I liked your last weekly article because to be honest I was getting tired of all your cheerleading for heavy workouts in hardcore gyms for old guys. When one is arthritic, lethargic, stressed by our country falling part, and old…
Greetings and thanks for the good word…
It’s time for me to prepare myself and the Bomber Reserves for the days ahead. They aren’t like the days gone by, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great. We press on with wisdom and a smile…
Godspeed… Dave
What do you think of a regimen like this a seasoned trainer of 62? Monday–20 minutes cardio and warm-up, followed by abs, chest and lats; Tuesday–same cardio and warm-up, then legs and back; Wednesday–same warm-up, then biceps, triceps and forearms. Repeat the routine Thursday, Friday, Saturday, with Sunday off.
Depends what exercises and number of sets and reps and degree of training intensity, of course.
Bill Pearl (11 years older than me) prefers to train every day for a solid hour, but not as intense.
I like three or four workouts a week, reasonable intensity, for 75 - 90 minutes.
Of note: I don’t train lats separately from the rest of the back.You appear to be missing shoulders entirely, in which case I’d add those to the arm day because I enjoy shoulders and arms together.
Rest is muy importante, senior.
You might pull one session out and give yourself two days off. Assess yourself after Mon, Tue and Wed and determine what you need or want or can do for the two remaining workouts on Fri and Sat. You can rotate these Fri and Sat workouts.
Work out hard but don’t flog the mule.
Bomber Blend and Godspeed… Dave
I have a few questions about the arm routine in the news letter: When you used this routine, did you cut back a bit on other upper body training? Or if you were using something like a 3-day split, did you find your arms had recovered enough to hit the other parts hard? Also, over what sort of time period would you stick to a body part specialization for, or would it be totally dependent on how well it was responding?
This was a typical arm workout, 2 to 3 times a week. Too much… I was mean and neurotic, now I’m just neurotic)
This could be engaged as a muscle-priority routine — arm emphasis routine — modifying remaining muscle groups accordingly. You take the lead.
I regularly overtrained, but my mental intensity — determination and insistence, mono-mindedness and commitment — and wholesome eating enabled my development.
I was very rigid in the mid-’60s when building my significant foundations. I adhered to my prescribed routine for six-week cycles. It was my law. It worked for me.
Training alterations were often simple tweaks of grip or degree of incline or bar vs dumbbell, sets and reps, power or pace.
By the late ’60s I was loosening up my training style. More instinct and feel, less law and order. The timing was right. We need both, rule of commonsense and freedom of spirit.
Train hard, never quit… Godspeed… Dave
Which of your supplements would be your top four for mass building at a young, healthy 52?
In order of preference from my viewpoint:
Other goodies in my regimen:
Enjoy your heightened training. Train hard, eat right, be strong, never quit… Thanks for the support…
Go… Godspeed… Dave
It’s week four in the 5-day-a-week program. I missed two workouts this week due to injury and exhaustion. Hopefully I will have recuperated enough to do the upper body tomorrow. My quest to be a bodybuilder at 56 is a little bumpy.
Keep your health and body-wellness in mind as your pursue with diligence. Reckon your last reps and maximum-lifts wisely. Blasting begs the question, “Are you willing to pay the price?”
The mountainside climb is rift with setbacks. Relax sufficiently; enjoy the distant view, the clear air, the earth beneath your feet and the iron in your hands.
You’ll get there… God’s might… Dave
My wife and I are thinking of building a commercial gym, a place we could charge a reasonable membership fee and where we could spend day and night helping out our members and giving words of encouragement and advice at no charge. Do you have any pointers for us?
Dreams are fun; don’t stop. However, as a business to support and secure a good life for you and your great wife this sounds like a nightmare.
You’ll have initial costs of equipment, rent of space, insurance, and the usual maintenance fees of water, gas and electric, part-time help and toilet paper. Advertisement is costly.
Depending on demographics and other gyms in the area, you’ll have a small handful of members who, supportive as they are, are selfish and want more than they can get. That’s life.
Yesterday where there was need of a good gym, today there are three in competition and all going broke.
Your dream is best confined to a garage gym with your buds. A non-biz key-club might work where the right minds and bodies gather the needed iron and share a sufficient space of extraordinary cheap rent. Collected monies are directed toward upkeep and equipment purchases. No licenses, taxes, permits, profits, advertisement, opening, closing, staff… just like minds with respect and responsibility and honor and drive.
I built and owned the coolest gyms for the musclebuilder of all ages… not dungeons, but no glitz, wasted space or lies… lots of honor and respect… 15 years Laree and I managed and polished and taught.
We passed the gyms on and left exhausted… no dough. Be aware.
Thanks for your commitment to our great country over the years… we press on… Godspeed… Dave
Do you have “cheat” days as pertains to your diet? A lot of bodybuilding nutritionists seem to be pushing it. I don’t like them because it makes me feel guilty. What do you say?
