exercises that incorporate pulling on the days between: lying on the floor and pulling up on a bar, some sensible dumbbell or barbell curling, tugging on a rope attached to a weighted sled.

Walking is a super exercise. Hit the hills and stairs for emphatic leg and cardio work.

In everything, be sensible and joyful and grateful…

Go… Godspeed,

dd

Dave, I did not grow up on the farm. What is a Farmers Walk? Please don’t tell me it’s squats with manure on your boots.

Reference note: pails of milk farmers carried from cows to distribution point across the yard…

Grab a pair of moderate weight dumbbells and walk for a reasonable distance. Build up to heavier weight for a reasonable distance. Clean boots recommended by all.

As an exercise twice a week, try this for starters: 2 walks with 35 pounders for 100 feet. From there determine your own weight and distance and number of sets.

Good stuff for the entire system… Go… Godspeed

dd