Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

I find that your emails are so infrequent that I cannot take them serious, please provide me with something that will actually grab my attention as a trainer.

I suggest you browse my website. It’s full of info about all aspects of training.

It’s true; I’m not profound… neither is lifting weights ‘n eating right. “Just do it’ pretty much wraps it up.

After 650 newsletters, one a week for 11 years, I’m quite serious. Lifting is a heavy sport. I just like to lighten it up a bit.

You want something that grabs your attention? Read this: Slumpbusters

God loves us… Draper

At age 63, I’m on a four-day split 63. I read in IronMan that a three-day split is better. If true, do you have a program to follow or should I just stay with the four?

Guess it depends on the exercise choices, muscle-group combinations and intensity of each workout, as well as recuperative ability, aches and pains, health, goals, time and pressures, and one’s mental and emotional structure…

Easy. Which do you prefer? Three’s enough. But, then, is four better?

I’m a 69 wreck and two workouts weekly are bearable. I’m thinking three per week with less intensity per workout might be better. I am a guinea pig. I shall try the plan on the beast this week. How about you?

Risky business, this metal and muscle stuff…

Rejoice… DD

I’ve been weight training for about fifteen years and despite my skinny frame I’ve managed to put on a solid 45lbs of muscle. However the one bodypart that’s given me the most problem is my arms — although they have greatly improved there still not quite proportionate to the rest of my physique. Would you have any suggestions on how I could significantly improve my arms while just maintaining the rest of my physique for a period of time to allow more recovery for whatever arm training you might suggest?

Arm priority is sensible and fun if you’re not pushing the over-the-hill wagon across no-man’s land. Serious blasting can lead to damage, destruction and injury. Just sayin’.

Were I you, providing I passed the flex and vigor and courage and passion test, I would take a month-long alternate route to get where I wanted to go. Often, straying from the normal path is interesting and enlightening, and the  scenery can be breathtaking. Watch your step.

I like supersetting biceps and triceps. My favorites for big and strong arms:

• Standing barbell curls and overhead triceps extensions – 4, 5 sets x 10, 8, 6 reps and 15, 12, 10 reps
• Seated alternate dumbbell curls lying  triceps extensions – 4, 5 sets x 10, 8, 6 reps and 15, 12, 10 reps

Not enough for arms? Add forearms — wrist curls, thumbs up curls and pulley pushdowns – 4 x 12 -15 reps, 8 reps, 12 – 15 reps

Here we have a twice-a-week arm-priority routine that might do the trick. I’d say “certainly will do the trick “only if you were following the Bomber nutritional plan. The question is, what “trick” is.

Clean reps, total focus, sure pace and obliging body thrust and rhythm where needed and where entertaining.

On the days aside from the above plan, do heavy dumbbell inclines for chest and shoulders and tris, heavy one-arm dumbbell rows for back, bis and core, heavy squats for legs, according to your own schedule and commonsense. These will generally build the body and contribute to the body’s systemic muscle growth, a desirable hormonal effect.

Rest, repair and reap… God’s speed… Dave

I know you prefer volume training over HIT training.  Is this also true in the case of a lifter in his mid-60s with only some experience?

“Yup,” said the older feller wearing the ripped Bomber T-shirt.

• incline dumbbell press (shoulders, chest, some triceps)
• widegrip pulldowns — seated lat row (back, some biceps)
• standing barbell curls (biceps and some core)
• pulley pushdowns (triceps)
• machine dips (shoulders, chest, triceps, some back)

Train regularly, eat right, reap wonderful rewards, enjoy.

Godspeed… Dave

What are your thoughts on the HIT philosophy vs. volume training?  Which would you advocate for someone trying to gain size naturally and why?

I’m a volume trainer cuz it works and suits my personality.

The “why” requires a huge answer that I don’t have time to unfold. Basically, my answer revolves around common sense, personal nature and experience.

Try it. Experiment and experience, the best ways to discover and live. Learn along the way.

