More Old-School Lifting Standards for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The old-timers did plenty of heavy
dumbbell training, and that included
plenty of heavy dumbbell pressing.

The one-hand military press with
dumbbell was one of the favorite
old-school exercises -- and many
of the old-timers used it to build
impressive strength and power --
and plenty of rugged muscular
development.

Now, please note -- I'm not talking
about bent presses or side presses --
or push presses or jerks. I'm talking
about the one-hand MILITARY press with
one dumbbell. A strict lift, performed
in letter-perfect style.

Here are Bob Hoffman's Gold, Silver
and Bronze medal standards for the
one-hand military press with one
dumbbell. Study them carefully --
and note just how strong they were
back in 1939, when Hoffman compiled
these standards.

NOTE: The weights given are for ONE
dumbbell -- for example, the Gold
medal standard in the 132 pound class
is one rep with an 85 pound dumbbell.

132 pound class

Gold -- 85 pounds

Silver -- 77 pounds

Bronze -- 69 pounds


148 pound class

Gold -- 90 pounds

Silver -- 81 pounds

Bronze -- 72 pounds


165 pounds

Gold -- 95 pounds

Silver -- 85 pounds

Bronze -- 75 pounds


181 pounds

Gold -- 100 pounds

Silver -- 90 pounds

Bronze -- 80 pounds


Heavyweight

Gold -- 105 pounds

Silver -- 95 pounds

Bronze -- 85 pounds


So just how strong were the old-timers?

If they were handling weights like that
in the one-hand military press, I'd say
they were pretty strong!

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. Old-school dumbbell training builds
terrific strength and power -- and plenty
of muscle -- and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
will teach you how to do it:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If a guy training
at home with a barbell and dumbbell set could
build strength like that way back in 1939, he
must have been doing something right."
-- Brooks Kubik

Smack that Young Guy Right in the Chops!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Forty years ago, there was a pretty
good high school wrestler at a school
in Illinois. (Actually, there were a
lot of good wrestlers at that school.)

He was lucky enough to go to a school
with an excellent wrestling coach and
a long tradition of top wrestlers and
wrestling teams.

He worked hard all year round, and did
plenty of lifting and conditioning work
on his own, and he got to be pretty
strong.

One day, he went to Chicago and wrestled
in the State Championship meet in Greco
Roman wrestling. He found a rabbit's foot
in the locker room before the meet began,
slipped it into his gym bag and went out
on the mat -- and finished the tournament
by knocking two kids in a row unconscious
with savage headlock hip throws -- and won
the State Championship at 154 pounds.

Yes, that was me -- and yes, I really did
find a rabbit's foot in the locker room.
It was dyed emerald green. I have no idea
what happened to it. I sure wish I had kept
it -- because it was darn lucky for me that
day.

Anyhow, that was forty years ago. A long
time ago.

I don't wrestle any more, but I still lift
weights and I do it just as seriously as I
did in my wrestling days.

And here's the fun part.

I'm stronger today -- at age 55 -- than
I was when I was a high school state
wrestling champion.

And that's part of the fun of training.

I want to be stronger than that high school
wrestling champion when I'm sixty -- and
when I'm sixty-five -- and when I'm
seventy.

Don't know if I'll do it, but that's the
goal I've set for myself.

To get there, I need to train the right way.
I follow the programs detailed in Gray Hair
and Black Iron. I train hard, but I train
smart. And I watch my diet pretty closely.
Diet and nutrition gets more and more
important as you get older.

You might remember a younger version of
yourself, and you might be planning to smack
him in the chops -- just the way I'm planning
to smack the younger version of the Dino-Man
right between the eyes. If that's the plan,
I wish you the best of success. It's a lot
of fun to look back forty or fifty years and
be able to say, "I'm stronger now than I was
then."

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 number
one resource for older trainees. Grab a copy
right here -- and kick that younger version
of you right in the you-know-what:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Youth is wasted
on the young, but training is forever."
-- Brooks Kubik

The Power of Old School Poundage Goals

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the worst things in the history
of the Iron Game was the shift from
telling people that they could be a
champion to putting the champions on
pedestals and making them appear to
be unreachable muscle gods.

Things were a heck of a lot better
when the champs were GOOD -- but not
so good that the average guy thought
it was impossible to become a champ.

Once again, Bob Hoffman's gold, silver
and bronze lifting standards are very
instructive.

Consider the following.

In 1939, John Davis won the 181 pound
class at the United States Senior
Nationals. The previous year, he won
the World Championship. So he was pretty
good -- as in, the best in the world.

Let me repeat that.

He was the best in the United States --
and the best in the world.

His winning lifts were:

Press -- 255 pounds

Snatch -- 260 pounds

Clean and jerk -- 300 pounds

Total -- 815 pounds

Frank Kay, the second place winner,
totaled 765 pounds -- and third place
finisher Gord Venables hit an even
700 pounds.

Hoffman published his lifting standards
the very same year. Let's look at the
gold medal standards for 181 pounds.

Here they are:

Press --205 pounds

Snatch -- 215 pounds

Clean and jerk -- 280 pounds

Total -- 700 pounds

Now remember, the lifting standards were
intended as goals for the average lifter.
Not as impossible standards -- but as
realistic training goals for the typical
guy who trained at home or at a local
lifting club, YMCA or neighborhood gym.

So Hoffman set the goal at a three-lift
total of 700 pounds -- or roughly 85%
of what the World Champion was lifting.

And please note -- that same 700 pound
total was enough to give you third place
at the USA Senior Nationals.

So Hoffman was encouraging EVERY lifter
in the world to work toward a total that
was just about 85% of the defending World
Champion. And he was saying, "Go on --
give it a try -- You can do it!"

If you think about it, that's pretty darn
encouraging.

And it's encouraging in TWO ways.

Number one -- it encourages the younger guys
to try to move into championship territory.

Number two -- it encourages the champion to
work like heck and get stronger and stronger
so he can stay ahead of the younger guys.

And it may just be a coincidence, but for the
next 15 years, the USA lifters who grew up
reading Hoffman's books and courses -- and
his lifting standards -- were the very best
lifters in the entire world.

And later, when the muscle magazines became
addicted to the Cult of the Champions --
well, you know what happened then. USA
lifting melted like a snowball in July.

Anyhow, there's a reason why I've been
sharing those old school lifting standards.
Don't ask me what it is -- I just told 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. For the best in old school strength
training and muscle building, grab any of
my books and courses. You can find them
right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Old school
iron, old school values, and old school
power." -- Brooks Kubik

Squatting Tips for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A very long time ago, I was a sophomore
in high school.

I was doing curls in the school weight
room -- using a York Olympic barbell
loaded to 135 pounds. 

Not strict curls -- there was some
cheat there -- but still, that was a
lot of weight for a 145 pound kid to be
handling back in 1971 or 72 or whatever
year it was.

