A Dinosaur Survey: What Really Works!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A year ago I asked readers what sets and
reps worked best for them. I received tons
of answers, of course -- but there were
some definite patterns, and I thought I'd
share them with you.

And please note -- these were based on real
world, in the trenches, actual lifting.

On experience.

Not on reading about something in a book
or magazine, and not about what someone
wrote on an internet discussion board.

Anyhow, the results of the survey were
as follows:

1. Singles, 5 x 5 and 20 rep squats got
the most responses.

2. Many readers reported great success
with 20 rep squats for gaining muscular
bodyweight -- especially if they tried
the squat program when they were in their
teens or early 20's.

3. Many older trainees preferred singles
and 5 x 5, noting that they could recover
better from lower reps and that they could
control the weight better -- which helped
them avoid injury.

4. MANY readers had tried 20 rep squats,
5 x 5 ad singles and gotten good results
from all of them.

5. MANY readers reported rapid gains in
strength and muscle mass after they dropped
their boobybuilding workouts and started to
train hard and heavy on Dino-style abbreviated
workouts (usually 5 x 5 but sometimes the 20
rep squat program).

One reader added an interesting comment. He
said the survey was a good idea, because it
would help show that there's no magic system
of sets and reps that always works for
everyone. Instead, there are a number of
excellent set/rep systems -- and you need
to find what works best for YOU.

I think that sums it up pretty well.

So there you have it -- the results of a not
very scientific, but very interesting, survey
of what works for real lifters.

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 ideas about what really works,
grab a copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "Make a plan, and
then do the work. It's not that complicated."
-- Brooks Kubik 

The Top 10 Ways to Tell You're in a Great Gym!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought you'd enjoy another top
10 list. This one is The Top 10 Ways
to Tell You're in a Great Gym:

10. It's not an earthquake -- it's
heavy deadlifts.

9. And heavy olympic lifting.

8. They can't find Jimmy Hoffa, and
they can't find the last guy who did
curls in the power rack.

7. Chalk is mandatory.

6. Serious is mandatory.

5. No one says "Spot me, bro."

4. No one does yoga on the lifting
platform. 

3. You train your core with squats,
deadlifts and heavy overhead lifting.

2. No one does peak contraction
anything.

1. The owner had a dog-eared copy of
Dinosaur Training on the bookshelf in
his office.

So -- would you train in a gym like
that? I would!

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
Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development:

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: "Don't live
to lift -- lift to live." -- Brooks Kubik

Dinosaur Q and A Time!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had an email from a Dino named Jonas,
who asked a training question -- and I
thought I'd share it with you --- along
with my answer.

Here's the question:

"Brooks,

What you think of this workout?

Mon

1. Military press
2. Deadlift
3. Dips
4. Pull up
5. Barbell curls

Wed

1. Squat
2. Barbell row
3. Skull crusher
4. Farmers walk

Fri

1. Front squat
2. Bench press
3. Gut work
4. Neck work
5. Grip work

I do 5x5 for Monday and Wednesday and do 3x8 for
Friday. I sprinkle in cardio work 2 times a week.
I am wondering if this works?

I used do only 2 days a week using the Mon and Wed
workouts on Sun and Thurs, but I decided more work
might lead to better gains. I am turning 31 this
July and have seen good gains on working out 2
days a week but plateaued for the last month or
so.

Thanks for the emails, they are very inspiring.
Keep up the good work. By the way, do you sell
t-shirts?

Jonas"

Hi Jonas,

Thanks for your email and your kind words about
the daily emails. To answer your last question
first, yes, we sell t-shirts. See the link below.

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

As far as your workout goes, it may be a bit much
for you, depending on how heavy you go and how
much/how hard you hit the cardio on your "off"
days. Also, the kind of cardio you do makes a
difference. If you're doing something that works
your legs hard, such as cycling, stair-stepping
or running/jogging, then that will definitely
detract from your squats and deadlifts.

I cover cardio training for Iron Heads in Gray
Hair and Black Iron -- check it out. It will give
you some good ideas on your cardio training.

