Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're back in the saddle after a wild Memorial
Day weekend, and there's tons to report from
Dino Headquarters.
1. The June Dinosaur Files
The June issue of the Dinosaur Files newsletter
should be finished and mailed to subscribers on
Thursday or Friday. It's going to be another great
issue, with some terrific training articles and
Iron Game history. It really is the best monthly
publication for serious lifters and serious students
of the Iron game, and every issue is a collector's
item.
If you forgot to renew your subscription, or you
want to start one now, do it ASAP. I'll start you off
as of June 2011, and send you May and June together
to catch you up. That way, you won't miss an issue.
2. John Davis
The John Davis book is almost ready to send to the
printer, so it won't be much longer. It's ended up
bigger and better than I thought. There's a lot to
cover when you're talking about the man who ruled
the weightlifting world from 1938 through 1952.
The pre-publication special is still in effect, of
course. Reserve your copy now and get the special
bonus -- an 8 x 10 copy of never before seen photo
of John Davis at the height of his career.
I got the original from John's training partner,
who snapped it back in 1940 or 1941. To my knowledge,
it's never been published before, so it's a real
collector's treasure.
3. Power Rack Madness
If you ordered my Power Rack Training DVD last week,
we're making copies this week and we're shooting
to ship them out on Friday.
4. A Big Announcement Next Week
Be looking for a big announcement next week -- you're
going to be seeing something new and exciting from
Dino HQ. Something that many of you have been asking
for.
5. Tendon and Ligament Strength
I cover this critical topic in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power -- and I'm going to talk about
it at 12:00 noon EST on Wednesday on SuperHuman
Radio.
You can listen to the broadcast live or catch the
download later on. But be sure to listen to it. Training
your tendons and ligaments is the key to super strength.
That doesn't cover all of the news, but it hits the high
points for today. I'll cover other Dino news later in the
week.
As always, thanks for reading. If you train today, make it
a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can order Dinosaur Training -- Strength, Muscle and
Power -- Black Iron: The John Davis Story -- and a subscription
to the Dinosaur Files newsletter right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Brooks Kubik
P.O. Box 4426
Louisville, Ky. 40204
info@brookskubik.com
www.brookskubik.com
The May 2012 Dinosaur Files
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
If you subscribe to the one and only
Dinosaur Files newsletter, you should
have rec'd your May issue by now. If not,
shoot me an email and let me know.
We had another great set of articles in
month's issue -- and the May issue has rec'd
some serious praise from a World and Olympic
weightlifting champion who subscribes to The
Files. I'll share that nugget tomorrow.
Meanwhile, for those who are wondering what
we cover in the Dinosaur Files newsletter,
here's the lineup for the May issue:
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Jurassic Jottings
Mesozoic Mail
Workout of the Month
True Grit - Dinosaur Style
Training with Chains
Self-Confidence
Wrist and Grip Strengthening Exercises
from the Martial Arts
Harry Good: Highlights in His Life
& Weightlifting
The Wrap-Up
If you do not subscribe to The Dinosaur
Files newsletter, you're missing something
special, and I hope you'll consider joining
your fellow Dino Maniacs from around the
world who do subscribe.
For more information about The Dinosaur Files
newsletter, and to order the complete set of 2010
to 2011 back issues (12 issues -- 240 power packed
pages), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
To renew your subscription from last year or to
start a new subscription beginning with the May 2011
issue, go here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
And as I said, if you subscribe to The Dinosaur Files,
send an email and give me some feedback on the May
issue!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
If you subscribe to the one and only
Dinosaur Files newsletter, you should
have rec'd your May issue by now. If not,
shoot me an email and let me know.
We had another great set of articles in
month's issue -- and the May issue has rec'd
some serious praise from a World and Olympic
weightlifting champion who subscribes to The
Files. I'll share that nugget tomorrow.
Meanwhile, for those who are wondering what
we cover in the Dinosaur Files newsletter,
here's the lineup for the May issue:
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Jurassic Jottings
Mesozoic Mail
Workout of the Month
True Grit - Dinosaur Style
Training with Chains
Self-Confidence
Wrist and Grip Strengthening Exercises
from the Martial Arts
Harry Good: Highlights in His Life
& Weightlifting
The Wrap-Up
If you do not subscribe to The Dinosaur
Files newsletter, you're missing something
special, and I hope you'll consider joining
your fellow Dino Maniacs from around the
world who do subscribe.
For more information about The Dinosaur Files
newsletter, and to order the complete set of 2010
to 2011 back issues (12 issues -- 240 power packed
pages), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
To renew your subscription from last year or to
start a new subscription beginning with the May 2011
issue, go here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
And as I said, if you subscribe to The Dinosaur Files,
send an email and give me some feedback on the May
issue!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
"Bologna Sandwich!" He Said.
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In response to yesterday's email (where
I talked about gaining strength and muscular
bulk through multiple sets of low to medium
reps), I received a thoughtful and well-
written reply (with only three or four
misspelled words) from a dubious reader.
"Bolgogna Sandwich!" he said. "You need to
use high reps to build muscle."
Except he didn't say "Bologna Sandwich." He
said something else, but you can figure it
out.
So let's talk a bit about high reps and low
reps.
If anyone says that low reps do NOT build
strength AND muscular bulk, ask them this:
1. How did Reg Park become the biggest, most
massive and most powerful bodybuilder of his
era -- and the strongest -- by doing five sets
of five reps?
2. How did John Grimek become the top bodybuilder
of HIS era on a program that consisted primarily
of low rep heavy Olympic weightlifting?
3. Why are powerlifters so big and thick and
massive -- and why do they typically grow into a
higher weight class over the course of their
lifting careers?
4. Why do Olympic weightlifters grow larger,
heavier and more muscular over the course of their
lifting careers? (Cases in point: Tommy Kono started
lifting in the 148 pound class, and ended up setting
World records in the 148, 165., 181 and 198 pound
classes. John Davis grew from 180 to 230 pounds.
Norb Schemansky grew from 195 or so to 270 or 275
pounds.)
5. Why did Peary Rader (who kind of knew what he was
talking about when it came to weight training) once
note that modern powerlifting programs were equal to
or superior to bodybuilding programs when it came to
building muscle mass?
6. How did the Canadian Hercules, Doug Hepburn, build
himself into a 300 pound Weightlifting champion by
doing low reps and heavy singles on a handful of basic,
compound exercises?
Now, don't get confused. Many men have had great results
by training on 20 rep breathing squats or doing sets of
15 to 20 reps in the deadlift. But they train HARD and
HEAVY on those movements.
And please note -- I cover high rep leg and back training
in detail in Dinosaur Training, in Chalk and Sweat, and
in Strength, Muscle and Power -- as well as in Gray Hair
and Black Iron. So I'm not "agin it" IF you do it the
right way.)
I have a feeling that Mr. Bologna Sandwich was talking
about high rep sets of curls, lateral raises, French
presses, pec dec butterflies, and similar movements with
weights so light you'd have to weight them twice to get
them to register.
That kind of stuff may build some muscle and it may be
great for "cuts" -- but it doesn't build the kind of
thick, powerful, Herculean physique that heavy work on
the basic exercises will build.
So do low reps with heavy weight on the basic exercises
build muscle?
I think they do. More than that, I KNOW they do. And for
nearly 20 years I've been getting letters and feedback from
readers who say the very same thing -- because they tried
it, and it worked for 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. You can find all of the books and courses mentioned in
this email right here at Dinosaur Headquarters. Don't order
any of them if you're worried about growing out of your clothes
or needing to buy more iron for your home gym:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
In response to yesterday's email (where
I talked about gaining strength and muscular
bulk through multiple sets of low to medium
reps), I received a thoughtful and well-
written reply (with only three or four
misspelled words) from a dubious reader.
"Bolgogna Sandwich!" he said. "You need to
use high reps to build muscle."
Except he didn't say "Bologna Sandwich." He
said something else, but you can figure it
out.
So let's talk a bit about high reps and low
reps.
If anyone says that low reps do NOT build
strength AND muscular bulk, ask them this:
1. How did Reg Park become the biggest, most
massive and most powerful bodybuilder of his
era -- and the strongest -- by doing five sets
of five reps?
2. How did John Grimek become the top bodybuilder
of HIS era on a program that consisted primarily
of low rep heavy Olympic weightlifting?
3. Why are powerlifters so big and thick and
massive -- and why do they typically grow into a
higher weight class over the course of their
lifting careers?
4. Why do Olympic weightlifters grow larger,
heavier and more muscular over the course of their
lifting careers? (Cases in point: Tommy Kono started
lifting in the 148 pound class, and ended up setting
World records in the 148, 165., 181 and 198 pound
classes. John Davis grew from 180 to 230 pounds.
Norb Schemansky grew from 195 or so to 270 or 275
pounds.)
5. Why did Peary Rader (who kind of knew what he was
talking about when it came to weight training) once
note that modern powerlifting programs were equal to
or superior to bodybuilding programs when it came to
building muscle mass?
