Draper Weight Training Q&A
What If, How and Why—Muscle and Might
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And so begins our journey across the barrens of the unknown, a wet and lonely place where hopes are struggles and dreams are reduced to nightmares -- a forgotten land in which the sun does not shine, water is scarce and our footing is unsure and in desperate want of direction. Hold onto the brave soul before you, bomber. Only then shall we survive the mysteries, secrets and buried truths threatening and confounding us. The brave alone travel forth.
I like a little melodrama now and then, don’t you? Actually, I was just thumbing through my archives and grabbed a fistful of classic "questions and answers" collected over the months that make for easy reading and writing. We both need a break.
So, sit back, put your feet up and take five. It’s on me.
Q)
When you
and your
fellow
bodybuilders
were
all competing
in the
'60s,
e.g.,
Schwarzenegger,
Zane,
Columbo,
Ferrigno
and Reg
Park,
how could
you all
train
together
in the
same
gym and
even
socialize
outside
together
and still
maintain
the winning
attitude,
even
though
you were
all competing
to beat
and overcome
each
other?
A)
Long story
made short:
It was
40 years
ago; the
lifting
crowd was
smaller
and sharing
a relatively
young and
unexploited
sport.
Early bodybuilders
were like
brisk stallions
in the
rough country
before
fences,
corrals
and stalls.
bits, harnesses
and saddles.
We were young and excited about the robust and undeveloped activity. Odd friends in an area of emerging expression, we enjoyed and needed each other’s supporting interest, companionship, unspoken understanding and mutual admiration, collective motivations and rare character composition.
Times have changed, the world has changed. We lucked out.
Q)
I feel
a sense
of urgency
in my
training,
since
I'm almost
50 and
have
no time
to waste.
All the
training
splits
and techniques
I've
read
about
only
confuse
me. Since
you and
Arnold
are my
idea
of what
a bodybuilder
should
look
like,
can you
tell
me if
you used
the push-pull
split
system
or chest/back,
shoulders/arms
and legs
split?
A)
Relax and
be strong.
All forms
of training
when
done
with
focus
and responsible
intensity
are effective.
You are
not losing
ground
while
applying
any one
of them
for a
significant
period
to enjoy
or determine
their
results.
Like
Zabo,
my Muscle
Beach
bud,
always
says, "It's
all good."
I like the chest/back, shoulders/arms and legs split. I like push/pull supersets. I like to blast it with focus, form and solid pace. I like to feel the muscles work and know the work the muscles do. Personally, I don't like HIT styles of training or the intensity methodologies where one trains to miserable, blacking-out, crawling-in-your-vomit failure once or twice a week. I must be crazy.
I suggest you stick to Brother Iron Sister Steel for your guidance -- one source by one humble spokesman of the Muscle Beach and Golden Era of bodybuilding.
A few more things: Urgency causes catabolism and you're still a kid. Redirect the urgency into a positive training intensity, young fella.
Q)
What are
your
eating
habits
before
you hit
the weights?
A)
Easy: I
have
a protein
drink
(12-16
ounces)
some
30 minutes
prior
to my
workout,
consisting
of 2%
milk,
half
of a
banana,
a raw
fertile
egg from
carefully
fed and
maintained
chickens,
and three
scoops
of Bomber
Blend,
my favorite
protein
powder.
I trust this nutritious concoction plus my body’s previously stored glycogen to supply my energy and anabolic needs without uncomfortable bloating or overloading my digestive system.
I make sure I'm hydrated and tote a bottle of water on the gym floor. I’m also confident of the creatine and vitamin and mineral content in my system through regular daily supplementation.
Meals of protein, fats and carbs best serve the body's energy and growth needs when eaten every three hours. Training later in the day generally assures more nutrient storage in the system available for training support. Early morning workouts may call for a late-night feeding to load up the carb storage lockers to serve the intense morning exertion.
Don’t get confused by the nutritional aspects of eating and muscle building. The simple regulations listed under The 11 Rules of Nutrition found in Brother Iron say all there is to say without having us babbling to ourselves and drooling in the corner.