Gray Hair and Black Iron will also cover some
exercises I don't like -- such as dips and skull
crushers. Dips put enormous pressure on your
shoulders, and many guys who do them (even if
they do them in excellent form) hurt themselves
on them sooner or later. And skull-crushers are
murder on the elbows. I'd use close grip benches
and drop both the dips and the skull-crushers.

But back to the key issue -- that you made good
gains on 2x per week, switched to 3x per week
plus 2 days of cardio, did good for awhile but
then hit a plateau.

Try this -- keep the 3 workouts as they are but
lift 2x per week, and do cardio 2x per week.

Do workouts 1 and 2 in week 1, workouts 3 and 1 in
week 2, and workouts 2 and 3 in week 3. Start over
again in week 1.

This ought to get you gaining again. Give it a
try and report back in 6 - 8 weeks.

To everyone -- 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 Gray Hair and Black Iron
right here:

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

P.S. 2 Don't forget those Dino t-shirts!

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Think first, then act.
You need to do both." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinosaur and the Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout last night,
and I thought I'd tell you about
it.

It was one of those old school
workouts you see so often here
at Dino Headquarters.

I started with 10 minutes of
stretching and loosening up drills.
These include things like overhead
squats with a broomstick, shoulder
dislocates, and even some slow speed
squat snatches.

Next, I did squat snatches, starting
with the empty bar and working up to
my training weights.

I did doubles and triples with my
working weight, and they kicked my
you know what.

Next, I did snatch grip high pulls.

After that, I did front squats.

And that was it.

The entire workout took about one hour
and five minutes.

Today's a rest day, and the day after
that will be another training day. I'll
do a different workout, with different
exercises, but it will be pretty similar.

That's the way it is at Dino Headquarters:
basic OL training 3x per week. In other
words, me and the barbell -- some chalk
and sweat -- and not much else.

I'm sure your workout is different -- but
in many ways, it's quite similar. That's
because Dinos focus on the important things.
They focus on the iron. And they focus on
getting it done.

That's what i did last night. I got it
done. Went out to the garage, chalked my
hands, grabbed the bar and had a great
workout. And that's what Dinos do.

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 an entire book of old-school,
Dino-style workouts -- from beginner to
intermediate to advanced -- along with
20 special workouts for maximum muscle
mass:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "It starts
and ends with you and the bar."
-- Brooks Kubik

10 More Things That Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought you'd enjoy reading about
more things that work. But be warned --
today's list is a little different.

And yes, like everything else in lifting,
these tips apply to life in general. That's
one of the beauties of the Iron Game. You
don't just build strength and muscle --
you build character.

So here, without further ado, is today's
list of 10 More Things that Work:

10. Making up your mind to start. And
then starting.

9. Finishing what you start.

8. Waking up every morning on a training
day and saying, "I'm going to have a GREAT
workout today!"

7. Talking to yourself.

7a. Listening.

6. Choosing worthy goals -- goals that set
you on fire to achieve them.

5. The sound of plates being loaded onto a
bar.

4. Training alone in cathedral silence.

4a. Note that cathedral silence can occur
anywhere you make it occur.

3. Concentration, focus and the inner
warrior.

2. Starting with small steps, and building
on small victories.

2a. Moving from small victories to great
ones.

1. Living (and lifting) in the NOW -- not
in the past, not in the present, and not
anywhere other than RIGHT NOW.

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. Father's day is right around the corner --
and Gray Hair and Black Iron makes a great gift
for Father's Day:

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

Here's another great gift for Father's Day --- or
for any day:

http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.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: "Don't sweat the small
stuff. That's what the big plates are for."
-- Brooks Kubik

10 Things that Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week we covered 10 things that
don't work. Today we'll cover 10
things that work!

10. Squats. (Bet you saw this one
coming!)

9. Deadlifts. (Ditto.)

9a. Any program based on basic, heavy
duty compound exercises.

8. Multiple sets of low to medium reps.

a. Start with 5 x 5, and work into
5 x 3 or 5/4/3/2/1.

b. Don't sweat "how to do 5 x 5." There
are different ways to do it: you can
do two progressively heavier warm-up
sets and three work sets -- or do
three and two -- or four and one.
They're all good and they all work.

c. And no, there's no magic system
of sets and reps that always works
for everyone -- you need to engage
in some intelligent experimentation.

