Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I’ve been battling with a friend who has put on dangerous weight. Business is bad and food is his outlet. He’s out of work today because his knee went out walking to the subway. Don’t know how to get the point through to him, thought a “heart episode” a couple years back would be the wake up. Just turning 50, and he used to do triathlons not too long ago. Any advice to motivate this NYC former athlete?

My words are of tough love. I figure anybody big enough to walk the streets and subways of NYC for half a century should know better and have applied himself to the cause of survival.

Respect and responsibility and priorities are increasingly in the dumpster the world over. The best we can do is take care of ourselves and each other and contribute regularly to righteousness.

But one must be tough at the same time. Tell him he’s weak and irresponsible and selfish, he’s killing himself. Or tell him nothing and watch and wait.

With each passing day of neglect and stress and inaction, his life grows shorter and he becomes less, and the repair and recovery more difficult, more unlikely. Now or never, dear friend.

The war and the economy are here — rats — but so is the gym down the street, and guts and exercise and smart eating and self-esteem over which we have control. 50-year-old fixer-upper… Good investment, the best one on the market…

Take care of yourself… Godspeed

Okay, no laughing allowed. I am a 39-year-old woman and in good shape. I recently took a new job that requires me to sit all day. I like the job, but do not want to have a HUGE bum. Any ideas on how to keep my rear up there where it should be? I am not afraid of hard workouts.

First things first: When at work, move about your work area regularly, be attentive to your posture to prevent imbalances, and eat right to serve your health always.

Train the entire body for best musclebuilding — strength and health — results.

Look toward three workouts with the weights and three with aerobic exercise weekly, purposefully including leg action (jogging, biking, lunges and proper squats).

Add hyperextensions to your midsection workout twice a week and contract the glutes with every rep.

How you outline your workout depends on time, energy and need and desire.

Laree’s been doing a lot of one-legged work lately and seems to enjoy that, as well as a regular list of exercises to offset the ravages of sitting at work. Those would include overhead lunge stretch, glute bridge and the torso work of planks and side planks.

You didn’t ask, but another key to limiting problems with a desk job is daily pectoral stretching, such as a doorway stretch. When we sit all day, the shoulders take on a forward position, shortening the chest muscles, which is not healthy… worse than a huge bum, when you get right down to it.

Enjoy your new job and training pursuits… Godspeed… Dave

Age is 52, male and doing sports almost all my life. Last year I developed a cervical problem; I have been through neck exercise and therapy and am released for training. I put on lots of weight which I do not like at all. I was wondering if I should continue going to the gym and if you can send me a workout program so I can continue bomb and blast.

I suspect with your prior years of training practice you will be your own best instructor. No longer seeking the perfect form of a young man, but the health and strength of a practical middle-age man, you need only to apply yourself regularly and intelligently in the gym each day and eat a balanced diet of healthy foods.

Avoid those exercises that bear down on the neck during their performance, train moderately and with cautionary focus, and train with thankfulness. There’s no rush… enjoy the action and be confident in what you do… you are doing more than you realize to develop yourself in countless ways.

A few pages for you to take a glance at:

General Nutrition

Keys to Bodybuilding

Workout Routine Suggestions

Remember: The iron heals, mends, fortifies, toughens, vitalizes, enables, engages, entertains, satisfies, serves, instructs, humbles and makes a good door stop…

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

Since January I have been trying to gain some weight. Last time I did this, when I got up to 240 lbs I felt a little bad, sluggish, old, but when I changed my diet and went back to supersets I shredded some major fat. I was leaner than I had ever been. So I’m back at it again; what do you think?

Why don’t you find an agreeable weight — 220 to 225 — and barrel along with enough mass to satisfy the size and hardness, energy, strength and appetite you like?

I’m stronger and more aggressive in the gym at 230, but smoother and more sluggish than at 220. At 215 I’m leaner, but less substantial in size and power. Thus, 220 serves me well.

From there, if I get the urge to drop weight or increase weight, it’s within reach. I give it a go until it becomes negative, and I return to the set-weight of 220.

Age and stresses make a difference. Stay in control.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

At 54, I find I can just cope with two intense 45-minute workouts a week. In fact, even with lots of good solid protein (tuna, salmon or sardines two times a day), as well as six-to-eight hours of sleep a night, I still sometimes feel bushed two days after my exercise night. What, if anything, am I doing wrong? Also, should I continually be trying to add to my poundages in all the exercises as I go along, using strict form, of course?

Try training less intensely four times a week — robust, yet more lovable workouts — tough, but not harsh — conditioning, without the max overload. This might be more sensible, valuable and open the door to some intense workouts in the future.

