Try this Workout for Great Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a ton of feedback from yesterday's
post, and many readers wanted to hear
more about ultra-abbreviated workouts.

So here's an example of an ultra-
abbreviated training program:

Train 3x per week.

Do three different workouts: Workout A,
Workout B and Workout C.

Do one primary exercise in each workout,
followed by gut, grip and neck work for
a couple of sets each.

Use the BIG exercises. Ultra-abbreviated
doesn't work very well if you focus on
concentration curls and triceps pumpers.

Use multiple sets of low to medium reps.

Train progressively -- add reps, add sets,
and add weight to the bar whenever you can.
And remember, you can train progressively
bu doing your exercises in better form --
with tighter focus and do, intense
concentration.

Let me repeat -- concentration is key.
That's one of the great things about
ultra-abbreviated training. It lets you
focus.

Workout-wise, try something like this:

Workout A

1. Warmup

2. Squats 5 x 5 progressively heavier
warm-up sets, then 2 x 5 working sets

3. Gut, grip and neck work

Workout B

1. Warmup

2. Power clean and press (do one clean
and one press on each "rep") -- do 5 x 5
progressively heavier warm-up sets,
followed by 2 x 5, 2 x 3 and 2 x 1 for
your working sets

3. Gut, grip and neck work

Workout C

1. Warmup

2. Your choice of bent-legged deadlifts,
Trap Bar deadlifts, clean grip high pulls,
snatch grip high pulls, or power snatches --
same sets and reps as the clean and press

3. Gut, grip and neck work

There you have it -- short, sweet and
simple -- but incredibly effective. Give
it a try and see for yourself.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated training, grab Dinosaur
Training, Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training or Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

P.S. 2. I also cover abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts in Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's not how long
you train, it's HOW you train." -- Brooks Kubik

"Am I Overtraining?" He Asked.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy sent me an email saying he likes
to train four time per week. He does
one exercise per workout.

Something like this:

Mon -- Squat

Tues -- Bench press

Thurs -- DL

Fri -- Press

In other words, he's doing what I call
ultra-abbreviated training -- using a
divided workout schedule.

Things were going fine, and then he read
something on the internest (that's not
a typo, it describes the thing -- especially
when it comes to strength training advice)
where some guy said if you train more than
three times per week you're overtraining.

So the Dino sends me an email and asks,
"Am I overtraining?"

Well, that's a good question.

Here's the answer.

1. Stop reading internest stuff about
strength training. It will get you messed up
and second-guessing yourself every time.

2. Are you overtraining? Heck, I don't know.
The real question is -- are you GAINING?

2A. If you're adding weight to the bar on a
regular basis, you're not overtraining. Keep
on doing what you're doing.

3. As you add weight to the bar and increase
the intensity of your workouts, it becomes
easier to overtrain. So a program that works
great for you NOW may not work as well six
months from now.

4. As you grow older, it becomes easier to
overtrain (and harder to recover from your
workouts). So what works great NOW may not
work as well five or ten years from now.

5. One exercise workouts work really well,
and are a great way to avoid overtraining.
They let you focus and drill down and get
the most out of each exercise you do -- and
that's one of the keys to great gains -- so
if you like them, do them!

6. One exercise workouts work great if you're
crunched for time.

7. Always remember, the way to judge the
effectiveness of a workout is to look back
over your training and log and see if you're
adding weight to the bar. If you ARE, keep
on doing what you're doing -- and if you're
NOT, make some changes.

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 read more about abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated workouts in these books and
courses:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

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

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.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: "Abbreviated training
is the way to go for gains in strength, muscle and
power." Brooks Kubik

The Best Exercise

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Guy asked me "What's the best exercise?"

"The best exercise for what?" I asked him.

His answer floored me.

It wasn't "the best exercise for building
strength and bulk."

It wasn't "the best exercise for building
muscle mass."

It wasn't "the best exercise for strength
and power."

And it wasn't "the best exercise if you
have hardly any time to train and you
can only do one exercise."

Far from it.

"I want to know the best exercise to post
about on Facebook," he said. "You know --
something really crazy that will go viral
and gets tons of LIKES."

Tons of likes?

Why not shoot for pounds on the bar?

Ah, but I'm old fashioned -- and I'm
showing my age. I FORGOT that the most
important part of the modern workout is
posting about it on Facebook.

Anyhow, here's the deal.

I'm hitting the iron tonight. Alone. Out in
the garage.

Yes, it's gonna be a good one -- and no, I'm
not gonna post about it on Facebook.

I invite you to do the same.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Tonight's workout will come straight out
of the pages of Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a time
for training, and a time for talking -- and
contrary to popular opinion, they're two
different times." -- Brooks Kubik

Old School Iron!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Nowadays, everyone knows what a barbell is,
and everyone knows how to perform the basic
exercises: curls, presses, bench presses and
so on.

It's hard to imagine a time when things were
different. But not too long ago most people
had never seen a barbell -- and almost no one
had any idea what to do with one.

The first plate-loading barbells were sold in 
the United States beginning about 100 years
ago. Not very many were made, and not very many
were sold -- and all through the 1920's, 30's
and 40's, barbells remained pretty rare, pretty
unusual and pretty mysterious.

