Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Good morning, and I hope your week is
off to a great start.
My week is going great. I had a hard
workout out in the garage last night.
Power snatches, power cleans, snatch
grip high pulls and front squats,
followed by some neck, grip and gut
work.
Now, if you've been paying attention to
my daily emails, you may have noticed
a certain consistency to my workouts.
I do the same exercises for long
periods of time. Currently, I am focusing
on front squats, power snatches, power
cleans, snatch grip high pulls, clean
grip high pulls, power clean and push
press, power clean and power jerk, push
press and power jerk from the rack, and
not much else.
I perform three to five exercises
in a workout. Usually, it's four.
I vary things by switching the exercises
and the sequence in which I perform them.
I always vary the wts, reps and sets.
I usually focus on one exercise in each
workout, and perform extra sets for that
exercise. For example, last night the focus
was on power snatches, and I performed eight
sets. I did six sets on the snatch grip high
pulls and five sets on the power cleans and
the front squats.
It's a very simple way to train, but it gives
me good results -- and I enjoy it, which is
about 90% of the battle.
People often ask me how I can do the same
exercises without getting bored. It's a
puzzling question.
It's not puzzling because I don't know how I
keep from getting bored.
It's puzzling because I don't understand how
THEY can get bored from their training.
You want boring, do endless hours of cardio.
Most people who do cardio hate it so much
hat the fitness clubs have to put giant tv
screens on the wall so the cardio crowd can
watch the big screen idiot box while they
pedal away.
In contrast, lifting weights is endlessly
interesting. You don't find too many lifters
who watch television while they're doing a set
of heavy squats, deadlifts, presses or pulls.
What makes lifting weights interesting is that
every set is a new challenge. Even if it's a
warmup set, the challenge is to do each rep in
perfect form. If it's a heavy set, the challenge
is to DO IT -- and for a Dinosaur, that's more
than an advertising slogan. It's a way of life.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. If you hit the iron today, hit it hard.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Dinosaur Training books and courses -- the
Dinosaur Files newsletter (both the 2010 series
and subscription renewals for 2011) -- and the
ever-popular Legacy of Iron books are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
I Don't Know Squat About Core Training!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There's a combination coffee shop and
book store not too far from the house,
and I went up there the other day to
grab some java.
After I grabbed my coffee, I stepped into
the bookstore.
Big mistake.
There were two skinny guys standing in
front of the section where they keep the
"fitness" books. I sometimes check the
fitness and exercise books out just for
laughs. But this time, the laugh was on
me.
The two guys were waving their arms and
jumping up and down and arguing about "core
training."
"No, no, no, that's all wrong!" screamed
the one guy. "You gotta reverse contract the
hyperbolic hyperbole chain. The only way to
do that is to flex-contract at seven second
intervals for a minimum of thirty-seven reps.
If you do less than that, you work the rectus
flexus and the patella accelerators."
The other guy sneered in scorn.
"That's BULL!" he said. "Professor Munchkin
says you need to decompress the retractor magnus
by enervating the facilitators with barium blast
bunch reps. You follow a strict 7/9/4 protocol.
Nothing else will work!"
I'm not sure what it was, but his words seemed to
make the other guy go stark raving mad. He actually
began to foam at the mouth.
I thought it was going to end up in an ugly brawl
right there in the middle of the store. I wondered
if I should leave. If there was an ugly brawl,
they'd call the cops, and I'd be a witness, and I'd
have to give a statement, and it would be forever
before I got back to the house and was able to brew
a cup of coffee and sit down and work on some Dino
projects.
Then I spotted a book that looked interesting.
"Excuse me," I said. "May I see that book?"
They turned to me in shock. They hadn't realized
that I was standing right next to them. Too much
yelling and shouting, I suppose.
"Who are you?" asked one of them.
"No one," I said. "But I'd just like to see that
book."
Now, the mistake of the day was going to the
bookstore. The second mistake was talking to the
two lunatics. The third mistake was wearing a t-shirt
that said DINOSAUR TRAINING.
One of the guys stared at the t-shirt.
"Dinosaur Training?" he said. "What's that? Do you
train dinosaurs?"
"No. it's strength training," I said.
"Great! You can settle it for us," he said. "We
were arguing about core training. He follows the
X-15-7W Core Train System. I follow Prof. M's
Munchkin Mass Method. What do YOU do to train
your core?"
Each looked at the other smugly, waiting for me
to affirm HIS particular core training system.
"Well, the other day I did power cleans and power
jerks -- snatch grip high pulls -- and front squats,"
I said. "Those all work the core pretty hard."
They stared at me in confusion.
"Never heard of those," said the first guy.
"Do you do them on stability balls?" asked the second
guy.
"Well, the day before that I did power snatches, power
cleans, clean grip high pulls and more front squats,"
I offered. "Those seem to be okay for core work."
They shook their heads, ignored me, and wandered off
to the magazine section, where they picked up some
muscle glossies and began reading them avidly. It was
very clear they thought I was crazy.
I nodded to the girl who works at the checkout counter,
waved to the guy stocking new books in the fiction
section, and headed out the door.
I apparently don't know squat about core training --
but I'm twice as old as either of those guys, and I
guarantee I can out-lift both of them together. And
I don't care what Prof. Munchkin says about it.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For silly stuff, read the muscle comics. For
serious training, grab any of the books and courses
at the Dinosaur Training Bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
There's a combination coffee shop and
book store not too far from the house,
and I went up there the other day to
grab some java.
After I grabbed my coffee, I stepped into
the bookstore.
Big mistake.
There were two skinny guys standing in
front of the section where they keep the
"fitness" books. I sometimes check the
fitness and exercise books out just for
laughs. But this time, the laugh was on
me.
The two guys were waving their arms and
jumping up and down and arguing about "core
training."
"No, no, no, that's all wrong!" screamed
the one guy. "You gotta reverse contract the
hyperbolic hyperbole chain. The only way to
do that is to flex-contract at seven second
intervals for a minimum of thirty-seven reps.
If you do less than that, you work the rectus
flexus and the patella accelerators."
The other guy sneered in scorn.
"That's BULL!" he said. "Professor Munchkin
says you need to decompress the retractor magnus
by enervating the facilitators with barium blast
bunch reps. You follow a strict 7/9/4 protocol.
Nothing else will work!"
I'm not sure what it was, but his words seemed to
make the other guy go stark raving mad. He actually
began to foam at the mouth.
I thought it was going to end up in an ugly brawl
right there in the middle of the store. I wondered
if I should leave. If there was an ugly brawl,
they'd call the cops, and I'd be a witness, and I'd
have to give a statement, and it would be forever
before I got back to the house and was able to brew
a cup of coffee and sit down and work on some Dino
projects.
Then I spotted a book that looked interesting.
"Excuse me," I said. "May I see that book?"
They turned to me in shock. They hadn't realized
that I was standing right next to them. Too much
yelling and shouting, I suppose.
"Who are you?" asked one of them.
"No one," I said. "But I'd just like to see that
book."
Now, the mistake of the day was going to the
bookstore. The second mistake was talking to the
two lunatics. The third mistake was wearing a t-shirt
that said DINOSAUR TRAINING.
One of the guys stared at the t-shirt.
"Dinosaur Training?" he said. "What's that? Do you
train dinosaurs?"
"No. it's strength training," I said.
"Great! You can settle it for us," he said. "We
were arguing about core training. He follows the
X-15-7W Core Train System. I follow Prof. M's
Munchkin Mass Method. What do YOU do to train
your core?"
Each looked at the other smugly, waiting for me
to affirm HIS particular core training system.
"Well, the other day I did power cleans and power
jerks -- snatch grip high pulls -- and front squats,"
I said. "Those all work the core pretty hard."
They stared at me in confusion.
"Never heard of those," said the first guy.
"Do you do them on stability balls?" asked the second
guy.
"Well, the day before that I did power snatches, power
cleans, clean grip high pulls and more front squats,"
I offered. "Those seem to be okay for core work."
They shook their heads, ignored me, and wandered off
to the magazine section, where they picked up some
muscle glossies and began reading them avidly. It was
very clear they thought I was crazy.
I nodded to the girl who works at the checkout counter,
waved to the guy stocking new books in the fiction
section, and headed out the door.
I apparently don't know squat about core training --
but I'm twice as old as either of those guys, and I
guarantee I can out-lift both of them together. And
I don't care what Prof. Munchkin says about it.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For silly stuff, read the muscle comics. For
serious training, grab any of the books and courses
at the Dinosaur Training Bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
My Definition of Strength Training Success
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
You may have noticed that I use the words
"success" and "successful" quite a bit.
As in: "how to be a strength training
success" or "secrets of successful strength
training."
But my definition of "success" might be
different from the definition most people
would use.
So perhaps its time to talk about my
definition of "success."
1. It's not about winning the Mr. Whatever
contest or looking like a cartoon character
freak.
2. It's not about lifting a zillion pounds.
3. It's not about being cut to ribbons with
veins popping out all over, sliced so sharp
your cuts have cuts on them.
4. It's not about weighing 200, 250 or 300
pounds and looking like a tank.
5. It's not about much of anything the popular
muscle media defines as success.
Last night, I read several letters printed in
the "Success Stories" section of Strength and
Health magazine way back in January, 1941.
Skinny guy discovers weight training and gains
from 125 to 150 pounds. He was 31 years old, and
said "The one thing I always longed for most
was a strong, healthy body."
Soldier trains with his York Barbell set at Hickam
Field in Hawaii. Hickam Field was bombed on Pearl
Harbor Day. I'm sure those barbell built muscles
came in handy. Maybe they even helped to save
American lives.
17 year old kid from Milwaukee gains 20 pounds
of muscle in one year.
Guy in his early 20's gains 20 pounds in two
years and increases his clean and jerk from
115 lbs. to 285 lbs. (Not a typo -- that's
TWO - EIGHT - FIVE.)
16 year old kid from San Diego trains for a year
and a half and pushes his wt yo 173 lbs. He can
press 210 lbs., snatch 200 lbs. and clean and
jerk 255 lbs.
20 year old guy gains 20 pounds of muscle and
starts a neighborhood gym. He's shown standing
next to a skinny kid who trained at the gym. The
skinny kid is Frank Spellman, who went on to win
an Olympic Gold Medal in weightlifting in 1948.
Kid from Honolulu writes: "When I first started
people laughed at me, but now I am proud to say
that I'm not ashamed any more." he adds: "I
believe it was hard work and the never say die
spirit that made the difference in my body."
Those are examples of what I mean when I talk
about being a strength training success.
I'm talking about real people who alter their
lives thru proper physical training.
Trainees who trade small and frail for strong
and muscular.
They may not have been "champs." But they're
definitely SUCCESS STORIES.
There are literally thousands of successful
strength trainers around the world. If you're
reading this message, you already ARE one --
or you're going to be very soon!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you
train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on how to become a
strength training success, grab any of my books
and courses -- and a subscription to the Dinosaur
Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 For more about what it was like to toss
heavy iron back in the 1940's, grab a copy
of Legacy of Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
You may have noticed that I use the words
"success" and "successful" quite a bit.
As in: "how to be a strength training
success" or "secrets of successful strength
training."
But my definition of "success" might be
different from the definition most people
would use.
So perhaps its time to talk about my
definition of "success."
1. It's not about winning the Mr. Whatever
contest or looking like a cartoon character
freak.
2. It's not about lifting a zillion pounds.
3. It's not about being cut to ribbons with
veins popping out all over, sliced so sharp
your cuts have cuts on them.
4. It's not about weighing 200, 250 or 300
pounds and looking like a tank.
5. It's not about much of anything the popular
muscle media defines as success.
Last night, I read several letters printed in
the "Success Stories" section of Strength and
Health magazine way back in January, 1941.
Skinny guy discovers weight training and gains
from 125 to 150 pounds. He was 31 years old, and
said "The one thing I always longed for most
was a strong, healthy body."
Soldier trains with his York Barbell set at Hickam
Field in Hawaii. Hickam Field was bombed on Pearl
Harbor Day. I'm sure those barbell built muscles
came in handy. Maybe they even helped to save
American lives.
17 year old kid from Milwaukee gains 20 pounds
of muscle in one year.
Guy in his early 20's gains 20 pounds in two
years and increases his clean and jerk from
115 lbs. to 285 lbs. (Not a typo -- that's
TWO - EIGHT - FIVE.)