Q)
I have
a nerve
condition
the doctors
believe
is reversible
in time,
but my
grip
strength
is severely
compromised
and I’m
discouraged
daily.
I feel
much
better
and stronger
after
working
out with
a physical
therapist
using
exercise
bands,
yet I
have
trouble
grabbing
and holding
free
weights.
Hopefully
the bands
will
help
me to
one day
use "iron" again.
What
would
you do?
A)
Tough times
call
for tough
procedures.
I’d
continue
to train
with
those
bands
and squeeze
as much
resistance
out of
the wiggly,
stretchy
critters
as I
could.
Sooner
than
later,
curiosity
and burning
desire
would
overcome
me and
I’d
investigate
the possibility
of very
light,
single-dumbbell
training.
This hopeful solution calls for patience, commitment and some iron-headed ingenuity -- all the more reason to embrace the undertaking. I’d wrap my hand around a light adjustable dumbbell and secure my grip tightly with the assistance of a customized one-inch strap suited with Velcro. Presto! What have we here? A weighted hand, ready for curls, presses, shrugs -- whatever I could improvise in a working routine, making weight adjustments as needed.
I’d locate a private place with un-pressured time and get to work. I’d greet disappointment with a smile and a nod, and continue my pursuit for exercises that work: bent-over concentration curl, wrist curl over the knee, overhead triceps extension, lying triceps extension, holding a support while standing and performing one-arm presses or side-arm laterals and a bent-over rowing motion.
I’d note the repertoire of exercises and determine a workout routine that has continuity according muscle group and pre-set poundage used.
Too much work, you say, too far-fetched, imbecilic and dopey? A desperate measure for fools, you add? Yeah, I guess you’re right, unless you find lifting weights a matter of life and death.
How about this brilliant concept: gluing the hands to a pair of 20- to 25-pounders for 45 minutes or so and blasting it till every exercise and every fiber of the body is exhausted. Then soaking the hands in warm water (or acetone) in hopes the iron will release its hold... at least until tomorrow.
You’ll notice this practice leaves your hands a little red, but applying Sydney’s MSM lotion immediately after really helps. Scratching one’s nose in the middle of a workout can be a problem, as you risk a concussion, contusions, unconsciousness, coma and possible death. Where there's a will there's a way.
Q)
I’ve
recently
become
a volunteer
instructor
for a high
school
weight
room. I
noticed
many of
the teens
overload
the bar,
their legs
are not
steady
as they
squat and
some complain
that their
backs always
hurt after
lifting.
I have
always
recommended
they drop
the weight,
work on
form and
then add
weight
slowly.
Should
they also
add hip
flexor
exercises
to their
efforts
or some
other exercises
to stabilize
their hips?
A)
You have
your
hands
full
trying
to bridle
teens
who feel
invincible,
are inexperienced
and untrained
and want
muscle
and might
now.
It’s
easy
to gain
their
attention,
but it
takes
time
and continuous
coaching
to establish
devotion,
discipline
and exercise
understanding.
In volunteer
situations
and casual
settings
these
qualities
are not
generally
developed,
or in
clear
view.
Here’s a list of tips and a selection of advantageous exercises to set firm foundations and avoid injuries:
~ Regular training and sport participation, if performed smartly, will condition the body and reduce the potential for injury and muscle discomfort. Your young friends are getting closer, yet they are not quite strong enough to support the weight they are handling. The sooner they accept that clean exercise execution and muscle engagement is more important than the amount of weight they utilize, the happier, safer and cooler they will be, and the more quickly they will achieve esteemed power and muscle development without injury and frustration.
~ Running
track and
doing sprints
-- not
as a sport
necessarily,
but in
purposeful
moderation
-- is a
fun and
efficacious
method
to condition
the musculature
and cardio-vascular
systems
of young
athletes
and fitness
seekers.
~ Leg
raises
and hanging
leg raises
to support
midsection
and build
hip flexors.
