Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

Just curious, and if you don’t want to answer, it’s fine also, but what weights are you lifting these days? I got a little slack for a few years on weights, flexibility and general training. My wife gave me a new weight set (300 lbs) for Christmas. I could barely bench 140 in mid January, but as of Saturday evening I’m up to 220 at 5 reps. I lift/push/pull 3 times per week. My goal is 300 before I turn 60 in a couple of years. The number is not important, just a target.

Welcome back… Just in the nic of time.

How much weight I lift is a mystery to me, but it sure is heavy. It’s better I don’t know… Life is cruel enough… I don’t have to measure it.

Two plates is commendable, but know this, my buddy — the bench press and seeking singles is a mistake. The shoulders will complain and you will listen and pay large. Injury is around the corner for those who insist. Instead, persist.

I can’t bench a plate… pain, damage. Dumbbells on various degrees of incline are smarter, better and healthier musclebuilders. DBs work for good.

Be bold and wise and adaptable simultaneously. There is great joy and reward in vigorous workouts with lighter weights.

Drink Bomber Blend and be nice to your wife. Anyone who buys her husband 300 pounds of iron for Christmas is special.

Show this to your sweety, your birthday is coming up fast: http://www.powerblock.com/

Look alive… Dave

I’m a young woman who started strength training 9 months ago in order to combat T2 diabetes. It is working like a charm! Last night I asked my trainer how much muscle I’ve gained in this time period. She said two pounds. I was very disappointed to hear this. Am I being too impatient? Or do I need to spend more time in the gym?

Not exactly… you’re responding like a classic ironhead. Count your blessings as you strive for more. I can name a dozen gleaming gems without really trying:

1) You have turned your diabetes around
2) You have gained substantial muscle (two pounds)
3) You’re invested… without training that hard and strong, two pounds might very well have been two pounds of burdensome fat
4) You are healthier in mind, body and spirit — awareness, alertness and readiness — energy and endurance
5) You have wise, valuable and commendable goals
6) You are pursuing them with passion and fortitude and growing knowledge and understanding
7) Improvements and advances have happened and are happening now that are internal and not measurable with a calculator, or the eye — especially your eye. We all need glasses.
8) You’re being tested by your own will, voluntarily, and it’s making you stronger and more courageous
9) You’re meeting new people, making new friends and getting to know yourself as you dedicate yourself to your good mission and as you research and workout
10) You’ve got a hobby, productive and fulfilling and fun
11) You’re an authentic musclehead who knows a curl from a sidearm lateral raise, a pump and burn from maximum muscle exertion and the last rep, focus and form from a couch and a remote, bodyfat percentage from a beer and pizza
12) You have your own personal trainer, belong to IronOnline and are a burgeoning bomber.

You’re rich, getting richer. Press on with joy, eagerness and grateful confidence. It’s a wonderful journey.

Godspeed… Dave

I managed 130 workouts last year, from my semi truck they have come. Now it’s very tough going due to extreme cold where my job has taken me, plus losing decent consistency the last couple of months. Have hit my dumbbells all of 00 times so far this year, ashamedly. Feel like this 57-yr-old iron & diesel pusher could use some starter fluid. Got any, Dave?

You’ve got tough circumstances: Icy cold, make-shift training from your truck and you aren’t 17.

We beat ourselves up when we stumble, which is good discipline. But we are often unfair and bring ourselves down in a negative spiral when stumbles mount.

Eat right, take hearty walks, hills and stairs, with a weighted pack or carrying dumbbells for an energetic, effortful change of pace… Works legs and core and system.

Do one exercise or a tight superset with medium weight and smooth higher reps for pump and burn and form and focus.

Put aside old routine and MOs and create new mini workouts for fun, experience and just to be on a loose path till you can get it together… together, as you know it.

You’re a rare species… mix it up, stay warm, Godspeed… DD

I’ve been buying new muscle magazines, cannot get enough of the lifestyle I guess. Lately I’ve been training for strength but am trying to keep tabs on my physique also. I’m working on my abs before my actual workout. I do one set: 12 reps of multiple exercises hitting every different angle possible. Is this ok for an ab routine and if not what’s an efficient way of reaching my goal of getting a solid and RIPPED core? On my leg days I do just quads and hams, and was wondering on splitting the two with just a “quad day” and a “hams day” or do it sporadically for a hypertrophy shock. Another question: How often before it’s too much for abs and calves?

I’d begin with dumping the magazine habit… Check out the pics for interest, perhaps, but forget the rockin’ information. Remember, the pros have advanced nutritional and usually chemical mechanisms.

Some guys are born with abs, some guys work a lifetime to get them and they develop a poor imitation. There is no answer to the riddle, but hard work, trial and further trial. You’re doing okay. Choose a few favorite movements each workout and raise the reps per set to the burning range… leg raises, rope tucks, hanging leg raises, core work.

One of the secrets to prominent abs is a lean-body diet, which can be a sacrifice too large to make when full-on muscle- and power-building.

Unless I misunderstand your routine, I don’t think you can achieve what you want in 30 to 45 minutes in the gym four days a week.

