Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I have three questions. I’m having my shoulder surgery in two weeks: How long do you think before I can train again? Is there a best time to take Bomber Blend and creatine before starting a workout for it to work properly and what is the shelf-life of both? Finally, in the Good ‘Ol Days, what did you guys do with all the equipment on the beach when evening came or you finished working out?

If the shoulder wasn’t chewed on by a bear and if orthoscopy is the MO, you should be in action, attending its rehab with focus, patience and a new appreciation of the body and exercise and the iron within weeks.

I use Bomber Blend in AM and an hour (+/-) before and after the workout. I go through four scoops a day mixed with H2O. Creatine, I use a level tsp AM and PM to get the ingredient my system regularly.

Providing they are kept dry and at room temp Bomber Blend has a minimum two-year expiration date before any slow deterioration might take place (I’d use it if it was marked Civil War) and the creatine is safe till, say, 2050.

The beach scene was two years before my time… Equipment was already in the Dungeon at 4th and Colorado… but they probably took turns sleeping with it…

Be happy, be courageous, be blessed… Dave

In my combination of martial arts and weight training, probably overdoing both, at what point does the pain degenerate into more pain and eventual injury? And are there specialized workouts for psychos like me who actually enjoy lifting weights seven days week?

Soon, real soon. You need to fix your head, your body, your goals, your priorities, your realities…

Nothing personal, we’re all nuts and we all need to do the same things: Live, lift, practice you art, learn and grow and be happy. The weights and martial arts are big contributors. They can also be great detractors… too much, like anything, can break you.

The body needs rest, the mind needs space, emotions need relief, creativity needs room, dog needs kibbles, kitty needs petting, baby needs shoes.

Part of your discipline and growth is to take a day off. Try one. Try two. Real whackos are afraid to. No other interests… insecure… think they’ll slide backwards or fail, or be forced to face responsibilities and/or themselves.

There are ways of balancing your training endeavors… your best friends are common sense and instinct. Only you know which is most important — iron or martial arts — to you. Blend them sensibly: alternate days, 3 iron and 3 art, or 2 iron/4 art, or 2 art/4 iron. Trial and error and experiment and experience. I hope you’re young.

dd

I worked out with weights every day for three straight months followed by an hour long martial arts workout. I think I was getting a little crazy towards the end. Now I am doing weights every 1-2 days out of necessity: trying to lessen the nagging tendonosis in my arms and chronic soreness in my left shoulder (not yet a rotator cuff tear, thank God). At what point does pain heal and the body get stronger?

Like a fuse, you’re burning out. No time to rest and recuperate and think clearly and wisely about what you are doing — to pause and assess and regulate — to observe and enjoy and appreciate yourself and your endeavors and achievements and life around you. Eager and energized enthusiastic is good; driven and obsessed is bad.

Oh, yeah. There’s that: overtraining, injury, exhaustion, low-resistance and the anxiousness and irritability that results.

When you rest adequately, making sure you’re always eating right, and embark upon a sensible and balanced training regimen.

Godspeed… Dave

I’ve been going to the chiro for a while now given some mid back pain, a result of being overweight a few years ago. She said I should avoid squatting, given the pressure on the discs on the back.  She took away my second favorite exercise after deadlifting.  So I am focusing on the leg press instead.  Have you heard of anyone else having been told the same thing and how they might have dealt with it?  Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Squatting and deadlifting sound like the death sentence to most chiropractors. She might be right-on in your case. Always best to see a professional specializing in sports and athletics when injured.

You can build muscle and might without deads, squats and bench presses.

Add hyperextensions to your midsection and torso workout to strengthen and build muscle in the lower back region. Maybe bring in “sensible, light squats,” if and when back improves. The light weight action goes a long way to fix your head and legs and strengthen the back without dangerous overload.

Leg press can be tough on the back, as well. Be aware. Monitor the movement, warm-up lots, ease into sensible range of motion and, perhaps, support hollow of lower back area with an appropriate thickness of cushion.

You might be able to bring in very light weight deads with a limited range of motion — not too deep, no arching contraction at the top, slow and thoughtful — as your common sense and instinct and pain-signal awareness and lower, yet more muscled body weight permit.

