Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I worked on the January issue of the Dinosaur Files newsletter for most of the day yesterday, and headed out to the garage to do some lifting at about 6:30. The weather was mild, but it was pretty dark.
I started my warm-ups, and got about 2 minutes into them when the lights went out.
So I went back into the house, headed down to the basement, and flipped the appropriate switch on the breaker box.
Went back to the garage, started to do some more stretching and loosening up – and BANG – out went the lights.
Trudi was in the kitchen, so I opened the garage door, waved to get her attention, and called down to ask her to flip the switch again.
She did, and the lights went back on.
They stayed on for several minutes this time – and right about the time that I was starting my warm-up sets for front squats, they went out again.
But this time I was ready. After the second time they went out, I had put a small battery-powered lantern on a table close to my lifting platform. And being a careful sort of Dinosaur, I had even turned the thing on.
So when the lights went out, instead of standing there in the dark with a bar on my shoulders, I was standing there in the semi-dark, in a small circle of light, and it was a cinch to step back to my squat stands and rack the bar after I finished my set.
Forty minutes later, I had finished my workout – and it was a good one.
It was a special program. I call it “Lifting by Lantern Light.”
The interesting thing about Lifting by Lantern Light is that it reminds you that if you really want to train, there’s nothing that’s going to stop you.
That’s definitely the Dino way – and it’s a good message to share as we bring 2010 to a close and prepare to jump into 2011.
So as you reflect on the close of the old year and welcome the beginning g of the new one, remember this: You’re a Dinosaur – and NOTHING can stop you!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a happy, healthy and wonderful New Year’s evening – and best wishes to everyone for the coming year! If you train today, make it the best workout of 2010 – and if you train tomorrow, start 2011 off with an awesome workout!
Happy New Year!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Today’s your last chance to grab something from Dino HQ in 2010 – so take a look and grab some of that Dino Magic for your very own:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
10 Workout Ideas for 2011
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We’re coming to the end of the year, and if you’re like me, it’s the time when you look back over your training logs and plan things out for the coming year.
Most people are busy making New Year’s resolutions right now. Dinosaurs are busy planning their workouts.
I don’t believe in resolutions. I do believe in workouts. And here’s why.
Resolutions are typically about losing weight, losing inches or breaking a bad habit. Their primary purpose is a way of ramping up your will power to help you stop eating the wrong kind of food, stop drinking too much, stop smoking, or whatever.
Workouts are different. They’re not about dropping something you want or cutting back on something you enjoy. They’re all about doing something FUN – hitting the iron!
And the great thing about workouts is this: if you train regularly and consistently, you make progress. It’s just that simple.
So if you want to make some resolutions for the coming year, that’s fine – but be sure to plan some workouts as well. Workouts make good things happen.
In my own case, I’m sitting here with paper and pen in hand, outlining what I’m going to be doing in January, February and March. Here’s some of what I’m looking at:
1. Plenty of power snatches, power cleans, snatch grip high pulls and clean grip high pulls. These work my back really hard, and allow me to train like an athlete – which is one of the keys to feeling young. The more of these I do, the better I feel.
1a. I’ll probably work in some lifts from boxes along with lifts from the platform. I’ve not done many of these, but I think they’d be fun – and FUN is the name of the game when it comes to productive and effective strength training.
2. Plenty of front squats – which are a terrific exercise for the legs and hips, and a tremendous all-around strength and power builder. I used to do tons and tons of back squats, but over the years I’ve switched to doing more and more front squats. I really like them.
3. Back squats with Dave Draper’s Top Squat bar. I recently purchased one of these little devices, and I’m eager to give it a good test. The Top Squat is designed for older lifters with tight shoulders (which is pretty much ALL older lifters). It allows you to do back squats without stressing your shoulders. I think it will work well alternated with those front squats.
4. Trap Bar deadlifts. Always a great movement. I can’t say enough about this exercise. Everyone should do them.
5. Push presses and jerks. Lots of fun, and super exercises for power. These are more of those athletic-style exercises that I enjoy so much.
5. Dumbbell presses, push presses and jerks, and dumbbell cleans. I haven’t done these for a while, and it’s going to be fun to get back to doing them. They’re very, very good movements – excellent strength and muscle builders, and fun to do. And dumbbells are much more forgiving on your joints, so they’re great for older lifters. John Grimek handled 100-pound dumbbells for alternate presses well into his 60’s – and perhaps into his 70’s!
6. Dumbbell bench presses and incline presses. Again, something I have not done for a long time, but something I want to work back into the program. And again, as I mentioned before, dumbbells are easier on the joints than barbell work – so they’re great for the older guys. And if you train at home, alone, they’re much safer than doing barbell bench presses. You can’t get stuck under the bar when you use dumbbells.
7. Pull-ups. Another fun exercise, and one that has many terrific benefits – you train your upper back, your biceps, your forearms and your grip all in one movement – you stretch your spine when you do them – and you help balance your shoulder girdle development. And it’s always good to be able to move your own bodyweight up and down fast and easily.
8. Gut work, grip work and neck work. This is a given for any Dinosaur.
9. Cardio training with weights. I outline this in detail in Gray Hair and Black Iron, and I’m actually going to go back and read through those chapters and pick out some things to work back in. And when the weather is a bit better, I’ll get going on some of my favorite lugging and loading drills.
10. Stretching and flexibility work. I’ve been doing plenty of this already, but I’ll be doing more and more. It helps keep you from getting stiff and having trouble in the low position of your squats, deadlifts and pulling movements.
Now you have a good picture of what’s going to be happening in my garage gym for the next 90 days or so. What’s going to be happening in YOUR training world? Think about it – and make plans for a truly terrific lifting year in 2011.
As always, thanks for reading, and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For tons of great ideas for the coming year, head on over to the Dinosaur training Book Store, and grab some reading material – we have the best there is!
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
We’re coming to the end of the year, and if you’re like me, it’s the time when you look back over your training logs and plan things out for the coming year.
Most people are busy making New Year’s resolutions right now. Dinosaurs are busy planning their workouts.
I don’t believe in resolutions. I do believe in workouts. And here’s why.
Resolutions are typically about losing weight, losing inches or breaking a bad habit. Their primary purpose is a way of ramping up your will power to help you stop eating the wrong kind of food, stop drinking too much, stop smoking, or whatever.
Workouts are different. They’re not about dropping something you want or cutting back on something you enjoy. They’re all about doing something FUN – hitting the iron!
And the great thing about workouts is this: if you train regularly and consistently, you make progress. It’s just that simple.
So if you want to make some resolutions for the coming year, that’s fine – but be sure to plan some workouts as well. Workouts make good things happen.
In my own case, I’m sitting here with paper and pen in hand, outlining what I’m going to be doing in January, February and March. Here’s some of what I’m looking at:
1. Plenty of power snatches, power cleans, snatch grip high pulls and clean grip high pulls. These work my back really hard, and allow me to train like an athlete – which is one of the keys to feeling young. The more of these I do, the better I feel.
1a. I’ll probably work in some lifts from boxes along with lifts from the platform. I’ve not done many of these, but I think they’d be fun – and FUN is the name of the game when it comes to productive and effective strength training.
2. Plenty of front squats – which are a terrific exercise for the legs and hips, and a tremendous all-around strength and power builder. I used to do tons and tons of back squats, but over the years I’ve switched to doing more and more front squats. I really like them.
3. Back squats with Dave Draper’s Top Squat bar. I recently purchased one of these little devices, and I’m eager to give it a good test. The Top Squat is designed for older lifters with tight shoulders (which is pretty much ALL older lifters). It allows you to do back squats without stressing your shoulders. I think it will work well alternated with those front squats.
4. Trap Bar deadlifts. Always a great movement. I can’t say enough about this exercise. Everyone should do them.
5. Push presses and jerks. Lots of fun, and super exercises for power. These are more of those athletic-style exercises that I enjoy so much.
5. Dumbbell presses, push presses and jerks, and dumbbell cleans. I haven’t done these for a while, and it’s going to be fun to get back to doing them. They’re very, very good movements – excellent strength and muscle builders, and fun to do. And dumbbells are much more forgiving on your joints, so they’re great for older lifters. John Grimek handled 100-pound dumbbells for alternate presses well into his 60’s – and perhaps into his 70’s!
6. Dumbbell bench presses and incline presses. Again, something I have not done for a long time, but something I want to work back into the program. And again, as I mentioned before, dumbbells are easier on the joints than barbell work – so they’re great for the older guys. And if you train at home, alone, they’re much safer than doing barbell bench presses. You can’t get stuck under the bar when you use dumbbells.
7. Pull-ups. Another fun exercise, and one that has many terrific benefits – you train your upper back, your biceps, your forearms and your grip all in one movement – you stretch your spine when you do them – and you help balance your shoulder girdle development. And it’s always good to be able to move your own bodyweight up and down fast and easily.
8. Gut work, grip work and neck work. This is a given for any Dinosaur.
9. Cardio training with weights. I outline this in detail in Gray Hair and Black Iron, and I’m actually going to go back and read through those chapters and pick out some things to work back in. And when the weather is a bit better, I’ll get going on some of my favorite lugging and loading drills.
10. Stretching and flexibility work. I’ve been doing plenty of this already, but I’ll be doing more and more. It helps keep you from getting stiff and having trouble in the low position of your squats, deadlifts and pulling movements.
Now you have a good picture of what’s going to be happening in my garage gym for the next 90 days or so. What’s going to be happening in YOUR training world? Think about it – and make plans for a truly terrific lifting year in 2011.
As always, thanks for reading, and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For tons of great ideas for the coming year, head on over to the Dinosaur training Book Store, and grab some reading material – we have the best there is!
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Grimek and the Tailor
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The other day, I spotted a John Grimek story buried deep in an article in an old issue of Strength and Health from the late 30’s or early 40’s. It was a pretty good story, so I thought I’d share it.
If you’re reading this, I assume you know the basics about John Grimek. The most massively muscular man in the world back in the 30’s and 40’s – a two-time Mr. America winner (who was so far ahead of the competition they had to make a special rule prohibiting past winners from entering the contest – or else he would have gone on winning every year for as long as he wanted) – Mr. Universe – and undefeated in bodybuilding competition.
But Grimek was more than a bodybuilder. He was a weightlifting champion. He won the Heavyweight class at the United States Senior Nationals in 1936, and represented the USA at the Olympic Games.
He won the North American Weightlifting Championship.
He set an American record in the press, and came within a whisker of setting a World record in the lift. He was darn good at pressing. At a bodyweight of just over 181 pounds, he could press close to 300 pounds.
So at the time of the story I’m going to share with you, John Grimek was literally a superman – with strength and muscular development that was light years ahead of his era.
Grimek and the Tailor
Grimek was in Chicago, working as an artist’s model, and decided to buy a new suit. Back in those days, you always went to a tailor and were measured for a suit – which was a good thing for Grimek, because he never would have been able to buy an off the rack suit.
The tailor began by carefully measuring Grimek’s upper arms – which were probably the largest muscular arms in the world at the time.
He said nothing, but made a careful notation in his work papers.
He then measured Grimek’s shoulders. I’ve already told you that Grimek set records in the military press. So just imagine how his shoulders stretched the tape measure.
Again, the tailor said nothing, but made a careful notation in his papers.
The tailor measured Grimek’s chest, which was huge. Grimek did plenty of heavy, high rep squats, and his ribcage was enormous.
Without saying a word, the tailor made another careful notation in his papers.
He measured Grimek’s massive thighs. They were like twin tree trunks.
The tailor said nothing, and scribbled another note.
He then measured Grimek’s waist, which was hard as a rock, lean and tight.
Still silent, the tailor scribbled another note.
At this point, Grimek glanced down and for the first time saw what the tailor had written:
1. Fat arms
2. Fat shoulders
3. Fat chest
4. Fat thighs
5. Skinny waist
And that’s when the lion roared.
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Grimek shouted. “I’M NOT FAT!”
If the tailor made a response, I don’t know what it is. It wasn’t reported in the article.
Personally, I think he raced for the door and ran for his life.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover John Grimek’s favorite leg training routine in my new book, Chalk and Sweat. You can grab a copy right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2 You can learn much more about John Grimek and the other legendary Champions of the Golden Age of Strength in the Legacy of Iron series:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
The other day, I spotted a John Grimek story buried deep in an article in an old issue of Strength and Health from the late 30’s or early 40’s. It was a pretty good story, so I thought I’d share it.
If you’re reading this, I assume you know the basics about John Grimek. The most massively muscular man in the world back in the 30’s and 40’s – a two-time Mr. America winner (who was so far ahead of the competition they had to make a special rule prohibiting past winners from entering the contest – or else he would have gone on winning every year for as long as he wanted) – Mr. Universe – and undefeated in bodybuilding competition.
But Grimek was more than a bodybuilder. He was a weightlifting champion. He won the Heavyweight class at the United States Senior Nationals in 1936, and represented the USA at the Olympic Games.
He won the North American Weightlifting Championship.
He set an American record in the press, and came within a whisker of setting a World record in the lift. He was darn good at pressing. At a bodyweight of just over 181 pounds, he could press close to 300 pounds.
So at the time of the story I’m going to share with you, John Grimek was literally a superman – with strength and muscular development that was light years ahead of his era.
Grimek and the Tailor
Grimek was in Chicago, working as an artist’s model, and decided to buy a new suit. Back in those days, you always went to a tailor and were measured for a suit – which was a good thing for Grimek, because he never would have been able to buy an off the rack suit.
The tailor began by carefully measuring Grimek’s upper arms – which were probably the largest muscular arms in the world at the time.
He said nothing, but made a careful notation in his work papers.
He then measured Grimek’s shoulders. I’ve already told you that Grimek set records in the military press. So just imagine how his shoulders stretched the tape measure.
Again, the tailor said nothing, but made a careful notation in his papers.
The tailor measured Grimek’s chest, which was huge. Grimek did plenty of heavy, high rep squats, and his ribcage was enormous.
Without saying a word, the tailor made another careful notation in his papers.
He measured Grimek’s massive thighs. They were like twin tree trunks.
The tailor said nothing, and scribbled another note.
He then measured Grimek’s waist, which was hard as a rock, lean and tight.
Still silent, the tailor scribbled another note.
At this point, Grimek glanced down and for the first time saw what the tailor had written:
1. Fat arms
2. Fat shoulders
3. Fat chest
4. Fat thighs
5. Skinny waist
And that’s when the lion roared.
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Grimek shouted. “I’M NOT FAT!”
If the tailor made a response, I don’t know what it is. It wasn’t reported in the article.
Personally, I think he raced for the door and ran for his life.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover John Grimek’s favorite leg training routine in my new book, Chalk and Sweat. You can grab a copy right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2 You can learn much more about John Grimek and the other legendary Champions of the Golden Age of Strength in the Legacy of Iron series:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
Important Insights from a Very Unlikely Source
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Trudi has been dying to see “The Black Swan” – a movie about a ballerina who is chosen to perform the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, “Swan Lake.” So we headed over to the neighborhood theater and saw the thing.
Now, normally, I’d pass on a ballet movie, but this one starred Natalie Portman, which immediately gives it high marks – and it was directed by the guy who directed Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” a few years ago. So I was hopeful that we’d see ballet combined with a flying elbow drop from the top turnbuckle – or maybe even a cameo by Bruno Sammartino or Ric Flair.
No such luck. It was strictly a ballet film.
And one of the things it featured was the incredible training that professional dancers go through – and the resulting wear and tear on their bodies. There’s one scene where a massage therapist is giving Natalie Portman a combination chiropractic and trigger point session to relieve the aches and pains from her grueling rehearsal session – and it goes on forever – with the therapist working on the poor kid’s sore feet, sore knees, sore ankles, sore arches, sore toes, sore ribs. You name it, it’s sore.
And it’s all the result of overtraining.
Professional dancers don’t lift weights, but they train every day of the week, and they do thousands and thousands of reps of what are essentially bodyweight exercises and advanced stretches. It’s not heavy training, but it’s super high-volume training. And over time, the training takes a tremendous toll on their bodies.
Which leads me to a couple of important observations for those of us who are training to be bigger, stronger, and more powerful:
1. Weight training is the hardest, heaviest, most concentrated physical activity there is. If you do it right, a little lifting goes a very long way.
2. Unlike a professional dancer, you do NOT need to devote endless hours to your strength training. Nor do you need to do it every day. Three times a week is fine – for 45 minutes an hour. For super –advanced man, 3x per week for up to 90 minutes would be okay. But that’s it! That’s all you need if you do it right. More is neither necessary nor desirable.
3. If a 90 pound dancer can work her body into a state of utter exhaustion and injury by training too long and too often on bodyweight exercises and stretching, then imagine the kind of stress a 200 pound lifter imposes on his body when he squats and deadlifts with heavy weights?
4. One reason the dancers tear themselves up is because they diet very severely to keep their weight down. (Natalie Portman supposedly dieted down to 88 pounds for this role, which is insane.) Lifters take note – you don’t want to be fat, but if you’re training for strength you need to eat enough to support your efforts. Your body needs plenty of nutrition to recover from heavy training.
5. Professional dancers are in their 20’s, and they usually stop performing sometime in their 30’s – because their bodies just can’t take the abuse any longer. The same is true of virtually all athletes, amateur and professional. If you’re an older lifter, you need to remember that you’re training much harder and heavier than virtually anyone else your age in the entire world – and that means, you need to train SMART!
6. Many trainees believe that they can do heavy weight training three times per week and then do bodyweight training, cardio, or high rep kettlebell work on their “off days.” But most who try this fail. Why? Because those high rep and cardio workouts on their “off” days turn the “off” days into training days. Go back to the example of the dancers and the stress and strain they impose on their bodies from nothing but bodyweight workouts and stretching.