In walks one of the coaches -- with a
buddy who was a coach at another high
school.

And the guy immediately starts to tell
me that I'm doing my curls all wrong, and
I'm musclebound, and I have no flexibility,
and I can't straighten my arms, and I need
to do special stretches every day or else
my biceps will fall off and I'll never be
able to straighten my arms, and my elbows
will rotate backwards and I'll never be able
to comb my hair again.

Or something like that.

And he said, "ALWAYS do full range movements
when you lift weights!"

Then he walked over to another guy who was
doing squats and told him he was going too
low.

"Don't go so deep," he said. "You'll ruin
your knees! Only squat to parallel!"

There was no one else in the weight room
to yell at, so he left.

And that's the way it was, back in the day.

"Full range movements!" they told us.

"Only squat to parallel!" they told
us.

And being young and naive, we never
stopped to consider whether those two
statements were consistent with each
other.

I mention this, because I often get
questions from readers asking about
parallel squats vs. full squats.

But I never get questions asking about
half-way curls vs. full range curls --
or about half-way presses vs. full-range
presses -- or about half-way deadlifts
vs. full-range deadlifts.

So where am I in the Great Debate?

I'm right ehre:

1. Full squats are best, IF you can do
them safely.

1A. If not, go as low as you can safely
go.

2. If you need to build the flexibility
to do full squats, then take the time to
do it.

3. Wear Olympic lifting shoes if you plan
to do full squats.

4. Keep your torso upright -- in other words,
do Olympic high bar squats, not powerlifting
squats.

5. Note that front squats may work better
than back squats, especially for older
trainees.

6. Never drop and bounce when you squat.

6A. Control the weight.

7.  If you're hitting the iron in the school
weight room and some jerk comes in and tells
you you're doing it wrong, drop something
heavy on his foot.

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 tips on real world, effective
 strength training, grab a copy of Dinosaur
Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you squat,
go all the way down. Then go all the way up."
-- Brooks Kubik

Poundage Goals for the Push Press!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I sent you several posts
about poundage goals for the military
press (performed for one rep) and the
alternate press with two dumbbells
(performed for five reps with each
hand, i.e., ten reps total). If you
missed them, you can find them at
the Dinosaur Training Blog -- just scroll
on down after you read this post.

In response to these posts, I've
rec'd tons of questions about poundage
goals in other lifts. I'll try to answer
some of those questions this
week.

One of the most common questions involved
the push press. A number of Dinos wanted
to know how the push press compared with
the military press.

Bob Hoffman doesn't help us with the push
press, because he didn't give poundage
goals for it. Back then, trainees didn't
use the exercise that much. They stuck to
strict military presses and jerks.

But here's something that may help you.

My all-time best in two hands clean and
military press with barbell was 275 pounds.

My all-time best in the two-hands push
press (taking the bar from squat stands)
was 320 pounds.

So my top push press was 16 percent higher
than my top military press.

So if we use that number as a rule of
thumb, you can take Hoffman's Gold, Silver
and Bronze standards in the military press
and add 15 percent -- and that would give
you Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for
the push press.

By the way, that 320 pound push press came
after a concentrated program of power
rack training, as detailed in my video
on Power Rack Training. The little monster
has been remastered to DVD, and it shows
my first ever push press with 300 pounds.
You can find it right here, along with my
other Dinosaur Training DVD's:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

Anyhow, I know that many of you enjoy the
push press. Now you know what to shoot for
when you hit 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. Strength, Muscle and Power is another
good resource on power rack training:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "Strength
training is like tiddly-winks. People
have forgotten how to do it." -- Brooks
Kubik

How Good Is Your Dumbbell Pressing?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions on
military pressing and the Hoffman Gold,
Silver and Bronze standards that I
mentioned earlier in the week.

Many of you asked about poundage goals
for dumbbell presses.

Hoffman gave lifting standards for the
alternate dumbbell press -- meaning that
you lift two dumbbells, one in each hand,
and perform a total of ten reps in alternate
arm style (left, right, left, right, etc.).

That's five reps per hand. Ten reps total.

And the rules allow you to rock from side
to side to use body motion to help lift
the dumbbells. That's important, because
it added many pounds to the lift.

The lifters in the 30's and 40's did TONS
of heavy dumbbell pressing and they were
super strong at it -- because these
standards (which were based on what
Hoffman saw and read about in letters
to Strength and Health) are off the
charts high.

In that regard, let me note that the
165 pound standard is what the 165
pound World weightlifting champion,
Johnny Terpak, could handle. Or
what Sig Klein could handle at
a bodyweight of 148 to 150 pounds --
and Klein held the professional
world record in the military press.

It's also about what George Hackenschmidt
could handle -- and in his prime, he
weighed 220 pounds.

So these are VERY high standards!

Also, I'll note that the hardest
part of the lift is cleaning the
dumbbells.

And once again -- these standards were
compiled in 1939, so they're drug-free
standards. No roidskies involved!

Now take a look!

(Note: All wts are in pounds, and it's
the weight of EACH dumbbell, not their
combined weight.)

132 pound class

Gold -- 85 pounds

Silver -- 78 pounds

Bronze -- 70 pounds

Note: Once again, just to make things
clear, that 85 pound gold standard means
TWO 85 pound dumbbells -- which is scary
strong for a 132 pound man.


148 pound class

Gold -- 95 pounds

Silver -- 88 pounds

Bronze -- 80 pounds


165 pound class

Gold -- 105 pounds

Silver -- 98 pounds

Bronze -- 90 pounds


181 pound class

Gold -- 115 pounds

Silver -- 108 pounds

Bronze -- 100 pounds


Heavyweight

Gold -- 125 pounds

Silver -- 118 pounds

Bronze -- 110 pounds

I don't know about you, but those
weights are pretty darn impressive.

And I think is very clear proof that
the lifters of the 30's and 40's built
much of their pressing power -- and
much of their total body strength --
with heavy dumbbells.

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 the best in dumbbell training for
total body strength and development, grab
a copy of Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. For more about old-school strength
training and muscle building, see Dinosaur
Training, Strength, Muscle and Power and
my other books and courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Most people
train like dumbbells, not with them."
-- Brooks Kubik

Gray Hair, Black Iron and Handstand Pushups!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's an email with a training update
and several questions from Mike Alexander,
a hard-training, hard-charging Dino who's
keeping it real at age 52. Several of you
had similar questions, so I thought this
would be good to share with the Dino
Nation:

"Hey Brooks,

I hope you are well. I love overhead pressing
and benching. However, as 52 year old retired
army officer, I get some serious pain from
time to time when I press. So, when it hurts
I stop weight lifting and do some body weight
work.

I bought the "Dinosaur Bodyweight Training"
book, and Bill Hinbern's "Hand-Balancing for
Muscular Development." So, from those I went
back to the roots, so to speak, from my Army
days, knocking out those good old push-ups.
I use a variety of push-ups from Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, including Incline
Pushups, Jowett Pushups, Gorilla Pushups,
and my favorite, Handstand pushups.

