Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Some research company crunched a bunch of
numbers the other day and came up with a
list of 200 jobs rated from best to worst.
The top rated jobs tend to be tech jobs
where you sit inside and work in front of
a computer screen all day. That got a high
rating because you were in a pleasant work
environment (i.e., inside a modern office
building) and you had a job that involved
little or no physical demands.
The worst-rated job -- the one that was LAST
on the list -- no. 200 -- was pretty amazing.
It was -- get this -- working as a lumberjack!
Why was being a lumberjack rated as the worst
of all jobs?
According to the folks who did the study, it
was because of two things:
1. You were working outside all day.
2. The job required lots of strenuous physical
labor.
Apparently, working outside is a BAD thing --
and strenuous physical labor is also BAD. At
least, that's the way the research company
looked at things.
And that made me think what would happen if
the same research monkeys rated different types
of training programs.
The top-rated workouts would be the easy ones --
the ones where you didn't strain, and didn't
break a sweat. Some form of low intensity, low
impact meditation would probably get the number
one rating.
You'd train in a high-tech, modern gym, with
nothing but chrome-plated, plushly padded
exercise machines. The machines would
be computerized. And yes, there would be
plenty of soft music and your favorite
television show on the big screen plasma TV
in the cardio theater entertainment center.
You'd have personal trainers to tell you what
to do. They'd even count the reps for you to
maske sure you didn't lose count and overdo
things -- -- and they'd be quick to tell you
to "Stop!" if it looked like you might be
getting tired.
From there, we'd move on to the typical bunny
blasting you see at pumper-toner gyms -- and
that would get fairly high ratings -- and
gradually we'd get to things the research
company wouldn't like very much.
Things like strongman training.
Grip training.
Kettlebells.
Heavy dumbbell training.
Olympic weightlifting.
Powerlifting.
Breathing squats.
Death sets.
Old-school bodybuilding the way men like John
Grimek and Reg Park did it.
Anything involving thick handled barbells and
dumbbells.
Anything that causes plenty of "puffing,
panting and perspiring" (to quote Bob Hoffman,
who had the audacity to suggest that the THREE
P's were a sign of a good workout).
And, of course, anything where you train
outside for some or part of your workout would
get severely low marks from the research dudes.
Go around the block with a heavy sandbag or
some heavy dumbbells and you'd end up in the
bottom ten for sure. Maybe even the bottom five.
Dinosaur Training would be at the very bottom
of the list -- just like being a lumberjack is
at the bottom of the jobs list.
And for similar reasons.
"Too hard," they'd say.
"Requires strenuous effort."
"Physically and mentally demanding."
"Requires concentration, focus and determination."
"Tends to be performed in old-school, primitive
training quarters. May even be performed in a
garage -- or a basement -- or in your backyard!"
"No chrome!"
"No mirrors!"
"No personal trainers!"
"Forces you to count your own reps!"
"Builds dangerous, unsightly muscles."
"Strengthens tendons and ligaments."
"Very expensive, because you may need to buy more
barbell plates."
"Tends to be performed by fashion-challenged
individuals who do not wear color-coordinated
designer label workout clothes."
And worst of all:
"May lead to rapid gains in strength, muscle
and power!"
So I guess we all should be feeling pretty bad.
Our training system is going to be rated 200 out
of 200! The worst of the worst!
And if you don't believe me, just ask the research
monkeys!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My books and courses are right here -- from
DINOSAUR TRAINING to CHALK AND SWEAT to GRAY HAIR
AND BLACK IRON to DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING to
STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER -- and more:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. We'll be mailing the new John Grimek
course very soon -- so if you want to reserve a
copy and grab the special bonuses, you need
to move fast:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train for strength,
eat for health and live for life." -- Brooks Kubik
