Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I have read many articles and sites about getting lean and ripped, but I have a more unique case. I am 6′2 and about 150 pounds. I have been working out for about 2 years on and off now so I’m am a decent size. However, I don’t have the six pack that I’ve wanted for the longest time.

Overall musclebuilding is far more important and healthier than training for abs as your chief motivator. Your core and midsection will develop sooner, more correctly and functionally.

Building muscle mass and shape and definition takes a long, long time and requires perseverance, trial and error to understand what suits your particular needs. Stick to the basics in menu and training as outlined in my book Brother Iron Sister Steel.

You are 6′2″ and 150 pounds. This is extremely thin and your attention is on great abs… I suspect you need to rethink and revise your training motivations.

If you don’t have tight, visible abs at your weight and height and with two years training, you are on the wrong program. Abs are muscles (like arms) and need to treated as such — rope tucks, hanging leg raises — three days a week. Train abs every other workout.

Eat right to gain needed muscle mass, and the strength and energy that accompanies it to train hard. Add red meat to your diet, the aggressive musclebuilding protein and B-complex source.

Cut the cardio in half as it interferes with sound muscle growth in a lean individual. You can’t have much of a fat problem with your statistic to warrant extensive aerobics. Do cardio HIIT-style and limit the rest.

Eat more animal protein, nutritional carbs and EFAs (50-25-25 ratio). Musclebuild four days a week.

Pay attention and discover your needs without relying on others to lead you. The answers are in you and your training. The sooner this musclebuilding becomes personal through wins and losses and persistence and determination and living and learning, the more fun and productive it becomes. I sense you expect too much too soon, a common and disappointing obstacle for all early and intermediate lifters. Train head, eat right, practice, be strong, be confident.

Go… God’s strength… DD

I was wondering what you think of cycling (i.e., periodization)? I have heard some bodybuilders state that it is okay to change certain exercises and the order of them, but you should train within the same rep range (and weight range) all the time. I have heard other bodybuilders state that you should change up your reps and weight amounts on a periodic basis. Since you have been bodybuilding the majority of your life, I was wondering what your opinion is of cycling?

When presented with a question like this, the answer I can give is “it all works.” That’s not original; it came from my buddy, Zabo, Muscle Beach sandman. A little broad, but I can’t argue with the generalization.

This is up to you and depends on your lifting background and current needs and current condition and frame of mind. Whatever is most appealing to you (reps and weight and exercise changes) will probably work best… you’ll apply yourself more completely and enthusiastically.

My rep-range usually remains the same (12, 10, 8, 6, 4 — in a way built-in periodization), and I have my variety of favorite exercises that I interchange frequently these past years… a methodology I didn’t trust until the more recently.

Early on in one’s training absolute order and routine is important. Once skilled and intuitive and developed to a sufficient degree, the field of practice broadens. Be confident. Welcome trial and error; learn and grow.

Both (or more) work… sit still and think… which do you favor today. Sometimes this takes awhile and comes to mind after days of subconscious digestion.

Be strong, train hard… Godspeed… Dave

I’m seven weeks out from an upcoming bodybuilding contest. Do you have any suggestions for how to retain size while cutting bodyfat?

We’re all so different and respond differently in the last critical stages of contest preparation.
Several errors are quite common among many contestants in the last weeks and days: We get nervous, stressed and doubtful and overly critical, all conditions causing mental and physical inhibition, and result in overtraining and under-nourishing. Cortisol and catabolism have a field day. Avoid these killers.

In the day, I continued to train hard and sensibly and intuitively till two weeks out, dropping bodyweight to my desired weight range by adjusting quantity of food intake (My preferred balance: 50,25,25 — protein, hi-value carbs and fats), removing most milk products.

At this point my training regimen became enthusiastic stimulation with the notion of nurturing my muscle and body with enjoyable and uplifting workouts.

Posing would become, not excessive, but more deliberate.

