Dave Draper’s Musclebuilding Q&A

What is your opinion on children lifting weights? Is 12 years old too young for a structured routine with cardio and resistance training? I know unsupervised or heavy lifting are not options and maybe benching or squatting could impact the growth plate of a bone.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You sound like a sensible adult, with commonsense and compassion and an eager child within.

Cut ‘em loose after you show ‘em the ropes, unless any one of them is a wild and crazy monster-child.

Hope this link helps: IronOnline Youth Training Archive

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I don’t know if you’ll ever share the reasons for dropping from the public eye way back in the early ’70s, but every man has his choices to make. Sometimes they’re made for him.

The reasons are simple:

• Being very good is fun; being the best is too serious
• No money while you’re trying to get there, no money if you do
• Too much ego and too many egos in the immediate atmosphere
• I enjoyed using my muscle and strength as a function in my work-life (counterproductive for championship)
• Too self-centered, which imposed sacrifice on those I loved and liked, including me (time, dedication, dieting, costs)
• I admire muscle and strength building, whereas bodybuilding is a rub…

I forget the other reasons… and excuses…

We lift, by God… DD

In doing lat pulldowns on  the machine, after I do the overhand grip  I superset it with the underhand grip.  Is that okay or counterproductive?

It’s fine. Do the combo as you like, as long as they “feel good.” Don’t do them cuz you have to cuz you said so. Be nice to your insertions and your dog and your wife.

Lift, live, learn and grow… Godspeed… Dave

A few decades ago I’d spend 45 minutes on one body part.  Now, I do 2 or 3 sets and leave it at that. Staying toned and in moderate condition has replaced the drive toward world class shape.  Age has its way of modifying our activities. A few years ago I began pondering the movement or circulation of blood through the body as it pertains to diabetic or pre-diabetic people.  Here’s what I came up with: 2 sets (no rest) 30 to 40 reps of neck resistance (with a towel held behind the head) moving the head from back to front coupled with calf raises performed on a one- to two-inch board.

I get your drift,  but I’d rather do high-rep (25-35) sets of standing-to-kneeling rope tucks. So much vigor and variation and muscle inclusion. Get the blood flowing slowly but surely and build up to surging, as momentum and creative extension and contraction build.

I throw in calf pumping and stretching between four prescribed sets, as I lean against a rack and pretend I’m pushing a van across the parking lot.

Though this sometimes seems to be enough work for one day for a senior van-pusher and ironhead, I add 20 more sets of prime metal moving to maintain my fragile sanity. Next month I might have a different tale to tell.

We’re crazy, ain’t we?

Dave

Just received your book today, can’t wait to start reading it!  Was just wondering if you have any tips on increasing chin-up and push-up reps?  My husband said just keep doing them and I’ll get better, but I don’t feel I am getting anywhere!  What weight-based exercises should I be doing, if any?

Practice your chins — over-grip, under-grip — regularly and sensibly, knowing over-practicing can be counterproductive, stressing and boring. They’ll come along as you continue to train overall, gain muscle, lose unwanted bodyweight and get stronger.

All pulling exercises will contribute to your chinning strength: barbell and dumbbell curls of all sorts, pulldowns, seated and bent-over rows.

You might particularly enjoy and benefit from close-grip pulldowns that simulate the hanging chin. Adjust the weight to gain the full extension and contraction of the chin, perform burning and pumping and satisfy reps and fully engage the muscles involved. Bingo, presto, wa-la — you’re knocking out real, live freehand chins like nothin’.

Same with pushing exercises and push-ups — dumbbell presses on flat bench and all inclines (better than bar), triceps work. Have fun, struggle and strive…

Go… Godspeed… Dave

Steroids as we know makes a positive difference to an athlete’s ability to recover. Many doubt that Reg Park took them, so my question is, if Reg didn’t take, can a natural athelete really train deadlift three times per week as he claimed to do as a beginner?