7. A much better way to include bodyweight training, cardio or high rep kettlebell work is to do it on the same day you do your heavy lifting (right after your heavy lifting) – or else train three times per week or every other day and alternate heavy workouts with the lighter “conditioning” stuff – with a day of rest between each workout.
So there you are. Seven training tips inspired by – of all things – a ballet movie. Next week, Trudi and I are going to go see a REAL movie – “True Grit.” That ought to give me plenty to write about.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, do it Dino style: hard, heavy and serious!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My new book, Chalk and Sweat, gives you detailed instruction on building strength and muscle as fast as possible – with 50 different workouts for trainees at all levels of development. You really want to have this one on your bookshelf:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. Save money on shipping by doubling up on your orders – grab Chalk and Sweat and a Dinosaur Training hoodie – or grab Chalk and Sweat along with one of my other books and courses:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Trudi has been dying to see “The Black Swan” – a movie about a ballerina who is chosen to perform the lead role in Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, “Swan Lake.” So we headed over to the neighborhood theater and saw the thing.
Now, normally, I’d pass on a ballet movie, but this one starred Natalie Portman, which immediately gives it high marks – and it was directed by the guy who directed Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” a few years ago. So I was hopeful that we’d see ballet combined with a flying elbow drop from the top turnbuckle – or maybe even a cameo by Bruno Sammartino or Ric Flair.
No such luck. It was strictly a ballet film.
And one of the things it featured was the incredible training that professional dancers go through – and the resulting wear and tear on their bodies. There’s one scene where a massage therapist is giving Natalie Portman a combination chiropractic and trigger point session to relieve the aches and pains from her grueling rehearsal session – and it goes on forever – with the therapist working on the poor kid’s sore feet, sore knees, sore ankles, sore arches, sore toes, sore ribs. You name it, it’s sore.
And it’s all the result of overtraining.
Professional dancers don’t lift weights, but they train every day of the week, and they do thousands and thousands of reps of what are essentially bodyweight exercises and advanced stretches. It’s not heavy training, but it’s super high-volume training. And over time, the training takes a tremendous toll on their bodies.
Which leads me to a couple of important observations for those of us who are training to be bigger, stronger, and more powerful:
1. Weight training is the hardest, heaviest, most concentrated physical activity there is. If you do it right, a little lifting goes a very long way.
2. Unlike a professional dancer, you do NOT need to devote endless hours to your strength training. Nor do you need to do it every day. Three times a week is fine – for 45 minutes an hour. For super –advanced man, 3x per week for up to 90 minutes would be okay. But that’s it! That’s all you need if you do it right. More is neither necessary nor desirable.
3. If a 90 pound dancer can work her body into a state of utter exhaustion and injury by training too long and too often on bodyweight exercises and stretching, then imagine the kind of stress a 200 pound lifter imposes on his body when he squats and deadlifts with heavy weights?
4. One reason the dancers tear themselves up is because they diet very severely to keep their weight down. (Natalie Portman supposedly dieted down to 88 pounds for this role, which is insane.) Lifters take note – you don’t want to be fat, but if you’re training for strength you need to eat enough to support your efforts. Your body needs plenty of nutrition to recover from heavy training.
5. Professional dancers are in their 20’s, and they usually stop performing sometime in their 30’s – because their bodies just can’t take the abuse any longer. The same is true of virtually all athletes, amateur and professional. If you’re an older lifter, you need to remember that you’re training much harder and heavier than virtually anyone else your age in the entire world – and that means, you need to train SMART!
6. Many trainees believe that they can do heavy weight training three times per week and then do bodyweight training, cardio, or high rep kettlebell work on their “off days.” But most who try this fail. Why? Because those high rep and cardio workouts on their “off” days turn the “off” days into training days. Go back to the example of the dancers and the stress and strain they impose on their bodies from nothing but bodyweight workouts and stretching.
7. A much better way to include bodyweight training, cardio or high rep kettlebell work is to do it on the same day you do your heavy lifting (right after your heavy lifting) – or else train three times per week or every other day and alternate heavy workouts with the lighter “conditioning” stuff – with a day of rest between each workout.
So there you are. Seven training tips inspired by – of all things – a ballet movie. Next week, Trudi and I are going to go see a REAL movie – “True Grit.” That ought to give me plenty to write about.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, do it Dino style: hard, heavy and serious!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My new book, Chalk and Sweat, gives you detailed instruction on building strength and muscle as fast as possible – with 50 different workouts for trainees at all levels of development. You really want to have this one on your bookshelf:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. Save money on shipping by doubling up on your orders – grab Chalk and Sweat and a Dinosaur Training hoodie – or grab Chalk and Sweat along with one of my other books and courses:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (DINO VERSION)
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Here’s another Dinosaur Christmas tradition – I think you’ll like it:
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the gym,
the lifters were lifting with vigor and vim.
They squatted so heavy the bars were all bending,
as they ground out the reps in the sets never ending.
They snatched and they pressed and they cleaned and they jerked,
until all of their muscles were thoroughly worked.
Then they ran to their sandbags and heaved them up high,
then heaved them again – right up into the sky!
When out in the back there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the rack to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave a luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
but a bag-flattened sleigh and unconscious reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
He was hopping and shouting and yelling and screaming.
He wasn’t just hot – he was totally steaming!
“You sandbagged my sled!” he cried in dismay.
“And that means you ruined the big Christmas day!
My toys are all broken, there’s no time to fix ‘em –
And look what you did to poor Prancer and Vixen!”
The lifters were flummoxed. “We’re sorry!” they cried.
And they picked up the reindeer and brought them inside.
“Quick!” someone shouted, “I know what to do!
We’ll whip up a batch of a high-powered brew!”
We started with milk and eggnog and eggs,
and added Hi Protein and poured it in kegs.
We tossed in some chocolate and ice cream for flavor,
Then added some honey, for reindeer to savor.
We mixed it together until it was ready,
Then lifted the reindeer and held them all steady.
We gave each performer three cups of the stuff,
Then added another to make it enough.
“It’s working!” cried Santa. “They’re coming around!
“That Hi Protein potion is the best to be found!”
He turned to his sled – we had fixed that as well –
if the toys could be fixed, then all would be well.
“There’s no time to do it,” said Nicholas, sadly.
“This is one trip that is turning out badly.”
The lifters were quiet and took all the blame,
And hung their heads lower in sorrow and shame.
Then Santa bent over and picked up a letter
That lay in the snow, getting wetter and wetter.
The letter said, “Santa, for Christmas I’d like
a whole lot of muscles. Your friend, Little Mike.”
“That’s perfect!” I cried. “Here’s a course for the kid!
We’ll send one to each of them!” And that’s what we did.
Each kid got a course and a full set of weights --
barbells, and dumbbells and squat stands and plates!
Now Santa was smiling – the good boys and girls
Would soon have their barbells for presses and curls!
The kids would be healthy and happy and strong –
For with barbells and dumbbells you never go wrong.
Santa sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Here’s another Dinosaur Christmas tradition – I think you’ll like it:
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the gym,
the lifters were lifting with vigor and vim.
They squatted so heavy the bars were all bending,
as they ground out the reps in the sets never ending.
They snatched and they pressed and they cleaned and they jerked,
until all of their muscles were thoroughly worked.
Then they ran to their sandbags and heaved them up high,
then heaved them again – right up into the sky!
When out in the back there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the rack to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave a luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
but a bag-flattened sleigh and unconscious reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
He was hopping and shouting and yelling and screaming.
He wasn’t just hot – he was totally steaming!
“You sandbagged my sled!” he cried in dismay.
“And that means you ruined the big Christmas day!
My toys are all broken, there’s no time to fix ‘em –
And look what you did to poor Prancer and Vixen!”
The lifters were flummoxed. “We’re sorry!” they cried.
And they picked up the reindeer and brought them inside.
“Quick!” someone shouted, “I know what to do!
We’ll whip up a batch of a high-powered brew!”
We started with milk and eggnog and eggs,
and added Hi Protein and poured it in kegs.
We tossed in some chocolate and ice cream for flavor,
Then added some honey, for reindeer to savor.
We mixed it together until it was ready,
Then lifted the reindeer and held them all steady.
We gave each performer three cups of the stuff,
Then added another to make it enough.
“It’s working!” cried Santa. “They’re coming around!
“That Hi Protein potion is the best to be found!”
He turned to his sled – we had fixed that as well –
if the toys could be fixed, then all would be well.
“There’s no time to do it,” said Nicholas, sadly.
“This is one trip that is turning out badly.”
The lifters were quiet and took all the blame,
And hung their heads lower in sorrow and shame.
Then Santa bent over and picked up a letter
That lay in the snow, getting wetter and wetter.
The letter said, “Santa, for Christmas I’d like
a whole lot of muscles. Your friend, Little Mike.”
“That’s perfect!” I cried. “Here’s a course for the kid!
We’ll send one to each of them!” And that’s what we did.
Each kid got a course and a full set of weights --
barbells, and dumbbells and squat stands and plates!
Now Santa was smiling – the good boys and girls
Would soon have their barbells for presses and curls!
The kids would be healthy and happy and strong –
For with barbells and dumbbells you never go wrong.
Santa sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Merry Christmas, everyone!
AN UPDATE ON THE HARRY PASCHALL MEMORIAL FUND
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I wanted to give you an update on the Harry Paschall Memorial Fund. If you missed the news back in November, here’s the story.
Harry Paschall was one of the best-known figures in the Iron Game in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. His long-running “Behind the Scenes” series in Strength and Health – accompanied by his inimitable BOSCO cartoons, brought him a worldwide audience.
Harry also wrote for Peary Rader’s Iron Man, for Roger Eells’ VIM, and for various British magazines. And he also wrote a series of books and training courses. He was one of the most prolific Iron Game authors of all time – and one of the bets loved.
Harry was a great friend with the York lifters, and finished his career by working on what must have been his dream job – working as the Managing Editor of Strength and Health.
Harry died of a heart attack on September 24, 1957. He was driving back to York after having visited the printer in Maryland, to go over the upcoming issue of the magazine.
Back in September I was working on one of my Legacy of Iron novels – in which Harry is one of the main characters. I needed to check something, so I ran a quick google search – and up popped some Paschall family genealogy – and that led me to do another search – and up popped some burial records – and that gave me the address of a genealogist and historian – who had the burial records – and the next thing you knew, I had the exact location of Harry’s grave.
It was in an old country cemetery in Ohio – which meant it was not too terribly far from Louisville.
Now, if you’ve been reading the Legacy of Iron series, you know that one of the major themes is paying respects to the great lifters and writers of the past – remembering the men and their accomplishments – keeping their story alive – and honoring them.
There are several scenes where Harry or other characters visit the grave of a famous strongman to pay their respects. One of them (in book two) takes place in an old country cemetery.
So it was obvious what I had to do. I had to go visit Harry’s grave – and pay my respects to one of the truly great men in the history of the Iron Game.
My parents live in Dayton, Ohio. Trudi and I drove up to see them in early November, and the next morning, we got up early, jumped in the car, and headed northwest. Our destination was the old country cemetery where Harry was buried.
I drove. Trudi navigated. It was one of those “turn left at the old oak tree – drive two miles and turn right at the fork in the road – turn left at the third hawk in the tree – and keep going until you see the big rock past the cornfield.”
It was a wonder we made it – but we did.
We got to the old cemetery, jumped out of the car, and headed toward the spot where Harry was buried.
We passed his mother’s grave – and then his father’s – and then his brother’s.
And then we found Harry’s grave – and we stopped dead in our tracks.
Harry Paschall, one of the most beloved of all Iron Game authors, was buried in an unmarked grave.
You could see the place where the grave had been dug – covered over with yellow-brown grass – but that was all.
No marker, and no sign that there had ever been one.
It was really a shock. A very sad sight.
We took photos, and then Trudi filmed a short video to record the moment. It’s on YouTube.
On the way back, our hearts heavy and our hands numb with cold, we talked about what to do. Trudi suggested that we start a Memorial Fund to collect donations to purchase a marker for Harry.
So that’s what we did.
We launched the Harry Paschall Memorial Fund back in November, and kept it open for about a week. During that time, we received donations from lifters and lifting fans around the world – including some famous names (two Mr. America winners and one Olympic and World Weightlifting Champion).
In the first day, we raised enough money for a modest marker.
In the second day, we raised enough to upgrade to a larger marker made with higher quality stone.
Two days later, we were able to upgrade to an even bigger marker – with even better stone – and more words on the marker.
And when we closed, we had enough to cover the cost of the marker and flowers – and to pay the Township that manages the cemetery to place flowers on Harry’s grave every year pretty much forever.
In other words, the Dinos did good. Real good.
The marker should be ready in about 4 months. It will be made of black marble, with Harry’s name and dates, and BOSCO carved into the stone as well.
When it’s ready, Trudi and I will go back to the old cemetery and take a photo. I’ll post if so you can see it. And everyone who made a donation is going to get a color copy of the photo in the mail.
Harry’s been buried without a marker for 53 years. Together, I think we just got him a heck of a Christmas present.
Rest in peace, Harry – we love you!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I want to thank everyone who stepped up and made a donation to help buy a marker for Harry. It was a great thing to do. THANK YOU!
I wanted to give you an update on the Harry Paschall Memorial Fund. If you missed the news back in November, here’s the story.
Harry Paschall was one of the best-known figures in the Iron Game in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. His long-running “Behind the Scenes” series in Strength and Health – accompanied by his inimitable BOSCO cartoons, brought him a worldwide audience.
Harry also wrote for Peary Rader’s Iron Man, for Roger Eells’ VIM, and for various British magazines. And he also wrote a series of books and training courses. He was one of the most prolific Iron Game authors of all time – and one of the bets loved.
Harry was a great friend with the York lifters, and finished his career by working on what must have been his dream job – working as the Managing Editor of Strength and Health.
Harry died of a heart attack on September 24, 1957. He was driving back to York after having visited the printer in Maryland, to go over the upcoming issue of the magazine.
Back in September I was working on one of my Legacy of Iron novels – in which Harry is one of the main characters. I needed to check something, so I ran a quick google search – and up popped some Paschall family genealogy – and that led me to do another search – and up popped some burial records – and that gave me the address of a genealogist and historian – who had the burial records – and the next thing you knew, I had the exact location of Harry’s grave.
It was in an old country cemetery in Ohio – which meant it was not too terribly far from Louisville.
Now, if you’ve been reading the Legacy of Iron series, you know that one of the major themes is paying respects to the great lifters and writers of the past – remembering the men and their accomplishments – keeping their story alive – and honoring them.
There are several scenes where Harry or other characters visit the grave of a famous strongman to pay their respects. One of them (in book two) takes place in an old country cemetery.
So it was obvious what I had to do. I had to go visit Harry’s grave – and pay my respects to one of the truly great men in the history of the Iron Game.
My parents live in Dayton, Ohio. Trudi and I drove up to see them in early November, and the next morning, we got up early, jumped in the car, and headed northwest. Our destination was the old country cemetery where Harry was buried.
I drove. Trudi navigated. It was one of those “turn left at the old oak tree – drive two miles and turn right at the fork in the road – turn left at the third hawk in the tree – and keep going until you see the big rock past the cornfield.”
It was a wonder we made it – but we did.
We got to the old cemetery, jumped out of the car, and headed toward the spot where Harry was buried.
We passed his mother’s grave – and then his father’s – and then his brother’s.
And then we found Harry’s grave – and we stopped dead in our tracks.
Harry Paschall, one of the most beloved of all Iron Game authors, was buried in an unmarked grave.
You could see the place where the grave had been dug – covered over with yellow-brown grass – but that was all.
No marker, and no sign that there had ever been one.
It was really a shock. A very sad sight.
We took photos, and then Trudi filmed a short video to record the moment. It’s on YouTube.
On the way back, our hearts heavy and our hands numb with cold, we talked about what to do. Trudi suggested that we start a Memorial Fund to collect donations to purchase a marker for Harry.
So that’s what we did.
We launched the Harry Paschall Memorial Fund back in November, and kept it open for about a week. During that time, we received donations from lifters and lifting fans around the world – including some famous names (two Mr. America winners and one Olympic and World Weightlifting Champion).
In the first day, we raised enough money for a modest marker.
In the second day, we raised enough to upgrade to a larger marker made with higher quality stone.
Two days later, we were able to upgrade to an even bigger marker – with even better stone – and more words on the marker.
And when we closed, we had enough to cover the cost of the marker and flowers – and to pay the Township that manages the cemetery to place flowers on Harry’s grave every year pretty much forever.
In other words, the Dinos did good. Real good.
The marker should be ready in about 4 months. It will be made of black marble, with Harry’s name and dates, and BOSCO carved into the stone as well.
When it’s ready, Trudi and I will go back to the old cemetery and take a photo. I’ll post if so you can see it. And everyone who made a donation is going to get a color copy of the photo in the mail.
Harry’s been buried without a marker for 53 years. Together, I think we just got him a heck of a Christmas present.
Rest in peace, Harry – we love you!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I want to thank everyone who stepped up and made a donation to help buy a marker for Harry. It was a great thing to do. THANK YOU!
THE STRONGMAN'S CHRISTMAS (PART THREE)
Note: This is the third part of the story -- if you missed parts one and two, scroll down and read them first!
Part Three
It was the last performance before Christmas, and it may have been his best of the year.
He lifted enormous, thick-handled barbells, stupendous dumbbells and massive kettle-bells.
He juggled 56-pound block weights.
Then he juggled his kettlebells.