Once you become accustom to the new training style and input, a growing process in itself, you should begin a slow advance on the weight you handle. This can done with the old hit-and-miss technique for the fun and advantage of it.

Form and focus are imperative, but form is often compromised as we get older and injury and limitations rear their ugly heads — new grooves are invented to engage the muscles. Allow the body to move as a unit, a little thrust here and there where fair, and not in isolation. I’m not crazy about the word “strict.” Go with the flow.

There are the ups and downs and limitations common to all of us as the years pile up, but you should do fine.

Consider the value of nutrient-packed carbs and EFAs in your diet. EFAs are your essential fatty acids and nutrient-packed carbs are your living foods — the best of the fruits and vegetables and including nuts and legumes - vital energizers. You might be lacking in B-complex and creatine; I see no red meat…

Bomber Blend pre- and post-workouts and Super Spectrim for the past 30 years have helped, I do not doubt.

Keep a high protein anabolic environment and adopt volume training techniques to condition, detoxify and energize your body. Davedraper.com is full of accessible info about basic routines and basic nutrition — the best form.

If instinct and common sense don’t resolve the problem, might be time to visit a doctor for a check-up… some blood tests. As regular check-up is a real good idea for all of us from time to time.

Carry on the good fight… God’s strength… Dave

When did you face the “aging” realizations you’ve been writing about? I’m one of those diehards who can’t or refuse to get the hint. Also, your last couple of newsletters have included more exercise suggestions than usual. Is that in response to that one guy who complained, saying he wanted more workout tips? I’d have sent him shopping for a muscle mag off the rack.

I’ve observed the incremental aging process for a hundred years and it’s been most aggressive in the last two years. I write about the process from my point of view to help IronOnline readers (mostly no spring chickens, either) who identify with me, and me with them.

I cannot pretend I’m bombing it like a young bomber. I hope to teach, encourage and prepare them for the days and workouts ahead. And, too, I know the subject matter (the aches and pain and the pursuit of training); it’s fresh and, thankfully, something to write about.

Gotta throw in exercises and plans and hopes and aspirations for the faithful IOLers who are not yet arthritic. Keeps me young.

Sprouts and yogurt and Godspeed… Draper

I read your latest email newsletter, and can identify with the 50+ crowd. I now have two bad knees and a bad disk in my back. I have lost 80 lbs so far, with about 100 more to go. I would like some advice on what to do now. Time is at a premium for me, and I live in a small apartment, so no room for a Bowflex or other home machine.

You need to continue your weight-loss journey by adding regular exercise to your routine. No problem, except you have neither the place nor the time, walking is out and you’re no spring chicken. What can I tell ya; something’s gotta give.

You must maintain a sound diet, yet that’s not enough to accomplish your fat-loss goals. To live long and with strength and breath, you must exercise.

How about a sturdy bench and a set of all-in-one, adjustable dumbbells? I love the idea. You can develop a valuable and fulfilling diversion, as well as a certain healthy musclebuilding and fat-loss activity. Practice the basics, adding some crunches and leg raises throughout the week.

The weights (ah, the iron) will become ‘your’ time to confront yourself, de-stress, build muscle and strength and bones and hormonal system, improve your fat-burning metabolism, further develop your disciplines and character.

Possible drawback: the girls will chase you around the block… great aerobics but tough on the knees.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Any ideas for adding extra weight on my bench press? I am not aspiring to be a powerlifter, I just want to take it up a notch from my current 185 x 10, to 225 x 8. I just can’t seem to get past 205 x 3. Help. Signed 49 years old and enjoying life.

My best advice is to not seek heavy weight on the bench press and instead use it as a muscle building exercise only.

Going heavy in the bench is notorious for causing frustration and shoulder damage, killers to long term training joy. Go to dumbbells on flat and various degrees of incline for safer, smarter, happier and more effective shoulder and pec development.

Employ the bench press to satisfy our almost instinctive need to perform the old standard, but take it to 80- and 90-percent effort (in either weight or repetitions) without losing form.

Change grip occasionally for varied muscle engagement, development and entertainment. Try the Apollon axle thick bar for a real treat and treatment.

When in doubt, call upon the IOL forum for daring input.

Go… Dave

Can you tell me how your training splits have changed when you went from 5 to 4 to 3 days a week?

An aging training synopsis: five days week till 60 years old, four days till 63 and three days a week since. I’m 65.

Training remained the same in format and was modified — condensed sensibly — to fit into reduced time frame. The scheme also varied in output and exercise designation to match needs, abilities and moods and urges and recuperation — body, mind, soul.

