Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I just received an email from a fellow Dinosaur
that reads as follows:
" Just to let you know, I got your new course on
Kindle. It's great. Really enjoying it. Nice to be
able to receive it instantly (and it saves on
postage). Thanks.
Matt"
So I fired back an email that said something like
this:
"Thanks very much for letting me know that you
purchased the course on Kindle. We only get the
number of purchases each day, not the names of
the purchasers -- so we don't know if long-time
Dinos are ordering the Kindle version, or if it's
mostly new readers.
Obviously, that's important to know. So thanks
for giving me the update -- and thanks for your
kind words about the course. I'm glad you are
enjoying it."
Trudi saw the email exchange, and suggested that
I share it with the Dinos -- and ask you an
important question:
"Have you ordered the new Dinosaur Training
course on Kindle?"
If you have, please shoot me an email and let
me know. As I told Matt, this is really important
information for us.
Thanks!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link to the order page for the
new course -- it's available in your choice of
e-book or hard-copy:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. If you ordered the course on Kindle,
please post a review on the Kindle site. They
really help. Thanks!
****************************************
The Rest Between Sets Question!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We'll talk training in just a minute, but
first, let me share two updates:
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
This is my new course, and for the
very first time, it's available in both
e-book and hard-copy:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
If you ordered the Kindle version, please
post a review on the Kindle page -- the
reviews really help us.
2. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly
Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
is just about finished. We'll put up a link
so you can order your copy very soon.
The little monster should be printed
and ready to ship next week.
You're going to like it -- it has a ton of
great material.
On the training front, here's another one
of those questions that I get all the time:
"How long should I rest between sets?"
"How long should I rest between heavy
singles?"
"Is it okay to rest [fill in any number of
minutes] between sets?"
So let's talk about the rest between sets
thing.
And to be specific, let's talk about rest
between sets when you're training to
build strength and muscle mass -- as
opposed to a conditioning or endurance
workout. You train faster, with less rest,
when you do conditioning work.
First of all, there's no one single correct
answer. A number of factors affect how
long to rest from one set to the next:
1. You can go faster (take less rest) on
your warm-up sets. I typically just rest
long enough to change the weights, and
perhaps have a sip of water. So my rest
time is perhaps 1 to 1 1/2 mins.
2. In between your heavier sets, you go
a bit slower -- perhaps 2 to 3 mins.
3. The more reps you do in a given set,
the more rest you need between sets.
4. You need more rest between sets of
squats and deadlifts than any other
exercise.
5. If you do multiple work sets on any
exercise, you need to rest long enough
to fully recover and be ready for the
next set.
6. As you train, your conditioning level
will improve, and you can go a bit faster.
7. You can usually go faster in cold or
cool weather than in hot weather.
8. I can train faster (less rest between
sets) when I do an Olympic lifting workout
than when I am doing power rack or
powerlifting workouts. You may find the
same thing to be true.
a. I rest 2 or 3 mins between heavy sets
when I do OL training. That increases to
5 to 7 mins for power rack or powerlifting
workouts.
b. IMPORTANT: Do not go so fast that
you get a pump if you are doing OL or
PL. A pump affects your coordination
and timing, especially in OL training.
9. I can train very fast when I do all-
dumbbell workouts or bodyweight
workouts.
a. I do lots of supersets in bodyweight
workouts. See Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for details and workouts.
b. In dumbbell workouts, I do several
different exercises with the dumbbells
loaded to a given weight, and then add
more weight and repeat. This reduces
the time spent changing plates, and
let's me go very fast. See Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training or my Dumbbell
Training DVD for the exercises and
workouts.
10. The bottom line is this -- take the time
you need to get ready for the next set. You
are training to build strength and muscle
mass, and that means you need to use
heavy weights -- and you need to be ready
to lift them. Don't go so fast that you can't
give the next set what it requires.
Anyhow, I hope that helps -- and I hope
that 2015 is your best year ever for strength
and health!
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 link again for the new course,
in your choice of e-book or hard-copy format:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "There's no one
right answer in strength training, but there
are plenty of things that work better than
other things -- and plenty of things that don't
work well at all." -- Brooks Kubik
***************************************
We'll talk training in just a minute, but
first, let me share two updates:
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
This is my new course, and for the
very first time, it's available in both
e-book and hard-copy:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
If you ordered the Kindle version, please
post a review on the Kindle page -- the
reviews really help us.
2. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly
Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
is just about finished. We'll put up a link
so you can order your copy very soon.
The little monster should be printed
and ready to ship next week.
You're going to like it -- it has a ton of
great material.
On the training front, here's another one
of those questions that I get all the time:
"How long should I rest between sets?"
"How long should I rest between heavy
singles?"
"Is it okay to rest [fill in any number of
minutes] between sets?"
So let's talk about the rest between sets
thing.
And to be specific, let's talk about rest
between sets when you're training to
build strength and muscle mass -- as
opposed to a conditioning or endurance
workout. You train faster, with less rest,
when you do conditioning work.
First of all, there's no one single correct
answer. A number of factors affect how
long to rest from one set to the next:
1. You can go faster (take less rest) on
your warm-up sets. I typically just rest
long enough to change the weights, and
perhaps have a sip of water. So my rest
time is perhaps 1 to 1 1/2 mins.
2. In between your heavier sets, you go
a bit slower -- perhaps 2 to 3 mins.
3. The more reps you do in a given set,
the more rest you need between sets.
4. You need more rest between sets of
squats and deadlifts than any other
exercise.
5. If you do multiple work sets on any
exercise, you need to rest long enough
to fully recover and be ready for the
next set.
6. As you train, your conditioning level
will improve, and you can go a bit faster.
7. You can usually go faster in cold or
cool weather than in hot weather.
8. I can train faster (less rest between
sets) when I do an Olympic lifting workout
than when I am doing power rack or
powerlifting workouts. You may find the
same thing to be true.
a. I rest 2 or 3 mins between heavy sets
when I do OL training. That increases to
5 to 7 mins for power rack or powerlifting
workouts.
b. IMPORTANT: Do not go so fast that
you get a pump if you are doing OL or
PL. A pump affects your coordination
and timing, especially in OL training.
9. I can train very fast when I do all-
dumbbell workouts or bodyweight
workouts.
a. I do lots of supersets in bodyweight
workouts. See Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for details and workouts.
b. In dumbbell workouts, I do several
different exercises with the dumbbells
loaded to a given weight, and then add
more weight and repeat. This reduces
the time spent changing plates, and
let's me go very fast. See Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training or my Dumbbell
Training DVD for the exercises and
workouts.
10. The bottom line is this -- take the time
you need to get ready for the next set. You
are training to build strength and muscle
mass, and that means you need to use
heavy weights -- and you need to be ready
to lift them. Don't go so fast that you can't
give the next set what it requires.
Anyhow, I hope that helps -- and I hope
that 2015 is your best year ever for strength
and health!
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 link again for the new course,
in your choice of e-book or hard-copy format:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "There's no one
right answer in strength training, but there
are plenty of things that work better than
other things -- and plenty of things that don't
work well at all." -- Brooks Kubik
***************************************
Stay Loose and Stay Strong!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Three quick notes, and then we'll talk
training.
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
It's my new course, and you can find
it right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
Note: for the first time ever, we are offering
the course in your choice of e-book or
hard-copy. Many of you have been
asking for e-book options, so we're
going to give it a try.
You can order the e-book on Amazon's
Kindle site, or order the hard-copy directly
from Dino Headquarters. The above link
has order buttons for both options.
2. Reviews for Dinosaur Training Secrets
Please post reviews for the new course on
the order pages at the Amazon.com and
Amazon.co.uk sites. The reviews really
help us.
Also, if you ordered the e-book, please
shoot me an email and let me know --
otherwise, I don't know who ordered the
e-book. I'm trying to see how many of
our long-time Dinos have grabbed the
e-book.
