Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

Can creatine jack up your blood pressure?

It’s very unlikely that creatine is the cause of high blood pressure, but not impossible. It may influence it if you already have a tendency in that direction or if you have an already-existing kidney problem. If that’s the case, it’s something you’ll want to discuss with your doctor, or at the very least, do your own testing with a home blood pressure cuff, which we should probably all be doing anyway.

There is sometimes some intramuscular water retention from creatine intake, which may raise BP slightly. It’s more likely you are working out harder, faster, and more intensely which shoots up the BP. Creatine MONO is ultra safe so you don’t have to worry about and wild adverse effects.

I love the stuff, been using it regularly since about 1990.

dd

I train in the morning, on empty. Can you suggest a small meal an hour before? Perhaps oatmeal, or something else I can prepare the night before?

Since my serious musclebuilding began 50 years ago, I have always relied on a cup of coffee and a protein drink. Protein choice in ’60s was a gruesome and potent glandular powder mixed in water. I had youth and extraordinary commitment and self denial. Today I have Bomber Blend, the best way to start the day, prepare for a workout, complete a workout, make friends, build muscle, fight the enemy, repair, heal and strive and drive and thrive.

I cannot tell a lie. This is not a sales pitch. Bomber Blend is the best: nutrient balance and quality (wow), taste (yum), mixability (instant), price (low) and service (lightning)…

My fav super smoothie:12 ounces reduced-fat milk, 2 scoops BB, half banana, raw egg or two, ice and press blend…

Hang on… Godspeed… Dave

Do you have any experience with testosterone replacement therapy, or do you know where I can research the benefits. I’m male, 47 years old.

Computer search for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). There’s gotta be legitimate information and research for your reading and learning that doesn’t hype a product or company or bias. Usually one visits a doc, discusses the issues, has a blood panel done to check testosterone and related levels, and decide the needs, if any, and what steps to take. A testosterone patch  is a common prescription, as is gel or an oral taken under the tongue. Indications and contraindications are discussed and understood. Presto, change-o!

Low test is a pretty common problem and hormone replacement therapy is a common solution. If the doc is sufficiently cautious, the side effects to a relatively healthy subject are minimal. I’m sure the list of contraindications is long and grim, but so are they for aspirin.

I believe the therapy will shut down an already fading test production… once on the therapy, you might expect to stay on it for a long time. The shut down is reversible, but long in the process.

Remember, I ain’t no doc.

Dave

Are you still taking Ageless Growth? When do you take it?

I’ve been taking six caps of Ageless Growth prior to my workouts since about 2003. Occasionally (not often, let me tell you) in the rush of things I forget to take my usual dose, and the fact didn’t occur to me till after my training. The transpiring workouts were sub-par; less set and rep enthusiasm, less last-rep staying power, less weight utilized per
exercise, less spunk and more post-workout fatigue (AKA less training spirit, drive, strength, energy and more whooped). Go figure. Maybe it’s just me. Ageless Growth continues to work well for me.

I take the AGF with my hefty protein shake, about 30 minutes before training. (I thought I was following instructions I read somewhere.) I don’t take the ingredient on non-workout days, nor would I take it if I missed the scheduled pre-WO time.

The iron lifts us up.

See ya and God’s speed… Dave

I’m so fed up with supplement marketing that I don’t believe any of the hype anymore. Do you really think these are important?

Unfortunately the consumer is subject to the inferior products and deceptive advertising of greedy marketers. In the muscle industry you need to glean through the hype and hypesters and find someone you trust. That’s up to you and your sensibilities.

A high-quality vitamin and mineral daily is important to assure us of the nutrient sufficiency we need for good health and high performance. A top notch protein powder is a great advantage in our busy and often careless schedule to achieve the crucial muscle and energy requirements we might otherwise sacrifice.

You have to trust me here. They work. Critical personal experience beats all levels of technical research.

God’s speed… Dave

As I advance in years, I no longer make the gains I used to.  Having accepted that, I need to know which items from your supplement list I need to take.  I am ordering Bomber Blend today, and already am enjoying NSP Bodybuilder Pak. I am about to dive into the TUNA & WATER diet. What size can… small stomach allowance?

There are so many of us on the same path: older and bearing life’s marks, been training for years and love it and need it, and the gains are slow and far between. We’re the same but we’re different — different physiological makeups — and have different needs. I’m trying to understand my own as it does its mysterious changing act.