Always the basics (curls, presses, cables) tailored to suit my daily dress code (groove, range of motion, exercise continuity and intensity).

Always manage training muscle groups twice a week by overlapping movements efficiently.

Give me 90 minutes a workout these days with some aerobic and business on off days.

Lots of time invested and muscle development and know-how assist me big time… no small price to allow training redesign and reduction.

Works for me, a hard-working and stubborn mountain goat… and bomber

Go…Dave

I was wondering what your views are on training to failure on a set. Should it be just at the last set, or sets? Should I come up purposely a rep or two short on my first sets? If I wanted to do five good sets of an exercise, at what point should failure come into play?

That you’re pushing hard is important, but there are too many variables for a single answer.

Some days I have the urge and the energy and I train with all my might every set beyond the warm-up set.

Some days pain or injury or lack of muscle response cause me to seek another route to training satisfaction.

Certain exercises I take to failure with a groan of failing strength — all pressing, for example.

Other exercises, including all pulling exercises, I take to failure with the risk of overtraining, or overloading a muscle or tendon or joint. Here I moderate my intensity — maximum effort without damage.

Some days my training methodology is modified to suit my multiple needs — enjoyment, change of pace, freedom from pressure. Stimulation and pace, feel and form take precedent over set-to-failure output. Still, training intensity is strived for or maintained.

Mostly I become my partner in training and we talk things over as we proceed. Intensity is always in the 8s and 9s, a few 10s.

If this practice becomes wrong, hateful or angry, I back off. Remember, I was Mr. Universe in 1966… a long time ago.

Gotta lighten up on the throttle sometime… DD

I still have that desire to be big, but it isn’t healthy or worth the risk to do that. You were always big and still are, but does not being that big ever bother you?

You’ve been through it, the fire and ice. I hope we have a long time to go to fight some more good fights. In the meantime, I thank God for what I have and try my best to do what’s right. Sometimes I’m not sure what that is and sometimes I do and blow it.

I don’t think we’re alone in our “getting-old” blues… it’s tough to give up what you’ve had, especially for athletes — power, control, mobility, stature.

There are treasures in their place — compensations — and we’ve gotta allow them to surface before us like gems in the rough: courage, grace, thankfulness, simplicity and tolerance, for example. And these we must gain without giving up, ducking, hiding, complaining, or compromising our honor and morals.

That doesn’t mean we can’t train like we’re slightly wacky…

Getting a grip on myself is tougher than grasping the iron… Trust in the Lord… DD

I began working out again at home with a bar, a bench and dumbbells after a huge layoff, ’bout 25 years! I’m experiencing elbow pain, mainly with curls and slightly with kickbacks and triceps extensions. Can’t do laterals at all without pain. Holding the weights for deadlifts and calf raises kills the elbows. Do have any advice for an old feller who loves to lift?

Elbows are under heavy stress: age and condition and inflammation due to overuse and overload and insufficient repair time. Additionally, training with limited equipment narrows down your choices of exercises to perform. Less variation, more redundancy and you’re pressed to practice unsuitable or disagreeable movements.

Sounds like tendonitis… so common and disheartening. You’ll have to follow the pain and work out the solution yourself — basic instinct and commonsense.

Rearrange your workouts so pressing and triceps work don’t interfere with one another. Don’t over-extend the elbow in either the lock-out or bent position.

Skip triceps kickbacks — troublesome.

Invest in a pair of elbow wraps that can be pulled on and off, snug and not-so-snug as needed. Helps me bigtime.

Take Aleve or other anti-inflammatory OTC medicine on tougher days. Ice if swelling is visible, or even maybe if not.

Try reverse or thumbs-up curls for painfree biceps action.

Expand your exercise repertoire by improvising or further equipment investments or a gym membership.

Provide a three-day weight-free rest each week.

Carry on the good fight, go… Godspeed… dd

I’m 45. I have purchased the Ageless Growth product. Is this a better substitute for Somatropin, i.e. HGH? When is the best time to take Ageless Growth? Will 5-6 capsules provide enough to sustain lean body mass. Would you recommend any supplement(s) to lean out?

I take six caps of Ageless Growth before each workout with two scoops of protein powder (Bomber Blend) and water and a teaspoon of creatine. This is my favorite pre-workout concoction since the millennium. Love it.

Your reference to HGH suggests hormone replacement therapy (HRT), of which I am not a source of reliable information. The internet offers tons of legitimate info… hello google. Beware of steroid hype.

Compared to drug use, Ageless Growth is a sufficient and safe avenue to travel. Happy journey…You be the judge firsthand.