And that raised an interesting issue for the
barbell manufacturers.

When they shipped the barbell, it was usually
going to someone who had absolutely no idea
what to do with it.

So when they shipped the barbell, they had to
include a course that told you (1) how to
perform the basic exercises, and (2) how to
put them together into a training program.

That's exactly what the Milo Barbell Company
did -- and later, it was what the York Barbell
Company did.

And amazingly, the men and boys (and the
occasional woman or girl) who ordered a barbell
were able to follow the course well enough to
get some pretty good results.

Take Harry Paschall, for example. Farm kid from
North Central Ohio -- orders a Milo barbell back
around 1914 or 1915 -- and gains 25 pounds of
muscle in one year. Goes on to become a lifting
champion -- and later, to write his own books
and courses about barbell training.

And there were many other similar cases. Young
men and boys who ordered a barbell, followed the
little training course that came with it -- and
gained 20, 30, 40, 50 or more pounds of muscle
and tons of strength.

In fact, the average results from barbell training
"back in the day" were little short of amazing --
and they were (get this) BETTER than the average
results achieved by modern trainees -- most of whom
never gain much of anything at all, give up in
disgust, and tell people "I tried that barbell
stuff, but it doesn't work."

I write about the old-school training methods in all
of my books and courses. There's  a reason for that.
They have a long history of success. They've been
building strength, muscle and power for well over
100 years.

If you're tired of the modern stuff that just doesn't
seem to work, give old-school methods a try. You
won't regret it for a second.

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. CHALK AND SWEAT contains over 50 detailed training
programs -- 10 for beginners, 10 for intermediates, 10
for advanced men -- and 20 different programs for building
maximum strength and muscle mass. All of them old-school,
and all of them very, very effective:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "Hard work, heavy iron
and an old-school attitude." -- Brooks Kubik

Did Grimek Do Curls? (And Other Questions from Dinos)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I am getting buried in questions from readers,
so I thought I’d cover some of them in an email.
When one or two (or ten) people have the same
question, others usually do, as well.

1. Do we ship to the UK?

Q. I am interested in purchasing a book from your
website and was wondering if you ship outside of
the US to the UK? -- Ash

A, We ship anywhere – including Outer Congolia.
The on-line order system automatically gives you
the correct rate for international shipping once
you input your shipping address. For multiple
send an email with what you want, tell us where
you live and ask for a shipping quote.

2. Snatches and Cleans from Blocks

Q. You have mentioned doing snatches off of blocks
lately. What is the advantage over doing hang
snatches? Seems to me they would be rather awkward
have never done them but have done many hang cleans
and snatches. Funny how sets of more than 3 reps
are counter productive sets when oly lifting. Hard
to hold form for more than 3 reps. -- Keith

A. I do most of my pulling from the platform, but
want to try some pulls, snatches and cleans from
blocks just for a change of pace and to see how
they feel. They’re supposed to be good for speed
and explosiveness. Consider it an experiment,
with yours truly as the test subject.

As for reps – you’re right. Three is about as high
as I go on any OL moves. Speed, form and technique
are critical.

3. Combining Progression Methods

Q. I want to tell you how pleased I am with your book
Chalk and Sweat. I had flu-like symptoms over the
holidays and ended my current cycle. Needless to
say, I made great gains. Thank you for your help
and inspirational emails and books.

I took a week layoff and cycled back my poundages
between 10-20% and have settled on program no. 21
in Chalk and Sweat. This is similar to what I was
doing, but I still need to focus on the basics and
getting my poundages up. The program calls for 3 x 5
work sets but I also like progressing by adding
reps/sets. Once the weights push me and I’m in new
poundage territory again would it be appropriate
to combine progression methods rather than straight
single progression with 3 x 5? For example, drop
to 3 x 3 and add reps until I get back to 3 x 5,
or add weight, drop to 1 x 5 and build back up to
3 x 5. Maybe experiment with different methods for
different exercises? – Kevin

A. Kevin – Glad to hear you are enjoying Chalk and
Sweat, and making good progress in your training.
By all means, feel free to try different progression
methods. The name of the game is PROGRESSIVE strength
training – your job is to determine the progression
methods that work best for YOU. That’s one reason I
cover so many different progression methods in my
various books and courses.

For everyone else -- if you don't already have a
copy of Chalk and Sweat, you're missing a good one.
You can grab the little monster right here:

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

4. Neck Exercises

Q. Brooks, what neck exercises would you recommend
incorporating into your program so as to build a Dino
neck? -- Murray

A. Try neck extensions with a heavy-duty head-strap
for the back of the neck. 3 x 10 -1 5 reps.

For the front of the neck, lie on a bench, place a
folded towel on your forehead, and then place a barbell
plate on your forehead – be sure to hold it in place
with your hands! -- and then perform front neck
extensions. Again, 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Add some heavy shrugs as well. Two or three sets of
five to fifteen reps – or five sets of five to eight
reps.

Start light and learn the movements – condition the
muscles – and then add weight slowly and steadily. You
can get incredibly sore if you jump into heavy neck
work.

