The Spinning Toe Hold Meets the Spinning Pull-up!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're  a fan of old-school professional wrestling, you're probably familiar with the world-famous spinning toe hold used by Dory Funk, Jr. and his brother Terry Funk. They learned it from their father, Dory Funk, Sr.   

It was a great hold. Dory Funk, Jr. used it to win the World Championship from Gene Kiniski in a famous match in Tampa on February 11, 1969. I was 11 years old when I read about that match in the wrestling magazines, and I still remember seeing photos of the finish. Wow, what a hold! Almost as good as the figure-four leg lock. Heck, maybe even better.

I was reminded of the spinning toe hold because of an email that shared a new exercise. I'm going to call it the spinning pull-up. And it comes to you courtesy of one of our many Australian Dinosaurs. 

In response to yesterday's email with training tips for building a King Kong grip, I received the following email from Jim McAllister. Jim is a former Australian powerlifting champion, and one heck of a strong and powerful man. And he has an interesting new exercise for you -- one that I think you're really going to like: 

"Hey Brooks,

One day I was at a picnic ground, back in 1985. They had a physical fitness circuit thing there consisting of an obstacle course, rope ladder, a thick chin up bar and a couple of other things.

The one thing that stuck in my memory though was the chin up bar. It spun when I tried to use it. I had exceptionally strong hands from powerlifting but that spinning bar really sorted me out, let me tell you. I actually got a pump in my forearms from a set of ten wide grip pull-ups! The first time I tried it my hands just spun straight off! I had to hang on for dear life to make ten reps. On a fixed bar I could do 18 pull-ups at 250 pounds bwt. They were "nose-ups" not chin-ups though because of the size of my arms.

I went home and devised a way to incorporate something like that into my training that very day! At the top of my power rack it's flat, with two one-inch bars each side for doing parallel grip pull-ups. Plenty of room up there to position a one-and-a-half-inch-thick round bar that I found at the scrap metal dealer years before and bought because I knew it'd come in handy one day.

I set it up so that it'd roll from front to back and grabbed hold of it and hung on for as long as I could. I used it for years for timed holds. Weighing 250 pounds, I could hang for nearly two minutes before my grip gave out, with months of training. I actually had to not only just hang but keep my forearm muscles contracted hard to stop my hands from rolling off the bar because it wanted to spin under the weight of me hanging there.

Marvelous forearm and grip developer.

Best wishes,
Jim McAllister"

Jim -- Thanks for sharing that new twist on thick bar pull-ups and timed holds. The spinning pull-up sounds great. I'm sure some of our fellow Dinos will give it a try and report back in with their findings!

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.  We're in the middle of the big pre-publication special for my new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training. Go here to reserve your copy:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Save major clams on shipping and handling by ordering two or more Dinosaur Training goodies at the same time. You can find eveything right here at Dino Headquarters:

 http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never underestimate the power of persistence." -- Brooks Kubik

 

How to Build a Gorilla Grip!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me start the week by saying THANK YOU
to everyone who has stepped up, taken action
and reserved a copy of my new book, DINOSAUR
DUMBBELL TRAINING. I provide lots of free
content to Dinos around the world through
my emails and blog posts, and your support
when we launch a new book or course is
what allows me to do it.

And speaking of DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING,
if you missed last week's big announcement,
here it is -- be sure to check it out:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

On the training front, I received an email
from a reader who works in law enforcement.
He wanted advice on building the kind of grip
that make sit impossible for the bad guys to
get away when he grabs them.

And since so many Dinos are interested in
grip strength, I thought I'd share some ideas.

1. Thick bars!

1A. Use them for thick bar deadlifts with an
overhand grip.

1B. Perform timed holds, reps and heavy singles.

1B. For more info on thick bar work, grab
Dinosaur Training and Strength, Muscle and
Power.

2. One hand deadlifts.

2A. See Strength, Muscle and Power for more
info on the one-hand deadlift.

3. One hand deadlifts with a heavy sandbag.

4. Thick bar pull-ups -- or just hang from a
thick bar for as long as you can.

5. Double rope pullups, as described
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- they
build a gorilla grip.

5A. I bought my ropes from John Wood at
Functional Hand Strength. They're great!

5B. Here's the link to the FHS ropes:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/climbing_ropes.html

6. Hand over hand sled pulls.

7. Fingertip pushups.

8. Throw a sweatshirt or a judo gi (or a football
jersey) over a chinning bar, grab a big handful
of material and do pull-ups.

8A. This helps teach your to grab cloth and
hold onto it -- which is likely to happen
when you grab a bad guy who's trying to get
away from you.  

9. Crush style grippers. Get them here:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/

And last but not least --

10. Dino-style dumbbell training -- as detailed
in my new book -- it builds a heck of a strong
grip!

10A. If you can snatch, swing or clean a heavy
dumbbell with either hand, that bad guy won't
be getting away.

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. Here's the link to reserve your copy of
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other Dinosaur Training books and
courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "For real world,
functional strength, train the heck out of
your grip." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinosaur Hits the Farmer's Market!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just got back from the Farmer's Market, where I scored some great food for the week.

When you go to the Farmer's Market, you don't take a shopping list. You look for whatever is best looking, freshest and healthiest.

And if you have your own garden, you grab things you don't grow.

We have a ton of greens, enough kale to feed an army of elephants, plenty of parsley, basil and other herbs, some winter squash, pumpkins and tomatoes. So I didn't need any of those.

We have some chard, but not very much. The leaves are small, and we usually cut them and throw them into fresh salads. But Trudi and I both like steamed chard with dinner (or with eggs, for breakfast), so I'm always on the lookout for that. Spotted some great chard and grabbed four big bunches. They were grown by a young man and woman who somehow managed to beat the summer heat and raise some seriously nice veggies. Good for them!

After that, I wandered over to another farmer's stand -- and spotted some great-looking blackberries. Grabbed a pint. The farmer put them into a small plastic bag. All of the farmers use recycled plastic bags (the kind you see at a supermarket). Many people bring them old bags. Helps keep their costs down, which means we all get more and cheaper food.

The same farmer (a young man with a faintly philosophical expression), also had some good-looking summer squash and potatoes. I don't eat many potatoes (and Trudi rarely touches them), but these looked nice. They were fairly small, too, which is good.  You don't need to chow down on a giant potato all the time.

Anyhow, I grabbed a small box of potatoes and a summer squash. proving that he truly was  a philosopher (or at least someone who looked out for his customers), he put them in a separate bag so they wouldn't smash the blackberries.

I checked out several other farm stands. They had lots of great looking tomatoes, and I was sorely tempted -- but we have plenty of our own, and buying more would be silly. So I passed on the tomatoes.

One thing you don't see at a Farmer's Market is junk food. Even the best grocery stores have endless aisles of cheese doodles, cookies and sugar-syrup candy coated crunchie stuff called breakfast cereal (which they actually market as heart-healthy and good for you). You don't have to buy it, of course (and we certainly don't), but it's good for your soul to be able to get out and buy some real food without having to walk past the garbage.

If you have kids, think about this: how healthy would your kid grow up to be if he or she only went with you to the Farmer's Market and never set foot inside a grocery store? (Come to think of it, how healthy would YOU be if you did that?)

I walked back to the heirloom tomatoes. Tempting. Very tempting. I almost gave in -- but at the end, I decided to look for things we don't have in the garden.  

One of the farmers had some great looking peaches. I bought a pound. The young woman working at the farm stand was tall, slim, blond, and beautiful, but being married, I certainly didn't notice any of that. I did notice that she picked out the best looking peaches when she weighed them for me. Another young farmer who knows a thing or two about customer service!

