Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several readers have asked me for more
information on abbreviated workouts,
so I thought I'd share a very effective
program I used 20 years ago with GREAT
results.
Tues
1. Bottom position bench press in the
power rack -- 5 to 7 progressively
heavier singles
2. Pull-downs to the chest 5 x 5
Thurs
1. Deadlift or deadlift from the knees
in the power rack -- 5 progressively
heavier singles or 5 x 5
2. Seated press on an 80 degree incline
bench, in the rack, starting from the
bottom position -- 5 to 7 x 1
Sun
1. Bottom position squats in the power
rack -- 5 to 7 progressively heavier
singles
2. Barbell curl (using a heavy duty EZ
curl manufactured by Eleiko -- no longer
made, which is a shame) -- 4 or 5 x 5
Each workout took about 45 to 60 minutes,
so my total weekly training time was well
under three hours.
Not a lot of work, and not a lot of
volume -- but I gained over 40 pounds of
muscle on that and similar programs, and
I built enough strength and power to win
state and regional powerlifting contests
and five National championships in the
bench press (in the submaster's class,
first at 198 pounds and later at 220
pounds). And I set a number of state,
regional, National and even World age
group records in the bench press.
Of course, every workout was hard and
heavy, with lots of concentration and
visualization. There was steam coming
out of my ears and smoke coming off the
bar on the heavy sets.
Anyhow, that's an example of an effective
training program. Feel free to give it a
try -- or to put together a similar workout
with different exercises. The key point is
to stick to the basics -- train hard and
heavy -- and add weight whenever you can.
As always, thanks for rerading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a
good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information about bottom position
exercises in the power rack, single rep training,
and the all-important mental aspects of strength
training, see STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER and
DINOSAUR TRAINING:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at the Dino Store:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stop looking for the
PERFECT program and train hard on a GOOD program!"
-- Brooks Kubik
