Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I am now 46 and have been weight training since 15. At 42 I was hit with a nasty virus that still plaques me with muscle weakness and insomnia, greatly reducing my post-workout recovery. The past few years the left shoulder started hurting, MRI showed impingement w/ partial thickness tears, then medial epicondylitis. The Ortho doc didn’t push for surgery, but said if I want to resume weight training I would have to limit my overhead movements and give up squats or have arthroscpic surgery. As much as I want to work out, I hold back in fear of wearing out what is left of my aging body. Have you had or know any other bodybuilders who had arthroscopic surgery and resumed their normal workout routines? What do most bodybuilders do about nagging wear and tear injuries?

Forty-six is young from my viewpoint and the lifters I know have had the urge and incentive to push on though their 50s and on into their 60s and 70s. Orthoscopy for shoulders or knees are not uncommon among my buds at the gym and are a dreaded inconvenience, but they have worked wonders — diminishing pain, increasing mobility and capability. With your viral-infection limitations, who knows how repair might be affected… only God or the best and sincerest doctors.

You’re right. We face a critical dilemma as we get older: When is resistance training no longer healthy, and when are we wearing out our bodies as we press on rather than favoring the heaps of flesh?

Be wise and aware. I train on and, with an ear and eye on the signals and the nose of commonsense and instinct, modify wherever I need and must. ‘Wherever’ includes training intensity, duration and frequency — rest and recovery — weights used, sets and reps applied — groove of movement, range of motion and rep-speed and rep-pace and set-pace — cables or machine instead of free-weights — and, of course, nutrition and supplementation. It’s a work in progress…

We’re all different — chemistry, genes, structure, psychology, what makes us tick, what satisfies our needs, what our needs are. The repair procedures take careful consideration, balancing, evaluating, conferring… pros and cons.

You’re in the driver’s seat — floor it or hit the breaks, left at the corner, veer right or go straight ahead with the top down… engage seat belts… potholes ahead.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

As I embark to the land of steak, tuna, Bomber Blend, low-fat dairy, fruit & veggies, what about water?  How much each day? Can you drink too much of it? Can I add crystal light iced tea powder or squeeze lemon in it for taste or go it plain?

Lots of cool, clear water, like an average of 64 ounces a day as suggested by “them.”  Bodyweight and activity and climate are contributing factors.

Try hard and one can die from excess water consumption.

Lemon’s good, certain teas can be beneficial (anti-oxidants, detoxifying), but plain is the smart choice.

The going is good… Godspeed… DD

Where was the Dungeon?

The outdoor training area located on the sands of the Santa Monica Beach just south of the pier in the ’40s and ’50s was called Muscle Beach. Sometime at the end of the ’50s, the bodybuilding equipment — the iron — was moved to the cavernous basement of a hotel on the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway in Santa Monica, half a mile away, the new home of the Muscle Beach Gym.

The dark and grim ambiance of the new digs suggested its favorite name, the Dungeon.
Another sunny day in heaven… Godspeed… Draper

** Late edit:  After posting this, we received an email message from a man who was in Santa Monica at the time, who wrote, “Everyone who writes about the move from Muscle Beach seems to skip the Alley Gym era. The weights went first to a location between Ocean and Second entered via the alley. It was a great place to train (I was there in 1960). Subsequently there was a move from the alley to the Dungeon at Fourth and Broadway.“

After a couple of decades of training, I’m just tired of lifting weights, and all that goes along with it.

You’ve got to exercise vigorously and eat right and apply yourself to caring for yourself. Here’s the cold truth: It only gets worse if you don’t.

One step at a time, as the adage goes. It’s back to the basics with renewed enthusiasm, or it backwards day by day.

You are really a young guy, unless you think otherwise. Think of where you’ll be a year from now if you train sensibly, consistently and enjoyably and with high hopes.

Think of where you’ll be if you don’t.

dd

In balancing gym training with martial arts, while I may look better than had I never lifted, and I have some strength, what’s the use if none of it can be applied in a meaningful way outside the gym, especially should I ever need to defend myself?

I practiced karate for a brief period in the ’60s to learn stance, attitude and sense of fighting, defending and aggressing. That was in the range of sufficient for my needs, as the thorough study of the art is consuming. Wrestling, boxing and martial arts coexist well, if one has the time, the energy, desire  and affinity for both.

I’d learn the basics of boxing and grappling for the purpose of self-defense from someone capable, but not get caught up in ratings and classes and style and art form. I wish I had a big bag and a speed bag to apply myself to with some fundamentals, my own instincts and my own rage.

Push iron, beat bag… Push iron, beat bag… Push iron, beat bag

DD

I read your rules about diet and they are simple to follow.  I have a question about pre-contest post-workout carbs. How many grams of carbs do I need for repairing muscle without contributing to body fat? What would be the best protein and carb ratio for me?

Magic question. Gets a little frustrating when exacting one’s menu to suit pre-contest qualifications. It can also inhibit the musclebuilding process. Be disciplined, but don’t lock yourself in a cage.