After I paid for the peaches,  I spotted a red pepper that looked incredible. It was an heirloom pepper, boasting a deep, rich wine-color. If I had to name the color, I'd call it burgundy.  If it wasn't burgundy, I don't know what it was, But whatever it was, it sure looked tasty.

I had to have it! It was fate.

You see, last night Trudi saw a recipe where you cut a red pepper into circular slices and drop them into a frying pan -- and then drop an egg into the center, so you end up with a fried egg circled by the red pepper. She was wild to try it, but we didn't have any peppers in the house. So this would be her breakfast treat.

I asked the price, handed over a dollar, and got change back. That's another nice thing about the Farmer's Market. It's all cash. No plastic. And you really do get change back some of the time. It's a nice feeling.

I walked by a stand where they were selling small herb plants. If you don't have room for a garden, buy some small herb plants and grow herbs in small containers. When you cook, cut a leaf or two and see what a difference fresh herbs will make. (And from a nutritional point of view, fresh herbs are exceptional.)

I finished up by grabbing four dozen eggs, four pork chops and five pounds of ground beef from a local farmer who sells his own  all natural beef, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs from free-range, grass fed critters. I would have grabbed some bacon, as well, but for some inexplicable reason I forgot. (I know, I know - how could you forget bacon? But we have a pound or two in the freezer, so all is  not lost.)

This particular farmer is one of our favorites. He works incredibly hard to bring the very best products to his customers. We buy all of our meat and eggs from him, and if he sold fish, we'd buy fish from him as well. I think Trudi and I are his favorite customers, Trudi because she's pretty and pleasant and sweet, and me because I eat a lot. Many of the folks who go to the Farmer's Market are vegetarians, so a farmer who sells beef, pork and eggs is happy to have a hungry weightlifter for a customer.

I asked how his critters were handling the summer heat. He said they were doing well. He feeds them lots of kelp meal as a food supplement, and the salt and minerals really help them. I told him that Vince Gironda used to recommend kelp tablets for bodybuilders "back in the day." He thought that was interesting. I think Gironda would have liked him.

Grimek would have liked him, too. Do you remember the famous Grimek line, "Meat is my baby!" -- that would be music to the farmer's ears.

By the way, Grimek, Gironda and all the other great bodybuilders and weightlifters from the Golden Age of Iron all ate pretty much the way Trudi and I eat: fresh veggies, fresh meat and fish, and fresh eggs. All of it natural and organic, because all food was natural and organic back then. And much of it was grown locally.

So yes, Grimek, Stanko, and Gironda -- and Davis, Schemansky, Hepburn and Anderson -- and Kono,
Klein, Terlazzo, Spellman and Pete George -- LaLanne, Gironda, Park and so many more -- all ate natural foods, organic foods, local foods and seasonal foods.  So did the men who came before them -- men like Saxon, Sandow, Hackenschmidt, Inch, Cyr, Apollon, Marx and Goerner.  That ought to tell you something.

The meat and eggs finished my shopping for the day. Actually, it almost finished my shopping for the week. With what we grow ourselves, we won't need much more for the next seven days.

Yes, I know they say that healthy food is expensive. Actually, it's not that expensive at all. You just need to know where to find it. And in our neck of the woods, the Farmer's Market is a great place to start.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If you train today, make it a good one -- and always remember to eat your veggies!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. In case you missed it, we just started the big pre-publication special for my new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING. You can read about it (and place an order for the little monster) right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2.  Save big clams on shipping and handling by ordering two or more Dinosaur Training books,
courses, DVD's, t-shirts or other goodies at the same time. You can find them right here at Dino
Headquarters:

 http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Great training and great food adds up to great gains. And great gains are good." -- Brooks Kubik

The Infamous "How Much Rest?" Question!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I get lots of questions about how how
long to rest between sets.

The answer is -- it depends.

It depends on the exercise you are doing.
You need more rest between sets of heavy
or deadlifts than between sets of presses
or curls.

It depends on how heavy you go. If you're
hitting extremely heavy weights (for you),
then you need more rest than if you're
going lighter.

Thus, a lifter training on a Light, Medium
and Heavy schedule might use different rest
periods on different days.

It depends on what kind of shape you are
in. If you're in good shape, you require
less rest between sets. And as you improve
your condition, you may be able to reduce
your rest times a bit.

It depends on the type of training you are
doing. An Olympic weightlifter doesn't want
to get a pump (because his muscles need to
be loose and flexible for his lifting), so
he'll rest long enough to be fully recovered
from set to set.

It depends on your exercises. If I do one arm
dumbbell lifts, I do a set with my right hand
and then I do a set with my left hand without
very much rest in-between sets. Ditto for one-
handed grip work.

It depends on whether you're doing warm-up
sets or work sets. You can rest less between
warm-up sets and longer between work sets.

It depends on the weather. If it's hot, you
may need more rest. If it's cold, you may
need less rest to stay warm.

It depends on how much time you have to
train. Life intrudes sometimes, and there
are days when the only way to train is to
make it a fast one.

It depends on how you're feeling. We all
have high energy days and low energy days.
On a high energy day, you may train a bit
faster (but then again, you may train at
your regular pace but train heavier or go
for more reps).

The bottom line is, there's no magic answer
here. The answer isn't a certain number of
seconds or a particular number of minutes.

The bottom line, though, is this -- you
need to monitor your progress, and you
need to push to add weight to the bar.
If you're getting stronger, you're doing
what you need to do. If not, think things
through and make the necessary adjustments. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
This stuff's not rocket science.

But then, NASA isn't sending any more
astronauts to the moon, but plenty of us
are still hitting it hard and heavy -- so
maybe we're doing better than the rocket
scientists!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. A great big THANK YOU! to everyone who
has reserved a copy of my new book, Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training. Read all about it right
here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses (and DVD's)
are available here -- and remember, you can save
clams on shipping and handling by ordering two
or more Dinosaur training products at one time:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "At one point in
your life, you live to lift. Later, you lift to
live. But it's always about living and lifting."
-- Brooks Kubik

How to Build Knockout Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

He took a short step to the side
and slammed a hard forearm against
my head.

The forearm to the head was the first
part of a headlock hip throw.

But it never happened.

I ducked under his forearm, and spun
behind him as he rotated into the
throw that never happened.

And then something did happen.

I locked my hands, shot my hips
forward, and lifted him off the
mat.

I pulled so hard and so fast that his
feet shot out and his body hung suspended
in mid-air five feet above the ground.

And then I finished the throw, and he
hit the mat with a crash, bounced, lay
still, and the referee slapped the mat
to signal the pin.

He lay there for half a minute or more.
It was a knockout. And knockouts are
awfully rare in high school wrestling
matches.

That match qualified me for the Illinois
State Championship Tournament in Greco
Roman wrestling -- and the following week
I entered the tournament, and won the
championship. On the way, I threw two
guys in a row with headlock hip throws
of my own -- and I once again, the force
of the throws knocked them out.

That made three knockouts in two weeks.

And here's a secret about those knockouts.
They didn't just happen. They happened with
hip power.

I knew how to put my hips into a throw --
and that increased my power exponentially.

Most guys throw with their arms. That's
wrong. You throw with your hips.

It's the same motion you see in Olympic
weightlifting, in the snatch and the clean.

It's the same motion you see when a guy
like Mike Mahler swings or snatches a heavy
kettlebell -- or a pair of heavy kettlebells.

And it's the same movement I use when I
do heavy dumbbell swings, dumbbell snatches
and dumbbell cleans.

Power comes from your hips -- and one way or
another, you need to learn how to use your
hips. You need to do it with Olympic lifting,
with power cleans and power snatches, with
the right kind of kettlebell work -- or with
the kind of dumbbell training I teach in my
new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training.