3. The Dinosaur Files quarterly
Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
should be ready to mail next week. It's a
great issue, and you're really going to like
it. We'll put up an order page soon -- I'll
send a link when it's ready.
On the training front, one of our long-time
Dinos asked about how to maintain good
mobility for weightlifting when you are an
older lifter (age 50 or up).
And another Dino asked if I do any sort of
stretching or flexibility work -- and if I think
it's important for older trainees.
Those are somewhat related questions, so
let me cover them together.
I'm almost 60 now, and I still do full-range
squat snatches and squat cleans. I'm more
flexible and more mobile now than when I
was 50 -- but I've had to work at it alot.
I do 10 - 15 minutes of stretching and very
light lifting drills (broomstick only) before
lifting -- and then I begin with the empty
bar and do even more drilling. It's the only
to get loose and supple after sitting at my
desk all day long.
I pay particular attention to my ankles,
knees, hips, lower back, shoulders and
wrists.
I include Indian club drills as part of my
warm-up. They're great for loosening up
the hsoulders and the upper back.
I also do stretching in-between sets of
my various exercises and lifts.
If anything, I should do even more of this
kind of work than I do. I may try doing 20
or 30 mins per day on non-lifting days and
see what happens.
For specific stretches for weightlifters, see
the Catalyst Athletics website.
One of the other very important things is
to work to perfect your technique and make
all of your lifts as smooth and as perfect as
possible. You need to avoid jerking the weight
or arm pulling or powering it up. Bad technique
makes you tight -- and, of course, it can also
lead to an injury.
Tommy Kono talks about this in his books.
He believes that power cleans and power
snatches tighten the shoulders, so if you
are an older trainee and you do them, you
make yourself too tight and too stiff to do
squat snatches and squat cleans.
I've found that Tommy is correct, and so
I stick to the full lifts exclusively. (Full lifts
meaning squat style.)
Tommy also says you need to avoid going
too heavy if you are an older lifter. Save the
truly heavy attempts for competiiton.
Again, I've found that this is very good
advice. Sometimes it's hard to follow,
but it's very good advice.
And, of course -- you need to be sure you
avoid over-training. It's the kiss of death
for an older lifter. See Gray hair and Black
Iron for detailed information about effective
training for older Dinos.
Diet and nutrition also comes into play. The
right kind of diet will keep you lean and
strong, which helps your mobility and is
good for your joints. Carying extra weight
puts extra stress on your knees and ankles,
and over time, it adds up.
Also, the right kind of diet -- the kind I cover
in Knife, Fork, Muscle -- is an anti-inflammatory
diet. It helps reduce inflammation throughout
the body -- which in turn helps you stay mobile
and flexible.
As far as supplements go, I think that a high-
quality fish oil product is great for older lifters.
I've answered these questions in the context
of training for older weightlifters. But the same
points apply to all older trainees -- regardless of
how you train.
I hope that helps -- and I hope it encourages our
older Dinos to stay loose, flexible, and mobile
as well as strong and powerful. All of these
qualities are important. Work to build and
maintain all of them.
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 order page for the new Dinosaur
Training course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle and
Gray Hair and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headqaurters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Stay loose and stay
strong!" -- Brooks Kubik
**********************************************
Three quick notes, and then we'll talk
training.
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
It's my new course, and you can find
it right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
Note: for the first time ever, we are offering
the course in your choice of e-book or
hard-copy. Many of you have been
asking for e-book options, so we're
going to give it a try.
You can order the e-book on Amazon's
Kindle site, or order the hard-copy directly
from Dino Headquarters. The above link
has order buttons for both options.
2. Reviews for Dinosaur Training Secrets
Please post reviews for the new course on
the order pages at the Amazon.com and
Amazon.co.uk sites. The reviews really
help us.
Also, if you ordered the e-book, please
shoot me an email and let me know --
otherwise, I don't know who ordered the
e-book. I'm trying to see how many of
our long-time Dinos have grabbed the
e-book.
3. The Dinosaur Files quarterly
Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
should be ready to mail next week. It's a
great issue, and you're really going to like
it. We'll put up an order page soon -- I'll
send a link when it's ready.
On the training front, one of our long-time
Dinos asked about how to maintain good
mobility for weightlifting when you are an
older lifter (age 50 or up).
And another Dino asked if I do any sort of
stretching or flexibility work -- and if I think
it's important for older trainees.
Those are somewhat related questions, so
let me cover them together.
I'm almost 60 now, and I still do full-range
squat snatches and squat cleans. I'm more
flexible and more mobile now than when I
was 50 -- but I've had to work at it alot.
I do 10 - 15 minutes of stretching and very
light lifting drills (broomstick only) before
lifting -- and then I begin with the empty
bar and do even more drilling. It's the only
to get loose and supple after sitting at my
desk all day long.
I pay particular attention to my ankles,
knees, hips, lower back, shoulders and
wrists.
I include Indian club drills as part of my
warm-up. They're great for loosening up
the hsoulders and the upper back.
I also do stretching in-between sets of
my various exercises and lifts.
If anything, I should do even more of this
kind of work than I do. I may try doing 20
or 30 mins per day on non-lifting days and
see what happens.
For specific stretches for weightlifters, see
the Catalyst Athletics website.
One of the other very important things is
to work to perfect your technique and make
all of your lifts as smooth and as perfect as
possible. You need to avoid jerking the weight
or arm pulling or powering it up. Bad technique
makes you tight -- and, of course, it can also
lead to an injury.
Tommy Kono talks about this in his books.
He believes that power cleans and power
snatches tighten the shoulders, so if you
are an older trainee and you do them, you
make yourself too tight and too stiff to do
squat snatches and squat cleans.
I've found that Tommy is correct, and so
I stick to the full lifts exclusively. (Full lifts
meaning squat style.)
Tommy also says you need to avoid going
too heavy if you are an older lifter. Save the
truly heavy attempts for competiiton.
Again, I've found that this is very good
advice. Sometimes it's hard to follow,
but it's very good advice.
And, of course -- you need to be sure you
avoid over-training. It's the kiss of death
for an older lifter. See Gray hair and Black
Iron for detailed information about effective
training for older Dinos.
Diet and nutrition also comes into play. The
right kind of diet will keep you lean and
strong, which helps your mobility and is
good for your joints. Carying extra weight
puts extra stress on your knees and ankles,
and over time, it adds up.
Also, the right kind of diet -- the kind I cover
in Knife, Fork, Muscle -- is an anti-inflammatory
diet. It helps reduce inflammation throughout
the body -- which in turn helps you stay mobile
and flexible.
As far as supplements go, I think that a high-
quality fish oil product is great for older lifters.
I've answered these questions in the context
of training for older weightlifters. But the same
points apply to all older trainees -- regardless of
how you train.
I hope that helps -- and I hope it encourages our
older Dinos to stay loose, flexible, and mobile
as well as strong and powerful. All of these
qualities are important. Work to build and
maintain all of them.
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 order page for the new Dinosaur
Training course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle and
Gray Hair and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headqaurters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Stay loose and stay
strong!" -- Brooks Kubik
**********************************************
Take a Peek Inside Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I thought you'd enjoy a sneak peek at the
table of contents for my new course:
Dinosaur Training Secrets
Vol. 1, Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
Introduction
1. The Best Exercises
2. Heavy, Awkward Objects
3. Olympic Weightlifting
4. Heavy Dumbbell Training
5. Bone, Tendon and Ligament Strength
6. Thick Bar Training
7. Heavy Poundages
8. Strength vs. "Cuts"
9. Gut Training
10. The Time Factor
11. Real World Training
12. The Recovery Factor
13. The Light, Medium, Heavy System
14. An Example of a Light, Medium, Heavy
Program
15. A Different Type of Light, Medium, Heavy
Program
16. Abbreviated Training
17. Examples of Abbreviated Workouts
18. Abbreviated Workouts for High Intensity
Training
19. Abbreviated Workouts for Olympic
Weightlifting
20. Abbreviated Workouts for Strongman Training
21. Ultra-Abbreviated Training
22. Examples of Ultra-Abbreviated Workouts
23. Ultra-Abbreviated Workouts for Powerlifting
24. One-Exercise Training Programs
25. Some Final Thoughts
As you can see, we cover a ton of material.