7. Abbreviated workouts. (I wouldn't
be writing this, and you wouldn't be
reading it, if I hadn't learned about
abbreviated training.)

6. Divided workout programs. (See no.
7, above.)

5. Combining weights with heavy awkward
objects.

5a. Combining weights with Dino-style
bodyweight training.

5b. Combining weights with Dino-style
cardio for Ironheads -- as described in
Gray Hair and Black Iron.

5c. They key to all of the above is to
keep your programs short and intense and
not go volume crazy.

4. Power rack training. (It's the bridge from
strong to super-strong. See Strength,
Muscle and Power for details.)

3. Olympic lifting. (Can't say enough good
things about Olympic lifting.)

2. Drug-free training.

2a. Seriously. (Hey, I know most people
don't believe it any more -- which is one
of the biggest indictments of the mainstream
muscle media.)

2a. When you look like Grimek and lift like
Stanko or Davis, then you can tell me how
drug-free training doesn't work.

1. Training with concentration, focus, and
intensity -- making every rep count -- and
always striving to make yourself better
and stronger.

1a. No. 1 is the real key, of course -- and
it's the one that most people never even
consider, much less follow. Which is what
separates Dinosaurs from the rest of the
world.

So there you are. 10 Things that Work! Hope
you enjoyed 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. You can find plenty of what works in
Strength, Muscle and Power -- Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training -- Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training -- and Gray Hair and Black Iron:

For Strength, Muscle and Power, go here:

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

Go here for Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

Grab Dinosaur Dumbbell Training here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

And go here for 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. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's never easy,
but it's not impossible." -- Brooks Kubik

Great Lifting at Age 67!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday's email covering 10 Things
that Don't Work was a big hit with the
Dino Nation.

I had planned to do 10 Things that Work
today -- but just spotted something new
and impressive from one of my favorite
Iron Slingers -- and I want to share it
with you. We'll do the 10 Things that
Work in my next email.

Here's what I want to share. It's a
video from a recent Olympic weightlifting
comp in California -- and it features
67 year old Jim Schmitz, the 3-time
coach of the USA weightlifting team
at the Olympic Games.

But he's not coaching in this video --
he's lifting!

Using the old-school split style of
lifting in the snatch and clean and
jerk -- because it's much more forgiving
for older lifters.

And he hits some good numbers at age
67. As in, 52 kilos (115 pounds) in the
snatch, and 71 kilos (156 pounds) in the
clean and jerk.

Some people think that older lifters are
slow and stiff and beat up. Not true. Jim
moves pretty darn well for a 67-year old.

Check it out -- and see what I mean when
I talk about lifelong strength and health.
Jim's the older lifter with the beard,
and he's the only lifter to use the split
style, so he's easy to spot. Of course, the
younger lifters do a great job, too. Very
impressive stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_vsAYDPbs

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 MUST READ book about training
for older lifters:

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. Thought for the Day: "Age is a number.
The number changes from  year to year. Now
that we've settled that, grab the bar and
lift it." -- Brooks Kubik 

10 Things That Don't Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

You always like Top 10 Lists from
Dino Headquarters, so here's a
quick one:

THE TOP TEN THINGS THAT DON'T WORK

10. Trying to build big arms by
doing nothing but arm work.

10. Not even if you do Hawaiian
curls, Himalayan curls or Hungarian
curls.

9. The ever-popular "All Upper
Body All the Time and No Squats
Workout."

9a. AKA, "Look, I'm a stork!"

8. Anything you see one an info-
mercial.

7. This month's version of the
"Pump til You Drop Workout for
Massive Muscles in Four Weeks."

7a. Last month's version of ditto.

7b. The month before that.

7c. Next month's version.

6. The "No Effort" Workout.

5. The ever-popular geekster workout
where you start by hanging your gym
towel in the power rack and then do
your entire workout without ever using
the power rack.

4. Any workout where you talk more than
you train.

4a. The "Take Your Cell Phone to the
Gym Workout."