If you're an athlete, hip power is critical.
It's one of the keys to championship
performance in any sport.

And hip power is just as important for
everyone else. You never know when life is
going to test you -- and when it does, you
want to be ready.

So train your hips. Do it with barbells --
with kettlebells -- or with dumbbells. (Or
use all three.) But train them. Train them
hard.

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 grab your copy of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by ordering my new
audio CD, Seven Keys to Concentration, when you
order Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- or throw in
one or more of my other books or courses. You
can find plenty to choose from right here at
Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When they bounce,
it's a good throw." -- Brooks Kubik

A Hodge-Podge of Things for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I launched the first edition of
Dinosaur Training way back in 1996,
I hand-numbered and autographed all
3300 copies in the first printing.

Many of you have those autographed
editions. (If you do, hold onto them,
they fetch a collector's edition price
today -- and should fetch even more
20 or 30 years from now.)

And ever since then, many of you
have asked for an autograph whenever
I release a new book or course.

I'm always happy to autograph a book
or course for you (in fact, I'm honored
to do so). There's no charge for an
autograph -- all you need to do is
ask for an autograph in the Special
Comments section of the on-line order
form.

And speaking of autographs -- many of
you have children or grandchildren,
and so I'm getting more and more
requests to autograph a book for a
father and son who train together.
Or I get a request from a father or
grandfather to autograph the book
to his son or grandson -- on the
theory that he'll be reading and
applying it in a couple of years.

And frankly, that's pretty darn cool.

It reminds me of something I've been
meaning to ask you. Since so many
members of the Dino Nation are
fathers or grandfathers (or uncles)
(or both), let's talk about things
we can do for the kids and grand-kids.

Shoot me an email and let me know if
you're  interested in any of the
following:

1. A short training course for teenage
Dinos to help counter-act all the idiocy
out there and to get them off on the
right foot in their training.

2. Children's books with health and
fitness themes to reenforce good habits
at an early age.

3. Kid-size Dinosaur Training t-shirts.

3a. Onesies for those of you with junior
Dinos -- perhaps with the logo "Dino in
Training" -- that would be fun!

If you have other ideas along these lines,
let me know.

Oh, and one other thing. For those with
kids 11 or 12 or older, the Legacy of Iron
books would make pretty good reading --
and help teach or reenforce some very
important life lessons. Check them out!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. We just launched the big pre-publication
special for my new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell
training. You can reserve your copy right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. The Legacy of Iron books are right
here -- note that you can order multiple books
in the series at a discount. See the bottom of
the sales pages for books 3, 4 and 5 for details:

No. 1 -- Legacy of Iron

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html

No. 2 -- Clouds of War

http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html

No. 3 -- The 1000 Pound Total

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html

No. 4 -- York Goes to War!

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

No. 5 -- Barbells in the Pacific

http://www.brookskubik.com/barbells_pacific.html

P.S. 3. And don't forget -- if you want an
autograph when you order a book or course, all
you need to do is ask!

Another Gold Medal Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Very quickly -- THANK YOU to everyone
who has reserved a copy of my new book,
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training. For everyone
else, here's the link:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

On the training front, let's talk
about what really works -- as in, what
sort of strength training builds an
Olympic champion.

Yesterday I posted a gold medal workout
from Olympic wrestling champion Henry
Wittenberg.

Here's another gold medal workout.

This one was used by Mal Whitfield,
who won the 800 meter race at the
1948 Olympic Games -- and again, at
the 1952 Games.

At the 1948 Olympics, Whitfield won
three medals -- the gold at 800
meters, the bronze at 400 meters,
and a second gold medal as a member
of the 4 x 400 meter relay team.

The track and field world was
astounded.

What was his secret?

His secret was weight training.

Whitfield began weight training in 1944.
After his amazing performance in 1948,
he said that the four years of weight
training had made all the difference.

And Whitfield didn't just train with
weights -- he trained with HEAVY weights.

At a bodyweight of 170 pounds, he would
work up to 270 pounds in the deep knee
bend for three sets of five reps in his
working sets.

Sometimes he would go even heavier and
do five sets of three reps for his
working sets.

He also did lots of one-legged squats
while holding dumbbells in his hands.
And he did these the hard way -- not
with the dumbbells at his sides, but
(get this) holding them at his
shoulders! He worked up to dumbbells
in the 25 to 40 pound range, which is
a lot of weight for a one-legged squat.

Whitfield did lots of bench pressing,
and worked up to sets and reps with 250
pounds.

He did lots of dumbbell exercises to
strengthen his upper body. One of his
favorites was a special running exercise
where he held a dumbbell in each hand
and moved his arms up and down as though
he were running. This gave added power
to his stride.

He did plenty of heavy barbell pullovers,
and was able to handle 270 pounds in the
exercise.

And, of course, he did the clean and press.
Lots of overhead pressing.

He believed that abdominal strength was
very important for a runner, and so he
performed plenty of sit-ups with a
25 pound dumbbell or 25 pound barbell
plate behind his head. Often he performed
twisting sit-ups. He would do these on an
inclined sit-up board.

Whitfield was one of the first athletes to
demonstrate that weight training didn't s
make you slow, as many believed up until
that point in time (and as many still
believe today). And he was one of the
very first track stars to follow a heavy
weight, low rep strength training program.

But note something important. Whitfield
didn't do a lot of different exercises.
He focused on the ones he believed would
do him the most good, given the demands
of his chosen sport. Once again, just
like Henry Wittenberg, he was following
a program that sounds a heck of a lot
like Dino-style abbreviated training.

Mal Whitfield -- more proof that short,
hard, heavy and basic is the way to go!

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. Here's the sales page for Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Save on shipping charges by ordering
two or more books, courses or other Dinosaur
Training products. You can find them here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "The more effective
and efficient your strength training program, the
more time you have for skill training." -- Brooks
Kubik

Try this Gold Medal Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I shared some tips on strength
training for wrestlers and martial artists.

Today, I'll give you a gold medal workout.

Literally.

Because this is the workout used by Henry
Wittenberg, the winner of the 191 pound
class in freestyle wrestling at the 1948
Olympic Games -- and the silver medal
winner at the 1952 Games.

Pay close attention, because most modern-
day wrestlers and martial artists think
they have to do every exercise under the
sun. Lots of different stuff, plenty of
variety, all sorts of different equipment.

Wittenberg followed a slightly different
approach:

1. Overhead presses with a barbell 3 x 10

2. Barbell bent-over rowing 3 x 10

3. Barbell squats 3 x 10

Followed by dumbbell curls and dumbbell
presses and a few other basic dumbbell
exercises.

That was it as far as his strength training
went.

The only other thing he did was roadwork,
a/k/a running -- and lots and lots of
wrestling.

See what I mean? Pretty basic stuff.

Oh, but did I mention the kind of weights
he used?

He could use 198 pounds for ten consecutive
reps in the overhead press with barbell.

He could military press 250 pounds for a
single.

He could clean and jerk 300 pounds.

He could handle 400 pounds in the deep
knee bend.

That's a lot of weight for 191 pound
wrestler to be handling way back in the
1940's and early 1950's. And it explains
why he won those Olympic medals. He was
a heck of a strong man. Wrestling Henry
Wittenberg must have been like wrestling
a bear.

So there you have it. A real-life gold
medal workout that just happens to be
a totally Dinosaur way to train: short,
basic, abbreviated, hard, heavy and
serious.

It worked for Henry Wittenberg -- and it
will work for YOU!