Go… God speed,

Dave

A recent IronMan Magazine talks about getting bigger arms and triceps by going to failure and drop sets for every set. I have always been told to go to failure only on the last set. What is your opinion on that?

It all works… you try this method and that method, all heading in the same direction, and pick and choose the one or ones that work for you, or you enjoy, or you trust, or seems good for the moment… methods and styles come and go like seasons.

Drop sets are not meant as a long-term training MO, nor for the older lifters. I like sensible intensity every set, as long as the heart doesn’t burst and structure doesn’t tear.

No one said we were sane…

Go… Godspeed… Dizzy D

I’m am a 51-year-old ex-powerlifter/bodybuilder who still loves to train SUPER HARD AND INTENSE! Got up to about 305 got my butt in gear and have gotten down to 280 At 6ft with a wide frame I think I can carry 250-260 pretty easy. I have always trained high volume and supersetted all my workouts. My question to you is, do you think as you get older that we would benefit more from a shorter, more intense ‘Mentzer type routine’? I know this sounds crazy and confusing, but both your high volume routines and Mentzer’s shorter routines BOTH make good sense to me. How can that be?

Maintain the clean and orderly diet – high in nutrients, abundant in protein and sufficient in good fats and carbs.

The training is your thing… develop a creative mix of volume-lite training and max-weight, low-rep training according to feel and desire and mood.

This sounds random and chaotic but a method in the madness will eventually become clear. You can afford instinctive leeway and discovery cuz you’re a mature, skilled and devoted lifter.

Be aware… the heavy weights take a toll on the joints. Keep an eye on tomorrow and the next day.

250 sounds ample…

We lift, live, learn and grow. Godspeed… The Bomb

I’ve avoided lifting heavy things most of my life, but started hitting the gym as I hit middle/post middle age and after starting very light, I find I’m very slowly working my way up the dumbbells. My question is about moving up in weights. I find I’m always wanting to push to that next five pound increment, but often to get there I can’t maintain form. Should you wait until you can do the next weight level with good form, or is it OK to lose a bit of form on that last heavy set?

There are exact methodologies to slowly add weight to your lifts, but they are too tedious for me to outline. Somewhere in our pages they were outlined years ago when such information seemed important to my range of readers. Now most of us do what we can, when we can, with sensible mighty exertion, avoid injury, eat right and rest a lot and stick to it with a smile and a grin and a wince.

Play with the set, rep and weight arrangement on chosen movements: a warm-up set and then some doubles and singles with aspiring weight goals.

Keep a log… improvise, be careful and intuitive.

Bad form and poor grooves are bad news. A little thrust or body-coaxing is okay — unless you tear somethin’…

Be tough, but don’t be mean…

He who lasts longest wins…

Press on and on and on…

Godspeed… Dave

I work out by myself with no spotter. Since I can’t get that forced last two reps you can achieve with a spotter, I get my last rep, wait 10 secs and do one more, wait 10 -15 secs and do one more. Is this effective?

You can apply that method till you tire of it, injure yourself, determine its worth or find a better alternative.

I never trained with a forced-rep spotter… too much dependency, rep-frustration, disharmony, vagueness… found it ugly, personally… found other ways to maximize intensity…

Go… Godspeed… DD

You write about light reps in the 20-30 range — which exercise are you referring to? I can’t seem to get my biceps to grow. Should I be doing more reps?

For me high reps for core and gut only and first set of any body part exercise… after that, unless I’m rehabbing an injury, I’m back to 12, 10, 8, 6 reps with the light weights that seem heavy. High reps on curls and presses, pulls and pushes drive me Nuts.

I hang onto 200 pounds bodyweight, but the arms and legs are like bread sticks… guess that beats loaves of doughy bread…

Lift and learn… Dave

I’m thinking of starting a superset training program for most of my lifts, but keeping priority set training with the full body movements. How fast should I go between sets?

I have supersetted since my early training days at the Muscle Beach Dungeon Gym in Santa Monica in the ’60s. I don’t hurry and I  treat each set of the superset with a singular and deliberate approach.  80% of my training is superset training. Single sets fit in when deadlifting or squatting or going very heavy in certain moves. You’re on the right track.

