Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Yesterday, I covered three different
options for the 5 x 5 program - and the
advanced option for the program.
I did that to answer a slew of questions
I had received about how to implement the
5 x 5 system. So I covered the different
options and gave detailed instructions for
each of them.
Well, it backfired.
Now I'm buried in questions along the lines
of:
"WHICH of the three options do I do?"
along with the inevitable:
"When can I do the advanced option?"
And although I was trying to HELP, it
almost seems as if I DIDN'T -- because many
readers are expressing some serious angst as
they fret and worry and cogitate about "Which
is best -- 1 working set, 2 working sets, or
3 working sets -- or even 5 working sets?"
So let me respond to all of those readers
in one email.
Here's a basic rule that will save you many
hours of worry and many years of wasted
training.
If you're not sure what to do, start with
LESS.
Simple example: you're not sure whether to
do Dino-style abbreviated strength training
for one hour 3 times a week or the Bulgarian
Psycho-Blast Super Seven Day a Week Blitz
Program peddled by the latest infomercial
guy.
Try the Dino program.
If the Dino program works, you've saved about
20 hours a week of training time -- which adds
up to about a 1,000 hours a week you could
spend doing other things -- and although
training is great, it's not the only
thing in life.
Or, closer to the issue before us -- you're
not sure whether to do 1 working set or 3
working sets (or 5 working sets, if you
think you might be able to handle it).
Try ONE and see what happens. If it works,
you've saved yourself time and improved your
odds of recovering from your workout by
doing less rather than doing more.
If it doesn't work as well as you'd like,
you can always try more working sets. So
starting with less is never a bad choice.
It's the intelligent choice.
The rule applies to all aspects of your
training.
And it applies to your diet, as well. (A
topic much on my mind lately, as I finish
my new diet and nutrition book.)
For example . . .
Do you think you might need more protein
in your diet?
Fine.
Try another egg at breakfast. Or try another
TWO eggs.
But don't try an egg every hour -- or a
dozen eggs a day -- or jumping from two eggs
and 2 pieces of bacon for breakfast to a pound
of steak and six eggs. That's too big a jump --
you've gone from "a little" to "more than
enough for a squad of hungry marines."
In other words, try small changes in your
diet -- or small changes in your workout.
Less often works better than the over the
top stuff -- and it works much better for
the long haul. So always start with less.
Harry Paschall said it many years ago:
"Rather than see how much exercise we can
STAND, we should learn how much we NEED."
That was pretty good advice back in the
1950's -- and it's pretty good advice
today.
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. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training gives you
tons of old-school dumbbell exercises, and
plenty of abbreviated workouts to go with
them:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.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: "Consider your
options, select the simplest and least
complicated, and see how it works. Evaluate
and refine as needed -- IF needed."
-- Brooks Kubik