16 year old kid from San Diego trains for a year
and a half and pushes his wt yo 173 lbs. He can
press 210 lbs., snatch 200 lbs. and clean and
jerk 255 lbs.
20 year old guy gains 20 pounds of muscle and
starts a neighborhood gym. He's shown standing
next to a skinny kid who trained at the gym. The
skinny kid is Frank Spellman, who went on to win
an Olympic Gold Medal in weightlifting in 1948.
Kid from Honolulu writes: "When I first started
people laughed at me, but now I am proud to say
that I'm not ashamed any more." he adds: "I
believe it was hard work and the never say die
spirit that made the difference in my body."
Those are examples of what I mean when I talk
about being a strength training success.
I'm talking about real people who alter their
lives thru proper physical training.
Trainees who trade small and frail for strong
and muscular.
They may not have been "champs." But they're
definitely SUCCESS STORIES.
There are literally thousands of successful
strength trainers around the world. If you're
reading this message, you already ARE one --
or you're going to be very soon!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you
train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on how to become a
strength training success, grab any of my books
and courses -- and a subscription to the Dinosaur
Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 For more about what it was like to toss
heavy iron back in the 1940's, grab a copy
of Legacy of Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
Why A Training Journal Is Your Secret Weapon!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There are plenty of simple things that
distinguish someone who's serious about
their strength training, and someone
who's just playing around.
One of those differences is keeping a
detailed workout log (aka training
journal).
Serious keep keep them.
The ones who are playing around don't
bother.
If you're seriuous about getting bigger
and stronger and better conditioned, a
training journal is your secret weapon.
A couple of folks who kept detailed
training journals for their entire
career:
2 time-Olympic Gold medalist and 6-time
world champion Tommy Kono
Mr. America and multi-time Mr. universe
Bill Pearl
Multi-time Mr. Universe Reg Park
Something that worked for men like Tommy
Kono, Bill Pearl and Reg park is probably
something worth doing, don't you think?
Your training journal can be a simple
steno notebook, a spiral notebook, a
3-ring binder or a perfect bound journal.
Before you train, sit down and outline
your workout. List your exercises, sets,
weights and reps. (By the way, this is a
good form of pre-workout visualization.)
Writing everything down before you go to
the gym helps ensure that you do a scheduled
workout as opposed to some sort of haphazard
"float from here to there around they gym"
workout.
After every set, check off the set to show
that you did it. If you don't it's awfully
easy to get mixed up. ("Was that my third
set with 225 for 5 or my fourth set?")
I like to use two different colors of ink.
I usually write the workout in black ink,
and check it off in red ink as I move
from set to set and exercise to exercise.
Make note of things as you move along. If a
working wt felt light, make a note of it.
"225 x 5 -- felt good. Go up next time."
Tommy Kono used to grade his lifts when he
trained. A perfect lift got an A, an okay
lift got a B, and so on.
Of course, you need to be honest when you
grade your lifts or when you make a note
that a particular working weight felt light.
Over time, your training journal will become
the best coach you ever had. It will show you
what worked -- and just as importantly, what
didn't work.
Bill Pearl saved all of his old training logs.
If he wanted to do any kind of special program,
e.g., an arm specialization program, all he
had to do was look back through his journal
and find one that had worked well for him in
the past.
So the next time you train, take your training
journal with you -- and get into the training
journal habit!
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. It's the little things -- like keeping a
training journal -- that make all the difference.
For more tips, techniques, workouts and training
ideas, see my books and courses at the Dinosaur
Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
There are plenty of simple things that
distinguish someone who's serious about
their strength training, and someone
who's just playing around.
One of those differences is keeping a
detailed workout log (aka training
journal).
Serious keep keep them.
The ones who are playing around don't
bother.
If you're seriuous about getting bigger
and stronger and better conditioned, a
training journal is your secret weapon.
A couple of folks who kept detailed
training journals for their entire
career:
2 time-Olympic Gold medalist and 6-time
world champion Tommy Kono
Mr. America and multi-time Mr. universe
Bill Pearl
Multi-time Mr. Universe Reg Park
Something that worked for men like Tommy
Kono, Bill Pearl and Reg park is probably
something worth doing, don't you think?
Your training journal can be a simple
steno notebook, a spiral notebook, a
3-ring binder or a perfect bound journal.
Before you train, sit down and outline
your workout. List your exercises, sets,
weights and reps. (By the way, this is a
good form of pre-workout visualization.)
Writing everything down before you go to
the gym helps ensure that you do a scheduled
workout as opposed to some sort of haphazard
"float from here to there around they gym"
workout.
After every set, check off the set to show
that you did it. If you don't it's awfully
easy to get mixed up. ("Was that my third
set with 225 for 5 or my fourth set?")
I like to use two different colors of ink.
I usually write the workout in black ink,
and check it off in red ink as I move
from set to set and exercise to exercise.
Make note of things as you move along. If a
working wt felt light, make a note of it.
"225 x 5 -- felt good. Go up next time."
Tommy Kono used to grade his lifts when he
trained. A perfect lift got an A, an okay
lift got a B, and so on.
Of course, you need to be honest when you
grade your lifts or when you make a note
that a particular working weight felt light.
Over time, your training journal will become
the best coach you ever had. It will show you
what worked -- and just as importantly, what
didn't work.
Bill Pearl saved all of his old training logs.
If he wanted to do any kind of special program,
e.g., an arm specialization program, all he
had to do was look back through his journal
and find one that had worked well for him in
the past.
So the next time you train, take your training
journal with you -- and get into the training
journal habit!
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. It's the little things -- like keeping a
training journal -- that make all the difference.
For more tips, techniques, workouts and training
ideas, see my books and courses at the Dinosaur
Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
How to Gain Muscular Bodyweight
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I received an email yesterday from a reader
who wanted to know "the best diet for gaining
muscular bodyweight."
So here it is.
1. Start doing some serious weight training.
2. Do plenty of squats, deadlifts, presses,
bent-over rowing or pull-ups,shrugs, bench
presses or incline presses (barbell or
dumbbell), and some curls and close grip
bench presses.
3. Finish each session with some neck, gut
and grip work.
4. Train progressively. That means, as you grow
stronger, do more reps or add more weight. If
you really want to increase your muscle size
and your bodyweight, you need to get much stronger
than you are now. As in, add 100 pounds or more to
your squats and deadlifts -- 50 to 75 pounds
to your bench presses -- and 50 pounds to everything
else.
5. Use abbreviated workouts as described in Dinosaur
Training, Chalk and Sweat, Gray Hair and Black Iron
and Strength, Muscle and Power.
6. Going back to point no. 4 -- always use good form.
Never sacrifice good form for weight on the bar. yes,
you want to add weight to the bar, but you need to
EARN those weight increases.
7. A further point about adding weight to the bar.
Don't expect to add 100 pounds overnight. It may take
a couple of years to get there. Rome wasn't built in
a day, and neither was any great strongman. Give yourself
some time to grow bigger and stronger, and don't try to
rush things.
8. If you want to add muscle mass, train to add muscle
mass, NOT to get lean and defined. High rep endurance
workouts will NOT help you add muscle mass.
9. For advanced lifters, power rack and single rep
workouts as described in Strength, Muscle and Power can
be extremely productive.
10. Another good idea for advanced lifters would be to
alternate leg specialization programs with back
specialization programs. I give ten of each in Chalk
and Sweat. If you don't already have it, order a copy.
And there you are. That's the very best diet for gaining
muscular bodyweight.
I'm sorry -- what did you say?
You say you wanted a special diet? You wanted to know
what to eat? How many grams of protein, how many calories,
etc.?
Well, okay.
Train hard and heavy -- do lots of heavy compound
exercises -- specialize on your legs and back -- and eat
plenty of good, healthy, nutritious food. Eat lots of
high quality protein foods. Aim for one gram of protein
per pound of bodyweight. In other words, if you weigh
150 pounds, eat 150 grams of protein (or more) per day.
Let your appetite be your guide. The harder and heavier
you train, the more you'll eat.
No junk food. It will just make you fat. And it won't build
an ounce of muscle.
There you go. Simple stuff. The basics. But the basics are
what build strength, muscle and power.
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. Any of my books and courses will help you ENORMOUSLY
in your quest for might and muscle. You can find them right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
I received an email yesterday from a reader
who wanted to know "the best diet for gaining
muscular bodyweight."
So here it is.
1. Start doing some serious weight training.
2. Do plenty of squats, deadlifts, presses,
bent-over rowing or pull-ups,shrugs, bench
presses or incline presses (barbell or
dumbbell), and some curls and close grip
bench presses.
3. Finish each session with some neck, gut
and grip work.
4. Train progressively. That means, as you grow
stronger, do more reps or add more weight. If
you really want to increase your muscle size
and your bodyweight, you need to get much stronger
than you are now. As in, add 100 pounds or more to
your squats and deadlifts -- 50 to 75 pounds
to your bench presses -- and 50 pounds to everything
else.
5. Use abbreviated workouts as described in Dinosaur
Training, Chalk and Sweat, Gray Hair and Black Iron
and Strength, Muscle and Power.
6. Going back to point no. 4 -- always use good form.
Never sacrifice good form for weight on the bar. yes,
you want to add weight to the bar, but you need to
EARN those weight increases.
7. A further point about adding weight to the bar.
Don't expect to add 100 pounds overnight. It may take
a couple of years to get there. Rome wasn't built in
a day, and neither was any great strongman. Give yourself
some time to grow bigger and stronger, and don't try to
rush things.
8. If you want to add muscle mass, train to add muscle
mass, NOT to get lean and defined. High rep endurance
workouts will NOT help you add muscle mass.
9. For advanced lifters, power rack and single rep
workouts as described in Strength, Muscle and Power can
be extremely productive.
10. Another good idea for advanced lifters would be to
alternate leg specialization programs with back
specialization programs. I give ten of each in Chalk
and Sweat. If you don't already have it, order a copy.
And there you are. That's the very best diet for gaining
muscular bodyweight.
I'm sorry -- what did you say?
You say you wanted a special diet? You wanted to know
what to eat? How many grams of protein, how many calories,
etc.?
Well, okay.
Train hard and heavy -- do lots of heavy compound
exercises -- specialize on your legs and back -- and eat
plenty of good, healthy, nutritious food. Eat lots of
high quality protein foods. Aim for one gram of protein
per pound of bodyweight. In other words, if you weigh
150 pounds, eat 150 grams of protein (or more) per day.
Let your appetite be your guide. The harder and heavier
you train, the more you'll eat.
No junk food. It will just make you fat. And it won't build
an ounce of muscle.
There you go. Simple stuff. The basics. But the basics are
what build strength, muscle and power.
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. Any of my books and courses will help you ENORMOUSLY
in your quest for might and muscle. You can find them right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Training Time for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It was a pleasant day in Louisville. Somewhere
between mild and springlike (on the one hand)
and warm (on the other hand).
Good lifting weather. Not too hot -- and not too
cold.
About 6:15 in the evening, I dressed for battle.
Black sweats, blue t-shirt, Tommy Kono knee
bands (a must for older lifters), and lifting
shoes.
Grabbed the workout journal I had logged in the
exercises, wts., sets and reps for the workout
half an hour earlier, so I knew exactly what I
was going to do.
Filled the water bottle with filtered tap water
from the kitchen sink, gave Trudi a kiss as I
passed her in the kitchen, and headed outside.
She had already finished her workout. A long
bicycle ride and a weight workout at the gym,
followed by a second bicycle ride. The girl
trains hard.
I went out to the garage, put on my workout
music -- the Rocky Balboa CD -- and started
to do my warm-ups.
From there, I moved to standard stuff.
Power cleans for progressively heavier sets
of 2 reps.
It felt pretty good. the bar moved fast, and
I put lots of snap into each rep.
From there, I moved to power snatches. This
was my big movement of the day. I started with
triples, and worked up to doubles -- and then
finished with singles.
These felt REALLY good. Lots of pop. I worked
hard to snap the weight up on each rep.
After the power snatches, I did snatch grip
high pulls for triples. On each rep, I worked
for perfect form with a slow start and gradual
acceleration -- finishing with full extension.
Most guys perform a sort of deadlift and heave
when they perform high pulls. They make it a
two part or two stage movement. It's not that
at all. It's a smooth movement that gets faster
and faster from start to finish.
I finished with front squats for fives, fours
and threes.
Some gut, grip and neck work, and I was done for
the day.
The whole thing took about an hour and 20 minutes.
