Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Before I cover the Bruno Sammartino
course, let me say something very
important:
THANK YOU to everyone who stepped up,
took action, and grabbed a copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press Course!
We had a great response, and we've been
getting great feedback on it -- and as
I've said before, I can't do this without
you -- so once again, THANK YOU!
And now -- in response to 20 bazillion
emails -- more info on the Bruno Sammartino
Course.
The course is long out of print, and it's
more or less impossible to find -- so the
following summary is "old gold" (to quote
my mentor, Bradley J. Steiner):
1. This was a course for beginners, so Bruno
kept the volume pretty low. You did 3 x 6 on
all of your exercises. As you got stronger,
you could add a warmup set on heavier exercises
such as squats and bench presses, so you'd do
4 x 6 on them.
2. You trained with wts 3x per week -- and on
two other days you did a bodyweight workout.
3. You made progress by gradually adding weight
to the bar. Bruno emphasized the importance of
SMALL increases in weight. Over time, the small
increases in weight would add up to BIG GAINS!
The weight work was as follows:
1. Parallel squat
2. Bench press
3. Barbell curl
4. Press behind neck
5. Upright rowing
6. Sit-ups
The bodyweight work looked like this:
1. Hindu squats 1 or 2 sets
2. Hindu pushups 1 or 2 sets
3. Behind the neck pull-ups 2 sets
4. Calf isometrics
5. Neck isometrics
On the bodyweight work, you did whatever reps
you could do at the beginning and gradually
added reps, working up to 100 reps in Hindu
squats and Hindu pushups, and 15 reps in
pull-ups.
Also, Bruno urged trainees to include some
running or jogging -- perhaps a mile or two
a couple of times a week. he said this was
particularly important if you were trying out
for a high school sports team.
Now, a couple of quick notes, so don't flood
me with emails:
1. I would suggest adding a heavy pulling
movement such as deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts.
2. Older lifters will probably find that this is
too much work for them. Consider training one day,
resting the next, and so on. Weights in one
session, bodyweight in the next.
2A. Older lifters often find that jogging or
running is too hard on their knees, ankles, hips
and feet. Other forms of conditioning work that
spread the load and protect the joints work better
for them. See GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON for some
ideas on conditioning work that is better suited
to older guys.
2B. Walking is good. Don't underestimate the
benefit of walking.
2C. The above also applies to younger trainees
who are carrying 200 pounds or more. Even if
it's muscle, it's a lot of weight to be carrying
for a 2 mile run. Lifters are not long distance
runners, and they need to train accordingly.
3. After you get past the beginner stage, most
of you will do better with divided workouts, as
I describe in DINOSAUR TRAINING, CHALK AND
SWEAT, GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON, and STRENGTH,
MUSCLE AND POWER.
4. The pull-up and pushup variations in DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING -- as well as the bridging
exercises and rope squats -- would work well
on the bodyweight days.
5. Be careful with press behind neck -- I'd
suggest military presses instead.
6. Ditto for behind neck pull-ups -- they're
tough on the shoulders. Do pull-ups to the chest.
7. Bruno emphasized that the key to getting good
results was to STICK WITH YOUR TRAINING. He noted
that many of his friends started training -- but
then quit. Bruno didn't quit. He stuck with it.
That was the secret to his success.
All in all, this was a basic, simple course for
beginners -- back when weight training was new
to most people -- and it did an excellent job
of getting young guys started the right way.
I don't know how many guys got into training as
a result of this little course -- and I don't
know how many tons of muscle it built or how
much lifting power it developed -- or how
many star athletes it created -- but I bet
the results would surprise us!
Oh, and before I forget -- my buddy Jan Dellinger
got started with this very same course "back in
the day." He covers it in detail in a chapter
in THE DELLINGER FILES, VOL. I. You can find
it here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dellinger-files-volume-i-0
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 DINOSAUR TRAINING, DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING, GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON,
CHALK AND SWEAT, and STRENGTH MUSCLE AND POWER
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
2. Go here to grab a copy of THE DINOSAUR
MILITARY PRESS AND SHOULDER POWER COURSE:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
3. The DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING COURSE is one of
our best-sellers -- and it's right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: ""I could go on
infinitely offering more reasons why weight
lifting is beneficial for men and women of all
ages." -- Bob Hoffman
Two Men Standing!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Three quick things.
Thing No. 1 -- we're down to TWO copies
of the bonus photo for the Military Press
Course, so if you want one, take
immediate action. They're a bonus
item, so once they're gone, that's it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Thing No. 2 -- in response to numerous
questions, yes, I am doing seminars this
year in the USA. If you'd like to attend
a Dino Training seminar, do this:
1. Send me an email with your name, age,
where you live and what cities are close
enough to travel to to see a seminar.
2. Let me know what topics you'd like me
to cover.
3. Let me know of any good gyms to hold a
seminar at.
I'm compiling responses, and I'll plan to go
to the places where there's the highest
response, so if the idea of a seminar sounds
good to you (and it sure sounds good to
me --- I want to meet as many Dinos as I
can) -- then step up and let me hear from
you asap!
Thing No. 3. Yes, yes, yes -- I'll give you
some more info about the Bruno Sammartino
course I mentioned in an email message over
the weekend.
Be looking for it tomorrow!
Dino Man over and out.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My books, courses, DVD's, and other Dino
goodies are in the usual place:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Three quick things.
Thing No. 1 -- we're down to TWO copies
of the bonus photo for the Military Press
Course, so if you want one, take
immediate action. They're a bonus
item, so once they're gone, that's it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Thing No. 2 -- in response to numerous
questions, yes, I am doing seminars this
year in the USA. If you'd like to attend
a Dino Training seminar, do this:
1. Send me an email with your name, age,
where you live and what cities are close
enough to travel to to see a seminar.
2. Let me know what topics you'd like me
to cover.
3. Let me know of any good gyms to hold a
seminar at.
I'm compiling responses, and I'll plan to go
to the places where there's the highest
response, so if the idea of a seminar sounds
good to you (and it sure sounds good to
me --- I want to meet as many Dinos as I
can) -- then step up and let me hear from
you asap!
Thing No. 3. Yes, yes, yes -- I'll give you
some more info about the Bruno Sammartino
course I mentioned in an email message over
the weekend.
Be looking for it tomorrow!
Dino Man over and out.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My books, courses, DVD's, and other Dino
goodies are in the usual place:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Feedback on the Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're almost out of the special bonus
photo I was giving to readers who ordered
the Dinosaur Military Press Course.
As in, we have just six of them left.
So if you want one -- well, you know what
I'm going to say. Something like "Move
faster than Tommy Kono hitting a World
record snatch!" -- or "Move faster than
Bruno Sammartino drop kicking Killer
Kowalski -- or "Move faster than dinner
disappearing when John Grimek sat down
at the table after a heavy workout!"
Seriously, the pre-pub special is over,
but I still have six of the bonus photos,
and I need to find homes for them -- so it's
first come, first served, order the course,
ask for the bonus photo, and as long as I
have them, I'll shoot them out with the
courses.
To order the course, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Speaking of the new course, here's more
feedback from readers who already received
their copy:
"Received the shoulder course in noon mail!
Plan to make Dino Strength Athletes out of
my two 13 year old grandsons. Thanks for
helping us to get away from the bomb, blast,
blitz nonsense." -- Ben Mitcham
"All photos were great, but the photo of your
back on page 26 (doing the handstand pushup)
is one of the best back shots I have ever
seen. I'm not into bodybuilding but that one
is a classic. This is one more visual
demonstration that Dinosaur techniques work."
-- Ben Oldham
"Got mine today, finished already, going to
use it as my next program." -- Nick Montgomery
"Rec'd the course yesterday and I am quite
pleased (as usual) with the content and
quality of the course. The course (along
with your Going Strong at 54 DVD) has helped
clarify some questions I had regarding proper
form. The bonus photo of Grimek is great (I'm
gonna put it up in my office), and thanks for
the inspiring note and autograph!" -- Geoffrey
Smith
"I rec'd the Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course today. All I can say is -- Wow,
and Thank You!" -- Rick Helley
"I got my package of goodies today. Thanks
for taking the time to sign the course. Mr.
Grimek looks very solid and hard and not
baloony (is that a word?) like the modern
chumps -- sorry, I mean champs. What a guy!"
-- Larry Garcia
"The Dinosaur Military Press Course hit
Zanesville today. This is great stuff, and
the photo of Grimek is first class. Thanks
for the autograph." -- Don Graham
"I rec'd the Military Press Course on Sat. I
particularly liked the input from Kono, Berger,
Anderson, and Vinci." -- Chris Driver
So, as you can see, the course is a big hit.
That's great, of course, and makes me feel
like a very proud papa. But it does raise a
question -- what do I do next?
What do the Dinos want to see next?
Any suggestions? Shoot in your ideas 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. As I said, we're down to SIX bonus photos --
so if you want one, move FAST:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by combining orders --
go here to see all the various Dino goodies:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The athlete, in
projecting his total body strength in competitive
situations, must mold the strength of localized
muscle areas into a total coordinated body
effort." -- John Jesse
We're almost out of the special bonus
photo I was giving to readers who ordered
the Dinosaur Military Press Course.
As in, we have just six of them left.
So if you want one -- well, you know what
I'm going to say. Something like "Move
faster than Tommy Kono hitting a World
record snatch!" -- or "Move faster than
Bruno Sammartino drop kicking Killer
Kowalski -- or "Move faster than dinner
disappearing when John Grimek sat down
at the table after a heavy workout!"
Seriously, the pre-pub special is over,
but I still have six of the bonus photos,
and I need to find homes for them -- so it's
first come, first served, order the course,
ask for the bonus photo, and as long as I
have them, I'll shoot them out with the
courses.
To order the course, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Speaking of the new course, here's more
feedback from readers who already received
their copy:
"Received the shoulder course in noon mail!
Plan to make Dino Strength Athletes out of
my two 13 year old grandsons. Thanks for
helping us to get away from the bomb, blast,
blitz nonsense." -- Ben Mitcham
"All photos were great, but the photo of your
back on page 26 (doing the handstand pushup)
is one of the best back shots I have ever
seen. I'm not into bodybuilding but that one
is a classic. This is one more visual
demonstration that Dinosaur techniques work."
-- Ben Oldham
"Got mine today, finished already, going to
use it as my next program." -- Nick Montgomery
"Rec'd the course yesterday and I am quite
pleased (as usual) with the content and
quality of the course. The course (along
with your Going Strong at 54 DVD) has helped
clarify some questions I had regarding proper
form. The bonus photo of Grimek is great (I'm
gonna put it up in my office), and thanks for
the inspiring note and autograph!" -- Geoffrey
Smith
"I rec'd the Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course today. All I can say is -- Wow,
and Thank You!" -- Rick Helley
"I got my package of goodies today. Thanks
for taking the time to sign the course. Mr.
Grimek looks very solid and hard and not
baloony (is that a word?) like the modern
chumps -- sorry, I mean champs. What a guy!"
-- Larry Garcia
"The Dinosaur Military Press Course hit
Zanesville today. This is great stuff, and
the photo of Grimek is first class. Thanks
for the autograph." -- Don Graham
"I rec'd the Military Press Course on Sat. I
particularly liked the input from Kono, Berger,
Anderson, and Vinci." -- Chris Driver
So, as you can see, the course is a big hit.
That's great, of course, and makes me feel
like a very proud papa. But it does raise a
question -- what do I do next?
What do the Dinos want to see next?
Any suggestions? Shoot in your ideas 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. As I said, we're down to SIX bonus photos --
so if you want one, move FAST:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by combining orders --
go here to see all the various Dino goodies:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The athlete, in
projecting his total body strength in competitive
situations, must mold the strength of localized
muscle areas into a total coordinated body
effort." -- John Jesse
Old-School Training with Bruno Sammartino!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of
pro wrestling. I bought all the wrestling
magazines I could find (Wrestling review
and The Ring Wrestler were favorites),
and I watched the AWA matches on UHF
TV.
I saw Crusher and Bruiser, Verne Gagne,
Billy Red Lyons, Red Bastien, Luis Martinez,
Wilbur Snyder, Prince Pullens, Yukon Moose
Cholak and Eduardo Carpontier. I cheered
for all of them.
But I never saw my favorite wrestler on
TV. I only read about him in the magazines.
He was Bruno Sammartino, the Italian
Strongman who ruled the WWWF (the predecessor
to the WWE) for many long and glorious years.
Bruno was a thickly muscled weightlifter
and powerlifter, who had set a world record
in the bench press with a whopping 565 pounds.
They said he was the strongest man in wrestling,
and he sure looked like it.
One day, I was reading a wrestling magazine,
and I spotted an ad for a training course that
Bruno had written. Needless to say, I ordered
the little monster immediately.
The course was great. It combined weight training
and bodyweight exercises. You lifted three times
per week and did the bodyweight course on two other
days.
Bruno also suggested that you do some running if
you planned to go out for any high school sports.
For a teenager, that was pretty good advice.
An older trainee would find it tough to hit three
weight training workouts, two bodyweight workouts
AND do some running. It would work better to do
2 weight training workouts and one bodyweight
workout -- or to train three times per week or
every other day and alternate between weight work
and bodyweight work. The running (or other cardio)
could come in on off days or (better) after the
weight training or bodyweight sessions.
Of course, another way of doing things is to
combine weight work and bodyweight training in the
same workout. You can do this by selecting one or
two barbell or dumbbell exercises and one or two
bodyweight exercises. Use a divided workout
schedule so you have three different workouts,
using different exercises in each of them, and
rotate between them.
I was thinking about this because so many Dinos
have ordered Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and
many of them have been combining bodyweight
workouts with weight training workouts.
I go into more detail on how to do it in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and I even
include a special bonus that gives you step
by step instruction on how to combine the two
training methods.
So I guess we're carrying on a time-tested and
time-honored tradition -- one that goes back to
the original Bruno Sammartino Course (and even
earlier).
Serious iron. Serious bodyweight training. They're
both great. Put them together, and you have
something that's double 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. You can grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
right here. If you'd like me to autograph your
copy, just include a request in the special
instructions section of the on-line order form:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wrestlers need a
particular kind of strength. They require all-
round development." -- George Hackenschmidt
When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of
pro wrestling. I bought all the wrestling
magazines I could find (Wrestling review
and The Ring Wrestler were favorites),
and I watched the AWA matches on UHF
TV.
I saw Crusher and Bruiser, Verne Gagne,
Billy Red Lyons, Red Bastien, Luis Martinez,
Wilbur Snyder, Prince Pullens, Yukon Moose
Cholak and Eduardo Carpontier. I cheered
for all of them.
But I never saw my favorite wrestler on
TV. I only read about him in the magazines.
He was Bruno Sammartino, the Italian
Strongman who ruled the WWWF (the predecessor
to the WWE) for many long and glorious years.
Bruno was a thickly muscled weightlifter
and powerlifter, who had set a world record
in the bench press with a whopping 565 pounds.
They said he was the strongest man in wrestling,
and he sure looked like it.
One day, I was reading a wrestling magazine,
and I spotted an ad for a training course that
Bruno had written. Needless to say, I ordered
the little monster immediately.
The course was great. It combined weight training
and bodyweight exercises. You lifted three times
per week and did the bodyweight course on two other
days.
Bruno also suggested that you do some running if
you planned to go out for any high school sports.
For a teenager, that was pretty good advice.
An older trainee would find it tough to hit three
weight training workouts, two bodyweight workouts
AND do some running. It would work better to do
2 weight training workouts and one bodyweight
workout -- or to train three times per week or
every other day and alternate between weight work
and bodyweight work. The running (or other cardio)
could come in on off days or (better) after the
weight training or bodyweight sessions.