6. How did the Canadian Hercules, Doug Hepburn, build
himself into a 300 pound Weightlifting champion by
doing low reps and heavy singles on a handful of basic,
compound exercises?
Now, don't get confused. Many men have had great results
by training on 20 rep breathing squats or doing sets of
15 to 20 reps in the deadlift. But they train HARD and
HEAVY on those movements.
And please note -- I cover high rep leg and back training
in detail in Dinosaur Training, in Chalk and Sweat, and
in Strength, Muscle and Power -- as well as in Gray Hair
and Black Iron. So I'm not "agin it" IF you do it the
right way.)
I have a feeling that Mr. Bologna Sandwich was talking
about high rep sets of curls, lateral raises, French
presses, pec dec butterflies, and similar movements with
weights so light you'd have to weight them twice to get
them to register.
That kind of stuff may build some muscle and it may be
great for "cuts" -- but it doesn't build the kind of
thick, powerful, Herculean physique that heavy work on
the basic exercises will build.
So do low reps with heavy weight on the basic exercises
build muscle?
I think they do. More than that, I KNOW they do. And for
nearly 20 years I've been getting letters and feedback from
readers who say the very same thing -- because they tried
it, and it worked for 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. You can find all of the books and courses mentioned in
this email right here at Dinosaur Headquarters. Don't order
any of them if you're worried about growing out of your clothes
or needing to buy more iron for your home gym:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The Basics of Building Up
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're getting a ton of new readers, and
that means I'm getting a ton of training
questions.
One of the most common is about gaining
strength and mass as fast as possible. And
based on some of the questions I've been
getting, it's obvious that many trainees
still don't understand the basics of
building up.
So let's talk about that.
Gaining strength, muscle and muscular body-
weight requires the right kind of training
program.
With the right kind of program, gaining strength
and muscle is easy. With the wrong kind of
program, it's impossible.
You need to use basic, compound exercises that
allow you to handle the heaviest possible weight
in your exercises.
Squats, front squats, deadlifts, standing presses,
bench presses, bent over rowing, pulldowns, pull-ups,
shrugs, etc.
Don't waste time and energy on the little movements.
Focus all of your effort on the most productive
exercises.
If you're an advanced man, heavy power rack training
may work best for you. See my book, Strength, Muscle
and Power for more detail on power rack workouts. I
had incredible success with rack work, and you will,
too.
You need to train HEAVY -- and to do that, you need
to perform low to medium reps. Five sets of five or
six reps is a tried and true man-builder that works
well for just about everyone.
5 x 5 or 5 x 6 can be 2 progressively heavier warmup
sets and three working sets -- or you can do three
progressively heavier warmup sets and two working
sets -- or four progressively heavier warmup sets
and one working set. They all work.
Use abbreviated training programs. They allow you
to make your training progressive. And progression
is what builds strength and muscle. You must always
strive to add weight to the bar. Always.
For specific program ideas, see Chalk and Sweat. I
offer 50 workouts, ranging from beginner programs to
programs for intermediates to programs for advanced
men -- and then I add 20 specialization programs for
building maximum muscle size and maximum strength as
fast as possible. So there's literally something for
everyone -- and EVERYONE who is struggling to gain
muscle and might will find the answer in Chalk and
Sweat. And that's especially true for beginners or
for those of you who have been following the type of
programs featured in the muscle magazines and
wondering why in the world they don't work for you.
And remember this -- to get bigger, you MUST get
stronger. If you're a beginner, think in terms of
doubling or even tripling your exercise weights. If
you're a more experienced lifter, think in terms of
adding 50 to 100 pounds to each of your big lifts.
Of course, this won't happen overnight -- it may take
a couple of years -- but it's the only way to make
real progress.
So that's the formula:
1. Basic, compound exercises.
2. Progressive poundages.
3. Add weight whenever possible.
4. Aim to work up to BIG weights
in perfect form in your training.
5. Use multiple sets of low to medium
reps.
6. If you're a beginner, start with the
beginner programs in Chalk and Sweat.
7. If you're an advanced man, try the
advanced strength and power programs in
Chalk and Sweat or the power rack programs
in Strength, Muscle and Power.
Good luck, good training, and good gaining!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Chalk and Sweat and Strength,
Muscle and Power right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
1. Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
We're getting a ton of new readers, and
that means I'm getting a ton of training
questions.
One of the most common is about gaining
strength and mass as fast as possible. And
based on some of the questions I've been
getting, it's obvious that many trainees
still don't understand the basics of
building up.
So let's talk about that.
Gaining strength, muscle and muscular body-
weight requires the right kind of training
program.
With the right kind of program, gaining strength
and muscle is easy. With the wrong kind of
program, it's impossible.
You need to use basic, compound exercises that
allow you to handle the heaviest possible weight
in your exercises.
Squats, front squats, deadlifts, standing presses,
bench presses, bent over rowing, pulldowns, pull-ups,
shrugs, etc.
Don't waste time and energy on the little movements.
Focus all of your effort on the most productive
exercises.
If you're an advanced man, heavy power rack training
may work best for you. See my book, Strength, Muscle
and Power for more detail on power rack workouts. I
had incredible success with rack work, and you will,
too.
You need to train HEAVY -- and to do that, you need
to perform low to medium reps. Five sets of five or
six reps is a tried and true man-builder that works
well for just about everyone.
5 x 5 or 5 x 6 can be 2 progressively heavier warmup
sets and three working sets -- or you can do three
progressively heavier warmup sets and two working
sets -- or four progressively heavier warmup sets
and one working set. They all work.
Use abbreviated training programs. They allow you
to make your training progressive. And progression
is what builds strength and muscle. You must always
strive to add weight to the bar. Always.
For specific program ideas, see Chalk and Sweat. I
offer 50 workouts, ranging from beginner programs to
programs for intermediates to programs for advanced
men -- and then I add 20 specialization programs for
building maximum muscle size and maximum strength as
fast as possible. So there's literally something for
everyone -- and EVERYONE who is struggling to gain
muscle and might will find the answer in Chalk and
Sweat. And that's especially true for beginners or
for those of you who have been following the type of
programs featured in the muscle magazines and
wondering why in the world they don't work for you.
And remember this -- to get bigger, you MUST get
stronger. If you're a beginner, think in terms of
doubling or even tripling your exercise weights. If
you're a more experienced lifter, think in terms of
adding 50 to 100 pounds to each of your big lifts.
Of course, this won't happen overnight -- it may take
a couple of years -- but it's the only way to make
real progress.
So that's the formula:
1. Basic, compound exercises.
2. Progressive poundages.
3. Add weight whenever possible.
4. Aim to work up to BIG weights
in perfect form in your training.
5. Use multiple sets of low to medium
reps.
6. If you're a beginner, start with the
beginner programs in Chalk and Sweat.
7. If you're an advanced man, try the
advanced strength and power programs in
Chalk and Sweat or the power rack programs
in Strength, Muscle and Power.
Good luck, good training, and good gaining!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Chalk and Sweat and Strength,
Muscle and Power right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
1. Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
2. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Back in the 1930's, Sig Klein wrote
an article for Strength and Health in
which he detailed the training secret
of the old-time European strongmen.
It was heavy dumbbell training.
Rugged strength and power exercises
with very heavy dumbbells.
I read that article a number of years
ago, and was so impressed with it that
I began an immediate program of very heavy,
very serious, very concentrated dumbbell
training.
I came up with a complete workout using
heavy dumbbells and the type of old-school
exercises recommended by Sig Klein.
And the sweat flew, and the chalk was
everywhere, and the plates rattled and
shook.
Not long after that, I was lifting 151
pounds overhead with one hand. And I was
bigger, stronger and thicker than ever
before.
So keep HEAVY dumbbell training dumbbell
training in mind -- and consider doing just
what I did -- a program of heavy, old-school
dumbbell training. It's BIG medicine.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I teach my complete dumbbell training program
on my DVD, "The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training."
It's a good one.
http://www.brookskubik.com/dumbbell_training_dvd.html
Back in the 1930's, Sig Klein wrote
an article for Strength and Health in
which he detailed the training secret
of the old-time European strongmen.
It was heavy dumbbell training.
Rugged strength and power exercises
with very heavy dumbbells.
I read that article a number of years
ago, and was so impressed with it that
I began an immediate program of very heavy,
very serious, very concentrated dumbbell
training.
I came up with a complete workout using
heavy dumbbells and the type of old-school
exercises recommended by Sig Klein.
And the sweat flew, and the chalk was
everywhere, and the plates rattled and
shook.
Not long after that, I was lifting 151
pounds overhead with one hand. And I was
bigger, stronger and thicker than ever
before.
So keep HEAVY dumbbell training dumbbell
training in mind -- and consider doing just
what I did -- a program of heavy, old-school
dumbbell training. It's BIG medicine.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I teach my complete dumbbell training program
on my DVD, "The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training."
It's a good one.
http://www.brookskubik.com/dumbbell_training_dvd.html
Serious Training for Older Lifters
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I'm doing a radio interview today at 12:00
noon on SuperHuman Radio. The topic is strength
training for older lifters. So that's the topic
on my mind this morning.