I am currently at 2 x 8 on the Handstand
Pushup, and I weigh 220 so I think I am
doing well.

I have a few questions:

- When I do my regular workout I use push-ups
and pull-ups along with some dumbbell squats
and deadlifts. it feels great, do you think
this a good combination?

- I know that lifting my bodyweight isn't
the gold standard, but if I got to, say,
2 x 15 on the handstand would that be
comparable?

Let me know what you think. I also walk
three miles on my non-lifting days. (I
read about that in your "Gray Hair Black
Iron" Book.) Good stuff, my old knees are
shot from jumping off tanks when I was in
the army, but I love the fast walking!

You take care, and thanks for the great
books.

Mike Alexander"

Hi Mike -- Thanks for the workout report.
It sounds like you're doing a great job,
and in particular, that you're changing
things up to work around the dings and
dents -- which is critical for any older
Dino.

2 x 8 in the Handstand Pushup is very
good -- especially for a 52-year old Dino
who weighs in at 220 pounds.

With regard to your questions, a workout
based on pushups, pull-ups, dumbbell squats
and deadlifts would be excellent. All four
are good exercises, and they are perfect
(and safe) for home gym training.

I can't recall, but I think I included a
very similar workout in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training.

Anyhow, it's a good program, and will work
well for you.

Re your second question -- if you can do
2 x 15 in the handstand pushup, that's
pretty good. The York lifters used to do
lots of handstand pushups, and most of
them did sets of 10 to 20 reps. These
were lighter lifters, so it was easier
than moving 220 pounds up and down.

Whether the 2 x 15 is equal to a gold
medal press is an open question. It
depends in part on how far down you go.
If you touch the top of your head to
the floor, that's a limited range
Handstand Pushup. If you go lower,
it's a full range movement and much
closer to a press.

If you're doing 2 x 15 in full range
Handstand Pushups, that's definitely
equal to the gold medal standard.

Thanks for sharing this. It's a good
workout, and good info for lifters of
all ages.

To everyone else -- Mike has shown good
resourcefulness in working around sore
knees and shoulders. That's how you do
it. Remember, where there's a will,
there's a way!

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'll find great exercises, great
workouts and great training advice in the
books Mike used to build his current
training program:

1. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

2. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

3. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

4. Available from Bill Hinbern -- Hand Balancing
for Muscular Development

http://www.superstrengthtraining.com/hand_balancing.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: "Everyone has dings
and dents, but Dinosaurs work around them."
-- Brooks Kubik

One Man in 20,000 Can Press this Much -- Can You?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

First of all -- Trudi says THANK YOU to
everyone who sent her b'day wishes by
Facebook or email. She rec'd a ton of
them from the Dino Nation, and it truly
brightened her day.

Second -- we rec'd a ton of emails from
Dinos about yesterday's post re poundage
goals for the military press.

Several of them came from older Dinos.

Frank Tirelli wrote: "These type of
realistic goals are critical for us older
guys. Especially those who lifted at a
relatively high level when we were
younger."

I agree with Frank ten thousand percent. 
And if you're an older Dino, I hope you
take his message to heart.

Ira Reid also commented about reasonable
goals for an older lifter -- and gave a
very interesting and insightful look at
his own lifting at age 62 compared to his
lifting at age 50.

Ira wrote:

"Brooks,

Bernard H.B. Lange, the legendary strongman-
priest of Notre Dame, had a sign in his gym
that read "One man in twenty thousand can
press his own weight -- Are you a man?"

When I was 50 years old, that challenge
inspired me to press 220 pounds for a single
rep at a bodyweight of 190 pounds.

Now, at age 62, I weigh 163 (for health
reasons) and am working to get up to 155
for a single at a soon to be bodyweight
of 155.

I'm doing 135 for triples now, and realize
it is tough to add weight to the bar while
dropping bodyweight, but expect to reach
both goals by Spring.

Best,

Ira"

Okay, Dinos -- did you catch that?

At age 50, Ira military presses 220 pounds at
a bodyweight of 190 pounds. That exceeds the
gold medal standard for the military press
in the Heavyweight class by 15 pounds.

It's a GREAT lift -- and as Notre Dame's
Father Lange noted, it makes him one in
20,000 -- at age 50!

Today, 12 years later, Ira weighs 163 and
is doing triples with 135 in the press --
and shooting to hit a bodyweight press
of 155 at 155 pounds.

Hitting bodyweight at 155 pounds is a
silver medal lift under Hoffman's formula.
At 148 pounds, the silver medal standard
is 145 pounds, and at 165 pounds the silver
medal standard is 165 -- so I think hitting
bodyweight at 155 is a silver medal lift.

And that's pretty darn good at age 62.

Now, let's be realistic. Ira is NOT going
to military press 220 pounds again. But
that doesn't stop him from training --
and it doesn't stop him from setting
challenging goals for himself -- and it
doesn't stop him from outlifting 99.99
percent of the young guys.

Nor does it stop him from building back
up to one man in 20,000 status.

Food for thought for older Dinos.

Food for thought for younger Dinos, too.
If Ira could military press 30 pounds
over his own bodyweight at age 50,
and you're younger than that, there's
no reason in the world why YOU can't
hit bodyweight in the press -- and make
yourself the one man out of 20,000
who can do 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. Here's the number one training guide
for older lifters -- meaning everyone in
the age 35 and up group:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here -- including the Dinosaur
Training Military Press Course and my
new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If one man
out of 20,000 can press his own bodyweight,
your job is to be that man!" -- Brooks Kubik

How Strong Are You?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll answer the "How strong are you?"
question in just a minute -- but first,
let me make a very important Dinosaur
Training Announcement.

Today is a very big day at Dinosaur
Headquarters.

It's Trudi's birthday -- and although I
can't tell you her age, I will say this:
It's a big one.

So please head on over to my Facebook
page and wish Trudi a Happy Birthday --
or shoot an email to Dino Headquarters
and I'll be sure she sees your message.

And now -- let's answer the question.

How strong are you?

In response to yesterday's email, I've
been getting lots of questions about what
constitutes a good poundage goal for the
military press.

And since the Military Press was the
number one test of strength "back in
the day," it's a great way to compare
yourself to old school lifters.

So the question becomes, "What's a
good poundage goal for the military
press?"

The best way to answer this question is
to go back in time to the days when the
military press was part of official
weightlifting competitions, and when
virtually everybody who trained did
plenty of military pressing. (We're
talking back in the 1930's and 1940's.)

In 1939, Bob Hoffman published a book
called Weightlifting. In it, he gave a
table of lifting awards for 50 different
exercises and lifts, including the
military press and the military press
for reps. The former was a one rep lift,
and the latter was one clean followed
by five consecutive presses.