Of course, another way of doing things is to
combine weight work and bodyweight training in the
same workout. You can do this by selecting one or
two barbell or dumbbell exercises and one or two
bodyweight exercises. Use a divided workout
schedule so you have three different workouts,
using different exercises in each of them, and
rotate between them.
I was thinking about this because so many Dinos
have ordered Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and
many of them have been combining bodyweight
workouts with weight training workouts.
I go into more detail on how to do it in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and I even
include a special bonus that gives you step
by step instruction on how to combine the two
training methods.
So I guess we're carrying on a time-tested and
time-honored tradition -- one that goes back to
the original Bruno Sammartino Course (and even
earlier).
Serious iron. Serious bodyweight training. They're
both great. Put them together, and you have
something that's double 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. You can grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
right here. If you'd like me to autograph your
copy, just include a request in the special
instructions section of the on-line order form:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wrestlers need a
particular kind of strength. They require all-
round development." -- George Hackenschmidt
Squats, Deadlifts and More!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Couple of quick notes, and then we'll talk
about training.
1. The printer is finishing up the last batch
of copies of the new Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course -- so the pre0publication special
is coming to a close very soon. If you want to
grab a copy and get the special bonus photo (a
great photo of John Grimek doing some seriously
heavy lifting), do it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
2. If you need to wait until payday or you want
to send a ck or money order, shoot me an email
and I'll put you on the pre-publication list --
but you need to let me know TODAY!
3. Some of you may already have rec'd your course
and bonus photo -- or you may get them in today's
mail. When that happens, shoot me an email and let
me know how you like the little monster!
On the training front, several readers have asked
about doing the 20-rep breathing squat program with
deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts instead of squats.
"Will it work?"they ask.
Of course it will!
The squat and the deadlift are very similar exercises.
They both work the legs, hips and back -- they both
allow you to use lots of weight -- and they both
cause plenty of puffing and panting. So yes, the
deadlift works well as a substitute for the
breathing squat. Ditto for the Trap Bar deadlift.
The disadvantage of the deadlift and the Trap Bar
deadlift is that you can't hold onto the bar for
20 reps and take 5 or 6 deep breaths in-between
reps unless you have a super strong grip and
you're using a relatively light weight on the
bar.
Instead, most lifters do a rep, place the bar
on the floor and take take their 5 or 6 deep
breaths -- and then do another rep, lower the
bar, and repeat.
Another option is to do a rep, hold onto the
bar and do the breathing -- and then lower the
bar -- let go -- pause and shake your hands for
a few seconds (to get the blood flowing a bit
and to loosen the fingers up -- then grab the
bar and do another rep. If you have a good grip,
you'll be able to do 20 reps with a decent
amount of weight.
Still another option is to do five non-stop reps
(and the breathing on each rep) -- and then pause
and shake your hands -- and then do another five
non-stop reps and breathing -- and repeat the
process until you've done 20 reps.
I once did a program where I would do 100 reps in
the Trap Bar deadlift with 315 pounds. I did them
in "sets" of five, with a short pause between "sets."
And yes -- it was a tough workout!
And remember -- after your deadlifts or Trap Bar
deadlifts, do one or two sets of light breathing
pullovers to stretch the rib-cage!
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 -- if you want to grab the Military
Press course and get the special bonus photo, do
it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For more bulk and power programs -- including
breathing squat programs and other specialization
programs to build maximum muscle mass as fast as
possible, grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Will-power is necessary
to keep in perfect health, and will-power can only be
developed in a truly healthy body." -- Dr. Walter
LaBerge
Couple of quick notes, and then we'll talk
about training.
1. The printer is finishing up the last batch
of copies of the new Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course -- so the pre0publication special
is coming to a close very soon. If you want to
grab a copy and get the special bonus photo (a
great photo of John Grimek doing some seriously
heavy lifting), do it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
2. If you need to wait until payday or you want
to send a ck or money order, shoot me an email
and I'll put you on the pre-publication list --
but you need to let me know TODAY!
3. Some of you may already have rec'd your course
and bonus photo -- or you may get them in today's
mail. When that happens, shoot me an email and let
me know how you like the little monster!
On the training front, several readers have asked
about doing the 20-rep breathing squat program with
deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts instead of squats.
"Will it work?"they ask.
Of course it will!
The squat and the deadlift are very similar exercises.
They both work the legs, hips and back -- they both
allow you to use lots of weight -- and they both
cause plenty of puffing and panting. So yes, the
deadlift works well as a substitute for the
breathing squat. Ditto for the Trap Bar deadlift.
The disadvantage of the deadlift and the Trap Bar
deadlift is that you can't hold onto the bar for
20 reps and take 5 or 6 deep breaths in-between
reps unless you have a super strong grip and
you're using a relatively light weight on the
bar.
Instead, most lifters do a rep, place the bar
on the floor and take take their 5 or 6 deep
breaths -- and then do another rep, lower the
bar, and repeat.
Another option is to do a rep, hold onto the
bar and do the breathing -- and then lower the
bar -- let go -- pause and shake your hands for
a few seconds (to get the blood flowing a bit
and to loosen the fingers up -- then grab the
bar and do another rep. If you have a good grip,
you'll be able to do 20 reps with a decent
amount of weight.
Still another option is to do five non-stop reps
(and the breathing on each rep) -- and then pause
and shake your hands -- and then do another five
non-stop reps and breathing -- and repeat the
process until you've done 20 reps.
I once did a program where I would do 100 reps in
the Trap Bar deadlift with 315 pounds. I did them
in "sets" of five, with a short pause between "sets."
And yes -- it was a tough workout!
And remember -- after your deadlifts or Trap Bar
deadlifts, do one or two sets of light breathing
pullovers to stretch the rib-cage!
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 -- if you want to grab the Military
Press course and get the special bonus photo, do
it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For more bulk and power programs -- including
breathing squat programs and other specialization
programs to build maximum muscle mass as fast as
possible, grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Will-power is necessary
to keep in perfect health, and will-power can only be
developed in a truly healthy body." -- Dr. Walter
LaBerge
Massive Madness at Dino HQ!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It was a wild and crazy day at Dino
Headquarters yesterday.
First of all, we rec'd the January issue
of the Dinosaur Files newsletter (which
ran a bit late this month -- sorry about
that!) -- and so it was nonstop envelope
stuffing for yours truly. You'd have
laughed to see me sitting at the table
in the breakfast room, fighting with the
tape dispenser when it jammed up!
Next, we got a late in the day call from
the printer -- some but not all of the
copies of the new Dinosaur Military Press
Course were ready to be picked up -- so
Trudi and I hopped in the car
and drove over to get them.
On the way back, we stopped at the office
supply store for more tape -- and then it
was right back into packing mode for Trudi
and autographing courses for the folks who
want their course autographed. (Many do,
and I ended up with double writer's cramp.)
The course looks GREAT -- as does the special
bonus photo. If you ordered a copy, you're
really in for a treat.
So here's the deal for today.
We're going to continue to autograph courses,
pack them up and ship them out.
When the printer has more courses ready, we'll
go grab them and continue the drill.
The final batch of courses probably won't be
ready until tomorrow morning -- but when they
are, we'll go get them and pack them and ship
them.
The pre-publication special for the Military
Press course ends when the courses are printed --
but since the last course won't be printed and
in my hands until sometime tomorrow, we'll
keep the pre-publication special open until
that happens.
That's good for anyone who's been sitting on the
fence, because you can still order and get the
special bonus photo featuring John Grimek and
some serious iron. It's one of the all-time
GREAT lifting photos -- and it will look great
on the wall of your home gym (or anywhere else
you'd like to hang some serious motivation and
inspiration).
The other thing I'm going to do is shoot you a
second email with some interesting Iron Game
history. Grip gorillas will be particularly
interested in this one.
Okay, back to work for me! As always, thanks for
reading and have a great day. If you train today,
make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab your copy of the Dinosaur
Military Press Course -- and the bonus photo --
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses, DVD's, and the
world famous Dinosaur Files newsletter are available
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Hail to the Dinosaurs! --
Brooks Kubik
It was a wild and crazy day at Dino
Headquarters yesterday.
First of all, we rec'd the January issue
of the Dinosaur Files newsletter (which
ran a bit late this month -- sorry about
that!) -- and so it was nonstop envelope
stuffing for yours truly. You'd have
laughed to see me sitting at the table
in the breakfast room, fighting with the
tape dispenser when it jammed up!
Next, we got a late in the day call from
the printer -- some but not all of the
copies of the new Dinosaur Military Press
Course were ready to be picked up -- so
Trudi and I hopped in the car
and drove over to get them.
On the way back, we stopped at the office
supply store for more tape -- and then it
was right back into packing mode for Trudi
and autographing courses for the folks who
want their course autographed. (Many do,
and I ended up with double writer's cramp.)
The course looks GREAT -- as does the special
bonus photo. If you ordered a copy, you're
really in for a treat.
So here's the deal for today.
We're going to continue to autograph courses,
pack them up and ship them out.
When the printer has more courses ready, we'll
go grab them and continue the drill.
The final batch of courses probably won't be
ready until tomorrow morning -- but when they
are, we'll go get them and pack them and ship
them.
The pre-publication special for the Military
Press course ends when the courses are printed --
but since the last course won't be printed and
in my hands until sometime tomorrow, we'll
keep the pre-publication special open until
that happens.
That's good for anyone who's been sitting on the
fence, because you can still order and get the
special bonus photo featuring John Grimek and
some serious iron. It's one of the all-time
GREAT lifting photos -- and it will look great
on the wall of your home gym (or anywhere else
you'd like to hang some serious motivation and
inspiration).
The other thing I'm going to do is shoot you a
second email with some interesting Iron Game
history. Grip gorillas will be particularly
interested in this one.
Okay, back to work for me! As always, thanks for
reading and have a great day. If you train today,
make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can grab your copy of the Dinosaur
Military Press Course -- and the bonus photo --
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses, DVD's, and the
world famous Dinosaur Files newsletter are available
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Hail to the Dinosaurs! --
Brooks Kubik
Time to Call the Printer!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
As soon as I finish this message, I'm going
to proof the final draft of the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course, review two photos that we rescanned
to sharpen them up -- review the special
bonus photo (one of the best John Grimek
photos of all time) -- and then call the
printer with any final changes.
If there are no final changes, I'm going to
call the printer and say, "Go ahead and print
the little monster!"
So that means we're just about ready to
roll -- and it also means the pre-publication
special is just about over. The bonus photo
is only available during the pre-publication
special so if you want the bonus, you need to
take immediate action.
You can reserve your copy of the Military Press
course right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
I'll follow up with another post a bit later in
the day, but right now I need to go proof that
final draft -- and then call the printer!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Several readers are saving on s&h by ordering
other products with their Military Press Course. It
packages well with the Doug Hepburn Training Course
and the Dinosar Arm Training Course -- and it also
packs well with Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. But we
can use a different size box and ship the little
monster with anything you'd like. So if you want
to make it Christmas in January, head on over to
Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
As soon as I finish this message, I'm going
to proof the final draft of the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course, review two photos that we rescanned
to sharpen them up -- review the special
bonus photo (one of the best John Grimek
photos of all time) -- and then call the
printer with any final changes.
If there are no final changes, I'm going to
call the printer and say, "Go ahead and print
the little monster!"
So that means we're just about ready to
roll -- and it also means the pre-publication
special is just about over. The bonus photo
is only available during the pre-publication
special so if you want the bonus, you need to
take immediate action.
You can reserve your copy of the Military Press
course right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
I'll follow up with another post a bit later in
the day, but right now I need to go proof that
final draft -- and then call the printer!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Several readers are saving on s&h by ordering
other products with their Military Press Course. It
packages well with the Doug Hepburn Training Course
and the Dinosar Arm Training Course -- and it also
packs well with Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. But we
can use a different size box and ship the little
monster with anything you'd like. So if you want
to make it Christmas in January, head on over to
Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Happy Birthday to a 61-Year Old Superman!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I received an email not very long ago
from Peter Yates, a hard-charging Dinosaur
and martial artist who writes for the Dino
Files newsletter.
Peter said:
"Hi Brooks,
Turned 61 today. Had a really good workout
consisting of squats, power cleans, one arm
dumbbell clean and press, hanging leg raises,
back raises and wrestler's bridge. Short
and sweet.
I will keep you informed of my progress over
the year. Looking forward to starting the
Dino Military Press course, as well.
Best wishes,
Peter"
And frankly, that made my day!
Compare Peter Yates to the average 61 year old.
Heck, compare him to the average 41 year old --
or the average 31 year old -- or 21 year old.
Peter is 61 and he still does squats!
He's 61, and he still does power cleans!
He's 61, and he still does hanging leg raises
and bridging!
The average teenager cannot do hanging leg
raises -- or bridging -- would crumple under a
squat bar -- and would run away if you suggested
the idea of power cleans. Ditto for the one
arm clean and press. Maybe even double ditto.
But here's Peter, at age 61, blasting through
them like a champion.
It's inspiring stuff -- and it goes to show what
a life-time of physical training can do for you.
So join me in wishing Peter a belated, but very
happy birthday -- and I'm looking forward to
hearing about many more of those Dino-style
birthday workouts in the years to come!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day! If you train today, knock it out of the
ball-park!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about Peter and his
training programs in The Dinosaur Files
newsletter. For back issues (May 2010 thru
April 2011), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
To order a current subscription (May 2011 thru
April 2012), go here. (I'll send you April 2011
thru Jan 2012 in one package, and then send Feb,
March and April month by month so you have the
complete set):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
P.S. 2. Here's the best book ever written about
serious strength training for older lifters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Bodyweight training works great for older
Dinos, and the best bodyweight program available is
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Celebrate your birthday
by putting more weight on the bar!" -- Brooks Kubik
I received an email not very long ago
from Peter Yates, a hard-charging Dinosaur
and martial artist who writes for the Dino
Files newsletter.
Peter said:
"Hi Brooks,
Turned 61 today. Had a really good workout
consisting of squats, power cleans, one arm
dumbbell clean and press, hanging leg raises,
back raises and wrestler's bridge. Short
and sweet.
I will keep you informed of my progress over
the year. Looking forward to starting the
Dino Military Press course, as well.
Best wishes,
Peter"
And frankly, that made my day!
Compare Peter Yates to the average 61 year old.
Heck, compare him to the average 41 year old --
or the average 31 year old -- or 21 year old.
Peter is 61 and he still does squats!
He's 61, and he still does power cleans!
He's 61, and he still does hanging leg raises
and bridging!
The average teenager cannot do hanging leg
raises -- or bridging -- would crumple under a
squat bar -- and would run away if you suggested
the idea of power cleans. Ditto for the one
arm clean and press. Maybe even double ditto.
But here's Peter, at age 61, blasting through
them like a champion.
It's inspiring stuff -- and it goes to show what
a life-time of physical training can do for you.
So join me in wishing Peter a belated, but very
happy birthday -- and I'm looking forward to
hearing about many more of those Dino-style
birthday workouts in the years to come!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day! If you train today, knock it out of the
ball-park!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about Peter and his
training programs in The Dinosaur Files
newsletter. For back issues (May 2010 thru
April 2011), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
To order a current subscription (May 2011 thru
April 2012), go here. (I'll send you April 2011
thru Jan 2012 in one package, and then send Feb,
March and April month by month so you have the
complete set):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
P.S. 2. Here's the best book ever written about
serious strength training for older lifters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Bodyweight training works great for older
Dinos, and the best bodyweight program available is
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Celebrate your birthday
by putting more weight on the bar!" -- Brooks Kubik
Military Press Update!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I just sent the final edits to the printer,
and that means that The Dinosaur Training
Military Press Course should be printed
on Wednesday.