There's an interview by Mike Burgener, a top
Olympic weightlifting coach in the USA, where he
comments on the type of workouts that work best
for older weightlifters.
It's pretty simple stuff.
1. Do lots of warmups and stretching and get as
loose as you can.
2. Do snatches.
a. Do singles.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop.
d. Note that "as heavy as you can" does NOT mean you
go to your current top weight. It may mean you only
go up to 80 - 90 percent of your top weight. And that's
for ONE set of one rep.
3. Do clean and jerks.
a. Do singles.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop. (See note above re how heavy to go.)
4. Do something for a light warm-down (or cooling off).
5. Go home.
6. Train 2x or 3x per week.
If you're a powerlifter or if you prefer powerlifting
work to Olympic lifting work, you might do something like
this:
Mon
1. Do lots of warmups and stretching and get as
loose as you can.
2. Do squats.
a. Do singles or do low reps.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop. (See note above re how heavy to go.)
3. Do gut work.
4. Do something for a light warm-down (or cooling off).
5. Go home.
Tues
1. Same as Mon, but do bench presses.
Fri
1. Same as Mon, but do deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts.
If you prefer, feel free to do overhead presses or incline
presses instead of bench presses and front squats instead of
back squats. And feel free to add some lat work, and some
arm and grip work. But keep each workout short, sweet and
simple.
Now, that doesn't seem like very much, but for an older
lifter, it's exactly the kind of training that will bring
good results.
As an older lifter, you need to focus on QUALITY training.
Get in, get warmed up, get it done, and get out of there.
Do THAT, and you can keep on training and gaining for far
longer than you imagine.
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 training programs
for older lifters, see Gray Hair and Black Iron. It's a must
read for anyone over the age of 35:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
I'm doing a radio interview today at 12:00
noon on SuperHuman Radio. The topic is strength
training for older lifters. So that's the topic
on my mind this morning.
There's an interview by Mike Burgener, a top
Olympic weightlifting coach in the USA, where he
comments on the type of workouts that work best
for older weightlifters.
It's pretty simple stuff.
1. Do lots of warmups and stretching and get as
loose as you can.
2. Do snatches.
a. Do singles.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop.
d. Note that "as heavy as you can" does NOT mean you
go to your current top weight. It may mean you only
go up to 80 - 90 percent of your top weight. And that's
for ONE set of one rep.
3. Do clean and jerks.
a. Do singles.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop. (See note above re how heavy to go.)
4. Do something for a light warm-down (or cooling off).
5. Go home.
6. Train 2x or 3x per week.
If you're a powerlifter or if you prefer powerlifting
work to Olympic lifting work, you might do something like
this:
Mon
1. Do lots of warmups and stretching and get as
loose as you can.
2. Do squats.
a. Do singles or do low reps.
b. Start light and work up.
c. Go as heavy as you can on that particular day,
and then stop. (See note above re how heavy to go.)
3. Do gut work.
4. Do something for a light warm-down (or cooling off).
5. Go home.
Tues
1. Same as Mon, but do bench presses.
Fri
1. Same as Mon, but do deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts.
If you prefer, feel free to do overhead presses or incline
presses instead of bench presses and front squats instead of
back squats. And feel free to add some lat work, and some
arm and grip work. But keep each workout short, sweet and
simple.
Now, that doesn't seem like very much, but for an older
lifter, it's exactly the kind of training that will bring
good results.
As an older lifter, you need to focus on QUALITY training.
Get in, get warmed up, get it done, and get out of there.
Do THAT, and you can keep on training and gaining for far
longer than you imagine.
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 training programs
for older lifters, see Gray Hair and Black Iron. It's a must
read for anyone over the age of 35:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
Strength Training Secrets, Part 5
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
(This is part 5 in a series of articles
called Strength training Secrets. Parts
1 - 4 are posted in the archives on the
Dinosaur Training Blog, which can be
accessed from the search buttons on the
top page of my website. If you missed them,
be sure to go back and read them, starting
with no. 1.)
He worked his way up through his warm-up sets,
making a conscious effort to perform every rep
letter perfect form. As I had instructed him,
he tried to get the most out of every rep.
Between sets, he closed his eyes and visualized
the next set. He watched a mental movie where
he saw himself step onto the platform, approach
the Trap Bar, crouch down, grab the handles and
pull -- and repeat the process for five PERFECT
reps.
On every set, he tried to replicate the set he
had envisioned.
Now, that may sound silly, but it's one of the most
powerful tools you can use in your strength training.
When you train with heavy weights and work at or
close to your limit -- as you must, if you intend
to grow some serious muscle and build some serious
strength -- you MUST approach the bar with absolute
confidence in your ability to make the lift.
The visualization drills that I am describing will
build your confidence. If you can see yourself making
the lift, or completing the required number of reps
in perfect form, then you start to believe that you
can do it.
And when you believe you can do it -- you can.
When you unlock the power of your kind, you unlock
the strength of your body -- and you can train with
higher intensity and much more effectiveness than ever
before.
I often talk about abbreviated training. One of the
reasons that abbreviated training works so well is that
it allows you to focus your mental powers on a limited
number of exercises, sets and reps.
Many of you are looking for the secret to rapid gains in
strength, muscle and power.
I've just given you one of the most important ones.
Combine visualization with the training programs in any
of my books and courses -- or in the Dinosaur Files
newsletter -- and you'll find it very easy to make great
gains.
Remember, it all starts with the mind.
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. My books, courses and DVD's are available at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
(This is part 5 in a series of articles
called Strength training Secrets. Parts
1 - 4 are posted in the archives on the
Dinosaur Training Blog, which can be
accessed from the search buttons on the
top page of my website. If you missed them,
be sure to go back and read them, starting
with no. 1.)
He worked his way up through his warm-up sets,
making a conscious effort to perform every rep
letter perfect form. As I had instructed him,
he tried to get the most out of every rep.
Between sets, he closed his eyes and visualized
the next set. He watched a mental movie where
he saw himself step onto the platform, approach
the Trap Bar, crouch down, grab the handles and
pull -- and repeat the process for five PERFECT
reps.
On every set, he tried to replicate the set he
had envisioned.
Now, that may sound silly, but it's one of the most
powerful tools you can use in your strength training.
When you train with heavy weights and work at or
close to your limit -- as you must, if you intend
to grow some serious muscle and build some serious
strength -- you MUST approach the bar with absolute
confidence in your ability to make the lift.
The visualization drills that I am describing will
build your confidence. If you can see yourself making
the lift, or completing the required number of reps
in perfect form, then you start to believe that you
can do it.
And when you believe you can do it -- you can.
When you unlock the power of your kind, you unlock
the strength of your body -- and you can train with
higher intensity and much more effectiveness than ever
before.
I often talk about abbreviated training. One of the
reasons that abbreviated training works so well is that
it allows you to focus your mental powers on a limited
number of exercises, sets and reps.
Many of you are looking for the secret to rapid gains in
strength, muscle and power.
I've just given you one of the most important ones.
Combine visualization with the training programs in any
of my books and courses -- or in the Dinosaur Files
newsletter -- and you'll find it very easy to make great
gains.
Remember, it all starts with the mind.
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. My books, courses and DVD's are available at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
The Strongest Man in the World
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I've studied weightlifting, weight training and
Iron Game history for about 45 years now - but
here's something I only read recently, when
I was researching for my new book about weight-
lifter John Davis.
It's from an article that appeared in The Reader's
Digest way back in 1952. The article was written
by Ted Shane and Bud Greenspan - and yes, that's
the same Bud Greenspan who went on to become the
world-famous producer/director of documentaries
about the Olympic games and Olympic athletes. He
got his start by writing about John Davis - and
later, produced a 15 minute film about John!
Here's how the article opens:
"In a New York garage, a 3000-pound pickup truck
slipped and pinned a mechanic beneath.
There wasn't time to rig the chain hoist; there
weren't enough men around to lift the truck by
hand.
But John Davis, one of the garage hands, slid
underneath, braced his shoulders and strained
upward.
Slowly the truck inched up.
The mechanic was pulled out, bruised but otherwise
unhurt."
At the time, John Davis was the undisputed,
undefeated Heavyweight lifting champion of the world.
He held all of the USA records in the Heavyweight class,
all of the Olympic records, and all of the World records.
He was generally regarded as the Strongest Man in the
World.
John Davis got his start training in a friend's garage.
In less than two years, he was the World champion - the
youngest World champion in history at that time. (He was
only 17 when he captured the World championship.)
And yes, he trained Dinosaur style. Hard and heavy, focusing
his efforts on a small handful of the very best and most
important exercises. he trained exclusively for strength and
power - and his results show that he knew what he was doing.
And now you know why I chose John Davis as the subject of
a complete, detailed biography. It's called "Black Iron:
The John Davis Story" and I'm offering it right now via
a special pre-publication package. Order now, and when the
book is printed and ready to ship (which should be about 6
weeks), I'll include a special bonus - an 8 x 10 photo of
John Davis, the Strongest man in the World, at the height
of his career.
