Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I have an open air gym set up in my barn that is about 10 miles from my house. Because of my age (61) and the distance,  I have been trying to do full body workout one day, and skip two days before the next workout, to give body sufficient time to recover. The workout lasts approximately two hours, and will shorten somewhat when I get used to it. Is it counterproductive to work out two hours at one time at age 61?

I, too, am 10 miles from the gym and my schedule is similar to yours. Training less hard and more frequently is healthier and smarter. Bill Pearl trains every morning for an hour. His gym is 50 feet from his doorstep.

Though I handle light weights, I enjoy going for max exertion and, thus, knock myself out. Not the best training methodology as we get older.

We make compromises, we adjust, we adapt. Take your time, feed yourself well.

Godspeed, Dave

In your vast experience, is there a secret app for the shoulder to really build a “case of steel” around my tendons so that my shoulder will exceed my current demands without risk of injury?

No, not really.

• Resist heavy weights and poor, compromised form
• Bench presses are very risky and the source of many shoulder problems — You can add press-behind-necks and upright rows to the list
• Rather, choose dumbbell presses in various degrees of incline — safer and better musclebuilders
• Eat right and rest a lot
• Warm up big time

You’d love the book Never Let Go by Dan John.

Lift, live, learn and grow… Godspeed… DD

When I work out, after a brief warm-up, I do squats, deadlifts and bench presses first, because that is when I have the most energy. Would you do something else first, or is that okay?

That works, you lucky dog. I can’t do any of those lifts anymore without major modifications.

Actually and honestly, I prefer to mix up my training and exercises to accommodate my aging muscles and structure. Check out this recent IOL Newsletter for a list of favorite exercises and how I incorporate them.

Also, scan any of the last year’s IOL weeklies for hints and tips and styles related to my most recent and lovable training methodologies.

dd

Did you ever think of incorporating Bombers concerns relating to working out on a level where we face reality: The old bombers will not give up we just fade into the sunset with dumbbells at our side and yes, a glass of  bomber blend, vanilla. Just like the old west.

I hear you loud and clear…

I reference our limitations due to aging all the time — have been for past couple of years — without getting dark and despairing. Nipping at the achy, shrinking, gray-headed subject matter is better for my relatively broad readership than full-on pondering.

We all get it, we all regret it, we all fight like cornered pit bulls. Letting go is hard to do.

Train right, eat right, rest and sleep right and think right… guts, commonsense, hopefulness, gratefulness and humility…

We’re still crazy after all these years… God loves us… DD

I am a 19-year-old bodybuilder training for an upcoming power meet, and have been training for five years. My training partner and I have been training to failure for about three months. Here is the sets and reps we train with: 1st set-12 reps (warm up), 2nd set-10 reps,  3rd set-8 reps, 4th set-6 reps. What are your thoughts?

This has been my favorite rep scheme (adding a fifth set of 4) since I was your age (like 50 years ago). I like the weight and rep variation for interest and the power, mass, density and shape building qualities they provide.

For your power training, you’re ready to rearrange the reps to  include triples, doubles and one-rep maximums. How you should do this is every lifter’s personal journey and I suggest you seek some advice from masters like Rickey Dale Crain or Lou Simmons… folks like them.

You’re on your merry way. Be alert, be wise, be daring and be safe. There are injuries out there and you do not — I repeat  — you do not want them.

Bombs away… Dave            <<<Godspeed>>>

I am 67, with osteoarthritis in the knees. I discontinued squats, and in my home gym I don’t have a leg press or calf raise. Will there be no harm doing squats, leg press, deadlift or standing calf raise, or can you suggest an alternative?

I, at 68 and with leg-limiting stenosis issues, have decided my best plan for my future fitness and mobility is to train the legs to walk well, prevent muscle deterioration and not injure or overtrain them. My suggestions include walking a lot, varying the pace from steady, long-distance plods to swift short-distance stints. Include stairs and hills in your sessions and wear a weighted knapsack as your desire and ability allow.

You are the best (and only) one to determine the program for your needs, wants and goals… a mix and match adventure for the wise and willing.

I have taken to farmer walks with 50-pound kettlebells up and down a sufficient grade for 10 sets of 40 to 50 paces. I do this twice a week to complement my twice weekly weighted workouts for the upper body. I think I’m onto something for my particular problem. Leg presses and squats were causing my knees to swell and ache. The farmer walks are, thus far, a welcome event and appear to have improved my balance and gait.

For more direct thigh and core work, you might try standing at the end of a flat bench and half-squatting till your butt taps the bench top. Focused and formed reps count most. When ready, grab a pair of dumbbells and apply the good old-fashioned rules of weight training. High reps, low reps, a few or a lot of sets… your knees will speak to you plainly and help you determine a program.