As soon as we have the copies, we'll shoot
them right on out the door to everyone who
reserved a copy.
The cover photo for the course is one of
my all-time favorites. It's John Grimek,
from way back in 1940 (December 22, 1940,
to be exact), and it's one of the most
inspiring photos you've ever seen. Just
looking at it should add 20 pounds to your
press.
I'm going to use the same photo for the
special bonus that goes to everyone who
orders the course during the pre-publication
special. The pre-publication special ends
when I get the courses from the printer, so
it's almost over. If you've been waiting
until the last minute, it's here -- so
go ahead and reserve your copy NOW so that
you get the bonus photo:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
I just sent the final edits to the printer,
and that means that The Dinosaur Training
Military Press Course should be printed
on Wednesday.
As soon as we have the copies, we'll shoot
them right on out the door to everyone who
reserved a copy.
The cover photo for the course is one of
my all-time favorites. It's John Grimek,
from way back in 1940 (December 22, 1940,
to be exact), and it's one of the most
inspiring photos you've ever seen. Just
looking at it should add 20 pounds to your
press.
I'm going to use the same photo for the
special bonus that goes to everyone who
orders the course during the pre-publication
special. The pre-publication special ends
when I get the courses from the printer, so
it's almost over. If you've been waiting
until the last minute, it's here -- so
go ahead and reserve your copy NOW so that
you get the bonus photo:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
How Much Rest?
For some reason, I've been getting lots of
questions about how long to rest in-between
sets. So let's talk about it.
First of all, there's no right answer here.
Meaning, there's no one way to do it -- and
no magic number of seconds or minutes that
works the best for every lifter in every
exercise.
John Davis used to rest for up to 15 minutes
between sets. It worked pretty well for him.
He won two Olympic gold medals, six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.
Then there was Tommy Kono. Tommy Kono sometimes
did 10 sets of military presses in 20 or 25
minutes. That would be two warm-up sets,
followed by 8 work sets. Do the math, and
you'll see that he was training pretty darn
fast.
And yes, it worked well for him. He, too, won
two Olympic gold medals and six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.
Also, note that you need less rest during your
warm-up sets, and more rest during your heavy
sets. I sometimes just than load the bar and
go when I do my warm-up sets, so there's hardly
any rest at all.
Rest times also depend on what exercise you are
doing. Most lifters need more rest between sets
when they do squats and deadlifts than when they
hit upper body exercises.
In general, the heavier you go, the more rest you
need in-between sets. So if the bar is bending,
feel free to take an extra minute or two before
hitting your next set.
So what's the bottom line?
As a general rule of thumb, most trainees do well
on one to two minutes in-between warm-up sets --
two to three minutes between heavy sets of upper
body exercises -- and three to five minutes between
sets of heavy squats or deadlifts.
And by the way -- one good thing to do is to time
yourself in your next workout. See how long you
typically rest between sets. You might find you're
taking a lot longer than you think, and that reducing
your rest periods may be a simple way to increase
the intensity and effectiveness of your workouts!
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. If you'd like to know more about John Davis
and how he trained to become a World and Olympic
weightlifting champion, grab a copy of BLACK
IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- DVD's -- Dino
t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies -- and the Dinosaur
Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You know you've had a
good workout when the bar looks tired after it's all
over." -- Brooks Kubik
questions about how long to rest in-between
sets. So let's talk about it.
First of all, there's no right answer here.
Meaning, there's no one way to do it -- and
no magic number of seconds or minutes that
works the best for every lifter in every
exercise.
John Davis used to rest for up to 15 minutes
between sets. It worked pretty well for him.
He won two Olympic gold medals, six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.
Then there was Tommy Kono. Tommy Kono sometimes
did 10 sets of military presses in 20 or 25
minutes. That would be two warm-up sets,
followed by 8 work sets. Do the math, and
you'll see that he was training pretty darn
fast.
And yes, it worked well for him. He, too, won
two Olympic gold medals and six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.
Also, note that you need less rest during your
warm-up sets, and more rest during your heavy
sets. I sometimes just than load the bar and
go when I do my warm-up sets, so there's hardly
any rest at all.
Rest times also depend on what exercise you are
doing. Most lifters need more rest between sets
when they do squats and deadlifts than when they
hit upper body exercises.
In general, the heavier you go, the more rest you
need in-between sets. So if the bar is bending,
feel free to take an extra minute or two before
hitting your next set.
So what's the bottom line?
As a general rule of thumb, most trainees do well
on one to two minutes in-between warm-up sets --
two to three minutes between heavy sets of upper
body exercises -- and three to five minutes between
sets of heavy squats or deadlifts.
And by the way -- one good thing to do is to time
yourself in your next workout. See how long you
typically rest between sets. You might find you're
taking a lot longer than you think, and that reducing
your rest periods may be a simple way to increase
the intensity and effectiveness of your workouts!
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. If you'd like to know more about John Davis
and how he trained to become a World and Olympic
weightlifting champion, grab a copy of BLACK
IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- DVD's -- Dino
t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies -- and the Dinosaur
Files newsletter are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You know you've had a
good workout when the bar looks tired after it's all
over." -- Brooks Kubik
Not Training Is NOT an Option!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
As you grow older, it's always necessary
to make adjustments in your training. Not
training is NOT an option.
For most of us, that means longer and more
intelligent warm-ups, paying much more
attention to diet and nutrition, making
sure we get enough rest and sleep, reducing
the total amount (volume) of our training,
and using some sort of cycling system so we
don't go heavy too often.
Some adjustments involve exercises -- or
changes in your exercises. For example:
1. Replace squats with front squats -- which
may be easier on your lower back and hips.
And they may be MUCH easier on your shoulders.
Note: You can perform front squats Olympic
lifter style, or bodybuilder style with crossed
hands -- or attach short straps to the bar and
hold onto the straps. The important thing is
to perform the exercise with your torso in a
vertical posiition and your elbows high.
Note: Wear OL shoes with a heel to do front
squats.
2. Replace powerlifting style squats with high
bar style Olympic squats. Again, these may be
easier on your lower back and hips - and on
your shoulders.
Note: If you switch from parallel squats to
full squats, go light at first -- you'll need
time to develop the flexibility to go all the
way up and down.
Note: Once again -- wear OL shoes!
3. Replace squats with Trap Bar deadlifts.
Easier on knees, and for some, easier on the
lower back.
Note: I like the original Trap Bar designed by
Al Gerard. My buddy John Wood sells them -- for
info, go here:
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
Further note: Many older lifters do really well
with partial Trap Bar deadlifts, using sturdy blocks
to position the bar. One of our readers, Dr. Jim
Dauer, does partial Trap Bar deadlifts with close
to 1,000 pounds -- and he's over 60 years old!
4. Switch from weighted squats to bodyweight
squats. Easier on your lower back.
5. Switch from bent-over rowing to one arm
dumbbell rowing. Easier on your lower back.
6. Switch from bench press to dumbbell bench
press -- or dumbbell incline press. Easier on
your shoulders.
Note: Dumbbells are more forgiving than barbells.
Sometimes a slight twist of the wrists or change
of elbow position is all it takes to turn a
painful exercise into a great one. Dumbbells
allow you to make these minor adjustments.
Note: If it's too hard to wrestle the dumbbells
into position, do one arm dumbbell bench presses
or one arm dumbbell incline presses.
Note: Another option -- switch to pushups. There
are tons of effective pushup variations to choose
from. See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for some
of my favorites:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
7. Switch from press behind neck to military
press or dumbbell press -- again, easier on
your shoulders.
8. Switch from one particular angle on an
incline bench to a different angle -- for
example, 45 degrees might irritate your
shoulders, but 60 degrees might feel great.
9. Switch from barbell curls to dumbbell curls.
Easier on the inner elbows.
10. Switch from dumbbell curls to dumbbell
hammer curls. Again, easier on the inner elbows.
11. Switch from curls of any sort to close grip
pull-downs to the chest -- something that John
Grimek did when he was older.
Note: Yes, even a superman like John Grimek had
to make adjustments as he got older.
12. Switch from dips to any pushup variation
of your choice -- or to close grip bench presses.
Easier on the shoulders.
13. Switch from bent-legged situps to hanging
knees to chest -- easier on the lower back and
hips.
14. Switch from military press to push press --
sometimes, the first few inches of the press
are tough for older lifters with shoulder
problems -- but they can do push presses just
fine.
15. Try log bar presses instead of using a
regular barbell.
Note: For info on the Log Bar, go here:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/log_bar.html
That should give you some food for thought!
Remember, NOT training is NOT an option. The
trick is, figuring out what to do to continue
training. Don't be afraid to make adjustments --
it's something we all need to do as we grow older.
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 productive, effective
training for older lifters, see Gray Hair and Black
Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. Several readers have asked me to cover shoulder
health in my new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course. Don't worry, it's in there! (Just one
more reason to grab a copy of the little monster):
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone grows older, but
Dinos keep on training." -- Brooks Kubik
As you grow older, it's always necessary
to make adjustments in your training. Not
training is NOT an option.
For most of us, that means longer and more
intelligent warm-ups, paying much more
attention to diet and nutrition, making
sure we get enough rest and sleep, reducing
the total amount (volume) of our training,
and using some sort of cycling system so we
don't go heavy too often.
Some adjustments involve exercises -- or
changes in your exercises. For example:
1. Replace squats with front squats -- which
may be easier on your lower back and hips.
And they may be MUCH easier on your shoulders.
Note: You can perform front squats Olympic
lifter style, or bodybuilder style with crossed
hands -- or attach short straps to the bar and
hold onto the straps. The important thing is
to perform the exercise with your torso in a
vertical posiition and your elbows high.
Note: Wear OL shoes with a heel to do front
squats.
2. Replace powerlifting style squats with high
bar style Olympic squats. Again, these may be
easier on your lower back and hips - and on
your shoulders.
Note: If you switch from parallel squats to
full squats, go light at first -- you'll need
time to develop the flexibility to go all the
way up and down.
Note: Once again -- wear OL shoes!
3. Replace squats with Trap Bar deadlifts.
Easier on knees, and for some, easier on the
lower back.
Note: I like the original Trap Bar designed by
Al Gerard. My buddy John Wood sells them -- for
info, go here:
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
Further note: Many older lifters do really well
with partial Trap Bar deadlifts, using sturdy blocks
to position the bar. One of our readers, Dr. Jim
Dauer, does partial Trap Bar deadlifts with close
to 1,000 pounds -- and he's over 60 years old!
4. Switch from weighted squats to bodyweight
squats. Easier on your lower back.
5. Switch from bent-over rowing to one arm
dumbbell rowing. Easier on your lower back.
6. Switch from bench press to dumbbell bench
press -- or dumbbell incline press. Easier on
your shoulders.
Note: Dumbbells are more forgiving than barbells.
Sometimes a slight twist of the wrists or change
of elbow position is all it takes to turn a
painful exercise into a great one. Dumbbells
allow you to make these minor adjustments.
Note: If it's too hard to wrestle the dumbbells
into position, do one arm dumbbell bench presses
or one arm dumbbell incline presses.
Note: Another option -- switch to pushups. There
are tons of effective pushup variations to choose
from. See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for some
of my favorites:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
7. Switch from press behind neck to military
press or dumbbell press -- again, easier on
your shoulders.
8. Switch from one particular angle on an
incline bench to a different angle -- for
example, 45 degrees might irritate your
shoulders, but 60 degrees might feel great.
9. Switch from barbell curls to dumbbell curls.
Easier on the inner elbows.
10. Switch from dumbbell curls to dumbbell
hammer curls. Again, easier on the inner elbows.
11. Switch from curls of any sort to close grip
pull-downs to the chest -- something that John
Grimek did when he was older.
Note: Yes, even a superman like John Grimek had
to make adjustments as he got older.
12. Switch from dips to any pushup variation
of your choice -- or to close grip bench presses.
Easier on the shoulders.
13. Switch from bent-legged situps to hanging
knees to chest -- easier on the lower back and
hips.
14. Switch from military press to push press --
sometimes, the first few inches of the press
are tough for older lifters with shoulder
problems -- but they can do push presses just
fine.
15. Try log bar presses instead of using a
regular barbell.
Note: For info on the Log Bar, go here:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/log_bar.html
That should give you some food for thought!
Remember, NOT training is NOT an option. The
trick is, figuring out what to do to continue
training. Don't be afraid to make adjustments --
it's something we all need to do as we grow older.
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 productive, effective
training for older lifters, see Gray Hair and Black
Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. Several readers have asked me to cover shoulder
health in my new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course. Don't worry, it's in there! (Just one
more reason to grab a copy of the little monster):
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone grows older, but
Dinos keep on training." -- Brooks Kubik
The Dinos Roar!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I got a ton of feedback from readers about
the idea of training 5 or 6 days per week,
using a divided workout schedule and doing
a SHORT workout each day -- of perhaps only
one exercise.
Some readers thought it was a great idea --
others didn't. They preferred the 2 times or 3
times per week schedule, with lots of off days
to enhance recovery.
And that's fine. Remember, we're all different,
and although certain things work best for
everyone (hard work, compound exercises,
lots of leg and back training, etc.), the
details vary from person to person. What
works best for ME may or may not work best
for YOU -- and what works best for you right
now may change over time. Or it may change
based on your circumstances.
The readers who liked the idea of more frequent
(but very SHORT) workouts tended to be the ones
who are crunched for time. For example, Dan
Sparks wrote:
"I really like this! I work four days a week
for 10 hr shifts, plus two additional part
time jobs, so this might really work for me.
Right now, I use a kettlebell Mon & Wed and
lift heavy on Fri (barbell clean, squat and
press, DB bench, weighted dips, weighted
pull-ups, plus a MovNat style run). Spreading
it out to one thing a day would be interesting.
Thanks for the suggestion."
In a similar vein, Justin Rawlings wrote:
"I'm a big fan of this type of training. It's
something I've been following for the past 6 - 8
months with great results.
After along day at the office, I hate the thought
of just going home and watching TV, so I lift in
my garage about six times a week. Pretty much all
of these movements consist of just one movement
(sometimes two, e.g., super-setting chins and
presses). I focus on going as heavy as I can
on that one movement for the day.
This is great because I can throw in a lot of
really fun lifts that would otherwise not get
done on a traditional split.
An example of a training week for me:
Mon: Power clean and push press
Tues: Dumbbell swing
Wed: Squats
Thurs: Dumbbell bench press
Fri: Chins/dumbbell rows
Sat: Off
Sun: One arm DB clean and press
This changes every week based on how I feel.
As you noted, you need to pay careful attention
to how you structure your training over the
course of the week.
I have a feeling things will change once I get a
power rack, as the lifts will be more demanding,
but for now, this is very fun. Knowing that you
only have one lift to do really allows you to put
all your focus into it.
Always good to see you spreading interesting
information that you'd never hear about in
conventional muscle fiction."
So, as I said, it's not for everyone, but the
one exercise a day schedule may work well for
some of you, either as a permanent program or
as a change of pace.
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 Dinosaur Training workouts,
grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT -- it features 50
Dinosaur Training workouts covering beginners,
intermediates, advanced Dinos and Dinos who are
looking to build maximum strength and muscle mass
as fast as possible:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. For older Dinos -- age 35 and up -- the
training programs in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON
are perfect for you:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. For the best in bodyweight training -- and
to combine bodyweight training with heavy iron --
grab a copy of DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "To succeed as a weight
lifter, as with other desirable things in life, you
must have a great desire to succeed, a willingness
to work long and hard, becoming a champion weight-
lifter must be the first ambition of your life."