By the way, the book is a BIG one - over 400 pages, and it
includes photos (some of which have never been published
before), and John Davis' actual training program from 1940
and 1941. I got it from John's training partner (now age 94).
To my knowledge, it's never been printed before.
The only thing I wish is this - I wish I knew the name of
the garage mechanic who was pinned under that truck. If I
could, I'd send a free copy of the book to his children.
I wonder if they know that John Davis saved their father's
life one day.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can reserve your copy of "Black Iron: The John Davis
Story" right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2 For other Dinosaur Training books, courses, DVD's, and
other goodies, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
I've studied weightlifting, weight training and
Iron Game history for about 45 years now - but
here's something I only read recently, when
I was researching for my new book about weight-
lifter John Davis.
It's from an article that appeared in The Reader's
Digest way back in 1952. The article was written
by Ted Shane and Bud Greenspan - and yes, that's
the same Bud Greenspan who went on to become the
world-famous producer/director of documentaries
about the Olympic games and Olympic athletes. He
got his start by writing about John Davis - and
later, produced a 15 minute film about John!
Here's how the article opens:
"In a New York garage, a 3000-pound pickup truck
slipped and pinned a mechanic beneath.
There wasn't time to rig the chain hoist; there
weren't enough men around to lift the truck by
hand.
But John Davis, one of the garage hands, slid
underneath, braced his shoulders and strained
upward.
Slowly the truck inched up.
The mechanic was pulled out, bruised but otherwise
unhurt."
At the time, John Davis was the undisputed,
undefeated Heavyweight lifting champion of the world.
He held all of the USA records in the Heavyweight class,
all of the Olympic records, and all of the World records.
He was generally regarded as the Strongest Man in the
World.
John Davis got his start training in a friend's garage.
In less than two years, he was the World champion - the
youngest World champion in history at that time. (He was
only 17 when he captured the World championship.)
And yes, he trained Dinosaur style. Hard and heavy, focusing
his efforts on a small handful of the very best and most
important exercises. he trained exclusively for strength and
power - and his results show that he knew what he was doing.
And now you know why I chose John Davis as the subject of
a complete, detailed biography. It's called "Black Iron:
The John Davis Story" and I'm offering it right now via
a special pre-publication package. Order now, and when the
book is printed and ready to ship (which should be about 6
weeks), I'll include a special bonus - an 8 x 10 photo of
John Davis, the Strongest man in the World, at the height
of his career.
By the way, the book is a BIG one - over 400 pages, and it
includes photos (some of which have never been published
before), and John Davis' actual training program from 1940
and 1941. I got it from John's training partner (now age 94).
To my knowledge, it's never been printed before.
The only thing I wish is this - I wish I knew the name of
the garage mechanic who was pinned under that truck. If I
could, I'd send a free copy of the book to his children.
I wonder if they know that John Davis saved their father's
life one day.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can reserve your copy of "Black Iron: The John Davis
Story" right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2 For other Dinosaur Training books, courses, DVD's, and
other goodies, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Training Tips for Older Lifters!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
He asked the question from right out
of the blue.
"So, tell me -- how are the weights
working for you now?"
I had no idea what he was talking about,
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, I'm 47 now, and it's getting harder
and harder to hit the weights. I'm always
sore and stiff. And some of the exercises
seem to hurt me."
"Like what?"
"Well, like bench presses -- and squats --
and deadlifts. Curls, too. Pretty much
everything, actually. I'm starting to think
I'm too old for lifting."
Now, to put this in perspective, you need
to understand that I was having lunch with
my YOUNGER brother. I'm seven years older.
When your YOUNGER brother starts to talk
like that, it can make you feel REALLY old.
"So what do YOU do?" he asked. "I mean, do
you take some sort of vitamins or something?"
"No, I just do the stuff I talk about in Gray
Hair and Black Iron."
He looked down at his plate for a second before
answering.
"I -- um -- haven't read it."
Well, that's par for the course. No one in a
writer's family ever reads his books.
"Well, you should read it," I said. "It talks
about everything you need to do now that you're
older. I mean, the whole reason I wrote it was
to help older guys keep on lifting. So there's
a lot in there about fighting soreness and
inflammation."
He nodded.
"I'll read it," he said.
"Well, do that. And when you do, focus on the
chapters dealing with workload, intensity cycling
and volume. Older lifters need to reduce their
workload. They tend to train too much. More than
their bodies can recover from. So they get sore
and stiff, and then it becomes chronic, and then
it's nothing but aches and pains all the time."
"You need to train hard and heavy enough to
stimulate muscular growth," I continued, "but not
so hard that you can't recover from your workouts.
It's a balancing act."
"It sure seems like it!" he said.
"Yeah, but you need to do it. It's the only way to
keep on training. Otherwise, you're gonna have to
quit lifting and start playing checkers for exercise."
He brightened.
"Checkers would be fun," he said.
I shook my head.
"Checkers are not an option," I told him.
And that's why my younger brother is hitting the iron
today, following one of the routines in Gray Hair and
Black Iron. And you know what? I think he'll do fine.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron
right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
For our other books and courses, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
He asked the question from right out
of the blue.
"So, tell me -- how are the weights
working for you now?"
I had no idea what he was talking about,
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, I'm 47 now, and it's getting harder
and harder to hit the weights. I'm always
sore and stiff. And some of the exercises
seem to hurt me."
"Like what?"
"Well, like bench presses -- and squats --
and deadlifts. Curls, too. Pretty much
everything, actually. I'm starting to think
I'm too old for lifting."
Now, to put this in perspective, you need
to understand that I was having lunch with
my YOUNGER brother. I'm seven years older.
When your YOUNGER brother starts to talk
like that, it can make you feel REALLY old.
"So what do YOU do?" he asked. "I mean, do
you take some sort of vitamins or something?"
"No, I just do the stuff I talk about in Gray
Hair and Black Iron."
He looked down at his plate for a second before
answering.
"I -- um -- haven't read it."
Well, that's par for the course. No one in a
writer's family ever reads his books.
"Well, you should read it," I said. "It talks
about everything you need to do now that you're
older. I mean, the whole reason I wrote it was
to help older guys keep on lifting. So there's
a lot in there about fighting soreness and
inflammation."
He nodded.
"I'll read it," he said.
"Well, do that. And when you do, focus on the
chapters dealing with workload, intensity cycling
and volume. Older lifters need to reduce their
workload. They tend to train too much. More than
their bodies can recover from. So they get sore
and stiff, and then it becomes chronic, and then
it's nothing but aches and pains all the time."
"You need to train hard and heavy enough to
stimulate muscular growth," I continued, "but not
so hard that you can't recover from your workouts.
It's a balancing act."
"It sure seems like it!" he said.
"Yeah, but you need to do it. It's the only way to
keep on training. Otherwise, you're gonna have to
quit lifting and start playing checkers for exercise."
He brightened.
"Checkers would be fun," he said.
I shook my head.
"Checkers are not an option," I told him.
And that's why my younger brother is hitting the iron
today, following one of the routines in Gray Hair and
Black Iron. And you know what? I think he'll do fine.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron
right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
For our other books and courses, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
There Are No Hopeless Cases!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Sometime back in the 1930's there was a
little boy who lived in New Jersey.
He was one of the skinniest, scrawniest
little kids you ever saw in your life.
He weighed all of 112 pounds soaking wet.
He suffered from severe asthma.
He was allergic to almost everything,
He so sick that the family doctor told
him he "was meant to live in a glass house
in the desert."
He sat up all night, desperately gasping for
air.
His parents spent thousands of dollars
trying to find a cure.
But nothing worked.
One day, the boy was standing at a bus stop.
The bus was late, the lad was bored, and a
nearby newsstand beckoned.
He walked over and saw it -- a "muscle magazine."
He bought it, took it home, and read it cover to
cover.
And he asked himself -- could barbell training be
the answer to his woes?
It was.
Five years later, the boy's asthma and illnesses
had disappeared.
He weighed a solid 235 pounds at 5' 8".
He used over 1,000 pounds in the Hise shrug, 575
pounds for his squats, and 970 pounds for partial
deadlifts from blocks. He used an even 1,000 pounds
for his quarter squats, and did floor press lockouts
with over 800 pounds.
He could cheat curl 210 pounds and press 250 pounds.
His name was Fred Howell. His story is detailed in
the April - May 1958 issue of Iron Man magazine.
It's also detailed in my book, Strength, Muscle
and Power -- in a chapter titled, "There Are No
Hopeless Cases!"
I wrote that chapter because there are men and boys
like Fred all over the world -- men and boys who
suffer from severe scrawniness, skinniness, illness,
and poor health. Men and boys who look like they
don't have any chance of ever becoming strong, healthy
and fit.
I wanted them to know that weight training WORKS.
That it works for ANYONE.
And that there truly are NO HOPELESS CASES!
Please take this message to heart. And if you know
someone who might benefit from this message, please
pass it along.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Strength, Muscle and Power right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. For other Dinosaur Training books, courses, DVD's,
and shirts -- for the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- and
for the Legacy of Iron books, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Sometime back in the 1930's there was a
little boy who lived in New Jersey.
