Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Part of training like a champion is
making do with whatever equipment is
available.
And part of it is overcoming adversity.
Take the case of a young Army private
named Tommy Kono.
The year is 1952.
Kono is stationed at an Army base in
Northern California.
He's training for the USA Senior
National Weightlifting championships.
And if he wins the Senior nationals,
he'll make the USA Weightlifting team
and be able to compete in the Olympic
Championships later in the year.
So this is a really big deal.
Problem is, the Base gym has only one
barbell.
It's an exercise barbell, not an Olympic
barbell.
The biggest plates are 25's, and the
rest are 10's and 5's. He can only load
it up to 285 pounds.
And there's no lifting platform --
and no squat racks.
Plus, he has hardly any time to train.
So what does he do?
He hangs the bar from two strong ropes,
so it's exactly at the right starting
position to do presses.
Then he loads it up -- and does 8 sets
of 3 reps in the wide grip (collar to
collar) military press.
Why the wide grip?
Because it's HARDER than regular grip
presses. He figures that if he can get
stronger when pressing the bar with a
grip, he'll be able to lift more weight
when he uses his regular grip in the
contest.
These two simple changes -- hanging the
barbell from the ropes, so he doesn't
have to clean it, and performing wide
grip presses -- allow him to make the
most out of that old, seemingly
unsuitable barbell.
And hanging the barbell on the ropes
allows him to train FAST. He finishes
his workouts in just 20 or 30 minutes!
When he has the chance, he goes to the
San Francisco YMCA and does snatches,
cleans and front squats.
And guess what happens?
He not only wins the Senior Nationals,
he wins the "Outstanding Lifter" Aware.
He goes to the Olympics -- and he wins
the gold medal.
That's how a champion trains -- and it's
how YOU should train!
So take Tommy Kono's lesson to heart.
Make the most of what you have -- don't
make excuses -- if there's a problem,
figure out a work-around -- and SMASH
through any obstacle in your path!
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 give many more tips for success
in all my books and courses -- including
these:
Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Where there's
a will, there's a way -- and it leads to
success!" -- Brooks Kubik