Visualizing positively — confident imagining — is a valuable practice.

Keep your eyes open for controllable flaws, be grateful for your wonderful development and health, appreciate your strengths.

Rest a lot, but don’t be inactive.

Here’s one for you: aerobics didn’t exist outside supersetting or the tough gym workouts during the golden era. No treadmill, no loop-t-do master, no bike. Don’t over aerobicize, kids.

Don’t starve yourself. Don’t overtrain. Relax and think positively.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Last week you wrote, “I choose five exercises from the iron heap and complete five sets of each — you and your sis’ can do four — of enough reps, generally six to 10 and as many as 20 to 30 for triceps or core work.” You recommend 20-30 reps for triceps? I have never heard of high reps for triceps before.

It’s hard to be descriptive and succinct at the same time.

I superset pulley pushdowns with heavier bar or dumbbell movements of variations of curls or tri-extensions. With the pushdowns I go for higher reps as I reposition my body to affect different areas of the tris, and as I provide a minor, yet ample degree of body thrust to force out reps resulting in pump, burn and agreeable overload. Choosing a heavier on weight in pushdowns to lower reps kills my elbows and is not as productive and broadly engaging.

Often, as the reps and body action are rhythmic and flowing, and the resulting pump and burn desirable, and as exhilaration supports my action, I will add a variety of extensions and contractions and nuances of movement that works involved outlying and connected muscle — lats, pecs, upper back, bis and abs and core.

These stretched set sets are my favorite for a grand upper-body workout. I’ll do anywhere four or five sets of 20 to 30+ reps most every session. You have to see the action, of course, to better understand it, and, though it has order and a plan, it’s made up as I go by feel and muscle needs.

Suits me.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I’m planning to enter a bodybuilding contest and have a few questions. First, I don’t know how to deal with the stage.

Nothing to it. It’s like jumping off a cliff. Once you’re in midair it becomes fun and you forget the fright and the audience becomes your friend. They want to like you. Help them by liking them. Let that be evident in your expressions, your aura, your spirits, your posing through which you speak. Be happy you’re there, on stage with them for the joy of it. Doubt and fear and dread have an odor about them… they turn an audience off… be prepared.

- Is waxing as dreadful and painful as it looks?

Probably, and expensive and sort of embarrassing.

I never knew anyone who waxed in my day. Shave with a barber’s electric clippers for the bulk of the body hair and use a safety razor or average electric shaver to get very close shave. I use a barber’s electric clippers with fine cutting teeth… Perfect.

What can I do to “ignore” the crowd and perform my posing routine at the stage without feeling shy?

You want to choose your exercises wisely — those that accentuate your strong points and hide your weak points — and you want to practice them often with a purposeful mind and discovered enjoyment. Have a pal whom you can trust and who has an eye for muscle and performance help you, assess and encourage you. Practice, practice, practice, so the poses are alive and enthusiastic, automatic but not robotic; so they flow and complement each other, never halted, never doubtful. You are entertaining the audience; work and smile and be real — with real excitement and confidence (not arrogance).

While you rehearse and prepare your posing routine, visualize, imagine, your backstage moments prior to your stage appearance, your name being announced and your appearance. And, too, visualize your routine before the crowd. Always up, always successful, never unsure or dispirited. Purposeful visualizing will put you there before you get there and it’s good, it’s great. Don’t become breathless backstage, be warmed up, lightly oiled and relaxed as possible — certain as possible. Three deep breaths and you’re on your way when they call out your name and favorite gym location.

- What did you do to keep focused in your training and diet when things got tough?

Be strong. That’s the easy part. Never give in. Never, never, never give in.

- What is it like to be Mr. Universe? That’s just what I want to be.

There’s a lot of work and compromise and challenge in preparation and you hope that in itself is a worthy investment in your character and spirit. To win is exciting, confusing, noisy and uplifting to a tired body, mind and soul. The greatest thing about winning is not losing.