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a
good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. We have something new at the Dinosaur
Training store. Head on over and check it
out -- because this will build some serious
strength and muscle:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
available right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you want gold,
you need to spend lots of time with the iron."
-- Brooks Kubik

More About Dinosaur Dumbbell Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I launched the pre-publication
special for my new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training. You can read about it right
here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

And you can hear about it Dino-style
dumbbell training -- what it is, and what
it does for you -- in this video clip from
a recent seminar where I taught Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olMos79YwhM

And in answer to about a million questions,
this is a BOOK, not a training course. It
will be 8 1/2 x 11, perfect bound, with a
ton and a half of photos. Not sure of the
page count until it is printed, but it
will be somewhere between LOTS and MANY.

Anyhow, head on over and take a look --
and reserve your copy today!

Oh, one more thing -- THANK YOU to all
of the Dinos around the world who have
stepped up and reserved a copy of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training! Your enthusiasm and
support means everything to us -- and
helps us continue to bring you the best
in no-nonsense, real world strength and
muscle building!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want me to autograph your book,
please ask for an autograph in the Special
Instructions section of the on-line order
form. I'm always happy to autograph a book,
but you need to ask! (And no, there's no
charge for an autograph!)

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by ordering two
or more books, courses or other products
at the same time. Choose from the goodies
you'll find here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

Gold Medal Training Tips for Wrestlers!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A brief note, and then some training
talk.

We just launched the pre-publication
special for Dinosaur Dumbbell Training.
Here's the link with all the details:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Currently, there are two order buttons.
One is for the book alone -- the other
let's you add my new audio CD, The Seven
Keys to Concentration (which covers Dinosaur
Mindpower for peak performance). We can add
the CD for no additional shipping charges, so
if you order both of them you save on shipping.

Many Dinos have asked me to do a DVD to go
with the book -- if that's what you want,
shoot me an email and let me know. If I do
the DVD, you'll be able to add it to your
book order later on (and again, save on
shipping).

And, of course, to everyone who placed an
order -- or who places one later today --
THANK YOU!

On the training front, the summer Olympics
are right around the corner, and as a former
wrestler, and I'm hoping to catch some
of the freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling.
So I thought I'd talk about strength
training for wrestlers. Here are 10 tips:

1. Specialize on your grip. You want your
hands to be so strong that when you grab
your opponent, the fight oozes right out
of him.

2. Work your back and hips hard and heavy.
In wrestling, the power for lifts and throws
comes from your hips and back.

3. Heavy overhead presses are a must. Henry
Wittenberg (Gold medal winner in wrestling
at the 1948 Olympic Games, and silver medal
winner at the 1952 Olympics) could press 198
pounds for ten reps at a bodyweight of 191
pounds!

4. Don't neglect your legs. Strong legs give
you a strong base and help you drive harder
and faster when you shoot for a take-down.

5. Neck training is a must.

6. The Russians -- who are always extremely
tough wrestlers -- do plenty of power cleans
and similar pulling movements in their training.

7. Heavy awkward objects are great for building
the kind of rugged total body strength that
makes a wrestling champion.

8. Dumbbells teach you how to generate one
armed strength and power -- something that is
critical when you are on the mat.

8A. The dumbbell snatches, swings, cleans and
pressing exercises in Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
are perfect for wrestlers.

9. Bodyweight training is excellent -- especially
the type of high-octane, high-impact exercises in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

10. I'm a huge fan of Trap Bar deadlifts for
wrestlers. They Trap Bar simulates many of your
power positions in lifts and take-downs on the
mat.

Of course, the same tips apply to anyone
interested in judo or any other grappling art --
or in all building all-around strength and power!

As always, thansk for reading -- and again, thanks
to everyone who has reserved a copy of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training! And if you train today, make
it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The passion for hard
training separates us from the rest of the world.
They think we're crazy to work that hard. We think
they're crazy for not understanding." -- Brooks Kubik

Launching -- Dinosaur Dumbbell Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

At 9:00 EST TODAY, we launch the big
pre-publication special for my new
book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING.

Follow this link (below) to the
page with the countdown clock at
8:55.

Start hitting the REFRESH button
on your computer. Keep hitting the
REFRESH button -- and at 9:00, the
countdown clock will disappear and
the sales page will appear.

There will be two order buttons --
pne for the book only, and the other
for the book together with my new
CD,The Seven Keys to Concentration,
which covers Dinosaur Mindpower for
peak performance in training and in
competition. I can ship both of them
together for one shipping charge,
so ordering both of them together will
save some clams.

Remember, this is a pre-publication
special. DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING
should be ready to ship in  about 5
or 6 weeks -- and when I ship it,
everyone who orders during the pre-
publication special gets a free bonus.

If you have any questions, shoot me an
email -- but otherwise, here's the
link:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

As always, thanks for reading, and a
BIG THANKS in advance to everyone who
has been asking for this book and to
everyone who steps up, takes action, and
places an order today!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Again, here's the link:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. If you train today, make it a good
one!

The Gym of the Future

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, people speculated about
the Gym of the Future and what it would
look like.

The consensus was a sterile environment
that looked a little bit like the inside
of a spaceship, with lots of complicated
chrome plated machines that looked like
Nautilus machines, but were far more
sophisticated and infinitely more
complex.

Some people thought the machines would be
computerized. They would keep records of
each trainee. When you went to the gym, you
would insert your membership card, and the
computer would look at what you did the last
time and decide what you should do this time.

They said it would be great. You wouldn't
have to think about what to do. The computer
would do all of your thinking for you.

The computer would coach you through your
entire workout, telling you to move faster,
move slower, to do another rep, etc.

That was after 2001: A Space Oddyssey, and so
we probably should have known better -- but
it was before Bladerunner and before The
Terminator, so maybe it's understandable
that folks thought that having a computer
in charge of your workouts would be a good
thing.

Thankfully, it didn't happen. Or maybe it
did, but not at any gyms I've ever been to.
And it sure as heck hasn't happened out in
my garage.

The barbells and dumbbells aren't nearly
as high-tech as the chrome-plated miracle
machines, and the closest thing to a
computerized lifting coach is one of the
cats walking by and twitching his tail if
he thinks I need to do another set of squats
or deadlifts. (At least, I think that's
what he means. I always do them anyway,
just in case.)

In short, I'm not training the way the
futurists said we'd be training. I'm training
the way serious lifters have been training for
well over 100 years. The futurists would
probably call it old-fashioned.

They can call it what they will. It works
pretty darn well.

Not only that -- but it's a heck of a lot more
fun than listening to a disembodied computer
voice telling me to "Do another rep."

Hey, I know you're smarter than I am, Mr.
Computer -- but honestly, I can figure that
one out on my own.

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. The pre-publication special for Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training goes live at 9:00 EST on
Tuesday morning. To see it, follow the link
at 8:55 a.m. and start to hit your REFRESH
button. The countdown clock will morph into
a sales page at 9:00 -- but you have to keep
on hitting the REFRESH button:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are always
available at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "I never tell
anyone they have to do squats -- not unless
they want to get bigger and stronger." -- Brooks
Kubik

Special Instructions for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Things are happening fast and furious,
so let me give you some important updates ,
as well as some special instructions on
how to order your copy of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training when the big
pre-publication special goes live.

First of all -- I'm on SuperHuman  Radio
today at 12:00 EST. Catch it live or grab
the download later on.

Second -- TOMORROW is the big pre-publication
special for my new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL
TRAINING.

As regular readers know, I always do
a pre-publication special when I launch
a new book or course. This lets me know
how many copies to order in the first
printing.

Everyone who orders during the pre-
publication special will get a free
bonus when the book is printed and we
fill the orders.

In related news -- I'm considering
doing a DVD to go along with the book.
If you're interested in a DVD as well
as the book, shoot me an email. If
enough of you are interested in the
DVD, we'll make it happen.