5. I read that John Grimek hardly ever did curls, and
that he did not care for them!  True? – Ben

Yes and no. As a young man, Grimek did an all-around
course of exercises that included plenty of the basic
exercises, including curls. Later on, Grimek did more
lifting training, but he and Steve Stanko enjoyed
doing the two-dumbbell curl and press. (With heavy
weights – as in, up to 80, 90 or 100 pounders). I
write about this in the Legacy of Iron books.

On occasion, Grimek would go on an arm specialization
program that included plenty of curls. And he was a
STRONG curler – as in, 185 or 190 for reps, which he
used backstage at the Mr. Universe contest as a
warm-up before going on stage.

But later on, he was trying to set a World record in
the one-arm dumbbell swing (250 pounds) and hurt his
arm. After that, he stopped doing curls and trained
his biceps with close grip pull-downs and 45 degree
pulley rowing.

At one point in his life – perhaps the 60’s or 70’s,
Grimek told Bill Hinbern, “I hate curls – I don’t
want to ever do another one of them.”

So, did Grimek do curls? Yes and no – depending on the
stage of his career, his goals and his age. Much like
most of us who have been training for 30, 40 or 50
years. Our exercises and workouts change over time.
Nothing wrong with that!

As always, thanks for reading – and if you train today,
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more information on John Grimek's life and
lifting -- and how he trained -- grab this:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. For more about old-school, Grimek-style
workouts, grab a copy of Dinosaur Arm Training
and the Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.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: "Hard work isn't the
answer to everything, but it's the answer to most
things." -- Brooks Kubik

Didjya Know? -- Iron Game Trivia!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll get to the Iron in a minute, but let
me begin by saying three things about the
terrible events in Boston yesterday:

1. I know there were members of the Dino
Nation there -- and we all hope you're okay.

2. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone
affected by this senseless attack.

3. To all the first responders, and to everyone
who helped the wounded -- thank you for what you
did -- and thank you for everything you do. 

And I know that everyone reading this
email shares the same thoughts.

On the Iron front, here's something a little
different for you.

My buddy Bill Hinbern sometimes does articles
and email messages titled “Didjya Know” – and
they’re always fun. So, with a tip of the hat
to Bill Hinbern, and a suggestion that you head
over to his website and check out what he has
to offer, let’s try a little “Didjya Know?”

(Note: I'm having trouble getting a live link here,
Bill Hinbern is at www.superstrengthtraining.com --
head on over and take  a look at his great books
and courses.)

Didjya know:

1. That John Davis military pressed 170 pounds
the first time he ever touched a barbell?

2. That Reg Park hated to train in a gym with
mirrors on the wall, and would actually cover
the mirrors with towels or sheets when he trained?

3. That weight training actually makes you SMARTER?
(Several teams of scientists just published some
research studies on this one. Of course, those of
us who are smart enough to lift weights already
KNEW it – right?)

4. That the Russian strongman, Alexander Zass, who
toured Europe as “The Amazing Sampson,” was a spy
for the British government? His strongman act
provided the perfect cover for a secret agent.

5. That Chinese villagers trained with homemade
barbells fashioned of stone disks. Photos appear
in George Jowett’s classic book, The Key to Might
and Muscle.

6. That Herman Goerner picked up four kettlebells,
two in each hand, for a total weight of 441
pounds – and then sprinted around the training
hall in Leipzig -- a distance of 78 feet? Performed
on August 5, 1934.

7. That the famous old-time bare-knuckle boxer,
John L. Sullivan, was a close friend of the
French-Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr?

8. That Bob Hoffman wrote “How to be Strong,
Healthy and Happy” in exactly ten days? (Or
did he – it’s 494 pages, and that’s awfully
fast typing!)

9. That Iron Game author Harry Paschall set
an American record in the snatch -- bowled a
perfect 300 -- and made a hole in one playing
golf! (But not all in the same day.)  

10. That the great Jack LaLanne, champion of
endurance feats, was a sickly youth with severe
asthma? Physical training and a proper diet made
him a superman!

That’s all for now – let me know if you enjoyed
these, and if so, we’ll do more of them from
time to time!

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 another Didjya Know -- Didjya know
that BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY covers
the life and lifting of the six-time World
Champion and two-time Olympic gold medal
winner in detail? It's over 450 pages, with
photos -- including some photos that have
never been published before -- and it's a
great tribute to a great lifter:

http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.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: "Knowledge is power --
but only if you add some good, old-fashioned hard
work to the equation." -- Brooks Kubik

The Growing Machine!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the ways to kick your training
into maximum overdrive is to try something
new.

And one of the best things to try is a
Dino-style power rack training program.
If you use it the right way, the power
rack is a growing machine!

I should know -- because power rack training
made me grow like nothing I'd ever tried.

In my late 20's, I weighed 180 pounds,
and was able to do a touch and go bench
press with 355 pounds any day of the week.
My best in competition (at a local meet
where they let us do a touch and go rather
than a paused lift), I did 365. That was
my best back then.