Hoffman's rating system used the five
weight classes then used in official
lifting competition. For each class,
he gave Gold, Silver and Bronze medal
ratings on each lift.

Here are the Hoffman standards for the
one rep military press (i.e., the clean
and military press). All weights are in
pounds -- and remember, this was back in
1939, long before roidskies hit the scene,
so don't think the guys were roiding up
to make these numbers:

132 pound class

Gold -- 165

Silver -- 145

Bronze -- 25


148 pound class

Gold -- 175 

Silver -- 155

Bronze -- 135


165 pound class

Gold -- 190

Silver -- 170

Bronze -- 150


181 pound class

Gold -- 205

Silver -- 180

Bronze -- 155


Heavyweight

Gold -- 215

Silver -- 195

Bronze -- 175

So Hoffman's gold medal standard was
roughly 25 or 30 pounds OVER your own
bodyweight in the lighter weight classes,
and something like your own bodyweight in
the Heavyweight class (where most lifters
of the era weighed in at 220 or 225 pounds,
which as BIG back then).

These were good standards in 1939, and
they're good standards today.

You can even use them to adjust your goals
based on your age. It's simple to do. 

If you're in your teens, twenties or
thirties, shoot for the Gold medal standard
in the press.

If you're over the age of 40, shoot for the
silver medal standards -- and if you're over
the age of 50, shoot for the bronze medal
standards.

Let me close by saying this -- if you hit
the Gold medal standard, you're doing really
well. As in, better than 99.99 percent of
everyone on the planet who exercises. And
that's not too shabby.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a
good one (and do some heavy presses)!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The Dinosaur Training Military Press
and Shoulder Power Course will help you
build serious pressing strength in record
time:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.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 most basic
test of strength is to lift something heavy
over your head." -- Brooks Kubik

The Favorite Old-School Exercise for Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in the day, there was one
way and only one way to prove
you were strong.

You stood on your feet and lifted
a heavy barbell over your head.

It didn't matter what you could do
on other lifts. Other lifts were
great, and so were strongman stunts
like bending horseshoes, breaking
chains, ripping phone books in
half, and so on -- but to be a
strongman, you had to be able to
lift heavy iron over your head.

That's why the Military Press was
a part of Olympic Weightlifting
contests, and it's why the Military
Press was the most popular of the
three lifts for many years.

Many modern trainees don't do any
overhead pressing -- or don't do
enough of it -- or don't do it very
well. We've forgotten how to press,
and we've forgotten how to train the
press to build maximum strength and
power.

Last year, I tried to help fix that
by writing The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course. It's a good course, and
many Dinos have read and enjoyed
it -- and gotten excellent results
from it.

But here's some seriously good
results from the course.

Chris Carle sent me the following
email about the Military Press
Course, which he ordered in
December, 2011:

"I ordered your Military Press course
last year, and I've improved my Press
in that time from 155 lbs. to 200
lbs. strict style military press
at a bodyweight of 205 lbs.

Before this, my shoulders were worn
out from bench pressing. Now they are
totally pain free.

I use the percentage program from the
course and train presses twice a week."

Now that's pretty good! A gain of 33%
in the press in just ten months of
training -- along with going from
"Ouch, my shoulders hurt!" to "Hey,
my shoulders feel fine!"

And (as you probably noted), Chris
is just 5 lbs. shy of hitting one of
those Magic Numbers in the press --
he weighs 205 lbs. and he's pressing
200 lbs. -- so he's going to hit a
bodyweight press any day now. And
that's pretty darn good!

Chris -- good job, and thanks for the
update and the progress report. Let me
know when you hit that 205 lb. press!

To everyone else -- until next time,
train  hard, train heavy and keep it
Dino!

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 a copy of The
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:

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

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by ordering
two or more books and courses at one time.
You can find all of my books and courses
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Forget what
they say in the history books. The Iron Age
didn't begin until men began lifting heavy
barbells over their heads." -- Brooks Kubik

Questions and Answers re Dinosaur Dumbbell Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions
about Dinosaur Dumbbell Training, so
let me answer some of them in this
email. It will save me trying to answer
50 or so individual emails with the same
or similar questions:

Q. Is Dinosaur Dumbbell Training an actual
book or is it a short course?

A. It's a book. And a big one. It's 8 1/2
x 11, with over 200 pages (counting the
table of contents and other pages at the
front with roman numerals).

Q. Is Dinosaur Dumbbell Training in stock
and ready to ship?

A. It sure is. We're firing them out as
soon as we get an order.

Q. I can't do dumbbell swings or cleans
or snatches. Are there other exercises
in the book that I can do?

A. Absolutely. I include many different
pressing exercises, as well as different
types of dumbbell deadlifts, squats, shrugs
and rowing.

Q. Do you include dumbbell curls?

A. No, because I assume everyone knows how
to do them. I tried to stick to exercises
you might not have seen before, or might
not know how to perform.

Q. Can I get a complete total body workout
with dumbbells alone?

A. Yes, and I teach you how to do it in the
book. I also teach you how to combine
dumbbells with barbells, kettlebells,
bodyweight training and heavy awkward
objects.

Q. Does the book have photos to show how
to do the different exercises?

A. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training has over
300 exercise photos. We shot over 1,000
photos and I picked out the best ones.
(Yes, it was a lot of work!)

Q. Do you include actual workouts in the
book?

A. Of course! Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
features 50 different workouts. There's
quite literally something for everyone.

Q. Can you tell me what kind of dumbbells
to use?

A. I cover that in detail at the beginning
of the book. i also give you different
exercise choices depending in part on
the kind of dumbbells available to you.

Q. I like your historical approach to
strength training and muscle building.
Do you include any of that in Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training?

A. Yes, it's in one of the very first
chapters -- and there are some killer
photos of old-time strongmen that I got
from Bill Hinbern.

Q. Do you include leg exercises with
dumbbells?

A. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training has an
entire chapter of leg exercises you can
perform with dumbbells.

Q. Are your dumbbell workouts abbreviated
or do they include lots of different
exercises?

A. They're abbreviated. That's the best
way to train, no matter what kind of
equipment you use.

Q. What are people saying about Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training?

A. Readers LOVE it. The response has been
overwhelming, and 100 percent positive.
The most common response has been "It's
even better than I thought it would be."

BTW -- friend me on Facebook and you can
see some of the feedback.

Q. Can I still get your Seven Keys to
Concentration CD with the Dumbbell
training book?

A. Yes, there's an option to do that on
the order page. BTW -- MANY Dinos have
ordered the CD, and they love it! It's
a very good CD, with tons of great info.
It's also as inspiring and motivating as
heck. I was on a roll the night we
recorded it.

Q. Can dumbbells really build strength and
muscle?

A. John Grimek thought so, and that's good
enough for me!

Q. Are dumbbells good for older trainees?

A. Absolutely! Dumbbells allow you to turn
your hands and position your arms and elbows
to find the best, easiest and most pain free
range of motion possible. They're much more
forgiving than a barbell.