Train consistently and sensibly, and enjoy… Godspeed… DD

I’m a 40-yr-old male, 6’3″ tall, 280lbs.  My goal is to lose the body fat, then add lean muscle mass.  I think I’m currently at a BMI of 31-35%.  If I am in a state of reduced calories, should I reduce the intensity of my weight resistance training to avoid overtraining?  How would I do this? Would it be better to focus on losing the max amount of body fat first, then muscle gain?

All my answers are based on what I would do if I were you…

Train at a robust 80% capacity with a fair pace and moderate weights. Your intention is to encourage the muscles to grow as you learn — understand — the various dimensions of training. Here’s where your intuition and common sense and observation come into play. We apply a lot of empirical guesswork.

Same with food intake: protein for muscle growth, carbs and fats for their energy contributions and much more. Remember water and fresh produce. Perfect musclebuilding meal replacement: Bomber Blend protein.

Your main object is to build muscle and might. Anyone can lose fat — stop eating. Go for a two-for approach, a combination of both, with confidence and determination and persistence. Watch the scale a little and depend on your general feelings, snugness here, looseness there.

There are the ups and downs, mind and body. Don’t freak. Trust your efforts and put in your time. This method allows for good energy and muscle growth with consistent fat loss, not just fat loss and lower productivity and well-being.

Hope you gain lots of muscle and lose lots of fat and never give up the good fight…
Godspeed…Dave

I am 67 years old and now have to work out with lighter weights as I’m a little older. Can you give a little guidance as to how? Should I go with higher reps, 15-20 seconds rest between sets? Is it possible to gain big muscles with lighter weights?

Me, too… though the light weights seem heavy and I seem a ‘lot’ older at 68.

I do this pretty much the same as with the once-agreeable heavy weights. I warm up with high reps, rest between sets as long as it takes to get my breath back and follow pretty much the same rep scheme as I always have… (12, 10, 8, 6). Of course, the weight is no longer heavy.

Gaining big muscle is hard for a teenager. There comes a time when training to prevent muscle loss and diminishing strength and diminishing flexibility is quite an accomplishment. We, nonetheless, try, by God.

Carry on the good fight… Dave

1) My torso completely dwarfs my arms, giving me a bad side view. I need to supersize my arms. I’ve been doing for my triceps: 2 compound exercises like close grip bench & one exercise each for all 3 heads as heavy as I can. For biceps, 2 compound exercise, 1 for peak, one for outer arm. I’ve been following this routine  over a year now. This I do twice a week. But there’s no improvement in size AT ALL. My arms seem to have frozen at 14 inches. Do hourly swimming sessions 4 times a week thin the  arms? Or can it be my diet? 2) I can see & feel a six pack in my mid section when I tighten it, but when I leave it relaxed, my belly looks big, especially from the side view, and it sorta hangs down. What should I do to improve it?

Probably not diet if it is protein-high and full of good and fresh stuff  — veggies and clean carbs and EFAs.

You’re as fit as a fiddle, but want the body of a bass. Your problem is the healthy, but contradictory, swimming regimen. You can do both and life is good, but you will not excel at both at once. Opposing musclebuilding activity; volume swimming naturally encourages the body to be efficiently strong and buoyant, hence, streamlined musculature, less muscle bulk and more internal fat and surface fat.

Life is full of compromises…

As a swimmer you have well-developed diaphragm muscles from proper and dutiful breathing. And in the watery environment, your associated abdominal and breathing muscles are left to properly distend as you inhale and exhale. That, plus the swimmer’s buoyancy factor, might be a hard to overcome problem. Due to structure and genetic factors, not everyone can achieve the desirable six-pack.

My thoughts… press on… God’s strength… DD

I’ve just quit smoking and started training again. I got caught up in life and didn’t take very good care of myself. I have always been active but have lost my punch. Do you have any suggestions for me?
You are a member of a very large and growing club, and have wisely, courageously and fortuitously determined to quit. You’ve come to the right place to seek encouragement and straight talk. Keep it simple, don’t expect to formulate the right program for you right away.

You lift, live, learn and grow. There’s trial and error, observing and modifying. Train hard, eat right, have fun, go with the flow — knowing all along the way you’re moving forward, not backward.Very soon your instincts and commonsense and self-teaching will translate into knowing, understanding and proper confidence.