I strongly doubt Reg took anything beyond naturally healthy, musclebuilding foods and pure water and fresh air…

Maybe he exaggerated and the deadlifting was only twice a week… that doesn’t mean it was necessarily a good idea. Reg insisted and persisted and resisted and is listed among the top two physiques in the solar system, alongside Steve Reeves. Gee… how the heck did he do that…?

Remember, Reg was Reg, one of a kind from the head to the toes, from the genes to the mind.

Dave

When I read articles by Vince Gironda and Mike Mentzner and Stuart McRobert, talking about the amount of training a natural can tolerate, 2-4 hours per week, and then I hear of the greats in the 60’s and 70’s,training 3-4 hours per day, something doesn’t add up….

When you’re a half-crazed competitive bodybuilder reaching for the stars in a sport yet unexplored or magnified, more is better and better is not enough. Those were the guys of the golden era we love. Love it or leave it. There are always the pros who know how it works for everyone. They rant and chant with their own slant. Not everyone is everyone… at least not way back when.

Beat your own drum. Push that iron, lift that steel and make those cables sing.

You’re the leader of the band… Godspeed… DD

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

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

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

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

Godspeed… Dave

I’m coming up on 62 in February. My knees are giving me problems, especially my right knee.  In May I’m having a partial knee replacement on my right knee.  How do I keep my leg strength when I can’t squat anymore?

You’ll be wise to listen to your physical therapist and take your time… walking is a great exercise, inclines and stairs eventually.

Light extensions and curls might be included with leg presses in time. The extent of the injury and the particulars of the repair will certainly determine your course of rehab.

You’ll get a few clues from your PT and previously wounded friends and settle on listening to yourself and your instincts to lead you to recovery. You’re a smart guy…

Oh, and prayer… dd

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am 37 and back into the gym after 12 months of next to nothing and I am jogging on a regular basis. I started smoking 16 months ago and have to get round to stopping that but one thing at a time eh?

It’s a long road back, but it’s the only place. Gotta be strong and courageous. I couldn’t do it without God Almighty.

Keep moving, throw in a few light dumbbell workouts a week, tighten up the diet… all without too much pressure, but a lot of perseverance. 37 to 57 is a powerful time in one’s life. Time to save it from abuse and deterioration and reward it with guts and verve and zeal… and steel.

Push that iron… Godspeed… Dave

PS — Dump the cigarettes fast and hard…

I need that more rugged dense trap muscle… Do you think a trap bar will help?

Save your money. The trap bar is good if you have a structural problem deadlifting with a straight bar. If not, it will not provide the advantages you’re seeking.

The basic trap-builders include barbell shrugs, farmer walks, dumbbell shrugs, cleans — with a mix of reps and heavy weight. Don’t roll the shoulders when shrugging — injury risk.

Big traps cannot always be achieved if genetic structuring is not cooperative.

Push that iron… Godspeed… Dave

I’m a 46 yr young female who works out 5-6 days a week doing weight training and cardio. I’ve come a long way in three years, but have just had a major setback: I quit smoking and have gained 10lbs, and over 3 ” in my waist.  I am 5′ tall and it shows so much on me and i hate feeling it.  I have a very slow metabolism to begin with and it took me almost 2 years to just lose ten pounds.  I never stopped my healthy eating habits. Due to having radiation treatments when I was younger,  my metabolism is extremely slow and I have to do twice as much as a normal type woman. Can you please offer any suggestions on how to jumpstart myself and get rid of this weight? 

Big Congrats on quitting the ugly monster habit. You’re tough. You’re  wise. You’re free.

I feel for you. You’ve gotta work this out. It might be a hormonal thing, or particularly ‘female,’ so I copped out and passed the note to Laree.

Are you eating too much?

Drinking lots of water?

Try HIIT cardio for a change… read Laree’s post at this link on interval cardio training.

Fish oil has been known to help… It’s not magic but worth the try.