And then he juggled two cannonballs.
He asked one of the stagehands to come onto the stage – a man weighing perhaps 140 or 150 pounds – and used the man to perform the Manual of Arms as easily as if he were holding an 8-pound rifle.
He broke chains with his bare hands – and snapped others by having them wrapped around d his chest – and then breathing deeply, filling his lungs, and flexing every muscle in his upper body.
He twisted metal bars and horseshoes as if they were made of rubber.
Ten men from the audience came on stage, and he beat all ten of them at the same time in a tug of war.
He lifted 500 pounds with one finger.
He performed a back-lift with a specially constructed stage while 20 men from the audience stood on it.
The crowd loved it. They clapped and cheered louder and louder with each successive feat of strength.
He ended the performance with a titanic feat of strength.
It began when six burly stagehands rolled an enormous globe barbell onto the stage. It lay in the center of the stage, looking massive and menacing.
The strongman invited two men from the audience to step on stage and try to lift the bell. Two husky heroes accepted the invitation – and failed to budge it.
The strongman challenged four men to attempt to lift the barbell.
Two more men stepped onto the stage and cautiously approached the barbell.
One man bent down and wrapped his arms as far as possible around one of the globes.
The other man did the same.
The first two men grabbed the thick handled bar. Their hands could barely wrap around it.
“On the count of three!” said the strongman.
The men nodded and tightened their grips.
“One!”
The men gripped harder than ever.
“Two!”
The men barely dared to breathe.
“THREE!”
The four men heaved with all their might – but nothing happened.
For several long, agonizing seconds they pulled and strained – and then the man holding the left globe suddenly lost his grip and fell backwards – and then the man holding the other globe did the same – and then one of the men pulling against the bat fell forward – and the other man let go, stood up, and backed away, shaking his head.
“It’s impossible,” he said. “No man could lift this!”
“Stand aside – out of the way!”
The strongman approached the bar. With quick, sure, practiced movements, he reached down, levered it up on end, slipped his right hand under the center of the bar and dipped under it.
The audience gasped as the huge barbell rose up as if by magic.
The strongman smiled as the bar balanced on his shoulder.
He turned slightly, and began to lower his body, twisting himself under the barbell.
He finished in a deep squat, holding the bar overhead with one hand.
And then he stood up.
He finished the lift with the bar overhead – and smiled at the audience as he supported the huge weight.
And then, for good measure – he squatted down again, picked up a heavy kettlebell, rocked it to his other shoulder, and then pressed it overhead.
The crowd went wild.
Back in his dressing room, he showered, and changed back into his street clothes.
He had just finished tying his tie when he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened, and a well-dressed man stepped inside. He was middle-aged, with short, silver-gray hair, but he stood tall and straight, and moved with the grace of an athlete.
He held an engraved calling card in his hand, and passed it to the strongman, who glanced at it curiously.
His eyes opened in surprise and he read the card a second time.
“Let me come straight to the point,” said the stranger. “That was a magnificent performance this afternoon. Simply outstanding. You’re the very best strongman in the world – but you’re doing neither yourself nor the world any favors by performing in a place like this. I am prepared to offer you double whatever they’re paying you here – to tour the United States with my circus. I’ll give you a guaranteed one year contract and everything you need to perform your act.”
“Food and drink?”
“As much as you want.”
“I have two brothers – what about them?”
“Are they strong?’
“They’re my brothers. They’re strong.”
“Then I want them, too.”
The strongman nodded.
“There’s one more thing I want,’ he said.
“Name it.”
“There’s a boy down the street who sells hot roasted chestnuts. He’s an orphan – his parents died of the flu. I want you to hire him as well.”
“To do what?”
“He can sell chestnuts just as well in the circus as on the street corner.”
‘They must be a special kind of chestnuts.”
The strongman shook his head.
“No – but he’s special kind of kid,” he said.
The circus owner nodded and extended his hand.
“It’s a deal,” he said.
The strongman reached out and offered his own massive hand.
“Deal,” he said.
As the men shook hands, there was another knock on the door.
"Come in!"
The blonde chorus girl stepped inside.
"Oh -- I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't know you had company."
"The circus owner bowed and smiled.
"Not at all," he said. "A mere business discussion -- and we're concluded."
He turned back to the strongman.
"I'll have my lawyer draw up a contract and deliver it next week," he said. "And I wish you a merry Christmas!"
He left, leaving the door open.
The chorus girl turned to the strongman.
"I thought you might want to buy some chestnuts," she said. "You know -- from the kid. Just to help him get some food for Christmas."
The strongman shook his head.
"I think we'll take him to dinner instead," he said. "This is a Christmas he'll remember forever."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He told her, and she clapped her hands for sheer joy, then through herself against his chest, crushed him in a hug and kissed him.
"That's the best Christmas present ever," she cried. "Let's go tell him!"
They stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind them, and then stepped through the big doors at the front of the theater and into the busy street.
The wind blew fiercely as the walked toward the boy at the chestnut stand. It half ripped a poster from the wall of the theater -- a poster that proudly proclaimed: "FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT -- THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD -- ARTHUR SAXON!"
Part Three
It was the last performance before Christmas, and it may have been his best of the year.
He lifted enormous, thick-handled barbells, stupendous dumbbells and massive kettle-bells.
He juggled 56-pound block weights.
Then he juggled his kettlebells.
And then he juggled two cannonballs.
He asked one of the stagehands to come onto the stage – a man weighing perhaps 140 or 150 pounds – and used the man to perform the Manual of Arms as easily as if he were holding an 8-pound rifle.
He broke chains with his bare hands – and snapped others by having them wrapped around d his chest – and then breathing deeply, filling his lungs, and flexing every muscle in his upper body.
He twisted metal bars and horseshoes as if they were made of rubber.
Ten men from the audience came on stage, and he beat all ten of them at the same time in a tug of war.
He lifted 500 pounds with one finger.
He performed a back-lift with a specially constructed stage while 20 men from the audience stood on it.
The crowd loved it. They clapped and cheered louder and louder with each successive feat of strength.
He ended the performance with a titanic feat of strength.
It began when six burly stagehands rolled an enormous globe barbell onto the stage. It lay in the center of the stage, looking massive and menacing.
The strongman invited two men from the audience to step on stage and try to lift the bell. Two husky heroes accepted the invitation – and failed to budge it.
The strongman challenged four men to attempt to lift the barbell.
Two more men stepped onto the stage and cautiously approached the barbell.
One man bent down and wrapped his arms as far as possible around one of the globes.
The other man did the same.
The first two men grabbed the thick handled bar. Their hands could barely wrap around it.
“On the count of three!” said the strongman.
The men nodded and tightened their grips.
“One!”
The men gripped harder than ever.
“Two!”
The men barely dared to breathe.
“THREE!”
The four men heaved with all their might – but nothing happened.
For several long, agonizing seconds they pulled and strained – and then the man holding the left globe suddenly lost his grip and fell backwards – and then the man holding the other globe did the same – and then one of the men pulling against the bat fell forward – and the other man let go, stood up, and backed away, shaking his head.
“It’s impossible,” he said. “No man could lift this!”
“Stand aside – out of the way!”
The strongman approached the bar. With quick, sure, practiced movements, he reached down, levered it up on end, slipped his right hand under the center of the bar and dipped under it.
The audience gasped as the huge barbell rose up as if by magic.
The strongman smiled as the bar balanced on his shoulder.
He turned slightly, and began to lower his body, twisting himself under the barbell.
He finished in a deep squat, holding the bar overhead with one hand.
And then he stood up.
He finished the lift with the bar overhead – and smiled at the audience as he supported the huge weight.
And then, for good measure – he squatted down again, picked up a heavy kettlebell, rocked it to his other shoulder, and then pressed it overhead.
The crowd went wild.
Back in his dressing room, he showered, and changed back into his street clothes.
He had just finished tying his tie when he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened, and a well-dressed man stepped inside. He was middle-aged, with short, silver-gray hair, but he stood tall and straight, and moved with the grace of an athlete.
He held an engraved calling card in his hand, and passed it to the strongman, who glanced at it curiously.
His eyes opened in surprise and he read the card a second time.
“Let me come straight to the point,” said the stranger. “That was a magnificent performance this afternoon. Simply outstanding. You’re the very best strongman in the world – but you’re doing neither yourself nor the world any favors by performing in a place like this. I am prepared to offer you double whatever they’re paying you here – to tour the United States with my circus. I’ll give you a guaranteed one year contract and everything you need to perform your act.”
“Food and drink?”
“As much as you want.”
“I have two brothers – what about them?”
“Are they strong?’
“They’re my brothers. They’re strong.”
“Then I want them, too.”
The strongman nodded.
“There’s one more thing I want,’ he said.
“Name it.”
“There’s a boy down the street who sells hot roasted chestnuts. He’s an orphan – his parents died of the flu. I want you to hire him as well.”
“To do what?”
“He can sell chestnuts just as well in the circus as on the street corner.”
‘They must be a special kind of chestnuts.”
The strongman shook his head.
“No – but he’s special kind of kid,” he said.
The circus owner nodded and extended his hand.
“It’s a deal,” he said.
The strongman reached out and offered his own massive hand.
“Deal,” he said.
As the men shook hands, there was another knock on the door.
"Come in!"
The blonde chorus girl stepped inside.
"Oh -- I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't know you had company."
"The circus owner bowed and smiled.
"Not at all," he said. "A mere business discussion -- and we're concluded."
He turned back to the strongman.
"I'll have my lawyer draw up a contract and deliver it next week," he said. "And I wish you a merry Christmas!"
He left, leaving the door open.
The chorus girl turned to the strongman.
"I thought you might want to buy some chestnuts," she said. "You know -- from the kid. Just to help him get some food for Christmas."
The strongman shook his head.
"I think we'll take him to dinner instead," he said. "This is a Christmas he'll remember forever."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He told her, and she clapped her hands for sheer joy, then through herself against his chest, crushed him in a hug and kissed him.
"That's the best Christmas present ever," she cried. "Let's go tell him!"
They stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind them, and then stepped through the big doors at the front of the theater and into the busy street.
The wind blew fiercely as the walked toward the boy at the chestnut stand. It half ripped a poster from the wall of the theater -- a poster that proudly proclaimed: "FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT -- THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD -- ARTHUR SAXON!"
Dinosaur Feedback from Around the World!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The feedback continues to come flying in from Dinos around the world. Here’s a look at some of the morning’s mail here at Dino HQ:
1. Chalk and Sweat Hits the UK
Received my copy this morning, Brooks. Thanks for such amazingly quick shipping, it arrived even quicker than post from my own country! Pterodactyl Mail rocks, as does Trudi. Hoodie is great too, will definitely keep me warm and motivated when I'm squatting PBs in the snow. Have a great holiday. – Graeme Moore
Graeme – That was FAST! You ordered on Friday evening, and received it in the UK on Wednesday. That may be a new record – especially for December, with all the snow and ice you’re having, not to mention all the other Holiday mail. Enjoy the book, and yes, the hoodie will keep you warm – mine works very well for those cold-weather workouts! – Brooks
2. Chalk and Sweat in California
Received Chalk and Sweat today. It was probably here yesterday but we had no mail delivery due to the heavy rains here in California. It looks great -- I’ve already read several chapters! I will be incorporating my new Trap Bar, which is supposed to be delivered Thursday, and I am really looking forward to getting started with it. Take care and the best of Holidays to you, Trudi and your family, from “my Trudy” and me! – Mitch Giese
Mitch – Thanks for the report. I’m glad the book got there in spite of the wet weather. Enjoy the Trap Bar, and keep me posted on your training and your progress! – Brooks
3. “What A Grand Slam!”
Thank Trudi for getting Chalk and Sweat to me so fast! I am in Kansas and received it on Monday! What a grand slam, love the cover and the great 8 x 11 pic of Mr. Davis! So many killer routines to choose from. Thank you for putting out real, results producing training advice! I'm 36 and will be training Dino style for the rest of my life! Merry Christmas to you and your family, Brooks! Also, thanks for taking the time to autograph "the little monster" for me! -- Jeremy Miles
Jeremy – Thanks for the update, and I will definitely pass the THANK YOU along to Trudi. She works incredibly hard to get books and other items out to everyone. I write, she ships – it’s a total team effort! -- Brooks
4. Outsmarted!
Brooks, I know the book arrived yesterday, only problem my daughter Trini ordered it for me for Xmas. Now I can't read it until Christmas morning. –Joe Tarach
Joe – You’ll just have to bribe her. Jewelry,clothing or cash should work. -- Brooks
5. Another Thank You for Trudi
I received the books yesterday. Thank Trudi for the super quick service! I hope you and Trudi have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. -- Steve Fabian
Steve – I’ll pass the THANK YOU on to Trudi. She always appreciates it when someone thanks her for her efforts. Enjoy the books, and keep me posted on your training and your progress! – Brooks
6. Thank Goodness She Stopped Him!
I was surprised yesterday when my wife told me that she stopped the mailman from taking a package back to the post office. I gave her a big kiss when I saw it was from you and I knew it was Chalk And Sweat. So I want to Thank You and Trudi for the fast delivery. I started reading the book yesterday and when I finish my workout I'm doing now I'm going to try one of the Leg Specialization Programs. The Steiner Breathing Squat Program.) I love the workouts in the book. P.S Thank You for autographing the book. It made my day went I saw the message you wrote. – Victor Colon
Victor – Your wife was there in the nick of time! I’m glad she rescued your package. And I’m also glad to hear that you’re enjoying Chalk and Sweat. Have fun with the breathing squat workout, and let me know how it goes! – Brooks
7. Dinosaur Training in Finland
I just want to say thank you for the Dinosaur Training book! I ordered from you're web site couple of weeks ago and I received it here (to wintry Finland) yesterday. After the couple of chapters I've read I must say that the book is very motivating and also fun to read!
The thing that you say in the first chapters of the book about training hard and even harder gives a great inspiration and made me realize that if I really want to develop my strength (and health) capacity I must always try to push harder. I'm sure that the rest of the book is as good as or even better than the first chapters!
So thank you for the book and Merry Christmas!
Antti Taskinen
Antti – Thanks for your feedback. It’s always great to hear from someone who has discovered Dinosaur Training! Keep me posted as you read through it, and let me know how your training goes as you start hitting those T-Rex style workouts! – Brooks
To everyone – that wraps it up for now. I’ll post Part 3 of THE Strongman’s CHRISTMAS on the Dinosaur Training Blog a little later in the day, and send an email when it goes up.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. As you can see, Chalk and Sweat is a huge hit with readers. You can grab your copy right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2 When you order Chalk and Sweat, save on shipping and handling by grabbing one of our other books or courses – a Dinosaur Training t-shirt – a Dinosaur Training hoodie – or the Gray Hair and Black iron sweatshirts:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The feedback continues to come flying in from Dinos around the world. Here’s a look at some of the morning’s mail here at Dino HQ:
1. Chalk and Sweat Hits the UK
Received my copy this morning, Brooks. Thanks for such amazingly quick shipping, it arrived even quicker than post from my own country! Pterodactyl Mail rocks, as does Trudi. Hoodie is great too, will definitely keep me warm and motivated when I'm squatting PBs in the snow. Have a great holiday. – Graeme Moore
Graeme – That was FAST! You ordered on Friday evening, and received it in the UK on Wednesday. That may be a new record – especially for December, with all the snow and ice you’re having, not to mention all the other Holiday mail. Enjoy the book, and yes, the hoodie will keep you warm – mine works very well for those cold-weather workouts! – Brooks
2. Chalk and Sweat in California
Received Chalk and Sweat today. It was probably here yesterday but we had no mail delivery due to the heavy rains here in California. It looks great -- I’ve already read several chapters! I will be incorporating my new Trap Bar, which is supposed to be delivered Thursday, and I am really looking forward to getting started with it. Take care and the best of Holidays to you, Trudi and your family, from “my Trudy” and me! – Mitch Giese
Mitch – Thanks for the report. I’m glad the book got there in spite of the wet weather. Enjoy the Trap Bar, and keep me posted on your training and your progress! – Brooks
3. “What A Grand Slam!”
Thank Trudi for getting Chalk and Sweat to me so fast! I am in Kansas and received it on Monday! What a grand slam, love the cover and the great 8 x 11 pic of Mr. Davis! So many killer routines to choose from. Thank you for putting out real, results producing training advice! I'm 36 and will be training Dino style for the rest of my life! Merry Christmas to you and your family, Brooks! Also, thanks for taking the time to autograph "the little monster" for me! -- Jeremy Miles
Jeremy – Thanks for the update, and I will definitely pass the THANK YOU along to Trudi. She works incredibly hard to get books and other items out to everyone. I write, she ships – it’s a total team effort! -- Brooks
4. Outsmarted!
Brooks, I know the book arrived yesterday, only problem my daughter Trini ordered it for me for Xmas. Now I can't read it until Christmas morning. –Joe Tarach
Joe – You’ll just have to bribe her. Jewelry,clothing or cash should work. -- Brooks
5. Another Thank You for Trudi
I received the books yesterday. Thank Trudi for the super quick service! I hope you and Trudi have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. -- Steve Fabian
Steve – I’ll pass the THANK YOU on to Trudi. She always appreciates it when someone thanks her for her efforts. Enjoy the books, and keep me posted on your training and your progress! – Brooks
6. Thank Goodness She Stopped Him!
I was surprised yesterday when my wife told me that she stopped the mailman from taking a package back to the post office. I gave her a big kiss when I saw it was from you and I knew it was Chalk And Sweat. So I want to Thank You and Trudi for the fast delivery. I started reading the book yesterday and when I finish my workout I'm doing now I'm going to try one of the Leg Specialization Programs. The Steiner Breathing Squat Program.) I love the workouts in the book. P.S Thank You for autographing the book. It made my day went I saw the message you wrote. – Victor Colon
Victor – Your wife was there in the nick of time! I’m glad she rescued your package. And I’m also glad to hear that you’re enjoying Chalk and Sweat. Have fun with the breathing squat workout, and let me know how it goes! – Brooks
7. Dinosaur Training in Finland
I just want to say thank you for the Dinosaur Training book! I ordered from you're web site couple of weeks ago and I received it here (to wintry Finland) yesterday. After the couple of chapters I've read I must say that the book is very motivating and also fun to read!