Third -- If you'd like me to autograph
your copy of DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING,
please include an autograph request in
the Special Instructions section of the
on-line order form. I'm always happy to
autograph a book or course for you
(and there's no charge for it) but
you have to ask. And tell me who to
sign it to -- if your name is James,
I need to know whether to sign it
to Tom or Thomas, Mike or Michael,
Jim or James, etc.

Fourth, If someone else orders the
book for you, be sure they ask for
an autograph and give me your name
when they place the order.

Fifth, we have an awesome countdown
clock oft the new book. It's at the
below link. check it out. The photo
changes daily. Take  a look:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

So far, we've had photos of Sig Klein,
John Y. Smith, Arthur Saxon and Reg
Park. All of them lifting heavy
dumbbells. Who will be next?

Sixth -- and VERY IMPORTANT!

At 9:00 in the morning EST tomorrow
the countdown clock will transform to
a sales page to place your order for
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training.

Here's what you need to do.

Go to the countdown page at about 8:55
a.m. and start hitting the REFRESH 
button on your computer.

Keep hitting the REFRESH button -- and
at 9:00 the sales page will appear.

Seventh --  there will be TWO different
order buttons.

One will be for the new Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training book.

The other will be for Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
PLUS my new CD, Seven Keys to Concentration
(a one hour CD teaching you the mental secrets
of peak performance). If you order the CD and
the book, you save some clams on s&h because we
can ship both of them for one shipping charge.

So if you want the CD as well as the book,
order them together.

More to follow -- training tips in the next
message.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Save this email and the link to the
countdown clock -- and remember, it will
change into a sales page at 9:00 a.m. on
Tuesday:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are available
right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Remember to listen to me on Superhuman
Radio today!
 

Help an Olympian Pursue Her Gold Medal Dream!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Sarah Robles is the strongest woman in the
United States.

She will represent the USA in weightlifting
at the London Olympics.

She lives in extreme poverty. Up until very
recently, she lived on 400 dollars a month.

You see, she is spending all of her time
training -- and training  doesn't bring any
dollars in the door.

And unlike many other athletes, she doesn't
have those big endorsement deals and other
forms of corporate sponsorship. They don't
give those to weightlifters.

When John Davis trained for the 1948 Olympic
Games in London (which he won), he was stone
cold broke.

When Norb Schemansky won the Olympic Gold
medal in 1952, he came back home and found
a pink slip waiting for him.

Other great champions of the past have had
similar experiences.

We can't help change what happened to the
greats of the 40's and 50's -- but we can
help Sarah Robles.

Here's how to do it.

There's an on-line petition urging Nike to
sponsor Sarah in her Olympic quest. All you
have to do is follow the link and sign the
on-line petition.

They're trying to get a minimum of 50,000
names. So far, they have around 45,000. If
we all act NOW, we can push that number over
the top very quickly.

When you sign the on-line petition, you can
give a reason for doing so. That's what I did,
and you won't believe what happened.

My message was selected to be forwarded to
Nike!

And not just to anyone at Nike.

It was sent to the Corporate Secretary, the
Chairman of the Board of Directors, the VP for
North American Women's Training at Nike, the
CEO and a man at Press Nike.

And that's pretty amazing.

You know, I wrote a 500 page book about John
Davis' life and lifting -- but it came long
after he has passed away. My four sentence
message may do more good in this world than
that 500 page book.

In any case, please take a minute and sign
the petition -- and if you can, leave a brief
message of support -- and then forward the
petition to your Facebook friends and email
buddies.

Together, we can make a difference.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for the petition page:

http://www.change.org/petitions/nike-sponsor-weightlifting-champion-sarah-robles-in-the-london-olympics?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7866&alert_id=fhDzbAIeqr_cspekTVcpW

P.S. 2. Thanks in advance to everyone who steps up
and takes action to help an Olympian!

The Dumbbells Didn't Stand a Chance!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll be launching the big pre-publication
special for Dinosaur Dumbbell Training in
just a few days -- next Tuesday, in fact --
and so it's not surprising that heavy
dumbbells are on my mind.

I was talking about dumbbell training
with my buddy John Wood, and he reminded
me of the famous contest between John
Grimek and Tommy Kono -- to see who
could do the most reps in the overhead
press with a 100 pound dumbbell in each
hand.

The story is told in Vol. 1 of The Dellinger
Files. I don't want to give away the ending
(or the ensuing debate), but I will say this:
each man made more than a dozen reps, and with
a pair of 100 pounders, that's pretty amazing.

In fact, between them the two men made well
over 30 reps. And that's even more amazing --
especially whgen you consider that Grimek was
in his 40's at the time -- and Kono probably
weighed around 170 to 180 pounds!

Of course, Grimek and Kono were both huge
fans of heavy dumbbell pressing -- and both
were super strong pressers in competition.
Grimek had set American records in the press
(and barely missed setting official World
records in the lift), and Kono set official
World recdords in the press. 

So when they went mano a mano, the dumbbells
didn't stand a chance.

You can read the whole story -- and many more --
in The Dellinger Files -- which was written by
Jan Dellinger, who worked at the York Barbell
Company for something like 25 years and even
shared an office with John Grimek! So he's
got plenty of great stories and great memories
to share -- and tons of great training advice,
workouts, and exercises.

By the way, if you're a fan of old-school pro
wrestling, you'll be glad to know that there's
an entire chapter on Bruno Sammartino's long
out of print training course -- which is a
pretty good program for teenage beginners
(or beginners of any age).  

Anyhow, it's a great story and a great book,
and you can find it here:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dellinger-files-volume-i-0

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Keep your eye on the count-down clock for
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- when the clock hits
zero, hit the refresh button on your computer and
you'll see the special page for the book and the
link to reserve your copy:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "Strong is good, and
stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik

Dinosaur Mindpower (Part Two) and More!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes to start the day:

1. Dinosaur Mindpower

Cj Swaby has put up part two of
his interview with me where we covered
the development of Dinosaur Mindpower
and how I've used it in training and
in competition. You can find it here:

http://cjs-fitness.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/wild-physique-unleashed-brooks-kubik.html

Kudos to Cj for doing this! It turned
out to be pretty good.

2. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

I'm launching a pre-publication
special for Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
next Tuesday. To make things more fun
for everyone, we've put up a countdown
clock that will count down the days,
hours, minutes and seconds until we
go live with the launch. It features
classic photos of great champions,
and the photo changes every day, so
keep on going back and taking a look.
(Sig Klein was up yesterday, but today
it is John Y. Smith. hit the refresh button
on your computer to see the new picture!)

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

BTW, if you want me to do a DVD to go
with the new book, send an email and
tell me to go for it!

3. Seven Keys to Concentration

I recently did an audio seminar on how
to build strength and muscle by developing
your powers of concentration and fully
integrating your mind and your body when
you train. We recorded the seminar, and it's
available on CD. The cost is 19.95 clams
plus s&h -- but if you order it with any
other Dinosaur Training product, I can
ship it for no additional charge. (That
would be an easy way to save some clams
when you reserve your copy of the new
Dumbbell Training book -- you can order
the book and the CD, and I'll ship them
together for one s&h charge.)

More to follow -- I have some important
training tips to share.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Remember, keep checking the countdown
clock!

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

The Count-Down Begins!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We have a special count-down clock on
the Dinosaur Dumbbell Training page --
with a very cool photo of Sig Klein
having fun with two old-fashioned
globe dumbbells. Man, what would I
give to be able to train with those
dumbbells!

Here's the link -- enjoy!

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Important Training Tips for Younger Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I started the day with an email from Nirav
Panchal, who wrote:

"Dear Brooks

I love all the work you put into older lifter
routines and I'm sure ill use them in the
future. However I'm 22 and have no knee, back,
joint pain. I can sprint or jog without issue.
I'd love to see you write a few daily bulletins
about how us younger folk can make the most of
our youth and really push the envelope.