~ Light-weight deadlifts with proper form (3, 4 sets x 8-10 reps) to build lower back and thighs and hams and glutes
~ Light-to-moderate-weight squats only after their legs are conditioned with sensible leg presses and or deep squats with a bar only -- save and prepare the whole body
~ Perfect bench presses in sets of 8-10 reps with 80 to 90 percent output of effort -- no arching, bouncing or uneven-bar repetitions. Seeking maximum weight or resistance is tantamount to seeking shoulder injury. Serves the tris, anterior delt, minor pec and an unspecified upper torso thickening
~ Bring on dumbbell pressing on all levels of incline for chest, delts and some triceps. Dumbbells are safe, demanding and super muscle builders.
~ Standing barbell curls with medium body thrust (3-4 x 10-8-6 reps) for biceps and torso strength
~ Freehand dips and medium-to-wide-grip chins -- lats and pecs and tris and delts
~ Cleans and overhead presses are advanced exercises, beneficial to power athletes and should come later as confidence and fitness build.
Stick to the basic exercises that work the larger muscle groups completely and are responsible for fuller and more effective muscle growth. Exercise repetition is needed to gain the maximum an exercise has to offer. Changing exercises frequently for novelty is frivolous and defeats one’s purpose to grow in training understanding and muscle shape and muscle might. Isolated secondary exercises are important and are most beneficial at intermediate and advanced stages of training. They come just in time... later.
Q)
I am a
personal
trainer
and one
of my
colleagues
(also
a trainer)
is going
out for
knee
surgery
on Monday.
He is
an avid
lifter
and is
terribly
concerned
about
fitness
loss
and fat
gain
in the
four
to six
weeks
of recovery.
Do you
have
any encouraging
thoughts
I can
share
with
him?
A)
I'll bet
your
friend
is back
in the
gym and
shifting
around
the equipment
sooner
than
he expects,
and his
down
time
will
be an
education
-- a
crash
course
in training
modification
-- invaluable
to him,
probably
you and
certainly
his clients.
Experience
is pricey.
Accept
the immediate
let-down;
be stoic,
be strong
and,
as much
as possible,
relax,
rather
than
stress.
Welcome
the rest
-- you
deserve
and need
it --
and then,
applying
wisdom,
courage
and intuition,
ease
into
whatever
action
is desirable
and doable
while
housebound
-- ab
crunches,
sets
of crawling
and hobbling,
dips,
dynamic
tension.
A walker or crutch would get me to a gym within a week, unless the surgery was a major invasion. With the gym beneath one’s feet, no matter how shaky, one is able to keep one's act together. The ability to train the upper body will be altered, but not eliminated. And though the recovering leg injury is limiting, it is much easier to deal with emotionally and psychologically than an arm or a shoulder in a cast and sling.
Eat right, accounting for the fact that less food intake will be required for sustenance, yet maintenance of an anabolic environment is essential. Lay off the donuts and beer and Wonder bread, bub. Pray.
Legs come back fast. Good thing he's not a horse; we'd have to shoot him.
Q)
In 2001
I was
352 pounds;
since
then,
I have
lost
140 pounds.
I have
a question
for you:
I have
loose
skin
around
the lower
chest
area.
To the
best
of your
knowledge
is this
something
I will
always
have
to deal
with
or will
it tighten
up eventually?
What
would
you do?
A)
Wow! You're
one of
those rare
and amazing
people
in the
world who
have overcome
the near-impossible.
Congratulations
on the
courage,
discipline
and hard
work.
The loose skin around the pecs is a common problem of men over 40 with a heavy pectoral development. Hello. I’m staring the dilemma in the eye and seeking solutions. It's the age thing combined with gravity.
To counter the predicament, besides my ongoing struggle to eliminate overall body fat, I do what I can to improve the muscle density of the pectoral region without adding muscle mass. Thus, I don’t do declines, as they only compound the lower-pec problem rather than solve it. Instead, I focus on incline dumbbell work with both lower-rep, heavy-weight muscle-density training interwoven with lower-weight, higher-rep methodology for shaping and tucking. Here’s where your finesse and creativity are summoned to determine a plan that is likeable and suitable for you. See suggestions below.
