Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

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

I will be going thru some very extensive oral surgery (implants) the 1st week in May I am told NO solid food for 6-8 weeks. I am in need of some nutritional help as to what to eat or drink. Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

UGH and Ouch!!

Once I got over the initial misery and could think straight, I’d consider Bomber Blend shakes, tuna straight or mixed with mayo, swished around the mouth and washed down with water of milk.

Same can be done with eggs, raw or in a mushy salad form. Don’t chew, wash down. Minced chicken or beef fixed into an edible dish that won’t require chewing, only the vigorous action of the tongue, which I expect one would adapt and develop. Ve haf vays to do zese sings.

As awful as it sounds, people really have made tolerable tuna shakes. Here’s a page full of tuna shake recipes; mixing tuna with some form of V-8, olive oil and lemon juice will make a healthy and honestly tasty seafood meal.

Mix the protein powder with juice, water, low-fat milk — add fruit, raw eggs (get organic fed and cage-free, roaming chic eggs), granola and such as you please.

If Odwala Juice is in your market, check out their carrot juice and greens drinks.

Added supplemental enzymes are a good idea as less chewing (enzyme action) is practiced.

You might add Anabol Natural Amino Acids and Super Spectrim to your diet… the best and helps us live. The enzymes and vitamins can be crushed and mixed into liquids, and the amino acid capsules opened to empty the powder into drinks. They probably won’t mix well and won’t taste good, but the value will be worth the effort.

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

I have sore shoulders from bench pressing. Should I use cables instead? I really miss pressing.

Use dumbbells instead and save the shoulders. Dumbbells are great muscle mass and might builders.

Use various degrees of incline. Safer, smarter, better.

Try a two- or three-inch thick bar for bench pressing — it changes groove (very cool), whil it limits the weight you can use.

Don’t go heavy on the bench anymore or pay the big price — shoulder suicide.

Train smart, eat right, smile and live long… Godspeed… Dave

I am currently in the army and am 20 pounds over my weight limit. I have approximately one month to lose it. If you could please throw some helpful things my way, that would be very appreciated.

Sorry for the urgency to lose weight. This is not a good idea: You’ll lose valuable muscle mass and invaluable energy.

You’ll seriously jeopardize your system’s health and efficiency, compromise your mental and emotional health and you might go to hell (just kidding there, I think).

All you can do is lower your calorie intake, keeping it high in animal protein, moderate in quality complex carbs and good fats.

To lose 20 pounds in a month, you’d have to remove or burn more than 2,000 calories from your daily diet in a combination of diet and exercise, a pretty tall order.

Carry on your daily activities and add sufficient (not excessive) cardio and weight-resistant exercise. Supplement with quality vitamins and minerals daily and hit the Bomber Blend.

Don’t starve yourself. No secret ingredients or secret methodology.

Be wise, be strong, be positive… Dave

I am 46, an intermediate bodybuilder, 6 feet tall, at 207 lbs, constantly striving for lower body fat while maintaining and gaining muscle mass. The one stubborn area I struggle with are abs. I do HIIT cardio daily, sometimes twice a day- incorporating things from the “300” cardio routine, sometimes wind sprints, kettle bell and the like — for about 20 minutes on an empty stomach- using only Nitric Oxide upon wake up.

The regular supplements I use are: Bulgarian Tribulus, Nitric Oxide 2, Creatine, L-Glutamine, protein shakes with water only, ZMA at Bedtime, DHEA, Multivitamin,  EFAs in the form of Olive Oil.  I eat a high protein, low in simple carbs, moderate in complex carbs.

You’re definitely on the right track.

There is little more you can do than train hard and persevere in mind and spirit. Not everyone can or will develop six-pack abs, and you might need to settle for a tight and strong midsection.

Seeking a six-pack can be frustrating, time- and energy-consuming and derail the musclebuilding process.

Precautions: Train to build muscle and might. Forget the Nitric Oxide and stick to the basics. Exotic supps and training tricks often lead to burn out. Unload the excess baggage — lighten up and fly right.

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

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

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.

Thank you for the words of encouragement on my Brother Iron and Body Revival books. I need to lose 45-50 lbs (6-0 and 250lbs at age 52) and would like your opinion on the benefits of creatine while losing weight. Also, along with Bomber Blend and Super Spectrum, will the Ageless Growth help with recuperation? What other supplements do you recommend? I have small tears in both rotator cuffs, with full range of movement, and tendinitis in one elbow. I am hoping these supplements will help my strength and recuperation and to avoid surgery.

Thanks for your support. I believe in both books (you will find redundancy in the exercise info — books written for different audiences); both are valuable resources and I expect they’ll answer a lot of you questions.

Creatine is good (choose a superior quality to avoid possible contamination in manufacturing) and aids training, yet it tends to cause intracellular water retention. This is okay and good, but not necessarily appreciated by those on mission to lose weight. If you intend to weight train hard, swell. If not, forget it.

Ageless Growth is a favorite product, but I suggest you settle into your training regimen before bringing it into play.

Consider Body Ammo (glucosamine, chondroitan and MSM) for your joints and tendons.

Carry on the good fight… Godspeed… Dave

Who was your favorite workout partner back in the late ’60s, early ’70s and why would you choose him?

I had some no-fame beauties during the dungeon days — Dick Sweet, Rick Joesephson, Fritz Sills — but by the late ’60s and early ’70s I was done with my training partner phase… and found training alone the only way to go.

Meeting a time schedule and compromising urges and needs no longer suited my mentality or lifestyle. I hooked up with Frank in the early mornings during the summer of 1970 before a series of contests later that year. We were compatible for the hour and the short connections served us well.