Anyhow, thanks for all the great work!

Kind regards

Niv"

Well, that's a good question. So here goes.

If you're young and in good condition and
you don't have any nagging injuries, then
the world, as they say, is your oyster.

The thing to do is to make the most of it.

And unfortunately, that's where too many
younger trainees go wrong.

Most younger trainees fail to make the most
of their younger years because:

1. They don't set firm and specific goals
and work relentlessly to achieve them.

2. They bounce from workout to workout or
program to program (a/k/a "Flavor of the
Month" training).

3. They skip over the tried and true ways
to train and get hung up (and off course)
by following the latest Miracle Program.

4. They try to do too many different things
and end up not very good at any of them.

5. They think they're indestructible -- and
then they hurt themselves -- and then they
lose ground big time.

6. They overdo things by training too much
and too often -- not realizing that even a
younger trainee has definite limits to his
or her recovery ability.

7. They don't get enough sleep and rest --
or they don't eat right -- and thus, they
fail to make the most out of what should be
their best training and gaining years.

Those are some general points, and if you're
a younger trainee, you should read and think
about them. But now I'll be more specific.
And I'll give you one of the true secrets
to strength training success at any age.

I often write about abbreviated strength
training -- and I detail how to do it, and
give detailed programs, in all of my training
books and training courses.

Abbreviated training is NOT -- and I repeat,
NOT -- just for older trainees. It's for
everyone.

If you want to make the most of your younger
years, use short, hard, heavy, demanding
workouts. Spend most of your time and energy
on the BIG exercises. Your workouts should
take 60 to 90 minutes, and you should train
three times per week.

Your focus should be on poundage progression.
Add weight to the bar whenever possible.

Just because you're young and you have plenty
of time to train -- and endless energy -- and
good recovery ability, DON'T SQUANDER IT!

If you're an older trainee, you use abbreviated
training because it's the only way to recover
from your workouts.

If you're a younger trainee, you use abbreviated
training  because it's the BEST WAY TO MAKE FAST
AND IMPRESSIVE GAINS.

Remember, at any age, you have only so much
mental and physical energy. Use it wisely.

And by the way -- this is how a young guy named
Pete George trained. He won five World champion-
ships, an Olympic Gold medal and two Olympic
Silver medals.

A guy named Tommy Kono also trained this way
when he was a young lifter. He did okay, too:
six World championships, Two Olympic Gold
medals and an Olympic Silver medal.

Consider it food for thought.

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. DINOSAUR TRAINING is the number one book
for younger trainees. If you don't have a copy,
you need one -- and here's where to get it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 2. Big news! The pre-publication special
for my new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING,
goes live on Tuesday. Be looking for it!

P.S. 3. If you live in the UK, the Sept 2012
issue of Men's Fitness (yes, that's right,
Men's Fitness) features some folks you might
know (Brooks Kubik, Mike Mahler, Sabina Skala
and Cj Swaby). Check it out!

P.S. 4. Join me on Facebook -- we have tons of
updates and some killer photos that you won't
want to miss!

P.S. 5. Thought for the Day: "Relentless
determination." -- Brooks Kubik

Short and Sweat (No, It's Not a Typo!)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three updates, and then we'll talk training:

1. Next Tuesday is the BIG DAY -- when we
launch the pre-publication special for
my new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING!
Be watching for it!

1A. Everyone who reserves a copy of the book
during the pre-publication special gets a
free bonus.

1B. If you want me to autograph your book
for you, all you need to do is ask -- use
the Special Instructions section of the
on-line order form.

1C. If you want to add my new CD, Seven
Keys to Concentration, to your order and
save on s&h, we can make that happen, too!

2. If you'd like me to do a DVD to go along
with the book, send me an email and let me
know!

2A. So far, we're getting lots and lots of
THUMBS UP responses to the DVD idea. But
don't be shy -- if you want me to do a DVD,
let me know asap!

3. If you are on Facebook, be sure to take
a look at my FB page. I posted a great photo
where I'm doing a heavy dumbbell snatch --
with a weight that exceeds the world record
for my age group and weight class. (It's
about half-way down the page, so scroll
down to find it. I'm the guy with glasses,
a heavy dumbbell in one hand, and chalk
everywhere.)

3A. We shot the photo after I had done 3 or
4 hours of photos for the book -- so I was
one tired Dino by the time it was all over.
We were working out in the garage, on a 90
degree day, and despite drinking a gallon
of water I must have lost five or six pounds.

3B. And yes, it's a real dumbbell -- real
chalk -- and real sweat. I work hard for
you guys!

ON THE TRAINING FRONT  . . . .

Micah Elder shot in an email about his
training program. Micah just turned 50,
and he's stronger today (and leaner) than
when he was in his 20's and 30's  -- which
is pretty darn good.

Of course, back then, Micah trained on
the standard bodybuilding routines from the
muscle comics.

But in his 40's, he began training on
Dino-style abbreviated programs. Over the
years, he has refined his workouts --
usually by making them shorter and
simpler.

His current program has him training just
two days a week (which seems to be about
right for many Dinos over the age of 50).

In one workout, he does squats and chins,
followed by gut and grip work. He does
5 to 10 reps per set, with two work sets
on his big exercises.

In his second workout, he does dips and
high-pulls with a Trap Bar, using the same
sets and reps, followed by gut and grip
work.

And that's it. Short, sweet, and simple. But,
oh, so very, very effective!

Micah writes:

"Here's the best part, though, at least in
my mind. Now that I know that short and sweet
(or short and sweat) is the way to go, I expect
to surpass my bets lifts sometime later this
year or early next. I will use a weight I can
do for 3 to 5 reps, to reduce the likelihood
of injury (and you can't get stronger when you
can't train). I expect to get stronger than I
have ever been in the coming years. I love the
fact that I am leaner than I have ever been, too.

Thanks for all you do.

Micah Elder"

Micah -- thanks for sharing your SHORT AND SWEAT
workout! (What a great phrase!)

I get TONS of emails from Dinos of all ages (and
especially older Dinos) who have dropped the long
and complex programs they used to follow and
moved on to programs similar in volume to
yours -- and they've astonished themselves by
how well their SHORT AND SWEAT workouts have
worked!

Keep me posted on your training your progress,
and let me know when you hit your all-time, best
ever poundages. Being stronger than ever at age
50 or 51 is a HUGE accomplishment -- but if anyone
can do it, a Dino can!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more detail on effective training for
older lifters, grab GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. For more about abbreviated strength training
(and about ultra-abbreviated workouts), grab STRENGTH,
MUSCLE AND POWER:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

P.S. 3. For workouts for beginners, intermediates,
advanced trainees and guys who are seeking the ultimate
in strength and muscle mass (50 programs in all), grab
CHALK AND SWEAT:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Less is more, but no one
believes it until they try it." -- Brooks Kubik

  

An Important Message for Older Trainees!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I have many older readers, so it should
come as no surprise that I often receive
emails from older lifters who are a bit
discouraged because they can't lift as
much as they used to be able to lift.

So let's talk about that.

First of all, getting older is a fact
of life. And as you get older, it becomes
harder to handle the kind of weights you
handled when you were younger. That's why
no one wins the Olympics at age 50 or 60.

However, that certainly doesn't mean you
should stop training!

If you're over the age of 40 -- and
certainly, if you're over the age of 50 --
look at your peers. Look at other men your
age. The ones who don't train.

What do they look like?

They're either skinny as toothpicks -- or
they're fatter than Jabba the Hutt times
three.

They're in lousy shape, and they have all
kinds of health problems. And things are
only going to get worse for them.