-- Bob Hoffman
I got a ton of feedback from readers about
the idea of training 5 or 6 days per week,
using a divided workout schedule and doing
a SHORT workout each day -- of perhaps only
one exercise.
Some readers thought it was a great idea --
others didn't. They preferred the 2 times or 3
times per week schedule, with lots of off days
to enhance recovery.
And that's fine. Remember, we're all different,
and although certain things work best for
everyone (hard work, compound exercises,
lots of leg and back training, etc.), the
details vary from person to person. What
works best for ME may or may not work best
for YOU -- and what works best for you right
now may change over time. Or it may change
based on your circumstances.
The readers who liked the idea of more frequent
(but very SHORT) workouts tended to be the ones
who are crunched for time. For example, Dan
Sparks wrote:
"I really like this! I work four days a week
for 10 hr shifts, plus two additional part
time jobs, so this might really work for me.
Right now, I use a kettlebell Mon & Wed and
lift heavy on Fri (barbell clean, squat and
press, DB bench, weighted dips, weighted
pull-ups, plus a MovNat style run). Spreading
it out to one thing a day would be interesting.
Thanks for the suggestion."
In a similar vein, Justin Rawlings wrote:
"I'm a big fan of this type of training. It's
something I've been following for the past 6 - 8
months with great results.
After along day at the office, I hate the thought
of just going home and watching TV, so I lift in
my garage about six times a week. Pretty much all
of these movements consist of just one movement
(sometimes two, e.g., super-setting chins and
presses). I focus on going as heavy as I can
on that one movement for the day.
This is great because I can throw in a lot of
really fun lifts that would otherwise not get
done on a traditional split.
An example of a training week for me:
Mon: Power clean and push press
Tues: Dumbbell swing
Wed: Squats
Thurs: Dumbbell bench press
Fri: Chins/dumbbell rows
Sat: Off
Sun: One arm DB clean and press
This changes every week based on how I feel.
As you noted, you need to pay careful attention
to how you structure your training over the
course of the week.
I have a feeling things will change once I get a
power rack, as the lifts will be more demanding,
but for now, this is very fun. Knowing that you
only have one lift to do really allows you to put
all your focus into it.
Always good to see you spreading interesting
information that you'd never hear about in
conventional muscle fiction."
So, as I said, it's not for everyone, but the
one exercise a day schedule may work well for
some of you, either as a permanent program or
as a change of pace.
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 Dinosaur Training workouts,
grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT -- it features 50
Dinosaur Training workouts covering beginners,
intermediates, advanced Dinos and Dinos who are
looking to build maximum strength and muscle mass
as fast as possible:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. For older Dinos -- age 35 and up -- the
training programs in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON
are perfect for you:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. For the best in bodyweight training -- and
to combine bodyweight training with heavy iron --
grab a copy of DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "To succeed as a weight
lifter, as with other desirable things in life, you
must have a great desire to succeed, a willingness
to work long and hard, becoming a champion weight-
lifter must be the first ambition of your life."
-- Bob Hoffman
Great Feats of Shoulder Strength!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
NEWSFLASH! I am doing an interview
tomorrow on SuperHuman Radio.
We'll be covering the Military Press
and Shoulder Power -- and we'll cover
some great feats of strength from "back
in the day" when lifters stood on their
feet and lifted heavy stuff their heads.
It will be a fun, fast-paced and
informative show.
The show will be at 12:00 EST -- you can
listen to it live or catch the download
later on.
The home page for SHR is here:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
There's no charge for the SHR shows -- I
consider them to be Dinosaur PSA's (Public
Service Announcements).
Anyhow, I hope you can join me!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Great feats of shoulder strength are
very much on my mind -- because the Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course is
almost ready to go. Be sure to reserve your
copy before the pre-publication special ends:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
NEWSFLASH! I am doing an interview
tomorrow on SuperHuman Radio.
We'll be covering the Military Press
and Shoulder Power -- and we'll cover
some great feats of strength from "back
in the day" when lifters stood on their
feet and lifted heavy stuff their heads.
It will be a fun, fast-paced and
informative show.
The show will be at 12:00 EST -- you can
listen to it live or catch the download
later on.
The home page for SHR is here:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/
There's no charge for the SHR shows -- I
consider them to be Dinosaur PSA's (Public
Service Announcements).
Anyhow, I hope you can join me!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Great feats of shoulder strength are
very much on my mind -- because the Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course is
almost ready to go. Be sure to reserve your
copy before the pre-publication special ends:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Something Different for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several readers have asked about the
advisability of doing five or six short
workouts per week rather than doing two
or three longer sessions.
For some Dinos, it actually works pretty
well -- IF (and this is a big IF):
1. You concentrate on the basic exercises,
such as squats, deadlifts, presses, etc.
2. You keep each workout short and sweet,
as in anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.
3. You work on a schedule that keeps you
from hammering your knees, back and
shoulders with too many back to back
sessions (even if you use different
exercises in each session). For example,
don't do deadlifts on Monday and squats on
Tuesday -- or presses on Wednesday and
bench presses on Thursday.
For example, you might try something like
this:
Mon -- Military press 5 x 5
Tues -- Pull-ups 5 x 5 - 10
Wed -- Squats or front squats 5 x 5
Thurs -- Barbell or dumbbell curls 5 x 5
Fri -- Bench press, incline press or any
pushup variation of your choice (5 x 5 for
the weight work and 5 x 10 - 50 for the pushups,
depending on what you do and how strong you are
in the movement you select)
Sat -- Deadlifts 5 x 5
Start each workout with a 10 minute warmup of your
choice, and finish with gut, grip or neck work,
doing gut work one day, grip work another day, and
neck work on the third day.
If you want to include heavy awkward objects you
can do them on Sat after the deadlifts -- or do them
on a day of their own. Space them so they don't come
the day before or the day after squats or deadlifts.
Cardio work can follow your strength work 3 to 5 times
a week. Don't overdo the cardio, and don't do the same
sort of cardio. Mix things up.
If you like dumbbells or kettlebells or cables or
heavy clubs or Olympic lifting or ropes and rings
or gymnastics or handstands or anything else that
isn't mentioned, work it into the schedule in a
logical fashion. For example, do kettlebell presses
on Monday instead of (or in addition to) your military
presses -- and do kettlebell swings on Sat before
your deadlifts.
Also note that you can slot in some extra rest days
and turn this from a 7 day schedule to a 9 or 10 day
program. There's no law that says you have to train
on a 7 day schedule -- we all just do it because
there happen to be 7 days in a week.
For some of you, this program would QUICKLY lead to
overtraining -- but for others, it will work pretty
darn well. So if you've been thinking about daily
workouts, give it a try!
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. Mixing weight work and bodyweight training is a
terrific workout option, whether you train 2 times,
3 times or 6 times a week. For the best in progressive
bodyweight workouts, grab DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- are
right here at Dino Headquarters. Save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "By word or deed, become an
ambassador of sensible training." -- Brooks Kubik
Several readers have asked about the
advisability of doing five or six short
workouts per week rather than doing two
or three longer sessions.
For some Dinos, it actually works pretty
well -- IF (and this is a big IF):
1. You concentrate on the basic exercises,
such as squats, deadlifts, presses, etc.
2. You keep each workout short and sweet,
as in anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.
3. You work on a schedule that keeps you
from hammering your knees, back and
shoulders with too many back to back
sessions (even if you use different
exercises in each session). For example,
don't do deadlifts on Monday and squats on
Tuesday -- or presses on Wednesday and
bench presses on Thursday.
For example, you might try something like
this:
Mon -- Military press 5 x 5
Tues -- Pull-ups 5 x 5 - 10
Wed -- Squats or front squats 5 x 5
Thurs -- Barbell or dumbbell curls 5 x 5
Fri -- Bench press, incline press or any
pushup variation of your choice (5 x 5 for
the weight work and 5 x 10 - 50 for the pushups,
depending on what you do and how strong you are
in the movement you select)
Sat -- Deadlifts 5 x 5
Start each workout with a 10 minute warmup of your
choice, and finish with gut, grip or neck work,
doing gut work one day, grip work another day, and
neck work on the third day.
If you want to include heavy awkward objects you
can do them on Sat after the deadlifts -- or do them
on a day of their own. Space them so they don't come
the day before or the day after squats or deadlifts.
Cardio work can follow your strength work 3 to 5 times
a week. Don't overdo the cardio, and don't do the same
sort of cardio. Mix things up.
If you like dumbbells or kettlebells or cables or
heavy clubs or Olympic lifting or ropes and rings
or gymnastics or handstands or anything else that
isn't mentioned, work it into the schedule in a
logical fashion. For example, do kettlebell presses
on Monday instead of (or in addition to) your military
presses -- and do kettlebell swings on Sat before
your deadlifts.
Also note that you can slot in some extra rest days
and turn this from a 7 day schedule to a 9 or 10 day
program. There's no law that says you have to train
on a 7 day schedule -- we all just do it because
there happen to be 7 days in a week.
For some of you, this program would QUICKLY lead to
overtraining -- but for others, it will work pretty
darn well. So if you've been thinking about daily
workouts, give it a try!
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. Mixing weight work and bodyweight training is a
terrific workout option, whether you train 2 times,
3 times or 6 times a week. For the best in progressive
bodyweight workouts, grab DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- are
right here at Dino Headquarters. Save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "By word or deed, become an
ambassador of sensible training." -- Brooks Kubik
A Question on Grip Training
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
This message is coming to you a little later
than intended. We had some wild weather in
Louisville -- a huge line of thunderstorms
with wild winds gusting up to 60 mph -- and
even some tornadoes.
A couple of tractor trailer rigs were blown
right off the expressway not very far from
Dino HQ.
So we've had to stay off-line, keep the
computer turned off, and maintain radio
silence for much of the day.
But now we're back -- so let's talk training!
One of our readers asked me about fitting grip
work into his schedule. He said he's been doing
super-sets where he does a primary exercise, such
as pull-ups or deadlifts, and then does a grip
exercise. He asked what I thought of the idea.
Frankly, I don't like it.
Here's why. If you train your grip as hard as you
SHOULD train it, you're not going to be able to
do grip work and then do any serious upper body
training -- or any deadlifts -- or anything else
where you need to hold onto some heavy iron or
hang from a chinning bar.
When you train your grip, you fry it for awhile.
If you don't you're not training hard enough.
Arthur Jones once noted that after a forearm and
grip workout, you could drop a key on the floor
and not be able to pick it up.
And if you can't pick a key up off the floor, you
sure as heck can't do pull-ups -- or do deadlifts.
That's why you train your grip at the END of your
workout -- AFTER all the primary exercises.
If you want to save time and speed things up, you
can super-set or tri-set grip work with gut work
and neck work. That's one reason I always end a
training program by noting that you should do
"gut, grip and neck work."
The exception would be gut work that requires
gripping power -- such as hanging leg raises,
hanging knees to chest, heavy dumbbell side-bends,
or Turkish get-ups. With those exercises, you would
need to do the gut work first, and then finish up
with the grip work.
I hope that helps figuring out where to slot in
the grip work!
As far as exercises go, the sky's the limit. I cover
some of the better ones in DINOSAUR TRAINING: LOST
SECRETS OF STRENGTH AND POWER and in STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER. Check them out -- they'll help you build
hands like iron claws!
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 DINOSAUR TRAINING right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2. Go here for STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Somewhere in your make-up
there lies SLEEPING the seed of achievement which, if
aroused and put into action, would carry you to heights
such as you may never have hoped to attain." -- Napoleon
Hill
This message is coming to you a little later
than intended. We had some wild weather in
Louisville -- a huge line of thunderstorms
with wild winds gusting up to 60 mph -- and
even some tornadoes.
A couple of tractor trailer rigs were blown
right off the expressway not very far from
Dino HQ.
So we've had to stay off-line, keep the
computer turned off, and maintain radio
silence for much of the day.
But now we're back -- so let's talk training!
One of our readers asked me about fitting grip
work into his schedule. He said he's been doing
super-sets where he does a primary exercise, such
as pull-ups or deadlifts, and then does a grip
exercise. He asked what I thought of the idea.
Frankly, I don't like it.
Here's why. If you train your grip as hard as you
SHOULD train it, you're not going to be able to
do grip work and then do any serious upper body
training -- or any deadlifts -- or anything else
where you need to hold onto some heavy iron or
hang from a chinning bar.
When you train your grip, you fry it for awhile.
If you don't you're not training hard enough.
Arthur Jones once noted that after a forearm and
grip workout, you could drop a key on the floor
and not be able to pick it up.
And if you can't pick a key up off the floor, you
sure as heck can't do pull-ups -- or do deadlifts.
That's why you train your grip at the END of your
workout -- AFTER all the primary exercises.
If you want to save time and speed things up, you
can super-set or tri-set grip work with gut work
and neck work. That's one reason I always end a
training program by noting that you should do
"gut, grip and neck work."
The exception would be gut work that requires
gripping power -- such as hanging leg raises,
hanging knees to chest, heavy dumbbell side-bends,
or Turkish get-ups. With those exercises, you would
need to do the gut work first, and then finish up
with the grip work.
I hope that helps figuring out where to slot in
the grip work!
As far as exercises go, the sky's the limit. I cover
some of the better ones in DINOSAUR TRAINING: LOST
SECRETS OF STRENGTH AND POWER and in STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER. Check them out -- they'll help you build
hands like iron claws!
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 DINOSAUR TRAINING right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2. Go here for STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Somewhere in your make-up
there lies SLEEPING the seed of achievement which, if
aroused and put into action, would carry you to heights
such as you may never have hoped to attain." -- Napoleon
Hill
News and Updates -- and Questions -- for Dinos!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I'll send an email covering a training topic a
a little later in the day, but first of all, let
me give you some quick updates, Dino news,
Dino notes and some questions -- and on the
questions, I'm going to ask for feedback from
you:
1. The Military Press Course
The printer is working on it, and we should be
able to drop the little monster in the mail on
Fri or Sat if all goes well. I apologize for
the delay on this. I kept finding more and more
material to add. So it's later than expected,
but has more info than expected, including
training tips from FOUR Olympic gold medal
winners!
2. The January Dino Files
Are also running late, but they should be
printed and mailed on Fri or Sat. It's another
great issue, with some terrific workouts and
detailed progressions for one of the very best
upper body exercises there is -- an exercise,
by the way, that most people never do.
So those of you who subscribe to the Dino
Files are in for a treat!
3. Dinosaur Training in London
This is BIG! I'm doing a Dinosaur training
seminar in London in June -- with Mike Mahler,
Cj Swaby and Sabina Skala. It will be two days
of hands-on small-group instruction, covering
kettlebells, olympic weightlifting, some fun
old-school lifts, Dinosaur dumbbell training,
Dinosaur bodyweight training and more. For
more info, or to sign up NOW (because there's
a limit on the number of attendees -- so that
we can work with everyone in small groups),
go to Mike Mahler's website:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
Do NOT look for info or a link on the Dino
website -- it's all at Mike Mahler's website!
4. Dinosaur Training Seminars in the USA
TONS of readers have been asking if I'm going to
do any seminars in the USA. The answer is YES!
The dates, times, topics and locations are
currently under review -- so if you have any
ideas for places to hold a seminar, and topics
to cover,or if you just want to let me know
that you're interested, shoot me an email!
Obviously, the more folks from any one area
who want a seminar, the more likely it is that
I'll do one there.
5. Attention, Gym Owners!
If you want to book me for a seminar, shoot me
an email!
6. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training DVD's
You've been asking about them -- and the answer
is, they're ready, and they're in stock -- but
we don't have an order page for them yet.
However, you can still order the little monsters
(one or more of your choice or all 7 of them).
Shoot me an email for details.
7. Success Stories!
I get success stories from readers who've built great
strength, power and muscle mass with Dino Training --
but I'm always looking for more, so don't be shy, and
send them in.
I'm also looking for success stories from readers who:
a. Cleaned up their diet, trained Dino style, and
whacked the Lard Lumps.
b. Used diet and exercise to improve their health, as
measured by standard blood level tests (LDL cholesterol,
HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, etc.)
c. Used diet and exercise to improve chronic conditions
such as high blood sugar, diabetes, high blood pressure,
arthritis, inflammation, etc.
I know that MANY of you have success stories that would
be helpful and inspiring to others -- so, as I said, don't
be shy. Share your diet and training experiences!
That's it for now, but be looking for an email with some
training tips a little later in the day.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. The top selling Dinosaur training products of 2012
(so far, at least), are Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Development, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training,
and the Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.
You can find them right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. Remember, if you're interested in seeing a Dinosaur
Training seminar in the USA -- or in Canada -- shoot me
an email!
I'll send an email covering a training topic a
a little later in the day, but first of all, let
me give you some quick updates, Dino news,
Dino notes and some questions -- and on the
questions, I'm going to ask for feedback from
you:
1. The Military Press Course
The printer is working on it, and we should be
able to drop the little monster in the mail on
Fri or Sat if all goes well. I apologize for
the delay on this. I kept finding more and more
material to add. So it's later than expected,
but has more info than expected, including
training tips from FOUR Olympic gold medal
winners!
2. The January Dino Files
Are also running late, but they should be
printed and mailed on Fri or Sat. It's another
great issue, with some terrific workouts and
detailed progressions for one of the very best
upper body exercises there is -- an exercise,
by the way, that most people never do.
So those of you who subscribe to the Dino
Files are in for a treat!
3. Dinosaur Training in London
This is BIG! I'm doing a Dinosaur training
seminar in London in June -- with Mike Mahler,
Cj Swaby and Sabina Skala. It will be two days
of hands-on small-group instruction, covering
kettlebells, olympic weightlifting, some fun
old-school lifts, Dinosaur dumbbell training,
Dinosaur bodyweight training and more. For
more info, or to sign up NOW (because there's
a limit on the number of attendees -- so that
we can work with everyone in small groups),
go to Mike Mahler's website:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
Do NOT look for info or a link on the Dino
website -- it's all at Mike Mahler's website!
4. Dinosaur Training Seminars in the USA
TONS of readers have been asking if I'm going to
do any seminars in the USA. The answer is YES!
The dates, times, topics and locations are
currently under review -- so if you have any
ideas for places to hold a seminar, and topics
to cover,or if you just want to let me know
that you're interested, shoot me an email!
Obviously, the more folks from any one area
who want a seminar, the more likely it is that
I'll do one there.
5. Attention, Gym Owners!
If you want to book me for a seminar, shoot me
an email!
6. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training DVD's
You've been asking about them -- and the answer
is, they're ready, and they're in stock -- but
we don't have an order page for them yet.
However, you can still order the little monsters
(one or more of your choice or all 7 of them).
Shoot me an email for details.
7. Success Stories!
I get success stories from readers who've built great
strength, power and muscle mass with Dino Training --
but I'm always looking for more, so don't be shy, and
send them in.
I'm also looking for success stories from readers who:
a. Cleaned up their diet, trained Dino style, and
whacked the Lard Lumps.
b. Used diet and exercise to improve their health, as
measured by standard blood level tests (LDL cholesterol,
HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, etc.)
c. Used diet and exercise to improve chronic conditions
such as high blood sugar, diabetes, high blood pressure,
arthritis, inflammation, etc.
I know that MANY of you have success stories that would
be helpful and inspiring to others -- so, as I said, don't
be shy. Share your diet and training experiences!
That's it for now, but be looking for an email with some
training tips a little later in the day.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. The top selling Dinosaur training products of 2012
(so far, at least), are Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Development, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training,
and the Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.
You can find them right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. Remember, if you're interested in seeing a Dinosaur
Training seminar in the USA -- or in Canada -- shoot me
an email!
The Royal Road to Muscle and Might!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
On a wooden lifting platform, a lifter
chalks his hands, steps to the bar --
crouches down -- gets set -- and performs
a perfect squat snatch.
Elsewhere -- a kettlebell lifter finishes
a hard set of swings with a menacing,
monster-sized black bell.
In a different gym -- another lifter swings
a heavy kettlebell. When she finishes, she
hits some heavy squats and deadlifts -- and
them grinds out three sets of hanging leg
raises -- for 15 reps per set. One of the
guys at the gym shakes his head in disbelief
as he watches her.
And elsewhere -- a thickly muscled man in
heavy sweats heaves a 150 pound sandbag to
his shoulder, drops it down, and heaves it
back up again.
In a different gym -- a lifter grinds his
way through a heavy set of squats. After
the squats, he does heavy quarter squats
in the power rack.
In yet another gym -- a lifter performs the
two dumbbell clean and press -- working up
to sets of five with a pair of 80 pounders.
And in another gym -- a training stands with
a heavy barbell on his shoulders, panting like
a racehorse as he finishes a heavy set of 20
rep breathing squats.
Meanwhile, in a garage -- a man finishes a
set of 50 perfect pushups, jumps up, grabs
a pull-up bar, and begins performing a set
of 20 perfect pull-ups.
In another garage -- a man hangs from a 2"
thick pull-up bar, with 40 pounds of heavy
log chain wrapped around his body -- and
performs a set of 5 perfect pull-ups.
And in a different garage -- a man approaches
a heavy block of iron -- and lifts it off
the ground with a powerful pinch grip.
Meanwhile -- a young athlete sprints up a steep
hill. It's the first of five 50 yard sprints
for him.
And not far away -- older trainee finishes
his Trap Bar deadlifts, and cools down with 20
minutes on a step machine at an easy pace.
Tomorrow he'll take things easy, and go for
a 3 mile walk.
In another city -- a man works on a one arm
pull-up. He can't do one yet -- but he's
working to get there!
Elsewhere -- in a different city -- an athlete
drives a barbell overhead in a letter-perfect
clean and jerk. Her first lifting contest is
in two weeks, and she plans to be ready for it!
In another gym -- a trainee finishes a heavy set
of barbell curls with more weight than many
trainees use for squats or deadlifts (assuming
they even perform squats or deadlifts).
They all train differently. But they all train
the same.
They train with strength, power and passion.
They train progressively. Whatever they do, they're
always trying to improve their performance.
They train regularly and consistently. They don't
miss workouts and they don't make excuses.
They train to get stronger -- faster -- more
powerful -- healthier -- and better conditioned.
They follow different paths, but all of them are
headed in the same direction. They're all on the
Royal Road to Muscle and Might.
All of them are Dinosaurs -- and I'm incredibly
proud of each and every one of them.
If you're reading this, you're a Dinosaur as well.
You train YOUR way -- but you train the Dino Way!
For that I salute you -- and I THANK 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. Wherever you train, and whatever your favorite
style of training, we've got you covered with Dinosaur
Training books, courses and DVD's -- and with the world
famous Dinosaur Files (hardcopy) newsletter. You can
finds them right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Dinos are all different,
but Dinos are all the same." -- Brooks Kubik
On a wooden lifting platform, a lifter
chalks his hands, steps to the bar --
crouches down -- gets set -- and performs
a perfect squat snatch.
Elsewhere -- a kettlebell lifter finishes
a hard set of swings with a menacing,
monster-sized black bell.
In a different gym -- another lifter swings
a heavy kettlebell. When she finishes, she
hits some heavy squats and deadlifts -- and
them grinds out three sets of hanging leg
raises -- for 15 reps per set. One of the
guys at the gym shakes his head in disbelief
as he watches her.
And elsewhere -- a thickly muscled man in
heavy sweats heaves a 150 pound sandbag to
his shoulder, drops it down, and heaves it
back up again.
In a different gym -- a lifter grinds his
way through a heavy set of squats. After
the squats, he does heavy quarter squats
in the power rack.
In yet another gym -- a lifter performs the
two dumbbell clean and press -- working up
to sets of five with a pair of 80 pounders.
And in another gym -- a training stands with
a heavy barbell on his shoulders, panting like
a racehorse as he finishes a heavy set of 20
rep breathing squats.
Meanwhile, in a garage -- a man finishes a
set of 50 perfect pushups, jumps up, grabs
a pull-up bar, and begins performing a set
of 20 perfect pull-ups.
In another garage -- a man hangs from a 2"
thick pull-up bar, with 40 pounds of heavy
log chain wrapped around his body -- and
performs a set of 5 perfect pull-ups.
And in a different garage -- a man approaches
a heavy block of iron -- and lifts it off
the ground with a powerful pinch grip.
Meanwhile -- a young athlete sprints up a steep
hill. It's the first of five 50 yard sprints
for him.
And not far away -- older trainee finishes
his Trap Bar deadlifts, and cools down with 20
minutes on a step machine at an easy pace.
Tomorrow he'll take things easy, and go for
a 3 mile walk.
In another city -- a man works on a one arm
pull-up. He can't do one yet -- but he's
working to get there!
Elsewhere -- in a different city -- an athlete
drives a barbell overhead in a letter-perfect
clean and jerk. Her first lifting contest is
in two weeks, and she plans to be ready for it!
In another gym -- a trainee finishes a heavy set
of barbell curls with more weight than many
trainees use for squats or deadlifts (assuming
they even perform squats or deadlifts).
They all train differently. But they all train
the same.
They train with strength, power and passion.
They train progressively. Whatever they do, they're
always trying to improve their performance.
They train regularly and consistently. They don't
miss workouts and they don't make excuses.
They train to get stronger -- faster -- more
powerful -- healthier -- and better conditioned.
They follow different paths, but all of them are
headed in the same direction. They're all on the
Royal Road to Muscle and Might.
All of them are Dinosaurs -- and I'm incredibly
proud of each and every one of them.
If you're reading this, you're a Dinosaur as well.
You train YOUR way -- but you train the Dino Way!
For that I salute you -- and I THANK 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. Wherever you train, and whatever your favorite
style of training, we've got you covered with Dinosaur
Training books, courses and DVD's -- and with the world
famous Dinosaur Files (hardcopy) newsletter. You can
finds them right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Dinos are all different,
but Dinos are all the same." -- Brooks Kubik
Write It Down!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Three quick updates, and then we'll talk
training!
1. The Military Press Course
The Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course ran late because I added some
extra material. It is at the printer
now, and we'll be shipping it sometime
next week.
I apologize for the delay here -- I
underestimated how long it took to
finish the little monster. Of course,
the good news for YOU is that it's
going to be bigger and better than
expected.
2. The January Dino Files
Is also running late. We'll drop it in
the mail sometime next week. It's a
pretty good issue with some great
training articles and workouts.
3. The London Seminar
If you haven't heard the news, I'm doing a
seminar in London -- with Mike Mahler,
CjSwaby and Sabina Skala -- and if you
live in the UK or Europe, you're DEFINITELY
going to want to be there. For more info,
or to reserve a spot, follow this link:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
Several readers have asked questions about
keeping a workout log. One of the questions is:
"Do you write down what you're going to do
(exercises, sets, reps and weights) before
you go to the gym? If so, do you ever change
what is scheduled?"
The answer is YES and YES.
I ALWAYS write down the entire workout from
warm-ups to working sets -- including all the
different weights I'll use -- BEFORE I go out
to the garage to train.
Writing it down is the first step in getting
your brain into your workout. It actually serves
as a form of visualization. And it starts to get
you to concentrate and focus on your training.
Before you do anything else, you need to have a
very detailed, very vivid, very clear picture
of what you are going to do in your workout.
Writing it down helps to create that picture.
Remember, Dinosaur Training is GOAL DIRECTED
TRAINING. You don't just go to the gym and
do stuff. You go to the gym with a definite
goal: to lift more weight than before, to
do more reps than before to add a work set,
to improve your technique in a complex lift
(such as a squat snatch, a dumbbell swing or
a bent press), to train with better focus and
greater concentration than ever before, to do
the same workout you did last time but do it
FASTER than before, etc.
The point is, you're always training with a
definite purpose. And writing it down helps
that process. Helps it more than you can
imagine.
Do I ever change what I do?
Absolutely. If I'm having an off day and nothing
is working the way it should, I go lighter than
planned.
If I'm having a great day, I may do more working
sets or I may go heavier in my working sets. I
may even go for a PR. Or (and pay attention,
because this is important), I may do exactly
what I had scheduled in my workout log and focus
on making every single rep as PERFECT as possible.
That's often a better confidence builder than
anything else you could do.
Start keeping a workout journal. It's a simple thing
to do -- but it's one of the secrets to getting great,
super-productive workouts!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today -- write it down! -- and make it
a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. As noted, the Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course will be shipping next week -- but
you can still get in the door and reserve a copy during
the pre-publication special -- which means you'll get a
special bonus when we fill your order:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- and
the world famous Dino Files newsletter -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it means something, write
it down!" -- Brooks Kubik
Three quick updates, and then we'll talk
training!
1. The Military Press Course
The Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course ran late because I added some
extra material. It is at the printer
now, and we'll be shipping it sometime
next week.
I apologize for the delay here -- I
underestimated how long it took to
finish the little monster. Of course,
the good news for YOU is that it's
going to be bigger and better than
expected.
2. The January Dino Files
Is also running late. We'll drop it in
the mail sometime next week. It's a
pretty good issue with some great
training articles and workouts.
3. The London Seminar
If you haven't heard the news, I'm doing a
seminar in London -- with Mike Mahler,
CjSwaby and Sabina Skala -- and if you
live in the UK or Europe, you're DEFINITELY
going to want to be there. For more info,
or to reserve a spot, follow this link:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
Several readers have asked questions about
keeping a workout log. One of the questions is:
"Do you write down what you're going to do
(exercises, sets, reps and weights) before
you go to the gym? If so, do you ever change
what is scheduled?"
The answer is YES and YES.
I ALWAYS write down the entire workout from
warm-ups to working sets -- including all the
different weights I'll use -- BEFORE I go out
to the garage to train.
Writing it down is the first step in getting
your brain into your workout. It actually serves
as a form of visualization. And it starts to get
you to concentrate and focus on your training.
Before you do anything else, you need to have a
very detailed, very vivid, very clear picture
of what you are going to do in your workout.
Writing it down helps to create that picture.
Remember, Dinosaur Training is GOAL DIRECTED
TRAINING. You don't just go to the gym and
do stuff. You go to the gym with a definite
goal: to lift more weight than before, to
do more reps than before to add a work set,
to improve your technique in a complex lift
(such as a squat snatch, a dumbbell swing or
a bent press), to train with better focus and
greater concentration than ever before, to do
the same workout you did last time but do it
FASTER than before, etc.
The point is, you're always training with a
definite purpose. And writing it down helps
that process. Helps it more than you can
imagine.
Do I ever change what I do?
Absolutely. If I'm having an off day and nothing
is working the way it should, I go lighter than
planned.
If I'm having a great day, I may do more working
sets or I may go heavier in my working sets. I
may even go for a PR. Or (and pay attention,
because this is important), I may do exactly
what I had scheduled in my workout log and focus
on making every single rep as PERFECT as possible.
That's often a better confidence builder than
anything else you could do.
