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