Q. What about younger trainees -- like my
teenage son?

A. Dumbbells are a great way to get started
in the Iron Game! A combination of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
training would be perfect for most beginners
(of any age).

Q. Can I save clam son s&h by ordering two
or more books at one time?

A. Yes -- and if you have questions, shoot
me an email.

Q. What do you charge to autograph a book?

A. Nothing. It's an honor to be asked to
sign your book for you. If you want me to
sign your copy, all you need to do is ask.
Use the Special Instructions section of
the on-line order form.

Those are the most common questions of the
week -- so I hope it helped to put them
together into one combination response.

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. My other books and courses are right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Dumbbells are
heavy awkward objects. That's why they're so
effective." -- Brooks Kubik

The Little Gym that Beat the World

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two men huddled in front of an old
fashioned, wood-burning, cast-iron
stove.

The men wore double sweat suits, dark
gray fisherman's knit hats, and thick
gloves.

One of them pulled his gloves off and
held his hands close to the top of the
stove.

"If my fingers were any colder, they'd
be icicles," he muttered.

The other man nodded in silent agreement.

The first man reached down and picked up
a York Olympic barbell that lay close to
the stove.

"It's ready," he said.

The other man laughed softly.

"Meaning it's not frozen," he said.

"Meaning it's not frozen," said the first
man.

He carried the barbell to the lifting
platform, and performed five quick reps
in the clean and press.

"Your turn," he said.

The second man stepped onto the platform
and began to do his warm-ups.

That was the South Phillie Weightlifting
Club in 1940. A neighborhood gym on the
second floor of a garage. The only source
of heat was the old wood-burning stove,
and the lifters kept one barbell close
to the stove so they could do their
warm-up sets with a barbell that didn't
feel as cold as ice. After that, they
used one of the other barbells -- one
of the cold ones. But after you did your
warm-ups, you could stand the cold.

That was in winter. In the summer, the
gym was so hot it felt like you were
training inside a blast furnace.

The gym was spartan at best. There were
a few wooden lifting platforms, some
homemade wooden benches and squat racks,
a pull-up bar, and some barbells and
dumbbells. That was it.

The men trained on basic exercises. Most
of them practiced Olympic weightlifting.
Many of them did plenty of squats and
bench presses, as well. They did lots of
dumbbell pressing, and plenty of high
pulls.

At the 1948 Olympic Games, six gold medals
were awarded in weightlifting.
 
Two of them went to men from the South
Phillie Weightlifting Club. John Davis
and Frank Spellman.

The little neighborhood gym had out-lifted
the world.

And that tells you something very important
about what it takes to be a champion --
and about the kind of gyms that build a
champion.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can read more about John Davis and
how he trained in BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS
STORY. It covers his life and lifting in a
big (almost 500 page) epic, with special
insights from his friends, team mates, and
training partners -- and many never before
published photos. It's a great tribute to a
great champion -- and a tribute to the
greatness in all of us:

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

P.S. 2. My new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL
TRAINING, is in stock and ready to ship.
You can grab your copy right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right
here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Luxury is for
cruises, not lifting." -- Brooks Kubik

Barbells by Moonlight

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

There was a full moon that night.

The young man nodded his head in
satisfaction. The full moon was
good. He wouldn't have to use the
old lantern to see what he was
doing.

He had just finished a 10 hour
shift at work. He worked an
afternoon and evening shift,
and he didn't get home until
after midnight.

So that's when he trained.

It was brutally hot that summer,
so he trained outside, in his back
yard.

He had everything he needed: a barbell,
plenty of plates, some dumbbells and
some kettlebells. 

He threw on his workout clothes,
put on an old pair of gym shoes, and
stepped outside.

For more than two hours he pushed and
pulled, tossing and heaving the iron.

He finished at 3:00 in the morning,
put the weights away, and went to
bed.

His name was John Grimek. He went on
to win the Heavyweight class at the
USA Senior National Weightlifting
Championships -- to set American
records in weightlifting -- to set
several unofficial world records in
weightlifting -- to represent the
USA in the Olympic Games -- to win
the North American Weightlifting
Championship -- to win the Mr.
America title (twice) -- to win
the Mr. Universe title -- and to
retire undefeated from bodybuilding
competition.

In his prime, he was the best built
man of his generation -- and one of
the strongest men of his generation.

And it all started in that backyard
in New Jersey -- when John Grimek
trained by himself under the
moonlight.

And I don't think that's an accident.

There is a special power in training
alone -- training at unusual hours --
and training with only the most basic
of equipment.

It allows you to focus.

It allows you to concentrate.

And it develops unrelenting determination.

Think about it. If you're going to train
in the wee hours of the morning, as Grimek
did, you're darn sure going to make every
workout a good one!

So if you:

DON'T have anyone to train with.

DON'T train at a fancy gym.

DON'T have lots of equipment.

DON'T have much time to train.

That's a good thing!

None of those are negatives. They're
positives. They help you unleash your
inner Dinosaur!

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 Dumbbell Training is made
to order for home gym training. Grab your
copy of this big, new book -- with over
300 photos -- right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
DVD's -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Where there's a
will, there's a way -- and where there's a way,
there's more weight on the bar." -- Brooks Kubik

The Secret Exercises!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in the 1940's, John Grimek
and Steve Stanko were training at
the York Barbell Club gym, and one
of Grimek's competitors in an
upcoming contest sent some spies
to watch them train and report on
their workouts.

The spies pretended to be regular
lifting and bodybuilding fans, and
went to the gym and stood back
against the far wall, hands in
pockets, watching intensely.

Back then, anyone could go to
the York barbell Club gym and
watch the champs train. The gym
was on the second floor of the
Strength and Health building at
51 North Broad Street in York.

So lots of people came to York
to watch the champs -- and that
made it easy for the spies to
blend right in.

So Griemk and Stanko went through
a hard workout -- and the spies
watched closely. They saw everything.

When the workout was over, the spies
high-tailed it out of the gym, got
in their car, and raced back to give
their report.

"What did you get for me?" asked the
man who had sent them.

"Nothing!" said the first spy.

"They were wise to us!" said the second
spy.

"Yeah, someone must have tipped them
off!" said the first agent.

Yes, Grimek and Stanko had fooled them.
They went through an entire workout from
start to finish, and didn't do a single
secret exercise.

Instead, they stuck to the basics.

The exercises everyone already knew.

The ones I talk about in all of my books
and courses.

They kept the SECRET exercises under wraps.
Probably went back at midnight to do them
in total darkness.

At least, that's what the spies thought.

You see, the spies thought Grimek and
Stanko MUST have been doing some sort of
secret exercises. And even to this day,
many people believe that to have been
the case. After all, Grimek and Stanko
are the only men in history to have won

1. The USA Senior National Weightlifting
Championship

2. The Mr. America title

3. The Mr. Universe title

So they must have been doing something
special in their workouts -- and to the
spies, that mean -- SECRET exercises.