There’s more to it than that: gratifying, fulfilling, stunning, cool, large… That was in my day 42 years ago.

Have fun… Hoist the iron… Godspeed

What is the best arm building routine for women? I want to lead a group exercise class for adult women.

Were I you I’d train just as a man does to develop his physique.

My favorite biceps exercises are standing barbell curls, seated dumbbell alternate curls and low-incline curls. Choose two and perform 4 sets X 6 to 10 reps, mixed according to weight used.

Triceps favorites are lying and overhead triceps extensions, dips and various versions of pulley pushdowns. Choose two for 4 x 10 to 12 + reps.

Intensity and focus are most important. Work arms twice a week and once a week according to fatigue and response, other workouts which stimulate bis and tris and commonsense.

Work forearms with wrist curls and reverse curls once a week, 3 sets x 8-10 reps if you care a lot. Also, supersetting bis and tris are the way to go. I’ve practiced this methodology forever.

Depending on the group size and the receptiveness, you might encourage them to warm up, gain focus and add to their conditioning and learning by doing five minutes of planks, side planks, bridges and bent-leg leg-raises –1 set of maximum. Repeat if popular.

With dumbbells, you can do standing curls and alternate curls for biceps, and overhead dumbbell triceps extensions for triceps. Modified floor pushups are a good triceps exercise, which includes shoulder, chest and back muscle engagement as well.

A lot of your instruction success depends on the trainees before you — level of understanding, condition, motivation, willingness and ability to listen and learn. How you approach them and what you offer them is also dependent upon theses factors as well.

Consider starting with two sets of 10-12 reps of any four exercise (standing biceps curl, alternate curl / pushups, overhead triceps extension), in that order.

Development depends on consistency in training and intensity in training. Only with these disciplines will progress be made.

Progress from light to heavy as equipment allows. Keep focused on the work and muscles involved, keep a smart pace to keep interest and energy and warmth high.

This is a start. Dips, chins and floor pushups are possibles for the toughies — a challenge.

Encourage them to eat right for real results.

Have fun… God’s Might… dave

I was wondering if you recommend training to failure? I know that there are a number of bodybuilders who recommend training to failure as well as doing forced reps and negatives. However, there are other bodybuilders who say never train to failure. I was wondering what your opinion was.

I never suggest forced reps and negative reps. The joints will pay heavily for this type of treatment.

As a weight trainer seeking strength, health, fitness and appealing muscle tone, train regularly and vigorously in the 75-percent-max exertion range and eat right. If you get the urge and you’re sensible, blast it once in a while — a day, a week, a set, a rep — for fun and effect and understanding.

As a lifter with greater muscle and strength goals, train more intensely with a mix of 80-, 90- and 100-percent maximum input according to your responses (strength, energy, endurance, muscle size, shape and hardness — fatigue and overtraining).

Of course, age and general health are important factors. Add nutrition, rest, lifestyle and attitude to the list.

Go… Godspeed… dave

Some of us have always been “twigs,” i.e. undermuscled kids who grew up to be skinny, undermuscled adults. I was told to eat a lot of protein and lift heavy weights. Well, this definitely does work, but there is also an inevitable bulking up of stomach fat to go with it. So I started doing lots of cardio and cutting back on the calories, which was the advice on how to lose fat.

As I lost the stomach fat, I seemed to lose my muscle at an identical rate. It seems like I am doomed to one of two choices: 1) Get bigger muscles and have a gut, or 2) Have a flat stomach and be overly skinny. I am 34 and don’t have great genetics, maybe good muscles and a six pack is just something beyond my potential. Do you have any thoughts, or is that just how the human body works?

You’ve been through it; this way, that way and back again. I’d say the genetics are a factor, but you must not let them absolutely define your training. Like me saying I’m old and settling for old-guy goals and results. Not exactly inspiring.