Go… Godspeed… Dave

I have a stress fracture of the ulna in my left arm. I did chest and tris last night and got thru 95% of my workout, but when my forearms started aching I stopped. I don’t understand how or why this happened. When I first injured my forearm I finished that evenings workout with ez bar preacher curls  and did them slow with no pain. Anyway, what rep program do you suggest?

I used progressive rep and poundage routines during my earlier years of training, but found reliance on my instincts to apply exertion and power more productive and less rigid and commanding.

My sets and reps depend more on feeling than numbers and vary more or less from workout to workout. Though the darn ego is ever-present, more often than not the lighter weights with thoughtful performance are more satisfying (pump and burn and execution), effective and safer than the heavier weights.

Going heavier might not be the wise way to go at this stage of the game. That doesn’t mean you can’t go tougher.
The origins of injuries are more mysterious to me as I gain experience — go figure.

dd

I do four sets for each exercise and each day is normally about an hour and fifteen minutes of continuous work. I feel good and eat fairly well, but I seem to have reached a plateau. I regularly measure key body areas and I have not seen any improvements over the past couple of months. Am I being unrealistic, and should I be happy to maintain my current muscularity?

Points one, two and three:

• I have a plateau a minute….
• Stop measuring…
• You may be unrealistic, but better that than being doubtful…

You’re on the right track to strive on. Helps you to maintain. Just be careful not to injure yourself. We’re all different — general health, past abuse and overuse, genetics. I was bombing till 65 when genetic heart problem loomed. Detours Ahead! You might very well race past me and wave… We hope and pray for the best, by God Almighty.

Be bold and stray from the norm. Lift, live, learn and grow…

I do my biceps on leg day and my triceps on chest day. I’ve read mixed opinions on this and would like yours.

I’m not crazy about separating bis and tris. I’ve trained to build muscle by good feeling and fun, though it mostly hurts and is a tedious drag. Thus, shoulders and arms, the tank top muscles, always fit nicely together. You push, you pull  and you curl, you extend and you pump.

And, too, the large areas of the back and front torso are a perfect match, pushing and pulling the chest and back muscles to make them big and strong.

And legs are legs are legs, of course… ooph!

Try that three-day combo as a plateau-breaking change of pace and approach. Dare to superset and dig a whole new way to excite your workouts.

> Shoulders and arms

> Chest and back

> Legs and core

With focus and form and confidence, we press on… Godspeed… Dave

Hi Dave, I just wanted to ask you how long my workout sessions should last when the goal is size and strength. Appreciate it.

This varies from one hour a day three times a week to two hours a day five times a week, depending on at least a dozen different factors:

• Goals — how much and quality of mass;
• Commitment — training style-performance-discipline;
• Hereditary basics — metabolism and structure and genetics;
• Nutrient ingestion — menu quantity and quality;
• Will and willingness;
• Age and health and condition and intelligence and so on.

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 in the world.

Creatine helps (Anabol Naturals for purity and absorption)

Dave

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’m over 60 and am planning to enter a bodybuilding contest. I’d like to know why the legs lose size first and is there anything I  can do about it.

I hear what you say and know what you mean, and I don’t have a physiological or technical answer. Body’s natural selection for survival, perhaps… or twitch of muscle fiber or the hooded guy lurking in the corner…

Old age does its thing despite our efforts to fight the good fight with lifestyle, weight training and right eating. I was good till age 65 (squatting 450) when circulation in the legs went south and the heart gave me grief. I lost 15 pounds in 30 months, most notably in the thighs. I had to give up squats, the legs’ dream exercise, and deadlifts, both powerful systemic (whole body) exercises. I’ve noted similar situations in other big guys as age crawls upon the scene.

Do your best at what you are able to do. Squat if you can — best for mass and power. Eat your protein (red meat, if you will) and limit aerobics to HIIT style and/or in-gym well-paced training (supersetting without compromising weight used). Be nice to your wife and kids and dog. Never quit…

Godspeed… Dave