The little monster is available in both e-book
format (at the Amazon Kindle site) or in hard
copy (from Dino Headquarters).
Here's the link to grab your copy of Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1 in your choice of e-book
or hard-copy format:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
If you order the hard-copy version and you'd
like me to autograph your course, please ask
for an autograph in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form.
Also, please help us spread the word about
sane, sensible and effective strength training
and muscle building by posting a review on
the Amazon site. The reviews really help.
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. 1. Here's the link again for Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
If you want to save some clams on shipping and
handling, order multiple items and send me an
an email to ask for a shipping quote. This is
especially important for our overseas Dinos.
P.S. 3. Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
will be ready next week -- and you're really going
to like it. I'll send a link with the order page as soon
as we get it up.
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "You live in the real
world, and you need to train in the real world."
-- Brooks Kubik
***************************************
I thought you'd enjoy a sneak peek at the
table of contents for my new course:
Dinosaur Training Secrets
Vol. 1, Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
Introduction
1. The Best Exercises
2. Heavy, Awkward Objects
3. Olympic Weightlifting
4. Heavy Dumbbell Training
5. Bone, Tendon and Ligament Strength
6. Thick Bar Training
7. Heavy Poundages
8. Strength vs. "Cuts"
9. Gut Training
10. The Time Factor
11. Real World Training
12. The Recovery Factor
13. The Light, Medium, Heavy System
14. An Example of a Light, Medium, Heavy
Program
15. A Different Type of Light, Medium, Heavy
Program
16. Abbreviated Training
17. Examples of Abbreviated Workouts
18. Abbreviated Workouts for High Intensity
Training
19. Abbreviated Workouts for Olympic
Weightlifting
20. Abbreviated Workouts for Strongman Training
21. Ultra-Abbreviated Training
22. Examples of Ultra-Abbreviated Workouts
23. Ultra-Abbreviated Workouts for Powerlifting
24. One-Exercise Training Programs
25. Some Final Thoughts
As you can see, we cover a ton of material.
The little monster is available in both e-book
format (at the Amazon Kindle site) or in hard
copy (from Dino Headquarters).
Here's the link to grab your copy of Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1 in your choice of e-book
or hard-copy format:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
If you order the hard-copy version and you'd
like me to autograph your course, please ask
for an autograph in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form.
Also, please help us spread the word about
sane, sensible and effective strength training
and muscle building by posting a review on
the Amazon site. The reviews really help.
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. 1. Here's the link again for Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
If you want to save some clams on shipping and
handling, order multiple items and send me an
an email to ask for a shipping quote. This is
especially important for our overseas Dinos.
P.S. 3. Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
will be ready next week -- and you're really going
to like it. I'll send a link with the order page as soon
as we get it up.
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "You live in the real
world, and you need to train in the real world."
-- Brooks Kubik
***************************************
I Get this Question All the Time!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I hope everyone is doing okay on this day of
storms and blizzards and snow throughout so
much of the United States and Canada. If the
storm has hit you, stay warm, stay dry and stay
safe.
The other storm that is going on is the storm
of orders for my new course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1. A big THANK YOU to everyone
who placed an order, and if you haven't done
so yet, here's the link:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
You can have your choice of hard copy or e-book,
which is something we've not done before -- but
plenty of Dinos have asked for the e-book option,
so we went ahead and are giving it a try. If you
ordered the e-book, please post a review on the
Amazon Kindle site. The reviews really help.
On the training front, here's a question from a
reader. It's a variation of a question I get all the
time, so I thought I'd share it with the Dinos --
along with my answer:
Q. I have several of your books, including the
Doug Hepburn course. It has changed my life --
thank you so much for writing it.
I am having really good results starting with 5
singles and adding one rep per workout, and
working up to 5 x 3. I then add 5-10 pounds
and start over.
My question is this. I saw an article on-line about
adding 3 sets of 6 reps with 60% of your max,
and adding one rep per workout and working
up to 3 x 8. What do you think about this? Do
I need to do it?
A. You absolutely do NOT need to add 3 x 6 to
finish your workout. In fact, you don't need to
add anything -- and you shouldn't.
Here's why.
You say that you are getting really good results
from your single rep program and the slow,
sensible progression that you are using. That's
great. You're way ahead of the game -- and doing
far better than most people do.
As long as you continue to get good results, do
NOT add any additional exercises, sets or reps.
If your program is working, keep on doing
exactly what you are doing.
This is the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule
of strength training and muscle building -- and
it's an important rule to remember.
The time to make changes in your program is
when your gains slow down or you stop making
any progress. If what you are doing is working,
then stick with it.
And here's a related point. If and when your gains
slow down, it's usually because you are starting
to reach the point where your workouts are hard
enough and heavy enough that you can't quite
recover from them.
In that case, it's better to REDUCE your workload
rather than ADD to it.
For example -- try adding one rep every other
workout rather than every workout.
Or include some lighter days in the program to
aid recovery.
Or shorten your workouts.
Perhaps switch to ultra-abbreviated training for
a while.
But don't do that now. Only do it if and when
your gains slow down.
I should also note that I tried a program of heavy
singles followed by 3 x 6 "back in the day" -- and
I ended up severely over-trained in about two
weeks. If I were ever to try it again, I'd do singles
in week one and 3 x 6 in week 2. I would NOT do
them in the same workout. It's just too much to
recover from.
To everyone -- 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 link again for the new course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. My Doug Hepburn training course is right
here -- and it's a good one:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.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: "If you're rolling
along just fine, don't stop and replace one of
the wheels with a pumpkin." -- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
I hope everyone is doing okay on this day of
storms and blizzards and snow throughout so
much of the United States and Canada. If the
storm has hit you, stay warm, stay dry and stay
safe.
The other storm that is going on is the storm
of orders for my new course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1. A big THANK YOU to everyone
who placed an order, and if you haven't done
so yet, here's the link:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
You can have your choice of hard copy or e-book,
which is something we've not done before -- but
plenty of Dinos have asked for the e-book option,
so we went ahead and are giving it a try. If you
ordered the e-book, please post a review on the
Amazon Kindle site. The reviews really help.
On the training front, here's a question from a
reader. It's a variation of a question I get all the
time, so I thought I'd share it with the Dinos --
along with my answer:
Q. I have several of your books, including the
Doug Hepburn course. It has changed my life --
thank you so much for writing it.
I am having really good results starting with 5
singles and adding one rep per workout, and
working up to 5 x 3. I then add 5-10 pounds
and start over.
My question is this. I saw an article on-line about
adding 3 sets of 6 reps with 60% of your max,
and adding one rep per workout and working
up to 3 x 8. What do you think about this? Do
I need to do it?
A. You absolutely do NOT need to add 3 x 6 to
finish your workout. In fact, you don't need to
add anything -- and you shouldn't.
Here's why.
You say that you are getting really good results
from your single rep program and the slow,
sensible progression that you are using. That's
great. You're way ahead of the game -- and doing
far better than most people do.
As long as you continue to get good results, do
NOT add any additional exercises, sets or reps.
If your program is working, keep on doing
exactly what you are doing.
This is the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule
of strength training and muscle building -- and
it's an important rule to remember.
The time to make changes in your program is
when your gains slow down or you stop making
any progress. If what you are doing is working,
then stick with it.
And here's a related point. If and when your gains
slow down, it's usually because you are starting
to reach the point where your workouts are hard
enough and heavy enough that you can't quite
recover from them.
In that case, it's better to REDUCE your workload
rather than ADD to it.