I’d stay with the high protein (red meat and whey protein, eggs, poultry and fish), low carb (tons of salad, some fruit and the carbs you get in milk products, no refined sugar) and medium good fat (no fried food, but add EFAs).

Find a bodyweight that is 5 to 10 pounds over your lean weight that is acceptable. This added weight is functional, a valuable tool needed for lifting power and training energy and endurance. You will also need to realize and agree this is for long-term muscular growth, the maintenance of a metabolic environment in your system. The attention to daily muscular definition will diminish sufficiently to allow you freedom to train without excessive frustration.

Review your training scheme and note content, intensity, regularity, sensible passion, rest, stress and so forth. No time to be mean or become an obsessed musclehead, but what needs rethinking? Practice just enough HIIT cardio to get by and invest time saved in a vigorous core training program which contributes to cardio input. Blast the weights during your allotted workout time.

Routine suggestions are in articles periodically and within the web page content or Brother Iron Sister Steel.

This is my general training regimen. I can see and feel improvement taking place in various ways — strength, shape, density, skin tone, muscle thickness, harness beneath the surface. When I get the urge not too often, it’s tuna and water, salads and free form amino acids for the time it takes to satisfy my interest. Then, back to building.

You said: Now I am 150 lbs., and back to the 10 percent body fat I started with. Granted I gained approx. 8-10 lbs. of muscle over 2 years, but it really does not seem noticeable.

This is the good stuff, right here. You’re about 35. You have 10 prime growth years ahead and none will disappoint you — if you’re smart minded and if your good health continues — for another 25 years. Dings and pings of age are a drag, but they are easier and less noticeable and delayed when you work out.

I think you get the picture. Perseverance, guts and the basics and presto, a well-traveled lifetime later.

God’s speed and strength… Dave

What is straight-arm dumbbell pullover?

Lie on a bench with your head supported at its end.

Hold a dumbbell straight overhead, elbows purposely unbent with your palms against the inner plate, allowing the weight to hang and have loose range of motion.

With unbent arms, lower the weight behind the head to a body-parallel position, as if reaching for the far wall.

Pause briefly to note muscle extension and action, and return to the overhead starting position.

Focus, medium pace, moderate weight, 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps twice weekly on any alternate days.

Involves major lats and serratus, and minor pecs, bis and tris… feel good exercise, restores breathing, enhances rib cage, provides health and strength to shoulder rotation unless overdone.

Be prepared for initial soreness. As you become familiar with and accustom to the exercise, you might enjoy starting light with high reps and go heavier set by set with descending reps — 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 rep variation.

Perfect part-two of most any superset: dumbbell incline plus pullover, bench press plus pullover, seated lat row and pullover, squat and pullover.

That’s about it… Go… Godspeed… Dave

Could you take a minute and write up your thoughts on pullovers, please? I know they’re a favorite of yours.

The bent-arm barbell pullover was one of the very first heavy exercises that got my attention 40 years ago, when this stuff we casually discuss over the Net was a mystery, a dark and unexposed, primal urge.

At 17 hanging out on the street corners in Secaucus, there were a few bad boys with mean builds, mostly pig farmers who worked hard and ate meat and potatoes. One was a soundless guy with a wide back, broad shoulders and strong arms. The whisper was he lifted weights and did barbell pullovers. Posthaste, I included this movement as I imagined it would be done with the rest of my primitive, invented and improvised workouts.

Primitive, invented, improvised - never let these endangered qualities fade from your practice and performance.

This is a bit of a crusher but you might just like it.

Try the movement with light weight [the bar] at first to locate the groove and action. With a slow set of 12-15, you’ll determine the muscles involved, their role and range of motion. The first set will prepare you - familiarize, warm up and loosen up. For your second and third sets, increase the weight and begin to enjoy the stretch, pull and radical exertion.

You’ll find less shoulder rotation than the stiff-arm pullover.

Of course, don’t go heavy until you are adequately conditioned — weeks to months — and have either the urge or need. This stuff is for bears.