The thing that you say in the first chapters of the book about training hard and even harder gives a great inspiration and made me realize that if I really want to develop my strength (and health) capacity I must always try to push harder. I'm sure that the rest of the book is as good as or even better than the first chapters!
So thank you for the book and Merry Christmas!
Antti Taskinen
Antti – Thanks for your feedback. It’s always great to hear from someone who has discovered Dinosaur Training! Keep me posted as you read through it, and let me know how your training goes as you start hitting those T-Rex style workouts! – Brooks
To everyone – that wraps it up for now. I’ll post Part 3 of THE Strongman’s CHRISTMAS on the Dinosaur Training Blog a little later in the day, and send an email when it goes up.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. As you can see, Chalk and Sweat is a huge hit with readers. You can grab your copy right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2 When you order Chalk and Sweat, save on shipping and handling by grabbing one of our other books or courses – a Dinosaur Training t-shirt – a Dinosaur Training hoodie – or the Gray Hair and Black iron sweatshirts:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
THE STRONGMAN'S CHRISTMAS (PART TWO)
Note: Every year I share a Holiday story with readers. This is part two of this year's Holiday story. I posted part one on Monday -- if you missed it, scroll on down and read part one before reading today's part of the story.
Part Two
He got back to the theatre early, and went back stage to his small dressing room.
He took off his heavy coat, and hung it on the hook on the wall.
He placed his hat on the dressing table, and laid his thick, warm leather gloves next to it.
There was a sharp knock at the door, followed by a high-pitched female voice.
“Are you decent?” the voice asked.
He sighed, and shook his head. Maria always asked that question when she knocked on his door. She always made the question sound a little bit hopeful – as if she hoped he was disrobing when she knocked on his door.
“I’m dressed,” he called. “Come in!”
He could have sworn he heard a small sigh of disappointment from behind the door.
The door opened and a chorus girl with blonde curls and nice curves stepped into the dressing room.
“I brought you something,” she said. “I thought you might be hungry.”
“That was kind of you!” he said. “It smells good. What is it?”
“Chestnuts. Hot roasted chestnuts. I bought them from the little boy who runs the stand down the street.”
That caught his attention!
“A short little boy – about so tall?”
He held his hand out, palm down, indicating the boy’s height.
She nodded.
“Pale, white skin – no gloves – wears an old jacket that’s ripped and torn? Old black hat that’s too big for him?”
She nodded again.
“Do you know him?”
He nodded.
“My hat ran away on a gust of wind earlier today,” he said. “He found it for me. And he wouldn’t accept a penny for helping me – so I bought a bag of chestnuts from him. It was the least I could do.”
“That’s funny,” she said.
“What – that my hat blew off?”
“No – that he found it for you ands wouldn’t accept any sort of payment. The very same thing happened to me. Not with my hat – but I had dropped my wallet. Her found it, and brought it to me. And he wouldn’t accept any kind of payment.”
“He seems like a good kid.”
She nodded.
“Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?” she said. “I just wish things weren’t so tough for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s an orphan. His parents died in the flu epidemic a few years ago. He’s been living on the streets ever since. I don’t know where he sleeps. I think he has some kind of hiding place somewhere. It must be really cold in the winter!”
“How d you know this?”
“He told me. We talk sometimes. I try to buy chestnuts from him whenever I can. Just to help out. He won’t take any handouts.”
He smiled.
“You’re getting a good bargain. They’re good chestnuts.”
She dropped her hands to her hips, moving them up and down in a sort of half-hearted slimming gesture.
“I don’t eat them,” she said, quickly (perhaps a little too quickly). “A girl has to watch her figure – you know how it is!”
He chuckled. She seemed so concerned – and really, there was no reason at all for her to feel that way. She was stunning. They always were. He’d spent his whole life working in vaudeville and circuses, performing his strongman act. The chorus girls were always stunning – but they always worried about “watching their figures”!
“I wish there were some way to really help him,” said the strongman. “Something more than just buying chestnuts from him.”
The chorus girl shook her head.
“There’s nothing else to do,” she said. “I don’t have much, but I’ve tried to give him money. He won’t take it.”
The strongman nodded slowly. He understood.
“He won’t take charity. He has to earn it. Has to make his own way in life.”
Now it was her turn to nod in understanding. He was right.
“That’s what I had to do,” she said.
He leaned forward and kissed the top her head.
“Me, too,” he said. “It’s what we all had to do. All of us who perform for a living. We all have the same story.”
A young stagehand popped his head around the side of the door. He had red hair and freckles, and was chewing a huge wad of gum.
“Curtain call in thirty minutes!” he said. “You’d better start to get ready!”
The chorus girl turned and stuck out her tongue.
“You’re worse than the stage manager,” she said.
“I know!” laughed the stagehand. “That’s why you love me so much!”
She laughed.
“Not ‘til Hell freezes over!” she said.
“Then I’m in luck!” countered the stagehand. “”As cold as it is, that just might happen!”
He turned and headed down the hall.
The chorus girl turned back to the strongman.
“I have to go now,” she said. “I need to get dressed.”
He nodded.
“Me, too.”
“I’d like to stay,” she said. “I mean – to talk. You know. But I gotta get changed.”
He nodded.
“Duty calls. The show must go on.”
“Yeah – something like that.”
The chorus girl turned and walked down the hall to the dancer’s dressing room.
The strongman closed the door, and started to change into his costume. As he did, he thought about the little boy who made a living by selling hot roasted chestnuts. There must be something to do to help him!
Part Two
He got back to the theatre early, and went back stage to his small dressing room.
He took off his heavy coat, and hung it on the hook on the wall.
He placed his hat on the dressing table, and laid his thick, warm leather gloves next to it.
There was a sharp knock at the door, followed by a high-pitched female voice.
“Are you decent?” the voice asked.
He sighed, and shook his head. Maria always asked that question when she knocked on his door. She always made the question sound a little bit hopeful – as if she hoped he was disrobing when she knocked on his door.
“I’m dressed,” he called. “Come in!”
He could have sworn he heard a small sigh of disappointment from behind the door.
The door opened and a chorus girl with blonde curls and nice curves stepped into the dressing room.
“I brought you something,” she said. “I thought you might be hungry.”
“That was kind of you!” he said. “It smells good. What is it?”
“Chestnuts. Hot roasted chestnuts. I bought them from the little boy who runs the stand down the street.”
That caught his attention!
“A short little boy – about so tall?”
He held his hand out, palm down, indicating the boy’s height.
She nodded.
“Pale, white skin – no gloves – wears an old jacket that’s ripped and torn? Old black hat that’s too big for him?”
She nodded again.
“Do you know him?”
He nodded.
“My hat ran away on a gust of wind earlier today,” he said. “He found it for me. And he wouldn’t accept a penny for helping me – so I bought a bag of chestnuts from him. It was the least I could do.”
“That’s funny,” she said.
“What – that my hat blew off?”
“No – that he found it for you ands wouldn’t accept any sort of payment. The very same thing happened to me. Not with my hat – but I had dropped my wallet. Her found it, and brought it to me. And he wouldn’t accept any kind of payment.”
“He seems like a good kid.”
She nodded.
“Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?” she said. “I just wish things weren’t so tough for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s an orphan. His parents died in the flu epidemic a few years ago. He’s been living on the streets ever since. I don’t know where he sleeps. I think he has some kind of hiding place somewhere. It must be really cold in the winter!”
“How d you know this?”
“He told me. We talk sometimes. I try to buy chestnuts from him whenever I can. Just to help out. He won’t take any handouts.”
He smiled.
“You’re getting a good bargain. They’re good chestnuts.”
She dropped her hands to her hips, moving them up and down in a sort of half-hearted slimming gesture.
“I don’t eat them,” she said, quickly (perhaps a little too quickly). “A girl has to watch her figure – you know how it is!”
He chuckled. She seemed so concerned – and really, there was no reason at all for her to feel that way. She was stunning. They always were. He’d spent his whole life working in vaudeville and circuses, performing his strongman act. The chorus girls were always stunning – but they always worried about “watching their figures”!
“I wish there were some way to really help him,” said the strongman. “Something more than just buying chestnuts from him.”
The chorus girl shook her head.
“There’s nothing else to do,” she said. “I don’t have much, but I’ve tried to give him money. He won’t take it.”
The strongman nodded slowly. He understood.
“He won’t take charity. He has to earn it. Has to make his own way in life.”
Now it was her turn to nod in understanding. He was right.
“That’s what I had to do,” she said.
He leaned forward and kissed the top her head.
“Me, too,” he said. “It’s what we all had to do. All of us who perform for a living. We all have the same story.”
A young stagehand popped his head around the side of the door. He had red hair and freckles, and was chewing a huge wad of gum.
“Curtain call in thirty minutes!” he said. “You’d better start to get ready!”
The chorus girl turned and stuck out her tongue.
“You’re worse than the stage manager,” she said.
“I know!” laughed the stagehand. “That’s why you love me so much!”
She laughed.
“Not ‘til Hell freezes over!” she said.
“Then I’m in luck!” countered the stagehand. “”As cold as it is, that just might happen!”
He turned and headed down the hall.
The chorus girl turned back to the strongman.
“I have to go now,” she said. “I need to get dressed.”
He nodded.
“Me, too.”
“I’d like to stay,” she said. “I mean – to talk. You know. But I gotta get changed.”
He nodded.
“Duty calls. The show must go on.”
“Yeah – something like that.”
The chorus girl turned and walked down the hall to the dancer’s dressing room.
The strongman closed the door, and started to change into his costume. As he did, he thought about the little boy who made a living by selling hot roasted chestnuts. There must be something to do to help him!
Chalk and Sweat Feedback!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
First of all, it’s a Holiday tradition here at Dinosaur Headquarters to share a Christmas story with you. I have one going on the Dinosaur Training Blog. Part One went up yesterday. Part Two will go up later today.
Second, let me share some feedback on Chalk and Sweat from the lucky Dinos who received their copy of the little monster on Monday – which means, by the way, that it shipped by pterodactyl mail, because we launched it on Friday. So Trudi’s shipping service has been spectacular!
“Thanks for the remarkably rapid delivery of Chalk and Sweat and the Doug Hepburn book -- all beautifully inscribed as well! It was in my PO
Box this afternoon (Monday), after last Friday's order. Your
efficiency is inspirational (along with your training, and writing). -- Peter
Peter – Thanks for your feedback. The efficiency in the shipping is 100% Trudi’s doing. I just sign the books for those who want a signed copy. (Actually, I spent all day signing books on Friday and Saturday – talk about writer’s cramp!) -- Brooks
“I want to first start by saying thank you for writing Chalk and Sweat,
it's incredible. I just received it today and began truly training like a dinosaur. My first day I started with the beginner barbell workout No. 1, however, finding it a little easier than anticipated I blended some of the intermediate practices and turned it into a 5 x 5 workout. It was downright killer. I was sweating more than I ever have and was struggling to stay standing between sets. It was freaking great. Thank you for showing me what true hard work is. – Adam
Adam – Good job, but if you are a true beginner, start light and build up progressively as detailed in Chalk and Sweat. Take the time to build a really strong foundation for future gains! – Brooks
“I ordered Chalk and Sweat Friday night and received it today. I've been dying all weekend to read it and was expecting to have to wait a week or more because of the holidays so I was excited to find it in the mail. I've looked it over briefly and it looks great. I think I'll be up late reading it. Also thanks for signing it for me.” -- Dan Shorten
Dan – Thanks for your feedback, and I’m glad the book got there so soon. Keep me posted on your training and your progress as you work through the programs in the book. – Brooks
“I received your new book, Chalk and Sweat today, thank you for signing it. You and Trudi have a Merry Christmas! You certainly have earned it after all you have accomplished this year!” -- Carl Windle
Carl – Wow, that was FAST delivery. Thanks for letting me know, and thanks for your kind words. I’ll let Trudi take the day off on Christmas, and will try to limit myself to half a day of writing. (Need to finish up the January issue of the Dinosaur Files newsletter.) Brooks
Received Chalk and Sweat in morning mail! Anxious to read it! Question: How often do you change your exercises?” – Ben Mitcham
Ben – Pterodactyl Mail works fast, doesn’t it? Enjoy the book, and send me an email after you read it – let me know how you like the little monster. As for changing exercises – I keep things pretty much the same now. At age 53, I have found what works best for me right now, and I tend to stick to it. – Brooks
“Hi Brooks, Just received Chalk and Sweat. Can't believe it came so quickly. The photo of John Davis is perfect for constant inspiration. Well, even a quick scan let's me know that this book is another winner. I remember reading a little paper back by Jack Lalanne about 30 yrs ago. He had such an enthusiastic way of writing that I was watering at the mouth as he described making a salad. I wanted to go and eat one immediately. You have that same way of presenting training routines. They just seem so right. You want to go out and do them. I will have to be careful and only read it 2x week or I will be into overtraining. Thanks again. Wishing you, Trudi and family the very best for this holiday season and the coming year. – Peter Yates
Peter – That really was fast delivery – very good to hear about it. I appreciate your feedback about the book. I will remember this when I sit down to my lunch today – which will include a fresh green salad, as it always does! – Brooks
There you have it. Some massive feedback from the Dinos. If you’ve ordered Chalk and Sweat, shoot me an email when you get it and let me know what you think.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a GREAT day! If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab your copy of Chalk and Sweat right here at the Dinosaur Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
First of all, it’s a Holiday tradition here at Dinosaur Headquarters to share a Christmas story with you. I have one going on the Dinosaur Training Blog. Part One went up yesterday. Part Two will go up later today.
Second, let me share some feedback on Chalk and Sweat from the lucky Dinos who received their copy of the little monster on Monday – which means, by the way, that it shipped by pterodactyl mail, because we launched it on Friday. So Trudi’s shipping service has been spectacular!
“Thanks for the remarkably rapid delivery of Chalk and Sweat and the Doug Hepburn book -- all beautifully inscribed as well! It was in my PO
Box this afternoon (Monday), after last Friday's order. Your
efficiency is inspirational (along with your training, and writing). -- Peter
Peter – Thanks for your feedback. The efficiency in the shipping is 100% Trudi’s doing. I just sign the books for those who want a signed copy. (Actually, I spent all day signing books on Friday and Saturday – talk about writer’s cramp!) -- Brooks
“I want to first start by saying thank you for writing Chalk and Sweat,
it's incredible. I just received it today and began truly training like a dinosaur. My first day I started with the beginner barbell workout No. 1, however, finding it a little easier than anticipated I blended some of the intermediate practices and turned it into a 5 x 5 workout. It was downright killer. I was sweating more than I ever have and was struggling to stay standing between sets. It was freaking great. Thank you for showing me what true hard work is. – Adam
Adam – Good job, but if you are a true beginner, start light and build up progressively as detailed in Chalk and Sweat. Take the time to build a really strong foundation for future gains! – Brooks
“I ordered Chalk and Sweat Friday night and received it today. I've been dying all weekend to read it and was expecting to have to wait a week or more because of the holidays so I was excited to find it in the mail. I've looked it over briefly and it looks great. I think I'll be up late reading it. Also thanks for signing it for me.” -- Dan Shorten
Dan – Thanks for your feedback, and I’m glad the book got there so soon. Keep me posted on your training and your progress as you work through the programs in the book. – Brooks
“I received your new book, Chalk and Sweat today, thank you for signing it. You and Trudi have a Merry Christmas! You certainly have earned it after all you have accomplished this year!” -- Carl Windle
Carl – Wow, that was FAST delivery. Thanks for letting me know, and thanks for your kind words. I’ll let Trudi take the day off on Christmas, and will try to limit myself to half a day of writing. (Need to finish up the January issue of the Dinosaur Files newsletter.) Brooks
Received Chalk and Sweat in morning mail! Anxious to read it! Question: How often do you change your exercises?” – Ben Mitcham
Ben – Pterodactyl Mail works fast, doesn’t it? Enjoy the book, and send me an email after you read it – let me know how you like the little monster. As for changing exercises – I keep things pretty much the same now. At age 53, I have found what works best for me right now, and I tend to stick to it. – Brooks
“Hi Brooks, Just received Chalk and Sweat. Can't believe it came so quickly. The photo of John Davis is perfect for constant inspiration. Well, even a quick scan let's me know that this book is another winner. I remember reading a little paper back by Jack Lalanne about 30 yrs ago. He had such an enthusiastic way of writing that I was watering at the mouth as he described making a salad. I wanted to go and eat one immediately. You have that same way of presenting training routines. They just seem so right. You want to go out and do them. I will have to be careful and only read it 2x week or I will be into overtraining. Thanks again. Wishing you, Trudi and family the very best for this holiday season and the coming year. – Peter Yates
Peter – That really was fast delivery – very good to hear about it. I appreciate your feedback about the book. I will remember this when I sit down to my lunch today – which will include a fresh green salad, as it always does! – Brooks
There you have it. Some massive feedback from the Dinos. If you’ve ordered Chalk and Sweat, shoot me an email when you get it and let me know what you think.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a GREAT day! If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab your copy of Chalk and Sweat right here at the Dinosaur Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
THE STRONGMAN'S CHRISTMAS (PART ONE)
THE STRONGMAN’S CHRISTMAS
Part One
“BRRRR! It’s cold.”
