Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I want to begin by thanking everyone
who shot in a response to my question
about a book (or a book and DVD) on
Dumbbell Training.
I try to make my books and courses as
interesting and useful as possible --
so it really helps to get your thoughts
and feedback.
And there's been some GREAT feedback.
One reader suggested that I talk about
a particular lifter who was famous for
his dumbbell lifting many and many years
ago. I probably wouldn't have included
him -- but now I will. So that's how it
works. (Thanks, Bill!)
Another reader suggested a particular
twist on an old-school exercise. Once
again, it was something that probably
wouldn't have made it in -- but it was
a good exercise, a good suggestion, and
it's going to go in. Again, that's how
it works. (Thanks, Don!)
And even if you didn't suggest anything
particular for the book, your feedback
was very important. When I ask if you're
interested in something, I really need
to know. There are so many different
things I could be covering that I need
to know what YOU want -- and so I ask --
and I pay close attention to the
responses.
If there's a lot of interest, we'll do
it -- and if there's not, we'll do
something else.
So to everyone who shot in a response about
the Dumbbell book (or DVD) -- THANK YOU!
On the training front, I've been getting
lots of questions about training for older
lifters. For some reason, many of them have
been something along the lines of "Is it
possible to build strength and muscle
after age 40 (or 50, or 60, or whatever)?"
Here's the honest answer:
1. The bad news: The older you are, the harder
it is to build strength and muscle.
2. The good news: The older you are, the more
your training will improve and enhance your
life.
2A. You don't need to be an Olympic class
athlete at age 50 or 60. You need to be strong,
lean, healthy and fit. Regular training and a
good diet is what will get you there -- and
keep you there.
3. If you are a newbie, no matter what your age,
you can make some very very good gains.
4. If you are an experienced lifter -- with 20,
30, 40 or 50 years of training under your
belt -- you're not going to make spectacular
gains. But you ARE going to find it relatively
easy to stay in great shape with regular workouts.
5. Very important: Most older lifters find that
they enjoy their workouts more and more as they
get older. I'm not sure why that is. It may be
that as you get older you tend to realize that
some things in life (such as training) are
more important than other things (such as
chasing wampum or trying to one-up the
neighbors). Or maybe it's just fun to be
stronger and better conditioned than most
men half your age.
Thirty years ago, when I was a young lawyer,
I had a case against an older lawyer who was
in his late 80's or early 90's. He had been
trying cases for more than 60 years. he could
have retired two or three decades earlier, but
he enjoyed trying cases and so he kept on doing
it.
I remember what he said to me one day:
"I'd rather try a case to a jury than eat
steak."
That's how many (perhaps most) older lifters feel
about their training.
"I'd rather hit the iron (or a hard bodyweight
workout) than eat steak."
Of course, it doesn't have to be one or the other.
You can go out and train and then treat yourself
to a nice rare steak (with a fresh salad and some
cooked veggies). And yes, that will DEFINITELY
help keep you young!
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. Gray Hair and Black Iron is the numero uno
book for older trainees:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. Older trainees (or trainees of any age)
who want to include bodyweight exercises should
grab a copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 3. If you want to see how I celebrated my
54th birthday -- by hitting the iron -- grab this:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
P.S. 4. For older beginners (or beginners of any
age), nothing beats the beginner's programs in
Chalk and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 5. Thought for the Day: "The iron never
worries about a little rust. Neither should you."
-- Brooks Kubik