Superset training is intense and takes continual attention and drive (takes guts), thus one must become conditioned to the workload. This is good. Prepare yourself with this characteristic.

You need to practice supersetting to understand its performance and benefits.

Go… God’s speed… DD

Do you have a monster mass building forearm routine to really put some mass on the forearms?

Heaving heavy weight in deads and cleaning heavy dumbbells into position for presses contribute to strong and large forearms.

This is my favorite scheme:

• Wrist curls (4 x 20, 15, 12, 10 reps)
• Supersetted with bent bar or dumbbell reverse curls (4 x 12,10, 8, 6 reps)
• Twice a week

I include a third exercise in the series for triceps just to sociable — pulley pushdowns with a rope — 12 to 15 reps.

Huge is not in everyone’s genetic plan… we try our best.

Add courage, intensity, time, right eating and rest and a big smile… you win…

Godspeed… DD

Could you help me with an exercise routine I saw in a magazine?  It was about a bodybuilder whose exercise was lateral dumbbell raises and his sets were

40lb x 10 reps
50 x 10
60 x10
80 x 10

What is the purpose of this? I’ve seen this quite a bit with other bodybuilders I’ve read about. Wouldn’t more sets with 80lbs be more beneficial?

I’m not being a wiseguy here, but don’t believe much of what you read in the mags. It’s all a tale unless you write it yourself.

Perhaps the lifter is warming up, prepping and psyching with each set for an all-out crescendo on the final set.

We work out, share, inspire, win and lose and learn and grow, always changing and experimenting… we press on… no rules but intensity and consistency.

Godspeed… DD

I was reading your slumpbuster routines, as I have reached a plateau with some of my exercises, especially cable rows and pulldowns. I have been doing 5 sets of 8-10 reps with 260 lbs. with the seated rows (close grip). So to bust out of this slump, would you suggest maybe playing with 200 lbs. for a couple of weeks, and just knocking out tons of reps, say 100-150 per session? My sick and insane fear is that I will lose strength because I am not handling the heaviest weight possible. Is that nuts?

Maybe it’s time for some change.

Put the seated rows aside for a period and do one-arm dumbbell rows or bent over barbell rows with a wide grip.

Do the pulldowns for smooth, lat-engaging reps — perhaps a slight variation in hand width, closer or wider.

OR

Lightweight pulldowns behind-the-neck done with a careful groove focused on the upper back is a worthy practice and break from the norm (12, 10, 8, 6 rep range).

Try on one-arm cable lat-pulls from a low pulley with a creative stance and groove, long stretch and tight contraction.

I suspect you won’t lose and you will gain…

Train hard, have fun… Dave

What is the best arm building routine for 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. Examples might be something like barbell curl ss with lying triceps extension or alternate curls and pulley pushdowns. Change routines every 4 weeks, + or -

Go … God’s strength

I have read your strength and conditioning article. My question is how could this be adapted to swimming? I am not a bodybuilder, rather a swimmer. My competitive activity is 1-2 mile open water swims in late spring and summer. I have a max of 4-5 days per week to work out with a max amount of time 1.5 hours. How would I intersperse gym weights with swim on a periodize approach?

I’ll have to fake my advice, as always…

I’d ask a friendly swim associate or peer, or swim coach on a non-commercial basis for a few tips.

I’d also go the gym and tinker around and hope my commonsense and intuition would guide me… stretching and reaching, fluid contractions and extensions, multi-sets in sets of threes and reps in the 8-10-12-15 ranges, lots of lat work and stiffarm pullovers, some overhead pressing, laterals.

Be loose and free and curious… play and work, listen and learn…

Yeah, I know… not exactly exact, but, then, that’s me… Wonder Wander Bomber

I tried out a new program, one set per bodypart for 100 reps. I felt like I had a one hour workout after 2 sets and my arms felt like balloons.I wondered what you think of this, and I wondered if going 10 pounds more for 50 reps would be o.k. I get nervous when I go too heavy because of previous surgeries.