3. Squats on a stability ball.

3a. Squat or split snatches on a
stability ball.

3b. Rollerskating and downhill skiing on
a stability ball.

2. Bunny training, aka lots and lots of
silly isolation exercises with weights
my maiden aunt Matilda could lift --
and she's 87!

And the number 1 thing that doesn't work:

1. Trying to catch a fish by thinking
about it.

1a. Or by wishing you could catch one.

1b. Or by arguing about the best way to
catch one.

Tomorrow, we'll cover the top 10 things
that WORK! See you 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. If you're looking for things that work,
try these exciting courses from Dinosaur
Headquarters:

a. The John Grimek Training Course

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

b. The Doug Hepburn Training Course

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

c. The Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course

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

e. The Dinosaur Arm Training Course

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

2. Dinosaur Training and my other books work
pretty well, too -- and you can find them right
here:

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

3. Thought for the Day: "You can't catch a fish
without fishing." -- Brooks Kubik

"Is It Dino Training?" He Asked

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Guy sent me an email saying he wanted
to do a four day split and asked whether
that was Dino Training.

You know the drill. Upper body pushing
muscles on Day 1, upper body pulling
muscles on day 2, and legs on day 3.
Rest on day 4, and then repeat.

I get that sort of question a lot.

"I want to do such and so -- but is it
Dino Training?"

The answer, like so many things, is this:

IT DEPENDS.

It depends on what exercises you do, and
how you train them. If you hit nothing but
bunny exercises and you pump til you drop,
then it's not Dino.

Pn the other hand, if you focus on the BIG
exercises and you train for strength and
power -- with heavy weights -- then maybe
it is.

That's because Dino Training is a state of
mind. It's how you think -- how you believe --
why you train -- and what inspires you --
that makes a Dino.

That said, let's go back to the four day
split. If it works, fine. If not, try an
abbreviated program. Same split, but work
3x per week, with rest days in-between the
workouts. That let's you train harder and
heavier -- and harder and heavier is what
builds T-Rex strength and muscle.

For more details, see Dinosaur Training,
Chalk and Sweat or Strength, Muscle and
Power -- and for older lifters, see Gray
Hair and Black Iron. Find them at the below
links.

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. To order Dinosaur Training, go here:

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

Chalk and Sweat is right here:

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

Go here for Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron is must reading for
anyone over the age of 35 -- and you can find
it right here:

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: "If you have a
lifelong passion for strength and iron, you're
a Dinosaur." -- Brooks Kubik

Check Out this Training Program!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's an email message from Peter
Calicchio, asking about an abbreviated
workout he plans to try: 

"Hello Brooks,

How does this look as a minimalist or
abbreviated program?

Mon - Barbell Squats, Weighted Pullups

Wed - Kettlebell Clean & Press, Kettlebell
Front Squats

Fri - Barbell Deadlifts, Barbell Standing
Military Press

I'm gonna do 3x5 Reg Park style with 2 "warm
up" sets. Though I love the Barbell Flat
Bench and Weighted Dips Im giving them up
so I can stay in the iron game as long as
possible."

Hi Peter,

That program looks fine. You should make
great gains on it.

A couple of small tweaks:

1. Don't be wed to 5 x 5 and don't be wed
to two warm-up sets and three working sets.

You often need more than two progressively
heavier warm-up sets for squats and deads,
and if you do, make it 6 x 5 or 7 x 5 or
8 x 5.

2. On Friday, do the military press before
the deadlifts -- you want your lower back
as strong and stable as possible for the
presses. They won't work as well if you do
them after the deadlifts.

3. For those who prefer dumbbells, make
Wed. an all dumbbell day -- see Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training for some exercise ideas.

This program would work well if you combined
it with the Paschall pause which I have
covered in previous email messages.

Overall, though, as noted, it's a good
program and will give good results. Thanks
for sharing 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. I cover 50 hard-hitting Dino style
abbreviated workouts in Chalk and Sweat:

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

P.S. 2. I mentioned Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
in today's email. Here's more about it:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "It takes time
and effort, but it's worth it." -- Brooks Kubik