Why bother splitting your leg training? I really think you’re reading too much pro-lifter b.s. and relying less on your instinct and commonsense and inner drive.

Most big-calf lifters, like the ab guys, are born with them: Thank you, Mother; Thank you, Father. Hard to overtrain those rascals. You can try.

Train hard, eat right, be strong, be happy… Godspeed… Dave

I have been training for approximately 6 months now, and whilst I saw good muscle gains in the first couple of months, I no longer seem to be making any gains. I keep wondering if I am overtraining. I train each muscle group 2 to 3 times per week and give it everything I can when in the gym. I eat correctly, getting the protein and carbs etc and do not eat junk food.

Doubt if you’re no longer making gains… you’re learning and growing in ways you don’t realize. The body is adapting and responding and the growth will come… six months is almost brand new to the process…

Never quit, be strong, and in time you’ll know what to do… instinct and commonsense and experience are your best guides…

Got the basics right…  you will then apply yourself confidently with renewed awareness… Training is a painful compromise and also a great joy… You’ll see as time and practice and trial and error go by and you become knowledgeable and understanding… You are  your best trainer and partner, if you persist and trust yourself.

dd

I’m currently deployed to Iraq. I am really enjoying the weight training and it really serves as my entertainment as there isn’t a lot to do here as you can imagine.  My weight training session lasts for about an hour.  I created a 4-day workout that is attached.  Each week my strength seems to increase and I up the weight a little on some of the exercises or I may add an extra set.

Lots of changes will be made in your routine as the days, weeks and months go by. Certainly you can expect the gains will grind to what appears to be a halt. Mean trick. The usual over-exertion and wear will produce an injury (injury is a personal instructor) and boredom and discouragement (absolute jerks) will join forces in tripping you up. But you will press on.

Your routine is very military — not bad, but too regimented and redundant to develop a healthy and healthfully functioning body. It’s serves a purpose today to familiarize you with the basic moves and grab hold of initial muscle growth. But it is static and monotony-bound.

I like to mix things up more. Pushing and pulling in supersets — more fun, interesting, athletic, body-useful, efficient, time- and mind-saving, flowing, creative. Try it here and there when you feel free.

Dave

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 left the gym seeing no effect and having no fun. I feel a little betrayed by the fitness magazines. Do you have any suggestions for getting back to the gym. HIT training, maybe?

You’re right; the magazines are written to sell merchandise, and not necessarily to train and educate. This unhappy fact becomes evident to most everyone real quick and it is a painful betrayal, as you say.

There is nothing new in 50 years, no great breakthrough in nutrition or exercise. It’s hard and consistent basic training, smart eating and the inner strength that grows as the muscles grow, set by set, rep by rep, workout after workout.

There’s joy in the iron and its magnetism.

HIT is for mistreated pit bulls… Stick to davedraper.com, go through it slowly and surely, never quit.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I just finished an 8 -week cycle of your All Time Favorite routine … really enjoyed it and added some muscle. I’m looking for something new and was considering the 6 Day Fat Burner. Is this designed to be a 6 day only mini-cycle or can it be used for several weeks? Or can you suggest another routine I might switch to?

Most routines work for a month or so, and then fade as enthusiasm fades and as muscles become accustomed to the work load. Give it a run for the money.

Or, you can stick with some version of the all-time-favorite routine, introducing your personal creative variations of exercises… Bit of a discovery journey that will cause you to wonder, think, improvise and test. You can’t go wrong; everything you do with fascination and good effort is prosperous.

Look at other listed routines for exercise replacements. Check out Slumpbusters for some supersetting bursts within the five-day workout.

Just don’t quit. Go with the flow… Godspeed… Dave

What would be the best-fastest-safest way for me to recover and get back to my lifting schedule after a long absence following a successful surgery? I know I can probably work on my lower areas (abs? legs?) Or will I have to possibly start from scratch or square one? It’s hard for me to fathom not being able to workout, and how I’m going to be able to deal with it.  I’m 63 now, going on 29.

We are amid the tough times when injuries and limitations besiege us. No one is immune. It’s — dare I say the words — old age. I didn’t expect the debilitation to be so soon and so quick and so crappy.

You will deal with the repairs according to your own needs and abilities and, finally, determination. Don’t let determination become an enemy; a strong will can push a good man over the edge.

Get to the gym post haste and do what you can in torso and leg work, and sneak in wrist curls and little highly-focused mini-curls with a dumbbells. You are about to learn how to get maximum exertion with minimum weight and abbreviated motion. Soon you’ll branch out as you test your potential. You’ll find a path upon which to trod with sufficient comfort, safety and fulfillment, as you listen and focus and improvise and play.

Light weights, thoughtful reps, certain machines and tiny dumbbells are your temporary tools of choice. They work wonders. Be encouraged.

You know better than I what to do… follow your nose.

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

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

I blew out my shoulder a year ago, age 56 now — gained 20 lbs of fat, drink beer, smoke 2 packs a day. I’m depressed and I miss the gym. How do I get started?

Renew your life; the iron will do it.

Dump the cigs and beers, they’re for losers. Wrong direction. Be a hero, not a zero.

