BOMBER TALK
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Periodically
as I update the pages of IronOnline I will thank you for your
questions, apologize for not answering you sooner and encourage
you to continue to feed my email depository. It is a pleasure
always to hear from you, The World. Every note, question and
comment is literally the building material for our respectful
web community and communication. Thanks, and thank God.
There
is a heap of email before me; a mix of queries, mostly unrelated.
For the fun of it, I'll try to answer them in one deep breath.
Cardio?
Years ago in the '60s, amongst lifters there was none. Hard,
heavy, volume training, supersetting and long hours, the kind
of training some writers refer to as overtraining, secured our
cardio respiratory needs. As hard bodies and exercise took off
in the '70s and the fitness industry erupted, money drove the
market to preposterous proportions. The sheep followed. Extensive
scientific and pseudo-scientific research in physiology and mechanics
presented our "urgent"
need for treadmills, stair steppers, stationary bikes, climbers,
gliders, recumbants, et al. Cardio equipment in all its glory
emerged in the '80s and like the car, snappy new
styles and new features are offered year after year.
I
love barbells.
Today
I spend 15-20 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week on the bike at an
intensity level of 6 on a scale of 1-10. That's the aerobic range
I suggest most everyone approach to complement their weight training,
pointing out that the 10 minutes of continuous mid-section exercise
that follows further extends tough cardio input.
Fitness
buffs, if aerobic is your first love, by all means live it up.
Just be sure to add some mid-section and resistance exercise
for balance and skeletal-muscle maintenance.
Trying
to get lean? Too much cardio I fear will cut into your precious
time, available energy, desire and training focus. Purposeful,
quick paced training is fun and effective. Yet, a workout in
a hurry causes anxiety, stress, poor form and injury. Joy is
replaced by bitterness.
Something
else. Excessive aerobics may deplete your energy stores, causing
your body to shift its chemistry, calling on muscle protein to
provide energy. Have mercy.Throw me in the swamps, lock me in
a dungeon, but don't take away my muscle protein.
Cardio
activity alone (bike, treadmill, steps) should consist of 20-30%
of your total training investment, depending upon the goals you
seek. Your emphasis should be on resistance training to build
valuable muscle size, muscle-based metabolism, strength and bone
density. This exercise ratio plus your eating strategy provide
a reasonably straight line from A to Z.
----------
Gary
F. and John P. have caused me to muse. ..
Personality
and training style eventually converge. I really have a problem
with one set intensity training. It's like speed reading, could
never get the hang of it. Besides, I love to train. I love meticulous
movement, form, flow, pace, pump and sanity.
Give
me five days a week, 3 days on, one off, 2 days on, one off -
90 to 120 minutes to all-out assault and pound each muscle group
2 times a week. When burnout shows it's ugly head, I give it
one more good kick and withdraw - regroup, recoup, and prepare
for the next rally.
One
set training...what's the point?
Want
to know more about HIT training? Try it for a six week cycle,
I guess. Reading gets you only so far.
Want
more info? Here's the top book, top two sites.
BEYOND
BRAWN BY STUART MCROBERT
HARDGAINER
CYBERPUMP
----------
Another
reader query -
A
good age to start a youngster exercising is any time you get
their attention, starting off with running, jumping and freehand
exercise; chins, dips, pushups and crunches are fantastic. Show
them the right way, the basic way to perform and why. Exercises
done randomly is okay early on, but giving them logical order
and purpose is priceless in the development of the body, discipline,
awareness and appreciation. Further direction is achieved as
they matriculate to weight training.
Age12-13
is just right, again if interest is keen and instruction is wise.
The whole world would be a better place, don't you agree?
....
Here's a link to more
youth training info...
----------
Yet
another -
Bodybuilding
can be expensive even though every workout is an investment. Overtraining,
obsessiveness and excessive money spent on exotic ingredients "guaranteed"
to pack on muscle can lead us to the poor house. However, a good
vitamin & mineral (cold processed, time released) and a quality
whey protein should comfortably be included in the daily food
budget. Overall they will be a healthy investment and may save
you money throughout your life.
The
vitamin/mineral will
improve your body chemistry, aid in muscle growth, recuperation
and resistance and your protein
drinks serve the protein and nutrients you need
during your busy, hard pressed days - they are inexpensive meals
if prudently mixed with low fat milk, and egg, a banana and
ice. Quick, convenient fortifiers that lift you, take you forward
or at the very least, keep you from sliding back. I count on
the above food intakes and don't short change myself by viewing
them as costly supplements for
the rich and famous and foolish.
Creatine is good - add lotsa red meat to your diet and your creatine stores
will be ample. When Christmas, your birthday, Father's Day and
aniversary come around, your family will know what you want and
need. Happy Bodybuilding Day, guys and gals... coming up this
month, I believe.
----------
Kevin
C. asks...What caused you to retire from competition. You reference
a changing of the gears in bodybuilding as the reason on your site,
but you do not elaborate. In hindsight, do you wish you had entered
the 68 and 69 Olympia to compete against Sergio? Inquiring minds
want to know....
Living
in Venice in the '60s was like living in a junk yard with a bunch
of junk yard dogs. Biting was allowed and the food wasn't free.
I had to make a living, learn and grow. My workouts served to
stabilize, fortify and entertain me, but no way could I see training
to beat Sergio (as if I could - he's from another planet you know)
a real wise career decision - baby needed shoes.
I
found myself making rugged oversized furniture out of old wood,
loving it and making enough money to pay the bills. Very cool.
Tranquil, alone and natural, woodworking matched my workouts.
Someone could say the '70s never happened and I'd believe 'em.
Do I wish I had competed against Sergio back then? I thought I
had. Truth is I like it just as it is.
----------
I'm
new at the 'net as you may or may not know. Laree, my wife, is
the webmaster and began our journey on the 'net at the very end
of '98. We thought we were getting a late start but think now
we are right on time. After all, it's all only a few years old.
Now
that we're in place and getting hits, email, comments and questions,
I expect my comments and replies to be in two separate forms....weekly
text (see Draper columns button above) and mini-conversation
you'll find here at Bomber Talk.
My
very first email was from a man "50 years young" and
training for 4 1/2 years, loving it and I suspect wondering where
to go from here.
50
today is not the same as 50 thirty years ago, or ten for that
matter. With advanced technology the lifespan has extended as
has the length of the mid years - especially if one cares for
oneself. Be a good babyboomer - eat protein and workout.
I
look to Bill Pearl for my
validation and reassurance, Bill being 11 years my senior. I
feel sometimes like I'm hanging out under an old shoe waiting
for it to drop. Will I grow old overnight? Recently I spent time
with Bill at a conference, instantly, automatically noting his
excellent form and tone. He was thick (about 230 pounds I'd guess),
small hips, no stoop, veiny in the forearms and the same good
ole face - non-fleshy and hard jawed and had that I can bench
400 look in his bones.What's the next 10 gonna be like, buddy?
As
the Good Book says, be strong and courageous. Be hopeful. A good
plan is to continue to be aggressive in your workouts with ample
time for repair and recuperation, being aware of overtraining.
Work on a weekly schedule of two days on, one off...followed
by two days on , two off. Hit each bodypart 2 times per week
with 2 exercises per muscle group, 15, 12, 10, 8 repetitions
sequencing, mixing heavy, moderate and light weights. Push hard
and determined days 1 &
2 and back off days 3 & 4, being more fluid and playful.
Consider
supersets as gold....more specifics another time (or click
here if you haven't seen the supersets page).
So, more later.. dd
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