The broad-shouldered man slapped his gloved hands together as he stepped out of the theatre and into the cold.
A sharp gust of wind hit him full force, almost pushing him backward despite his size and weight.
He lowered his head and shoulders and pushed his way forward, fighting against the cold and the wind. His hotel was seven and a half city-blocks from the theatre. Even under his heavy German coat, he’d be half-frozen by the time he got there.
At least there would be a hot meal waiting for him when he reached the hotel.
He had gone about three blocks when another gust of wind tore his hat from his head and sent it sailing across the street and down the sidewalk.
It was an expensive hat. He didn’t relish the thought of losing it. Nor did he relish the thought of completing his trek with a bare head. Not on a day like this when the North winds blew with full force and fury.
And besides, he kept something very special inside the hat. His good luck charm. It wouldn’t do to lose a good luck charm.
He darted across the street, moving with amazing speed for a big man. But his hat was nowhere to be found.
He stopped, stood and looked down the sidewalk.
Where could it be?
He walked up and down the sidewalk, peering into every nook and cranny where the offending bowler might have hidden itself.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
He growled in frustration, muttering faint words in German.
“Dumbkoppf!” he said. “You should have kept your hand on your head.”
He came to the entrance to a dark alley. Perhaps the hat was there.
He stepped into the alley, choosing his steps carefully to avoid the frozen mud, the dirt, and the garbage.
Ten steps into the alley, he stopped and shook his head in resignation. If the hat was here, it was as good as gone anyway. It would be ruined in any case.
He turned and retraced his steps.
Once he was back on the sidewalk, he took one last look up and down the sidewalk, then sighed, shook his head a final time, and turned toward his hotel.
He had taken perhaps a dozen steps when he felt a tiny hand tugging at the sleeve of his coat.
“Here, Mister,” said a small boy. “Here’s your hat.”
The boy held the hat in his pale, white hand, gloveless against the cold, and doubtless half-frozen.
The man reached down, took the hat in hand, turned it over, and peered inside.
His good luck charm was gone!
The small boy held up his other hand.
“This fell out of it, Mister,” he said.
He held up a small gold medal on a blue ribbon.
The man took the medal, and held it in his hand, feeling its weight, and reading its words. He already knew them, of course. He had read the inscription so many times since the day the King had given the medal to him.
“Thank you,” he said.
He reached in his pocket, and pulled out a handful of change.
The boy shook his head.
“No, Mister,” he said. “You don’t need to do that. I was just being a good Christian.”
The man looked at the boy silently.
“But you did me a kindness,” he said. “I should repay you.”
Once again, the boy shook his head.
“No, Sir,” he said. “It wouldn’t be right to take money for doing a kindness.”
“You must let me do something! This hat is very expensive – and this medal is – is very special to me.”
“Do you like chestnuts?’ asked the boy.
The man nodded.
“I sell hot chestnuts,” said the boy.
It was both a statement and a question.
“I’d like to buy some,” said the man.
“It’s right over there,” said the boy. “Where I sell them, I mean. That’s where your hat blew. That’s how I found it.”
“Thank you for finding it,” said the man.
“You’re welcome, Sir,” said the boy.
TO BE CONTINUED
Part One
“BRRRR! It’s cold.”
The broad-shouldered man slapped his gloved hands together as he stepped out of the theatre and into the cold.
A sharp gust of wind hit him full force, almost pushing him backward despite his size and weight.
He lowered his head and shoulders and pushed his way forward, fighting against the cold and the wind. His hotel was seven and a half city-blocks from the theatre. Even under his heavy German coat, he’d be half-frozen by the time he got there.
At least there would be a hot meal waiting for him when he reached the hotel.
He had gone about three blocks when another gust of wind tore his hat from his head and sent it sailing across the street and down the sidewalk.
It was an expensive hat. He didn’t relish the thought of losing it. Nor did he relish the thought of completing his trek with a bare head. Not on a day like this when the North winds blew with full force and fury.
And besides, he kept something very special inside the hat. His good luck charm. It wouldn’t do to lose a good luck charm.
He darted across the street, moving with amazing speed for a big man. But his hat was nowhere to be found.
He stopped, stood and looked down the sidewalk.
Where could it be?
He walked up and down the sidewalk, peering into every nook and cranny where the offending bowler might have hidden itself.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
He growled in frustration, muttering faint words in German.
“Dumbkoppf!” he said. “You should have kept your hand on your head.”
He came to the entrance to a dark alley. Perhaps the hat was there.
He stepped into the alley, choosing his steps carefully to avoid the frozen mud, the dirt, and the garbage.
Ten steps into the alley, he stopped and shook his head in resignation. If the hat was here, it was as good as gone anyway. It would be ruined in any case.
He turned and retraced his steps.
Once he was back on the sidewalk, he took one last look up and down the sidewalk, then sighed, shook his head a final time, and turned toward his hotel.
He had taken perhaps a dozen steps when he felt a tiny hand tugging at the sleeve of his coat.
“Here, Mister,” said a small boy. “Here’s your hat.”
The boy held the hat in his pale, white hand, gloveless against the cold, and doubtless half-frozen.
The man reached down, took the hat in hand, turned it over, and peered inside.
His good luck charm was gone!
The small boy held up his other hand.
“This fell out of it, Mister,” he said.
He held up a small gold medal on a blue ribbon.
The man took the medal, and held it in his hand, feeling its weight, and reading its words. He already knew them, of course. He had read the inscription so many times since the day the King had given the medal to him.
“Thank you,” he said.
He reached in his pocket, and pulled out a handful of change.
The boy shook his head.
“No, Mister,” he said. “You don’t need to do that. I was just being a good Christian.”
The man looked at the boy silently.
“But you did me a kindness,” he said. “I should repay you.”
Once again, the boy shook his head.
“No, Sir,” he said. “It wouldn’t be right to take money for doing a kindness.”
“You must let me do something! This hat is very expensive – and this medal is – is very special to me.”
“Do you like chestnuts?’ asked the boy.
The man nodded.
“I sell hot chestnuts,” said the boy.
It was both a statement and a question.
“I’d like to buy some,” said the man.
“It’s right over there,” said the boy. “Where I sell them, I mean. That’s where your hat blew. That’s how I found it.”
“Thank you for finding it,” said the man.
“You’re welcome, Sir,” said the boy.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Monday Morning Dino Report
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We’re heading into the Holiday week, so later in the day you’re going to see Part One of a Dinosaur Tradition that we’ve been doing for the past couple of years -- a special Christmas story from Dinosaur Headquarters.
This year’s story will feature one of the strongest men who ever lived, and one of his greatest feats of strength. Be looking for it.
In the meantime, if you need to place a Christmas order, today’s the day to do it.
And speaking of Christmas orders, we’ve had a record number of orders for my new book, Chalk and Sweat – and we’re shipping them out the door faster than you can say “Great new strength training book from Dinosaur Training!”
To everyone who has ordered a copy of Chalk and Sweat – THANK YOU!
And to everyone reading this message – thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here’s the link to Chalk and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
We’re heading into the Holiday week, so later in the day you’re going to see Part One of a Dinosaur Tradition that we’ve been doing for the past couple of years -- a special Christmas story from Dinosaur Headquarters.
This year’s story will feature one of the strongest men who ever lived, and one of his greatest feats of strength. Be looking for it.
In the meantime, if you need to place a Christmas order, today’s the day to do it.
And speaking of Christmas orders, we’ve had a record number of orders for my new book, Chalk and Sweat – and we’re shipping them out the door faster than you can say “Great new strength training book from Dinosaur Training!”
To everyone who has ordered a copy of Chalk and Sweat – THANK YOU!
And to everyone reading this message – thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here’s the link to Chalk and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
How to Order Chalk and Sweat (Please Read!)
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
My web guy just called and gave me the revised, final instructions about how to access the Chalk and Sweat page on Friday morning.
So here’s what to do:
1. Go the following link at about 8:50 or 8:55 in the morning. (That’s Eastern Standard Time.)
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
2. When you get there, the page will look exactly the way it looks right now – with the countdown timer ticking merrily away.
3. Hit the “refresh” button on your computer.
4. If nothing happens, wait 30 seconds and then hit “refresh” again. Keep hitting the refresh button every 30 seconds or so.
5. Right around 9:00 in the morning, give or take a few minutes, you’ll hit “refresh” and suddenly the old page will disappear forever – and you’ll see a new page – with an order button.
You know what to do after that.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Remember – keep hitting “refresh” until the new screen pops up. It will happen at 9:00 EST, give or take a few minutes.
My web guy just called and gave me the revised, final instructions about how to access the Chalk and Sweat page on Friday morning.
So here’s what to do:
1. Go the following link at about 8:50 or 8:55 in the morning. (That’s Eastern Standard Time.)
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
2. When you get there, the page will look exactly the way it looks right now – with the countdown timer ticking merrily away.
3. Hit the “refresh” button on your computer.
4. If nothing happens, wait 30 seconds and then hit “refresh” again. Keep hitting the refresh button every 30 seconds or so.
5. Right around 9:00 in the morning, give or take a few minutes, you’ll hit “refresh” and suddenly the old page will disappear forever – and you’ll see a new page – with an order button.
You know what to do after that.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Remember – keep hitting “refresh” until the new screen pops up. It will happen at 9:00 EST, give or take a few minutes.
A Sneak Preview for Chalk and Sweat!
I happen to think that my new book, Chalk and Sweat, is one of the most practical and useful strength training books ever written – for anyone, at any level of development.
But don’t take my word for it.
TAKE A LOOK – SEE FOR YOURSELF!
That’s right -- take a peek at the table of contents.
Here’s what you’ll find inside the pages of CHALK AND SWEAT:
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR BEGINNERS
Ten different strength and muscle-building programs for beginners – and important advice about how to use them to get started the RIGHT WAY!
Program No. 1 – An All-Barbell Program for Beginners
Program No. 2 – Another All-Barbell Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 3 An All-Dumbbell Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 4 – A Barbell and Dumbbell Program for Beginners
Program No. 5 – Barbell, Dumbbell, and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 6 – More Barbell, Dumbbell and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 7 – An All-Bodyweight Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 8 – Sandbag Training for Beginners
Program No. 9 – Sandbag and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 10 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Sandbag and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR INTERMEDIATES
Special advice for intermediate trainees – and how to maximize your gains in strength and muscular size once you are beyond the beginner stage – along with 10 detailed training programs for intermediates:
Program No. 11 – A Barbell Only Program for Intermediates
Program No. 12 – A Barbell and Dumbbell Program for Intermediates
Program No. 13 – Heavy and Light Training for Intermediates
Program No. 14 – Repetition Weightlifting for Intermediates
Program No. 15 – Another Repetition Weightlifting Program for Intermediates
Program No. 16 – A Divided Workout Program Using Repetition Weightlifting and Barbell and Dumbbell Training
Program No. 17 – A Divided Workout Combining Barbell, Dumbbell and Bodyweight Training for Intermediates
Program No. 18 – An All-Bodyweight Training Program for Intermediates
Program No. 19 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Bodyweight, Sandbag and Barrel Training for Intermediates
Program No. 20 – An All-Dumbbell Training Program for Intermediates
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR ADVANCED LIFTERS
Critical instruction for advanced lifters – real world stuff that really works – the things you’re not going to read anywhere else – solid gold for men who want to move from STRONG to SUPER STRONG!
Program No. 21 – An All Barbell Training Program for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 22 – Barbell and Dumbbell Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 23 – Olympic Weightlifting for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 24 – A Divided Workout, Olympic Weightlifting Program for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 25 – Another Divided Workout, Olympic Weightlifting Program for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 26 – An All Bodyweight Program for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 27 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Bodyweight and Sandbag Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 28 – Barbell and Bodyweight Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 29 – The Triple Power Program
Program No. 30 – Heavy Iron for Advanced Lifters
LEG TRAINING SPECIALIZATION
There are two keys to building maximum muscle mass and maximum strength and power. One of them is specialized leg training – and the other is specialized back training. So I’ve included TEN leg specialization programs and TEN back specialization programs – and I teach you how to use them for maximum muscle as fast as possible.
Program No. 31 – The Breathing Squat Program
Program no. 32 – Another Breathing Squat Program
Program No. 33 – A Third Breathing Squat Program
Program no. 34 – Bradley J. Steiner Leg Specialization
Program No. 35 – Another Example of Steiner Leg Specialization
Program No. 36 – John Grimek’s Squatting Program
Program No. 37 – Leg Specialization for Olympic Lifters
Program No. 38 – Another Leg Specialization for Olympic Lifters
Program No. 39 – A Bottom Position Squat Program
Program No. 40 – Nothing But Squats
BACK TRAINING SPECIALIZATION
Combine heavy Dinosaur style back training with your leg specialization programs and produce the ultimate in strength, muscle and power. Ever feel like making a gorilla feel puny? Here’s how to do it!
Program No. 41 – No Frills Back Specialization
Program No. 42 – More No Frills Back Specialization
Program No. 43 – No Frills Back Specialization with Heavy Awkward Objects Added
Program No. 44 – Backyard Back Blasting with Barbells and Heavy Awkward Objects
Program No. 45 – Olympic Lifting for Back Specialization
Program No. 46 – The Trap Builder
Program No. 47 -- A Six Day Per Week Back Specialization Program
Program No. 48 – The Massifier
Program No. 49 – The Harold Ansorge Special
Program No. 50 – The Backyard Barbell and Heavy Stuff Back Blaster
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Chalk and Sweat will be available at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, December 17, 2010. Here’s the current sales page for Chalk and Sweat – with the countdown timer – ticking the seconds away until zero hour – 9:00 A.M. on Friday!
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
But don’t take my word for it.
TAKE A LOOK – SEE FOR YOURSELF!
That’s right -- take a peek at the table of contents.
Here’s what you’ll find inside the pages of CHALK AND SWEAT:
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR BEGINNERS
Ten different strength and muscle-building programs for beginners – and important advice about how to use them to get started the RIGHT WAY!
Program No. 1 – An All-Barbell Program for Beginners
Program No. 2 – Another All-Barbell Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 3 An All-Dumbbell Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 4 – A Barbell and Dumbbell Program for Beginners
Program No. 5 – Barbell, Dumbbell, and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 6 – More Barbell, Dumbbell and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 7 – An All-Bodyweight Training Program for Beginners
Program No. 8 – Sandbag Training for Beginners
Program No. 9 – Sandbag and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
Program No. 10 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Sandbag and Bodyweight Training for Beginners
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR INTERMEDIATES
Special advice for intermediate trainees – and how to maximize your gains in strength and muscular size once you are beyond the beginner stage – along with 10 detailed training programs for intermediates:
Program No. 11 – A Barbell Only Program for Intermediates
Program No. 12 – A Barbell and Dumbbell Program for Intermediates
Program No. 13 – Heavy and Light Training for Intermediates
Program No. 14 – Repetition Weightlifting for Intermediates
Program No. 15 – Another Repetition Weightlifting Program for Intermediates
Program No. 16 – A Divided Workout Program Using Repetition Weightlifting and Barbell and Dumbbell Training
Program No. 17 – A Divided Workout Combining Barbell, Dumbbell and Bodyweight Training for Intermediates
Program No. 18 – An All-Bodyweight Training Program for Intermediates
Program No. 19 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Bodyweight, Sandbag and Barrel Training for Intermediates
Program No. 20 – An All-Dumbbell Training Program for Intermediates
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR ADVANCED LIFTERS
Critical instruction for advanced lifters – real world stuff that really works – the things you’re not going to read anywhere else – solid gold for men who want to move from STRONG to SUPER STRONG!
Program No. 21 – An All Barbell Training Program for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 22 – Barbell and Dumbbell Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 23 – Olympic Weightlifting for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 24 – A Divided Workout, Olympic Weightlifting Program for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 25 – Another Divided Workout, Olympic Weightlifting Program for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 26 – An All Bodyweight Program for Advanced Trainees
Program No. 27 – Barbell, Dumbbell, Bodyweight and Sandbag Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 28 – Barbell and Bodyweight Training for Advanced Lifters
Program No. 29 – The Triple Power Program
Program No. 30 – Heavy Iron for Advanced Lifters
LEG TRAINING SPECIALIZATION
There are two keys to building maximum muscle mass and maximum strength and power. One of them is specialized leg training – and the other is specialized back training. So I’ve included TEN leg specialization programs and TEN back specialization programs – and I teach you how to use them for maximum muscle as fast as possible.
Program No. 31 – The Breathing Squat Program
Program no. 32 – Another Breathing Squat Program
Program No. 33 – A Third Breathing Squat Program
Program no. 34 – Bradley J. Steiner Leg Specialization
Program No. 35 – Another Example of Steiner Leg Specialization
Program No. 36 – John Grimek’s Squatting Program
Program No. 37 – Leg Specialization for Olympic Lifters
Program No. 38 – Another Leg Specialization for Olympic Lifters
Program No. 39 – A Bottom Position Squat Program
Program No. 40 – Nothing But Squats
BACK TRAINING SPECIALIZATION
Combine heavy Dinosaur style back training with your leg specialization programs and produce the ultimate in strength, muscle and power. Ever feel like making a gorilla feel puny? Here’s how to do it!
