Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I am to work with a 14-year-old skinny boy who wants to be on the wrestling team.  He has never played sports and is a junkfood junky who would blow away in a strong wind. Do you have any strength building routines for someone that young?  What exercises would you give him, reps and intensity and for how long?

Kid needs more than a strength routine. He needs inspiration, direction, purpose and encouragement.

For starters just get him in the gym for the fun of it, for an introduction and discovery. He needs to want to train, and train with consistency and intention.

There are numerous workout variations based on the subjects health, guts and willingness.
Get him on the best of the fundamentals at first to give him a pleasing, straightforward taste of the iron. A push - pull routine, such as light-to-moderate weight benchpress with perfect form (not for low-rep power, as bad form and injury will surely follow), deadlifts (with same caveat), dumbbell clean and press, standing barbell curls, squats and walking lunges with dumbbells. Three sets of 10, 8, 6 reps is fair once he’s familiarized.

Midsection should include hanging leg raises and high-hip crunches and hyperextensions eventually.

Your (our, everyone’s) job is to get him going and get him engaged with confidence and enthusiasm. Some kids understand the worth of sacrificing to achieve, developing discipline and character, and investing in body mind and soul health. Most kids and adults, it appears, don’t.

Further, the boy needs to realize, understand and accept the fact smart eating affords him health, energy and strength. His hard work, should he work hard, will come to little and slowly without sound eating practices — good food intake, including breakfast, regularly and consistently and 30 minutes prior to exertion. No outright junk like pop, sweets and grease. More protein from meat, good carbs from fresh veggies and fruit, good EFAs — non-greasy fats. Some descent fast foods out there will work.

Have fun, be patient and encouraging and strong. Godspeed… Dave

I’ve just had hip replacement. I’ve been released from the doctor and am ready to get back in shape. I have a good range of motion with both hips, but can’t yet do a stomach crunch. I can bend half way over so I suppose I can do upper body action. What do you suggest?

I know nothing about hip rehab, but I’m sure there are a dozen or more great exercises you can slip into if you go to an agreeable gym, assuming you’re released from physical therapy that is.

Start off light with the machines — dips, various-grip pulldowns, pulley pushdowns, seated lat row, flat and incline presses on the Smith Press, mild rope tucks.

You can then try some freehand movements as your growing strength and familiarity guide you.

Play for week or two, warming up slowly, experimenting and designing an appealing and  efficient and safe training scheme. All your movements executed with high regard for your rehabbing hip will contribute to their repair.

2 to 3 sets x 10s is a good range as you fight the good fight. Specific hip rehab is in your hands and the   hands of the therapists.

Eat right, rest a lot, be wise, be aware, be courageous, be thankful, walk around hurdles…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I have an irritated biceps tendon. I stopped doing exercises that hit that area, curls and back exercises, but now it hurts doing things like hoisting dumbbells into position for presses. My question is, would you advocate doing no upper body work till this heals or try to use light weights on machines that don’t stress the injury too much? I want to get back to the heavy weights ASAP.  The thought of doing cardio to replace my iron fix is so depressing!

Sometimes a layoff is just what we need, though I wouldn’t know how to do that.

Unfortunately, a biceps tendon injury usually demands full rest and icing, or the recovery time will take ages.

I have found best success with going extraordinarily light with controlled and penetrating high reps (10 - 15 — not ultra high). The warming up and the finessing are priceless and often make the way clear.

Pain is your companion and guide. Engage absolute focus and searching, working your way heavier set by set till an intuitive voice says, “Just right.” Do this where necessary with confidence and appreciation for the education and sensitivity injury and light weights provide. You might enjoy the feel of the reps and the change of pace… modify your training a few degrees.

Tough and intense doesn’t necessarily mean heavy and struggling. You go too heavy too soon and you have your hands full for, like, ever.

Geez, we’re dumb… Onward… Dave

Why is it trainers need to know about bones and muscle attachments?  I was looking through a friends PT course and it was very detailed.  He certainly was overwhelmed with all the material and asked me why it was so important. Is there a benefit to the trainee?  How does this help you view the overall training and things like that?