He was one of the skinniest, scrawniest
little kids you ever saw in your life.
He weighed all of 112 pounds soaking wet.
He suffered from severe asthma.
He was allergic to almost everything,
He so sick that the family doctor told
him he "was meant to live in a glass house
in the desert."
He sat up all night, desperately gasping for
air.
His parents spent thousands of dollars
trying to find a cure.
But nothing worked.
One day, the boy was standing at a bus stop.
The bus was late, the lad was bored, and a
nearby newsstand beckoned.
He walked over and saw it -- a "muscle magazine."
He bought it, took it home, and read it cover to
cover.
And he asked himself -- could barbell training be
the answer to his woes?
It was.
Five years later, the boy's asthma and illnesses
had disappeared.
He weighed a solid 235 pounds at 5' 8".
He used over 1,000 pounds in the Hise shrug, 575
pounds for his squats, and 970 pounds for partial
deadlifts from blocks. He used an even 1,000 pounds
for his quarter squats, and did floor press lockouts
with over 800 pounds.
He could cheat curl 210 pounds and press 250 pounds.
His name was Fred Howell. His story is detailed in
the April - May 1958 issue of Iron Man magazine.
It's also detailed in my book, Strength, Muscle
and Power -- in a chapter titled, "There Are No
Hopeless Cases!"
I wrote that chapter because there are men and boys
like Fred all over the world -- men and boys who
suffer from severe scrawniness, skinniness, illness,
and poor health. Men and boys who look like they
don't have any chance of ever becoming strong, healthy
and fit.
I wanted them to know that weight training WORKS.
That it works for ANYONE.
And that there truly are NO HOPELESS CASES!
Please take this message to heart. And if you know
someone who might benefit from this message, please
pass it along.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Strength, Muscle and Power right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. For other Dinosaur Training books, courses, DVD's,
and shirts -- for the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- and
for the Legacy of Iron books, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
News and Notes for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A couple of quick things for you.
1. Dinosaur Mindpower
I covered a very important topic -- the
mental aspects of strength training -- in
an interview yesterday on SuperHuman Radio.
If you missed the live broadcast, you can
listen to it here -- at no charge. It's a
public service announcement for Dinos. You
can find the interview on the Superhuman
Radio website.
2. Older Lifters
I continue to get emails from older lifters
who want to know how to keep on training as
they move up in years.
The most important thing for older lifters to
do is to balance the amount and intensity of
their training with their ability to recover
from it.
For older lifters, recovery is everything.
If in doubt, go lighter and easier and less
often.
Use a simple cycling system where you have light,
medium and heavy days -- or light, medium and
heavy weeks. And remember that your light days
are ten times harder and heavier than what 99%
of the population (at any age) can do.
For more details, see Gray Hair and Black Iron.
It's solid gold for older lifters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Iron Game History
If you've read any of my books, you know that I'm
a big fan of old time lifters and Iron Game heroes
from "back in the day."
I cover the great champions of the 1930's and 1940's in
the Legacy of Iron series. There are five books in the
series so far, with more to come.
If you're new to the Legacy of Iron books, start with
volume 1 -- Legacy of Iron - and work forward from there.
You need to read them in sequence to follow the story.
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
I also cover Iron Game history in my Doug Hepburn Training
course. It covers the life and lifting -- and the training
methods -- of the Canadian Hercules:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
And then we have the new kid on the block -- a massive book
(over 400 pages) covering the life, lifting and training of
the legendary John Davis -- who may have been the greatest
Olympic weightlifter of all time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
The John Davis book is being offered with a pre-publication
special. It should be printed and ready to ship in about 6
weeks. I'm including a special bonus with all pre-publication
orders.
You'll see more Iron Game history from Dino Headquarters over
the coming months -- as well as more hard-hitting, no-nonsense
strength training books and courses.
So as you can see, we've been very busy here at Dino Headquarters.
And we're going to stay busy -- because we're committed to bringing
you the very best in strength training, physical culture and Iron
Game history.
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 to listen to the radio interview -- it's a good one!
A couple of quick things for you.
1. Dinosaur Mindpower
I covered a very important topic -- the
mental aspects of strength training -- in
an interview yesterday on SuperHuman Radio.
If you missed the live broadcast, you can
listen to it here -- at no charge. It's a
public service announcement for Dinos. You
can find the interview on the Superhuman
Radio website.
2. Older Lifters
I continue to get emails from older lifters
who want to know how to keep on training as
they move up in years.
The most important thing for older lifters to
do is to balance the amount and intensity of
their training with their ability to recover
from it.
For older lifters, recovery is everything.
If in doubt, go lighter and easier and less
often.
Use a simple cycling system where you have light,
medium and heavy days -- or light, medium and
heavy weeks. And remember that your light days
are ten times harder and heavier than what 99%
of the population (at any age) can do.
For more details, see Gray Hair and Black Iron.
It's solid gold for older lifters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Iron Game History
If you've read any of my books, you know that I'm
a big fan of old time lifters and Iron Game heroes
from "back in the day."
I cover the great champions of the 1930's and 1940's in
the Legacy of Iron series. There are five books in the
series so far, with more to come.
If you're new to the Legacy of Iron books, start with
volume 1 -- Legacy of Iron - and work forward from there.
You need to read them in sequence to follow the story.
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
I also cover Iron Game history in my Doug Hepburn Training
course. It covers the life and lifting -- and the training
methods -- of the Canadian Hercules:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
And then we have the new kid on the block -- a massive book
(over 400 pages) covering the life, lifting and training of
the legendary John Davis -- who may have been the greatest
Olympic weightlifter of all time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
The John Davis book is being offered with a pre-publication
special. It should be printed and ready to ship in about 6
weeks. I'm including a special bonus with all pre-publication
orders.
You'll see more Iron Game history from Dino Headquarters over
the coming months -- as well as more hard-hitting, no-nonsense
strength training books and courses.
So as you can see, we've been very busy here at Dino Headquarters.
And we're going to stay busy -- because we're committed to bringing
you the very best in strength training, physical culture and Iron
Game history.
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 to listen to the radio interview -- it's a good one!
Revealed -- The Mystery Lifter!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I'll start the week by revealing the name of
the Mystery Lifter featured in the May issue of
The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- which no one
was able to guess.
But first I wanted to clear up some confusion,
especially for new readers.
Many of you think that my daily email messages
and Blog Posts are "The Dinosaur Filers" newsletter.
They are not.
The Dinosaur Files is a unique publication. It's
an old-fashioned, hard-copy newsletter -- printed
on paper and mailed to readers each month. It's
a subscription-only publication because we need
to cover the cost of the paper, the printing, the
mailing envelopes and -- above all -- the postage.
The Dinosaur Files is 20 pages per issue, and always
contains a ton of great info not published in any
of my other books or courses, and not appearing
in my email messages or Blog Posts. It also has
killer photos and lots of useful and motivating
material from your fellow dinosaurs.
So that's what I mean when I talk about The
Dinosaur Files.
And now let's turn to the Mystery Lifter!
It's Harry Good!
Harry Good was the eldest of the famous Good Brothers.
He and his brothers were hailed as the strongest
family in the world "back in the day."
Harry got his start by training with something I talk
about in Dinosaur Training and in Strength, Muscle
and Power: heavy, awkward objects.
Harry lived on a farm in Pennsylvania, and he had
no barbells or dumbbells, and there was no neighborhood
gym, YMCA, or school weight room.
So he trained by lifting heavy rocks, logs, anvils, and
bags of sand, grain, or feed.
Sounds primitive, but it worked pretty well.
With this simple equipment, Harry gained 35 pounds
of muscle and worked up to the following feats:
1. Lifting a 548 pound stone with one hand with a rope
wrapped around his wrist.
2. Lifting an 829 pound stone with two hands in the same
fashion.
3. Lifting a 270 pound stone onto a fence that was
3 1/2 feet high.
And more, which I'll cover in the Dinosaur Files.
When Harry finally saved enough money to purchase a barbell
set, he gained even more strength, and worked up to some
amazing barbell, dumbbell and kettlebell lifts.
It's the kind of TRUE story that appeals to me. A skinny
kid gets bit by the strength training bug -- and all on
his own, with only the most basic of equipment, he turns
himself into a Hercules.
And he does it the old-fashioned way -- with hard work,
sweat, and fierce determination.
It's a classic example of one of the most important rules
in physical training: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'VE GOT, IT'S HOW
YOU USE IT!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about old-fashioned strength training and
muscle building, and for more stories about men who overcame
tremendous odds in the struggle for might and muscle, try
these:
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. The Dinosaur Files newsletter (new subscriptions):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
4. The Dinosaur Files newsletter (back issues from year
no. 1 -- 12 issues total):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
I'll start the week by revealing the name of
the Mystery Lifter featured in the May issue of
The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- which no one
was able to guess.
But first I wanted to clear up some confusion,
especially for new readers.