Program No. 41 – No Frills Back Specialization
Program No. 42 – More No Frills Back Specialization
Program No. 43 – No Frills Back Specialization with Heavy Awkward Objects Added
Program No. 44 – Backyard Back Blasting with Barbells and Heavy Awkward Objects
Program No. 45 – Olympic Lifting for Back Specialization
Program No. 46 – The Trap Builder
Program No. 47 -- A Six Day Per Week Back Specialization Program
Program No. 48 – The Massifier
Program No. 49 – The Harold Ansorge Special
Program No. 50 – The Backyard Barbell and Heavy Stuff Back Blaster
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Chalk and Sweat will be available at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, December 17, 2010. Here’s the current sales page for Chalk and Sweat – with the countdown timer – ticking the seconds away until zero hour – 9:00 A.M. on Friday!
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Synchronize Your Watches!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There’s a truck that’s working its way south to Louisville – and it’s loaded with something like 1,000 pounds of books.
It’s Chalk and Sweat – and it’s getting here early, which is amazing. I worked like heck to get Chalk and Sweat finished and to the printer in time to “possibly – perhaps – maybe – cross your fingers “ get the books in time to shoot them out and have them arrive in time for Christmas.
But we had the usual last minute glitches, and it didn’t look like it was going to happen.
But now it does – at least for those of you in the USA – and perhaps for others, as well. It will depend a bit on the weather, and how much the winter storms, snow and ice, slow things down.
But in any event – the little monster is going to be here very soon – and I’m really excited about it.
Many of you have been asking when you can order Chalk and Sweat. The answer is – beginning at 9:00 on Friday morning.
If you take a look at the Chalk and Sweat page on the website, you’ll see that we have a countdown timer on the page – and it’s counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds.
At 8:59:00 the counter is going to tick away the very last minute – and then you’re going to see something new pop up – and you’re going to learn all about Chalk and Sweat and be able to place your order right then and there.
So – synchronize your watches – get ready – get set – and be ready to spring into action at 9:00 on Friday morning.
I’m calling it Operation Chalk and Sweat – and I’m expecting the Dinosaur Army to step forward and take action at 9:00 on Friday morning.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, stay warm – and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here’s the Chalk and Sweat page and the countdown clock:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
There’s a truck that’s working its way south to Louisville – and it’s loaded with something like 1,000 pounds of books.
It’s Chalk and Sweat – and it’s getting here early, which is amazing. I worked like heck to get Chalk and Sweat finished and to the printer in time to “possibly – perhaps – maybe – cross your fingers “ get the books in time to shoot them out and have them arrive in time for Christmas.
But we had the usual last minute glitches, and it didn’t look like it was going to happen.
But now it does – at least for those of you in the USA – and perhaps for others, as well. It will depend a bit on the weather, and how much the winter storms, snow and ice, slow things down.
But in any event – the little monster is going to be here very soon – and I’m really excited about it.
Many of you have been asking when you can order Chalk and Sweat. The answer is – beginning at 9:00 on Friday morning.
If you take a look at the Chalk and Sweat page on the website, you’ll see that we have a countdown timer on the page – and it’s counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds.
At 8:59:00 the counter is going to tick away the very last minute – and then you’re going to see something new pop up – and you’re going to learn all about Chalk and Sweat and be able to place your order right then and there.
So – synchronize your watches – get ready – get set – and be ready to spring into action at 9:00 on Friday morning.
I’m calling it Operation Chalk and Sweat – and I’m expecting the Dinosaur Army to step forward and take action at 9:00 on Friday morning.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, stay warm – and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here’s the Chalk and Sweat page and the countdown clock:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Chalk and Sweat -- The Countdown Begins!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The countdown begins – for Chalk and Sweat.
Take a look and see – and be sure to come back
and take another look at 9:00 a.m. on Friday.
That’s when it’s going to happen . . .
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
The countdown begins – for Chalk and Sweat.
Take a look and see – and be sure to come back
and take another look at 9:00 a.m. on Friday.
That’s when it’s going to happen . . .
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
Breaking News from Dinosaur Headquarters!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
BREAKING NEWS!
I just got the word that my new book, Chalk and Sweat, has been printed.
It’s going to be shipped to me by truck tomorrow.
If all goes well, I should have the books sometime on Friday – or on Monday at the very latest.
And that means, we’re going to start taking orders for Chalk and Sweat on Friday – and then we’ll start sending them out as fast as possible!
So be looking for a special order page on the Dinosaur Training site – at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday – because that’s when Chalk and Sweat is going to go live.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. The United States Postal Service is going to hate us – because we’re going to flood the system with copies of Chalk and Sweat.
P.S.2 Remember – 9:00 on Friday. Be there!
BREAKING NEWS!
I just got the word that my new book, Chalk and Sweat, has been printed.
It’s going to be shipped to me by truck tomorrow.
If all goes well, I should have the books sometime on Friday – or on Monday at the very latest.
And that means, we’re going to start taking orders for Chalk and Sweat on Friday – and then we’ll start sending them out as fast as possible!
So be looking for a special order page on the Dinosaur Training site – at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday – because that’s when Chalk and Sweat is going to go live.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. The United States Postal Service is going to hate us – because we’re going to flood the system with copies of Chalk and Sweat.
P.S.2 Remember – 9:00 on Friday. Be there!
Trap Bar Q and A
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Let’s do some Trap Bar Q and A today.
I rec’d an email from Thornton Abbott, one of our younger Dinos, with a ton of Trap Bar questions. Let’s tackle them one by one.
“I have been using the Trap Bar for my deadlift for the last 2-3 weeks and must say I love it.”
Well, okay, not a question, but a comment. It’s pretty common, too. Trap Bars are GREAT!
“I have made some bumper plates for the Trap Bar, must still convert them to work on my barbell since I do my lifting indoors and the tiles doesn’t appreciate the punishment I give them. So I haven’t been alternating between the Trap Bar and the barbell yet, hopefully will get the bumper plates sorted end of this week or early the next week.”
Okay, that’s not quite a question, either, but it calls for a tip: put something on the floor to cushion things – ¾” rubber mats will do well – or build a small platform for your deadlifts. Plywood (two ¾” sheets) and rubber matting will work well. And don’t drop or bounce the bar – control it!
“My father also trains with me, and he can’t go so deep with the deadlift, and finds the Trap Bar (lifted a bit) more comfortable.
So I want to try and slowly get him to use the barbell, elevate it a bit and such but want to know what the benefits would be.
He likes the Trap Bar and is working out with it, why change?”
Your dad should stick to the Trap Bar. It’s much more forgiving for older lifters.
“So what benefits and negatives are there between the Trap Bar and Barbell for deadlifts.”
It’s covered in detail here (which is also THE PLACE to get the Original Gerard Trap Bar):
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
The short answer is, the Trap Bar keeps the weight closer to your center of gravity, which gives you better leverage for heavy lifting. Better leverage means heavier weight, more muscle growth and less stress on the low back.
“I read that Gerard designed the Trap Bar and managed to improve his normal barbell deadlift with just practicing the Trap bar version, is this so?”
Yes. Al Gerard was a competitive powerlifter, and used the trap bar to help his deadlift. By the way, there is much good stuff on Trap Bar training for powerlifters in Paul Kelso’s book, Powerlifting Basics – Texas Style.
“I looked on discussion forums but half the people there don’t know what a Trap Bar is, so I don’t know how they can give their opinions then.”
Don’t worry, they’ll give you their opinions anyway.
“Also what will be the poundage difference between the Trap Bar and the barbell, plus or minus.”
It varies from person to person depending on a variety of factors, including your body structure and deadlifting style.
“Will I be able to pull more with the Trap Bar?”
See the answer to the above question.
“Also I am smoked after my deadlifts and presses, so motivation for grip work is a bit low, just using my Ivanko gripper. I assume the normal deadlift will also work my grip a lot (trying to make myself feel better when skipping the grip workout). Want to try and move the workouts so I will do the grip work at night so I have time for recovery from my deadlifts. Does that sound ok?”
You’re much better off to do your grip work AFTER your regular strength training, not later on at night. I don’t care if you’re tired – do the grip work. It will work much better when you’re sweating, breathing hard, and your heart is pumping blood like crazy.
“Last question the 2 inch and 3 inch bar, does that train crushing grip or pinch grip? My hands are so open it feels like pinch grip training.”
Thick bars train both types of grip. The thicker the bar, the harder it works the thumbs – which makes it more f a pinch grip exercise. That’s a good reason to have several thick bars of different thicknesses.
“Had a PR with the Trap Bar deadlift last night. Need to get more plates though.”
Good job – and yes, get more plates! (Needing to get more plates is a GOOD thing!)
That’s enough questions and answers for one email – so that wraps things up. As always, thanks for reading – and have a great day. If you train today, stay warm – and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on Trap Bar training and Trap Bar workouts, as well as thick bar training and thick bar workouts, try the following resources:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
3. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (not yet available, but coming very soon)
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. The Dinosaur Files newsletter
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Let’s do some Trap Bar Q and A today.
I rec’d an email from Thornton Abbott, one of our younger Dinos, with a ton of Trap Bar questions. Let’s tackle them one by one.
“I have been using the Trap Bar for my deadlift for the last 2-3 weeks and must say I love it.”
Well, okay, not a question, but a comment. It’s pretty common, too. Trap Bars are GREAT!
“I have made some bumper plates for the Trap Bar, must still convert them to work on my barbell since I do my lifting indoors and the tiles doesn’t appreciate the punishment I give them. So I haven’t been alternating between the Trap Bar and the barbell yet, hopefully will get the bumper plates sorted end of this week or early the next week.”
Okay, that’s not quite a question, either, but it calls for a tip: put something on the floor to cushion things – ¾” rubber mats will do well – or build a small platform for your deadlifts. Plywood (two ¾” sheets) and rubber matting will work well. And don’t drop or bounce the bar – control it!
“My father also trains with me, and he can’t go so deep with the deadlift, and finds the Trap Bar (lifted a bit) more comfortable.
So I want to try and slowly get him to use the barbell, elevate it a bit and such but want to know what the benefits would be.
He likes the Trap Bar and is working out with it, why change?”
Your dad should stick to the Trap Bar. It’s much more forgiving for older lifters.
“So what benefits and negatives are there between the Trap Bar and Barbell for deadlifts.”
It’s covered in detail here (which is also THE PLACE to get the Original Gerard Trap Bar):
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
The short answer is, the Trap Bar keeps the weight closer to your center of gravity, which gives you better leverage for heavy lifting. Better leverage means heavier weight, more muscle growth and less stress on the low back.
“I read that Gerard designed the Trap Bar and managed to improve his normal barbell deadlift with just practicing the Trap bar version, is this so?”
Yes. Al Gerard was a competitive powerlifter, and used the trap bar to help his deadlift. By the way, there is much good stuff on Trap Bar training for powerlifters in Paul Kelso’s book, Powerlifting Basics – Texas Style.
“I looked on discussion forums but half the people there don’t know what a Trap Bar is, so I don’t know how they can give their opinions then.”
Don’t worry, they’ll give you their opinions anyway.
“Also what will be the poundage difference between the Trap Bar and the barbell, plus or minus.”
It varies from person to person depending on a variety of factors, including your body structure and deadlifting style.
“Will I be able to pull more with the Trap Bar?”
See the answer to the above question.
“Also I am smoked after my deadlifts and presses, so motivation for grip work is a bit low, just using my Ivanko gripper. I assume the normal deadlift will also work my grip a lot (trying to make myself feel better when skipping the grip workout). Want to try and move the workouts so I will do the grip work at night so I have time for recovery from my deadlifts. Does that sound ok?”
You’re much better off to do your grip work AFTER your regular strength training, not later on at night. I don’t care if you’re tired – do the grip work. It will work much better when you’re sweating, breathing hard, and your heart is pumping blood like crazy.
“Last question the 2 inch and 3 inch bar, does that train crushing grip or pinch grip? My hands are so open it feels like pinch grip training.”
Thick bars train both types of grip. The thicker the bar, the harder it works the thumbs – which makes it more f a pinch grip exercise. That’s a good reason to have several thick bars of different thicknesses.
“Had a PR with the Trap Bar deadlift last night. Need to get more plates though.”
Good job – and yes, get more plates! (Needing to get more plates is a GOOD thing!)
That’s enough questions and answers for one email – so that wraps things up. As always, thanks for reading – and have a great day. If you train today, stay warm – and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on Trap Bar training and Trap Bar workouts, as well as thick bar training and thick bar workouts, try the following resources:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
3. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (not yet available, but coming very soon)
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. The Dinosaur Files newsletter
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Dinosaur News, Dinosaur Updates!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We’re coming down to the wire on a whole bunch of things, so let me cover some important updates and reminders.
1. Place your Holiday orders today!
Trudi is a miracle worker when it comes to packing and getting your orders out the door and to you as fast as possible – but even she has her limits. It would help her enormously if you’d place any Holiday orders today.
2. Hoodies
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are becoming big favorites. We stock L, XL and XXL in three different colors. If you want a different size, we can handle it as a special order. Just order and XL and note in the “Comments” section of the on-line order form that you want a different size.
3. Autographed books and courses
I’m always honored to autograph a book or course for you. If you’d like something autographed, ask for this in the “Comments” section when you place your order. If someone else is ordering something for you, please be sure they know about this.
4. The December Dinosaur Files Newsletter
Was mailed out on December 1 or 2, and you should have rec’d it by now. If not, holler! And if you did receive it, shoot me an email and let me know how you liked it.
5. Photos from Dinosaurs!
I always need photos, photos, photos from Dinosaurs for each issue of the Dinosaur Files – so send your photos to Dino HQ. Training photos and photos of your home gym or your equipment are best.
6. Chalk and Sweat
Is coming out soon. The printer should finish production, pack all the books and ship them to me at the end of the week. If all goes well (meaning the weather), the shipment of books should arrive in Louisville by truck next Monday and I should get the books on Tuesday. I’ll put up an order page once I know the books are on the way.
I now you’re dying to see this one – and so am I!
7. Stay in touch!
Email is a great way to stay in touch with you, but sometimes, for whatever reason, my emails don’t reach everyone. I send out an email every day (with the exception of Sunday), and sometimes I send two a day.
If you miss an email, check the Dinosaur Training Blog – I post the emails there.
The Blog is at:
http://www.dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/
If you lose the link, you can get there by using the navigation bar at the top of the home page on the Dinosaur Training website.
You also can keep up with Dinosaur training on Facebook. We’re at:
Facebook.com/dinosaur.training
Note that it is “dinosaur -- period – training” – be sure to include the period to get to the official Dinosaur Training site.
We have tons of great stuff and tons of valuable training g information coming your way in 2011 – and Chalk and Sweat coming your way very shortly – so be sure to stay in touch with us.
That wraps it up for now – more to follow!
As always, thanks for reading, and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab those Dinosaur Training hoodies right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
We’re coming down to the wire on a whole bunch of things, so let me cover some important updates and reminders.
1. Place your Holiday orders today!
Trudi is a miracle worker when it comes to packing and getting your orders out the door and to you as fast as possible – but even she has her limits. It would help her enormously if you’d place any Holiday orders today.
2. Hoodies
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are becoming big favorites. We stock L, XL and XXL in three different colors. If you want a different size, we can handle it as a special order. Just order and XL and note in the “Comments” section of the on-line order form that you want a different size.
3. Autographed books and courses
I’m always honored to autograph a book or course for you. If you’d like something autographed, ask for this in the “Comments” section when you place your order. If someone else is ordering something for you, please be sure they know about this.
4. The December Dinosaur Files Newsletter
Was mailed out on December 1 or 2, and you should have rec’d it by now. If not, holler! And if you did receive it, shoot me an email and let me know how you liked it.
5. Photos from Dinosaurs!
I always need photos, photos, photos from Dinosaurs for each issue of the Dinosaur Files – so send your photos to Dino HQ. Training photos and photos of your home gym or your equipment are best.
6. Chalk and Sweat
Is coming out soon. The printer should finish production, pack all the books and ship them to me at the end of the week. If all goes well (meaning the weather), the shipment of books should arrive in Louisville by truck next Monday and I should get the books on Tuesday. I’ll put up an order page once I know the books are on the way.
I now you’re dying to see this one – and so am I!
7. Stay in touch!
Email is a great way to stay in touch with you, but sometimes, for whatever reason, my emails don’t reach everyone. I send out an email every day (with the exception of Sunday), and sometimes I send two a day.
If you miss an email, check the Dinosaur Training Blog – I post the emails there.
The Blog is at:
http://www.dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/
If you lose the link, you can get there by using the navigation bar at the top of the home page on the Dinosaur Training website.
You also can keep up with Dinosaur training on Facebook. We’re at:
Facebook.com/dinosaur.training
Note that it is “dinosaur -- period – training” – be sure to include the period to get to the official Dinosaur Training site.
We have tons of great stuff and tons of valuable training g information coming your way in 2011 – and Chalk and Sweat coming your way very shortly – so be sure to stay in touch with us.
That wraps it up for now – more to follow!
As always, thanks for reading, and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab those Dinosaur Training hoodies right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
Why I Wrote Chalk and Sweat
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Back in the old days, when you bought a barbell, you had absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Think about it.
There was no television – no video – no DVD’s – and no YouTube.
Gyms were few and far between.
There were very few books or courses that taught weight training or weightlifting. And most folks would go their entire life and never see a barbell, or someone using a barbell, or someone who had barbell-built muscles.
So if you wanted to make a living but selling barbells, you needed to offer very simple, very basic, easy to follow instructions on how to use the darn thing.
The Milo Barbell Company did a good job of that in the old Milo Barbell Company courses. Writers like Alan Calvert (“Super Strength”), George F. Jowett (“The Key to Might and Muscle”), and Mark Berry (“Physical Training Simplified”) did a good job of it, as well.