I press on, we press on, with commonsense and faith and perseverance.

I don’t have much of an appetite and hit the small 3.5 ounce can at a serving with a few mouthfuls of cottage cheese, water and a few fresh vegetable portions.  This isn’t the strict tuna and water diet, which, of course, is… tuna and water. In that case, eat as much as you want, or can. Lemon helps.

The Bomber Blend is a great addition to your menu. NSP serves you well. You might try Ageless Growth Formula for a decent kick in the metabolism and workout performance (I take six tabs before three workouts a week).

I also like Anabol Naturals Creatine (two level tsps a day — AM and PM).

Here’s another helpful nutritional link.

We could go on with the list, extra this ‘n that, but my money’s on the above.

Go… Godspeed… DD

Between injection-able HGH, aerosol HGH and the Ageless Growth you sell on your website, which one works the best for long term use and best effects with the least side effects? Does the Ageless Growth deal with cellulitous?

I appreciate Ageless Growth… 8 caps before every workout… works well… added drive, pump, good feel…

HGH Injectable is a larger step requiring a doctor’s prescription and supervision, and I have no personal experience with that one. Sorry, any more thought is conjecture.

Train hard, eat right, be strong, Godspeed… DD

I have a question about the Ageless Growth formula. I have taken six capsules as directed, but sometimes get a tingling feeling in my fingers and hands. If I drop down to four or five caps, will I get the same benefit and increase in growth hormone output? Been a natural bodybuilder and would like to get to 195lbs with the same body fat,  around 12 or 13%.

General body flushing is due to the vassal dilator affect of niacin (B vit). If that’s what you’re feeling, sometimes we adapt… drop down and see… I think you’ll be good…

If it’s specifically in the fingers, that’s more likely an indication of how well it’s working. The first indication of excessive GH usually shows up in the carpal tunnel in the wrists. In that case, definitely drop back to fewer caps. Try three for a couple of weeks and see what you think. The tingling should go away in about a week.

NOTE: Train hard, eat right, be strong and be happy. I could tell you to add plenty of lean red meat to your daily menu, and quality peanut butter and bananas to your shake, and a meal of tuna and water to your existing diet, and cottage cheese and plenty of raw fresh fruit and vegetables regularly and, by all means, enjoy Bomber Blend — the best protein powder in the world.

Creatine helps. I like Anabol Naturals for purity and absorption.

Dave

I am a 19-year-old college student and I’m pretty active when it comes to lifting an exercising. Recently I bought a bottle of T Bomb 2. The original plan was to just use that but my friend gave me a bottle of a prohormone and from what I’ve read, not a very good one, but I have it and would like to make the most out of it. So here’s my question, should I take them both since I have them? Or take one at a time?

I’d forgo resorting to the make-believe hormone juice and stick to your own good old-fashioned youth, health, commonsense and guts. Look to yourself for all you need to live and learn, and grow muscle and might healthfully.

Bomber Blend is great stuff for a guy in your shoes… or anybody in any shoes…

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

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

I want to know what you think is the best creatine (German, liquid, effervescent, powder).

None better than Anabol Naturals for purity and absorption… I’ve known the owner, Roger Prince, for 30 years and he’s honest and fastidious and dedicated…

Creatine helps.  I take two teaspoons a day — AM, PM — love it.

dd

I am a hard-core, natural bodybuilding enthusiast going “old school”, Gironda-style with liver tablets and protein. One thing I am confused on is whether to take protein in the form of amino acids throughout the day, or is something like a Whey-based protein powder just as effective? From a training perspective are amino acid tablets superior, complementary or outdated when compared to protein powders? Is there a difference, or are we essentially talking about the same thing?

I take both. The free form amino I take here and there throughout the day (when I get an instinctive urge) for their immediate availability.

The protein blend, Bomber Blend, I use for its meal-like advantages — filling, energy-providing calories and carbs, substantial assimilable protein and BCAAs and other healthful factors. It’s my breakfast and pre- and post-workout meal and my assurance in maintaining muscle mass when my appetite recedes.

Bomber Blend is my favorite musclebuilder, meal-replacement, well-being insurance and energizer beside quality, natural, fresh food.

Go… God speed… Dave

I’ve noticed that tryptophan is on the market again! My wife has sleeping problems and I thought about this amino acid as a remedy. Would you recommend this as a sleep aid for her?