It was a good, hard workout, and when it was over,
I was one tired Dinosaur. I felt great -- but I
was tired.
I know that I was not alone yesterday. I know that
there are Dinos around the world who hit it hard
and heavy yesterday (or the day before) -- or who
are going to hit it hard and heavy today.
The details may change from Dino to Dino. Someone
else may favor a powerlifitng type workout. Another
lifter might prefer kettlebells. A third might enjoy
bodyweight work. A third lifter may do more of an
old-school bodybuilding workout. Yet another may
concentrate on grip work. And still another may do
some heavy partials followed by Dino-style
finishers.
Some lifters may hit those 20 rep breathing squats,
some might train their squats 5 x 5 style, and
others might use lower reps.
There's no right or wrong way to build strength,
muscle and power. There's no one way to be a
Dinosaur.
As long as you're training hard and heavy -- on
abbreviated programs -- and emphasizing the big,
compound movements -- you're doing what you need
to be doing.
So start the week by giving yourself a pat on
the back. You're doing the right thing -- and
you're doing a great job!
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 I noted, there are many effective ways to
train for strength, muscle and power. You can find
them in my books and courses -- in the Dinosaur Files
newsletter -- and in the Legacy of Iron books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
It was a pleasant day in Louisville. Somewhere
between mild and springlike (on the one hand)
and warm (on the other hand).
Good lifting weather. Not too hot -- and not too
cold.
About 6:15 in the evening, I dressed for battle.
Black sweats, blue t-shirt, Tommy Kono knee
bands (a must for older lifters), and lifting
shoes.
Grabbed the workout journal I had logged in the
exercises, wts., sets and reps for the workout
half an hour earlier, so I knew exactly what I
was going to do.
Filled the water bottle with filtered tap water
from the kitchen sink, gave Trudi a kiss as I
passed her in the kitchen, and headed outside.
She had already finished her workout. A long
bicycle ride and a weight workout at the gym,
followed by a second bicycle ride. The girl
trains hard.
I went out to the garage, put on my workout
music -- the Rocky Balboa CD -- and started
to do my warm-ups.
From there, I moved to standard stuff.
Power cleans for progressively heavier sets
of 2 reps.
It felt pretty good. the bar moved fast, and
I put lots of snap into each rep.
From there, I moved to power snatches. This
was my big movement of the day. I started with
triples, and worked up to doubles -- and then
finished with singles.
These felt REALLY good. Lots of pop. I worked
hard to snap the weight up on each rep.
After the power snatches, I did snatch grip
high pulls for triples. On each rep, I worked
for perfect form with a slow start and gradual
acceleration -- finishing with full extension.
Most guys perform a sort of deadlift and heave
when they perform high pulls. They make it a
two part or two stage movement. It's not that
at all. It's a smooth movement that gets faster
and faster from start to finish.
I finished with front squats for fives, fours
and threes.
Some gut, grip and neck work, and I was done for
the day.
The whole thing took about an hour and 20 minutes.
It was a good, hard workout, and when it was over,
I was one tired Dinosaur. I felt great -- but I
was tired.
I know that I was not alone yesterday. I know that
there are Dinos around the world who hit it hard
and heavy yesterday (or the day before) -- or who
are going to hit it hard and heavy today.
The details may change from Dino to Dino. Someone
else may favor a powerlifitng type workout. Another
lifter might prefer kettlebells. A third might enjoy
bodyweight work. A third lifter may do more of an
old-school bodybuilding workout. Yet another may
concentrate on grip work. And still another may do
some heavy partials followed by Dino-style
finishers.
Some lifters may hit those 20 rep breathing squats,
some might train their squats 5 x 5 style, and
others might use lower reps.
There's no right or wrong way to build strength,
muscle and power. There's no one way to be a
Dinosaur.
As long as you're training hard and heavy -- on
abbreviated programs -- and emphasizing the big,
compound movements -- you're doing what you need
to be doing.
So start the week by giving yourself a pat on
the back. You're doing the right thing -- and
you're doing a great job!
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 I noted, there are many effective ways to
train for strength, muscle and power. You can find
them in my books and courses -- in the Dinosaur Files
newsletter -- and in the Legacy of Iron books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
News and Updates from Dinosaur Training!
ail to the Dinosaurs!
A couple of quick notes for Dinos:
1. Dinosaur Back Training
I'll be interviewed on Superhuman Radio this
coming Tuesday, March 22 at 12:00 noon EST.
The topic will be DINOSAUR BACK TRAINING.
If you miss the live broadcast, be sure catch
the download and listen to it later on.
You can find log onto the live broadcast or
grab the download here at the Superhuman Radio
site:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
2. Dinosaur Gardening
I'll be doing a second interview on Superhuman Radio
on Tuesday, March 29 -- also at 12:00 noon EST.
This one will be about Dinosaur Gardening -- as in,
why a backyard or container veggie garden is one of
your number one weapon sin the battle for strength
and health.
And not only WHY -- but HOW TO DO IT quickly and
easily.
And let me note right now -- this is not your typical
gardening course.
It's more about strength training for veggies --
combined with plenty of high powered nutrition for
them.
I'll even tell you about my secret GET BIG DRINK for
growing Dino-sized vegetables. And the best part is,
you make it at home and it costs you zippo. (You don't
drink it -- your plants do.)
I also make homemade protein powder, vitamin/mineral
powders, and metabolic optimizers for my veggies. And
I'll tell you exactly how I do it.
In addition -- I buy supplements for them -- and I'll
tell you all about it on the show.
Why do I do this? Because it's the only way to make
sure that your veggies are as healthy as possible,
and as nutritious as possible. (Not to mention, as
tasty as possible.) -- and for anyone who'd like high
quality, locally grown, organic vegetables at low, low
prices. Because you can't beat the price if you grow
it yourself.
Fun stuff -- and very good information for health-
conscious Dinos.
3. Dino Files renewals
If you subscribe to the Dinosaur Files newsletter, it's
time to renew your subscription. Here's the special order
page for RENEWALS:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
4. The April Dino Files.
I'm putting the April issue of The Dinosaur Files together,
and as always, I need photos from readers. So don't be
shy -- send them in!
5. New Book Coming!
You know, it's been a long time since I put another new
book out there for you. I launched Chalk and Sweat all the
way back in December -- and volume 5 in the Legacy of Iron
series back in January -- and it's been very quiet since
then.
Nothing in February -- nothing in March -- gee, what's up?
Maybe the Dino Guy has gone on vacation -- or maybe he's been
pounding the keyboard 24/7, working like a madman on a big new
book that you are going to love.
A big new book unlike anything you've ever seen before -- with
many, many pages -- and photos -- and a killer cover -- and an
introduction by Bill Hinbern.
Yes, that may indeed be what I've been working on.
And I may even have finished the manuscript a couple of days
ago and shot it off to my layout and design team -- and that would
mean that it's being formatted for printing even as I type this.
All of which means, you might be seeing something new and exciting
in about six or eight weeks, depending on how fast we can get the
little monster finalized and how fast the printer can get it
into the production line.
Or maybe I've just been on vacation for a few months. What
do 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. Remember -- Tuesday at 12:00 noon EST -- SuperHuman Radio --
be there or download it later on! March 22 and March 29. You'll
want to be sure to catch these broadcasts!
A couple of quick notes for Dinos:
1. Dinosaur Back Training
I'll be interviewed on Superhuman Radio this
coming Tuesday, March 22 at 12:00 noon EST.
The topic will be DINOSAUR BACK TRAINING.
If you miss the live broadcast, be sure catch
the download and listen to it later on.
You can find log onto the live broadcast or
grab the download here at the Superhuman Radio
site:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
2. Dinosaur Gardening
I'll be doing a second interview on Superhuman Radio
on Tuesday, March 29 -- also at 12:00 noon EST.
This one will be about Dinosaur Gardening -- as in,
why a backyard or container veggie garden is one of
your number one weapon sin the battle for strength
and health.
And not only WHY -- but HOW TO DO IT quickly and
easily.
And let me note right now -- this is not your typical
gardening course.
It's more about strength training for veggies --
combined with plenty of high powered nutrition for
them.
I'll even tell you about my secret GET BIG DRINK for
growing Dino-sized vegetables. And the best part is,
you make it at home and it costs you zippo. (You don't
drink it -- your plants do.)
I also make homemade protein powder, vitamin/mineral
powders, and metabolic optimizers for my veggies. And
I'll tell you exactly how I do it.
In addition -- I buy supplements for them -- and I'll
tell you all about it on the show.
Why do I do this? Because it's the only way to make
sure that your veggies are as healthy as possible,
and as nutritious as possible. (Not to mention, as
tasty as possible.) -- and for anyone who'd like high
quality, locally grown, organic vegetables at low, low
prices. Because you can't beat the price if you grow
it yourself.
Fun stuff -- and very good information for health-
conscious Dinos.
3. Dino Files renewals
If you subscribe to the Dinosaur Files newsletter, it's
time to renew your subscription. Here's the special order
page for RENEWALS:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
4. The April Dino Files.
I'm putting the April issue of The Dinosaur Files together,
and as always, I need photos from readers. So don't be
shy -- send them in!
5. New Book Coming!
You know, it's been a long time since I put another new
book out there for you. I launched Chalk and Sweat all the
way back in December -- and volume 5 in the Legacy of Iron
series back in January -- and it's been very quiet since
then.
Nothing in February -- nothing in March -- gee, what's up?
Maybe the Dino Guy has gone on vacation -- or maybe he's been
pounding the keyboard 24/7, working like a madman on a big new
book that you are going to love.
A big new book unlike anything you've ever seen before -- with
many, many pages -- and photos -- and a killer cover -- and an
introduction by Bill Hinbern.
Yes, that may indeed be what I've been working on.
And I may even have finished the manuscript a couple of days
ago and shot it off to my layout and design team -- and that would
mean that it's being formatted for printing even as I type this.
All of which means, you might be seeing something new and exciting
in about six or eight weeks, depending on how fast we can get the
little monster finalized and how fast the printer can get it
into the production line.
Or maybe I've just been on vacation for a few months. What
do 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. Remember -- Tuesday at 12:00 noon EST -- SuperHuman Radio --
be there or download it later on! March 22 and March 29. You'll
want to be sure to catch these broadcasts!
Do the Russians Have Secret exercises?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The current issue of Denis Reno's
Olympic Lifting Newsletter has an
article about the training program
used by the Norwegian National coaches
to train their lifters.
It's based on a program presented
by the former head coach of the Russian
weightlifting team, who shared it at
a special seminar for the Norwegians
back in 1977. (It's an old program that
has been around for a long time, and has
produced good results for many lifters.
It was a four year program, with every
workout outlined in detail (exercises,
sets, reps, and weights). (Which made
it a really long article.)
A couple of interesting things jumped
out when you looked at the program. One
of them ties right into yesterday's
message about THE BASIC SIX.
There were no "secret" exercises.
Let me repeat that.
There were no secret exercises.
I know, because I studied the entire
article very carefully, and looked at
every single workout over the four year
period.
Every workout was based on the standard
movements that weightlifters around the
world perform. There were no "secret
Russian exercises."
The only exercises in the entire four
year program were:
1. Back squats
2. Front squats
3. Full Cleans (i.e. Squat Cleans)
4. Full Snatches (i.e., Squat Snatches)
5. Power cleans
6. Power snatches
7. The Clean and Jerk (Squat Clean and
Split Jerk)
8. Power Jerks from the rack
9. Jerks from the rack
10. Snatch pulls
11. Clean pulls
And that was it. Nothing else. Just those
11 exercises.
Now, I know that most of you aren't training
to be Olympic weightlifters, and that's fine.
The point is, some men who spent their entire
lives studying and teaching heavy lifting at the
highest international level got their best results
by using just a small number of exercises.
And that's exactly the same as what I teach here
at Dino Headquarters.
It's exactly what I was saying in yesterday's
email message.
Yes, I KNOW there are thousands of exercises out
there.
But I also know that you'll get best results if
you pick a small number of them and work them
really hard.
For example:
1. Back squats or front squats
2. Deadlifts or Trap Bar Deadlifts
3. Bent-over Rowing or Pull-ups
4. Bench Press (barbell or dumbbell or
Incline Press (barbell or dumbbell)
5. Standing Presses
That's FIVE exercises. But work them really hard
over the next couple of years -- along with some
neck, gut and grip work -- and you'll become a
superman.
Remember, it's not about QUANTITY. It's all about
QUALITY.