Many of you think that my daily email messages
and Blog Posts are "The Dinosaur Filers" newsletter.
They are not.
The Dinosaur Files is a unique publication. It's
an old-fashioned, hard-copy newsletter -- printed
on paper and mailed to readers each month. It's
a subscription-only publication because we need
to cover the cost of the paper, the printing, the
mailing envelopes and -- above all -- the postage.
The Dinosaur Files is 20 pages per issue, and always
contains a ton of great info not published in any
of my other books or courses, and not appearing
in my email messages or Blog Posts. It also has
killer photos and lots of useful and motivating
material from your fellow dinosaurs.
So that's what I mean when I talk about The
Dinosaur Files.
And now let's turn to the Mystery Lifter!
It's Harry Good!
Harry Good was the eldest of the famous Good Brothers.
He and his brothers were hailed as the strongest
family in the world "back in the day."
Harry got his start by training with something I talk
about in Dinosaur Training and in Strength, Muscle
and Power: heavy, awkward objects.
Harry lived on a farm in Pennsylvania, and he had
no barbells or dumbbells, and there was no neighborhood
gym, YMCA, or school weight room.
So he trained by lifting heavy rocks, logs, anvils, and
bags of sand, grain, or feed.
Sounds primitive, but it worked pretty well.
With this simple equipment, Harry gained 35 pounds
of muscle and worked up to the following feats:
1. Lifting a 548 pound stone with one hand with a rope
wrapped around his wrist.
2. Lifting an 829 pound stone with two hands in the same
fashion.
3. Lifting a 270 pound stone onto a fence that was
3 1/2 feet high.
And more, which I'll cover in the Dinosaur Files.
When Harry finally saved enough money to purchase a barbell
set, he gained even more strength, and worked up to some
amazing barbell, dumbbell and kettlebell lifts.
It's the kind of TRUE story that appeals to me. A skinny
kid gets bit by the strength training bug -- and all on
his own, with only the most basic of equipment, he turns
himself into a Hercules.
And he does it the old-fashioned way -- with hard work,
sweat, and fierce determination.
It's a classic example of one of the most important rules
in physical training: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'VE GOT, IT'S HOW
YOU USE IT!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about old-fashioned strength training and
muscle building, and for more stories about men who overcame
tremendous odds in the struggle for might and muscle, try
these:
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. The Dinosaur Files newsletter (new subscriptions):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
4. The Dinosaur Files newsletter (back issues from year
no. 1 -- 12 issues total):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
10 Tips for Older Lifters!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll cover a training
question from a reader.
1. No one has guessed the identity of the Mystery
Lifter profiled in the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter -- which goes to show that you're
going to learn all sorts of interesting new things
from the Dino Files. I'll reveal the name next week.
2. If you plan to subscribe to the Dino Files, do it
now. Ditto for subscription renewals. We'll mail the
May issue next Tuesday or Wednesday, so we can still
get you on the list.
As for training -- I've rec'd several questions from
older readers (age 50 or so) who are suffering from
aches and pains and dings and dents, and want to know
what advice I have for older lifters who want to keep
on lifting heavy weights.
So here are some tips. I'll cover them very briefly.
For more detail, see Gray hair and Black Iron. I wrote
it specifically for older lifters, and it has a ton of
great info older dinos.
1. Abbreviated workouts are more important than ever
for older lifters.
2. Recovery is the key.
3. Clean up your diet. A good, healthy diet helps to
reduce soreness and inflammation.
4. Use some sort of simple cycling system.
5. Don't go heavy all the time.
6. Stop doing exercises that hurt you, even if they are
your favorite exercises.
7. Use lower volume workouts to reduce wear and tear on
your body.
8. Stand on your feet when you train. (Very important for
anyone, but super important for older trainees.)
9. Do cardio work regularly -- but be sure to do the RIGHT
KIND of cardio.
10. Train with a young whippersnapper every once in awhile
and show him what an older lifter can do. (It's great for
your ego, and as for him, well, he'll get it over it
someday.)
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day -- and a
great weekend. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover much more about effective training for older
lifters in Gray hair and Black Iron. You can find it here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2 To subscribe to year two of The Dino Files newsletter
(or to renew your subscription) go here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
For the entire set (12 issues) of year no. 1 of The Dino Files
newsletter, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Two quick notes, and then we'll cover a training
question from a reader.
1. No one has guessed the identity of the Mystery
Lifter profiled in the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter -- which goes to show that you're
going to learn all sorts of interesting new things
from the Dino Files. I'll reveal the name next week.
2. If you plan to subscribe to the Dino Files, do it
now. Ditto for subscription renewals. We'll mail the
May issue next Tuesday or Wednesday, so we can still
get you on the list.
As for training -- I've rec'd several questions from
older readers (age 50 or so) who are suffering from
aches and pains and dings and dents, and want to know
what advice I have for older lifters who want to keep
on lifting heavy weights.
So here are some tips. I'll cover them very briefly.
For more detail, see Gray hair and Black Iron. I wrote
it specifically for older lifters, and it has a ton of
great info older dinos.
1. Abbreviated workouts are more important than ever
for older lifters.
2. Recovery is the key.
3. Clean up your diet. A good, healthy diet helps to
reduce soreness and inflammation.
4. Use some sort of simple cycling system.
5. Don't go heavy all the time.
6. Stop doing exercises that hurt you, even if they are
your favorite exercises.
7. Use lower volume workouts to reduce wear and tear on
your body.
8. Stand on your feet when you train. (Very important for
anyone, but super important for older trainees.)
9. Do cardio work regularly -- but be sure to do the RIGHT
KIND of cardio.
10. Train with a young whippersnapper every once in awhile
and show him what an older lifter can do. (It's great for
your ego, and as for him, well, he'll get it over it
someday.)
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day -- and a
great weekend. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover much more about effective training for older
lifters in Gray hair and Black Iron. You can find it here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2 To subscribe to year two of The Dino Files newsletter
(or to renew your subscription) go here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
For the entire set (12 issues) of year no. 1 of The Dino Files
newsletter, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Can You Unmask the Mystery Lifter?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're in the middle of a big contest to
see if anyone can identify the Mystery Lifter
profiled in the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter.
I gave you ten clues in yesterday's email. If
you missed it, you can find them in yesterday's
post on The Dinosaur Training Blog. (Take a look
and check it out right now if you missed it.)
The prize is your choice of a Dinosaur Training
t-shirt, any of the Legacy of Iron books or my
Doug Hepburn training course.
The first right answer wins the contest.
One guess per reader.
I'm going to keep the contest open through midnight
today. (Eastern Standard Time)
So far, we've rec'd the following guesses:
1. Arthur Saxon
2. Joe Rollino
3. Warren Lincoln Travis
4. Max Millian
5. Zishe Breitbart
6. Louis Cyr
7. Milo Steinborn
8. John B. Gagnon
9. Paul Anderson
10. The Mighty Atom
11. Herman Goerner
12. Bob Peoples
13. Thomas Inch
14. Wilbur Miler
15. J.C. Hise
16. George Hackenschmidt
17. George F. Jowett
18. Bert Assirati
19. James J. Carroll
20. Galen Gough
Some of these men got multiple guesses from readers.
More of you guessed Arthur Saxon than anyone else.
All of these were good guesses based on the ten clues
I gave you -- BUT none of them are the right answer.
Which leads to an interesting observation. There are
things in The Dinosaur Files newsletter that you're
not going to see anywhere else. Or learn anywhere else.
And that's one of the many benefits of the Dinosaur Files.
Another big benefit of The Dinosaur Files newsletter is
having a monthly resource that collects training ideas,
new exercises, new workouts, new twists on old exercises,
new equipment and real-world feedback on what works and
what doesn't work from your fellow Dinosaurs around the
world.
As I said, each issue of The Dinosaur Files newsletter
brings you material you're not going to see anywhere else.
Like the life, the lifting and the training of the Mysterious
Strongman -- the man no one can identify!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can subscribe to year two of The Dinosaur Files
newsletter right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
You can order the complete set of back issues for the
first year of The Dinosaur Files right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
We're in the middle of a big contest to
see if anyone can identify the Mystery Lifter
profiled in the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter.
I gave you ten clues in yesterday's email. If
you missed it, you can find them in yesterday's
post on The Dinosaur Training Blog. (Take a look
and check it out right now if you missed it.)
The prize is your choice of a Dinosaur Training
t-shirt, any of the Legacy of Iron books or my
Doug Hepburn training course.
The first right answer wins the contest.
One guess per reader.
I'm going to keep the contest open through midnight
today. (Eastern Standard Time)
So far, we've rec'd the following guesses:
1. Arthur Saxon
2. Joe Rollino
3. Warren Lincoln Travis
4. Max Millian
5. Zishe Breitbart
6. Louis Cyr
7. Milo Steinborn
8. John B. Gagnon
9. Paul Anderson
10. The Mighty Atom
11. Herman Goerner
12. Bob Peoples
13. Thomas Inch
14. Wilbur Miler
15. J.C. Hise
16. George Hackenschmidt
17. George F. Jowett
18. Bert Assirati
19. James J. Carroll
20. Galen Gough
Some of these men got multiple guesses from readers.