But the very best courses were the ones authored by Bob Hoffman, and sold with barbell sets from the York Barbell Company.
One of the great things about the York courses was that they were progressive. And by that, I don’t mean that you implemented the principle of progressive resistance training by adding reps, and then adding weight to the bar.
Instead, I mean that the courses were progressive in the sense that you started out on a beginners program (course no. 1) – and then you moved to a variation of the beginner’s program with slightly more advanced exercises (course no. 2) – and then you got serious by doing heavy leg and back training (via “repetition weightlifting” in course no. 3). After that, you moved on to course no. 4, which was nothing more nor less than training for weightlifting competition.
It was a wonderful way to train. It covered everything from beginner to intermediate to advanced men. And it made sure that you built a body that was strong and powerful from head to toe – hard and muscular—well-balanced, well-proportioned, and well-developed – with muscles that were functional and athletic.
Over the years, the basic York approach – the progressive exercises or progressive programs approach – built tons of muscle and brought great results to tens of thousands of boys and men around the world.
It also produced some remarkable champions, both in weightlifting, in bodybuilding, and in other sports. In the 1940’s and 50’s, virtually every great lifting champion or bodybuilding champion in the United States used a variation of this approach – and virtually every athlete who trained with weights did the same thing.
At some point, however, we forgot about this way of doing things. Gradually, we reduced the number and variety of exercises we were doing.
Pretty soon, everyone was doing pretty much the same exercises – and many of the really productive movements used back in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s fell by the wayside.
Case in point. The very first barbell set I ever owned – one of those hollow pipe bars with caps on the end, and plates made of concrete inside of poly-vinyl – taught only ONE leg exercise: the two dumbbell swing and squat on toes, which you were supposed to do for two sets of five reps as a warm-up.
No back squats, no front squats, no overhead squats, no Jefferson lift, no squat and press, no squat and press behind neck, no power clean and front squat, no squat snatches, no split snatches, no split squats with the bar on your shoulders, no split squats with the bar overhead, no dumbbell squats, no one leg squats, no one arm overhead squats with barbell or dumbbell, no deep knee bends on your toes, no walking or going up steps with a barbell on your shoulders or while holding heavy dumbbells – literally NOTHING for your legs and hips.
My notes show that I weighed 86 pounds when I started training. A year later, I still weighed 86 pounds. Could it possibly have been the lack of leg training? Go figure.
The more I’ve thought about this, the more I’ve thought that it would be a real service to write a book that contained a whole bunch of training programs for beginners – like perhaps ten different programs.
If you were getting started, you could take a very basic, simple program and follow it for four to six weeks.
Then you could follow a different beginner’s program – and follow it for another four to six weeks.
After that, you could follow a third program for beginners. Or you could alternate back and forth between two or even three different programs for beginners.
The idea would be to lay a really good foundation for future training.
After that, you would tackle more difficult programs – programs designed especially for intermediates. And once again, you’d have ten of them to choose from.
After paying your dues on a couple of the intermediate programs of your choosing, you’d move on to the really fun stuff – programs for advanced lifters.
Once again, to make the book as complete as possible, there would be ten different programs for advanced lifters.
And in each of the sections of the book – beginner, intermediate and advanced – there would be detailed instruction on how to train the RIGHT way for your current level of development.
And because different guys like to do different things, there would be a nice mixture of barbell training, dumbbell exercises, bodyweight training, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and heavy awkward objects. So there would be something for just about everyone.
And then – still following that old time idea of progressive programs – there would be two chapters devoted entirely to the kind of training that will take you from advanced to super-human – or perhaps even to super-gorilla.
Heavy leg and back training.
The stuff that will build as much muscle mass, as much strength and as much power as is humanly possible.
Once again, you’d get a variety of different programs. Perhaps ten heavy leg specialization programs – and ten heavy back specialization programs. With detailed, step by step advice about how to use them.
That would be a pretty good book – and a pretty valuable one. It would have something for virtually every trainee in the entire world – and for many trainees, it would have the very best and most effective training programs that he or she had ever seen.
The more I thought about it, the more I decided that this book really needed to be written.
So I sat down and started to work on it.
When it was finished, I needed to choose a title. And THAT part was easy.
CHALK AND SWEAT
You can see the cover for CHALK AND SWEAT right here:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
The little monster is currently at the printer, and it’s scheduled to be finished and shipped to Dino Headquarters this coming Friday (December 17) . I use an out of state printer, so the books will be shipped to me by truck – and it takes a few days to get them to me – and that means that if all goes well, I should be getting the shipment on Tuesday (December 21) or Wednesday (December 22).
That’s not going to be early enough to get them out the door in time for Christmas, but you probably won’t be training on Christmas anyway – so go ahead and enjoy the Holidays, and be looking forward to seeing CHALK AND SWEAT arrive in the mail not very long after Santa, his elves and his reindeer taking a long, long nap up at the North Pole.
I’ll put an order page up after the printer has finished the books and the delivery truck is heading to Louisville. That way, you can pre-order and reserve your place in line. As always, once we have the books, we’ll shoot them right out the door to you – and we’ll fill the orders in the same order in which we receive them.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Once Chalk and Sweat is here, we’re going to be buried in orders for it – so if you’re thinking of grabbing anything else form Dino HQ, please do it now. Chalk and Sweat is going to create a log-jam for a couple of days:
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
And our books, courses, DVD’s, t-shirts, sweatshirts and subscriptions to the Dinosaur Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Back in the old days, when you bought a barbell, you had absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Think about it.
There was no television – no video – no DVD’s – and no YouTube.
Gyms were few and far between.
There were very few books or courses that taught weight training or weightlifting. And most folks would go their entire life and never see a barbell, or someone using a barbell, or someone who had barbell-built muscles.
So if you wanted to make a living but selling barbells, you needed to offer very simple, very basic, easy to follow instructions on how to use the darn thing.
The Milo Barbell Company did a good job of that in the old Milo Barbell Company courses. Writers like Alan Calvert (“Super Strength”), George F. Jowett (“The Key to Might and Muscle”), and Mark Berry (“Physical Training Simplified”) did a good job of it, as well.
But the very best courses were the ones authored by Bob Hoffman, and sold with barbell sets from the York Barbell Company.
One of the great things about the York courses was that they were progressive. And by that, I don’t mean that you implemented the principle of progressive resistance training by adding reps, and then adding weight to the bar.
Instead, I mean that the courses were progressive in the sense that you started out on a beginners program (course no. 1) – and then you moved to a variation of the beginner’s program with slightly more advanced exercises (course no. 2) – and then you got serious by doing heavy leg and back training (via “repetition weightlifting” in course no. 3). After that, you moved on to course no. 4, which was nothing more nor less than training for weightlifting competition.
It was a wonderful way to train. It covered everything from beginner to intermediate to advanced men. And it made sure that you built a body that was strong and powerful from head to toe – hard and muscular—well-balanced, well-proportioned, and well-developed – with muscles that were functional and athletic.
Over the years, the basic York approach – the progressive exercises or progressive programs approach – built tons of muscle and brought great results to tens of thousands of boys and men around the world.
It also produced some remarkable champions, both in weightlifting, in bodybuilding, and in other sports. In the 1940’s and 50’s, virtually every great lifting champion or bodybuilding champion in the United States used a variation of this approach – and virtually every athlete who trained with weights did the same thing.
At some point, however, we forgot about this way of doing things. Gradually, we reduced the number and variety of exercises we were doing.
Pretty soon, everyone was doing pretty much the same exercises – and many of the really productive movements used back in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s fell by the wayside.
Case in point. The very first barbell set I ever owned – one of those hollow pipe bars with caps on the end, and plates made of concrete inside of poly-vinyl – taught only ONE leg exercise: the two dumbbell swing and squat on toes, which you were supposed to do for two sets of five reps as a warm-up.
No back squats, no front squats, no overhead squats, no Jefferson lift, no squat and press, no squat and press behind neck, no power clean and front squat, no squat snatches, no split snatches, no split squats with the bar on your shoulders, no split squats with the bar overhead, no dumbbell squats, no one leg squats, no one arm overhead squats with barbell or dumbbell, no deep knee bends on your toes, no walking or going up steps with a barbell on your shoulders or while holding heavy dumbbells – literally NOTHING for your legs and hips.
My notes show that I weighed 86 pounds when I started training. A year later, I still weighed 86 pounds. Could it possibly have been the lack of leg training? Go figure.
The more I’ve thought about this, the more I’ve thought that it would be a real service to write a book that contained a whole bunch of training programs for beginners – like perhaps ten different programs.
If you were getting started, you could take a very basic, simple program and follow it for four to six weeks.
Then you could follow a different beginner’s program – and follow it for another four to six weeks.
After that, you could follow a third program for beginners. Or you could alternate back and forth between two or even three different programs for beginners.
The idea would be to lay a really good foundation for future training.
After that, you would tackle more difficult programs – programs designed especially for intermediates. And once again, you’d have ten of them to choose from.
After paying your dues on a couple of the intermediate programs of your choosing, you’d move on to the really fun stuff – programs for advanced lifters.
Once again, to make the book as complete as possible, there would be ten different programs for advanced lifters.
And in each of the sections of the book – beginner, intermediate and advanced – there would be detailed instruction on how to train the RIGHT way for your current level of development.
And because different guys like to do different things, there would be a nice mixture of barbell training, dumbbell exercises, bodyweight training, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and heavy awkward objects. So there would be something for just about everyone.
And then – still following that old time idea of progressive programs – there would be two chapters devoted entirely to the kind of training that will take you from advanced to super-human – or perhaps even to super-gorilla.
Heavy leg and back training.
The stuff that will build as much muscle mass, as much strength and as much power as is humanly possible.
Once again, you’d get a variety of different programs. Perhaps ten heavy leg specialization programs – and ten heavy back specialization programs. With detailed, step by step advice about how to use them.
That would be a pretty good book – and a pretty valuable one. It would have something for virtually every trainee in the entire world – and for many trainees, it would have the very best and most effective training programs that he or she had ever seen.
The more I thought about it, the more I decided that this book really needed to be written.
So I sat down and started to work on it.
When it was finished, I needed to choose a title. And THAT part was easy.
CHALK AND SWEAT
You can see the cover for CHALK AND SWEAT right here:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
The little monster is currently at the printer, and it’s scheduled to be finished and shipped to Dino Headquarters this coming Friday (December 17) . I use an out of state printer, so the books will be shipped to me by truck – and it takes a few days to get them to me – and that means that if all goes well, I should be getting the shipment on Tuesday (December 21) or Wednesday (December 22).
That’s not going to be early enough to get them out the door in time for Christmas, but you probably won’t be training on Christmas anyway – so go ahead and enjoy the Holidays, and be looking forward to seeing CHALK AND SWEAT arrive in the mail not very long after Santa, his elves and his reindeer taking a long, long nap up at the North Pole.
I’ll put an order page up after the printer has finished the books and the delivery truck is heading to Louisville. That way, you can pre-order and reserve your place in line. As always, once we have the books, we’ll shoot them right out the door to you – and we’ll fill the orders in the same order in which we receive them.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Once Chalk and Sweat is here, we’re going to be buried in orders for it – so if you’re thinking of grabbing anything else form Dino HQ, please do it now. Chalk and Sweat is going to create a log-jam for a couple of days:
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
And our books, courses, DVD’s, t-shirts, sweatshirts and subscriptions to the Dinosaur Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Feedback on the John Davis Video
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several days ago I sent out a link to a video of John Davis – and ever since, I’ve been getting all kind of feedback from readers who really – really – really – enjoyed it.
Here’s some of the feedback:
“Awesome. Take me back to the time before supplements! The world of sports is overwhelmingly muddied up with juice, doping, GH and a zillion over-the-counter supplements.
Those were the days of real men lifting for glory, self-accomplishment and patriotism. Now we are forced into our garages; alone in the cold of winter facing ourselves the steel to triumph alone! But you know what - I freakin' love it! Take me back to the good, ole days, Brooks. Thanks for bringing us all together.
Let the spirit live on!
Thank you.
Tony Barnett”
“Thanks for posting the web address of the video of John making the lift. It's downright scary.” – Floyd Orr
“That was AWESOME! I really liked the opera voice,too.” -- Cesar Chaparro,
“Sir, may god bless you for this footage. – No name on the email
“That is one awesome video, can't believe how much talent the guy had. He'd be on Americas Got Talent with that voice!” Rob
“Thank you for posting these links. I had been trying to find that clip in Paris. I had no idea he was also such an accomplished singer. I am pretty sure you will be putting out a book on John Davis and his training in your series on strongmen.” – Peter Yates
“Brooks, this has got to be the best weightlifting video I have ever received. I am 63 years old and I am a Dinosaur starting back in the late 50's when I was still in the single digits and using a Johnson bar out in my grandparents’ garage. Then sometime in the late 50's or early 60's a friends dad who owned a sporting goods store bought home a 110 lbs Billard set and we went insane on that set of weights. I love your site Brooks and when I start back on my summer job I'm going to buy Gray Hair and Black Iron, Legacy of Iron, and your latest, Chalk and Sweat. Keep up the good work!” Bill Cullen
“Wow! What a great video. John was one strong guy.” – Luis Hernandez
“Thanks for taking the time to provide this link. I almost cried thinking about Mr. Davis being ignored and sickly when he should have been enjoying training the young ones.” Larry Garcia
(Note: John Davis died of cancer on July 13, 1984, at the age of 63.)
“Thanks so much for posting that link. While I've never done Olympic style weightlifting, I can't get over the way they seem to "snap" the weights into position. The way John Davis missed that clean and then came back to make it look a hundred pounds lighter was absolutely amazing. Phenomenal technique right there.” – Jim McAllister
“Man, I'm a sucker for heroics like that. Amazing! Practically passing out at the end. Davis and Grimek were so athletic, as well as strong. Davis's leg and hip development... pure power. I wonder if, say, football was as popular then as it is now. He (Davis) looks like he could run a 4.4 40 (yd. dash) and bowl anyone over who got in his way. Strip the ball out of his hands? I don't think so. Again, great video. Thanks.” – Tim Breidor
“Amazing video and the first time I’ve ever seen it. A 2-inch diameter bar on the rail wheel axle? That is superhuman. I love how this video shows the well-rounded nature of Davis (and by extension, most men back then) – i.e., singing opera baritone, etc. Although breaking records in niches is definitely appealing I feel so many people nowadays are NOT well rounded, seeking to succeed in too narrow of fields across the board. Not just in physical culture, either. I feel this whole dichotomous way of thinking pervades our entire culture. Be it medicine's way of looking at the body like just a joining of parts as in a car, to people that know everything about stock trading on wall street but can't play with a 2 x 4, etc. – Ben
There are more comments, but I can’t list them all. In any case, thanks to everyone who sent in a comment about the video, and to everyone else who watched it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as these guys did!
NOW you know what John Davis is one of my all-time favorite strongmen – and NOW you know why I pay so much attention to the lifters of his era – and NOW you know whey he appears in all of the various Legacy of Iron books.
As always, thanks for reading – and have a great weekend!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you enjoyed watching John Davis on video and learning a little bit more about the man and the lifter, then you’re really going to like the books in Legacy of Iron series – which bring you an unrivalled, up close picture of John Davis, Steve Stanko, John Grimek, Tony Terlazzo, Harry Paschall, Sig Klein, Bob Hoffman and the other legendary champions, coaches and trainers of the Golden Age of Might and Muscle.
There are four books in the Legacy of Iron series – and more coming in 2011.
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
Several days ago I sent out a link to a video of John Davis – and ever since, I’ve been getting all kind of feedback from readers who really – really – really – enjoyed it.
Here’s some of the feedback:
“Awesome. Take me back to the time before supplements! The world of sports is overwhelmingly muddied up with juice, doping, GH and a zillion over-the-counter supplements.
Those were the days of real men lifting for glory, self-accomplishment and patriotism. Now we are forced into our garages; alone in the cold of winter facing ourselves the steel to triumph alone! But you know what - I freakin' love it! Take me back to the good, ole days, Brooks. Thanks for bringing us all together.
Let the spirit live on!
Thank you.
Tony Barnett”
“Thanks for posting the web address of the video of John making the lift. It's downright scary.” – Floyd Orr
“That was AWESOME! I really liked the opera voice,too.” -- Cesar Chaparro,
“Sir, may god bless you for this footage. – No name on the email
“That is one awesome video, can't believe how much talent the guy had. He'd be on Americas Got Talent with that voice!” Rob
“Thank you for posting these links. I had been trying to find that clip in Paris. I had no idea he was also such an accomplished singer. I am pretty sure you will be putting out a book on John Davis and his training in your series on strongmen.” – Peter Yates
“Brooks, this has got to be the best weightlifting video I have ever received. I am 63 years old and I am a Dinosaur starting back in the late 50's when I was still in the single digits and using a Johnson bar out in my grandparents’ garage. Then sometime in the late 50's or early 60's a friends dad who owned a sporting goods store bought home a 110 lbs Billard set and we went insane on that set of weights. I love your site Brooks and when I start back on my summer job I'm going to buy Gray Hair and Black Iron, Legacy of Iron, and your latest, Chalk and Sweat. Keep up the good work!” Bill Cullen
“Wow! What a great video. John was one strong guy.” – Luis Hernandez
“Thanks for taking the time to provide this link. I almost cried thinking about Mr. Davis being ignored and sickly when he should have been enjoying training the young ones.” Larry Garcia
(Note: John Davis died of cancer on July 13, 1984, at the age of 63.)