I also like stiff-arm dumbbell pullovers, controlled flys, cable crossovers and dips leaning forward to engage the pecs. I suggest superset techniques to achieve muscularity and shape.
Try these:
~ Low-incline dumbbell press (15 degree) and stiff-arm pullover (pullover engages minor pec), 4 x 8-10 reps -- 4 x 10 reps
~ Incline dumbbell press (45 degree) and close-grip pulldown (pulldown engages pec minor), 4 x 8-10 reps -- 4 x 10 reps
~ Heavy fly and cable-crossover, 4 x 8 reps -- 4x 10-12 reps
Aim your dietary sights toward lean muscle building -- higher protein, lower carb, medium fat. Bring in the extra vitamin C and minerals and essential fatty acids (EFAs) along with the rest of your dietary supplementation. Love those fresh fruits and salads. These ingredients are known to improve the health and tone of the skin.
Consider your hormonal system, as low testosterone or high estrogen can account for fleshy pectoral development. Tune in to Rob Faigin (author of Natural Hormonal Enhancement) when he joins us on the IronOnline forum on November 18th to discuss the world of hormones and how we can manipulate them to our greater health and musclebuilding advantage.
When the time is right and you have the courage, drop five or ten pounds to check your muscularity and skin tone. I don't think we have a lot more control than this. We try and we try again. If nothing works, we try again.
Q)
I’m
trying
to bulk
up and
put on
some muscle,
yet I am
active
as construction
worker
and student.
Do I need
to work
out less
through
the week,
say four
days a
week? And,
how should
I eat?
A)
Eat, eat
and eat
some
more.
Eat from
breakfast
till
lights
out,
especially
pre-
and post-workout
drinks
made
from
a top
quality
protein
powder
(whey
and casein)
with
a banana
and some
peanut
butter
added
in regular
or reduced-fat
milk.
The blended
drink
makes
a perfect
breakfast
or mid-day
meal
as well.
Shoot
for a
menu
of high-protein
and medium-fat
foods
and good
carbs
offering
substantial
nutritional
value
(live
foods
in the
form
of fruits
and vegetables,
and high-protein
dairy).
Avoid
junk
foods,
which
include
greasy
fried
foods,
and high-glycemic
snacks
(candy,
pop,
cookies)
and salty
goodies
like
chips
of most
varieties.
In a muscle-building mouthful, red meat rules.
Do this; it’s work, but it works. Prepare food the night before and take it to work in an Igloo. Broiled hamburger patty and potato in Tupperware (yummy cold), plastic-wrapped cut vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, plump homemade beef jerky and protein powder in a plastic container ready to mix in water work well when on the go.
Supplement your diet with a high-quality vitamin and mineral formula and throw in some EFAs for supplemental value and added calories. Drink water regularly throughout the day. You might try an extra couple of tablespoons of olive oil early in the day for good fat calories... and pure delight. Glub, Glub...
Caution: Don’t let discouragement throw you off course. Bodyweight naturally fluctuates daily. We (some of us, that is) blossom like a flower when the weight’s up and we whither like a parched weed when it’s down. Perseverance and patience, bomber, trust and time.
Training four days a week is good. Live right and rest often. Get your cardio-respiratory work from your hard training, squatting and deadlifting. Skip the aerobic exercise. Stick to the basics, take your time to condition, and don’t get disheartened by work conflict. That's life and you'll blend the two deeds nicely if you're wise, industrious and committed. Push the iron with affectionate might and be consistent. You’ll win.
We’re done here, winged warriors. You can go home now. Get some sleep... no hangin' in the hanger. Git... beat it... scram... vamoose... go... be gone.
One more thing: The winds may come up strong and from the south through the night -- lash down your bird and block its wheels accordingly. Save your craft from the draft. Don’t need dings in your wings. The endless blue waits for you. Fly high and bye, bye...
Draper
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