If you stick to your training, you're going
to be so far ahead of your peers that it's
not even funny. You may not be able to lift
the weights you lifted twenty, thirty or
forty years ago -- but that doesn't
matter. What matters is that you'll be
in great shape -- and far stronger than
the average man your age.

The point is, don't worry about the things
you cannot do any more -- or whether you can
lift as much as you could when you were
younger. Focus on what you can do NOW --
and take some pride in it -- and then work
on getting even stronger!

Quick true story. I know a man whose two
lift total in Olympic lifting (the snatch
and the clean and jerk) was pretty good
when he was younger.

He kept training, but over the years his
total gradually dropped. In his early 50's,
his total was down more than 100 pounds from
where it had been when he was in his 30's.

That's no fun, but hey, it happens as you
get older. Especially in Olympic lifting,
since it requires so much speed and
flexibility.

But he didn't stop training. He kept right on
hitting those snatches, cleans, presses, jerks,
and squats. Never stopped. Never even thought
of stopping.

One day, a street punk snatched a woman's
purse and ran away with it.

The weightlifter (then in his 50's) saw
it happen -- ran after the punk -- caught up
to him -- and tackled him!

So maybe he wasn't lifting what he used to lift.
That didn't matter. What matter was that he was
still strong enough and fast enough to do what
needed to be done.

And THAT'S why you keep on training.

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 two best books for older trainees are
GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON and DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING. You can find them right
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "One of the most
important rules in life is this: always finish
what you start." -- Brooks Kubik

Synchronize Your Watches!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'll send a second email with training
tips later in the day, but right now I
need to share some big breaking news
for the Dino Nation.

BREAKING NEWS!

On Tuesday, one week from today, I'm
going to launch the pre-publication
special for my new book, DINOSAUR
DUMBBELL TRAINING.

As regular readers know, I always do
a pre-publication special when I launch
a new book or course. This lets me know
how many copies to order in the first
printing.

Everyone who orders during the pre-
publication special will get a free
bonus when the book is printed and we
fill the orders.

In related news -- I'm considering
doing a DVD to go along with the book.
If you're interested in a DVD as well
as the book, shoot me an email. If
enough of you are interested in the
DVD, we'll make it happen.

Anyhow, synchronize your watches --
get set -- and get ready -- because
next Tuesday is going to be a HUGE
day for the Dino Nation!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I almost forgot -- if you'd like
me to autograph your copy of DINOSAUR
DUMBBELL TRAINING, please include an
autograph request in the Special
Instructions section of the on-line
order form. I'm always happy to
autograph a book or course for you
(and there's no charge for it) but
you have to ask. And tell me who to
sign it to -- if your name is James,
I need to know whether to sign it
to James or Jim, etc.

P.S. 2. If someone else orders the
book for you, be sure they ask for
an autograph and give me your name
when they place the order.

P.S. 3. Thanks in advance to everyone
who reserves a copy of DINOSAUR
DUMBBELL TRAINING during the big
pre-publication special!

A Secret Workout for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick updates, and then I'm going to give
you THE SECRET WORKOUT when we turn to training
talk!

UPDATES

1. Strength Coach Cj Swaby interviewed me and
posted Part One of the interview on his website.
We covered Dinosaur Mindpower and the mental
aspects of strength training. I think you'll
enjoy it:

http://cjs-fitness.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/wild-physique-unleashed-brooks-kubiks.html

2. My new CD, The Seven Keys to Concentration is
now available. You can order it from Carl Lanore
at the below link:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/component/jshopping/product/view/5/7.html

If you prefer, you can order The Seven Keys to
Concentration CD from me by adding it to your
order when you grab any of my other books,
courses or other products. If you order from
you'll save on s&h charges because we'll
be shipping the CD with the rest of your
order.

If you want to order the CD from me, shoot me
an email and I'll tell you how to place your
order.I don't have a sales page for the CD up
on the site yet, so you need to send me an email
to get the secret message re how to order it.

TRAINING TALK

Speaking of secret messages, I'm going to give
you a secret workout today. You can only use it
if you put on your Dinosaur Training T-Rex
De-Coder Ring and program it for "Maximum
Gains."

If you don't have one of the special De-Coder
Rings, just keep on reading!

THE SECRET WORKOUT

Train three times per week. Start each workout
with a ten minute general warm-up. Get nice and
loose and ready to train.

You will follow three different workouts. Train
on Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thurs/Sat.

Each workout will include a pushing (pressing)
exercise, a pulling exercise, and a squatting
exercise. But the exercises will be different
in each workout. Thus, you get plenty of variety,
but you always hit the BIG exercises so you
trigger maximum growth stimulation -- and
maximum gains in strength, muscle and power!

Workout A

1. Military press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

2. Power cleans 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

3. Back squat 5 x 5

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- 2 or 3
sets of each. You pick the exercises,
sets and reps. If you're too tired to
do all three, do gut work in Workout A,
grip work in Workout B and neck work in
Workout C.

Workout B

1. Two dumbbell press or two dumbbell
incline press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

2. Power snatch 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

3. Front squat 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- same as
Workout A. Use different exercises if
you wish.

Workout C

1. Push press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

2. Clean grip high pull or snatch grip
high pull 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

3. Lifter's Choice -- choose ONE of the
following:

a. Back squats

b. Front squats

c. Overhead squats

d. Trap Bar deadlifts

e. (For advanced lifters with access to
a power rack): bottom position squats or
partials with a ten inch range of motion

For sets and reps, try 5 x 5 or 5 x 3. In
the rack work, do singles if you wish.

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- same as
Workout A.

So there you have it. A SECRET workout that's just
for Dinosaurs! Don't let the rest of the world see
it -- it would scare the folks in Chrome and Fern
Land!

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
any of my books or courses. You can find them right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by ordering two or more books
and courses together -- or by adding a Dinosaur Training
t-short or DVD to your order:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_shirt.html

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

P.S. 3. Remember to grab the Seven Keys CD when
you place your order. Shoot me an email for details!

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "If the bar bends, it
means there's a Dinosaur in the gym." -- Brooks Kubik

Dinosaur Mindpower, Part One

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a link to part one of an
interview I did with UK strength
coach Cj Swaby. The topic was
Dinosaur Mindpower.

I think you'll like it:

http://cjs-fitness.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/wild-physique-unleashed-brooks-kubiks.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. It's Sunday, but we're always open
here at Dinosaur Headquarters - come on
over and take a look:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Whatever you do,
put your heart, your mind and your back into
it." -- Brooks Kubik

Silence is Iron!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I rec’d a ton of feedback in response to yesterday’s post, “The Sound of Silence (And Heavy Iron).” Seven guys hit the “unsubscribe” button because they don’t like to think when they train. (Good luck to them.)  But several other readers had a different sort of reaction:

“Well Brooks, you are touching on a subject close to my heart.  Silence! Deep relaxing silence!  I have been profoundly deaf since I was 6 years old, I'm 77 now, I never wear my hearing aid when training, I don't know how you hearing people can concentrate with all the background noise. A hearing aid doesn't allow me to cut out background noise as hearing people can, so I can concentrate and relax far better without it. I consider myself lucky in having that choice.  Why don't you get some ear-plugs from the chemist, try them and see how much more you can relax and concentrate?”

Kevin Fitzgerald 

[Note by Brooks: Kevin Fitzgerald is a long-time Dino Training fan, and one of the strongest 77 year olds in the world. You wouldn’t believe how much he handles out in his tool shed turned gymnasium.]

“In response to your emails today I am 32 and have preferred to train in silence for many years.”

Len Kelly

[Note by Brooks: Len was one of many younger Dinos who reported that they, too, like to train in their personal “Fortress of Solitude.”]