Get back to the gym with new eyes and a new mind and apply the old favorites. No expectations. Forget yesterday and your youthful abilities and, of course, the stupidities that we all share.

Enjoy and appreciate what the gym and the iron can do for you today. Play. A few awkward workouts and you’ll slip into gear.

It’s called iron triumph…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

About this time of year when the sun disappears, I fall off the workout wagon, smoke cigarettes, get mad at myself and fight like hell to get back. Any suggestions will be sincerely appreciated.

You asked for it: When depression strikes me I pray extra passionately to God Almighty. Jesus is my rock.

On a more secular level, try adding vitamin D to your diet. D comes from the sun and supplies are low in the winter months. Also, 5-HTP, a serotonin precursor, might stimulate the brain’s production and add to mental well-being.

Remind yourself regularly of the richness of discipline and sensible weight training and the deathly curse of smoking, guilt and serious self-deprecation. Remind yourself of the consequences of carelessness and personal disrespect and irresponsibility.

Humble yourself wisely. Don’t wait till death stares you in the face and breathe it’s hot stench upon you. You’re in control, or you’re not, your choice, your decision.

Trust me… I’ve watched and recorded the dark process close and up front.

Train hard, eat right, be strong, waste not another dime or breath on the devilish, murderous devices.

Iron, might, right eating, rest and grateful thoughts… not smoking and poking and stinking self-condemnation.

Invest in and ingest Bomber Blend. Your weekly cigarettes cost about the same as a tub of the best-tasting and greatest musclebuilding protein in the World. Forward or backward, which way to go?

Go… Dave

I was on course losing 85 lbs last year, but the doctor was not happy with my blood pressure hovering around 145/93 and put me on Atenerol. Well, one of the side effects of said drug is rapid weight gain and swelling of the ankles. The doctor changed my prescription, but I still can’t get the weight back off. Got any suggestions?

The only advice I have is the advice you already know:

Weight train regularly with sensible intensity.

Apply ample cardio.

Eat right always… we’re all different and need different nutritional plans.

Try the tuna and water diet.

Use Bomber Blend as a meal replacement once a day… give me high protein, medium good-fats, medium healthy-carbs.

Be strong… in mind, attitude and behavior and discipline.

Be confident and happy (joyful or content) in your training approach.

Pursue, persevere, persist, stick to it and never, never give up.

Be grateful for every challenge (this one often gets sneers of contempt).

Consider another doctor if you’ve lost confidence in this one because weight and blood pressure are substantial issues.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

How do you deal with motivational failure? Often I just can’t get myself to the gym.

Mostly what I do is try to motivate people. The process of lifting to grow stronger and bigger and better is simple and basic. Doing it with any kind of effective enthusiasm, consistency and confidence is big time hard.

Takes a curious combination of madness, guts and need. Think of this…… what if you don’t?

You’ll gain none of the fantastic rewards this incredibly personal diversion promises… guarantees: commitment, discipline, perseverance. Ten-cent words that define the character of the really good men and women.

Muscle instead of awkward fat. Strength, not weakness. An understanding of yourself and those around you that is enlightening and humbling. I think it makes you a better person.

Besides, don’t you love the pump?

You’ll want to live longer and you probably will.

Besides, don’t you love the pump?

Bomber

I’ve been training on a Bowflex for six months. Could you give me a Bowflex workout program? Also, I work out 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time. Should I increase this workout?

You’re doing a great job and I wish you continued success through dedication and discipline.

I’ve never trained on a Bowflex and am not savvy of its features and multiple uses. I’m sure it is a worthy piece of equipment and will serve you well.

Give it 45 to 60 minutes on the Bowflex three days a week, or 45 minutes four days a week — simulating dips, incline pressing, cable crossovers, stiffarm pullovers, low incline curls, pulldowns, triceps work throughout the week — 3 to 4 sets per exercise, 12, 10, 8 reps per set.

I’d pretend I was training with weights to simulate the exercise movements.

Using commonsense and the joy of training, pick out six exercises that appeal to you and cover the whole body.

Practice regularly and as you become familiar with the apparatus and your response, create different routines according to needs and wants.

Exert wisely, focus closely, move with moderate pace. Do aerobics for 15 to 20 minutes on off days.

No big secret science… This is kidstuff… the best thing for adults. Play and grow strong.

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

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

For the person who has been unmotivated and out of the gym all winter, what are your recommendations on getting back into training now? Is Spring the time to renew your training…or should you have stuck with it all winter?

Gather together your wits and will and return to the gym immediately, if for nothing else but a visit.

The first step is the hardest. The determined action will preempt the accumulating forces of anticipation and procrastination, placing you in the arena and warming up like a champ.
Ten minutes on the stationary bike or treadmill, two or three friendly sets of your four favorite push and pull exercises, a pat on the back and home on Cloud Nine.

Exercise and eating right ­ conditioning and physical fitness — are year-round responsibilities, privileges and joys, and should accompany us always.

Intensified training for the striving outdoor athlete — a stepping up of maintenance exercise ­ typically begins in the spring. The year-round athlete is right on time, always on time.

Life is good, action is imperative… and delicious.