Slow and deliberate reps are productive for the tough bodybuilder: overall torso might, lats, minor pec, abs, grip, subtle bi and tri. Neat stuff.

BAPs — cute acronym — are considerably different from forward or front lateral raises or uprights. Dissimilar mechanical action, leverage demands, muscular recruitment and rotation vulnerabilities. There’s a little front deltoid involvement when bar is across or near across the chest — more when lifting heavy — but tough on elbows in this placement.

Stiff-arm pullovers can be done with a single dumbbell, grasping the inside plate with the hands flat and spread or with a bent bar, most commonly using the close grip. A long-time standard in my workouts, for the lats primarily. Because of the extended-arm position acting as a lever and subsequent huge load on the shoulders, elbows and related insertions, a truly heavy weight cannot be used.

The bent-arm pullover, because it is done with the arms bent, cannot be performed feasibly with a dumbbell. Got something to do with the skull and nose. Thus, the bar.

My recovery is quite slow, always has been. Given that, what workout frequency, ie what bodyparts/when, would you recommend to prevent overtraining and keep gains a comin?

I’ll ramble as I answer your question hoping to cover associated matters for you and others, including me, at the same time (sneaky way of excusing my irrelevance and ignorance).

I know from earlier email that you upped your protein and the body fat has dropped and the muscle is coming on. This is the muscle builder’s dream come true. I also know when I head in the direction of leaning up and dropping the body fat, shedding pounds in the process, my strength and ability to pump and recover drop enough to make me grumpy (I’m so cool, no one notices). If you’re in any way dieting — limiting your food intake — to lose fat while trying to gain muscle, you might be up against a recovery conflict, sort of a catch 22.

Age and, it seems to me, the level of muscular achievement are factors to be considered. The three years in my mid-twenties permitted me to train six days a week, each muscle group three times a week (4 exercises x 5 sets - 12,10, 8, 6, 6 reps approx.). I was in the prime years for building and repairing, given my structure and system, and I pressed on. I don’t recommend this for you or anyone, twice a week per muscle group being my personal ideal for my training through 2000. I then wisely reduced my workouts to 4 per week based on feel, and hit everything twice a week regulating the intensity (always hard, sometimes harder) according to recovery.

Age and percentage of muscle limits my recovery, the later a condition I’m not yet clear on. In fact, I’m working on the whole aging process from one moment to the next. I intend to keep ya’ll posted as I learn anything new.

My method of operation to discover the mysteries of the aging of the muscle builder (a dumb subject I have not undertaken by choice) will follow a mad course of taking things (workouts, sets, reps, weight, time) to the extreme to the best of my ability and work my way back to safe ground. I refuse counseling. I’m aware of overtraining, a mighty popular subject, yet I seldom see anyone who trains intensely enough. Of course, I don’t visit the training centers of the hi-tech muscleheads.

I want to answer your question clearly but I don’t know what to refer to: age, rest, job and family and playtime demands, eating habits, current training and training history, physical stats.

For you I like (here’s the square peg, round hole suggestion) 4 to 5 days a week, 2 times per muscle group and 3 exercises per group with mixed reps (12,10, 8, 6-ish). Use your internal muscle barometer to gauge when to withdraw a workout day from a week and what workout — perhaps rotate them. I like pushing and pulling combinations (super setting…duh) and never separate bis and tris. Hard early in the week and pull back to fastidious focus and pace toward week’s end. Chest and back — legs — shoulders and arms — day off — legs — a creative mix of upper body, day off and repeat.

In this flight I hope someone can find an answer to… something. ..dave

I’ve been advised to retract and depress shoulder blades when flat benching. Should I look to do same for barbell inclines, declines and also dumbbell benching? Have also been told to keep upper arms at 45 degrees to torso when benching. Should I look to do same for all chest moves as described above?

Good idea… more complete muscle involvement— upper back, traps and the less-recruited supportive muscles.

