Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Yesterday I sent you an email about
one-exercise workouts -- which I often
refer to as "ultra-abbreviated" training.
In response, I received a flaming hot
email from a reader who said (among
other things):
1. "Your stuff is old-fashioned."
2. "No one could make progress on
such a short workout."
3. "You need high intensity AND high
volume to build strength."
Well, I agree with point no. 1.
Points 2 and 3 -- not so much.
The email ended with this:
"I'm tired of seeing stuff that won't
work. Why don't you give us a REAL
workout?"
Well, okay -- here's a real workout.
A reader named Tom Klonowski followed
it back in the 90's, when he was training
for Olympic weightlifting competition:
Mon
Warm-up and stretch
Hang snatches -- 5 progressively heavier sets
of 3 reps
End of workout -- go home
Total gym time -- 45 to 60 mins
Tues
Same thing, but do squats for 5 x 3
Wed
Same thing but do clean pulls 5 x 3
Thurs
Rest
Fri/Sat/Sun
Same thing, but a different exercise
each.
Tom followed the above program in a
series of 8-week cycles, with one week
off after the end of each cycle.
The results?
After one year on this program, Tom
snatched 250 lbs., clean and jerked
385 lbs. and jerked 400 lbs. from
the rack -- at a bodyweight of 215.
Now, granted, that's six days per
week -- but Tom was a young man and
a competitive Olympic lifter at the
time, so he could handle it. If you
want to give the program a try, you
might do better by cutting it down
three or four workouts per week --
or even two workouts per week if
you're over 50.
I'm closing in on 60 (I'll be 57 in
September), and I almost always do
one-exercise workouts -- and I usually
train three days per week. Different
exercise in each workout. Multiple
sets of low reps (often singles).
A good warm-up to start things off,
followed by progressively heavier
weights up to my top weight for the
day. Each workout takes about an
hour. It works pretty darn well.
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. Read more about abbreviated workouts
and ultra-abbreviated workouts in these
hard-hitting, no-nonsense training guides:
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
Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses - and my Dino
DVD's, and back issues of the world-famous Dinosaur
Training newsletter -- are available right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're squatting,
pushing and pulling, you're doing the right things."
-- Brooks Kubik