Now, if you want to learn more about John
Grimek's training, grab this great new
training course from Dinosaur Headquarters:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

And if you want to learn more about Steve
Stanko's training -- and his lifting -- grab
the Legacy of Iron books -- starting with the
first book in the series, Legacy of Iron and
moving on from there:

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

Trust me -- you'll learn way more than the
spies learned!

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 Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power course is another good source
for old-school training information -- with
plenty of tips about the training methods
that built supermen like Grimek and Stanko:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you want to be
a champion, learn to think like a champion --
and learn to train like a champion."
-- Brooks Kubik

For Real Results -- Train with a Purpose!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A quick update and then we'll talk training.

All but 15 or 20 of the Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training books have gone out in the mail.
The remaining ones include some orders
for the book and the Seven Keys to
Concentration CD. We had to get more
CD's run, and so those orders will be
mailed tomorrow.

Please shoot me an email when you get
your book. I like to know how long it
takes to get to different places. And
of course, let me know how you like
the little monster. So far, the
feedback has been 100 percent hugely
positive -- and that's good, because
I worked awfully hard on that book.

On the training front, let's talk about
one of the big differences between Dino
style strength training and what most
people do when they train.

Dinosaur training is about training for
a purpose.

Dinosaur training focuses on specific,
concrete, measurable goals -- and when
you train, you try to move closer and
closer to those goals.

In Dinosaur training, you begin by setting
long term goals. For example, you might set
a goal of squatting 500 pounds for one rep,
or squatting 300 pounds for 20 reps.

Choose your long term goals wisely. They
need to be goals that YOU want to achieve.
And they need to be really important to
you, because you're going to pursue them
for a long time. Even with the best training
program in the world, and even if you
work as hard as possible, it may take
years to achieve a particular goal.

You can set several long term goals, but
they need to be compatible. A goal of 500
pounds for one rep in the squat works
fine with a goal of a 600 pound deadlift.
It doesn't work so well with a goal of
running a marathon.

Break your long term goals into short term
goals. If your long term goal is 300 x 20
in the squat, and you're currently doing
185 x 20, you're 115 pounds under your goal.
If you add ten pounds per month, you can get
there in one year. So your short term goal
would be to add ten pounds to the bar over
the next 30 days.

Now you have your long term goal -- AND your
short term goal -- and you're going to work
toward their achievement in each and every
workout you take.

That's what training with a purpose is all
about -- and when you use it as a regular
part of your training, the results will
astound 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. Join your fellow Dinosaurs and grab a
copy of Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Go here to grab my other Dinosaur
Training books and courses (and DVD's, hoodies,
t-shirts and sweatshirts):

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you have a
firm idea of where you want to go, it's
a lot easier to get there." -- Brooks Kubik

Training Advice for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I rec'd an email from a
Dino living in Ft. McMurray, Alberta,
which makes him one of our northernmost
Dinos.

He's in his 30's, just lost 60 pounds
of Lard Lumps through diet alone, and
now wants to start a strength training
program -- and he plans to train at
home -- and he's wondering what
equipment to get.

Meanwhile, another Dino -- age 38 --
asked for some help on his squat. He's
having trouble with his form, and he's
having trouble adding weight to the bar.
Right now, he's handling 185 for three
or four reps. He wonders if he should
try an alternative exercise.

I thought I'd mention both of these
readers, because I have the same answer
for both of them:

"Get the original Gerard Trap Bar --
not one of the cheap steel knock-offs,
but the real thing -- and start doing
Trap Bar deadlifts."

Don't get me wrong. Squats are a great
exercise. But if you're starting to
train and you're going to train at
home, start with the Trap Bar. It's
just as effective as squats, and it's
far safer. Cheaper, too, because you
don't need squat stands or a power
rack.

A Trap Bar and a pair of adjustable
plate-loading dumbbells will give you
everything you need for some serious
training.

Later on, you can add more equipment,
but you have to start somewhere, and
starting with the Trap Bar and some
adjustable dumbbells is a great
place to start.

Order your Trap Bar from John Wood:

http://www.trapbartraining.com/

And that's what our Ft. McMurray Dino
should do.

Our other Dino -- the one who's having
trouble with squats -- should start
training the Trap Bar deadlift and
make that his primary leg, hip and
back exercise for the next couple of
months.

After that, he can work some squats or
front squats into his program. But for
now, he needs a change of scenery --
and the Trap Bar will give it to him.

You see, there are two ways to break
through a stone wall.

One is to beat your head against the
wall until either it or your head
breaks.

The other is to simply rock around
the wall.

Switching to Trap Bar deadlifts for
awhile is a good way for our fellow
Dino to walk around the wall.

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. A Trap Bar and a set of adjustable
dumbbells makes a heck of a home gym.
For a complete guide to dumbbell training,
grab my new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL
TRAINING. It's hot off the presses and
already getting rave reviews:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Every problem
has a solution." -- Brooks Kubik

Saturday Updates for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm pounding away on the first issue
of the Quarterly Dinosaur Files
Newsletter.

I'm going to be including letters
from readers, so if you want to
say something, shoot it on in.

I'm looking for Dino success stories,
so once again, send them in.

I may do a short Q and A column, so
if you want to send in a short
question, go for it.

And finally -- I'm going to be running
a page of classified ads -- so if you'd
like to run an ad that will hit a big
group of super-serious serious trainees,
this is a good deal. If you're interested
in placing an ad, shoot me an email.

We're already getting ads for old lifting
mags, old wrestling mags, and unique
pieces of training equipment. So I think
this will be a fun addition to the Dino
Files -- as well as an excellent service
for the Dino Nation.

In other Dino news, Morgan Davoren reported
that he just rec'd his copy of Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training. Morgan is a long
time Iron Slinger, and grew up reading
books and articles by Harry Paschall.
He mentions Harry in his feedback about
the new book, and it made me smile when
I read it:

"Brooks,

I received the book this morning and have
started to go through it. I changed my mind
about my workout today and it will be
dumbbell training. I have always used
dumbbells, but you have given me some
new ideas.

Thanks for your support for us cellar
dwellers. Harry would be proud of you.

Morgan"

Morgan -- Thanks for the feedback and the
kind words. If you and Harry (and Bosco)
like the book, then I'm more than
satisfied!

If anyone else rec'd Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training, shoot me an email and let me
know!

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. It's a holiday weekend here in the USA,
but we're still open for business and taking
orders:

1. For Dinosaur Dumbbell Training, go here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

2. For my other Dinosaur Training books and
courses, go here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Anyone who doesn't
believe in magic never met a barbell."
-- Brooks Kubik

Tony Terlazzo's Secret

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It was a beautiful day in the early
summertime. The year was 1940.

Two men sat in a park bench and chatted
quietly as they admired the view.