For example -- try adding one rep every other
workout rather than every workout.
Or include some lighter days in the program to
aid recovery.
Or shorten your workouts.
Perhaps switch to ultra-abbreviated training for
a while.
But don't do that now. Only do it if and when
your gains slow down.
I should also note that I tried a program of heavy
singles followed by 3 x 6 "back in the day" -- and
I ended up severely over-trained in about two
weeks. If I were ever to try it again, I'd do singles
in week one and 3 x 6 in week 2. I would NOT do
them in the same workout. It's just too much to
recover from.
To everyone -- 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 link again for the new course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
P.S. 2. My Doug Hepburn training course is right
here -- and it's a good one:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.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: "If you're rolling
along just fine, don't stop and replace one of
the wheels with a pumpkin." -- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
Here It Is -- The New Dinosaur Training Course!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Here's the link to the order page for my new
Dinosaur Training Course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
This is part one in an exciting new series
of courses, which we'll be offering throughout
the year.
For the first time ever, we're offering the
new course in your choice of hard-copy
or e-book. Note that there are three order
buttons for the hard-copy course: one for
US orders, one for Canadian orders, and
one for overseas orders. The cost for each
includes shipping and handling.
The hard copy courses are printed and ready
to ship. The sooner you place your order, the
sooner you'll have the little monster in your
hot little hands.
There's also a link to order the e-book from
Amazon's Kindle site.
IMPORTANT -- PLS READ:
1. If you want to order a hard-copy of the course
and combine it with any other Dinosaur Training
products in order to save on postage, shoot me
an email and ask for a special shipping quote.
2. I'm finishing up issue no. 2 of The Dinosaur
Files quarterly strength training journal. If you
live outside the USA, and you want the new course
plus the Dinosaur Files quarterly, shoot me an
email and ask for a shipping quote for both of
them. We can save you some clams this way.
If you live in the USA, you won't save very much
by combining orders for the new course and The
Dinosaur Files quarterly, so go ahead and order
the new course now. You can order issue no.
2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly when we put
up the sales page for it, which should be early
next week.
3. If you want me to autograph your course, ask
for an autograph in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form. And please
tell me who to sign it to (e.g. "James" or "Jim").
There's no charge for an autograph. It's an
honor to be asked for one.
If someone else places an order for you, be sure
to have them ask for an autograph -- and be sure
they give me your name so I can sign it to you!
4. Any questions, shoot me an email!
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 link for the new course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "Dinos deserve
the best -- and that's what we strive to deliver!"
-- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
Here's the link to the order page for my new
Dinosaur Training Course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
This is part one in an exciting new series
of courses, which we'll be offering throughout
the year.
For the first time ever, we're offering the
new course in your choice of hard-copy
or e-book. Note that there are three order
buttons for the hard-copy course: one for
US orders, one for Canadian orders, and
one for overseas orders. The cost for each
includes shipping and handling.
The hard copy courses are printed and ready
to ship. The sooner you place your order, the
sooner you'll have the little monster in your
hot little hands.
There's also a link to order the e-book from
Amazon's Kindle site.
IMPORTANT -- PLS READ:
1. If you want to order a hard-copy of the course
and combine it with any other Dinosaur Training
products in order to save on postage, shoot me
an email and ask for a special shipping quote.
2. I'm finishing up issue no. 2 of The Dinosaur
Files quarterly strength training journal. If you
live outside the USA, and you want the new course
plus the Dinosaur Files quarterly, shoot me an
email and ask for a shipping quote for both of
them. We can save you some clams this way.
If you live in the USA, you won't save very much
by combining orders for the new course and The
Dinosaur Files quarterly, so go ahead and order
the new course now. You can order issue no.
2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly when we put
up the sales page for it, which should be early
next week.
3. If you want me to autograph your course, ask
for an autograph in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form. And please
tell me who to sign it to (e.g. "James" or "Jim").
There's no charge for an autograph. It's an
honor to be asked for one.
If someone else places an order for you, be sure
to have them ask for an autograph -- and be sure
they give me your name so I can sign it to you!
4. Any questions, shoot me an email!
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 link for the new course:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "Dinos deserve
the best -- and that's what we strive to deliver!"
-- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
Does Your Training Make You Feel Better?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Bob Hoffman had a great way of explaining
how strength training affects your body.
It doesn't just build your muscles.
It strengthens your internal organs, as well.
It improves circulation. Nourishes and fortifies
the blood.
It improves your digestion, and your ability
to assimilate the food you eat.
It strengthens your heart and lungs, and
improves your breathing.
Strengthens your nerves.
In other words, strength training builds your
body from the inside out. It makes you a bigger
and stronger man -- and a healthier man.
Hoffman and all of the other pioneers of the
Iron Game placed tremendous emphasis on
the health-building aspect of strength training.
That's why Hoffman published a magazine
called "Strength and HEALTH."
It's why the title of his first book was "How to
Be Strong, HEALTHY and Happy."
The idea of training for looks alone -- or even
for strength alone -- without radiant good health
to go with it would have been totally foreign to
Hoffman, Jowett, Calvert, Rader, Peary and
Paschall. It would have been foreign to ALL
of the old-timers.
In short, one of the benefits of old-school training
was that it made you FEEL better.
So back to the question in the title.
Does your training make you feel better?
Mine does.
I finished a one hour workout in a briskly cold
garage last night -- and felt like the proverbial
million dollars.
And I feel pretty good most of the time. I won't
say (as Hoffman did in his later years) that I'm
a candidate for "World's Healthiest Man," but I
do okay.
And my workouts play a major role in how I feel.
Yours should do the same for you. And if you're
training the right way -- with plenty of stand on
your feet old-school strength training, they will.
Just be sure you avoid the over-training thing
that we talked about yesterday. Over-training is
a one-way ticket to making you feel BAD instead
of GOOD. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for more
information on overtraining and how to beat it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
Diet and nutrition is also a key component of
feeling strong and healthy. Knife, Fork, Muscle
tells you what to eat for strength and health:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
As always, thanks fior reading, and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one -- it's putting money into your health
account!
Yours in strength (and health),
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My new training course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, is avilable on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're also doing a hard-copy version of the
course. My webmaster has been flattened by
a bad case of the flu, but as soon as he feels
better he'll put up the order page for the hard-
copy version. I'll send the link as soon as the
page is up.
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: "Hit the iron --
and give yourself the gift of lifelong strength
and health!" -- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
Bob Hoffman had a great way of explaining
how strength training affects your body.
It doesn't just build your muscles.
It strengthens your internal organs, as well.
It improves circulation. Nourishes and fortifies
the blood.
It improves your digestion, and your ability
to assimilate the food you eat.
It strengthens your heart and lungs, and
improves your breathing.
Strengthens your nerves.
In other words, strength training builds your
body from the inside out. It makes you a bigger
and stronger man -- and a healthier man.
Hoffman and all of the other pioneers of the
Iron Game placed tremendous emphasis on
the health-building aspect of strength training.
That's why Hoffman published a magazine
called "Strength and HEALTH."
It's why the title of his first book was "How to
Be Strong, HEALTHY and Happy."
The idea of training for looks alone -- or even
for strength alone -- without radiant good health
to go with it would have been totally foreign to
Hoffman, Jowett, Calvert, Rader, Peary and
Paschall. It would have been foreign to ALL
of the old-timers.
In short, one of the benefits of old-school training
was that it made you FEEL better.
So back to the question in the title.
Does your training make you feel better?
Mine does.
I finished a one hour workout in a briskly cold
garage last night -- and felt like the proverbial
million dollars.
And I feel pretty good most of the time. I won't
say (as Hoffman did in his later years) that I'm
a candidate for "World's Healthiest Man," but I
do okay.
And my workouts play a major role in how I feel.
Yours should do the same for you. And if you're
training the right way -- with plenty of stand on
your feet old-school strength training, they will.