When we find ourselves backed in a corner or out on a limb, we do whatever we can. I can handle high reps on midsection or torso only, my favorite being rope tucks. But anything over 15 or 20 reps on arms or delts or chest is unbearable to me… the mind and muscles short out (I think “shrivel”).

I prefer your modification on the weight to rep ratio… play with that and see where it leads you… slow the rep-duration down… seek max-muscle-exertion with the lighter weights… patients need patience…

Dave

Question for you regarding supersets: Let’s say you are doing four supersets for arms. Should you rest after each superset or should you complete all four supersets before resting? I have seen it recommended both ways.

The rest between sets within the superset are short, the rest between supersets is a few beats longer to allow agreeable re-breath and re-assertion assert. Often weight incrementing and matching rep-decreasing accompanies supersetting.

Commonsense, mood, energy level and insanity-factor are variables effecting the action.

Have fun, survive… Dave <Godspeed>

Today’s bodybuilders talk of working one bodypart once per. week. Is this enough? Shouldn’t a person train a bodypart at least twice per week? Some bodybuilders have said in numerous articles that they have trained a bodypart up to three times per week. Three times seems excessive. I know this theory of training one bodypart per week hinges on the rest or recuperative period.

Slowly but surely read all the articles (former newsletters) listed in davedraper.com for information to some of the questions crossing your mind. They run the broad subject of muscle-building, nutrition and exercise methods, and keep you encouraged and on track. You can pick up a copy of Brother Iron Sister Steel or Your Body Revival at the library or local bookstore or through this website store — full of answers, encouragement and routines and nutritional info. There’s too much hype, wrong thinking and too many lies out there.

The best training methods include volume in sets and reps and mix in heavy training days each month and use the basics as the most important part of their muscle mass building. Twice a week per muscle group is best. Intensity is important and smart frequency is needed. Ignore the ignorant “once-a-week training for 45 minutes” theories. Rubbish.

Learn to love your training, commit to it, be consistent, be confident and don’t expect miracles. As long as you’re training, you’re growing and going forward, though it may be that painful step back that is so mysteriously necessary.

Press on. The truth will set you free. Yeah, sounds corny.

God’s speed…dave

The thing that bothers me the most is: Why is there so much contradictory information out there about how to train? After reading all this contradictory stuff, I am confused. How can it be that people with great bodybuilding know-how can hold such diametrically opposite views? Obviously, someone has to be wrong. The only way I gain is to add weight onto my exercises (benching more, curling more, chinning more). But inevitably I reach a plateau and cannot go higher. I guess I am not searching the perfect way as much as just to ask: how can it be that people hold such widely differing views? It is extremely confusing and frankly hard to comprehend.

You’ve got to invest in one basic, logical training style and adapt it to your needs — dial it in — here and there, a little and a bit over time. Get to know your training, trust it and go and go hard.

Remember, you’ve got to love and enjoy your training, tough and relentless as it might be. It should be functional, healthy and practical.

Plateaus (slumps) are the athlete’s Nemesis. We don’t just improve and improve, develop and grow, skip, jump and play. It’s two steps forward and one step back if we’re lucky. Lifters – muscle builders – look too closely for results, doubt, and wonder. The head gets in the way of the body.

That you do not continue to lift more weight in the bench does not mean you will not continue to grow in size, shape and definition. Side note: Keep up the heavy bench work, going for one-rep-maximums, and you are bound to incur chronic shoulder problems. Then you’ll have something real to suffer over.

Put in your training time with appreciation, affection, intensity and confidence. Concentration and focus and joy and progress are diminished by doubt and the stress that accompanies it. Spit the poisons out.

Become your own trainer with all your built-in systems for understanding and advancement. Become your own best friend with tolerance, your own fan with high hopes. You’re the man, I’m your buddy.

I’m real corny, too. Push that iron and go with God… Dave