I did 315 x 5 in the squat. I don't recall
if I ever did singles in the squat back then.
I don't think. If I did, my top squat was about
the same as my bench press.

Try as I might, I could not increase any of
my lifts. The bench stayed the same for years --
and so did the squat -- and so did my bodyweight.

At about that point in time, the owner of the gym
asked a retired steel worker named Carl Flannigan
to build an extra big, extra heavy duty power rack
for the gym.

Carl, by the way, was nicknamed "Big Carl," and he
deserved the nickname. He was a mountain of a man,
and even in his late 60's he was handling huge
weights in partial movements on the leg press
machine and in quarter squats. And when he shook
hands with you, it felt like you were shaking hands
with a gorilla.

Anyhow, Carl built a MONSTER power rack -- and it
stood there unused by anyone other than Carl for
a very long long time.

And then one day i read an article about power rack
training, and decided to give it a try -- and so
I started to experiment with different ways of using
the power rack.

I soon discovered that much of what was written about
power rack training didn't work very well. But I also
discovered some unique twists on rack training that
worked GREAT.

And suddenly, I started to grow bigger and stronger.

My weight climbed up to 188 -- and then 193 -- and
then 198 -- 202 -- 207 -- 210 -- 220 and up to 225.

My bench shot up to a 400 pound touch and go lift --
and then a paused bench in competition with 396 --
which I later increased to 407 (in competition).

I started doing bottom position bench presses (starting
from a dead stop with the bar positioned on pins set
so it was just brushing my chest when I wedged myself
underneath it -- and worked up to 435 pounds using a
3" thick barbell.

And my squat increased way more than my bench press.
It went all the way up to 605 pounds for a single.

And it was all the result of heavy rack work -- or
rather, the result of heavy DINO-STYLE rack work.

I detail my favorite systems of power rack training
in two books:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

If strength and power is your thing -- or if you're
looking to build some serious muscle mass in 2012 --
then give Dino-style power rack training a try. You
may find (as I did), that it works better than anything
else you've ever tried!

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 books, courses, DVD's -- and sweatshirts
and hoodies (which are great for cold weather training --
are right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a reason why they
call it the power rack." -- Brooks Kubik

My Training Philosophy

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Many years ago, I was training at a
local gym and a guy had a leather
lifting belt with his philosophy of
lifting carved into the leather in
big block letters.

It said:

"SHUT UP AND TRANE!"

And no, that's not a typo. He actually
spelled it that way. T - R - A - N - E.

But if you ignore the spelling error,
it was an interesting message. Harsh,
perhaps, but interesting. There's a
lot of truth in it.

So I thought I'd share some other
philosophical messages that would
work on the back of an old leather
lifting belt:

1. Gravity Loses!

2. Train Hard, Lift Heavy!

3. Live to Lift!

4. Squat, Push, Pull!

5. More Weight!

6. More Reps!

7. Lift to Live!

8. Bend the Bar!

9. Squat Fanatic

10. Dino Trainer

And here's a slightly longer one. It
won't fit on the back of an old leather
lifting belt, but it's MY philosophy of
lifting, and I wanted to share it with
you:

"Train for strength.

To train for strength, stand on your feet
and lift heavy stuff off the ground.

Lift heavy stuff over your head.

Carry heavy stuff.

Push heavy stuff.

Pull heavy stuff.

Go outside and throw heavy stuff.

As you grow stronger, go heavier.
The heavier the better.

Heavy stuff is your friend. It makes
you strong. And strong is good."

As I said, that won't fit on the back of
a lifting belt, but it's a pretty good
philosophy.

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 book that started the Dinosaur
Revolution:

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

P.S. 2. And here's the book that teaches older
Dinos how to keep on hitting it hard and heavy:

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

P.S. 3. Lifting heavy dumbbells over your head
is one of the best ways to build old-school
strength and power:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "If you don't train,
start NOW. If you used to train, but stopped,
start training again -- NOW." -- Brooks Kubik 

10 Keys to Strength Training Success!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are ten keys to strength training success.
See how many of them you apply in your own
training!

1. When you start a new program, break into it
easily. You don’t need to go full steam from day
one. Build up gradually.

1a. The same applies if you add a new exercise to
your program.

2. Be consistent. Never miss a workout. Every time
you miss a workout you take two steps backward.

3. Emphasize heavy leg and back training. Leg and
back training is the key to strength, power and
muscle.

4. When I say to “train heavy,” I obviously mean
to train heavy for your current level of development.
That may mean 100 pounds in the squat for one lifter,
200 pounds for another lifter, and 300 pounds for a
third lifter. For some lifters, it may mean 400 or
500 pounds.

5. Add weight to the bar whenever possible. The name
of the game is progressive weight training.

6. When you add weight to the bar, add small amounts.
Over time, the small increases add up to BIG GAINS.

7. Most trainees do too many exercises, too many sets,
and too many reps – and they train too often. It isn’t
until they streamline their workouts and focus on
QUALITY TRAINING that they finally begin to make gains.

7a. Quality Training is Tommy Kono’s term for what I
call abbreviated training. He won two Olympic gold
medals and one silver medal with Quality Training.