Just be sure you avoid the over-training thing
that we talked about yesterday. Over-training is
a one-way ticket to making you feel BAD instead
of GOOD. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for more
information on overtraining and how to beat it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
Diet and nutrition is also a key component of
feeling strong and healthy. Knife, Fork, Muscle
tells you what to eat for strength and health:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
As always, thanks fior reading, and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one -- it's putting money into your health
account!
Yours in strength (and health),
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My new training course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, is avilable on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're also doing a hard-copy version of the
course. My webmaster has been flattened by
a bad case of the flu, but as soon as he feels
better he'll put up the order page for the hard-
copy version. I'll send the link as soon as the
page is up.
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: "Hit the iron --
and give yourself the gift of lifelong strength
and health!" -- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
Seven Strength Training Mistakes that Will Kill Your Progress!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two updates, and then we'll talk training.
1. My New Training Course on Kindle
In response to literally hundreds of requests
from Dinos around the world, we're offering
my new training course in both Kindle and
hard-copy editions.
If you prefer Kindle, go here to grab the
little monster:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
Please post a review and rate the course
at the Kindle page. Reviews and ratings help
us spread the word about sane, sensible, and
effective training.
2. Hard-copy Editions of the New Course
Are being printed tomorrow. We'll put up the
sales page so you can order them as soon as
we can. Our webmaster has been flattened by
a bad case of the flu, so we're behind schedule
on that, for which I apologize. In any case, I'll
send the link as soon as it's up.
On the training front, let's talk about mistakes
that trainees make -- mistakes that can ruin
your progress.
1. Over-training.
a. This is the biggie, and it's an insidious mistake
because the more committed you are to your
training, the more likely you are to over-train.
b. As you get older, it becomes easier and easier
to over-train.
c. As you get stronger, it becomes easier and
easier to over-train.
2. Following a program that's too advanced for
your current level of strength and development.
a. This one is also very common, and it always
leads to over-training.
b. Following the training program of the current
top champion will NOT turn you into the champion.
3. Unrealistic expectations.
a. Too many trainees expect overnight miracles, and
when they don't get them, they think that something
is wrong with their training program -- when all they
really need to do is to put in the time it takes to get
good results.
4. Program hopping.
a. Hopping is fine for rabbits and kangaroos. It's bad
for strength training if you hop from program to
program. You need to pick a program and stay with
it long enough to get good results. This usually means
a minimum of six to 12 weeks.
5. A bad diet.
a. A bad diet will sabotage your training efforts. See
Knife, Fork, Muscle for advice about sensible diet and
nutriition for strength training:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
6. Relying on food supplements to build strength
and muscle -- or to try to make up for a bad diet.
a. This is related to number 5.
b. They call them "supplements" because they are
supposed to supplement a healthy diet -- not replace
it, and not make up for a poor diet.
7. For older trainees -- not adjusting your workouts
to match your age.
a. This one is tough because none of us like to admit
thet we're getting older.
b. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for details on sensible
training for older Dinos:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
I could probably keep going with many more
mistakes that trainees make -- but seven is
enough for today.
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 link again for the Kindle edition
of my new course:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You can't avoid
making mistakes, but you can try to reduce
the number of mistakes you make -- and try
to avoid repeating them." -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
Two updates, and then we'll talk training.
1. My New Training Course on Kindle
In response to literally hundreds of requests
from Dinos around the world, we're offering
my new training course in both Kindle and
hard-copy editions.
If you prefer Kindle, go here to grab the
little monster:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
Please post a review and rate the course
at the Kindle page. Reviews and ratings help
us spread the word about sane, sensible, and
effective training.
2. Hard-copy Editions of the New Course
Are being printed tomorrow. We'll put up the
sales page so you can order them as soon as
we can. Our webmaster has been flattened by
a bad case of the flu, so we're behind schedule
on that, for which I apologize. In any case, I'll
send the link as soon as it's up.
On the training front, let's talk about mistakes
that trainees make -- mistakes that can ruin
your progress.
1. Over-training.
a. This is the biggie, and it's an insidious mistake
because the more committed you are to your
training, the more likely you are to over-train.
b. As you get older, it becomes easier and easier
to over-train.
c. As you get stronger, it becomes easier and
easier to over-train.
2. Following a program that's too advanced for
your current level of strength and development.
a. This one is also very common, and it always
leads to over-training.
b. Following the training program of the current
top champion will NOT turn you into the champion.
3. Unrealistic expectations.
a. Too many trainees expect overnight miracles, and
when they don't get them, they think that something
is wrong with their training program -- when all they
really need to do is to put in the time it takes to get
good results.
4. Program hopping.
a. Hopping is fine for rabbits and kangaroos. It's bad
for strength training if you hop from program to
program. You need to pick a program and stay with
it long enough to get good results. This usually means
a minimum of six to 12 weeks.
5. A bad diet.
a. A bad diet will sabotage your training efforts. See
Knife, Fork, Muscle for advice about sensible diet and
nutriition for strength training:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
6. Relying on food supplements to build strength
and muscle -- or to try to make up for a bad diet.
a. This is related to number 5.
b. They call them "supplements" because they are
supposed to supplement a healthy diet -- not replace
it, and not make up for a poor diet.
7. For older trainees -- not adjusting your workouts
to match your age.
a. This one is tough because none of us like to admit
thet we're getting older.
b. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for details on sensible
training for older Dinos:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
I could probably keep going with many more
mistakes that trainees make -- but seven is
enough for today.
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 link again for the Kindle edition
of my new course:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You can't avoid
making mistakes, but you can try to reduce
the number of mistakes you make -- and try
to avoid repeating them." -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
Real World Training vs. Fantasy Training
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One quick note and then we'll talk training.
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
My new training course is available on
Kindle for those of you prefer e-books:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
I'm finishing up the final edits on the hard-
copy version of the course, and it should be
printed and ready to ship on Friday or
Monday. The sales page for the hard-copy
course will be going up soon, so if you like
hard-copy books and courses, you'll be able
to order it soon.
We've been getting great feedback on the
little monster. One reader sent in an email with
a heading that read: "That e-book was Biblical
good!" -- which counts as a 5-star endorsement.
If you ordered the e-book, shoot me an email
and let me know how you like it -- and please post
a review and rate the book (hopefully 5 stars) on
the Kindle page. The reviews and ratings are very
important to us.
On the training front, here's something that's
hard to believe.
Back in the 1950's there was a big debate about
moving to a 40-hour work week. One of the glitz
and glamour muscle mags that popularized the
Muscle Beach lifestyle promptly published an
article suggesting that we switch to 40-hour
DAYS.
Why?
Because that way, you could train 20 hours every
day!
And, of course, everyone knows that the more time
you spend in the gym, the better and faster your
progress will be! (So said the magazine.)
And with 20 hour training days, everyone would
look like Mr. America in no time at all!
At least, that's what the muscle magazine said
would happen.
I don't know if it was tongue in cheek or serious,
but it's a good example of the Muscle Beach
Mentality -- by which I mean, the mentality
that says that we should all pretty much live
in the gym and train all day.
But that's not the only way to do things. There's
an alternative approach.
In contrast to the Muscle Beach world -- which is
a fantasy world created by the muscle magazines --
you have the real world.
In the real world, people work for a living. They
go to school. Sometimes they do both. And they
also have family and other responsibilities.
Spending all day in the gym doesn't work very
well in the real world.
It also doesn't lead to much in the way of results.
No one ever built strength and muscle mass by
overtraining. That was true back in the 1950's
and it's just as true today.
Real people need real world training. In real world
training, you train hard, heavy and progressively --
but you limit the length of your workoutds and how
often you train.
Another name for it is abbreviated training.
I teach it in all of my books and courses -- including
the new course -- and it works pretty darn well.
40 hour days?
20 hour workouts?
Thanks, but I'll do my training in the real world.