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. Stop by the Dinosaur Training store and check out the
very best in strength training, muscle-building and Iron
Game literature:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The current issue of Denis Reno's
Olympic Lifting Newsletter has an
article about the training program
used by the Norwegian National coaches
to train their lifters.
It's based on a program presented
by the former head coach of the Russian
weightlifting team, who shared it at
a special seminar for the Norwegians
back in 1977. (It's an old program that
has been around for a long time, and has
produced good results for many lifters.
It was a four year program, with every
workout outlined in detail (exercises,
sets, reps, and weights). (Which made
it a really long article.)
A couple of interesting things jumped
out when you looked at the program. One
of them ties right into yesterday's
message about THE BASIC SIX.
There were no "secret" exercises.
Let me repeat that.
There were no secret exercises.
I know, because I studied the entire
article very carefully, and looked at
every single workout over the four year
period.
Every workout was based on the standard
movements that weightlifters around the
world perform. There were no "secret
Russian exercises."
The only exercises in the entire four
year program were:
1. Back squats
2. Front squats
3. Full Cleans (i.e. Squat Cleans)
4. Full Snatches (i.e., Squat Snatches)
5. Power cleans
6. Power snatches
7. The Clean and Jerk (Squat Clean and
Split Jerk)
8. Power Jerks from the rack
9. Jerks from the rack
10. Snatch pulls
11. Clean pulls
And that was it. Nothing else. Just those
11 exercises.
Now, I know that most of you aren't training
to be Olympic weightlifters, and that's fine.
The point is, some men who spent their entire
lives studying and teaching heavy lifting at the
highest international level got their best results
by using just a small number of exercises.
And that's exactly the same as what I teach here
at Dino Headquarters.
It's exactly what I was saying in yesterday's
email message.
Yes, I KNOW there are thousands of exercises out
there.
But I also know that you'll get best results if
you pick a small number of them and work them
really hard.
For example:
1. Back squats or front squats
2. Deadlifts or Trap Bar Deadlifts
3. Bent-over Rowing or Pull-ups
4. Bench Press (barbell or dumbbell or
Incline Press (barbell or dumbbell)
5. Standing Presses
That's FIVE exercises. But work them really hard
over the next couple of years -- along with some
neck, gut and grip work -- and you'll become a
superman.
Remember, it's not about QUANTITY. It's all about
QUALITY.
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. Stop by the Dinosaur Training store and check out the
very best in strength training, muscle-building and Iron
Game literature:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The Basic Six
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It was well over 40 years ago when a
skinny little kid with thick glasses
found a magic book on the shelves of
the public library in the town where
he lived.
It was written by a man named Myles
Callum. (No relation to John McCallum,
who wrote the popular "Keys to Progress"
series in Strength and Health.)
The title of the book was BODY-BUILDING
AND SELF-DEFENSE.
It was written in 1962 and published by
Barnes and Noble. It must have been pretty
popular, because it went through least 8
printings.
Now, if you haven't already guessed, that
little kid was me. And you're reading this
email message because that little book got
me going in the Iron Game.
I recently found a copy of that little book,
and went back and re-read it. Even though
it was written in 1962, it has some pretty
good advice.
For example, the weight training section of
the book featured THE BASIC SIX.These were
the six best exercises -- the ones that did
the most good for you, and the ones that would
give you a complete total body workout. As
Callum noted, there were hundreds of different
exercises that you could do, but these were the
ones you should concentrate on.
What were they?
Here's the list, exactly the way that Callum
presented it:
1. The bench press is the best single exercise
for chest development. Specifically, it builds
up the pectoral muscles, frontal deltoids and
triceps.
2. The regular press develops the arms (triceps)
and shoulders.
3. Squats are the best-known leg developers -- a
popular exercise in paratrooper training units.
Squats are excellent for building up the thighs,
lungs and rib cage.
4. The rowing motion builds a strong back by
developing the latissimus dorsi muscles, trapezius,
and rear deltoids.
5. Curls are the famous biceps-builders, essential
for strong arms.
6. Deadlifts take care of the all-important lower
back muscles, or spinal erectors.
So here we are today -- almost 50 years after the
publication of Callum's book -- and THE BASIC SIX
is still a pretty darn good list of exercises. In
fact, you'd be hard pressed to come up with a better
list!
As always, thanks for reading, and if you know anyone
who wants to get started on a weight training program,
be sure to tell them about the basic six.
Have a great day -- and if you train today, make it a
good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik.
P.S. If I had been able to read Dinosaur Training,
Chalk and Sweat, and the Legacy of Iron series when
I was a kid -- wow! There would have been no stopping
me. Consider yourself lucky -- you can grab any of them
right now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
It was well over 40 years ago when a
skinny little kid with thick glasses
found a magic book on the shelves of
the public library in the town where
he lived.
It was written by a man named Myles
Callum. (No relation to John McCallum,
who wrote the popular "Keys to Progress"
series in Strength and Health.)
The title of the book was BODY-BUILDING
AND SELF-DEFENSE.
It was written in 1962 and published by
Barnes and Noble. It must have been pretty
popular, because it went through least 8
printings.
Now, if you haven't already guessed, that
little kid was me. And you're reading this
email message because that little book got
me going in the Iron Game.
I recently found a copy of that little book,
and went back and re-read it. Even though
it was written in 1962, it has some pretty
good advice.
For example, the weight training section of
the book featured THE BASIC SIX.These were
the six best exercises -- the ones that did
the most good for you, and the ones that would
give you a complete total body workout. As
Callum noted, there were hundreds of different
exercises that you could do, but these were the
ones you should concentrate on.
What were they?
Here's the list, exactly the way that Callum
presented it:
1. The bench press is the best single exercise
for chest development. Specifically, it builds
up the pectoral muscles, frontal deltoids and
triceps.
2. The regular press develops the arms (triceps)
and shoulders.
3. Squats are the best-known leg developers -- a
popular exercise in paratrooper training units.
Squats are excellent for building up the thighs,
lungs and rib cage.
4. The rowing motion builds a strong back by
developing the latissimus dorsi muscles, trapezius,
and rear deltoids.
5. Curls are the famous biceps-builders, essential
for strong arms.
6. Deadlifts take care of the all-important lower
back muscles, or spinal erectors.
So here we are today -- almost 50 years after the
publication of Callum's book -- and THE BASIC SIX
is still a pretty darn good list of exercises. In
fact, you'd be hard pressed to come up with a better
list!
As always, thanks for reading, and if you know anyone
who wants to get started on a weight training program,
be sure to tell them about the basic six.
Have a great day -- and if you train today, make it a
good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik.
P.S. If I had been able to read Dinosaur Training,
Chalk and Sweat, and the Legacy of Iron series when
I was a kid -- wow! There would have been no stopping
me. Consider yourself lucky -- you can grab any of them
right now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The Secret of Strength Training Success
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Vince Gironda, the famed Iron Guru of
bodybuilding, once said something to the
effect that he had learned more by watching
weightlifters train than by watching
bodybuilders train.
I've had the same experience -- and I've
also found that I've learned much more by
what weightlifters do than by studying what
bodybuilders do.
According to Gironda, the difference between
weightlifters and bodybuilders was that the
weightlifters knew how to concentrate.
There was a reason for this. The weightlifters
HAD to concentrate when they trained. If they
didn't, they missed their lifts.
When a weightlifter performs a heavy lift, he
begins by visualizing what he is about to do.
He watches a "mental movie" where he performs
the lift over and over in perfect form.
When he has the image clearly and firmly in his
mind, he steps to the bar and lifts it in exactly
the same manner that he has visualized.
And when he performs the lift, he is concentrating
as deeply as possible.
He blocks out everything else.
Nothing exists but the moment -- and the moment is
the lift.
The mind-body link is as strong as possible.
THAT is how a lifter trains.
And in Gironda's opinion, it was how a bodybuilder
should train.
In my opinion, it's how EVERYONE should train.
If you're looking for "a secret" that will rocket
your training to new levels of intensity and double
or even triple your current rate of progress -- you
just got it.
It's all in your mind.
It's all about concentration.
It's all about deep, focused, total intensity,
physical and mental.
Try it and see for yourself -- and let me know how
it works for you.
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. For more about the all-important mental aspects
of strength training, grab a copy of Dinosaur Training.
There are multiple chapters dealing with the mental
aspects of training.
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2 For other books and courses from Dino Headquarters,
go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Vince Gironda, the famed Iron Guru of
bodybuilding, once said something to the
effect that he had learned more by watching
weightlifters train than by watching
bodybuilders train.
I've had the same experience -- and I've
also found that I've learned much more by
what weightlifters do than by studying what
bodybuilders do.
According to Gironda, the difference between
weightlifters and bodybuilders was that the
weightlifters knew how to concentrate.
There was a reason for this. The weightlifters
HAD to concentrate when they trained. If they
didn't, they missed their lifts.
When a weightlifter performs a heavy lift, he
begins by visualizing what he is about to do.
He watches a "mental movie" where he performs
the lift over and over in perfect form.
When he has the image clearly and firmly in his
mind, he steps to the bar and lifts it in exactly
the same manner that he has visualized.
And when he performs the lift, he is concentrating
as deeply as possible.
He blocks out everything else.
Nothing exists but the moment -- and the moment is
the lift.
The mind-body link is as strong as possible.
THAT is how a lifter trains.
And in Gironda's opinion, it was how a bodybuilder
should train.
In my opinion, it's how EVERYONE should train.
If you're looking for "a secret" that will rocket
your training to new levels of intensity and double
or even triple your current rate of progress -- you
just got it.
It's all in your mind.
It's all about concentration.
It's all about deep, focused, total intensity,
physical and mental.
Try it and see for yourself -- and let me know how
it works for you.
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. For more about the all-important mental aspects
of strength training, grab a copy of Dinosaur Training.
There are multiple chapters dealing with the mental
aspects of training.
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2 For other books and courses from Dino Headquarters,
go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
How to Teach Them the Vegetable Thing
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We have a lot of parents and grand-
parents reading these emails, and I know
you're interested in getting the kids and
grand-kids going on good, solid exercise
programs and following a wholesome, healthy
diet.
So I thought I'd update on my efforts to
get the granddaughters to eat their vegetables.
We have two of them. Twins. I'll refer to them
as Little Person No. 1 and Little Person No. 2.
LPN 1 and LPN 2 for short. They're only 3, so
LPN 1 and LPN 2 is perfect for them.
Now, as regular readers now, I've turned the
entire back and side yard into a vegetable
garden. I covered it over the winter and kept
on growing hardy winter crops (spinach and other
hardy greens). Everything did well, and we had
fresh veggies all winter long -- and then when
it started to warm up, they started to grow
like crazy, and now we have green stuff
everywhere.
We had a family dinner on Sunday night and of
course LPN1 and LPN 2 were there.
So I decided to put them to work.
Of course, that wasn't what I told Trudi.
I told Trudi I was going to let the girls play
in the garden.
What a difference a word makes. Play sounds
so much nicer than work.
Anyhow, I took them outside and showed them
the garden.
"Look at the nice spinach!" I said.
LPN 2 turned and pointed to the cat sunning
himself on the porch.
"Cat!" she hollered.
And suddenly they both ran off to chase the cat.
After a long chase I corralled them, told the cat
to scram, and brought them back to the garden.
I showed them the tat soi. It's an emerald green
Asian green that you can eat raw or use for stir
fries. It grows tall, with lots of leaves, so it's
eye-catching.
"Look," I said. "Tat soi."
LPN 1 stared at me. She clearly thought I was crazy.
LPN 2 wandered off to find the cat.
Finally, I got them working.
"Which one should I pick?" I asked. "This one --
or this one?"
"That one," said LPN 1 gravely.
Meanwhile, LPN 2 harvested her own spinach leaves. Or
bits and pieces of them. Every once in awhile she
managed to harvest an entire plant, roots and all.
We put the spinach leaves in a big plastic bowl. LPN 1
carried the bowl. I viewed it as an age appropriate Dino
workout. A junior version of the farmer's walk.
We finally filled the bowl, took the greens inside,
and gave them "a bath" in the kitchen sink.
The girls thought that was funny. Why was their silly
grandpa washing the funny green stuff in the funny
bowl?
I guess if you're three years old it WOULD be funny.
Half an hour later we sat down to dinner. Everyone had
a big bowl of fresh salad.
LPN 1 was perched on my knee. I reached over to the
salad bowl and took a small piece of spinach and handed
it to her.