Structure and muscle attachment largely determine a lifter’s potential — his muscle shape and strength. These attributes have something to do with simple physics and leverage, and play a role in the resultant muscle growth and muscle advantage. Long or short bones and their thickness, high or low attachments and their thickness, define strength and muscle formation.

Awareness of these quantifiers, plus body chemistry subtleties, overall health, matters of character, will and willingness and attitude contribute to the lifter’s development.

Time and resources and diet are a part of the consequential mob. Encouragement helps big time… and let’s not forget purpose and goals… the sun, moon and stars and one’s palm lifeline. Very complicated stuff.

These, of course, vary with each person, but eventually these basic factors are understood through observation, commonsense, tips, hints and clues over time and under the iron.
A good trainer can teach a beginner what he needs to know, set him in motion and check up on him once a month or every six weeks. A good student should be on his own soon, very soon. ASAP.

Too much knowledge can baffle, distract and hinder the eager and earnest iron-minded guy or gal, young or mature.

Go… Live, lift, learn, love it… Godspeed… Dave

I do deadlifts on Tuesday, and wanted to add a second second back workout on Friday. Would it be good to do some rack pulls or good mornings on the second workout?

Depends on many factors: Age, condition, training maturity, previous training MO and injury record, level of intensity applied, commonsense sensitivity to overload, purpose…

Add the rack pulls or the good mornings. Experiment, learn and grow. Be alert, ease into it, train with the wise intention of having the workouts accommodate each other, be perfect in performance always and do not allow incorrect form, movement or groove to get last reps.

This will cause bad habits and present risk of injury and possible long-term damage and imbalance. Parcel out intensity thoughtfully and back off if and when overload is certain.

Throw in hanging leg raises and hyperextensions to support your system’s core. Think one-arm overhead dumbbell presses for living motion and strength.

Get plenty of rest and righteous food… Godspeed… DD

Is it true that if I’m a regular swimmer, my arms and legs will go thin and my torso relatively larger and grotesque due to adaptation of my body to prolonged swimming?

My guess follows: If you want a bodybuilder’s body, bodybuild primarily and add sufficient swimming as a healthy aerobic activity tol develop sound universal muscle, as well as improve cardiovascular health. Too much will interfere with large, thick muscle development, and counter bodybuilding goals.

If your goals are athletic fitness superiority, the two modes of exercise are accommodating. Add cycling and running and you’re a triathlete.

Swimming, as a training priority for winning competition, will produce a system of muscles to accomplish your challenges: more supple arms, broad shoulders and wide back, with a trim waist and strong, lean leg musculature. Wise weight training will assist your swimming power.

dd

I’m floundering in my workouts lately. What should I do to restore my earlier confidence? I was thinking of taking a one-month break in which I’ll do only cardio (swimming) and some yoga to keep fit and improve my breathing. Is this a good idea? I’ve been working out six days a week regularly from the past four years.

A long training layoff wouldn’t be my solution, but some modifications in your current training scheme is clearly a good idea.

Cross train in the cardio is smart. Don’t allow swimming aerobics to compete with your weight training goals. Direct them to be complementary.

Train four days a week with renewed freedom (less severity, more levity) applying some version of my Favorite Workout.

Create training successes through persistent effort and elevating imagery. Weight training is a demon-killer, not a demon maker or provider.

Relax, trust, have a blast… Godspeed… Dave

I was wondering what you think of vegetarianism?  I haven’t heard of too many bodybuilders who have been vegetarians and yet have been highly successful (aside from Bill Pearl and Andreas Cahling).  It would also seem like it would be hard to get the 9 essential amino acids from strictly being a vegetarian (although there are health benefits from being a vegetarian).  I was just wondering what you thought of it?

Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit — living food — is a big plus to our health, but give me lean meat when building muscle and strength. You’re right about the lack of complete protein when red meat is absent; lack of B-complex, creatine and other musclebuilding and endurance factors is a big issue, as well.