Start keeping a workout journal. It's a simple thing
to do -- but it's one of the secrets to getting great,
super-productive workouts!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today -- write it down! -- and make it
a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. As noted, the Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course will be shipping next week -- but
you can still get in the door and reserve a copy during
the pre-publication special -- which means you'll get a
special bonus when we fill your order:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- and
the world famous Dino Files newsletter -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it means something, write
it down!" -- Brooks Kubik
Frank Spellman: A Hero for the Ages!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Frank Spellman won a gold medal in weightlifting
at the 1948 Olympic Games. He was 26 years old.
He lifted in the 165 pound class.
By the way, he was lucky to be there. He fought
in the Army in World War II -- in the bloody
hedgerows of Normandy -- and one day the Germans
launched a surprise attack, and a German tank ran
right over Frank's fox-hole. "That was an exciting
day," he says.
But the Olympics were also exciting for Frank.
He went 9 for 9 that day, making 245 1/2, 253 1/2,
and 259 in the military press -- 248, 259 and
264 1/2 in the snatch, and 314 1/4, 330 1/2, and
336 in the clean and jerk.
He says "It was a perfect day. Everything went
perfect for me. I felt like I could do anything."
That's interesting because I've run a biorhythm
chart on Frank, and on the day he won the gold
medal he was in a triple low crossing pattern.
That should have given him one of the worst
days of his life. Go figure.
Fifteen years later, Frank lifted in his last
contest -- the United States Senior Nationals
in Santa Monica. At the of 40, he WON the
contest!
His lifts at the 1961 championships were 260 in
the press, 230 in the snatch and 310 in the
clean and jerk. Not quite what he lifted at
age 26, but pretty close.
After his last contest, Frank continued to
train, doing squats, bench press, curls,
dumbbell presses and deadlifts. He trained
hard, too. When he squatted, he did 8 sets
of 5 reps with a heavy weight.
At age 73, Frank was training in his garage
with two buddies (both 77 years of age). One
of his training partners began working out
at age 69. For squats, all he could handle
was a 20 pound bar. Five years later, at age
74, he was squatting 220 pounds!
Frank was doing pretty good, as well. His
workout at age 73 consisted of 3 x 10 in the
bench press with 150 pounds -- 3 x 10 in the
squat with 185 pounds -- 60 leg raises and
situps -- 20 calf raises with 70 pounds extra
weight -- 3 x 10 in the barbell curl with 80
pounds -- and one set of upright rows (pulling
the bar to eye-level) with 80 pounds.
Not very long ago, I interviewed Frank to
get his old-school training secrets for my
new Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.
In addition to covering his training for the
military press, we talked about his current
training.
Get this -- at the age of 89, Frank is still
training. He does leg press, seated press,
barbell curls and deadlifts. And he still trains
heavy -- for example, he does 1 x 10 in the
barbell curl with 60 pounds!
"It's an ego thing," he said. "I like having
big arms."
Frank still weighs in at 165 pounds -- his
competition weight when he won the Olympic gold
medal at age 26!
Two years ago, Frank hurt his back and had to
have surgery to remove two disks. His doctor
told him to stop lifting weights.
"I guess you didn't listen to him, did you?" I
said.
Frank chuckled.
"Well, you know what it's like -- if someone tells
an iron-head he can't do something, he takes it as
a challenge."
All of which makes Frank Spellman an American hero --
and an inspiration to Dinosaurs everywhere!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, pretend you're training with
Frank Spellman -- and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about Frank Spellman's training
in The Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. By the way, Frank Spellman trained with John
Davis at the South Phillie Weightlifting Club -- and
you can read all about it in Black Iron: The John
Davis Story:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 3. If you're an older trainee (age 35 and up),
here's the book that will keep you lifting for a long,
long time -- just like Frank Spellman:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Once a lifter, always
a lifter." -- Brooks Kubik
Frank Spellman won a gold medal in weightlifting
at the 1948 Olympic Games. He was 26 years old.
He lifted in the 165 pound class.
By the way, he was lucky to be there. He fought
in the Army in World War II -- in the bloody
hedgerows of Normandy -- and one day the Germans
launched a surprise attack, and a German tank ran
right over Frank's fox-hole. "That was an exciting
day," he says.
But the Olympics were also exciting for Frank.
He went 9 for 9 that day, making 245 1/2, 253 1/2,
and 259 in the military press -- 248, 259 and
264 1/2 in the snatch, and 314 1/4, 330 1/2, and
336 in the clean and jerk.
He says "It was a perfect day. Everything went
perfect for me. I felt like I could do anything."
That's interesting because I've run a biorhythm
chart on Frank, and on the day he won the gold
medal he was in a triple low crossing pattern.
That should have given him one of the worst
days of his life. Go figure.
Fifteen years later, Frank lifted in his last
contest -- the United States Senior Nationals
in Santa Monica. At the of 40, he WON the
contest!
His lifts at the 1961 championships were 260 in
the press, 230 in the snatch and 310 in the
clean and jerk. Not quite what he lifted at
age 26, but pretty close.
After his last contest, Frank continued to
train, doing squats, bench press, curls,
dumbbell presses and deadlifts. He trained
hard, too. When he squatted, he did 8 sets
of 5 reps with a heavy weight.
At age 73, Frank was training in his garage
with two buddies (both 77 years of age). One
of his training partners began working out
at age 69. For squats, all he could handle
was a 20 pound bar. Five years later, at age
74, he was squatting 220 pounds!
Frank was doing pretty good, as well. His
workout at age 73 consisted of 3 x 10 in the
bench press with 150 pounds -- 3 x 10 in the
squat with 185 pounds -- 60 leg raises and
situps -- 20 calf raises with 70 pounds extra
weight -- 3 x 10 in the barbell curl with 80
pounds -- and one set of upright rows (pulling
the bar to eye-level) with 80 pounds.
Not very long ago, I interviewed Frank to
get his old-school training secrets for my
new Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.
In addition to covering his training for the
military press, we talked about his current
training.
Get this -- at the age of 89, Frank is still
training. He does leg press, seated press,
barbell curls and deadlifts. And he still trains
heavy -- for example, he does 1 x 10 in the
barbell curl with 60 pounds!
"It's an ego thing," he said. "I like having
big arms."
Frank still weighs in at 165 pounds -- his
competition weight when he won the Olympic gold
medal at age 26!
Two years ago, Frank hurt his back and had to
have surgery to remove two disks. His doctor
told him to stop lifting weights.
"I guess you didn't listen to him, did you?" I
said.
Frank chuckled.
"Well, you know what it's like -- if someone tells
an iron-head he can't do something, he takes it as
a challenge."
All of which makes Frank Spellman an American hero --
and an inspiration to Dinosaurs everywhere!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, pretend you're training with
Frank Spellman -- and make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about Frank Spellman's training
in The Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. By the way, Frank Spellman trained with John
Davis at the South Phillie Weightlifting Club -- and
you can read all about it in Black Iron: The John
Davis Story:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 3. If you're an older trainee (age 35 and up),
here's the book that will keep you lifting for a long,
long time -- just like Frank Spellman:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Once a lifter, always
a lifter." -- Brooks Kubik
The Growing Machine!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of the ways to kick your training
into maximum overdrive is to try something
new.
And one of the best things to try is a
Dino-style power rack training program.
If you use it the right way, the power
rack is a growing machine!
I should know -- because power rack training
made me grow like nothing I'd ever tried.
In my late 20's, I weighed 180 pounds,
and was able to do a touch and go bench
press with 355 pounds any day of the week.
My best in competition (at a local meet
where they let us do a touch and go rather
than a paused lift), I did 365. That was
my best back then.
I did 315 x 5 in the squat. I don't recall
if I ever did singles in the squat back then.
I don't think. If I did, my top squat was about
the same as my bench press.
Try as I might, I could not increase any of
my lifts. The bench stayed the same for years --
and so did the squat -- and so did my bodyweight.
At about that point in time, the owner of the gym
asked a retired steel worker named Carl Flannigan
to build an extra big, extra heavy duty power rack
for the gym.
Carl, by the way, was nicknamed "Big Carl," and he
deserved the nickname. He was a mountain of a man,
and even in his late 60's he was handling huge
weights in partial movements on the leg press
machine and in quarter squats. And when he shook
hands with you, it felt like you were shaking hands
with a gorilla.
Anyhow, Carl built a MONSTER power rack -- and it
stood there unused by anyone other than Carl for
a very long long time.
And then one day i read an article about power rack
training, and decided to give it a try -- and so
I started to experiment with different ways of using
the power rack.
I soon discovered that much of what was written about
power rack training didn't work very well. But I also
discovered some unique twists on rack training that
worked GREAT.
And suddenly, I started to grow bigger and stronger.
My weight climbed up to 188 -- and then 193 -- and
then 198 -- 202 -- 207 -- 210 -- 220 and up to 225.
My bench shot up to a 400 pound touch and go lift --
and then a paused bench in competition with 396 --
which I later increased to 407 (in competition).
I started doing bottom position bench presses (starting
from a dead stop with the bar positioned on pins set
so it was just brushing my chest when I wedged myself
underneath it -- and worked up to 435 pounds using a
3" thick barbell.
And my squat increased way more than my bench press.
It went all the way up to 605 pounds for a single.
And it was all the result of heavy rack work -- or
rather, the result of heavy DINO-STYLE rack work.
I detail my favorite systems of power rack training
in two books:
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
If strength and power is your thing -- or if you're
looking to build some serious muscle mass in 2012 --
then give Dino-style power rack training a try. You
may find (as I did), that it works better than anything
else you've ever tried!
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 other books, courses, DVD's -- and sweatshirts
and hoodies (which are great for cold weather training --
are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a reason why they
call it the power rack." -- Brooks Kubik
One of the ways to kick your training
into maximum overdrive is to try something
new.
And one of the best things to try is a
Dino-style power rack training program.
If you use it the right way, the power
rack is a growing machine!
I should know -- because power rack training
made me grow like nothing I'd ever tried.
In my late 20's, I weighed 180 pounds,
and was able to do a touch and go bench
press with 355 pounds any day of the week.
My best in competition (at a local meet
where they let us do a touch and go rather
than a paused lift), I did 365. That was
my best back then.
I did 315 x 5 in the squat. I don't recall
if I ever did singles in the squat back then.
I don't think. If I did, my top squat was about
the same as my bench press.
Try as I might, I could not increase any of
my lifts. The bench stayed the same for years --
and so did the squat -- and so did my bodyweight.
At about that point in time, the owner of the gym
asked a retired steel worker named Carl Flannigan
to build an extra big, extra heavy duty power rack
for the gym.
Carl, by the way, was nicknamed "Big Carl," and he
deserved the nickname. He was a mountain of a man,
and even in his late 60's he was handling huge
weights in partial movements on the leg press
machine and in quarter squats. And when he shook
hands with you, it felt like you were shaking hands
with a gorilla.
Anyhow, Carl built a MONSTER power rack -- and it
stood there unused by anyone other than Carl for
a very long long time.
And then one day i read an article about power rack
training, and decided to give it a try -- and so
I started to experiment with different ways of using
the power rack.
I soon discovered that much of what was written about
power rack training didn't work very well. But I also
discovered some unique twists on rack training that
worked GREAT.
And suddenly, I started to grow bigger and stronger.
My weight climbed up to 188 -- and then 193 -- and
then 198 -- 202 -- 207 -- 210 -- 220 and up to 225.
My bench shot up to a 400 pound touch and go lift --
and then a paused bench in competition with 396 --
which I later increased to 407 (in competition).
I started doing bottom position bench presses (starting
from a dead stop with the bar positioned on pins set
so it was just brushing my chest when I wedged myself
underneath it -- and worked up to 435 pounds using a
3" thick barbell.
And my squat increased way more than my bench press.
It went all the way up to 605 pounds for a single.
And it was all the result of heavy rack work -- or
rather, the result of heavy DINO-STYLE rack work.
I detail my favorite systems of power rack training
in two books:
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
If strength and power is your thing -- or if you're
looking to build some serious muscle mass in 2012 --
then give Dino-style power rack training a try. You
may find (as I did), that it works better than anything
else you've ever tried!
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 other books, courses, DVD's -- and sweatshirts
and hoodies (which are great for cold weather training --
are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a reason why they
call it the power rack." -- Brooks Kubik
The Chalk and Sweat Phenomenon!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Something very interesting has happened over
the past couple of weeks. It ties into the
end of the old year and to the fact that in
December 2010 I launched a new book called
CHALK AND SWEAT, which gives readers a series
of 50 different workouts: 10 workouts for
beginners, 10 for intermediates, 10 for
advanced trainees, 10 leg specialization
programs and 10 back specialization programs.
I wrote the book for a very simple reason.
I get tons of emails with training questions,
and many of them are from:
1. Beginners who need a good workout and have
no idea how to put a program together -- and
who always do WAY TOO MUCH -- meaning too many
exercises,too many sets, and too many training
days per week.
2. Intermediates who try to do a more
advanced program than their bodies can handle.
3. Advanced men who get off track somehow (usually
as the result of too many muscle comics or too
much time reading about training on the internet)
and who are stuck in the dreaded STICKING POINT
zone.
4. Guys who want to build as much muscle and bulk
as fast as possible -- but don't know how to do it.
(Hint: leg and back specialization!)
I don't have time to give personal answers to
everyone who needs a good training program --
so I wrote a book that lays it all out and
gives enough variety that there's literally
"something for everyone."
So here's what happened, based on emails that have
come in the door over the past few weeks.
A number of readers grabbed a copy of CHALK AND
SWEAT back in December 2010 -- and started off
on one of the programs in the book at the beginning
of 2011 -- and trained on different programs from
the book over the course of the year -- and did
ALL of their training for the entire year using
programs from the book -- and then, at the end
of the year, they shoot me an email and say, "I
can't believe the gains I made over the past
year!"
Well, I can believe it.
As I said In Dinosaur Training: "Strength training
works!" You just have to do it RIGHT! And part of
"doing it right" is using the right kind of training
program -- a training program that is based on real
world, real life STUFF THAT WORKS rather than on
something some guy writes for a muscle comic because
he needs to make his deadline for the upcoming issue
and he needs to make it "new and different" because
that's what sells magazines.
And -- very important -- you need to follow a
program suited to your current level of
development.
The bottom line is this -- the idea of writing a
book that gives a series of progressively more
difficult training programs for Dinos was a GREAT
idea -- and there are a bunch of Dinos walking
around who are bigger and stronger today than
ever before -- and its the result of the
programs in the book -- including those
leg and back programs that seem to have worked
pretty darn well for everyone who tried them.
So, to everyone who ordered CHALK AND SWEAT and
gave the programs a try and got great results --
THANK YOU! And DOUBLE THANK YOU to everyone
who wrote in to report their results!
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 experience the CHALK AND SWEAT phenomenon
for yourself by grabbing a copy of the little monster
from the Dinosaur Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are
available at the usual place:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Most people don't plan
to fail; they fail to plan." -- John L. Beckley
Something very interesting has happened over
the past couple of weeks. It ties into the
end of the old year and to the fact that in
December 2010 I launched a new book called
CHALK AND SWEAT, which gives readers a series
of 50 different workouts: 10 workouts for
beginners, 10 for intermediates, 10 for
advanced trainees, 10 leg specialization
programs and 10 back specialization programs.
I wrote the book for a very simple reason.
I get tons of emails with training questions,
and many of them are from:
1. Beginners who need a good workout and have
no idea how to put a program together -- and
who always do WAY TOO MUCH -- meaning too many
exercises,too many sets, and too many training
days per week.
2. Intermediates who try to do a more
advanced program than their bodies can handle.
3. Advanced men who get off track somehow (usually
as the result of too many muscle comics or too
much time reading about training on the internet)
and who are stuck in the dreaded STICKING POINT
zone.