One of the men was Harry Paschall, the
creator of the inimitable Bosco and a
world-famous Iron game author who
wrote a hugely popular monthly column
for Strength and Health magazine.

The other was Tony Terlazzo. Pound
for pound, the 148-pound Terlazzo
was the greatest weightlifter in the
entire world. His list of achievements
staggered the imagination -- he was
an Olympic gold medal winner,a World
champion, and a World record holder.

As you might expect, they talked about
lifting. Or rather, Terlazzo talked
about lifting. Paschall simply listened.

Terlazzo talked about the human body,
and how even the greatest of lifters
were nowhere near the maximum weights
that men could lift.

With deep conviction and quiet confidence
he spoke of a day when men his own weight
would lift more than the heavyweights
of his era.

With the same conviction, he spoke of
men his own weight raising his current
records by 50 pounds per lift -- by 75
pounds per lift -- or even 100 pounds
per lift.

Terlazzo could clean and jerk a 330
pound barbell. But he calmly spoke of
the day when a man his weight would
clean and jerk 400 pounds.

The two men sat for several hours, and
Terlazzo dreamed of greater and greater
lifts, and heavier and heavier records.

Terlazzo lived in a world where the weights
he lifted in competition and in training --
which were World record poundages -- were
"light."

They were far less than his body was capable
of lifting.

He lived in the future. In his mind's eye,
he was handling weights far greater than he
could lift at the present time. But it was
only a matter of time -- only a matter of
regular, hard training -- before he got
there.

Paschall remembered that conversation for
his entire life. He wrote about it -- and
he shared his belief that Tony Terlazzo's
dreams were one of the great secrets of
his success.

"Let us have bigger and better dreams,"
he wrote. "For they will lead us to bigger
and better men."

There's a very important message there.
It's about the power of the human mind --
and about developing the same sort of quiet
confidence that made Tony Terlazzo the
strongest man of his weight in the entire
world.

Dare to dream -- and when you do, dream of
great lifts and great lifters.

The train -- and make your dreams your
reality!

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 learn more about the mental
aspects of strength training and muscle
building in Dinosaur Training, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, and Strength, Muscle
and Power:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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


2. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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


3. Strength, Muscle and Power

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


P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "Dreams of iron build
men of iron." -- Brooks Kubik

Bill Hinbern on Dinosaur Dumbbell Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just rec'd the very first testimonial for my new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- from Bill Hinbern, who just received a copy direct from my printer! 

Read what he has to say . . .

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik



I'm sure you read the emails, months ago, about it...

That was the planning stage.

You've seen the massive build up all over the internet...

That was in answer to trainees, like yourself, that want it.

And if you are reading the right stuff about serious, no nonsense, training, you are literally chomping-at-the-bit to not only see it, get your hands on it, but put the valuable information to use!

Well, I'm sending this announcement out immediately, to let EVERYONE know, that I'm the FIRST person on earth to see it!!!

That's right...

I have a copy of it even BEFORE the author!!!

And, it's so GREAT, that I'm not waiting another minute...

I'm letting the cat-out-of-the-bag, NOW!!!

What is it?!?!

It is the latest strength training publication by non other than the author of...

"Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development"...

Brooks Kubik

The name of this fantastic NEW weight training course...

"Dinosaur Dumbbell Training"

I had an idea of what it was when it arrived, just minutes ago, so I dropped everything, stood there, tore open the package, and nearly fell through my shoes!!!

I simply can't believe the time and effort that Brooks has put into this course!

As I have perused through this course page by page I have discovered the following:

1. The foot print...

8 ½ x 11 in size with over 185 pages, and a beautiful 4 color cover.

2. The training information...

Nine information packed Chapters

Over 100 exclusive DUMBBELL exercises

Each exercise is described in painstaking detail with accompanying text based on over 40 years of dumbbell training experience!

Fifty, that's right...50 Different All-Dumbbell Training Workouts!

No more racking your brain trying to come up with training routines that can be done with JUST dumbbells!

3. The photos...

Nearly 300 photos of the author demonstrating each and every stage of the exercises.

Each photo was taken in the author's, no fluff, no frills, training quarters...

His garage!!!

You can tell, as you move through the course, that the author not only "posed" for the exercises, but becomes drenched with sweat as he progresses through an honest to goodness, REAL, RESULTS PRODUCING, workout!!!

To say that I'm impressed, is an understatement...

I highly recommend this course to anyone and everyone who wants to build super human strength by using ONLY a pair of adjustable, plate loading, dumbbells.

So this is your opportunity, Brooks...

But hurry, go here and order your copy NOW and get in on the author's SPECIAL OFFER that ends today:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training by Brooks Kubik

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

This the limited FIRST edition, so don't hesitate...

Do it NOW!

Until the next time...

Yours for greater strength,

Bill Hinbern

P.S. Meanwhile, I'm going to get back to reading a GREAT weight training course!

Training Wisdom from the Trenches!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We rec'd a ton of great feedback in
response to yesterday's post on
recovery and recuperation.

If you missed it, let me give you the
short version.

Paul Murray sent me an email in which
he noted that he trains 2x per week,
and on the day he trains and for a day
or two afterwards he sleeps like a baby.
Then he doesn't sleep as well. Then he
trains again, and sleeps fine for a few
days.

Paul theorized that he slept soundly
when he body needed plenty of deep sleep
to recover from his training -- and once
he had recovered, he didn't need as much
sleep, and consequently, had one of those
tossing and turning restless nights where
you try to count sheep (or dinosaurs) and
you still can't fall asleep.

Many of you wrote in to say that you had
experienced the very same thing.

Several readers noted that they have
trouble sleeping if they overtrain,
which is understandable -- and several
said they were going to monitor their
sleep carefully and see if their
experience matched Paul's.

So it was good information -- and it's
got a lot of Dinos taking notes and
thinking about recovery and (hopefully)
adding another weapon to their arsenal
of training tips.

This is a classic example of training
information "from the trenches." The
truly important ideas in strength
training and muscle-building don't
come from laboratories, and they
don't come from men in lab coats or
from research studies.

They come from ordinary people who
train hard and heavy, and who think
about their training -- and who then
share their observations with others.

The old-school magazines -- Bob Hoffman's
Strength and Health and Peary Rader's
Iron Man -- served an important function
as clearing houses for that sort of
information. Each issue brought you
plenty of training ideas from cellar
dwellers and garage gorillas around
the world -- and it was solid gold for
anyone interested in real world, no
nonsense strength training.

That's how the word spread about breathing
squats -- power racks -- heavy partials --
isometrics -- rest pause training -- and
most of the truly effective old-school
training techniques. Most of them started
life as ideas "from the trenches."
 
It's a tradition that I've continued in
The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- and it's
a tradition I'm going to continue for a
long, long time.

I've published two years of a 20-page per
issue, hard copy, monthly Dinosur Files
newsletter featuring a mix of my own
articles and articles from your fellow
Dinos. (Back issues are still available,
and they have tons of great workouts,
great articles and great training ideas.)