Go… God’s Strength… Dave

I read you were doing the intravenous chelation. Did you do any research into oral chelation? Would you recommend any product that can be taken orally?

I haven’t heard favorable reports on oral chelation treatment. As I understand it, only 5-10% of the EDTA chemistry is absorbed when taken orally. Some believe this is an option for long term preventative therapy, not too useful for extreme cases that need the IV boost.

Stay tuned to the newsletter, as I will give updates regarding my chelation experience as it unfolds. I’ve undergone 23 of 40 IV EDTA chelation sessions thus far (3+ hours, twice a week).

Last I wrote about it, I had little more to say, but here’s a reprint since you missed it.

“As promised, here’s a brief update of my dazzling and exciting therapy: I’ve completed 18 of 40 three-hour IV treatments administered twice weekly. They’re not painful and I ruthlessly kill time resting, reading or searching for keys on my laptop. I’d rather be performing acrobatics or stacking my gold bullion, but a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. There have been no evident changes in pain, energy or well-being, though blood tests indicate improvement in certain markers. Something’s happening somewhere.

Fact is, nothing substantial is expected until the full treatment has been administered, or some time (weeks) later. I knew this going in and have found the process to be a test of resilience, patience and faith. Insurance doesn’t cover the costs and I’ve found a swell space under the Santa Cruz Town Clock to set up a beach chair and beg. Hey, buddy… got a dime… 1,500 dimes to be exact?”

No news yet… Takes time… Dave

I’m overweight and out of shape. I need to lose a good 45-55 pounds. Is it too late for me to get in real good shape, or am I too old now?

It’s not too late to have a lot of fun trying. I’m at a disadvantage not knowing details, but barring abnormal limitations, I’ll say you can lose the weight, you can build muscle and you can substantially improve your strength, health and vitality through basic weight training and right eating and living. That’s saying a lot about getting in real good shape.

It takes time, regular effort and the right attitude in applying the basics you learn at davedraper.com and absorbing the encouragement you receive from the IronOnLine weekly newsletter.

Your training is to include proper nutrition, fundamental lifting and aerobics and discipline and spirit.

I wrote a book, Brother Iron Sister Steel, that tells you what to do and how it is and everything else you might want to know without feeling like you’re reading a bunch of words from a page.

I offer you direction through some brief, straight-forward davedraper.com links, a great summary of training advice…

General Nutrition Tips

Keys to Bodybuilding — Beginning Weight Training Tips

Sample workout routines

And finally, I draw you attention to the fine folks in our forum who will answer your questions, encourage you and keep you steady.

Start now, while you’re hot… Godspeed… DD

I’m considering dropping cow’s milk from my diet. What do you use for alternatives for milk ? I’ve heard some negative info concerning soy. Are you following medical advice regarding not drinking milk?

I like milk for a liquid to accompany my meals, for taste and protein benefit and weight gain. However, mucus is problematic. For four months I tried goat milk as a replacement. Less mucus, not as tasty and very costly. Don’t go soy… estrogen increase. I’m back to reduced-fat cow juice, but less than a quart a day compared to two-plus quarts. Works for me. Was having difficulty maintaining body weight and protein intake and calorie consumption, plus was bored with water only.

Too much milk can contribute to fat-weight increase and thick skin if one seeks hard muscularity.

Whether we need fear other milk complications (hormones, added ingredients), I’m not so sure. Gets crazy being a pure purist.

Das dat… Godspeed… DD

My concern is this: Do you still try to lift as heavy a weight as you can with each set? I’m very strong, but sometimes I feel that if I don’t keep lifting heavier and heavier weights my physique will get smaller. If you are not training pretty much with the weights that you did when you were competing, does this bother you mentally at all?

I lift to the best of my ability, which diminishes as age becomes our companion. Let’s be real. However, I train as hard today, if not harder, as I did in the years in the past. Pressing is down due to injuries and time, but the squats and deads are super. And though I give up strength here and there, my engaged muscle intensity today is greater… by will and focus and care and need and desire.

I count on set 3,4 and 5 to do the real muscle-building overload. I’m a volume trainer as compared to a low-set HIT trainer — whatever! I need sets and reps to guide me as I determine form and output and intensity.

Don’t let the fears or doubts of change prevent you from discovering likable and productive methods of training. There’s fun down those open roads.

You might want to pick up my book, “Brother Iron Sister Steel,” about half price for a slightly scuffed copy — fun straight talk about everything I know, routines, nutritional simplicity, tips, hints, motivation — very popular.

Blast it, by God… DD