Tryptophan does nothing for this ole hoot owl, but gets an A+ from Laree. She recommends 500 mg before retiring. If that dosage doesn’t do the trick, go to 1,000 mg.

Alternative sleep-aid suggestion: I have a friend who says reading a Draper Newsletter puts him to sleep every time without fail, guaranteed.

Pressing on… Dave

So far, I’ve dropped 10 pounds and one pants size, back to my playing weight from 50 years ago, and my muscles seem to be responding well. I want to start taking creatine, and what I’ve read about creatine, it’s supposed to be taken before and after working out, to improve your energy. Now I don’t want to waste the stuff.  So do I just take it when I work out, or should I also be taking it on the rest/rebuilding days, too?  What doses in my situation? 

Good for you. You’re doing what you need to do and what works for you. We eventually dial in our training according to our desires, needs and abilities.

I, too, am prudent. And I’m fussy enough. I take a level tsp of creatine twice a day — AM, PM — to keep my system sufficiently loaded with the nutrient. I take it daily and don’t load up or cycle off.

Carry on the good work… Godspeed… dave

I’m getting a lot of soreness in the hands,  elbows and lower back and hip areas. Lifting slowly with control to get back into the program, but feel like the Tin Man at times.Supplements you recommend? Good drugs? Old fashion rack to be stretched on?

Pain and soreness — more or less — come and go like hooded warriors on horseback with big sticks. You can run, but you can’t hide. I’m always finessing my workouts to accommodate joint and muscle pain. I sit here a heap of throbs and stings and stiffness. Can’t wait till my next workout.

Warming up helps big-time, containing your level of exertion (last rep, extra sets) is important, rest and eating for repair and recuperation are major factors.

Add Omega 3 oils to your diet. Check out Body Ammo, particularly popular and effective for some consumers. I use both.

Any of the over-the-counter basics: Tylenol, Aleve, ibuprophen. These work, but there are downsides, and it’s best not to use them regularly.

There’s a lot to myofascial message therapy. Laree’s big into such pressure message and writes about it almost weekly as her training experience and instruction. Good stuff – excellent – and can be self-administered, but requires fascination and attention. Check her blog entries, here.
We adapt, physically and mentally, but the pain continues to rear its ugly head as we plod through the iron jungle.

Don’t forget your machete if you have far to 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

I have been following your off-season diet and was wondering if you waited a few hours to eat after consuming a shake? What I mean is, I wake up, take morning supplements, drink the shake, go to the gym for a couple of hours, come home drink a shake, then wait three or four hours before eating. Is this correct?

The Bomber Blend pre- and post-workout drinks are ironclad assurances of musclebuilding and energy-providing ingredients at advantageous times.

I eat an hour or so before  the pre-workout drink to satisfy hunger and provide plenty of good carbs and fats and protein for the workout, and within two hours after the workout for provisional eating. Keep in mind, this is for a serious weight-gain program.

The Bomber Blend servings around workouts are assimilated and absorbed more rapidly under the siege of hard training. More like high-quality mini-meals.

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

Got my Bomber Blend…thank you.  When do you suggest I take a dose? I’m 79 and my workout schedule is not all that strenuous.  I feel good and try to stay healthy.

Thanks for the support. Great investment in your nutrition, and I hope you like it.

Ideas:

• As a breakfast meal
• Prior to exertion (workout, wearisome labor) and/or after exertion
• As a meal replacement with milk, juice and/or fruit or peanut butter
• When there’s a gap in your nutritional supply (amid a busy schedule)
• Or when you just plain feel like it.

For example, now that you mention it, it’s been a while since I’ve fueled myself and I’m not hungry and eating’s not convenient, so I shall go to the kitchen after this note and throw a scoop in a cup of cold water, stir it and slug it down. Instant Bomber.

Take good care of yourself always… Godspeed… Dave

Which of your supplements would be your top four for mass building at a young, healthy 52?

In order of preference from my viewpoint:

• Bomber Blend – try chocolate and vanilla and choose favorite. Vanilla is most popular and I, as many, combine the two flavors periodically.
• Super Spectrim VM (no iron)
• Anabol Naturals Creatine
• Ageless Growth

Other goodies in my regimen:

• Anabol Naturals Nitro Max
• Extra C, wheat germ oil, essential fatty acids, CoQ10, Amino Ammo, wheat germ oil

Enjoy your heightened training. Train hard, eat right, be strong, never quit… Thanks for the support…
Go… 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