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 link to the Kindle version of the
new course:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
And remember -- please post a review and rate
the little monster!
P.S. 2. I'll send an email with a link to order the
hard-copy version of the new course very soon!
Be looking for it.
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: "Science fiction
is fun to read, but not when it's in an article
that tells you how to train." -- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
One quick note and then we'll talk training.
1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
My new training course is available on
Kindle for those of you prefer e-books:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
I'm finishing up the final edits on the hard-
copy version of the course, and it should be
printed and ready to ship on Friday or
Monday. The sales page for the hard-copy
course will be going up soon, so if you like
hard-copy books and courses, you'll be able
to order it soon.
We've been getting great feedback on the
little monster. One reader sent in an email with
a heading that read: "That e-book was Biblical
good!" -- which counts as a 5-star endorsement.
If you ordered the e-book, shoot me an email
and let me know how you like it -- and please post
a review and rate the book (hopefully 5 stars) on
the Kindle page. The reviews and ratings are very
important to us.
On the training front, here's something that's
hard to believe.
Back in the 1950's there was a big debate about
moving to a 40-hour work week. One of the glitz
and glamour muscle mags that popularized the
Muscle Beach lifestyle promptly published an
article suggesting that we switch to 40-hour
DAYS.
Why?
Because that way, you could train 20 hours every
day!
And, of course, everyone knows that the more time
you spend in the gym, the better and faster your
progress will be! (So said the magazine.)
And with 20 hour training days, everyone would
look like Mr. America in no time at all!
At least, that's what the muscle magazine said
would happen.
I don't know if it was tongue in cheek or serious,
but it's a good example of the Muscle Beach
Mentality -- by which I mean, the mentality
that says that we should all pretty much live
in the gym and train all day.
But that's not the only way to do things. There's
an alternative approach.
In contrast to the Muscle Beach world -- which is
a fantasy world created by the muscle magazines --
you have the real world.
In the real world, people work for a living. They
go to school. Sometimes they do both. And they
also have family and other responsibilities.
Spending all day in the gym doesn't work very
well in the real world.
It also doesn't lead to much in the way of results.
No one ever built strength and muscle mass by
overtraining. That was true back in the 1950's
and it's just as true today.
Real people need real world training. In real world
training, you train hard, heavy and progressively --
but you limit the length of your workoutds and how
often you train.
Another name for it is abbreviated training.
I teach it in all of my books and courses -- including
the new course -- and it works pretty darn well.
40 hour days?
20 hour workouts?
Thanks, but I'll do my training in the real world.
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 link to the Kindle version of the
new course:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
And remember -- please post a review and rate
the little monster!
P.S. 2. I'll send an email with a link to order the
hard-copy version of the new course very soon!
Be looking for it.
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: "Science fiction
is fun to read, but not when it's in an article
that tells you how to train." -- Brooks Kubik
*****************************************
The Best Gym in the World
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk about the
best gym in the world.
1. A New Dinosaur Training Course
I'm doing a series of new courses this year,
and the first one is ready right now. And for
the very first time, we're offering it on Kindle
as well as hard-copy.
We're doing that because some Dinos prefer
hard-copy books and courses, and others
prefer to do their reading on Kindle.
The title of the new course:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol 1, Exercises, Workouts and Training Programs
Go here to grab the Kindle edition:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're finishing up the sales page for the
hard-copy edition of the course. It should be
ready today or tomorrow. I'll send a link as
soon as it's ready.
2. Feedback and Reviews, Please!
Amazon has all sorts of options for feedback,
ratings and reviews -- so if you order the e-book,
please be sure to go back and write a short review,
give the book a rating, etc. The more feedback we
get, the more new Dinos we can bring into the tent.
One of the reasons I'm doing an e-book is to help
bring the Dino message to as many people as
possible -- but I need your help to do it!
Also, I don't know who placed an order for the
Kindle edition unless you shoot me an email and
let me know -- so please do that, as well.
And now -- on the training front . . .
What's the best gym in the world?
Where is it?
Who runs it?
Who trains there?
What equipment does it have?
There are plenty of good gyms out there. What
makes this one the best?
Will we ever know?
How would we rate different gyms to find "the best"
gym of them all?
Well, here's an idea.
Let's rate gyms based on how many Olympic and
World championships the gym members have won --
and what percentage of members have won these
titles. In other words, we can look for the success
rate of the average gym member.
if you use that criteria, I'm not sure what ranks as
the best gym inthe world in 2015. But I know what
ranked as the best gym back in the 1950's.
It was a basement gym with an unfinished floor. You
didn't need to use chalk when you lifted. You could
use a handful of dust and dirt instead.
Some old pieces of scrap wood formed a small lifting
platform. Some of the boards were a bit warped.
There was a set of homemade wooden squat stands.
There was a homemade wooden bench.
There were two York Olympic barbells and plenty of
black iron plates.
One bar was used exclusively for lifting.
The other bar was used for squats and benches.
And that was all the equipment. There was nothing
else.
The little gym had one member.
His name was Tommy Kono. It was his basement,
his equipment, and his gym.
And at the time, Kono was a two-time Olympic gold
medal winner -- multi-time World champion -- and
World and Olympic record holder.
He trained alone, so the average success rate for
gym members was about the best in the world. In
fact, it was about the all-time best in the history
of the world.
I think that little gym was the best gym in the
world back in the day. I would have loved to have
trained there just one time. Can you imagine what
it would have been like?
The best gyms are magic places. They turn iron to
gold. This one certainly did.
And to me, that makes it the very best gym in the
world.
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 a Kindle fan, don't forget to grab the
new Dinosaur Training course on kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
If you prefer hard-copy courses, don't worry --
the link to order the hard-copy course will be up
very soon.
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's -- and the
Dinosaur Files quarterly strength training journal --
are right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "I had three chairs in my
house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for
society." -- Henry David Thoreau
********************************************
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk about the
best gym in the world.
1. A New Dinosaur Training Course
I'm doing a series of new courses this year,
and the first one is ready right now. And for
the very first time, we're offering it on Kindle
as well as hard-copy.
We're doing that because some Dinos prefer
hard-copy books and courses, and others
prefer to do their reading on Kindle.
The title of the new course:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol 1, Exercises, Workouts and Training Programs
Go here to grab the Kindle edition:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're finishing up the sales page for the
hard-copy edition of the course. It should be
ready today or tomorrow. I'll send a link as
soon as it's ready.
2. Feedback and Reviews, Please!
Amazon has all sorts of options for feedback,
ratings and reviews -- so if you order the e-book,
please be sure to go back and write a short review,
give the book a rating, etc. The more feedback we
get, the more new Dinos we can bring into the tent.
One of the reasons I'm doing an e-book is to help
bring the Dino message to as many people as
possible -- but I need your help to do it!
Also, I don't know who placed an order for the
Kindle edition unless you shoot me an email and
let me know -- so please do that, as well.
And now -- on the training front . . .
What's the best gym in the world?
Where is it?
Who runs it?
Who trains there?
What equipment does it have?
There are plenty of good gyms out there. What
makes this one the best?
Will we ever know?
How would we rate different gyms to find "the best"
gym of them all?
Well, here's an idea.
Let's rate gyms based on how many Olympic and
World championships the gym members have won --
and what percentage of members have won these
titles. In other words, we can look for the success
rate of the average gym member.
if you use that criteria, I'm not sure what ranks as
the best gym inthe world in 2015. But I know what
ranked as the best gym back in the 1950's.
It was a basement gym with an unfinished floor. You
didn't need to use chalk when you lifted. You could
use a handful of dust and dirt instead.
Some old pieces of scrap wood formed a small lifting
platform. Some of the boards were a bit warped.
There was a set of homemade wooden squat stands.
There was a homemade wooden bench.
There were two York Olympic barbells and plenty of
black iron plates.
One bar was used exclusively for lifting.
The other bar was used for squats and benches.