I'm now switching to a quarterly format for
The Dinosaur Files. Each issue will be 36
pages. I'll print them with a heavy card
cover, just like my Dinosaur Training
courses, and I'll fill each issue with
tons of great articles.

I'm working on the Fall 2012 issue -- and
it's getting close to being finished. When
it's ready, I'll put up a special order
page and let you take it from there.

In the meantime, I can always use good,
high resolution photos of Dinos in action,
Dino equipment or Dino gyms -- and I can
always use a good article, so if you have
an idea for one, give me a holler.

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 Dumbbell Training arrives at
my door sometime tomorrow -- a huge shipment
of books -- and as soon as we get them we'll
start firing them out the door to everyone
who placed an order. If you have not yet
reserved your copy, do it now:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Go here to order back issues of the
Dinosaur Files newsletter:

Year one (12 back issues):

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

Year Two (12 back issues):

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

NOTE: Remember, these are back issues, NOT a new
subscription for the quarterly Dino Files. I'll
put up a separate page for the quarterly Dino Files
once the Fall issue is ready to go.

P.S. 3. My other books and courses (and DVD's)
are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "The best training
ideas come from people who actually train."
-- Brooks Kubik

A Recovery Breakthrough for Dinos!

ne quick update and then we'll talk
training.

DINOSAUR DUMBBELL TRAINING

I just learned that I'll get the first
shipment of books sometime on Thursday.
We'll fire them out the door as fast
as possible, filling all pre-publication
orders in the same order in which we
rec'd them. The pre-publication
special ends when  the books arrive,
so if you've been dragging your feet,
sprint on over and place your order:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Also, if you want to add another book
or course to your order to save on
shipping, do it now.

A RECOVERY BREAKTHROUGH!

As I mentioned last week, I've been
doing two workouts a week for the past
five or six weeks, and it's been working
very well. It seems to be excellent for
recovery and recuperation.

Many older Dinos train twice a week, and
thrive on it.

One of them is Paul Murray, who shared a
very interesting thought in a recent
email. Paul is two weeks shy of 60,
and he's been training his whole life,
so when he discovers something new,
it's important.

Paul wrote:

"I am now able to gauge recovery progress
by how I'm sleeping. After a workout, and
for a day or two after, I'll sleep soundly.
Then will come a night where I don't sleep
well.

After a few months of this pattern, it
finally dawned on me that when I was
restless, I was "recovered" and not
"needing" the sleep, and I would begin
working out the day after a "sleepless"
night, as opposed to a fixed schedule.

Pretty amazing."

Now, that's VERY interesting -- particularly
because I've been experiencing the same darn
thing on my twice a week schedule.

I sleep like a baby on the days I train --
and the following day -- and the day after --
and then I don't sleep very well.

Last night was one of those "didn't sleep
well" nights -- but today's a training day,
so let's see what happens. As Paul noted,
it may be that the lack of sleep means I'm
fully recovered from the last workout.

Paul may be on to something here -- and it
may be a very good way to help you schedule
your training for maximum recovery. It may
also explain why so many older Dinos (and
younger Dinos, as well) do best on twice
per week workouts.

Anyhow, that's the tip of the day -- and
I think it's a good one. Thanks to Paul
Murray for sharing this with us!

For other recovery tips for older Dinos, grab
Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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 order your copy
of Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html


P.S. 2. My other Dinosaur training books
and courses (and DVD's, shirts, hoodies,
etc.) are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You're never
to old to train, and you're never too old
to stop learning." -- Brooks Kubik

The Super Secret Dinosaur Chili Recipe!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We've been enjoying cooler weather
here in Louisville, and Trudi and
I have been enjoying some terrific
homemade soups and stews at dinner
time.

But yesterday was special.

Yesterday, I made the season's first
batch of Dinosaur Chili.

Dinosaur Chili is one of our favorite
dinners in the Fall and Winter. It's
inexpensive, easy to make, stores
well, and makes several meals for
us. So it's a time-saver as well
as a power-packed, high nutrition
dinner.

I mentioned this on my Facebook page
(send me a friend request if you
haven't already done so!) and
several Dinos asked for the recipe,
so here it is:

DINOSAUR CHILI

1. Brown two pounds of ground beef
or ground bison in a big skillet.

I prefer grass-fed beef I buy from
a local farmer at the neighborhood
Farmer's Market. It's very lean, so
I brown it in 2 TBS of bacon grease.

Pterodactyl meat also works well,
as does ground brontosaurus.

I add a big onion, chopped into
small pieces, along with some chopped
garlic -- four small garlic cloves or
two big ones, chopped up as small as
possible -- to the ground beef.

Stir the ground beef, onion and garlic
mix so it cooks evenly.

When the meat is browned on both sides
pout it into a crock-pot. If you don't
have a crock-pot, use a big cooking
pot.

Add two TBS of chili powder.

I like to add 1 TSP of curry powder or
ground cumin, and 1 TSP of Hungarian
paprika. Curry powder and ground
cumin are terrific antioxidants
and have unique anti-inflammatory
properties, so they're good to use
in your cooking.

Now add 6 - 8 fresh tomatoes, chopped
into small pieces -- or one can or jar
of diced tomatoes.

Add one half to one cup of water.

Stir it up with any large dinosaur
bone (a T-Rex femur works well),
cook it on high for 30 minutes, and
then reduce the heat and cook it on
low heat for several hours.

Stir every so often, and add more water
or more tomatoes if necessary.

Your chili should be ready in two or
three hours, but you can cook if longer
than that. The more you cook it, the
better it tastes.

You can add other veggies if you wish.
I sometimes include chopped red or
yellow peppers, chopped celery or
chopped mushrooms.

Add salt and pepper to taste before
serving. You can use black pepper or
red pepper. Black pepper intensifies
the anti-inflammatory properties of
the cumin/curry powder, and red pepper
is a great anti-inflammatory food in
it's own right.

Serve with a fresh green salad or a
big serving of fresh steamed greens.
Spinach, Swiss chard, kale, turnip
greens and beet greens work well.

So that was last night's dinner --
and it will be tonight's dinner as well.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Food and recipes have been much on my
mind as I work on a big new book on
super nutrition for Dinosaurs. I'm
pounding the keyboard like crazy to
get it finished for you, and I think
you're really going to like it. If
all goes well, you'll see a big
announcement about it in the not
too distant future.

In the meantime, Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training is being printed and shipped
to me sometime this week -- and as soon
as I have the copies in hand, I'll fire
them out the door to everyone who
reserved a copy during our big
pre-publication special. If you've
been waiting until the last minute
to grab you copy, wait no longer:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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 Dinosaur Training books
and courses -- and my DVD's and t-shirts,
sweatshirts and hoodies -- are right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Remember to
train, remember to smile, and remember to
eat your chili." -- Brooks Kubik