My main goal has always been to lift and eat to build muscle and might. Blast it and stick with your high protein, medium carb and fat plan (40-30-30 — quality ingredients) and let the fat languish and decline. Scrutinizing and excessive sensitivity to fat percentage get old fast and don’t enhance the process. More often, they distract and stagnate the mind.

Think bigger than grams of carbs and one-percent of this or that. Save it for if and when it really matters.

My plan is plain and simple (who needs aggravation and its cortisol production?):

8 ounces of low fat milk, 2 scoops of Bomber Blend in a shaker and a banana before and after the workout.

Modify to suit yourself… experimenting works wonders in all areas of our training.

I eat my meat and salad meal two hours or so later.

Count less, doubt less, feel (intuit) more and Godspeed… Dave

Muscular shoulders are my weak points in bodybuilding. Here is an example of my shoulder workout: 4 sets of dumbbell presses or 4 sets of military presses with a barbell (15-8 reps each), side lateral raises supersetted with front lateral raises (15-8 reps).  I never feel sore the day after doing my shoulder workout. By not feeling the soreness, I feel like I didn’t work my shoulders hard enough. I was thinking about changing my shoulder routine by doing more shoulder presses such as 4 sets of barbell military press tri-setted with 4 sets of dumbbell presses and 4 sets of alternating presses and 3 sets each of side and front lateral raises. Do you think this is too much? I constantly hear people talking about overtraining since shoulders get worked on chest and back days.

Not a bad routine, but try this:

• Steep incline (70 degree) dumbbell press supersetted with lateral raises (4×10, 8, 6 reps  — go moderate to heavy weight on press and moderate on laterals — intense effort without risking injury)
• Military press supersetted with bentover lateral raise (4 x 6-8 reps)

Soreness comes with sensible intensity, full range-of-motion, tight contractions and heavy eccentrics. Work hard, don’t kill yourself, eat right always.

Your pressing idea is not a good routine: too much pressing. Remember, chest pressing is also front deltoid work. Train delts and chest twice a week with an accent on the shoulders. Heavy and frequent benching is murder of the shoulders. Think dumbbell flat and low-incline presses and cable crossovers.

Overtraining is a potential problem, and reading about it is a real problem. You’ll have to sort this out yourself as you press on — how to finesse your workouts according to your personal and particular needs. You’re in charge.

Be aware, be alert. Train, live, learn and grow.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I was born with thin legs and can’t get them to grow like my upper body. I do back and front squats with leg presses and leg curls. I started a few months ago doing a lot of dumbbell squats. My legs are muscular but not big. My dad has twigs and my friends tell me it’s genetics and I have to live with it.

I’m a 67-year-old bomber who’s been through a few skirmishes in the gym and whose dad had strings transporting him about for 94 years. My advice is carry on with gratitude and appreciation and courage. Genes tend to rule our domain, especially the lower regions.

You’re doing it all and life is good. Be sensible in your training intensity and realistic in your goals. If your legs aren’t thunderous and sweeping by now, give them ample hope and time, but don’t distress your mind, body and life in the pursuit. Injuries are around the corner when we over-overload. Tedium and discouragement lie waiting in the shadows… who needs it? Anxiety? What for…

Smile and be happy: train smart, eat right, be strong, live, learn and grow in all manner and direction.

Squat and deadlift intelligently… Thank God… DD

Given my age, small frame and apparent preponderance of slow twitch muscle, I have no chance of growing a physique. But I still like a good workout, and find it very satisfying whenever  I can add 5# to this exercise or 10# to that one. In order to add weight to my anemic DB bench I had to psych up, intend and will to succeed, focus all my concentration on the movement and really give it Hell. It did work for a while. But the last month, the trend is definitely down, not up. Given the low volume, could I still be over training?

This training and gaining feature can go on for only a limited time, obviously. We hit a plateau; we max out; we adapt to our output; we grow accustomed to our exercises and routine; we beat the horse to near-death.

The body and mind have met their match. You need a change: new approach, plan of attack, exercise combinations.

Replace the worn exercises with different ones, if for no other reason than physical and mental and emotional change of pace and restoration: different grip, different angle, train for sets and rep performance rather than final-rep max; pump and burn with a focus on building muscle from another vantage point.

Step away from routine and mix it up. There’s creativity and play and discovery in that heap of metal. Sameness frustrates.

I submit we need a variety of exercises to grow in strength- and muscle- and structure-health, and if we are to endure. The mind and body loves well-ordered variety — responds to it.

Focus and dedication and determination are important to good training. They are wonderful requirements. But extreme psyching-up can be overwhelming. The do-or-die approach should be reserved for those occasional extreme workouts, or each set of each workout becomes too serious, and critical and too often disappointing, risky, excessive and negative Training becomes grim.

I don’t like grim. I hate grim.

Good considerations. I exercise to exercise, to move, to groove, to feel and notice and note and enjoy.; to live, learn and grow.