And that was all the equipment. There was nothing
else.
The little gym had one member.
His name was Tommy Kono. It was his basement,
his equipment, and his gym.
And at the time, Kono was a two-time Olympic gold
medal winner -- multi-time World champion -- and
World and Olympic record holder.
He trained alone, so the average success rate for
gym members was about the best in the world. In
fact, it was about the all-time best in the history
of the world.
I think that little gym was the best gym in the
world back in the day. I would have loved to have
trained there just one time. Can you imagine what
it would have been like?
The best gyms are magic places. They turn iron to
gold. This one certainly did.
And to me, that makes it the very best gym in the
world.
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 a Kindle fan, don't forget to grab the
new Dinosaur Training course on kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
If you prefer hard-copy courses, don't worry --
the link to order the hard-copy course will be up
very soon.
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's -- and the
Dinosaur Files quarterly strength training journal --
are right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "I had three chairs in my
house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for
society." -- Henry David Thoreau
********************************************
New Dinosaur Training Course!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We have some big news today.
I just finished a new Dinosaur Training
course.
It's part one of a series of courses that
I'll be doing this year and next:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol. 1. Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
And get this -- for the first time ever, we're
offering the course in both hard-copy and
e-book form.
You'll be able to order the hard copy from
Dinosaur Headquarters. We're finishing up
the sales page and we'll have it up soon.
I'll send a link when it's ready.
If you prefer e-books, the little monster
is already available at Amazon's Kindle
store:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're doing it this way because we know
that some Dinos prefer hard copy books
and courses -- and other Dinos prefer
e-books.
As I said, the sales page for the hard copy
version of the new course is going up soon.
In the meantime, head on over to the Amazon
site and take a look at the little monster. You
may recognize the man on the cover!
More to follow -- today's going to be an exciting
and very busy day.
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 link again for the e-book version of
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "First, last and
foremost -- TRAIN!" -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
We have some big news today.
I just finished a new Dinosaur Training
course.
It's part one of a series of courses that
I'll be doing this year and next:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol. 1. Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
And get this -- for the first time ever, we're
offering the course in both hard-copy and
e-book form.
You'll be able to order the hard copy from
Dinosaur Headquarters. We're finishing up
the sales page and we'll have it up soon.
I'll send a link when it's ready.
If you prefer e-books, the little monster
is already available at Amazon's Kindle
store:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
We're doing it this way because we know
that some Dinos prefer hard copy books
and courses -- and other Dinos prefer
e-books.
As I said, the sales page for the hard copy
version of the new course is going up soon.
In the meantime, head on over to the Amazon
site and take a look at the little monster. You
may recognize the man on the cover!
More to follow -- today's going to be an exciting
and very busy day.
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 link again for the e-book version of
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SEQC50A
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "First, last and
foremost -- TRAIN!" -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
While I Was Lifting . . .
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
While I was out in the garage hitting some
squat snatches, something new and
exciting happened.
Amazon uploaded a brand new Dinosaur
Training Course.
Yes, that's right -- for the very first time,
we're offering an e-book edition of one of
our new courses -- and, of course, we'll
offer a hard-copy version as well.
We're doing this because some Dinos
prefer e-books -- and some Dinos prefer
hard-copy books and courses -- and we
want to offer something for both groups.
The new course is no. 1 in a series of
courses that I'll be doing this year:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol. 1. Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
Each volume in the series will be available
on Amazon as a Kindle e-book -- and also
available from Dino Headquarters as a
hard-copy course.
The e-book version of the new course is
available on Kindle right now. Go here to
grab the little monster:
http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Training-Secrets-Exercises-Workouts-ebook/dp/B00SEQC50A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421625279&sr=1-2
Meanwhile, we're finishing up the sales
page for a hard-copy version of the
course. That should be up tomorrow
or the next day. I'll send the link as
soon as it's ready.
I'm proofing and editing the hard copy
version of the course, and it will be printed
and ready to ship in 5 - 7 days (or less if
were lucky).
So you have two options:
1. Order the e-book version of the course
right now,
or
2. Order the hard-copy version of the
course as soon as the sales page goes up.
Either way, you're going to get a terrific
course -- with a ton of great training info.
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. Even if you plan to order the hard copy
version of the new course, go on over and take
a look at the Kindle version. I thionk you'll like
the cover -- and I think you'll recognize the man
on the cover.
http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Training-Secrets-Exercises-Workouts-ebook/dp/B00SEQC50A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421625279&sr=1-2
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train,
amazing things happen." -- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
While I was out in the garage hitting some
squat snatches, something new and
exciting happened.
Amazon uploaded a brand new Dinosaur
Training Course.
Yes, that's right -- for the very first time,
we're offering an e-book edition of one of
our new courses -- and, of course, we'll
offer a hard-copy version as well.
We're doing this because some Dinos
prefer e-books -- and some Dinos prefer
hard-copy books and courses -- and we
want to offer something for both groups.
The new course is no. 1 in a series of
courses that I'll be doing this year:
DINOSAUR TRAINING SECRETS
Vol. 1. Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs
Each volume in the series will be available
on Amazon as a Kindle e-book -- and also
available from Dino Headquarters as a
hard-copy course.
The e-book version of the new course is
available on Kindle right now. Go here to
grab the little monster:
http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Training-Secrets-Exercises-Workouts-ebook/dp/B00SEQC50A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421625279&sr=1-2
Meanwhile, we're finishing up the sales
page for a hard-copy version of the
course. That should be up tomorrow
or the next day. I'll send the link as
soon as it's ready.
I'm proofing and editing the hard copy
version of the course, and it will be printed
and ready to ship in 5 - 7 days (or less if
were lucky).
So you have two options:
1. Order the e-book version of the course
right now,
or
2. Order the hard-copy version of the
course as soon as the sales page goes up.
Either way, you're going to get a terrific
course -- with a ton of great training info.
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. Even if you plan to order the hard copy
version of the new course, go on over and take
a look at the Kindle version. I thionk you'll like
the cover -- and I think you'll recognize the man
on the cover.
http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Training-Secrets-Exercises-Workouts-ebook/dp/B00SEQC50A/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421625279&sr=1-2
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train,
amazing things happen." -- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
Where the Magic Is
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The University of Michigan football team has a new
head strength and conditioning coach.
It's Kevin Tolbert.
Those of you who have been following the strength
training field for the past 30 years are probably very
familiar with Kevin.
He's been featured in numerous articles by Dr. Ken
Leistner in Hardgainer, Muscular Development, and
Dr. Ken's own newsletter, The Steel Tip.
Dr. Ken began training Kevin when he was just 12
years old -- and used his rugged, old-school training
methods to transform the muscle-less kid into 185
pounds of unstoppable running back.
After a terrific high school career, Kevin went to the
Naval Academy, where he pushed his weight to a
solid 225, played fullback, and was known as the
strongest man on the team.
After he graduated, he served his full military
commitment, seeing 3 1/2 years of combat duty
in the Mediterranean. He brought his weights on
board ship, and famously trained on heavy, high
rep squats while the ship rolled from side to side.
He would stand with the bar on his shoulders until
the ship came to "level" -- and then squat and
come up -- and then stand and wait until the ship
rolled and came back to level before completing
the next rep.
It's sort of like heavy squats on a wobble board,
except you're using a ship in the middle of the
ocean for the wobble board.
It worked pretty well, too. Kevin ended up pushing
his weight all the way up to a soliud 240 pounds --
at 5'9" -- and that's pretty big and pretty thick.
Kevin went on to work as an assistant strength
and conditioning coach at the University of
Michigan, Stanford, and the San Francisco
49ers. He was the strength and conditioning
coach for the University of Miami for the past
three years.
So he's been teaching Dr. Ken's style of hard,
heavy, high intensity training for a long time --
and to a number of great football teams.
And like Dr. Ken, he knows how to make the
magic happen.
It's very simple.