7b. Quality Training means you choose a small number
of productive exercises, train them hard, and then
stop for the day.

8. Norb Schemansky won medals in FOUR different Olympics
(1948, 1952, 1960 and 1964) – an amazing competition
record. He once said, “If you can’t get it done in 45
minutes, it ain’t gonna happen.”

9. Divided workouts are great. A divided workout lets
you focus your efforts on one, two or three exercises
in each workout, and give them your all.

9a. REST one or two days between workouts, even if
you are using a divided workout program.

9b. Your muscles grow when you are resting, not when
you are training.

10. For many trainees, ultra-abbreviated training
programs are the key to success.

There you have it – ten keys to strength training
success! Read, them, remember them, and apply them!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more information on no-nonsense, effective
strength training and muscle building, head over to
the Dinosaur Bookstore and take a look at our books,
courses and DVD’s – as well as back issues of the
Dinosaur Filesnewsletter:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "It's not complicated,
but it's not easy." -- Brooks Kubik

Does this Sound like YOU?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Paul Murray shot in a great response
to yesterday's email about John Grimek's
backyard barbell gym -- and about Grimek
training alone in the wee hours of the
morning.

See if this sounds a little like YOU.
I know it sounds a lot like ME -- and
a lot like many Dinosaurs.

Paul wrote: 

"There was a time when I had all the
"advantages".

I had a lots of people to train with,
good, motivated, serious people.

I trained in wonderful gyms in locales
over half the world.

I personally had, or had at gyms, all
kinds of equipment.

I had lots of personal time to train,
and did so, morning and night.

But my training (and my maturity) went
to the next level when:

I started training alone;

I quit all the gyms;

I reduced equipment to the basics (bench,
bb, db, and rack);

I had little time to train due to outside
responsibilities (work and family).

Go figure. Best always. PM

P.S. As Draper says, the secret is, there
is no secret.

P.P.S. As Murray says, the more advanced
I became, the simpler (not easier) it got.
(Or maybe it's the other way around: the
simpler it got, the more I could advance?)"

Paul -- thanks for sharing. You said it
pretty darn well.

Everyone else -- thanks for reading, and
have a great day. If you train today, make
it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. There's nothing more basic than
lifting a heavy barbell over your head --
and here's a great course on old-school
military pressing and shoulder power:

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 secret of
training is training." -- Brooks Kubik

A Strength and Muscle Building Secret!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the most important keys to success for
any lifter, of any age, is to find the right
balance between training too much.

When you train, you tear down muscle fibers
and impose tremendous stress on your nervous
system, your tendons and ligaments, your heart
and lungs and internal organs.

In the 48 to 72 hour period after your workout,
your body goes into overdrive to repair the
damage done during your workout -- and to add
a little bit of extra cushion so it won't be so
hard and so demanding the next time you do it.

Arthur Jones called the body's ability to repair
the damage done during a hard workout "recovery
ability" - and that's as good a term as any, so
let's use it.

Now, here's the important thing. Pay attention,
because this is one of the secrets of building
serious strength and muscle.

It's also one of the things that most trainees
get completely wrong.

Most people believe that the more they train,
and the more often they train, the faster they'll
build strength and muscle.

That's not true.

In fact, most people do best on what I call
"abbreviated training programs" -- programs where
you train two or three days per week, dividing
your workouts so you hit one to three exercises
per workout, and do a total of three to nine
exercises over the course of the week.

Here's an example:

Mon

1. Squats or front squats

2. Curls


Wed

1. Bench press or incline press (BB or DB)

2. Pull-downs to the chest, pull-ups or bent-over
rowing


Fri

1. Military press or standing two DB press

2.Deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts

3. (Optional) The farmer's walk

Start each workout with a 10 minute warm-up. Finish
each  workout with some gut, grip and neck work
(2- 3 sets of each)

Now, you may think, "That's not enough exercise to
work" -- or you may think, "That's a beginner's
program."

Well, I won't argue the point -- but I will note
that it's almost exactly the program I followed when
I was training for powerlifting and bench press
competitions. I gained over 40 pounds of muscle on
it, and got so strong that I won five National
championships in the Bench Press in drug-tested
competitions.

The exact program, sets, reps, exercises, the works,
is detailed in STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER.

The program works because it allows you to maximize
your recovery ability.

You train ENOUGH -- but not TOO MUCH.

Your body recovers easily from each heavy training
session -- and there's always a little something left
over for muscular growth and strength and power
increases.

That, in a nutshell, is one of the secrets of getting
bigger and stronger.

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 grab a copy of STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER
right here:

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

P.S. 2 Save many clams and much wampum on shipping and
handling by ordering two or more books or courses
together. We have a ton of them -- and they're all very,
very good:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Simple works." -- Brooks
Kubik

A Two Time Per Week Workout for Great Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Someone asked me about a good 2x
per week workout for adding strength
and muscle mass as fast as possible.

So here it is.

Train 2x per week.

Use two different workouts -- Workout
A and Workout B.

Do Workout A on Mon and do Workout
B on Thurs or Fri.