4. Guys who want to build as much muscle and bulk
as fast as possible -- but don't know how to do it.
(Hint: leg and back specialization!)
I don't have time to give personal answers to
everyone who needs a good training program --
so I wrote a book that lays it all out and
gives enough variety that there's literally
"something for everyone."
So here's what happened, based on emails that have
come in the door over the past few weeks.
A number of readers grabbed a copy of CHALK AND
SWEAT back in December 2010 -- and started off
on one of the programs in the book at the beginning
of 2011 -- and trained on different programs from
the book over the course of the year -- and did
ALL of their training for the entire year using
programs from the book -- and then, at the end
of the year, they shoot me an email and say, "I
can't believe the gains I made over the past
year!"
Well, I can believe it.
As I said In Dinosaur Training: "Strength training
works!" You just have to do it RIGHT! And part of
"doing it right" is using the right kind of training
program -- a training program that is based on real
world, real life STUFF THAT WORKS rather than on
something some guy writes for a muscle comic because
he needs to make his deadline for the upcoming issue
and he needs to make it "new and different" because
that's what sells magazines.
And -- very important -- you need to follow a
program suited to your current level of
development.
The bottom line is this -- the idea of writing a
book that gives a series of progressively more
difficult training programs for Dinos was a GREAT
idea -- and there are a bunch of Dinos walking
around who are bigger and stronger today than
ever before -- and its the result of the
programs in the book -- including those
leg and back programs that seem to have worked
pretty darn well for everyone who tried them.
So, to everyone who ordered CHALK AND SWEAT and
gave the programs a try and got great results --
THANK YOU! And DOUBLE THANK YOU to everyone
who wrote in to report their results!
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 experience the CHALK AND SWEAT phenomenon
for yourself by grabbing a copy of the little monster
from the Dinosaur Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are
available at the usual place:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Most people don't plan
to fail; they fail to plan." -- John L. Beckley
Lift It, Log It, Beat It!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A quick note, and then some training
talk!
In response to 20 bajillion emails so
far -- YES, I will be doing seminars in
the USA this year!
Details being worked out.
If you own a gym (or know someone who
does), and you want to book me for a
seminar, shoot me an email!
If you are interested in seeing a state-
side seminar, shoot me an email and let me
know what topics you'd like me to cover,
where you live and where you could travel
easily to attend a Dino seminar!
And now -- let's talk training!
We're 9 days into the New Year, and I've
had some great workouts. I've already set
several new PR's -- and for a lifter, PR's
are the name of the game!
Let me explain how that happens.
I keep track of PR's on several different
levels:
1. All-time (lifetime) best at any bodyweight.
2. All-time (lifetime) best at a given
bodyweight.
3. Best ever at age 40 and above.
4. Best ever at age 50 and above.
5. Best ever at age 55 and above.
6. Best ever for age and bodyweight,
using the age-adjusted formula they use
in Master's weightlifting competition.
7. PR's for singles.
8. PR's for doubles.
9. PR's for three singles or three doubles.
10. PR's for five singles or five doubles.
11. Best for January, 2012.
12. Best for the year in 2012.
Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.
The point is, I keep meticulous records -- and
I've done so for along time -- and so I have a
very good idea of how TODAY's workout compares
to the same session last week -- or last year --
or five years ago. And that gives me all sorts
of different ways to compare how I'm doing today
to how I did in the past.
Some variation of this system -- keeping careful
records, charting your progress, and measuring
your current best against your previous best --
is CRITICAL. In fact, it's one of the most
important things you can do to get better
results from your training.
So to make 2012 the best year ever for strength
and muscle gains, do this:
1. Lift it.
2. Log it.
3. Beat it.
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. Get 2012 started off on the right foot with
some serious info on real world, no nonsense Dino-
style strength training and muscle building:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Make training a habit,
and stick to it as long as you live." -- Brooks Kubik
A quick note, and then some training
talk!
In response to 20 bajillion emails so
far -- YES, I will be doing seminars in
the USA this year!
Details being worked out.
If you own a gym (or know someone who
does), and you want to book me for a
seminar, shoot me an email!
If you are interested in seeing a state-
side seminar, shoot me an email and let me
know what topics you'd like me to cover,
where you live and where you could travel
easily to attend a Dino seminar!
And now -- let's talk training!
We're 9 days into the New Year, and I've
had some great workouts. I've already set
several new PR's -- and for a lifter, PR's
are the name of the game!
Let me explain how that happens.
I keep track of PR's on several different
levels:
1. All-time (lifetime) best at any bodyweight.
2. All-time (lifetime) best at a given
bodyweight.
3. Best ever at age 40 and above.
4. Best ever at age 50 and above.
5. Best ever at age 55 and above.
6. Best ever for age and bodyweight,
using the age-adjusted formula they use
in Master's weightlifting competition.
7. PR's for singles.
8. PR's for doubles.
9. PR's for three singles or three doubles.
10. PR's for five singles or five doubles.
11. Best for January, 2012.
12. Best for the year in 2012.
Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.
The point is, I keep meticulous records -- and
I've done so for along time -- and so I have a
very good idea of how TODAY's workout compares
to the same session last week -- or last year --
or five years ago. And that gives me all sorts
of different ways to compare how I'm doing today
to how I did in the past.
Some variation of this system -- keeping careful
records, charting your progress, and measuring
your current best against your previous best --
is CRITICAL. In fact, it's one of the most
important things you can do to get better
results from your training.
So to make 2012 the best year ever for strength
and muscle gains, do this:
1. Lift it.
2. Log it.
3. Beat it.
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. Get 2012 started off on the right foot with
some serious info on real world, no nonsense Dino-
style strength training and muscle building:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Make training a habit,
and stick to it as long as you live." -- Brooks Kubik
Big Breaking News -- A Dinosaur Training Seminar in London!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Big breaking news.
As in, HUGE breaking news.
If you live in the UK -- or anywhere
in Europe -- mark June 9 and 10 on
your calendar -- and get yourself to
London -- because I'm going to be
there for a big new seminar with
kettlebelll guru Mike Hahler and UK
strength coaches CJ Swaby and Sabina
Skala.
For details, head over to Mike Mahler's
website and read all about it -- and then
go ahead and sign up.
We're running all the sign-ups through
Mike's website, so don't look for a
sign-up page at my website --
look for it here, at Mike Mahler's
site:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
IMPORTANT!
The only way to make a seminar like this work
for everyone who attends is to limit the number
of attendees -- so that's what we're going to have
to do.
Mike has done seminars in the UK by himself, and
has filled them up VERY QUICKLY -- and with the
four of us working as a team, we expect the
seminar to fill up faster than you can say
goodbye to a banana tree when King Kong comes
walking by.
So if you want to get in the door, it's time
to take immediate action!
All the best, and I hope to see as many UK and
European Dinos as possible in June!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. North American readers are going to be
asking, "What about us?" Don't worry -- we'll
take care of you, too -- it's just a matter of
pinning down the details. But for tight now,
let's focus on London -- June 9 and 10. Be
there!
Big breaking news.
As in, HUGE breaking news.
If you live in the UK -- or anywhere
in Europe -- mark June 9 and 10 on
your calendar -- and get yourself to
London -- because I'm going to be
there for a big new seminar with
kettlebelll guru Mike Hahler and UK
strength coaches CJ Swaby and Sabina
Skala.
For details, head over to Mike Mahler's
website and read all about it -- and then
go ahead and sign up.
We're running all the sign-ups through
Mike's website, so don't look for a
sign-up page at my website --
look for it here, at Mike Mahler's
site:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
IMPORTANT!
The only way to make a seminar like this work
for everyone who attends is to limit the number
of attendees -- so that's what we're going to have
to do.
Mike has done seminars in the UK by himself, and
has filled them up VERY QUICKLY -- and with the
four of us working as a team, we expect the
seminar to fill up faster than you can say
goodbye to a banana tree when King Kong comes
walking by.
So if you want to get in the door, it's time
to take immediate action!
All the best, and I hope to see as many UK and
European Dinos as possible in June!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. North American readers are going to be
asking, "What about us?" Don't worry -- we'll
take care of you, too -- it's just a matter of
pinning down the details. But for tight now,
let's focus on London -- June 9 and 10. Be
there!
Focus on the Important Things!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
When I was 11 years old, I joined
the Boy Scouts, and became a full-
fledged camping nut.
I used to get mail order catalogs
of camping gear -- such as the LL Bean
catalog, which was nothing but serious
camping, hiking, hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear back then -- and I
would go through them carefully and
make long lists of everything I wanted
to take on my next camping trip.
Pup tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth,
lantern, flashlight, survival kit with
waterproof matches, Hudson Bay style 3/4
axe, hatchet, pocket knife, hunting knife,
fishing knife, rope, fishing line, fish
hooks, mess kit, bow and arrows, targets,
canteen, folding wood saw, knapsack,
knapsack frame, tump-line, canoe paddles,
dehydrated rations, sterno, more matches,
beef jerky, pemmican, aluminum foil for
cooking, camp shovel, string -- it was a
pretty long list.
Of course, I could only afford a couple
of things, but I still jammed that knapsack
full of all kinds of important, necessary
and downright critical gear.
I put the thing on my back and almost fell
to the ground. It was HEAVY!
Needless to say, I only used about five
percent of the stuff I lugged around.
The Scoutmaster knew his stuff.
he didn't say anything to the new scouts,
but let us stagger off into the woods with
ten times more stuff than we needed.
Then he let us camp for the weekend, pack
up and stagger back home.
And then he told us the secret.
"When you get home, empty everything out of
your knapsack and make three piles," he said.
"The first pile is for the stuff you never
used at all. That will be the biggest pile."
We nodded. he was right.
"The second pile is for stuff you used once
during the entire weekend. That will be a
fairly big pile, as well."
Again, we nodded.
"The third pile is the stuff you used more
than once. It will be a pretty small pile."
Once again, he was right.
"The next time we go camping, just take the
stuff in pile no. 3. It's all you need."
So that's what we did -- and guess what? He
was right.
There's a parallel to strength training.
Like tenderfoot campers who always take too
much unnecessary gear and end up exhausting
themselves lugging it around, tenderfoot
exercisers always try to do too many
exercises and end up exhausting themselves.
If they're lucky, they finally learn the
secret:
1. You don't need very many different
exercises.
2. You don't need to perform endless sets
and reps.
3. You don't need to spend hours and hours
in the gym.
4. You don't need to train every day.
5. The important thing is QUALITY TRAINING --
which means working hard and heavy on the
important exercises and then stopping, going
home and getting rested for your next workout.
6. Less is more. Do less but do it better.
7. Use abbreviated training programs that allow
you to focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.
So if you want to make 2012 the best year ever
for building strength and muscle, focus on the
important stuff -- the exercises that count.
Drop everything else, and devote yourself to
QUALITY TRAINING -- and you won't believe the
results!
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. There's still time to order my new Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course and get the special
pre-publication bonus. You can find it right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Last week I mentioned that we have Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training DVD's. We don't have a sales
page for them yet -- but if you're interested,
shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to place
an order for them.
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wherever you train,
and whatever equipment is available, make the most
of it!" -- Brooks Kubik
When I was 11 years old, I joined
the Boy Scouts, and became a full-
fledged camping nut.
I used to get mail order catalogs
of camping gear -- such as the LL Bean
catalog, which was nothing but serious
camping, hiking, hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear back then -- and I
would go through them carefully and
make long lists of everything I wanted
to take on my next camping trip.
Pup tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth,
lantern, flashlight, survival kit with
waterproof matches, Hudson Bay style 3/4
axe, hatchet, pocket knife, hunting knife,
fishing knife, rope, fishing line, fish
hooks, mess kit, bow and arrows, targets,
canteen, folding wood saw, knapsack,
knapsack frame, tump-line, canoe paddles,
dehydrated rations, sterno, more matches,
beef jerky, pemmican, aluminum foil for
cooking, camp shovel, string -- it was a
pretty long list.
Of course, I could only afford a couple
of things, but I still jammed that knapsack
full of all kinds of important, necessary
and downright critical gear.
I put the thing on my back and almost fell
to the ground. It was HEAVY!
Needless to say, I only used about five
percent of the stuff I lugged around.
The Scoutmaster knew his stuff.
he didn't say anything to the new scouts,
but let us stagger off into the woods with
ten times more stuff than we needed.
Then he let us camp for the weekend, pack
up and stagger back home.
And then he told us the secret.
"When you get home, empty everything out of
your knapsack and make three piles," he said.
"The first pile is for the stuff you never
used at all. That will be the biggest pile."
We nodded. he was right.
"The second pile is for stuff you used once
during the entire weekend. That will be a
fairly big pile, as well."
Again, we nodded.
"The third pile is the stuff you used more
than once. It will be a pretty small pile."
Once again, he was right.
"The next time we go camping, just take the
stuff in pile no. 3. It's all you need."
So that's what we did -- and guess what? He
was right.
There's a parallel to strength training.
Like tenderfoot campers who always take too
much unnecessary gear and end up exhausting
themselves lugging it around, tenderfoot
exercisers always try to do too many
exercises and end up exhausting themselves.
If they're lucky, they finally learn the
secret:
1. You don't need very many different
exercises.
2. You don't need to perform endless sets
and reps.
3. You don't need to spend hours and hours
in the gym.
4. You don't need to train every day.
5. The important thing is QUALITY TRAINING --
which means working hard and heavy on the
important exercises and then stopping, going
home and getting rested for your next workout.
6. Less is more. Do less but do it better.
7. Use abbreviated training programs that allow
you to focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.
So if you want to make 2012 the best year ever
for building strength and muscle, focus on the
important stuff -- the exercises that count.
Drop everything else, and devote yourself to
QUALITY TRAINING -- and you won't believe the
results!
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. There's still time to order my new Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course and get the special
pre-publication bonus. You can find it right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Last week I mentioned that we have Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training DVD's. We don't have a sales
page for them yet -- but if you're interested,
shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to place
an order for them.
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wherever you train,
and whatever equipment is available, make the most
of it!" -- Brooks Kubik
Gold Medal Training Advice for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Yesterday I mentioned that I found
some new information about John Grimek's
secret exercise for military pressing --
and that I've worked it into my new
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.
I also wanted to let you know that the
course contains some Gold Medal training
advice -- because I've interviewed some
Olympic Gold medal winners and former
Olympic and World record holders -- and
I've gotten the inside information
on how they trained the press and how
they believe YOU should be training
the press!
And you can't do better than that --
actual training advice and tips on how
to build pressing power from men who
were the BEST IN THE WORLD.
If that doesn't take your pressing
power to the next level, then I don't
know what will.
Adding the additional material has
slowed things down a bit, and the
course won't be shipping until (most
likely) late next week -- but when it
ships, it's going to be as detailed,
as complete and as helpful as I can
make it.
Working on the course has me so excited
that I've been burning things up out in
the garage during my workouts -- and I
think you're going to have the same
reaction when you read it.
I also think the course is going to help
usher in a new era of lifting -- a return
to those old-school workouts where a
lifter stepped up to the bar -- cleaned
it -- stood tall -- and pressed it
overhead.
Good old-fashioned, stand on your feet,
ground-based strength training.
You gotta love it -- and you gotta do
it. And the new course is going to teach
you how to do it like the champions.
Anyhow, if you've not yet reserved your
copy of the new course, do it now during
our pre-publication special. That way,
you get a special bonus when we fill the
orders.
In the meantime -- hit it hard when you
train, and plan to make 2012 your very
best year ever for building some serious
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. Go here to reserve your copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For other Dinosaur training books,
courses and DVD's, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good.
Stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik
Yesterday I mentioned that I found
some new information about John Grimek's
secret exercise for military pressing --
and that I've worked it into my new
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.
I also wanted to let you know that the
course contains some Gold Medal training
advice -- because I've interviewed some
Olympic Gold medal winners and former
Olympic and World record holders -- and
I've gotten the inside information
on how they trained the press and how
they believe YOU should be training
the press!
And you can't do better than that --
actual training advice and tips on how
to build pressing power from men who
were the BEST IN THE WORLD.
If that doesn't take your pressing
power to the next level, then I don't
know what will.
Adding the additional material has
slowed things down a bit, and the
course won't be shipping until (most
likely) late next week -- but when it
ships, it's going to be as detailed,
as complete and as helpful as I can
make it.
Working on the course has me so excited
that I've been burning things up out in
the garage during my workouts -- and I
think you're going to have the same
reaction when you read it.
I also think the course is going to help
usher in a new era of lifting -- a return
to those old-school workouts where a
lifter stepped up to the bar -- cleaned
it -- stood tall -- and pressed it
overhead.
Good old-fashioned, stand on your feet,
ground-based strength training.
You gotta love it -- and you gotta do
it. And the new course is going to teach
you how to do it like the champions.
Anyhow, if you've not yet reserved your
copy of the new course, do it now during
our pre-publication special. That way,
you get a special bonus when we fill the
orders.
In the meantime -- hit it hard when you
train, and plan to make 2012 your very
best year ever for building some serious
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. Go here to reserve your copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For other Dinosaur training books,
courses and DVD's, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good.
Stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik
John Grimek's Secret Exercise
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Over the past 45 years -- and wow, that's
nearly half a century -- I've read an awful
lot about building strength and muscle.
But two weeks ago I read something new --
and I learned something I'd never known
before.
John Grimek had a secret exercise to build
pressing power.
He divulged the secret in 1950 or 51 --
and an Iron Game author wrote it down and
reported it in an obscure little publication
which hardly anyone read -- and it wasn't
reported anywhere else (or rather, the
exercise was described here and here,
but NOT the fact that Grimek found it to
be so remarkably effective.
"I could have pressed 400 pounds," said
Grimek.
Now, to give you some perspective, when
Grimek was lifting (the mid-1930's to 1940
or 1941), the World record in the Heavyweight
class in the military press was somewhere
around 320 pounds.
Paul Anderson was the first man to press 400
pounds -- and he did it in the mid 1950's.
But here was Grimek, calmly reporting that
he could have gotten his press to 400 pounds --
at a bodyweight of around 200 pounds -- way
back in the Thirties.
His problem, he explained, was the clean. He
could press more than he could clean. And he
knew he could never get his clean to 400
pounds.
So he lost interest in his pressing program
and his secret exercise, and focused on other
things.
When I read this, I went back and worked
Grimek's secret exercise into my new Military
Press course. That and some other additions
(and more photos) made everything run a little
longer than planned, and so it won't be printed
and shipped until sometime next week -- probably
near the end of the week. But it's going to be
BETTER than I thought it would be -- and it's
going to give you John Grimek's secret exercise
for the press.
So if you already reserved your copy of the
Military Press course, you're in for a real
treat -- and if you didn't already reserve it,
sign up now and be sure to get the
pre-publication bonus when we ship your
order:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
In the meantime, I'm back to work on about thirty
dozen different things -- but every once in a
while I stop and think: "I wonder what would have
happened if Grimek had kept up with that special
pressing program?"
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 other books, courses and DVD's are right
here. Remember, you can save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Look back for knowledge,
and look forward for results." -- Brooks Kubik
Over the past 45 years -- and wow, that's
nearly half a century -- I've read an awful
lot about building strength and muscle.
But two weeks ago I read something new --
and I learned something I'd never known
before.
John Grimek had a secret exercise to build
pressing power.
He divulged the secret in 1950 or 51 --
and an Iron Game author wrote it down and
reported it in an obscure little publication
which hardly anyone read -- and it wasn't
reported anywhere else (or rather, the
exercise was described here and here,
but NOT the fact that Grimek found it to
be so remarkably effective.
"I could have pressed 400 pounds," said
Grimek.
Now, to give you some perspective, when
Grimek was lifting (the mid-1930's to 1940
or 1941), the World record in the Heavyweight
class in the military press was somewhere
around 320 pounds.
Paul Anderson was the first man to press 400
pounds -- and he did it in the mid 1950's.
But here was Grimek, calmly reporting that
he could have gotten his press to 400 pounds --
at a bodyweight of around 200 pounds -- way
back in the Thirties.
His problem, he explained, was the clean. He
could press more than he could clean. And he
knew he could never get his clean to 400
pounds.
So he lost interest in his pressing program
and his secret exercise, and focused on other
things.
When I read this, I went back and worked
Grimek's secret exercise into my new Military
Press course. That and some other additions
(and more photos) made everything run a little
longer than planned, and so it won't be printed
and shipped until sometime next week -- probably
near the end of the week. But it's going to be
BETTER than I thought it would be -- and it's
going to give you John Grimek's secret exercise
for the press.
So if you already reserved your copy of the
Military Press course, you're in for a real
treat -- and if you didn't already reserve it,
sign up now and be sure to get the
pre-publication bonus when we ship your
order:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
In the meantime, I'm back to work on about thirty
dozen different things -- but every once in a
while I stop and think: "I wonder what would have
happened if Grimek had kept up with that special
pressing program?"
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 other books, courses and DVD's are right
here. Remember, you can save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Look back for knowledge,
and look forward for results." -- Brooks Kubik
10 Tips for Building Strength and Muscle!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Let me share 10 tips for building strength
and muscle. Some of them may be familiar to
you, and some may be new -- but they're all
good to keep "top of the mind" as you go
into the new year:
1. To Gain Mass, Build Strength.
If you want to get bigger, add weight to the
bar. If you get stronger -- and I mean MUCH
STRONGER -- you'll increase your muscle mass.
2. Concentrate on Leg and Back Training.
Leg and back training stimulates gains in
strength and muscle throughout the entire body.
You don't get big by doing endless sets of arm
exercises!
3. Maximize Your Recovery!
Your muscles don't gain strength and mass during
a workout. The purpose of a workout is stimulate
gains in strength and muscle mass. After that
happens, you need to REST -- meaning that you
don't train for at least 48 hours. During the
rest period, your body recovers form the workout
and over-compensates by growing a little bit
bigger and stronger.
4. Don't Skip Your Warmups!
A good 10 or 15 minute warmup will get you ready
for a great workout. Get into the warmup habit
NOW! (Note: This is especially important for
older lifters.)
5. Stand on Your Feet!
The best and most effective exercises are ones
where you stand on your feet and lift. (Squats,
front squats, deadlifts, Trap Bar deadlifts,
presses, etc.) 90% of your training should be
"ground-based" training (meaning, you should be
standing on your feet, not sitting down or lying
on a bench).
6. Thick Bars!
Use thick bars to build ferocious gripping power!
7. Sandbags, Etc!
Heavy awkward objects -- sandbags, barrels, kegs,
rocks, logs, etc. -- give your muscles a unique
challenge. Work them into your program from time
to time.
8. Expect to Succeed!
Your mind controls what happens to your body -- and
if you go into your workouts expecting great results,
it will happen.
9. Concentrate!
When you train, you must give every rep of every
exercise your total, complete, absolute, undivided
attention. Block out everything else. Focus ONLY on
the rep. The gym could catch on fire and you wouldn't
know it until your set was over!
10. Perfect Form!
Exercises are designed to be done one particular way --
the right way! Anything less than perfect form will
reduce your results. Always aim for perfection on
every single rep -- even your warmups!
So there you are -- 10 tips for strength training and
muscle building. Keep them top of mind for 2012 --
and make this year the very best training year ever!
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 details on effective strength training
and muscle building, grab any of my books and courses --
or my DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. If you've not already done so, be sure to reserve
your copy of the new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If at first you do succeed,
harder work is what you need." -- Bob Hoffman
Let me share 10 tips for building strength
and muscle. Some of them may be familiar to
you, and some may be new -- but they're all
good to keep "top of the mind" as you go
into the new year:
1. To Gain Mass, Build Strength.
If you want to get bigger, add weight to the
bar. If you get stronger -- and I mean MUCH
STRONGER -- you'll increase your muscle mass.
2. Concentrate on Leg and Back Training.
Leg and back training stimulates gains in
strength and muscle throughout the entire body.
You don't get big by doing endless sets of arm
exercises!
3. Maximize Your Recovery!
Your muscles don't gain strength and mass during
a workout. The purpose of a workout is stimulate
gains in strength and muscle mass. After that
happens, you need to REST -- meaning that you
don't train for at least 48 hours. During the
rest period, your body recovers form the workout
and over-compensates by growing a little bit
bigger and stronger.
4. Don't Skip Your Warmups!
A good 10 or 15 minute warmup will get you ready
for a great workout. Get into the warmup habit
NOW! (Note: This is especially important for
older lifters.)
5. Stand on Your Feet!
The best and most effective exercises are ones
where you stand on your feet and lift. (Squats,
front squats, deadlifts, Trap Bar deadlifts,
presses, etc.) 90% of your training should be
"ground-based" training (meaning, you should be
standing on your feet, not sitting down or lying
on a bench).
6. Thick Bars!
Use thick bars to build ferocious gripping power!
7. Sandbags, Etc!
Heavy awkward objects -- sandbags, barrels, kegs,
rocks, logs, etc. -- give your muscles a unique
challenge. Work them into your program from time
to time.
8. Expect to Succeed!
Your mind controls what happens to your body -- and
if you go into your workouts expecting great results,
it will happen.
9. Concentrate!
When you train, you must give every rep of every
exercise your total, complete, absolute, undivided
attention. Block out everything else. Focus ONLY on
the rep. The gym could catch on fire and you wouldn't
know it until your set was over!
10. Perfect Form!
Exercises are designed to be done one particular way --
the right way! Anything less than perfect form will
reduce your results. Always aim for perfection on
every single rep -- even your warmups!
So there you are -- 10 tips for strength training and
muscle building. Keep them top of mind for 2012 --
and make this year the very best training year ever!
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 details on effective strength training
and muscle building, grab any of my books and courses --
or my DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. If you've not already done so, be sure to reserve
your copy of the new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If at first you do succeed,
harder work is what you need." -- Bob Hoffman
The Success Habit!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're starting a New Year, and everyone
is thinking about how to make it the very
best year ever.
In strength training, one of the keys to
a great year -- a year full of great gains
in strength, muscle and power -- is to get
into the Success Habit.
But instead -- most people jump right into
the Failure Habit -- and as a result, they
sabotage their training for the rest of
the year.
Here's what I mean.
To get into the Success Habit:
1. Outline a simple, abbreviated workout.
2. Start with relatively light weights so
you can easily make every rep of every set
in PERFECT form.
3. Follow a progression system where you
gradually train harder and heavier -- but
you do it at a slow, steady rate that allows
you to continue to do every rep of every set
in PERFECT form -- with NO misses!
3A. For example: start by doing 4 x 5
progressively heavier warm-ups and 3 x 5 work
sets. Add ONE rep per workout to each work set
until you are doing 3 x 7 or 3 x 8. The add 5
pounds to the bar, drop back to 3 x 5 working
sets, and build back up by adding ONE rep per
workout.
When you train this way, you make every
workout a successful workout. You never miss.
You never have a "bad" workout.
As a result, you start to expect to make every
workout a success. In other words, you have
developed the Success Habit.
But what do most people do?
They outline an impossibly long and difficult
workout -- and they start with the heaviest
weights they can handle -- and they drive
themselves to utter exhaustion -- and they
burn out in a week or two -- and they start
to miss reps -- or they have to cheat to get
their reps -- and then they miss even when
they're cheating -- and WHAM -- they're
trapped in the Failure habit and we're not
even out of January!
So there's two ways to do it:
1. You can train progressively, with slow but
steady gains and consciously cultivate the
Success Habit.
OR
2. You can jump right into the hardest, heaviest,
most difficult, most demanding workout imaginable,
feel like a hero for a day or two and then go into
Crash and Burn Mode.
It's your choice -- but I've done both, and I know
which one I'm going to choose for 2012!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are seven keys to staying on course --
and making each and very workout in 2012 a real
success:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development (the book that started the Dinosaur
Revolution):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron (mandatory reading for
anyone over the age of 35 -- and pretty darn good for
younger lifters, as well):
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Strength, Muscle and Power (abbreviated training,
program design, specialization programs, ultra-
abbreviated workouts, power rack training, rest
pause training, lugging and loading, thick bars,
mind-power, Iron Game history, grip blasters and
more):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (50 detailed training programs
for lifters of all levels):
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training (for the best in
no-nonsense bodyweight workouts):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
6. Dinosaur Training DVD's (grab the whole set --
and get ready for some serious lifting and some
serious training instruction):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
7. Dinosaur Training Courses (Doug Hepburn's Training,
Dinosaur Arm Training and the Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course):
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
We're starting a New Year, and everyone
is thinking about how to make it the very
best year ever.
In strength training, one of the keys to
a great year -- a year full of great gains
in strength, muscle and power -- is to get
into the Success Habit.
But instead -- most people jump right into
the Failure Habit -- and as a result, they
sabotage their training for the rest of
the year.
Here's what I mean.
To get into the Success Habit:
1. Outline a simple, abbreviated workout.
2. Start with relatively light weights so
you can easily make every rep of every set
in PERFECT form.
3. Follow a progression system where you
gradually train harder and heavier -- but
you do it at a slow, steady rate that allows
you to continue to do every rep of every set
in PERFECT form -- with NO misses!
3A. For example: start by doing 4 x 5
progressively heavier warm-ups and 3 x 5 work
sets. Add ONE rep per workout to each work set
until you are doing 3 x 7 or 3 x 8. The add 5
pounds to the bar, drop back to 3 x 5 working
sets, and build back up by adding ONE rep per
workout.
When you train this way, you make every
workout a successful workout. You never miss.
You never have a "bad" workout.
As a result, you start to expect to make every
workout a success. In other words, you have
developed the Success Habit.
But what do most people do?
They outline an impossibly long and difficult
workout -- and they start with the heaviest
weights they can handle -- and they drive
themselves to utter exhaustion -- and they
burn out in a week or two -- and they start
to miss reps -- or they have to cheat to get
their reps -- and then they miss even when
they're cheating -- and WHAM -- they're
trapped in the Failure habit and we're not
even out of January!
So there's two ways to do it:
1. You can train progressively, with slow but
steady gains and consciously cultivate the
Success Habit.
OR
2. You can jump right into the hardest, heaviest,
most difficult, most demanding workout imaginable,
feel like a hero for a day or two and then go into
Crash and Burn Mode.
It's your choice -- but I've done both, and I know
which one I'm going to choose for 2012!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are seven keys to staying on course --
and making each and very workout in 2012 a real
success:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development (the book that started the Dinosaur
Revolution):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron (mandatory reading for
anyone over the age of 35 -- and pretty darn good for
younger lifters, as well):
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Strength, Muscle and Power (abbreviated training,
program design, specialization programs, ultra-
abbreviated workouts, power rack training, rest
pause training, lugging and loading, thick bars,
mind-power, Iron Game history, grip blasters and
more):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (50 detailed training programs
for lifters of all levels):
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training (for the best in
no-nonsense bodyweight workouts):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
6. Dinosaur Training DVD's (grab the whole set --
and get ready for some serious lifting and some
serious training instruction):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
7. Dinosaur Training Courses (Doug Hepburn's Training,
Dinosaur Arm Training and the Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course):
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
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