You are you today, determined to improve, not the guy 20 years ago with kid stuff going for him and against him and a stack of unwritten pages before him. Be consistent, be wise, don’t force, don’t rush, don’t overload  your body or mind, and do not injure yourself and never quit.

5×5 works. Good news. Take sensible advantage of the routine, but don’t over extend it or it might bite back. Heavy anything too long will take you down, especially benches.

You might view our forum… or join in… a smart and friendly bunch.
Think muscle balance and body mobility in the corner of your mind… Go… Live, lift, learn, love it… Godspeed… Dave

I am currently having a problem with my lower lat development. The lower lat on my right side is more developed and fans out more than the lower lat on my left side. What is usually the cause of that and what can I do to bring the left side up to par with the right side?

Aside from an inherited flaw in your structure, you might be suffering from the incorrect function of the muscles resulting from improper muscle movement or function due to system (muscle, joint, insertion) injury, abuse or chronic poor habits. These actions can be present and observed in everyday activities and training performance.

Gray Cook’s recent most book, Movement, directed toward fitness and medical professionals, explains these recently explored and illuminated deficiencies in humankinds’ physical dilemma. You might want to consider the pathways to good health prescribed by Gray and his esteemed colleagues.

From the streets suggestion: Check your physical work habits. I suspect they may be one-sided, using mostly the right side. Is that a fair guess?

Rock on like flint and granite… Godspeed…  Ironore Dave

I’ve read that a lot of bodybuilders of your time would do, say, bench press with five sets with reps of 12, 10, 8, 8, 6.  On the 12, 10, 8, 8, 6   should only the last two sets be a 100-percent effort? I am confused on how to interpret this particular workout.

There is a a specific incremental weight-increase methodology I  applied years ago for about a month before I grew sick of the fussing. I forgot it intentionally. I always use the above rep-scheme, but with the will to get the last rep with form and appreciation, and seeking the 90-percent-max range of output, plus or minus.

Each day has its own devils and angels — pain and injury factors, high or low spirits and energy and wellness, enthusiasm and drive or lack thereof; desire, encouragement or disappointment. These affect — vary — output big time.

I ramp up for each workout and take the weight and reps to that 90-percent place with most every set. The first set of, say, 12 is a warm up, yet high performance.

Choppy answer. I trust my training thrust, and find love for training compromised when bound too closely to watching numbers.

Roll…flow… Godspeed…   Dave

I am 50 and have recently torn my rotator cuff tendon, supraspinatus completely torn in two. Can I come back stronger after surgery? I have been told it retracted so far back in my arm, he hopes to find it — amazing thing is my other muscles have taken over doing it’s job so far. Have you ever dealt with this?

Draper Recommendation: Get the surgery done ASAP or the chances of reattachment will diminish further and you might have to live without the functioning supra. This can lead to further damage as the region destabilizes.

I went through the same mess in the ’90s. Failed to have the initial injury repair and the supraspinatus shriveled up. Shoulder and biceps blew years later and required 6-hour open surgery for improvised repair of biceps and shoulder… never been the same… can’t reach overhead with any stability… muscle function gone…

Smith press is my friend, no steep incline dumbbell work and forget strength. You learn how to lift and seek muscle-overload differently. No one said life is fair, but it sure is precious.

We try, we fail, we try again and we succeed… lift, live, learn, grow, smile and be grateful… God’s strength… DD

Knowing that you went through this last year, I was wondering if you could give me some insight as to what to expect. Was there any side affects and did it effect your workouts any?  I would appreciate any information and helpful hints you could give me.

Everyone reacts to the treatments differently, as you already know. I received 40 rounds of radiation over 8 weeks, no joy to begin with, but no real pain either.

I did experience fatigue — sort of malaise — but managed to drag myself to the gym twice a week for bouts with the iron. Remember, my heart is a major problem, limiting my training input.

Within two weeks of the completion of the radiation I was back to normal energy and endurance and spirits.

Docs said not everyone dips in energy… stay strong, fight hard… you might glide right through it all… If caught in time, radiation on prostate cancer is apparently extremely successful.

Godspeed,

dd