Workout A

1. 10 mins general warm-up

2. Clean and press 3 x 5, then 5/4/3/2/1

3. Squat 3 x 5, then 5/4/3/2/1

3. Gut, grip and neck work -- 1 or 2
sets of each, your choice of exercises

Workout B

1. 10 mins general warm-up

2. Pullups 5 x 5 (add extra weight if you
can) or try 10/10/8/6/4

3. Bench press, weighted pushups or two
dumbbell bench or incline press -- 5 x 5
to 5 x 10 or try 10/10/8/6/4

4. Deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts --
5 - 7 x 5, or 10/10/8//8/6/6/4/4/3/3

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

Start light, break in slowly, learn the
movements, establish your training pace,
get used to the workout -- and then
start to add weight slowly, steadily
and progressively.

train hard, train smart, and stick to
it -- apply all the lessons in my books
about concentration, persistence, focus,
visualization and the iron will to
succeed -- eat a good diet, with lots
of fresh foods, lots of protein, and
ZERO junk -- get plenty of rest and
sleep -- stay positive -- have fun --
and get ready for some BIG gains!

One year from now, you literally will
not recognize yourself.

Yeah, I know.

Sounds too simple.

But guess what?

Simple works!

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 secrets of strength and
development grab the book they call the
Bible of Strength Training:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses --
and my t-shirts, sweat shirts and DVD's --
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "No one said
it would be easy, but no one said it would
be complicated, either." -- Brooks Kubik

Combo Exercises for Strength and Development

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout last night.

The problem is, I can't figure out
if it was a one exercise or a two
exercise workout.

You see, I did squat snatches and
overhead squats.

One snatch followed by three over-
head squats on each set.

I'm not sure if that's a one
exercise combination -- which
would make it a one exercise
workout -- or a two exercise
workout.

Frankly, it doesn't matter.

It was fast, fun and challenging.
And it worked everything from my
toes to the top of my head.

Combination exercises are a great
change of pace -- and they're
lots of fun -- and they're a
great way to train.

There are plenty of good two
and three exercise combinations
you can try:

1. Power clean and press -- a
favorite of John Grimek. He once
wrote an article where he said it
was the single best exercise you
could do.

2. The one dumbbell clean and press.

3. The two dumbbell clean and press.

4. Any of the above, but do a push
press or a jerk to finish the
combination.

5. The squat and press behind neck --
which was Bob Hoffman's favorite
exercises.

6. The two dumbbell curl and press --
a favorite of John Grimek and Steve
Stanko, who used to go up and down
the dumbbell rack at the old York
Barbell Club gym.

7. The power clean, front squat and
press (or push press or jerk).

8. The front squat and press -- or
push press or jerk.

9. The power clean from the hang,
followed by a power clean from the
floor.

10. The power snatch from the hang
followed by the power snatch from
the floor.

Good stuff -- and very, very
effective!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

1. For more ideas, see Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training. I cover a ton of terrific
two and three exercise combination
movements:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

2. My other books and courses are
right here:

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

3. Thought for the Day: "Focus, passion,
intensity and zeal." -- Brooks Kubik

Mike Rinaldi's Muscle Mobile

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about the
Food Mobile.

We also covered the Book Mobile.

Today, let's cover the Muscle
Mobile.

And pay attention -- because this
is a true story -- about one of
the original Dinosaurs.

There was a gray-haired, grizzled,
Olympic lifter named Mike Rinaldi.

He bought a copy of Dinosaur
Training way back in 1996, when
the little monster first hit an
unsuspecting world. I know, because
he sent me tons of letters and
emails telling me about his
training.

Mike was  a regular at the Go Heavy
Olympic Weightlifting Forum. He
posted under several names, one of
which was Mr. Snatchural.

It was a good name.

That was his favorite lift. The
squat snatch. And yes, he
enjoyed the work of Robert Crumb.
He even had a little cartoon
that showed Mr. Natural, barbell
in hand, performing as Mr.
Snatchural.

And don't think he was all goofs
and giggles. He took 4th place in
the American Masters Weightlifting
Championships on year. That was in
Vineland, New Jersey in 2000. He
snatched 70 kilos, clean and jerked
90 kilos, and totaled a very
respectable 160 pounds in the
94 kilo class -- at 53 years
of age. That's pretty good.
Many years, he would have won
with that total.

But here's the great part.

Mike used to throw his bar and
his bumper plates in to the back
of his truck -- and throw in a
sheet of 4 x 8 plywood -- and
drive into the bad part of town.

He'd park the truck, set the
plywood down on the sidewalk,
load up the bar and start doing
squat snatches.

You can just picture it.

Mike walks up to the bar, bends
over and BOOM -- hits a perfect
squat snatch.

Stands up, holds the weight over
his head, lowers it back to the
"platform" -- and does another
onew.

BOOM>

Bar is overhead.

He lowers the bar, gets set, and does
another one.

And of course, he draws a crowd. Crazy
people always do.

Crazy guy approaches the bar -- BOOM.

Does a perfect squat snatch.

It looks pretty cool.

And one of the kids says, "What you
doing?"

"Snatches."

That draws a big laugh and  a lot of
unprintable comments.