Any bench pressing has drawbacks. It’s tough on the shoulder cage and elbows. Heavy benching shortens the musclebuilder’s otherwise healthy and painfree training life span.

Dumbbells are better for structural health and muscle growth.

Declines are a waste. Lower pecs build easily and get hangy if you don’t watch out.

Don’t sacrifice the basic concept of pressing at the cost of complete contraction. I don’t see this completeness happening in bar inclines and dumbbell inclines. Those particular muscles are less engaged in incline positions.

Regarding the pressing positions: You be the judge according to your structural needs. Not all wise advice fits everyone’s needs.

Go… Draper

All in all I’m happy where I am, but I would love to gain another ten or twelve pounds of solid muscle. Can you help?

Well, no, not really. It’s up to you to continue a strong and sensible training scheme that keeps you interested and fulfilled. It all works if effort and commonsense and accrued insight are applied. Be confident and enjoy the tough journey.

My findings: After our prime years, muscle size does not come without its share of bulky mass. Accept that and you’ll be strong in your training.

Have fun, grow slowly and be energetic and healthy. Muscle-only comes slowly and can be frustrating, interfering with attitude and maintenance.

You might view our forum… or join in… a smart and friendly bunch.

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

Could you give me one good tip for my three trouble spots: Outside of triceps (I’m doing pulley pushdowns); Upper chest (incline benches hurt my shoulders, doing press to the neck, flys, and cable-crossovers); Peak biceps (the gym where I train doesn’t have a Scott bench).

For the triceps, you’ll need some overhead and lying triceps extensions to thicken the muscles. Add dips on any upper body day. I never do less than four sets of any exercise; on tris I like higher reps — 10 to 12 plus, and with cables, more toward 15 plus.

I often rearrange the tri resistance by modifying body position throughout cable work, often reaching 20 reps… sensible thrusting welcome as reps toughen.

As to the chest, do your pressing — incline and flat — with dumbbells. Safer, better musclebuilder. Four to five sets of 10, 8, 6 reps

Try a one-arm cable cross movement from overhead placement. Position the body by leaning and trial and focus so that the upper pecs are under maximum resistance. Four sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps

About the biceps, you don’t need a Scott bench. In fact, preacher curls often lead to tendonitis and over-extension.

You can’t beat a properly performed bar or dumbbell curl. Start the contraction from the fully hanging position… sensible thrusting (minor, low end) is okay.

Try curling with a lighter weight and hands extended (flat wrist) rather than curled tightly toward the forearms.

Working forearms with vigorous wrist curls is a great asset, fun and attributes to biceps baseballishness.

4 sets in the 12 to 15 rep range.

That’ll keep ya busy for awhile. Eat right and rest and be nice to your mom.

Godspeed… Dave

You said you dissuade from taking the shirt off and flexing and groaning out loud under heavy weight. Coming from the era you did where guys and gals alike did just that, and often,  why would you dissuade at least from the groaning out loud? I have been asked to please keep it down after being kinda vocal during a heavy set of benches, and I never understood it. Can you please give your opinion on this? 

When in the greater majority of public gyms we are responsible to control our personal habits that might distress our neighbors. No one wants his or her space invaded by undo sounds, nearness, gestures or odors in mutual work areas. We must be respectful of those around us.

That said, one’s behavior is determined by commonsense and unspoken mutual agreement with one’s co-inhabitants. Vocal response to heavy exertion while lifting is sometimes helpful and unavoidable and generally acceptable on selected occasion. Excessive and frequent noise-making is disturbing, annoying and irritating. It is also unnecessary, careless, often selfish and just plain dumb.

Dig in and enjoy yourself; keep the noise to a minimum so those nearby can do the same. They’ll love ya for it.

Godspeed… Dave

Do you feel that working the back gives one a more total workout than other bodypart workouts?