"This is good," I said. "Yum!"
She took the piece of spinach and held it in her hand,
looking at it gravely.
And then, equally gravely, she handed it back to me.
I don't think she's completely sold on the veggie thing
yet.
But don't worry -- I'll keep working on it.
As always, 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. If you're looking for a good father/son or grandfather/
grandson reading combo, try this: Gray Hair and Black Iron
for the older member of the team, and Chalk and Sweat for
the Junior member.
1. For Gray Hair and Black Iron, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
2. For Chalk and Sweat, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
We have a lot of parents and grand-
parents reading these emails, and I know
you're interested in getting the kids and
grand-kids going on good, solid exercise
programs and following a wholesome, healthy
diet.
So I thought I'd update on my efforts to
get the granddaughters to eat their vegetables.
We have two of them. Twins. I'll refer to them
as Little Person No. 1 and Little Person No. 2.
LPN 1 and LPN 2 for short. They're only 3, so
LPN 1 and LPN 2 is perfect for them.
Now, as regular readers now, I've turned the
entire back and side yard into a vegetable
garden. I covered it over the winter and kept
on growing hardy winter crops (spinach and other
hardy greens). Everything did well, and we had
fresh veggies all winter long -- and then when
it started to warm up, they started to grow
like crazy, and now we have green stuff
everywhere.
We had a family dinner on Sunday night and of
course LPN1 and LPN 2 were there.
So I decided to put them to work.
Of course, that wasn't what I told Trudi.
I told Trudi I was going to let the girls play
in the garden.
What a difference a word makes. Play sounds
so much nicer than work.
Anyhow, I took them outside and showed them
the garden.
"Look at the nice spinach!" I said.
LPN 2 turned and pointed to the cat sunning
himself on the porch.
"Cat!" she hollered.
And suddenly they both ran off to chase the cat.
After a long chase I corralled them, told the cat
to scram, and brought them back to the garden.
I showed them the tat soi. It's an emerald green
Asian green that you can eat raw or use for stir
fries. It grows tall, with lots of leaves, so it's
eye-catching.
"Look," I said. "Tat soi."
LPN 1 stared at me. She clearly thought I was crazy.
LPN 2 wandered off to find the cat.
Finally, I got them working.
"Which one should I pick?" I asked. "This one --
or this one?"
"That one," said LPN 1 gravely.
Meanwhile, LPN 2 harvested her own spinach leaves. Or
bits and pieces of them. Every once in awhile she
managed to harvest an entire plant, roots and all.
We put the spinach leaves in a big plastic bowl. LPN 1
carried the bowl. I viewed it as an age appropriate Dino
workout. A junior version of the farmer's walk.
We finally filled the bowl, took the greens inside,
and gave them "a bath" in the kitchen sink.
The girls thought that was funny. Why was their silly
grandpa washing the funny green stuff in the funny
bowl?
I guess if you're three years old it WOULD be funny.
Half an hour later we sat down to dinner. Everyone had
a big bowl of fresh salad.
LPN 1 was perched on my knee. I reached over to the
salad bowl and took a small piece of spinach and handed
it to her.
"This is good," I said. "Yum!"
She took the piece of spinach and held it in her hand,
looking at it gravely.
And then, equally gravely, she handed it back to me.
I don't think she's completely sold on the veggie thing
yet.
But don't worry -- I'll keep working on it.
As always, 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. If you're looking for a good father/son or grandfather/
grandson reading combo, try this: Gray Hair and Black Iron
for the older member of the team, and Chalk and Sweat for
the Junior member.
1. For Gray Hair and Black Iron, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
2. For Chalk and Sweat, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Two Quick Notes for Dinos!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes on a cold and rainy
Monday afternoon.
1. York Barbell Club T-shirts and Hoodies
I don't usually give fashion advice,
but here goes.
My buddy John Wood sells some great
old-school t-shirts and hoodies featuring
the world-famous York Barbell Club logo.
I'm wearing one of the hoodies right now,
and if it stays cold and wet, which it
probably will, I'll wear it later on when
I hit the iron out in the garage.
You can find the York barbell Club t-shirts
and hoodies right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/yorkbarbell_retroshirts.html
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/york_barbellclub.html
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/yorkbarbell_hoodie.html
2. Dino Files Renewals
If you sub to the Dinosaur Files newsletter,
it's time to renew your subscription. We're
putting up a special renewal page tomorrow.
Be looking for it.
Do NOT resubscribe now on the existing order
page. That page is for new subscriptions only.
Wait for the renewal page on Tuesday.
Thanks!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
Two quick notes on a cold and rainy
Monday afternoon.
1. York Barbell Club T-shirts and Hoodies
I don't usually give fashion advice,
but here goes.
My buddy John Wood sells some great
old-school t-shirts and hoodies featuring
the world-famous York Barbell Club logo.
I'm wearing one of the hoodies right now,
and if it stays cold and wet, which it
probably will, I'll wear it later on when
I hit the iron out in the garage.
You can find the York barbell Club t-shirts
and hoodies right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/yorkbarbell_retroshirts.html
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/york_barbellclub.html
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/yorkbarbell_hoodie.html
2. Dino Files Renewals
If you sub to the Dinosaur Files newsletter,
it's time to renew your subscription. We're
putting up a special renewal page tomorrow.
Be looking for it.
Do NOT resubscribe now on the existing order
page. That page is for new subscriptions only.
Wait for the renewal page on Tuesday.
Thanks!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
Make Your Training Progressive!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of the most important things
you can do is to make your training
progressive. Progression is the key
to getting great results from your
training.
To make your training progressive,
you can do any of the following:
1. Add weight to the bar.
2. Do more reps.
3. Do more sets.
4. Do your exercises in better form.
Or -- and this my favorite -- you can
combine several of the above "progression
techniques."
But you don't do all of them at
once. That would be more than your mind
and body can manage. You might do okay
for awhile, but soon you'll either burn
out, start doing your reps in bad form, or
hurt yourself. It's better to use a slow,
controlled progression, earn your weight
increases, and make steady long-term
progress.
So try something like this.
Let's say you're doing the Trap Bar
Deadlift once a week, and your current
top weight is 300 pounds for 5 reps.
In workout no. 1, do a series of
four or five progressively heavier
warm-up sets, and then do 1 x 5 with
300 pounds.
In your next deadlift workout, do the
same exact workout, but perform your
reps in tighter, better form. In other
words make the workout more progressive
by doing the reps in better form.
In your third workout, add a second set
of 5 reps. So you would do your warm-up
sets, and then do 2 x 5 with 300 pounds.
In your next session, do 2 x 5 working
sets with 300 pounds. Once again, endeavor
to make each rep absolutely perfect.
Next, do 3 x 5 work sets. (Do your warm-up
sets first, of course -- I won't keep saying
that, but always do them.)
In the next workout, do 3 x 5 work sets but
strive for even better form.
Keep going like that until you are doing
5 x 5 in your work sets.
At that point, add weight (10 or 20 pounds),
drop back to 1 x 5 work sets, and build back
up to 5 x 5.
That's an example of how to progress by
focusing on (1) better form, (2) more work
sets, and (3) more weight.
There are other ways to progress by adding
reps, and we'll cover them another time.
The point is -- always, always, ALWAYS strive
to show some sort of progress in your workouts.
But don't just throw weight on the bar and start
tossing it around in random fashion. Follow a
more systematic approach. It will work far better
for you.
In short, make haste slowly -- but progressively.
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. I cover many more methods of training progression
in my books and courses. You can find them right here
at Dino Central:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
One of the most important things
you can do is to make your training
progressive. Progression is the key
to getting great results from your
training.
To make your training progressive,
you can do any of the following:
1. Add weight to the bar.
2. Do more reps.
3. Do more sets.
4. Do your exercises in better form.
Or -- and this my favorite -- you can
combine several of the above "progression
techniques."
But you don't do all of them at
once. That would be more than your mind
and body can manage. You might do okay
for awhile, but soon you'll either burn
out, start doing your reps in bad form, or
hurt yourself. It's better to use a slow,
controlled progression, earn your weight
increases, and make steady long-term
progress.
So try something like this.
Let's say you're doing the Trap Bar
Deadlift once a week, and your current
top weight is 300 pounds for 5 reps.
In workout no. 1, do a series of
four or five progressively heavier
warm-up sets, and then do 1 x 5 with
300 pounds.
In your next deadlift workout, do the
same exact workout, but perform your
reps in tighter, better form. In other
words make the workout more progressive
by doing the reps in better form.
In your third workout, add a second set
of 5 reps. So you would do your warm-up
sets, and then do 2 x 5 with 300 pounds.
In your next session, do 2 x 5 working
sets with 300 pounds. Once again, endeavor
to make each rep absolutely perfect.
Next, do 3 x 5 work sets. (Do your warm-up
sets first, of course -- I won't keep saying
that, but always do them.)
In the next workout, do 3 x 5 work sets but
strive for even better form.
Keep going like that until you are doing
5 x 5 in your work sets.
At that point, add weight (10 or 20 pounds),
drop back to 1 x 5 work sets, and build back
up to 5 x 5.
That's an example of how to progress by
focusing on (1) better form, (2) more work
sets, and (3) more weight.
There are other ways to progress by adding
reps, and we'll cover them another time.
The point is -- always, always, ALWAYS strive
to show some sort of progress in your workouts.
But don't just throw weight on the bar and start
tossing it around in random fashion. Follow a
more systematic approach. It will work far better
for you.
In short, make haste slowly -- but progressively.
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. I cover many more methods of training progression
in my books and courses. You can find them right here
at Dino Central:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Which Is Better?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
High reps -- medium reps -- or
low reps?
Which is better?
Many men have made remarkable
gains in building strength and
muscular size by performing high
rep squats. 20 reps per set.
Some men have gained as much as
50 to 100 pounds over a period
of a couple of years by doing
heavy, high rep squats.
Peary Rader was one of them. He
gained close to 100 pounds in 2
years by following a special
program built around the high rep
breathing squat.
But other men have done amazingly
well with medium rep ranges. Reg
Park, for example. He preferred
the 5 x 5 system.
Other men prefer low reps. Eight
time world and Olympic weightlifting
champion John Davis used doubles
on most of his exercises -- and
sets of five on a few others.
Doug Hepburn won the World champion-
ship in Olympic weightlifting on a
program of low reps and singles: 5
rep sets, triples, doubles and
singles.
So which is better?
High reps?
Medium reps?
Low reps?
The answer is, they all work pretty
well, IF -- and it's a big IF -- you
do them the right way:
1. Use abbreviated workouts.
2. Focus on quality, not quantity.
3. Use perfect form.
4. Use basic, heavy compound exercises.
5. Focus on building your legs and hips,
back, chest and shoulder girdle.
6. Don't get arm crazy. Train the arms,
but focus on legs, back, etc.
7. Follow a sensible, healthy diet geared
to whatever you are trying to accomplish.
8. Get enough rest and sleep.
9. Drink plenty of water every day. Stay
hydrated.
10. Make your training progressive. Your goal
is to make every workout better than the last
one.
11. Understand that real success takes time.
Give any program you follow time to work.
Program hopping will get you nowhere fast.
12. Follow the mental elements of successful
strength training outlined in Dinosaur Training.
These are CRITICAL if you want to make serious
gains in strength and muscle.
There you have it. 12 keys to success -- that
will work with high reps, medium reps and low
reps.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day -- and make your next workout a great one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about productive and effective strength
training, grab any of the books and courses at the
Dino Store:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
High reps -- medium reps -- or
low reps?
Which is better?
Many men have made remarkable
gains in building strength and
muscular size by performing high
rep squats. 20 reps per set.
Some men have gained as much as
50 to 100 pounds over a period
of a couple of years by doing
heavy, high rep squats.
Peary Rader was one of them. He
gained close to 100 pounds in 2
years by following a special
program built around the high rep
breathing squat.
But other men have done amazingly
well with medium rep ranges. Reg
Park, for example. He preferred
the 5 x 5 system.
Other men prefer low reps. Eight
time world and Olympic weightlifting
champion John Davis used doubles
on most of his exercises -- and
sets of five on a few others.
Doug Hepburn won the World champion-
ship in Olympic weightlifting on a
program of low reps and singles: 5
rep sets, triples, doubles and
singles.
So which is better?
High reps?
Medium reps?
Low reps?