Try one-arm overhead cleans, bent-over barbell rows, standing reverse dumbbell curls and dumbbell triceps extensions; sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, simple supersets.

Remember: Ruts ruin rippin’ rascals…

Go… Godspeed… DD

Firstly with regards to supersets, is it best to have quite similar exercises, or just target the same muscle group? Do you find it best to perform your sets of one exercise, with say a minute rest between sets and then move onto the second exercise, or perform the second exercise during the period you would use for the rest?And what exercises would you recommend for strengthening my back, in particular my lats?

I prefer supersetting opposing muscle groups. Both work, but same-muscle group supersetting is extremely intense… good for limited blasting.

How I set up the rest depends on my goals and training condition… I preferred a smooth, minimum-rest, no-hurry pace for years and years. As I grow older more rest and attention to form and recovery is important.

For the lats, widegrip chins, seated lat rows, dumbbell rows, barbell rows are my all-time favorites.

Never quit…Godspeed… Dave

I am all for the old days when it comes to training, but as I turn 50, my joints, especially my shoulders, are a mess. I used to to do 225 for ten reps on the bench. Today maybe 185 for six on a good day.

Yeah,  funny how that happens. We wear out like old shoes, fan belts and washers in the kitchen faucet.

I say this: Be grateful, not critical, young man.

We have a need, iron-headed as we are, to press on. So we must practice the deed sensibly, courageously and consistently.

Letting go, lightening up, is not a sign of weakness, surrender or inability; it’s a wise, voluntary and brave action to preserve, extend and enable. Love it or hate it, in time the fork is in road and we must make a choice: fight till we drop, or nurture, coax and persuade for a good long time.

Perhaps two more reps is too many and enough reps are just right…

Train smart, eat good, be happy, live, learn and grow… Godspeed…Dave

I’m interested in a workout of higher volume than those in Brother Iron. Do you have a favorite routine from back during your competition days that would be worth me trying?

If the routine is not in Brother Iron, make up your own that suits your needs.

Any more volume than I applied in the rough ‘n ready days is almost inconceivable and was short-lived  Overtraining becomes a problem with healthy, enthusiastic young guys, and injury, tedium and plateaus are the eventual outcome.

Be steady and sure and long lasting and happy and grateful. Be wise, be patient. Persevere.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

What are dumbbell pullovers? You mention them all the time and I’m not sure if I am envisioning the correct exercise.

You’re lying on a flat bench with a single dumbbell fully extended overhead, hands spread over the inside plate and balancing. With nearly straight arms — allow for elbow joint comfort and safety — thoughtfully lower the dumbbell backward till your arms are parallel to the floor… they are extended as if reaching for the far wall. Reverse the action smoothly and return the load to the overhead starting position.

I love it. Oxygenating feel-good movement, it engages the abdominal muscles, the underside of the arms, rib cage, shoulder rotation, serratus, lats (super good lat move) and minor pec regions.

With lighter dumbbells you can, upon return of the weight to overhead, go forward of the starting position thoughtfully to engage the front delts and pectorals. Experiment, experience, be aware…

Great companion in a variety of supersets, as it’s a relief movement with many facets of interfacing.

Squats and pullovers, various dumbbell presses and pullovers, deadlifts and pullovers, cable crossovers and pullovers. 3 to 5 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps — start light at 12 to 15 reps, go up the rack and lower the reps toward 6 reps.

As always,  focus and form… Godspeed… Dave

How many minutes can you work each muscle a day?

Varies widely with people and conditions…  too many to consider here.

Short and simple answer:

For health, physical conditioning and prowess…Give yourself 75 sensible minutes in the gym three times a week with some aerobic activity on the off days… say 25 minutes a muscle group if you’re counting.

For competition, twice or three times that…

We press on to enjoy our training and to build muscle and might… Discipline and Character travel by our sides.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I’ve been working out in the morning on an empty stomach, but I just don’t seem to have the stamina and strength to get through my workouts. I want to add some mass, and I know training on an empty stomach is not good for that. I have to be at work at 7:00am, so there’s no way I could have a big breakfast before exercising. I read in Brother Iron, Sister Steel that you used to train around 5:30am. Did you eat anything before working out, and if so, what?

Long ago I had an animal gland protein powder mixed in water, a quality vitamin-mineral, a cup of strong coffee and a bran muffin… I was at the gym about 30  minutes later.

Today I practice a similar plan: Bomber Blend protein shake, including a small banana in reduced fat milk, and sometimes with a couple of raw eggs (not recommended due to salmonella issues, but I do it anyway). Also Super Spectrim Vitamin Mineral and Anabol Naturals Nitro Max (amino acids) and creatine… coffee and bran muffin… zoom… to the gym.

Bran Muffin from the bakery on Elm Street, Coffee from Columbia

You’ll love Bomber Blend for quality and musclebuilding and endurance… great added meal for solid weight gain…

Go… Godspeed… Dave