Bill was a grand title holder before he embraced the vegetarian menu… I don’t know of any other notable non-meat eating bodybuilders. There are many successful lifters who ingest eggs and dairy only (lacto-ovo vegetarians like Bill Pearl) and have a much improved protein and nutritional source. Then there are those who restrict their diets to fish or poultry plus living foods. Not bad… good leaning-up menu… healthy!

Body chemistry or general health often determine the vegetarian’s needs for and response to the limited diets, though personal humanitarian and spiritual leanings are the primary motivations for not consuming animal products.

Whatever… just add Bomber Blend for musclebuilding certainty, economics, convenience and pleasure.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, protein builds muscle… Godspeed… Dave

I am doing 45-degree leg presses and strict leg extensions and my legs are wasted at the conclusion of my leg workout.  Unfortunately, squats are history due to two operations on my neck.  What do you think about leg presses and leg extensions?

I understand about disappointing limitations. Rats. But you’re doing the best you can, and it isn’t bad. I’m currently following a similar regime, though I add 4 sets of curls to the leg extensions and the 4-5 sets of presses. I miss the squats, but a recent laminectomy has me out from under the bar. Rats, again, though I feel lucky, fortunate and blessed to have the option. It works.

Our gym has a very cool squatting machine by Bodymaster, which settles the load on your shoulders like a standing calf machine. The heavy duty beast handles tons of weight and neatly replicates the action of a full squat. I use one or the other.

Have you tried squatting while holding dumbbells or a trap bar? Walking lunges with your hands full of dumbbells? Me, neither. Those in the know say these work. I’ll try them if you try them. You go first.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Do you do personal training, Dave? I’m thinking of entering a contest as an over-50 bodybuilder.

We’ve had a long, hard joyride on the bodybuilding wagon, and now we discover we’re still crazy after all these years. I know the time in the gym and under the iron provides an authentic payoff daily.

I’ve never been a staunch fan of bodybuilding or competition, though I’m totally pleased I participated in my era and won my titles… a big deal to this day, as many fans of the days gone by, young and old, remain loyal and active today. I’m one of them. I trained and train for the stack of good stuff the iron offers, beyond Mr. New Jersey. The website, davedraper.com, in its 10th year is evidence of the Good Stuff.

I have no idea what goes on in the bodybuilding world today, who’s who, where or when. I can find my way to the gym and sufficient metal throughout the week. Occasionally I’ll talk to Frank or Leroy Colbert or Big Lou; the rest of the time I’m writing for IronOnline and staying out of trouble.

I don’t train one-on-one. Brother Iron Sister Steel and davedraper.com combined with Bomber Blend is the best I can do… And that’s a lot. Trust me.

You will do what you want, need and can do… Press on… God’s strength… Dave Draper

I can swim for an hour continuously, but I can’t run continuously at medium speed for more than three minutes on a manual treadmill inclined at 20 degrees. Even running a mile in the stadium is a big pain. I start gasping and it sucks. What do you think is the reason for this?

Ask a swim coach.

My logic: Entirely different activities with different muscles involved and under demand. Legs are not conditioned for endurance running, traps and back and diaphram working under largely different conditions (in water/out of water support or suspension).

Structure must have something to do with it — what one is best built for. Running is in many ways a tougher training task on the muscular system — more systemically demanding — plus no time to glide, no buoyancy, nothing relaxes.

Matter of conditioning… plus less accustomed to gravity. I suspect if you practiced running instead of swimming, you’d reverse this trend.

dd

I’m in my mid-50s. I have been training a long time and have always had problems with my legs,  no matter what. I have the upper body of a pro, but my legs looks like a young amateur. When I squat my back hurts; when I leg press I gain no mass. Is there anything more I try before I give up and accept that I have poor symmetry?

I’m afraid I have no suggestions as it seems you’ve tried everything.

Fifty and healthy and muscularly fit is a great blessing and achievement. You will continue to seek leg mass, no doubt, but seeking to keep them strong, healthy and long-lasting might be your wisest and most joyful goal.

Godspeed in your ventures… Dave