The answer is, they all work pretty
well, IF -- and it's a big IF -- you
do them the right way:
1. Use abbreviated workouts.
2. Focus on quality, not quantity.
3. Use perfect form.
4. Use basic, heavy compound exercises.
5. Focus on building your legs and hips,
back, chest and shoulder girdle.
6. Don't get arm crazy. Train the arms,
but focus on legs, back, etc.
7. Follow a sensible, healthy diet geared
to whatever you are trying to accomplish.
8. Get enough rest and sleep.
9. Drink plenty of water every day. Stay
hydrated.
10. Make your training progressive. Your goal
is to make every workout better than the last
one.
11. Understand that real success takes time.
Give any program you follow time to work.
Program hopping will get you nowhere fast.
12. Follow the mental elements of successful
strength training outlined in Dinosaur Training.
These are CRITICAL if you want to make serious
gains in strength and muscle.
There you have it. 12 keys to success -- that
will work with high reps, medium reps and low
reps.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day -- and make your next workout a great one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about productive and effective strength
training, grab any of the books and courses at the
Dino Store:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Friday Updates for Dinosaurs!
Let's start the day with some
Dino updates:
1. The March Dino Files
The March issue of the Dino Files
newsletter was mailed yesterday.
If you subscribe, pls send me an
email when you get your issue, so
that I know how quickly it's moving
thru the mail system.
For new readers who are wondering
what The Dino Files are, pls follow
the below link and take a look:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
2. Dino Files renewals
The March issue is issue no. 11 for
the first subscription year, so all
current subscriptions end in April.
The new subscription year begins with
the May 2011 issue. So it's time to
renew.
We'll be putting up a special page
on the website so you can go ahead
and renew your Dino Files subscription
on line.
Use the RENEW page for renewals.
For NEW subscriptions, use the existing
page.
The RENEW page should be up sometime
this weekend.
3. The Dino Diet
A lot of you are asking about my diet
and want me to put together a book or
course covering the Dinosaur Diet. I
may do that if enough people are
interested, so if you are, shoot me an
email and let me know.
4. Backyard Vegetable Gardens
I'll give you a big hint about the Dino
Diet -- it includes plenty of fresh, home-
grown veggies from my back-yard garden. It's
my secret weapon for vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, and other nutritional elements.
You'll be surprised at what you can do with
a small space -- or even some containers on
the back porch, the deck, or anywhere else
you can fit them in.
And you'll also be surprised at what a
difference plenty of home grown, 100%
organic fresh picked veggies can do for
your strength and health. (Not to mention
how good they taste compared to the mass-
produced, super-market stuff.)
5. The Dinosaur Training Blog
I post all email messages on the Dinosaur
training Blog, so if you ever miss an email,
check the Blog.
You can access the Blog from the Menu bar at
the top of the home page for the Dinosaur
Training website.
I send emails Mon - Fri and sometimes on the
weekend as well, so if you miss one -- check
the Blog!
That's it for now. I'll send a separate email
later today with some training info. Be looking
for it.
And remember -- if you sub to the Files, let me
know when the March issue arrives!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day and a
great weekend -- and if you train today, make it
a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Yes, it's Friday, but we're always open for
business:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Dino updates:
1. The March Dino Files
The March issue of the Dino Files
newsletter was mailed yesterday.
If you subscribe, pls send me an
email when you get your issue, so
that I know how quickly it's moving
thru the mail system.
For new readers who are wondering
what The Dino Files are, pls follow
the below link and take a look:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
2. Dino Files renewals
The March issue is issue no. 11 for
the first subscription year, so all
current subscriptions end in April.
The new subscription year begins with
the May 2011 issue. So it's time to
renew.
We'll be putting up a special page
on the website so you can go ahead
and renew your Dino Files subscription
on line.
Use the RENEW page for renewals.
For NEW subscriptions, use the existing
page.
The RENEW page should be up sometime
this weekend.
3. The Dino Diet
A lot of you are asking about my diet
and want me to put together a book or
course covering the Dinosaur Diet. I
may do that if enough people are
interested, so if you are, shoot me an
email and let me know.
4. Backyard Vegetable Gardens
I'll give you a big hint about the Dino
Diet -- it includes plenty of fresh, home-
grown veggies from my back-yard garden. It's
my secret weapon for vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, and other nutritional elements.
You'll be surprised at what you can do with
a small space -- or even some containers on
the back porch, the deck, or anywhere else
you can fit them in.
And you'll also be surprised at what a
difference plenty of home grown, 100%
organic fresh picked veggies can do for
your strength and health. (Not to mention
how good they taste compared to the mass-
produced, super-market stuff.)
5. The Dinosaur Training Blog
I post all email messages on the Dinosaur
training Blog, so if you ever miss an email,
check the Blog.
You can access the Blog from the Menu bar at
the top of the home page for the Dinosaur
Training website.
I send emails Mon - Fri and sometimes on the
weekend as well, so if you miss one -- check
the Blog!
That's it for now. I'll send a separate email
later today with some training info. Be looking
for it.
And remember -- if you sub to the Files, let me
know when the March issue arrives!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day and a
great weekend -- and if you train today, make it
a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Yes, it's Friday, but we're always open for
business:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
It's A Small World!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Put this under the "truth is stranger
than fiction" and "it's a small world"
department.
One of our many loyal Dinos who subscribes
to The Dinosaur Files newsletter got a great
Christmas present from his wife. It was a
collection of Strength and Health magazines
from 1940.
He was reading through them, and he saw an
article about success stories from readers.
There was a photo of a young guy with some
major muscular development. According to the
article, he'd been training with York weights,
following the York Barbell Courses. The program
obviously worked, because the kid really looked
terrific.
Then he noticed that the kid lived in his wife's
hometown.
So he showed her the photo.
"Oh, my gosh!" she cried.
She recognized the kid's name.
It was her parents' next door neighbor!
So not very long later, they headed over to visit
her folks -- and stopped in to see the kid in the
magazine -- who was know a certified old-timer at
age 86.
He hadn't seen a copy of the magazine with his photo
in many years, and was delighted to see it! And of
course, it brought back all sorts of great memories
for him.
They talked for awhile, and he told them that he had
kept up with his training his entire life, and that
he still trained with his old York barbell.
And he looked like he did. he was tall and straight,
with strong bones and good posture -- and he looked
about 20 years younger than he actually was.
The old-timer doesn't know it, but he's going to be
getting another surprise visit, and a very special
present to bring back the memories. And it's going
to be going to him from all of us.
I'm sending my subscriber the first 5 books in the
Legacy of Iron series -- my series of books about
the York Barbell Company and the great York champions
of the 1930's and 1940's.
When he gets the package, he's going to hand-deliver
it to the old-timer.
The first book, Legacy of Iron, opens in the late
1930's, which is just about the time the old-timer
started training. From there, they move forward,
covering the Mr. America Contests and Senior National
Weightlifting Championships every year, and giving you
a unique insight into what it was like to train
with the champions back in the Golden Age of
Might and Muscle.
In essence, the series tells the story of the men
and women who grew up training the York way and
following the Strength and Health Way of Living.
Just like our old-timer -- the Strength and Health
kid who's still going strong at age 86.
I think he'll like the books. After all, they're HIS
story.
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. Here's where to find the first book in the Legacy
of Iron series:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
And please note -- you can order 3, 4 or 5 books in the
series at a discount (and save on shipping and handling).
See the special buttons on the order pages for books 3,
4 and 5 in the series. For example, see the order button
for five books at the bottom of the page for book 5,
Barbells in the Pacific:
http://www.brookskubik.com/barbells_pacific.html
Put this under the "truth is stranger
than fiction" and "it's a small world"
department.
One of our many loyal Dinos who subscribes
to The Dinosaur Files newsletter got a great
Christmas present from his wife. It was a
collection of Strength and Health magazines
from 1940.
He was reading through them, and he saw an
article about success stories from readers.
There was a photo of a young guy with some
major muscular development. According to the
article, he'd been training with York weights,
following the York Barbell Courses. The program
obviously worked, because the kid really looked
terrific.
Then he noticed that the kid lived in his wife's
hometown.
So he showed her the photo.
"Oh, my gosh!" she cried.
She recognized the kid's name.
It was her parents' next door neighbor!
So not very long later, they headed over to visit
her folks -- and stopped in to see the kid in the
magazine -- who was know a certified old-timer at
age 86.
He hadn't seen a copy of the magazine with his photo
in many years, and was delighted to see it! And of
course, it brought back all sorts of great memories
for him.
They talked for awhile, and he told them that he had
kept up with his training his entire life, and that
he still trained with his old York barbell.
And he looked like he did. he was tall and straight,
with strong bones and good posture -- and he looked
about 20 years younger than he actually was.
The old-timer doesn't know it, but he's going to be
getting another surprise visit, and a very special
present to bring back the memories. And it's going
to be going to him from all of us.
I'm sending my subscriber the first 5 books in the
Legacy of Iron series -- my series of books about
the York Barbell Company and the great York champions
of the 1930's and 1940's.
When he gets the package, he's going to hand-deliver
it to the old-timer.
The first book, Legacy of Iron, opens in the late
1930's, which is just about the time the old-timer
started training. From there, they move forward,
covering the Mr. America Contests and Senior National
Weightlifting Championships every year, and giving you
a unique insight into what it was like to train
with the champions back in the Golden Age of
Might and Muscle.
In essence, the series tells the story of the men
and women who grew up training the York way and
following the Strength and Health Way of Living.
Just like our old-timer -- the Strength and Health
kid who's still going strong at age 86.
I think he'll like the books. After all, they're HIS
story.
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. Here's where to find the first book in the Legacy
of Iron series:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
And please note -- you can order 3, 4 or 5 books in the
series at a discount (and save on shipping and handling).
See the special buttons on the order pages for books 3,
4 and 5 in the series. For example, see the order button
for five books at the bottom of the page for book 5,
Barbells in the Pacific:
http://www.brookskubik.com/barbells_pacific.html
Is Volume Training Necessary?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There's plenty of silly stuff on the
internet discussion boards and Facebook
about "sets and reps for building size
vs. sets and reps for building strength."
You also see it in books and articles.
And I haven't been to a commercial gym
in ages, but I suppose if I visited one,
I'd hear guys arguing about it there,
as well.
Most people who follow the debate firmly
believe that you need to do "volume
training" to build size ("hypertrophy).
In essence, they contend that you need to
do many sets of many reps and many different
exercises to build size.
And the same people will tell you that low
reps (five or less per set) are only good for
building strength.
I find this to be hilarious, because I built
myself from 180 to 225 by doing progressively
heavier singles in most of my exercises -- and
doing five reps per set in a couple of others.
That's 45 pounds of muscle -- and I did it on
a program of heavy singles in the squat, bench
press and deadlift. I trained 3x per week, for
about one hour per session. That sure as heck
isn't "volume training."
That surprises a lot of people, and it certainly
flies in the face of conventional wisdom.
But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
You see, it's not about volume. It's about hard,
heavy consistent effort -- compound exercises --
progressive poundages -- and the iron will to
succeed.
Frankly, volume talk is a gimmick. What really
counts is adding weight to the bar. As you get
stronger, your muscles become larger and thicker.
And you end up having a good mix of strength and
size.
Many years ago, there was a famous bodybuilder who
followed the pumping method of training. He ended
up looking pretty good and weighing something like
210 or 215 pounds.
But he struggled to perform a single military press
with 180 pounds!
In contrast, John Grimek could military press close
to 300 pounds.
Grimek trained for strength as well as size. He ended
up with both.
The other man trained for size alone -- and that's
all he got.
I like the Grimek approach.
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. For more about how I gained 45 pounds of muscle
with heavy singles and low rep training -- and for more
about how John Grimek and other old-school champions
did it -- grab a copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
There's plenty of silly stuff on the
internet discussion boards and Facebook
about "sets and reps for building size
vs. sets and reps for building strength."
You also see it in books and articles.
And I haven't been to a commercial gym
in ages, but I suppose if I visited one,
I'd hear guys arguing about it there,
as well.
Most people who follow the debate firmly
believe that you need to do "volume
training" to build size ("hypertrophy).
In essence, they contend that you need to
do many sets of many reps and many different
exercises to build size.
And the same people will tell you that low
reps (five or less per set) are only good for
building strength.
I find this to be hilarious, because I built
myself from 180 to 225 by doing progressively
heavier singles in most of my exercises -- and
doing five reps per set in a couple of others.