The Golden Era mob (Arnold, Franco, FZ, etc) often trained together over those grand years, side by side, sharing and kibitzing, but not necessarily in partnership. Unspoken encouragement goes a long way — back and forth.

Dick Tyler wrote of that in this excerpt, Golden Impressions, from his book West Coast Bodybuilding Scene.

Push that iron, savor the good times, endure the tough and be thankful always.

Go… Godspeed… 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

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

I had an A/C shoulder separation injury following a fall that was pinned, had the pin removed, and months of physiotherapy before given the all clear last August. Been advised by a personal trainer to avoid dips and possibly close-grip benches. What safe moves can I do to form a good triceps workout?  I’ve lost a lot of confidence here.

It’s been many months since the doc’s okay; you should be well on the mend.

Tough to advise on joint repair. Only the bearer of the injury can accurately choose the exercises, direct their grooves and the recovery process — commonsense, pain awareness, focus, warming up, abbreviated movements, light weights, slow and thoughtful reps, trial and error.

You might stick to various dumbbell presses to secure shoulders and work tris.

Try pulley pushdowns — overhead and forward-facing — with safe positioning of the cable and range of motion and medium resistance.

Lying extensions with a barbell and one-hand overhead extensions with a dumbbell are risk-worthy possibilities. Kick-backs… ugh.

Overall training will bring you back to full power and speed in time. Injury and recovery have a weird way of complementing the musclebuilder.

Confidence will grow with exercise-injury understanding and muscle strength and shoulder health.

Go… Godspeed

Approximately 5 months ago I completely tore my distal biceps. I had the biceps repaired and have now completed four months of physical therapy. My question to you is when can I resume lifting like I used to, and what exercises? I’ve been cleared by the doctor.

Tough recovery. The biceps were described to me as so much chopped meat, which is difficult to repair at the insertions. Using that picture, I became focused and more focused.

Just a rundown of precautions might help:

I’d return to my training with great care and attention beginning with partial reps and light weights, and would engage thumbs-up curls with dumbbells for starters.

Wrist curls would fit in there nicely. Triceps would include machine dips, close-grip bench pressing and pulley pushdowns.

I’d avoid any movements that required cleaning the bar or dumbbells into position (sudden biceps overload), including for triceps extensions and dumbbell presses. And I’d avoid over-extension of the biceps in lat pulldowns, chins, extended curls or preacher curls and such.

Abbreviated seated lat rows and modified bentover dumbbell rows will require care and testing.

Make up your routine as you test and try the various basics… no secrets here… you’re your own best therapist, so the docs told me… and they’re right… commonsense, guts, time, perseverance and God’s right hand.

Legs and aerobics and diet need no alterations.

Go… 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

Can you help me by giving me a good schedule for shaping of chest with light weights?

I suggest you include 30- to 45-degree dumbbell incline presses, flat dumbbell flys, straight-arm dumbbell pullovers, freehand or machine dips.

For example:

30-degree incline press (3-4 sets x 8-12 reps)
Pullover (3-4 sets x 8-2 reps)
Flys (3-4 sets x 8-12 reps)

Superset dips with low-incline curls during arm workout (3-4 sets x 8-12 reps).

All done twice weekly.

Eat right, train hard, be consistent and persistent.

Go…DD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your new job and training pursuits… Godspeed… Dave

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

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

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

A few pages for you to take a glance at:

General Nutrition

Keys to Bodybuilding

Workout Routine Suggestions

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

Train hard and always… God’s Might… Dave

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.

Dave, how did you kick the sauce? I’m pretty sure I drink too much.

I hit the real bottom. House, family, friends and work gone, and in ICU with congestive heart failure. The doctors and nurses said goodbye.

I managed to crawl away and re-right myself over the years by none less than God’s grace. Sober eyes and mind see and think differently, clearly and painfully. I was sick to death, you’re just a little under the weather.

Read, jog, train, clean house, find a productive diversion, recognize the weakness and worthlessness and commonness and cheapness of the booze habit and put it away — before it puts you away, and it will in time — very insidious, the Devil in a mug or six-pack.

Here’s one for the record books: Jesus Saves… read the Bible, live, learn and grow.

Go… Godspeed… Dave (I ain’t no alter boy)

Where do I get started on my training again after congestive heart failure and insertion of a pacemaker? My arteries are clear, blood pressure is good and now I have a better VO2. I’ve kept up an exercise program until getting sick; I’d like some advice into this phase. Who better to ask? You got me started in this iron thing and with your history (health wise), where do I go from here?

Since you can’t go backward (there ain’t no room left), it must be forward.

I’m getting a pacemaker soon, too, and I expect I’ll do what I always do: Go to the gym a little too soon and wander amid the equipment and pick out exercises like pieces of chocolate from a two-pound box. My favorites first and, not to be piggy, just nibble on the edges. Savor what I can and chomp on the gooey ones that taste good.

Partial movements on the machines, some guided pressing and pulling without stretching or compacting, lots of oxygenizing and gratitude between sets, always warming up.

I would not go to the gym floor until mid-day, when the body is up and running smoothly.

Though random in style, whatever you do will have meaning at the completion of your efforts; a direction and pathway will be initiated, courage and confidence established and the rebuilding begun.

I dare not be specific — I leave that up to the man in charge (you the man). Train for 30 to 45 to 60 minutes every other day (or so), depending on recovery and the stars.

Eat right, rest a ton and be nice to your dog… Godspeed… Dave