Sure. Especially when you’re aware of the engagement of the various muscles:

• Grip, bis and forearm when pulling during weighted rows or cables;
• Rear deltoids amid all the action;
• Minor pec involvement in widegrip pulldowns;
• Midsection-core work in seated lat rows;
• Heavier bar and dumbbell rows borders on systemic;
• Deadlifts are systemic and;
• Legs play a big role in barbell rows and deads.

If you position your body advantageously and focus appropriately, dips engage hefty portions of the back, thus we find triceps enter the workout.

Back’s a big area. Lots of heavy breathing when heavy at work.

Go… dd

After being slow in progress for a while, I was forced [by a move] to slow down my training frequency. I remembered Mike Mentzer and his heavy duty principles; there isn’t anything more controversial out there, but it seems to work for me. I also know you go for higher volume — even on heavy days there’s still more then a few sets per bodypart. So what is my problem? My problem is this: I don’t know what to believe. What is your take on recovery abilities and overtraining and do you think the widespread (magazine) advice gives young folks the right direction?

Sounds like you answered your question in your question. You applied both methodologies and realized progress in both.

Why not find a blend of both systems according to your experiences and daring and inventiveness? I don’t have the answer… maybe there isn’t a single simple answer.

I can only tell you that I would no more follow Mike and his low-set, puke-intensity routine performed infrequently than I would dig a hole though the center of the earth to get to the other side. Don’t make no sense to me, man.

What the muscle mags offer these days is a mystery to me also. The current crop of exhibiting champions and models are on juices from other planets and train according to appropriately celestial practices. The miracle powders and pills and hype is staggering and mostly annoying and disappointing.

Yeah, I sound like a cynic. We’ve all managed to muddy a once clean and clear and vigorous river… that’s life.

Stick to the basics, trust yourself, get out of the mags and excess web research, get your head and heart into your workout and beware of the short cuts and secrets and miracles and magic. Dig your workouts. Prayer works best, but that’s another story.

Train hard, eat right, be strong… Dave

My 18-year-old son is 5′11″ tall and weighs 130 pounds. He is in good health and has good energy, but cannot gain weight. I recently ordered your protein powder as I just found your web site googling around. Is there any advice you can give to get his weight and body fat up? He will be leaving home in the fall for college and I would like for him to have a successful protocol he can follow on his own.

Adding Bomber Blend to your son’s menu is a good start. He can use it for breakfast, midday supplemental feedings, when on the run, before and after exercise — worthy and costly ingredients for musclebuilding and health.

If I were in your boy’s situation, I’d add red meat to my diet regularly, more milk products (cottage cheese, yogurt, 2-percent milk) and other animal proteins. Nuts, fresh fruit, and various fresh cut vegetables every day. More complex carbs of value and good fats (essential fatty acids, olive oil, flax), and avoid sugar and grease. Supplement with a good vitamin-mineral (I like Super Spectrim, have for 35 years) and EFAs (Omega 3 fish oil).

Encourage him to work out with the weights for 30-45 minutes, three or four days a week… sensible pressing, curling, squatting, and deadlifting… chins and dips and push-ups and midsection… 2 or 3 sets of each of the basics… a routine will emerge.

These basics work if applied consistently, persistently and with mission purpose in mind. Not obsession, but determination; not affliction, but discipline. Too many give up too easily. Don’t miss a meal plus don’t miss a workout equals success extraordinaire.

If you haven’t already, please sign up for our free weekly newsletter for valuable tips, hints and encouragement…a non-commercial companion to your or his daily workouts.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Would a standing dumbbell curl make it a compound exercise, thus being more beneficial than seated? I do lying French press with an Olympic bar instead of the cambered one. Any thoughts on that?

Simply, I like standing barbell curls and seated dumbbell alternate curls and very low incline curls for reasons of feel and affinity and balance and groove-rightness.

I also love standing thumbs-up curls for grit.

I prefer the French press with the Oly bar, but will use the bent bar to save the wrists when they complain.

God’s strength… 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