More of you guessed Arthur Saxon than anyone else.
All of these were good guesses based on the ten clues
I gave you -- BUT none of them are the right answer.
Which leads to an interesting observation. There are
things in The Dinosaur Files newsletter that you're
not going to see anywhere else. Or learn anywhere else.
And that's one of the many benefits of the Dinosaur Files.
Another big benefit of The Dinosaur Files newsletter is
having a monthly resource that collects training ideas,
new exercises, new workouts, new twists on old exercises,
new equipment and real-world feedback on what works and
what doesn't work from your fellow Dinosaurs around the
world.
As I said, each issue of The Dinosaur Files newsletter
brings you material you're not going to see anywhere else.
Like the life, the lifting and the training of the Mysterious
Strongman -- the man no one can identify!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can subscribe to year two of The Dinosaur Files
newsletter right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
You can order the complete set of back issues for the
first year of The Dinosaur Files right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Two Contests for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I just finished my interview on SuperHuman Radio
(covering Abbreviated Strength Training).
We decided to have a little contest on the show --
with the winner getting free copies of the first
two books in the Legacy of Iron series.
If you listened to the show live, you probably
already have taken a stab at it -- if not, then
listen to the podcast in the Superhuman radio
archives and send in your guess per the
instructions given at the end of the show.
Here's the link to the show:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
In the meantime -- here's another contest for
readers. The first correct answer in the next
24 hours gets his or her choice of a free
Dinosaur Training T-shirt, a copy of any of
the Legacy of Iron books, or a copy of my
Doug Hepburn training course.
One guess per reader!
I'm finishing up the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter. One of the articles is about
a famous old-time strongman. It had some information
that was news to me, and I bet it's news to you
as well.
So here's the contest -- read the ten clue given
below and see if you can guess the name of the
strongman:
1. Before he could afford to buy a barbell, he
trained by lifting stones, boxes, bags and other
heavy awkward objects.
2. He also trained by bending iron bars.
3. At one point, he specialized in push-ups, and
could perform over 120 perfect, continuous push-ups.
4. At one time, he wanted to become a professional
wrestler, and contacted Farmer Burns (the trainer
of Frank Gotch) to see if Burns would train him.
5. He trained alone in an old farm building, lifting
late at night, using a lantern to light his training
quarters.
6. His first barbell cost $40 -- a huge sum in
those days. He trapped muskrats to earn the money.
7. At age 18, he lifted a 270 pound stone from the
ground to a stone wall 3 1/2 feet off the ground.
(That's the size of the world-famous Inver Stone.)
8. He was an expert at teeth-lifting stunts.
9. He set records in many lifts, including the Two
Hands Anyhow.
10. He was a master at juggling heavy weights.
Can you identify the Mystery Lifter?
Send your guesses to Dino HQ!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can order all 12 of the back issues of The
Dinosaur Files newsletter here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
And you can subscribe to the coming year (12 issues)
of The Dinosaur Files newsletter right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
I just finished my interview on SuperHuman Radio
(covering Abbreviated Strength Training).
We decided to have a little contest on the show --
with the winner getting free copies of the first
two books in the Legacy of Iron series.
If you listened to the show live, you probably
already have taken a stab at it -- if not, then
listen to the podcast in the Superhuman radio
archives and send in your guess per the
instructions given at the end of the show.
Here's the link to the show:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
In the meantime -- here's another contest for
readers. The first correct answer in the next
24 hours gets his or her choice of a free
Dinosaur Training T-shirt, a copy of any of
the Legacy of Iron books, or a copy of my
Doug Hepburn training course.
One guess per reader!
I'm finishing up the May issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter. One of the articles is about
a famous old-time strongman. It had some information
that was news to me, and I bet it's news to you
as well.
So here's the contest -- read the ten clue given
below and see if you can guess the name of the
strongman:
1. Before he could afford to buy a barbell, he
trained by lifting stones, boxes, bags and other
heavy awkward objects.
2. He also trained by bending iron bars.
3. At one point, he specialized in push-ups, and
could perform over 120 perfect, continuous push-ups.
4. At one time, he wanted to become a professional
wrestler, and contacted Farmer Burns (the trainer
of Frank Gotch) to see if Burns would train him.
5. He trained alone in an old farm building, lifting
late at night, using a lantern to light his training
quarters.
6. His first barbell cost $40 -- a huge sum in
those days. He trapped muskrats to earn the money.
7. At age 18, he lifted a 270 pound stone from the
ground to a stone wall 3 1/2 feet off the ground.
(That's the size of the world-famous Inver Stone.)
8. He was an expert at teeth-lifting stunts.
9. He set records in many lifts, including the Two
Hands Anyhow.
10. He was a master at juggling heavy weights.
Can you identify the Mystery Lifter?
Send your guesses to Dino HQ!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can order all 12 of the back issues of The
Dinosaur Files newsletter here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
And you can subscribe to the coming year (12 issues)
of The Dinosaur Files newsletter right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
All About Abbreviated Strength Training!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Breaking news.
I'm going to be doing a radio
show on SuperHuman Radio today.
It will be at 1:00 noon EST.
You can listen to it live on
SuperHuman Radio at:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
If you miss the live broadcast,
you can find the show in the archives
at SuperHuman Radio.
The topic will be Abbreviated Strength
Training -- How to Get Maximum Results
with Minimum Training.
This is going to be a good one - be sure
to listen to it.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover abbreviated strength training
in detail in Strength, Muscle and Power.
It's a great book, and you can grab a copy
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
Breaking news.
I'm going to be doing a radio
show on SuperHuman Radio today.
It will be at 1:00 noon EST.
You can listen to it live on
SuperHuman Radio at:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
If you miss the live broadcast,
you can find the show in the archives
at SuperHuman Radio.
The topic will be Abbreviated Strength
Training -- How to Get Maximum Results
with Minimum Training.
This is going to be a good one - be sure
to listen to it.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover abbreviated strength training
in detail in Strength, Muscle and Power.
It's a great book, and you can grab a copy
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
Questions and Answers About John Grimek
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In response to yesterday's post, I rec'd a ton
of questions about received a ton of questions
about John Grimek and his training. I'll try to
answer some of the most common ones in this email.
1. Grimek's 190 Pound Barbell Curls
A number of readers wanted to know if Grimek did
strict curls with 190 lbs. or if he did "cheat" or
"swinging" curls.
They were strict curls -- and they were performed
as a WARM-UP prior to going on stage to pose at
the Mr. Universe contest.
THAT's how strong the man was!
2. Handbalancing and Gymnastics
Many readers asked if Grimek did handbalancing and
gymnastics.
Absolutely!
There's a great old photo where Grimek and Bob Hoffman
are out in a canoe one day -- on a river close to York.
Grimek is in the bow of the canoe -- and he performs a
perfect handstand while balancing on the sides of the
canoe.
Even with 265 pounds of Bob Hoffman weighting down the
stern of the canoe, you can imagine how tricky the
balance must have been!
Grimek also enjoyed performing giants and other stunts
on the horizontal bar.
3. Grimek's Bench Press
Several other readers asked how Grimek could bench press
over 400 pounds if he rarely or never did the lift.
The answer is simple.
Grimek did TONS of heavy military presses. When you can
military press close to 300 pounds, you can bench press
400 pounds with no trouble. (Note that the reverse is not
true.)
The bench press is primarily a shoulder and triceps lift.
The shoulder and triceps strength built by heavy overhead
pressing will always assure a lifter of a good bench press.
4. What is the Legacy of Iron series?
I'm working on a series of books where I cover the life
and lifting (and the training) of John Grimek, Steve Stanko,
and the other Golden Age Champions. It's the Legacy of Iron
series, and it captures the Golden Age of Strength in a way
that you won't see anywhere else.
I call them novels, but it might be more accurate to think
of them as dramatizations. The story lines track actual events,
such as weightlifting championships and the Mr. America contests.
Think of them as historical fiction.
There are currently five books in the series, with more coming.
You can find them here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
5. Who Was Stronger?
The final question came from several readers.
Who was stronger -- John Grimek or John Davis?
Well, the two men actually lifted against one another on several
occasions in the 1930's. Grimek failed to total in one contest,
won the second, and Davis beat him in the third meeting.
I cover the contests in detail in my upcoming
biography of John Davis, which you can find here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
6. A Final Thought
Men like John Grimek and John Davis achieved amazing things
with nothing more than a barbell, a lifting platform and squat
stands. And they did it with an ordinary diet, no drugs, and no
supplements.
Maybe, just maybe, the training methods of the 1930's, 1940's and
1950's were something extra-special.
Maybe, just maybe, most of what followed just isn't as good.
Maybe, just maybe, that's why I cover the old-time training
methods in my books and courses -- and why I'm writing the Legacy
of Iron books -- and why I've written a 450 page book about John
Davis.
