Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A couple of days ago I posted my
current training program, which
is built around Olympic weight-
lifting movements.
In response, I received a number
of questions from Dinos. One of
the most common was, "Why do you
do Olympic lifting now?"
Well there are a couple of reasons.
1. I enjoy it. There's a remarkable,
almost gymnastic sense to doing the
Olympic lifts.
1a. I'm almost 60, and I'm a grand-
father, and it's my garage and my
weights, so I get to do what I
enjoy the most.
1b. Luckily, Trudi is okay with
this, although she thinks split
style snatches are better and safer
for me than squat style snatches.
1c. She's probably right.
2. The lifts are challenging and
demanding.
2a. They require strength, speed,
power, flexibility and athleticism --
and the highest order of technical
skill.
3. There are established competitions
in the USA and all other countries,
with official records by age-group
and weight class, so I can see how
I compare to other lifters of my age
and weight.
4. It's perfectly safe to train the
Olympic lifts alone, without a
spotter.
5. The lifts require deep concentration
and intense focus -- so much so that
they almost amount to a form of moving
meditation -- much like traditional
martial arts training.
5a. This makes the workouts very
relaxing even though they're very
challenging.
6. There are established formulas to
calculate the relative performance of
different lifters based on their age
and bodyweight.
6a. I use these to compare my current
performance at age 57 and 215 pounds
to my performance at, for example, age
40 and 225 pounds -- or age 19 and 165
pounds -- or other ages over the course
of my career.
6b. This allows me to focus on improving
my relative ability on a pound for pound
and year for year basis -- and to set
myself the goal of trying to get better
and better on a relative ME to ME basis.
7. Did I mention that I really enjoy the
feel of the Olympic lifts? That they're
fun to do? That they remind me of the throws
I used to do in Greco-Roman and free-style
wrestling matches 40 years ago when I
wrestled in high school?
7a. That they're a FUN way to train?
7b. That it's my garage and my weights,
and -- oh, yeah -- I said that. I'm
repeating myself. Sorry about that.
But you get the message.
It's fun. I enjoy it. And it's in my
blood.
You may train exactly the same -- or you
may train differently -- but I'm going to
venture a guess and say that you, too,
have found something that you really
love doing -- and you really enjoy
your training -- and although it's
darn hard work, it's also downright
fun.
And that's the important thing.
As always, thanks for reading and
have a great day. If you train today,
make it a good one -- and have FUN!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's a great book for fun and
effective training for older Dinos:
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: "Life is too
short not to do the things you like to do
in the gym." -- Brooks Kubik