It might help to change your word from cheat to refuel, accomplishes the same goal without the negative connotation.
Do you have my book, Brother Iron Sister Steel? This dandy book will answer all your questions, all those I encountered and sought successfully to overcome. Get to know the answers before the problems arise. Learn and, better yet, understand the things of iron.
Worth a million bucks to the hungry musclebuilder… Get a slightly scuffed copy for $15.00
Worth it for the photos alone…ez read, packed with real stuff…
Feed yourself well, train hard and don’t be afraid to carry a few extra pounds to help you do the job — More energy, more punch, more pump… get lean later.
Godspeed,
Dave
I am a young 85 and still work out three days a week and power walk five days a week. I feel great—actually I feel and act like I am eighteen. I still remember seeing you on some TV show when you first started out and you looked tremendous!
The TV show 45 years in LA might have been David the Gladiator… ring a bell?
I, too, have an 18-year-old running around in my head and body somewhere most of the time.
Other times I’m a nearly 67-year-old millstone tied around an 18-year-old’s leg. Between the two of them, I barely have time for myself…
We press on, by God. Go… Dave
My son is 12 years old, skinny and small. I just ordered some of your protein as I’m trying to help my son get bigger and stronger. I wish to help him naturally with good things for his body. He does play AAU baseball. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
You and your boy are off to a good start. I truly love Bomber Blend for ingredient value, mixability, taste and digestibility. He can have short shots mixed into a two- or three-ounce glass of reduced-fat milk or juice or water anytime, as a boost or when eating is sloppy, or near bedtime.
It’s a great breakfast meal or pre-sport energizer. Better than and cheaper than conventional meals.
Of course, see to that he is active in sport and play, running, jumping and climbing.
He’s not too young to work out with the weights, especially if he has some basic guidance and common sense input. Chins and dips at home lead to presses and curls and the joys and benefits of a valuable diversion.
Godspeed… Dave
You wrote in your book, Brother Iron,Sister Steel, you noticed it was harder to build muscle at around 55. Can you elaborate a bit on that? I did a 507 bench at age 49, still around 460, training alone these days. What are your thoughts on building in the 50s and 60s?
We’re still crazy after all these years. Gains of another sort come after 55, a mature rather than old look until, say, 63. Even with all the surgeries and accompanying lay-offs and stress of doctors (15 different specialists in the last 20 months) and medical clinics, I’m still presentable. Think old dock worker still hoisting cargo…
Everyone is different — chemistry, attitude, genes, character traits, potential, applied effort, lifestyle, stress — and we respond accordingly. But for your genes and most of your inherited body chemistry, you’re in control, by God’s Grace, of your training and diet and attitude and lifestyle. You know best.
I included above one line from your note cuz it stands out… Beware of bench and heavy weight (nasty combination) and injuries and the risks our egos demand of us. Push, but never compromise form for the last rep.
Get more and more rest. Never quit. Listen to your instincts, they talk legibly and sensibly, but sometimes they whisper about important stuff.
Bomber Blend and Super Spectrim and a long, strong and muscular life… Go… Dave
I am an amateur bodybuilder, currently in prep for my second national show. I am seven weeks out from that all-important final peak week, hovering around 7% bodyfat right now so I am happy I will come into final week at the 4%-5% fat if I keep progressing as I am now. This is where my problems begin….. what do I do in final week?
Very kind of you to throw me a question and I appreciate your support.
I have trouble offering solid, helpful advice on pre-training diet schemes. Wrong advice and the guy comes in fat or skinny and your life and the lives of your loved ones are at risk.
I’m pondering. Dialing in menus is like cracking a safe… each safe is different and has a different combination of numbers, clockwise and counter-clockwise turns. Thus I keep it basic… Eat right always… blast it…
Do what you’re doing now and don’t overtrain or underfeed yourself in the last week. Don’t sacrifice powerful muscle for an extra vein or one more cut. Rest and relax as best you can to avoid the evils of stress. Carbing-up or carbo-loading the last days is tricky and should be practiced in off-season to gain understanding.
I found excess milk products the last week was not good if skin was thick. Don’t neglect red meat and go fish and chicken only — you’ll lose power, pump, aggression — no salt and lottsa prayer…
Play it by ear, wing it, fly… Godspeed… Dave
What do you think about alternating high volume workouts with the kind where you do drop sets and supersets, less volume but high intensity?
Why not? Whatever gets you through the day.
Just don’t injure yourself. Always warm up. Be sensible. Experiment, experience, observe and modify and apply. Clang! It all works when you’re there, aware and hard at work.
Have fun, slap yourself around when you need to, buckle down and walk tall. 60 minutes of this and that three or four or five times a week and you’ll stay fresh and alive and ready for life’s random sneak attacks.
No junk, eat right, smile, be happy and thank God… Dave