"How you do that?"

"Like this!"

BOOM!

"Show me!"

So he does.

The kid tries a snatch.

There's no BOOM.

There's only a lurch-slide-stagger-
sprawl-wiggle-wave-fall on  your face.

"No," says Mike. "Not like that. Like
this,."

BOOM.

Before you know it, he's teaching the
entire neighborhood how to do squat
snatches.

He gets home a couple of hours later.

Sore as hell.

Tired as hell.

But he's taught 20 or 30 kids how to
squat snatch.

Do it every weekend and it starts to
add up.

Heck, he might have started some kid
on the road to the Olympic Gold Medal.

And he might have started several
hundred of them on the road to life
long strength and health.

And that sure as heck ought to count
for something.

We lost Mike on June 22, 2008. He was
60 years old.

But when you do something like Mike's
Muscle Mobile, the years don't matter.
You end up living forever.

As always, thanks for reading -- and I
hope this one really resonates.

If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. In 2009 I dedicated a new book to
Mike Rinaldi. That was my way of saying
GOOD JOB to Mr. Snatchural. You can
probably guess what it was:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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. "Live your
life as each every workout might be your
last one. Some day it will be."
-- Brooks Kubik

The Food Mobile

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy in Louisville has opened
some old-fashioned corner grocery
stores featuring nothing but fresh,
locally grown vegetables, fruits,
and eggs -- and some locally raised
free range beef and pork, and locally
sourced cheese and honey. It's sort
of like going to the local Farmer's
Market.

He's calls the stores The Root
Cellar.

There's Root Cellar No. 1 and Root
Cellar No. 2. Trudi goes to them
once or twice a week, grabbing
extra green stuff to supplement
what we buy at the Farmer's Market
or grow in the back yard.

Now he's taking the thing one
step further.

He's buying a big bus, and he's
going to make it into a Food
Mobile.

Sort of like a Book Mobile, for
those of you old enough to
remember the Book Mobile. (The
book mobile was  a bus or van
that brought library books to
parts of town far away from the
library. Neat concept. Books
are good, reading is good,
libraries are good and Book
Mobiles are good.)

But back to the Food Mobile.

He'll use it to bring fresh,
healthy food to people living
in the parts of town we call
Food Deserts -- the parts
of Louisville where all you
can buy is fast food, junk
food and processed junk from
the gas station or
convenience mart.

These are parts of town where
there's no local grocery store,
and where fresh vegetables are
virtually unknown. And you can
imagine the health impact of
living on chips and cheese
crackers.

He's raising funding for the
project on Kickstarter. Trudi
and I are supporting him. It
seems like a good thing to do.

You can read more about it
right here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1679419829/the-root-mobile-a-locally-grown-farm-fresh-mobile

I think it's a pretty good
idea -- and it's something we
might be seeing in lots of places
around the world in the not too
distant future.

Anyhow, that's the Food Mobile.

Be looking for a post tomorrow
about a somewhat similar idea
that one of the original Dinos
came up with about 10 years ago.
I call it The Muscle Mobile --
and you'll want to be sure to
read about 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. For strength and health, eat
your veggies and hit the iron --
Dino Style. My books and courses
tell you how to do it:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Iron
plus effort plus healthy eating
equals great results." -- Brooks Kubik

12 Secrets of Effective Warmups!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several of our older Dinos have asked me
about warming up properly.

"What exactly do YOU do?" they ask.

So here's the answer.

Now, please note:

1. I'm 56 now, and at age 56, I do much more
in the way of a warm-up than I did when I was
younger.

1A. You younger guys keep reading! You'll be
my age someday -- and besides, you just might
learn something useful from an old man.

2. I am currently doing 100 percent Olympic
weightlifting (OL -- snatch, clean and jerk),
so I structure my warm-ups for OL training.

2A. Olympic lifting is gymnastics with a barbell
in your hands. Very athletic. It requires a
different training approach than many other types
of strength training. HOWEVER, even if you don't
do OL, keep reading. You'll find things that apply
to you no matter what you do.

2A. OL training requires great flexibility --
picture the low position of a squat snatch --
so warmups and flexibility work are extra
important.

3. As an older lifter, I try to ease into things
slowly, work up a good sweat, and not jump into
the heavy stuff. That's not good for an older
guy's muscles -- or his joints -- or his heart.
You want to take the time to get everything revved
up slowly, including your cardiovascular system.

4. I base each day's workout on how my warm-ups
feel. If the warm-ups go well, I usually end up
going heavier on my work sets. If they don't go
as well as they should, that's a signal to back
off and not go too heavy.

4A. Fluid movement, good form, and speed are what
I look for in warm-ups. If I'm too tight and stiff
to hit the proper positions with a broomstick or
an empty bar, that means I haven't recovered from
my last workout. And as Tommy Kono says, if you
can't do it in perfect form with an empty bar,
adding weight is not going to improve the situation.

4B. Grip strength! if my grip is strong, I know I am
fully recovered and can go heavy. NOTE: this is a
very good reason not to use lifting straps to hold
onto the bar.