That's 45 pounds of muscle -- and I did it on
a program of heavy singles in the squat, bench
press and deadlift. I trained 3x per week, for
about one hour per session. That sure as heck
isn't "volume training."
That surprises a lot of people, and it certainly
flies in the face of conventional wisdom.
But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
You see, it's not about volume. It's about hard,
heavy consistent effort -- compound exercises --
progressive poundages -- and the iron will to
succeed.
Frankly, volume talk is a gimmick. What really
counts is adding weight to the bar. As you get
stronger, your muscles become larger and thicker.
And you end up having a good mix of strength and
size.
Many years ago, there was a famous bodybuilder who
followed the pumping method of training. He ended
up looking pretty good and weighing something like
210 or 215 pounds.
But he struggled to perform a single military press
with 180 pounds!
In contrast, John Grimek could military press close
to 300 pounds.
Grimek trained for strength as well as size. He ended
up with both.
The other man trained for size alone -- and that's
all he got.
I like the Grimek approach.
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. For more about how I gained 45 pounds of muscle
with heavy singles and low rep training -- and for more
about how John Grimek and other old-school champions
did it -- grab a copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
Going Strong at 84!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There's a lot of crock out there,
especially when ti comes to strength
training.
One of the big pieces of current
goofiness is the nonsense that says that
only teenagers and men in their 20's can
build strength and muscle.
After that, you're supposedly "too old."
Is that so?
My dad is 84 years old, and he still
works out.
Nothing heavy. He does mostly light
dumbbell work and light resistance bands.
He may add some light barbell work back
into the mix. And he walks a lot and
tries to be fairly active.
Now, you might ask -- "At age 84, what's
the use? What's the point?"
Well, consider this. He was having some
arthritis problems, and so he stopped
training for awhile and put the dumbbells
and the resistance bands away.
His weight started dropping, and his posture
wasn't as good as it used to be, and started
to feel tired all the time.
So he started training again.
Yesterday. he went in for a regular doctor's
visit -- and he stunned his doctor.
Why?
Because he's 11 pounds heavier than before.
As in, 11 pounds of muscle.
And it's all from getting back into training.
Now, that doesn't mean that dad is going to go
out and win the Mr. Whatever They Call It
contest or enter the 2012 Olympics -- but
when you're 84 years old and the difference
between training and not training is 11 pounds
of muscle, then I think the training is worth it.
And if any of the experts out there ever tell
you that you can't build strength and muscle
after a certain age -- or if they tell you,
"You're too old" -- tell them to go see my dad.
As always, 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. One of my dad's favorite books is Gray Hair
and Black Iron: Secrets of Successful Strength
Training for older lifters. You can grab a copy
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
There's a lot of crock out there,
especially when ti comes to strength
training.
One of the big pieces of current
goofiness is the nonsense that says that
only teenagers and men in their 20's can
build strength and muscle.
After that, you're supposedly "too old."
Is that so?
My dad is 84 years old, and he still
works out.
Nothing heavy. He does mostly light
dumbbell work and light resistance bands.
He may add some light barbell work back
into the mix. And he walks a lot and
tries to be fairly active.
Now, you might ask -- "At age 84, what's
the use? What's the point?"
Well, consider this. He was having some
arthritis problems, and so he stopped
training for awhile and put the dumbbells
and the resistance bands away.
His weight started dropping, and his posture
wasn't as good as it used to be, and started
to feel tired all the time.
So he started training again.
Yesterday. he went in for a regular doctor's
visit -- and he stunned his doctor.
Why?
Because he's 11 pounds heavier than before.
As in, 11 pounds of muscle.
And it's all from getting back into training.
Now, that doesn't mean that dad is going to go
out and win the Mr. Whatever They Call It
contest or enter the 2012 Olympics -- but
when you're 84 years old and the difference
between training and not training is 11 pounds
of muscle, then I think the training is worth it.
And if any of the experts out there ever tell
you that you can't build strength and muscle
after a certain age -- or if they tell you,
"You're too old" -- tell them to go see my dad.
As always, 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. One of my dad's favorite books is Gray Hair
and Black Iron: Secrets of Successful Strength
Training for older lifters. You can grab a copy
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
How to Train When You're Crunched for Time (Part Two)
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Last week's email message about how
to train if you're crunched for time
brought a flurry of responses from
Dinos around the world.
It seems that many -- perhaps most --
Dinos have been in a similar situation:
wanting to train hard and heavy, but
being very seriously hammered by job,
school and family responsibilities.
Which is not at all surprising, because
Dinos tend to be hard-working types with
plenty on their plates.
Several readers suggested once a week
workouts, which is a fine idea. Saturday
or Sunday is usually the best day. Pick a
couple of effective, result-producing
exercises and work them hard and heavy.
Something like this:
1. Warm-up
2. Press 5 x 5 or 5/4/3/2/1
3. Squat or front squat 5 x 5 or 5/4/3/2/1
4. Bench press or incline press 5 x 5 or
5/4/3/2/1
5. Pull-downs or bent-over rowing 5 x 5
6. Arm work of your choice -- sets/reps
optional
7. Gut work of your choice -- 2-3 sets
8. Grip work of your choice 2-3 sets
9. Neck work of your choice 2-3 sets
For an advanced man, some heavy overload
training in the power rack would be a good
addition to the program.
For an older lifter with bad knees, try doing
Trap Bar Deadlifts instead of squats.
Once a week workouts can build plenty of strength
and muscle -- and if you're crunched for time,
they're a heck of a lot better than no training
at all.
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. For more information about effective,
efficient, abbreviated strength training and
Dino-style workouts, see the following:
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: Secrets of Successful
Strength Training for Older Lifters
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Chalk and Sweat: Dinosaur Training Workouts for
Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced Lifters
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
Last week's email message about how
to train if you're crunched for time
brought a flurry of responses from
Dinos around the world.
It seems that many -- perhaps most --
Dinos have been in a similar situation:
wanting to train hard and heavy, but
being very seriously hammered by job,
school and family responsibilities.
Which is not at all surprising, because
Dinos tend to be hard-working types with
plenty on their plates.
Several readers suggested once a week
workouts, which is a fine idea. Saturday
or Sunday is usually the best day. Pick a
couple of effective, result-producing
exercises and work them hard and heavy.
Something like this:
1. Warm-up
2. Press 5 x 5 or 5/4/3/2/1
3. Squat or front squat 5 x 5 or 5/4/3/2/1
4. Bench press or incline press 5 x 5 or
5/4/3/2/1
5. Pull-downs or bent-over rowing 5 x 5
6. Arm work of your choice -- sets/reps
optional
7. Gut work of your choice -- 2-3 sets
8. Grip work of your choice 2-3 sets
9. Neck work of your choice 2-3 sets
For an advanced man, some heavy overload
training in the power rack would be a good
addition to the program.
For an older lifter with bad knees, try doing
Trap Bar Deadlifts instead of squats.
Once a week workouts can build plenty of strength
and muscle -- and if you're crunched for time,
they're a heck of a lot better than no training
at all.
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. For more information about effective,
efficient, abbreviated strength training and
Dino-style workouts, see the following:
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: Secrets of Successful
Strength Training for Older Lifters
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Chalk and Sweat: Dinosaur Training Workouts for
Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced Lifters
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
No Time to Train? Try This!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Dale Dugas is working on a Masters
in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine at
New England School of Acupuncture.
Which means he spends most of his time
in school or studying for classes.
So he asked for a workout that would
let him keep up with his training in a
minimum of time.
I'll do that in a second, but let me make
one quick note. In 1952, a kid named Pete
George was in college at Ohio State
University, taking Pre-med classes so
he could go to dental school. He also
worked a regular job to cover his tuition.
He was only able to lift 3x per week, for
45 minutes to one hour per session.
But he made it count -- he won an Olympic
gold medal in weightlifting that year.
So, where there's a will, there's a way.
Dale should try this:
Tues
1. Bench press or incline press 5 x 5
2. Bent-over rowing, pull-downs or
pull-ups 5 x 5
3. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
Thurs
1. Military press or standing DB press 5 x 5
2. Deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts 5 x 5
3. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
Sat
1. Squats or front squats 5 x 5
2. Close grip BP 5 x 5
3. BB or DB curls 5 x 5
4. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
For 5 x 5, Dale should start light and work up
in weight, so he does one heavy set of each
exercise.
Each workout should be 45 to 60 minutes. No
dawdling, no talking, no wasting time!
And that's how to get in done when you don't have
very much time.
BTW, I've been doing the 3x per week 45 to 60 minute
thing for a very long time -- and it works GREAT!
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. For more great workouts to use when you're
pressed for time -- or if you're simply interested
in getting great results
as fast as possible, try the following:
1. Gray Hair and Black Iron
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
3. Dinosaur Training
4. Chalk and Sweat
You can find all of them right here at the Dinosaur
Training Store:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Dale Dugas is working on a Masters
in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine at
New England School of Acupuncture.
Which means he spends most of his time
in school or studying for classes.
So he asked for a workout that would
let him keep up with his training in a
minimum of time.
I'll do that in a second, but let me make
one quick note. In 1952, a kid named Pete
George was in college at Ohio State
University, taking Pre-med classes so
he could go to dental school. He also
worked a regular job to cover his tuition.
He was only able to lift 3x per week, for
45 minutes to one hour per session.
But he made it count -- he won an Olympic
gold medal in weightlifting that year.
So, where there's a will, there's a way.
Dale should try this:
Tues
1. Bench press or incline press 5 x 5
2. Bent-over rowing, pull-downs or
pull-ups 5 x 5
3. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
Thurs
1. Military press or standing DB press 5 x 5
2. Deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts 5 x 5
3. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
Sat
1. Squats or front squats 5 x 5
2. Close grip BP 5 x 5
3. BB or DB curls 5 x 5
4. 5 - 10 mins of gut, grip and neck work
For 5 x 5, Dale should start light and work up
in weight, so he does one heavy set of each
exercise.
Each workout should be 45 to 60 minutes. No
dawdling, no talking, no wasting time!
And that's how to get in done when you don't have
very much time.
BTW, I've been doing the 3x per week 45 to 60 minute
thing for a very long time -- and it works GREAT!
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. For more great workouts to use when you're
pressed for time -- or if you're simply interested
in getting great results
as fast as possible, try the following:
1. Gray Hair and Black Iron
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
3. Dinosaur Training
4. Chalk and Sweat
You can find all of them right here at the Dinosaur
Training Store:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Training Wisdom from John Grimek!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Back in the 1940's, John Grimek
had a regular column in Strength
and Health where he answered
training questions from readers.
The column ran into the 1950's
and 60's.
Here is some of John Grimek's
training advice from back in the
day:
1. The best exercise for building
the triceps is the military press.
2. To build strength and power, use
5/5/3/3/ and then 3 to 5 heavy singles.
When you finish the singles, drop back
and do 1 x 5.
3. To gain weight, train your legs
extra hard.
4. Train for five or six weeks, and
then take a 7 to 10 day layoff.
5. Eat only as much as you need, and
don't force-feed yourself. Let your
appetite be your guide.
6. Bodybuilders should include weight-
lifting in their training program.
7. Add variety to your program by
changing your reps around. This will
help to "jar" stubborn muscles into
responding more quickly.
8. Once past the beginner stage, follow
a good, all-around schedule with some
extra work for those areas that are
lagging behind.
9. Be patient. Rome wasn't built in a
day. Building strength and muscle takes
time.
10. Abdominal exercises are very important
for good health, physical fitness and
maintaining an athletic appearance. But
you don't need to go overhead and do
thousands and thousands of reps.
11. If you train to improve in your chosen
sport, train hard with weights -- but be
sure to work just as hard training for your
sport.
12. "The secret is hard work, correctly
applied."
There's some pretty good advice there --
especially point no. 12! Hope you enjoyed
them.
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. For more old-school training wisdom, grab
any of the following books from Dinosaur Central:
1. Strength, Muscle and Power
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron
3. Dinosaur Training
4. Chalk and Sweat
5. The Doug Hepburn Training Course
You can find them right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. For more about John Grimek, his life
and his training, the Legacy of Iron books are
your number one resource:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Back in the 1940's, John Grimek
had a regular column in Strength
and Health where he answered
training questions from readers.
The column ran into the 1950's
and 60's.
Here is some of John Grimek's
training advice from back in the
day:
1. The best exercise for building
the triceps is the military press.
2. To build strength and power, use
5/5/3/3/ and then 3 to 5 heavy singles.
When you finish the singles, drop back
and do 1 x 5.