“Thanks so much for posting that link. While I've never done Olympic style weightlifting, I can't get over the way they seem to "snap" the weights into position. The way John Davis missed that clean and then came back to make it look a hundred pounds lighter was absolutely amazing. Phenomenal technique right there.” – Jim McAllister
“Man, I'm a sucker for heroics like that. Amazing! Practically passing out at the end. Davis and Grimek were so athletic, as well as strong. Davis's leg and hip development... pure power. I wonder if, say, football was as popular then as it is now. He (Davis) looks like he could run a 4.4 40 (yd. dash) and bowl anyone over who got in his way. Strip the ball out of his hands? I don't think so. Again, great video. Thanks.” – Tim Breidor
“Amazing video and the first time I’ve ever seen it. A 2-inch diameter bar on the rail wheel axle? That is superhuman. I love how this video shows the well-rounded nature of Davis (and by extension, most men back then) – i.e., singing opera baritone, etc. Although breaking records in niches is definitely appealing I feel so many people nowadays are NOT well rounded, seeking to succeed in too narrow of fields across the board. Not just in physical culture, either. I feel this whole dichotomous way of thinking pervades our entire culture. Be it medicine's way of looking at the body like just a joining of parts as in a car, to people that know everything about stock trading on wall street but can't play with a 2 x 4, etc. – Ben
There are more comments, but I can’t list them all. In any case, thanks to everyone who sent in a comment about the video, and to everyone else who watched it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as these guys did!
NOW you know what John Davis is one of my all-time favorite strongmen – and NOW you know why I pay so much attention to the lifters of his era – and NOW you know whey he appears in all of the various Legacy of Iron books.
As always, thanks for reading – and have a great weekend!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you enjoyed watching John Davis on video and learning a little bit more about the man and the lifter, then you’re really going to like the books in Legacy of Iron series – which bring you an unrivalled, up close picture of John Davis, Steve Stanko, John Grimek, Tony Terlazzo, Harry Paschall, Sig Klein, Bob Hoffman and the other legendary champions, coaches and trainers of the Golden Age of Might and Muscle.
There are four books in the Legacy of Iron series – and more coming in 2011.
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
Snow, Chalk and Sweat in Canada
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It’s currently 5 degrees above 0 in Calgary, and snowing – with a northwest wind for good measure.
But that doesn’t stop our Canadian Dinos – and later today, the chalk and iron is going to be flying as fast and furious as the snow is now.
How do I know?
I know it because of the following email from Jeff Osadec, who works at a place called Peak Power Sport Development, located on the campus of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary. It’s a real gym, with lots of heavy iron – lifting platforms – high quality Olympic bars and bumper plates – and plenty of chalk.
I know, because I vacationed in Calgary and trained there several times. I had some great workouts, with plenty of heavy Olympic lifting and plenty of chalk. Good stuff.
So with that background, here’s the email from Jeff:
“Brooks,
I wanted to say thank you for the great posts, and I am looking forward to reading your book, "Dinosaur Training". I was referred it through a friend the other day. But the funniest part of this is sheer coincidence.
I had a woman call the gym I work at and ask is she can come in and have a look around.
She comes in, takes a look, and states, "No mirrors?"
I said,"No."
She asks, "Can I use chalk?"
I said, "Sure, it's in the buckets on the platforms."
We talked about training and the basics (pushing, pulling squatting and Olympic lifting) and she said, "I think this is the gym for me."
So I asked, "How did you hear about us?"
And then she said, "Brooks Kubik, the guy who wrote Dinosaur Training."
I just started to laugh and told her that I had just ordered the book. By the way, I work at Peak Power Sport Development on the SAIT Campus. Thanks for the referral and I look forward to reading the book.
Cheers,
Jeff Osadec”
Now, you might be wondering, who was the Mystery Woman?
Her name is Lynne Loiselle – and she’s one of the top female bodybuilders in Canada – and a certified Dinosaur. Her favorite exercise is the deadlift – and cleans, high pulls, squats and bent over rowing aren’t far behind on her list!
A few years ago, a different version of the Dinosaur Training site had a Dinosaur Hall of Fame – and Lynne was our very first Hall of Famer.
Anyhow, Lynne recently moved to Calgary – and asked me for ideas about places to train – and I suggested Peak Power – and now you know the rest of the story!
And speaking of CHALK – I will be getting some info from my printer about the shipping date for CHALK AND SWEAT – and when I have something definite, I’ll let you know the status.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, do it Dino style – hard, heavy and serious – with lots of chalk, and lots of sweat.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. We’re shipping orders as fast as possible – but it’s getting very close to the Holidays, so if you want something to arrive in time for Christmas, please order today. Thanks!
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
And our books, courses, DVD’s, t-shirts, sweatshirts and subscriptions to the Dinosaur Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
It’s currently 5 degrees above 0 in Calgary, and snowing – with a northwest wind for good measure.
But that doesn’t stop our Canadian Dinos – and later today, the chalk and iron is going to be flying as fast and furious as the snow is now.
How do I know?
I know it because of the following email from Jeff Osadec, who works at a place called Peak Power Sport Development, located on the campus of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary. It’s a real gym, with lots of heavy iron – lifting platforms – high quality Olympic bars and bumper plates – and plenty of chalk.
I know, because I vacationed in Calgary and trained there several times. I had some great workouts, with plenty of heavy Olympic lifting and plenty of chalk. Good stuff.
So with that background, here’s the email from Jeff:
“Brooks,
I wanted to say thank you for the great posts, and I am looking forward to reading your book, "Dinosaur Training". I was referred it through a friend the other day. But the funniest part of this is sheer coincidence.
I had a woman call the gym I work at and ask is she can come in and have a look around.
She comes in, takes a look, and states, "No mirrors?"
I said,"No."
She asks, "Can I use chalk?"
I said, "Sure, it's in the buckets on the platforms."
We talked about training and the basics (pushing, pulling squatting and Olympic lifting) and she said, "I think this is the gym for me."
So I asked, "How did you hear about us?"
And then she said, "Brooks Kubik, the guy who wrote Dinosaur Training."
I just started to laugh and told her that I had just ordered the book. By the way, I work at Peak Power Sport Development on the SAIT Campus. Thanks for the referral and I look forward to reading the book.
Cheers,
Jeff Osadec”
Now, you might be wondering, who was the Mystery Woman?
Her name is Lynne Loiselle – and she’s one of the top female bodybuilders in Canada – and a certified Dinosaur. Her favorite exercise is the deadlift – and cleans, high pulls, squats and bent over rowing aren’t far behind on her list!
A few years ago, a different version of the Dinosaur Training site had a Dinosaur Hall of Fame – and Lynne was our very first Hall of Famer.
Anyhow, Lynne recently moved to Calgary – and asked me for ideas about places to train – and I suggested Peak Power – and now you know the rest of the story!
And speaking of CHALK – I will be getting some info from my printer about the shipping date for CHALK AND SWEAT – and when I have something definite, I’ll let you know the status.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, do it Dino style – hard, heavy and serious – with lots of chalk, and lots of sweat.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. We’re shipping orders as fast as possible – but it’s getting very close to the Holidays, so if you want something to arrive in time for Christmas, please order today. Thanks!
Our new Dinosaur Training hoodies are here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
And our books, courses, DVD’s, t-shirts, sweatshirts and subscriptions to the Dinosaur Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The Not Quite Fan Mail Stuff
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Did I mention that we got NEGATIVE feedback on the Chalk and Sweat cover (and on the title)?
Yep. We’ve been flooded.
Here’s a small sample:
I can’t believe you’d write a book about chalk and sweat. I train at (NAME OF FAMOUS FITNESS CHAIN WITHELD TO PROTECT THE GUILTY) and they don’t allow either! -- Chrome N. Fernie
What are you trying to do – make me and my elves work overtime? We’re going to have to spend weeks to get your new book to everyone who wants a copy. I call FOUL! You’re definitely on the Lump of Coal List! -- Kris Kringle
I really, really don’t like this. – Shake Weight User (Name Witheld)
I suggest you review the relevant literature. I’m not aware of any research study suggesting that sweat is necessary for serious strength training. And I’m certainly not aware of any research studies involving chalk. – Graduate Student working on advanced degree in Exercise Science at a major university (Name and University Witheld)
I’ve talked with Santa, and I’m absolutely appalled at your lack of consideration for his elves. Please be advised that I am taking this to the Executive Committee to consider further action. – Percival Q. Linkletter, III. President and Chairman of the Board for P.E.T.E. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Elves)
Great. Wonderful. Thanks a whole heck of a lot. My next door neighbor has been reading your books for years, and every other day I’m suggested to the full-scale Dinosaur Training Workout in the garage – and all I can hear are the sounds of heavy iron being lifted, records being shattered and strength and muscle be built as fast as possible. When your new book comes out, it’s going to be ten times worse. I hope you’re happy. – Disgruntled Neighbor
You just destroyed the whole idea of my next book: “Effortless Exercise!” I wish you would be more considerate! – Ghostwriter for Celebrity Fitness Books (Name Withheld by his Publisher)
I really don’t approve of the portrayal of a Herculean strongman manhandling a rare set of antique railroad wheels. Now everyone will want to do the same thing! -- H.M. Trusty, Senior Editor, “The Antique Railroad Wheel Review.”
Lifting those wheels was nothing. My uncle used to know a guy who trained with a guy who knew a guy who used to do that with TWO of those big wheels – for reps! – I. Useta Noe
This looks bad! You may need to come in for questioning. – The Exercise Police
There’s more, but that should give you a taste of what we’ve been getting. And it will probably get a lot worse once they learn more about the book – what it covers, who it’s for, what it features, etc.
I gotta tell you, though. I never thought I’d be hearing from a guy who trains with those Shake Weight thingies. I wonder if he’ll end up ordering Chalk and Sweat? He probably won’t, but he sure ought to. It would be the best thing in the world for him.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Today is officially Hoodie day – we’re filling orders for Dinosaur Training hoodies right and left. I may need to ask everyone who orders one to send in a photo where you’re wearing your hoodie while doing some serious Dino-insanity:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
Did I mention that we got NEGATIVE feedback on the Chalk and Sweat cover (and on the title)?
Yep. We’ve been flooded.
Here’s a small sample:
I can’t believe you’d write a book about chalk and sweat. I train at (NAME OF FAMOUS FITNESS CHAIN WITHELD TO PROTECT THE GUILTY) and they don’t allow either! -- Chrome N. Fernie
What are you trying to do – make me and my elves work overtime? We’re going to have to spend weeks to get your new book to everyone who wants a copy. I call FOUL! You’re definitely on the Lump of Coal List! -- Kris Kringle
I really, really don’t like this. – Shake Weight User (Name Witheld)
I suggest you review the relevant literature. I’m not aware of any research study suggesting that sweat is necessary for serious strength training. And I’m certainly not aware of any research studies involving chalk. – Graduate Student working on advanced degree in Exercise Science at a major university (Name and University Witheld)
I’ve talked with Santa, and I’m absolutely appalled at your lack of consideration for his elves. Please be advised that I am taking this to the Executive Committee to consider further action. – Percival Q. Linkletter, III. President and Chairman of the Board for P.E.T.E. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Elves)
Great. Wonderful. Thanks a whole heck of a lot. My next door neighbor has been reading your books for years, and every other day I’m suggested to the full-scale Dinosaur Training Workout in the garage – and all I can hear are the sounds of heavy iron being lifted, records being shattered and strength and muscle be built as fast as possible. When your new book comes out, it’s going to be ten times worse. I hope you’re happy. – Disgruntled Neighbor
You just destroyed the whole idea of my next book: “Effortless Exercise!” I wish you would be more considerate! – Ghostwriter for Celebrity Fitness Books (Name Withheld by his Publisher)
I really don’t approve of the portrayal of a Herculean strongman manhandling a rare set of antique railroad wheels. Now everyone will want to do the same thing! -- H.M. Trusty, Senior Editor, “The Antique Railroad Wheel Review.”
Lifting those wheels was nothing. My uncle used to know a guy who trained with a guy who knew a guy who used to do that with TWO of those big wheels – for reps! – I. Useta Noe
This looks bad! You may need to come in for questioning. – The Exercise Police
There’s more, but that should give you a taste of what we’ve been getting. And it will probably get a lot worse once they learn more about the book – what it covers, who it’s for, what it features, etc.
I gotta tell you, though. I never thought I’d be hearing from a guy who trains with those Shake Weight thingies. I wonder if he’ll end up ordering Chalk and Sweat? He probably won’t, but he sure ought to. It would be the best thing in the world for him.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Today is officially Hoodie day – we’re filling orders for Dinosaur Training hoodies right and left. I may need to ask everyone who orders one to send in a photo where you’re wearing your hoodie while doing some serious Dino-insanity:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
Masses and Masses of Mail from Dinos!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The two-ton pterodactyl that delivers the mail to Dino Headquarters is about ready to have a hernia – we’re buried in feedback about the cover of Chalk and Sweat. Right now, it’s about 50/50 between positive and negative feedback.
That’s right – negative feedback. I’ll share some examples a little later in the day.
But for now, here’s where to find the cover – and then here are some of the POSITIVE responses from Dinos around the world.
The Chalk and Sweat Cover is here:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
And here’s some feedback from the Dinos:
The cover is fantastic. Can’t wait to order my copy! – Ben Wiley
Looks good! When’s it out? – Martin Przybylak
Awesome cover photo! John Davis was the man! Thanks! -- Keith Supernavage
Excellent cover, Brooks. One of my all-time favorite photos of one of my all-time favorite lifters. Works for me. – Peter Yates
Excellent picture! I'm sure he made that lift just by looking at the determination in his face. I saw the picture earlier this morning while I was glancing through the December issue of Dino Files before I left for work. Looks like another great issue. Thanks! – Bill Marchese
Outstanding cover photo, Brooks! – Muata Kamdibe
I didn't think you could top the cover to Legacy of Iron III with the great Stanko and the 1000 pound total, but now you pull out John Davis muscling out the train-car axle! As we used to say back in the day -- OUTASITE! – Paul Murray
There is NO WAY I will miss a book with a title like CHALK AND SWEAT – or a book with John Davis lifting the Apollon Wheels on the cover! Have you seen the video clip of John's lift of the Wheels? VERY impressive, especially after seeing his SCARY first attempt! Keep up the great work! Brian DeLong
John Davis lifting the Apollon Wheels, one of my fave pics. Check out the vid of this, it's a classic; he almost passes out after the lift is completed. Great choice Brooks :) – Chris Young
Amazing photo, look at those legs ... sheesh! Can't wait till it comes out! Thanks for the tease, Brooks. – Zach Lister
I can't wait. I know it's going to be a gem just like it's predecessors! – Jayson Duckett
Well, I can’t wait either – and I’m the guy who wrote it!
That’s all for now, but be looking for an email with the negative feedback. The bunnies are up in arms.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. We’ve been getting tons of orders for our new Dinosaur Training hoodies – so many, in fact, that we’ve run out and had to restock three times already. But right now – for the moment – we have all sizes and colors in stock and ready to ship. So grab a book or two and a hoodie for good measure – save some bucks on shipping and get yourself a nice big T-Rex sized package of goodies:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
Our books, courses and other Dinosaur Training goodies are here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The two-ton pterodactyl that delivers the mail to Dino Headquarters is about ready to have a hernia – we’re buried in feedback about the cover of Chalk and Sweat. Right now, it’s about 50/50 between positive and negative feedback.
That’s right – negative feedback. I’ll share some examples a little later in the day.
But for now, here’s where to find the cover – and then here are some of the POSITIVE responses from Dinos around the world.
The Chalk and Sweat Cover is here:
http://brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
And here’s some feedback from the Dinos:
The cover is fantastic. Can’t wait to order my copy! – Ben Wiley
Looks good! When’s it out? – Martin Przybylak
Awesome cover photo! John Davis was the man! Thanks! -- Keith Supernavage
Excellent cover, Brooks. One of my all-time favorite photos of one of my all-time favorite lifters. Works for me. – Peter Yates
Excellent picture! I'm sure he made that lift just by looking at the determination in his face. I saw the picture earlier this morning while I was glancing through the December issue of Dino Files before I left for work. Looks like another great issue. Thanks! – Bill Marchese
Outstanding cover photo, Brooks! – Muata Kamdibe
I didn't think you could top the cover to Legacy of Iron III with the great Stanko and the 1000 pound total, but now you pull out John Davis muscling out the train-car axle! As we used to say back in the day -- OUTASITE! – Paul Murray
There is NO WAY I will miss a book with a title like CHALK AND SWEAT – or a book with John Davis lifting the Apollon Wheels on the cover! Have you seen the video clip of John's lift of the Wheels? VERY impressive, especially after seeing his SCARY first attempt! Keep up the great work! Brian DeLong
John Davis lifting the Apollon Wheels, one of my fave pics. Check out the vid of this, it's a classic; he almost passes out after the lift is completed. Great choice Brooks :) – Chris Young
Amazing photo, look at those legs ... sheesh! Can't wait till it comes out! Thanks for the tease, Brooks. – Zach Lister
I can't wait. I know it's going to be a gem just like it's predecessors! – Jayson Duckett
Well, I can’t wait either – and I’m the guy who wrote it!
That’s all for now, but be looking for an email with the negative feedback. The bunnies are up in arms.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. We’ve been getting tons of orders for our new Dinosaur Training hoodies – so many, in fact, that we’ve run out and had to restock three times already. But right now – for the moment – we have all sizes and colors in stock and ready to ship. So grab a book or two and a hoodie for good measure – save some bucks on shipping and get yourself a nice big T-Rex sized package of goodies:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_hoodie.html
Our books, courses and other Dinosaur Training goodies are here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
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