5. I always structure my warm-up to the exercise or
exercises I will be doing. If I am training squat
snatches, which require great mobility in the
shoulders, I spend more time loosening my shoulders.
If I train front squats, I spend more time stretching
and loosening my wrists (so i can hold the bar in the
proper position).

6. I currently do NOT do any sort of light cardio to
get warmed up for lifting -- but I've done this in the
past with good results. It's especially useful in the
winter, when the garage is really cold.

6A. If you do cardio as a general warm-up, start light
and easy and build up slowly. Don't begin with full-
bore or full-speed cardio. Start slow and easy and
build up. See point no. 3 above.

6B. For anyone over age 40, doing a cardio cool-down
at the end of each workout is a very good idea.

7. Step no. 1 -- simple movements and stretches. I do
very slow, easy stretches and simple movements like
deep knee bends and shoulder windmills to start getting
loose. I stretch my low back and hamstrings by holding
a broomstick and slowly going through the mid-range of a
a snatch pull or clean pull, keeping my back flat and
keeping tension on the hamstrings. These are not static
stretches -- they are slow moving stretches.

7A. I do front squats and overhead squats with a broom-
stick. After these slower, easier movements, I perform
squat snatches with a broomstick -- slowly at first,
and then faster.

7B. Yes, I did say "a broomstick."

7B. When you warm-up, start with a light weight and ALSO
start by moving slowly. You can't move at top speed with
a broomstick, and empty bar or a light weight. You'll hurt
yourself. One of the secrets of a successful warm-up is to
gradually increase your speed as you add weight to the bar.

8. Check your ego. Yes, you can walk by and watch and laugh
at the old guy lifting the broomstick and then the empty
barbell. (And you can come back 30 minutes later and see if
you can handle the weights he uses later in his workout.)

9. Low reps and singles. I usually use low reps and singles
in my warm-ups. I don't try to generate body heat by doing
reps. My goal in a warm-up is to prepare my body for heavier
weights in athletic-style lifting. It's all about form,
technique and gradually increasing speed of movement.

10. Do what you need to do. I don't get hung up on any sort
of predetermined sets, reps, weights, or movements. I go by
feel, and if I need to do more than usual, I do it.

10A. Many guys do 5 x 5 but feel like they need a few more
warm-up sets. They ask me, "Can I do 6 x 5 or 7 x 5 or 8 x 5?"
The answer is -- of course! Do whatever you need to do in order
to handle heavy weights in your work sets.

11. You go faster, with shorter rests during your warm-up
sets. As the weights get heavier, your rest periods increase.

12. Rule of thumb: Under age 30, take at least a 10 minute
warm-up. Over age 40, take 10 to 15 minutes on your warm-ups.
Over age 50, take 15 to 20 minutes.

And the bottom line is this: every minute of quality warm-up
time will add immeasurably to the value of your workout.

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 important tips on warm-ups and on effective
training for older lifters, grab Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercise is money you
put into your strength and health savings account."
-- Brooks Kubik

A Super Food for Super Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I receive many questions from readers
asking about the best foods for gaining
muscular bodyweight.

Or for post workout recovery.

Or for a pre-workout power blast.

So, to save time, I'm going to talk
about something thing that will do
all of the above. It definitely
ranks as super food -- in fact,
it's probably the VERY BEST
thing that a serious lifter can eat.

No, it's not steak and eggs.

Not steak and potatoes.

And it's not the dreaded and
dreadful Get Big Drink.

This is something  that not only
is good for you -- but something
that tastes good as well.

Here it is:

A special combination of milk, eggs,
and cream to give you a full day's
supply of power-packed protein and
high quality fats. And the protein
content is top quality. All the
amino acids on the amino acids
chart, and probably some that the
scientists haven't yet identified.
You can't beat milk and egg protein.

It's combined with just the right
amount of high quality carbs for
energy and optimum protein sparing.

It's naturally high in vitamins
and minerals, and loaded with
trace elements. And you can
add fruit and double or
even triple the vitamin
content.

And you'll be pleased to know
that it's inexpensive and
easy to find. If you know
your way around the kitchen,
you can even make it yourself.

By now, I'm sure you've guessed
I'm talking about that old
standby for serious lifters:

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE.

It's the very best thing a
lifter can eat.

Try one or two for breakfast and
see for yourself -- or carry a
few slices around and munch on
them throughout the day for a
continuous protein pump.

Have half a cheesecake before
your workout, and another half
a cheesecake 30 minutes after
your workout.

For weight gaining, double the
suggested dosages.

And yes, for an extra blast of
high octane super-nutrition, add
bacon!

Oh, and one more thing -- it is
indeed April 1st.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If that cheesecake advice sounds
familiar, it is. I borrowed it from
Dr. Ken Leistner, who ran various
versions of the article in the April
issue of Powerlifting USA for many
years.

And every time he ran it, readers would
write in and ask, "What kind of cheesecake
is best for increasing my squat?"

P.S. 2. In all seriousness, if you want
to gain tons of strength and muscle,
skip the cheesecake -- but grab
this:

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

Or this:

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

Or this:

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

Or any of my other books or courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train serious but
have fun." -- Brooks Kubik