“I hear ya! I'm 36 and would love to work out without hearing music in my gym (I am already burned out for life on AC/DC and Boston).  But even with that distraction, I have learned to block it out as best I can -- I just listen to myself breathe.”

Heath Davis

[Note by Brooks: Heath and several other Dinos say they focus on their breathing as a way of shutting out background noise and other distractions. Try it sometime!]

“Interesting, Brooks!  I am same age as you, and I stopped playing music while I lift a few years ago. It had become a distraction. I now find it much better to focus on the upcoming lift, including the timing of when I am ready to go again after catching my breath, etc.”

Brian DeLong

[Note by Brooks: That sounds very much like what I am doing!]

“Excellent email today.  Personally, I can't get into having music blasting when I'm lifting.  I do it out in my shed in silence.  I'm 26 years old though, so who knows how I'll feel as I get older.  Doubt I see that changing, though -- I related completely to you saying it was almost spiritual.” Jim Arkuszewski

[Note by Brooks: Jim is another one of the younger Dinos who “gets it.’]

“I don't like it quiet when I train. I have my radio tuned to the Rock station, but unfortunately sometimes they have a football game call or a magazine type program because they're trying to be the "Real Man's" radio station and they figure "real men" like to listen to football games and to guys talking about football games. I switch to CD when that happens and play an mp3 CD of heavy Rock like Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent,
or similar. That helps fire me up. I'd rather lose my hearing than willingly listen to a football game call.

Incidentally, it was determined years ago in a university test (probably using the ubiquitous previously untrained college freshmen) that listening to Rock music while you train helps you to perform better and go harder, whereas listening to Country music makes you not go so well and actually get weaker. I'm not making this stuff up!”

Jim McCallister

[Note by Brooks: Jim McCallister is a former Australian powerlifting champion AND a professional musician, so he has a unique take on training and music. I think music works better for powerlifting workouts than for Olympic lifting workouts.]

“I am only 40 years of age and I have been training in silence for some time now. I do so for exactly the same reasons you describe. Even when I was younger, I usually found that I could accomplish more when I dug deep and harnessed the power from within (whatever the task). I believe it is from within oneself that true power lies. To add to your quote for the day is another quote, that I may have even gotten from one of your past emails, I don't recall (it was so good I had to write it down). Here it is:

“Doubt is the great human traitor that strangles more ability and keeps more splendid men and women in mediocrity, makes more people fail in life, than almost anything else.” -- Orison Swett Marden

Don't doubt your ability to lift that weight - just dig deep and lift it.”

Paul Marcazzo

[Note by Brooks: That’s a great quote by O.S. Marden – and a great quote from Paul to end his email.]

 “I really enjoyed today's message on lifting "different". While not quite as old as you (I'm just 52), I too find I prefer the basement quiet. Haven't played any Nazareth or the Matrix soundtrack for a year or so. One other thing I find different now -- I don't do the typical set/rep format. Now I much prefer to do cycles of 4-5 exercises with 2-3 stretches thrown in as part of the cycle -- then I repeat the cycle 2-5 times depending (usually on my 5 year old grand-daughter's presence in the basement, as she loves to be down there
with me!). I even toss in some heavy bag work as a cycle exercise. And all this gets done in about 40 minutes so it's pretty efficient. This "cycle" approach seems to spread out the work and results in a lot less joint and muscle soreness. Sore and stiff seemed like a badge of honor when I was in my 20-30s and now it's just annoying.”

Jim Johann Jr

[Note by Brooks: That’s a good workout idea, Jim – especially for the older guys. I have  a number of similar workouts in Gray Hair and Black Iron. They’re a great way to do some lifter-style conditioning workouts that are much more fun than conventional cardio – and much easier on your joints! And good job getting your granddaughter interested in working out! You may have an Olympic gold medal winner in 2028!] 

“This was a surprisingly peaceful post, to reference the same idea in the post.

I wondered if you could talk more about how you practice relaxing your muscles in the future. This does not automatically trigger ideas aside from a technique some people use to help them sleep: Contract individual muscles, hold the contract for a few seconds, then relax.”

Rick Pack, Jr.

[Note by Brooks: my new CD, The Seven Keys to Concentration, details the techniques I use to enhance my ability to concentrate in my workouts. The same techniques help to relax the muscles, as well. The other thing I do is to make a conscious effort to stay loose rather than tightening up as the weight gets heavier. Note that this approach works for Olympic lifting workouts. For powerlifting workouts, a different approach might be better. You need to stay tighter in powerlifting.]

TO EVERYONE – Thanks for responding to the post! I appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can order my new CD, The Seven Keys to Concentration, from Carl Lanore at the below link. If you order from Carl, the cosyt is $19.95 plus s&h:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/component/jshopping/product/view/5/7.html

If you prefer, you can order the CD from me by adding it to your next order for one of my books, courses, or DVD’s. If you add the CD to your order for other Dino goodies, you’ll pay an additional $19.95 for CD, but there will be no additional s&h charges, since we can ship it with whatever else you purchase. If you’re interested in doing that, shoot me an email before placing your order, and I’ll tell you how to make it happen.

P.S. 2. I cover the mental aspects of strength training in detail in Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Power – in Strength, Muscle and Power – and in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. You can find them right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: “They say that silence is golden, but to a lifter, silence is iron.” – Brooks Kubik

The Sound of Silence (And Heavy Iron)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In case you've missed them, I've been
concluding all of my daily emails with
a Thought for the Day -- so always read
to the very end and enjoy the T4TD.
They're fun!

On the training front, I wanted to share
an interesting phenomenon. It may or may
not apply to YOU (depending on your age),
and even if you're my age or older it may
be totally different than your own
experience. But for what it's worth,
here it is.

The older I get, the quieter I like it
when I train. I don't even like any music
playing anymore. I prefer silence. I don't
want any distractions.

The older I get, the more I enjoy fast,
smooth, powerful movements -- exercises
like snatches, cleans, jerks, dumbbell
snatches, dumbbell swings, and so on.
The FEEL better. (I think that's because
they require a super-strong mind-muscle
link -- and because they engage the
nervous system so much.)

The older I get, the less likely I am to
psyche up for a big lift. Instead, I prefer
to turn inward, to quiet my mind, to shut
out distractions, and to become fully
focused. I still lift heavy, I just do
it differently.

The older I get, the more time I spend
on stretching, flexibility and mobility
work. I'm also finding that I need to
practice RELAXING my muscles so that I
can move fast and fluidly when I lift.
Again, I'm still lifting heavy, I'm
just doing it differently.

What I'm finding is that as I grow older,
I need to make changes in my training, and
many of those changes involve the mental
side of things as much as the physical
side.

Training has always been both a physical
and a mental (you might even say a spiritual)
journey for me. Ar age 25, or even age 35, it
was much more physical than anything else.
Today, at age 55, it's as much mental as
physical.

Yes, I'm still training  hard and heavy --
I'm just doing it a little differently.

I don't know if my experience is similar to
that of other older lifters. It may be totally
different. But it may be that others have
experienced a similar transition in their
training. After all, if you do something for
forty or fifty years, you'll probably make
some changes as the years roll on by.

Anyhow, I had a great workout last night.
I did snatches -- and I worked up to a heavy
weight and stayed there for five perfect singles.

It was quiet and peaceful, and in some strange
way, almost relaxing. Which is hard to imagine,
given that I was tossing a heavy barbell up over
my head as hard and fast as possible.

That got me to thinking -- and that's why I
shared this with you.

We're winding down to the end of thew day, so
let me close by saying: Have a great weekend!
If you train tonight -- or tomorrow -- or
Sunday -- make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My books, courses, and Dinosaur Training
DVD's are available right here at Dino
Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "The iron never
beats you. When you miss, it's because you beat
yourself." -- Brooks Kubik