And maybe, just maybe, the training programs that worked so well
for the lifters of the 1930's, 40's and 50's would work just as well
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 Dinosaur Training and my other books and courses, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
In response to yesterday's post, I rec'd a ton
of questions about received a ton of questions
about John Grimek and his training. I'll try to
answer some of the most common ones in this email.
1. Grimek's 190 Pound Barbell Curls
A number of readers wanted to know if Grimek did
strict curls with 190 lbs. or if he did "cheat" or
"swinging" curls.
They were strict curls -- and they were performed
as a WARM-UP prior to going on stage to pose at
the Mr. Universe contest.
THAT's how strong the man was!
2. Handbalancing and Gymnastics
Many readers asked if Grimek did handbalancing and
gymnastics.
Absolutely!
There's a great old photo where Grimek and Bob Hoffman
are out in a canoe one day -- on a river close to York.
Grimek is in the bow of the canoe -- and he performs a
perfect handstand while balancing on the sides of the
canoe.
Even with 265 pounds of Bob Hoffman weighting down the
stern of the canoe, you can imagine how tricky the
balance must have been!
Grimek also enjoyed performing giants and other stunts
on the horizontal bar.
3. Grimek's Bench Press
Several other readers asked how Grimek could bench press
over 400 pounds if he rarely or never did the lift.
The answer is simple.
Grimek did TONS of heavy military presses. When you can
military press close to 300 pounds, you can bench press
400 pounds with no trouble. (Note that the reverse is not
true.)
The bench press is primarily a shoulder and triceps lift.
The shoulder and triceps strength built by heavy overhead
pressing will always assure a lifter of a good bench press.
4. What is the Legacy of Iron series?
I'm working on a series of books where I cover the life
and lifting (and the training) of John Grimek, Steve Stanko,
and the other Golden Age Champions. It's the Legacy of Iron
series, and it captures the Golden Age of Strength in a way
that you won't see anywhere else.
I call them novels, but it might be more accurate to think
of them as dramatizations. The story lines track actual events,
such as weightlifting championships and the Mr. America contests.
Think of them as historical fiction.
There are currently five books in the series, with more coming.
You can find them here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
5. Who Was Stronger?
The final question came from several readers.
Who was stronger -- John Grimek or John Davis?
Well, the two men actually lifted against one another on several
occasions in the 1930's. Grimek failed to total in one contest,
won the second, and Davis beat him in the third meeting.
I cover the contests in detail in my upcoming
biography of John Davis, which you can find here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
6. A Final Thought
Men like John Grimek and John Davis achieved amazing things
with nothing more than a barbell, a lifting platform and squat
stands. And they did it with an ordinary diet, no drugs, and no
supplements.
Maybe, just maybe, the training methods of the 1930's, 1940's and
1950's were something extra-special.
Maybe, just maybe, most of what followed just isn't as good.
Maybe, just maybe, that's why I cover the old-time training
methods in my books and courses -- and why I'm writing the Legacy
of Iron books -- and why I've written a 450 page book about John
Davis.
And maybe, just maybe, the training programs that worked so well
for the lifters of the 1930's, 40's and 50's would work just as well
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 Dinosaur Training and my other books and courses, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
How John Grimek Trained!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In response to last Friday's message,
"Was Grimek A Monster?" I received over
a dozen emails that said:
"Maybe he was, but I'd still like to look
like him!"
So let's talk a little about how John
Grimek trained. And see how much of this
sounds like Dinosaur Training.
1. Lots of squats!
Grimek was a huge believer in the heavy
back squat. No other bodybuilder of his
era did as much heavy squatting as did
John Grimek.
2. Barbells
Grimek was a child of the barbell era. He
used "free weights" for virtually all of
his training during his developmental and
contest-winning years.
3. Weightlifting
Grimek combined Olympic weightlifting (the
press, snatch and clean and jerk) with plenty
of hard work on basic, compound exercises.
The combination gave him an incomparable blend
of muscle mass, athleticism and rugged
development.
4. Dumbbells
Grimek was a huge fan of heavy dumbbell presses.
He probably did more work on dumbbell presses
and squats than any other exercise.
5. Heavy Support Lifts
As a young man, Grimek enjoyed performing heavy
partial movements with enormous weights in the
hip lift, hand and thigh lift, Jefferson lift,
and overhead lockout (i.e., the lockout position
of a military press or jerk). The heavy movements
helped build tremendous tendon and ligament
strength, and contributed enormously to the
massiveness of the Grimek physique.
6. Food
Grimek ate TONS of good, wholesome, healthy food.
He followed no special diet and subscribed to no
type of food fads. He predated supplements, protein
powders and the Get Big Drink. Note that the foods
available to him were largely natural and organic,
particularly when he lived in York, with its
surrounding farms throughout the Pennsylvania
Dutch countryside of the 1930's and 40's.
7. Grip Work
Grimek had a ferocious grip and enjoyed doing a
variety of stunts, such as tearing thick phone
books, bending spikes and metal bars, etc. One
of his sons used to make money by finding odd
pieces of metal and betting the other kids that
his dad could bend them.
8. Heavy Curls (Or Not)
When Grimek did curls, he did HEAVY curls. When he
was backstage at the Mr. Universe contest in London,
he warmed up by doing reps with 190 pounds!
But Grimek DIDN'T LIKE curls. In fact, he once told
Bill Hinbern that he "hated" the exercise.
9. To Bench of Not to Bench
Grimek could bench press over 400 pounds, but rarely
did the exercise. His favorite chest exercise was
the decline press with dumbbells.
10. Rib Cage Expansion
Grimek believed in training heavy, high rep squats
in combination with light breathing pullovers (with
dumbbells) to expand the rib cage. He believed that
building a huge rib cage was much more important than
building the pectoral muscles.
As I said at the beginning -- the same sort of training
that made John Grimek the Monarch of Muscledom sounds an
awful lot like Dinosaur Training!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If
you train today, train like John Grimek!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about John Grimek's life and training, see
the Legacy of Iron books -- and for John Grimek's special
leg training program, see Chalk and Sweat. You can find
them right here at the Dinosaur Training store:
a. Legacy of Iron (the first book in the Legacy of Iron
series)
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
b. Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
In response to last Friday's message,
"Was Grimek A Monster?" I received over
a dozen emails that said:
"Maybe he was, but I'd still like to look
like him!"
So let's talk a little about how John
Grimek trained. And see how much of this
sounds like Dinosaur Training.
1. Lots of squats!
Grimek was a huge believer in the heavy
back squat. No other bodybuilder of his
era did as much heavy squatting as did
John Grimek.
2. Barbells
Grimek was a child of the barbell era. He
used "free weights" for virtually all of
his training during his developmental and
contest-winning years.
3. Weightlifting
Grimek combined Olympic weightlifting (the
press, snatch and clean and jerk) with plenty
of hard work on basic, compound exercises.
The combination gave him an incomparable blend
of muscle mass, athleticism and rugged
development.
4. Dumbbells
Grimek was a huge fan of heavy dumbbell presses.
He probably did more work on dumbbell presses
and squats than any other exercise.
5. Heavy Support Lifts
As a young man, Grimek enjoyed performing heavy
partial movements with enormous weights in the
hip lift, hand and thigh lift, Jefferson lift,
and overhead lockout (i.e., the lockout position
of a military press or jerk). The heavy movements
helped build tremendous tendon and ligament
strength, and contributed enormously to the
massiveness of the Grimek physique.
6. Food
Grimek ate TONS of good, wholesome, healthy food.
He followed no special diet and subscribed to no
type of food fads. He predated supplements, protein
powders and the Get Big Drink. Note that the foods
available to him were largely natural and organic,
particularly when he lived in York, with its
surrounding farms throughout the Pennsylvania
Dutch countryside of the 1930's and 40's.
7. Grip Work
Grimek had a ferocious grip and enjoyed doing a
variety of stunts, such as tearing thick phone
books, bending spikes and metal bars, etc. One
of his sons used to make money by finding odd
pieces of metal and betting the other kids that
his dad could bend them.
8. Heavy Curls (Or Not)
When Grimek did curls, he did HEAVY curls. When he
was backstage at the Mr. Universe contest in London,
he warmed up by doing reps with 190 pounds!
But Grimek DIDN'T LIKE curls. In fact, he once told
Bill Hinbern that he "hated" the exercise.
9. To Bench of Not to Bench
Grimek could bench press over 400 pounds, but rarely
did the exercise. His favorite chest exercise was
the decline press with dumbbells.
10. Rib Cage Expansion
Grimek believed in training heavy, high rep squats
in combination with light breathing pullovers (with
dumbbells) to expand the rib cage. He believed that
building a huge rib cage was much more important than
building the pectoral muscles.
As I said at the beginning -- the same sort of training
that made John Grimek the Monarch of Muscledom sounds an
awful lot like Dinosaur Training!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day. If
you train today, train like John Grimek!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about John Grimek's life and training, see
the Legacy of Iron books -- and for John Grimek's special
leg training program, see Chalk and Sweat. You can find
them right here at the Dinosaur Training store:
a. Legacy of Iron (the first book in the Legacy of Iron
series)
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
b. Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
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