3. To gain weight, train your legs
extra hard.
4. Train for five or six weeks, and
then take a 7 to 10 day layoff.
5. Eat only as much as you need, and
don't force-feed yourself. Let your
appetite be your guide.
6. Bodybuilders should include weight-
lifting in their training program.
7. Add variety to your program by
changing your reps around. This will
help to "jar" stubborn muscles into
responding more quickly.
8. Once past the beginner stage, follow
a good, all-around schedule with some
extra work for those areas that are
lagging behind.
9. Be patient. Rome wasn't built in a
day. Building strength and muscle takes
time.
10. Abdominal exercises are very important
for good health, physical fitness and
maintaining an athletic appearance. But
you don't need to go overhead and do
thousands and thousands of reps.
11. If you train to improve in your chosen
sport, train hard with weights -- but be
sure to work just as hard training for your
sport.
12. "The secret is hard work, correctly
applied."
There's some pretty good advice there --
especially point no. 12! Hope you enjoyed
them.
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. For more old-school training wisdom, grab
any of the following books from Dinosaur Central:
1. Strength, Muscle and Power
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron
3. Dinosaur Training
4. Chalk and Sweat
5. The Doug Hepburn Training Course
You can find them right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. For more about John Grimek, his life
and his training, the Legacy of Iron books are
your number one resource:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
WILL WEIGHT TRAINING KILL YOU?
By Brooks Kubik
Last week I received an email from a young man who was under the impression that strongmen die you – in other words, he thought that weight training and weightlifting will kill you.
When I pressed him. He said that Arthur Saxon and Louis Cyr had died young, and so he thought the same was true of all strongmen.
Several days later I received an email from a man who believed that John Grimek had died relatively young. (In fact, Grimek lived to be 88 years old.)
This reminded me of an article I read in an old issue of Peary Rader’s Iron Man magazine. (Vol. 29, no. 5 – June – July 1970) The article was written by Bob Brown, and was titled:
“Will Weight Training Kill You?”
(Note: Let me give a big THANK YOU to Bob Brown for doing this work and putting it into an article back in 1970 – and the same to Peary Rader for publishing it!)
Brown had been stunned to learn that a famous bodybuilder has passed away at an early age even though he appeared to be the picture of good health. It made him wonder if weight training was somehow bad for your health.
So he sat down and compiled a list of 70 famous physical culturists – bodybuilders, weightlifters, professional strongmen, gym owners, mail order instructors, athletes who used weight training to improve in their chosen sport, etc. – and then started to check to see when they died and how old they were.
And please note: I wasn’t there, and I’ve never talked to the man, and I don’t know how he picked the 70 men. So you may think he selected men who would prove something one way or another. But we can all sit down and do a different list – or a bigger list – and the results would probably be about the same. For example, Peary Rader (who passed at age 82), John Grimek (who passed at age 88), Milo Steinborn (who passed at age 95), Jack Lalanne (who passed at age 97), and the Great Rollino (who passed at age 104) should go on the list.
And also note: we’re dealing with men who practiced old-school physical culture. They were all lifetime natural – one hundred percent drug free.
He broke the results down into three groups:
A. Early Death (age 65 and under)
B. Average Life Span (age 65 to age 75)
C. Long Life (age 75 and older)
I’ve updated his results because some of the men on his list were still living when he wrote his article back in 1970. He placed them in the group for “Average Life Span” but they outlived that category, so I’ve moved them to the “Long Life” group.
Here are Brown’s updated findings:
EARLY DEATH (AGE 65 AND UNDER)
1. Floyd Page (heart attack) 38
2. Ray Van Cleef (heart attack) 54
3. Karl Moerke 52
4. Alois Sebos 38
5. Dr. Krajewski (Apoplexy) 63
6. Eugene Sandow 58
7. Arthur Saxon 43
8. Roger Eells (heart attack) 54
9. Ronald Walker (cancer) 40
10. Louis Cyr (kidney disease) 49
11. Wally Zagurski (heart attack) 50
12. Vic Nicolette (heart attack) 50
13. Harry Paschall (heart attack) 60
14. Tony Terlazzo (heart attack) 53
15. Karl Swoboda (heart attack) 50 (?)
16. Charles Rigoulot (heart attack) 59
17. Jack Kent (heart attack) 52
18. Bobby Pandour 38
19. Wm. Oliphant 60
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN (AGE 65 to 70)
1. Warren Lincoln Travis (heart attack) 65
2. Charles “The Biceps” Poire 69
3. Hector Decarie 70
4. Antone Matysek 71
5. Alan Calvert 69
6. Paul Von Boechmann 73
7. The Great Batta 73
8. Henry Blackman 70
9. W.C. Pullum 73
10. Albert Taucher over 73
11. Prof. William J. Hermann over 70
12. Win Franklin over 72
13. Sam Kramer 75
14. Charles Atlas 77
LONG LIFE (75 AND UP)
1. Sig Klein 85
2. Bob Hoffman 87
3. Albert Taucher
4. Cannon Ball Richards 82
5. Dr. Frederick Tilney 82
6. Sanford Bennet 85
7. George Hackenschmidt 90
8. Oscar Mathes over 80
9. Prof. Attila 80
10. Lou Poulton over 81
11. Prof. Anthony Baker 103
12. Frank Jerson over 81
13. Paul Bragg 81
14. Wilf Diamond 86
15. The Mighty Atom 80
16. Thomas Inch 82
17. Ottley Coulter 80
18. Lionel Strongfort 92
19. Bernarr McFadden 88
20. Father Lange over 82
21. Buermeyer 83
22. Earl E. Liederman 84
23. George F. Jowett 79
24. Maxick 79
25. Al Treolar 86
26. Otto Arco 82
27. Stanislau Zbyzcho 88
28. John Y. Smith 90
29. Adolph Nordquest 80
30. Otis Lambert 87
31. Roy White 108
32. Prof. Siebert 95
33. Herman Saxon 80
34. Tom Aston 80
35. Carl Busch 80
36. Jim Jeffreys 78
37. Karl Norberg over 80
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
In a group of 70 randomly selected famous weight trainers and weightlifters, we have:
* 19 (about 27 percent) who died young
* 14 (about 20 percent) who had an average life span
* 37 (about 53 percent) lived a long life
* 5 (about 7 percent) lived to age 90 or above
* 2 (about 3 percent) lived to age 100 or more
(Note: In 1970, the USA had roughly 200 million people and an estimated 4800 centenarians per U.S. Census figures. What were the odds of finding TWO centenarians in any randomly selected group of 70 persons?)
Brown believed – and I agree -- that was pretty good proof that weight training will NOT kill you – and in fact, that regular exercise, coupled with good nutrition, will add many years to your life.
So, I ask – Will weight training kill you?
Look at the data, and draw your own conclusions.
FOR MORE ABOUT OLD-SCHOOL PHYSICAL CULTURE AND ITS AMAZING BENEFITS, SEE MY BOOKS AND COURSES – AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Last week I received an email from a young man who was under the impression that strongmen die you – in other words, he thought that weight training and weightlifting will kill you.
When I pressed him. He said that Arthur Saxon and Louis Cyr had died young, and so he thought the same was true of all strongmen.
Several days later I received an email from a man who believed that John Grimek had died relatively young. (In fact, Grimek lived to be 88 years old.)
This reminded me of an article I read in an old issue of Peary Rader’s Iron Man magazine. (Vol. 29, no. 5 – June – July 1970) The article was written by Bob Brown, and was titled:
“Will Weight Training Kill You?”
(Note: Let me give a big THANK YOU to Bob Brown for doing this work and putting it into an article back in 1970 – and the same to Peary Rader for publishing it!)
Brown had been stunned to learn that a famous bodybuilder has passed away at an early age even though he appeared to be the picture of good health. It made him wonder if weight training was somehow bad for your health.
So he sat down and compiled a list of 70 famous physical culturists – bodybuilders, weightlifters, professional strongmen, gym owners, mail order instructors, athletes who used weight training to improve in their chosen sport, etc. – and then started to check to see when they died and how old they were.
And please note: I wasn’t there, and I’ve never talked to the man, and I don’t know how he picked the 70 men. So you may think he selected men who would prove something one way or another. But we can all sit down and do a different list – or a bigger list – and the results would probably be about the same. For example, Peary Rader (who passed at age 82), John Grimek (who passed at age 88), Milo Steinborn (who passed at age 95), Jack Lalanne (who passed at age 97), and the Great Rollino (who passed at age 104) should go on the list.
And also note: we’re dealing with men who practiced old-school physical culture. They were all lifetime natural – one hundred percent drug free.
He broke the results down into three groups:
A. Early Death (age 65 and under)
B. Average Life Span (age 65 to age 75)
C. Long Life (age 75 and older)
I’ve updated his results because some of the men on his list were still living when he wrote his article back in 1970. He placed them in the group for “Average Life Span” but they outlived that category, so I’ve moved them to the “Long Life” group.
Here are Brown’s updated findings:
EARLY DEATH (AGE 65 AND UNDER)
1. Floyd Page (heart attack) 38
2. Ray Van Cleef (heart attack) 54
3. Karl Moerke 52
4. Alois Sebos 38
5. Dr. Krajewski (Apoplexy) 63
6. Eugene Sandow 58
7. Arthur Saxon 43
8. Roger Eells (heart attack) 54
9. Ronald Walker (cancer) 40
10. Louis Cyr (kidney disease) 49
11. Wally Zagurski (heart attack) 50
12. Vic Nicolette (heart attack) 50
13. Harry Paschall (heart attack) 60
14. Tony Terlazzo (heart attack) 53
15. Karl Swoboda (heart attack) 50 (?)
16. Charles Rigoulot (heart attack) 59
17. Jack Kent (heart attack) 52
18. Bobby Pandour 38
19. Wm. Oliphant 60
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN (AGE 65 to 70)
1. Warren Lincoln Travis (heart attack) 65
2. Charles “The Biceps” Poire 69
3. Hector Decarie 70
4. Antone Matysek 71
5. Alan Calvert 69
6. Paul Von Boechmann 73
7. The Great Batta 73
8. Henry Blackman 70
9. W.C. Pullum 73
10. Albert Taucher over 73
11. Prof. William J. Hermann over 70
12. Win Franklin over 72
13. Sam Kramer 75
14. Charles Atlas 77
LONG LIFE (75 AND UP)
1. Sig Klein 85
2. Bob Hoffman 87
3. Albert Taucher
4. Cannon Ball Richards 82
5. Dr. Frederick Tilney 82
6. Sanford Bennet 85
7. George Hackenschmidt 90
8. Oscar Mathes over 80
9. Prof. Attila 80
10. Lou Poulton over 81
11. Prof. Anthony Baker 103
12. Frank Jerson over 81
13. Paul Bragg 81
14. Wilf Diamond 86
15. The Mighty Atom 80
16. Thomas Inch 82
17. Ottley Coulter 80
18. Lionel Strongfort 92
19. Bernarr McFadden 88
20. Father Lange over 82
21. Buermeyer 83
22. Earl E. Liederman 84
23. George F. Jowett 79
24. Maxick 79
25. Al Treolar 86
26. Otto Arco 82
27. Stanislau Zbyzcho 88
28. John Y. Smith 90
29. Adolph Nordquest 80
30. Otis Lambert 87
31. Roy White 108
32. Prof. Siebert 95
33. Herman Saxon 80
34. Tom Aston 80
35. Carl Busch 80
36. Jim Jeffreys 78
37. Karl Norberg over 80
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
In a group of 70 randomly selected famous weight trainers and weightlifters, we have:
* 19 (about 27 percent) who died young
* 14 (about 20 percent) who had an average life span
* 37 (about 53 percent) lived a long life
* 5 (about 7 percent) lived to age 90 or above
* 2 (about 3 percent) lived to age 100 or more
(Note: In 1970, the USA had roughly 200 million people and an estimated 4800 centenarians per U.S. Census figures. What were the odds of finding TWO centenarians in any randomly selected group of 70 persons?)
Brown believed – and I agree -- that was pretty good proof that weight training will NOT kill you – and in fact, that regular exercise, coupled with good nutrition, will add many years to your life.
So, I ask – Will weight training kill you?
Look at the data, and draw your own conclusions.
FOR MORE ABOUT OLD-SCHOOL PHYSICAL CULTURE AND ITS AMAZING BENEFITS, SEE MY BOOKS AND COURSES – AVAILABLE AT:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
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