A popular exercise since Hercules Unchained is the one-leg calf raise off a block holding a dumbbell in the hand matching the leg. Go…

We have enough here to keep us busy, growing and going and going and going… God speed… Dave

When performing deadlifts what rep set scheme do you prefer to use? Are deadlifts meant to be performed heavy weight low reps, or treated like any other exercise?

Treat them like any other exercise till you gain familiarity, build a sound foundation, develop good form and get the irrepressible urge to go heavy. Then be careful. I’m not a reputable powerlifter.

Rickey Dale Crain’s is a site you might check out.

Never Quit… Dave

I am 62 years old and have been trying to do standing overhead presses with an Olympic bar (very light weight) and it puts tremendous pressure on my middle back and makes it feel sprained. What would be the best alternative if I can’t do the standing overhead press?   I tried an inclined press (60 degrees) from a seat to support my back and there is no problem. Is that a suitable substitute for the overhead press?  Would doing overhead presses on a Smith Machine sitting on a bench be a better alternative than the inclined presses, or do you know of a better exercise to work the shoulders?

Time to rely on the support of a utility bench or incline. I don’t agree with the incline barbell press (shoulders run for cover), but I love all degrees of dumbbell inclines, including 75 degrees. I do steep incline front presses with on the Smith machine and do a nasty abbreviated version of a seated press behind necks when no one is looking. It hurts good.

I sure do enjoy standing one-arm dumbbell lateral raises while holding on to an upright for support. I start light for clean reps and work my way up the rack till I’m hefting some heavier weight (still in the kid’s department) in what could pass for one-arm cleans.

Feels good… lots of core… wide-range of grooves for tattered delts… be careful… I try… we press on… DD

I have been reading your rants for several years now and they are certainly enjoyable and always informative. One question, for a fellow like yourself who consumes a ton of tuna, do you consider it safe? I like the taste, but I have always heard about heavy metals. Somebody once told me your own consumption of tunafish has contributed to your seeming mental instability. Do you think this is true? 

I eat the can and all…

My mental instability, despite extensive psychotherapy, shock treatments and lobotomies, is still considered a mystery…

Note: Put to rest fears of mercury and heavy metals in your tuna… Mercury in tuna.

See gourmet canned tuna link: Dave’s Albacore Tuna.

The very best…

God loves us… Still crazy after all these years… Dave

Long story short, I have been dieting for the past 10 weeks and it was going great! I was actually seeing my abdominal muscles clearly for the first time ever. Veins were showing everywhere and I actually look bigger! So anyway, I put myself into a bad situation at a BBQ this weekend. I think you know where this is going. It all started with one little cheeseburger and my mind thinking of every little excuse to try and justify why I should cheat for one single meal after the past 10 weeks of clean eating, cardio and heavy training. All downhill from there…. Can you help me get back on track?

I suspect having written down all your manners of screwing up has been a relief — sorta like a confession — and you’ve learned a big lesson: Never Again.

We all do this, more or less, on occasion and we pay the price: cuss ourselves, doubt ourselves, grumble and eventually recover stronger than ever by putting in the time at the gym and away from the refrigerator and cookie jar. Live ‘n Learn, as they say…

Do some jogs and sprints on your off days. Don’t flog yourself. Don’t lose muscle or joy by losing too much weight too fast or expecting too much too soon. Carry on the good fight with all your might… and new found wisdom.

Go… Godspeed… DD

I am 56 years old, love lifting and am in good shape… get out of my comfort zone and push to the next level by going heavier, etc.  Any words of encouragement or advice?

Review advice and listen to yourself. What do you want, what do you need, what should you do? Comfort zones can be a drawback when you’re 20 and 30 and 40, but when you’re 56, maybe the comfort zone means wise and grateful, injury-free and joyful.

Note: The risk of injury increases with age as does the time it takes to heal. How many times do we say, “I shoulda known better,” as we crawl from under a loaded bar that tore a shoulder?

Words from a 68-year-old bomber with no regrets. Push it with care and a prayer. Focus on form and muscle-engagement, pace and considerable (non-threatening max) exertion.

Press on and on, by God… Dave

Confused say, “He who races pickup, blows gasket and bends fender swiftly.”

I am just wondering if there is more muscle recruitment involved in barbell bench pressing, and if I will be missing something if I do dumbbell presses instead. Also, I think in the past when I have gotten shoulder pain, it was when I tried to do too low reps. Maybe keeping the reps between 8 and 12 would help eliminate that?

You’re in good hands with the dumbbells. There’s more and safer muscle recruitment with the dumbbells — you need to engage different muscles of the body to position the weights for pressing. You require more muscle to control the individual dumbbells, and with practice you are able to modify the tracking of the dumbbells to accommodate your specific needs. Not so with a bar.

Using higher reps is thoughtful. Build strength and muscle and familiarity with the mechanics over time. What’s the rush, right? Warming up is super important with all exercises.

You have plenty of time to investigate six reps and doubles and singles when you decide the time is right.

Don’t be afraid, but be safe.

Dave