You load the bar -- and you get to work.
Do the work, and the magic happens.
If you want his exact words, go here:
http://www.cstv.com/printable/schools/mich/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011215aad.html
If you want to know more about Dr. Ken's
strength training methods -- and more about
Kevin Tolbert's training -- grab the complete
set of back issues of The Steel Tip from my
buddy, John Wood:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/steel-tip-newsletter-collection-dr-ken-leistner
And if you want to make the magic happen,
start by loading the bar.
That's where the magic is.
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'll also find lots of magic in the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files. Go here to grab the
first issue:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Think it through,
make a plan, and take action." -- Brooks Kubik
***************************************************
The University of Michigan football team has a new
head strength and conditioning coach.
It's Kevin Tolbert.
Those of you who have been following the strength
training field for the past 30 years are probably very
familiar with Kevin.
He's been featured in numerous articles by Dr. Ken
Leistner in Hardgainer, Muscular Development, and
Dr. Ken's own newsletter, The Steel Tip.
Dr. Ken began training Kevin when he was just 12
years old -- and used his rugged, old-school training
methods to transform the muscle-less kid into 185
pounds of unstoppable running back.
After a terrific high school career, Kevin went to the
Naval Academy, where he pushed his weight to a
solid 225, played fullback, and was known as the
strongest man on the team.
After he graduated, he served his full military
commitment, seeing 3 1/2 years of combat duty
in the Mediterranean. He brought his weights on
board ship, and famously trained on heavy, high
rep squats while the ship rolled from side to side.
He would stand with the bar on his shoulders until
the ship came to "level" -- and then squat and
come up -- and then stand and wait until the ship
rolled and came back to level before completing
the next rep.
It's sort of like heavy squats on a wobble board,
except you're using a ship in the middle of the
ocean for the wobble board.
It worked pretty well, too. Kevin ended up pushing
his weight all the way up to a soliud 240 pounds --
at 5'9" -- and that's pretty big and pretty thick.
Kevin went on to work as an assistant strength
and conditioning coach at the University of
Michigan, Stanford, and the San Francisco
49ers. He was the strength and conditioning
coach for the University of Miami for the past
three years.
So he's been teaching Dr. Ken's style of hard,
heavy, high intensity training for a long time --
and to a number of great football teams.
And like Dr. Ken, he knows how to make the
magic happen.
It's very simple.
You load the bar -- and you get to work.
Do the work, and the magic happens.
If you want his exact words, go here:
http://www.cstv.com/printable/schools/mich/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011215aad.html
If you want to know more about Dr. Ken's
strength training methods -- and more about
Kevin Tolbert's training -- grab the complete
set of back issues of The Steel Tip from my
buddy, John Wood:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/steel-tip-newsletter-collection-dr-ken-leistner
And if you want to make the magic happen,
start by loading the bar.
That's where the magic is.
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'll also find lots of magic in the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files. Go here to grab the
first issue:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Think it through,
make a plan, and take action." -- Brooks Kubik
***************************************************
The Day My Glasses fell Into the Chalk Box
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. My Interview with Nik Hawks
Many of you enjoyed Nik Hawk's comments
about my Power of One email -- including
the terrific quote from Lord Grizzly. I've
done two podcast interviews with Nik,
and I think you'll enjoy them:
http://paleotreats.com/blogs/paleo-treats/18083027-episode-25-brooks-kubik
http://paleotreats.com/blogs/paleo-treats/18217047-episode-26-brooks-kubik-round-2
The first one covers influences on my
training, and traces Dinosaur Training
back through a long line of famous
Iron Game authors.
The second deals with the mental aspects
of strength training.
2. SuperHuman Radio Interview
I'll be on Carl Lanore's SuperHuman Radio
at 1:00 EST today -- talking diet and nutrition
for Dinos on the go. Catch it live or listen to the
podcast AYC at the SHR site:
http://superhumanradio.com/
And now-- let's talk training.
Yesterday we were talking about bad workouts,
and how to get past them.
How about a bad competition?
I entered a bench press contest in Jacksonville,
Florida once. The goal was to hit 405 pounds --
a World Record in the 220 pound class, Submaster's
age group, in that particular organization.
I smoked 365 on my first attempt and did the
same with 385.
I felt strong. I knew I could hit the 405.
I got super-psyched for the lift -- chalked up --
slapped the side of my face for good measure --
and knocked my glasses right into the chalk box.
Now, remember, this was Florida -- and it was hot --
and my glasses were covered with sweat -- and the
chalk stuck to them like snow, and there was no
way in the world to wear them and see anything.
And there was no time to wash them off, because
I needed to do the lift. The clock was running.
So I went out and did the lift with no glasses.
And me with no glasses means I'm almost blind.
I had to peer at the bar, look for the knurling, and
figure out where to grip the bar -- and then ask the
hand-off guy to mark the spot with his fingers,
because I couldn't see it when I lay down on the
bench.
Long story short -- I gave it a real good try, but I
missed the lift.
And I was furious with myself.
I fumed about it all the way home -- and it's a long
drive from Jacksonville to Louisville.
When I got home, I sent in an entry form for another
meet in that organization -- this time in Edison, New
Jersey.
It was two weeks away.
I had six workouts to get ready for it.
In each workout, I benched 405 pounds, starting
from the bottom position in the power rack (pins
set so the bar was on my chest) -- or from two inches
higher -- or four inches higher -- or six inches higher.
The idea was to work the sticking points -- and to
destroy the mental barrier that missing 405 had
set up.
In other words, I wanted to OWN 405 pounds.
And I did.
At the contest in New Jersey, I nailed the 405 --
and made that World Record.
And that's another way to deal with a setback or a
sticking point -- use partials in the power rack and
smash it to pieces.
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 power rack training in detail in Strength,
Muscle and Power -- and in my power rack training
DVD (which also shows my lifting at that New Jersey
meet):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the
Dinosaur Files quarterly -- are right here at Dino
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it doesn't work as
planned, regroup, re-apply yourself, and try again."
-- Brooks Kubik
*************************************************
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. My Interview with Nik Hawks
Many of you enjoyed Nik Hawk's comments
about my Power of One email -- including
the terrific quote from Lord Grizzly. I've
done two podcast interviews with Nik,
and I think you'll enjoy them:
http://paleotreats.com/blogs/paleo-treats/18083027-episode-25-brooks-kubik
http://paleotreats.com/blogs/paleo-treats/18217047-episode-26-brooks-kubik-round-2
The first one covers influences on my
training, and traces Dinosaur Training
back through a long line of famous
Iron Game authors.
The second deals with the mental aspects
of strength training.
2. SuperHuman Radio Interview
I'll be on Carl Lanore's SuperHuman Radio
at 1:00 EST today -- talking diet and nutrition
for Dinos on the go. Catch it live or listen to the
podcast AYC at the SHR site:
http://superhumanradio.com/
And now-- let's talk training.
Yesterday we were talking about bad workouts,
and how to get past them.
How about a bad competition?
I entered a bench press contest in Jacksonville,
Florida once. The goal was to hit 405 pounds --
a World Record in the 220 pound class, Submaster's
age group, in that particular organization.
I smoked 365 on my first attempt and did the
same with 385.
I felt strong. I knew I could hit the 405.
I got super-psyched for the lift -- chalked up --
slapped the side of my face for good measure --
and knocked my glasses right into the chalk box.
Now, remember, this was Florida -- and it was hot --
and my glasses were covered with sweat -- and the
chalk stuck to them like snow, and there was no
way in the world to wear them and see anything.
And there was no time to wash them off, because
I needed to do the lift. The clock was running.
So I went out and did the lift with no glasses.
And me with no glasses means I'm almost blind.
I had to peer at the bar, look for the knurling, and
figure out where to grip the bar -- and then ask the
hand-off guy to mark the spot with his fingers,
because I couldn't see it when I lay down on the
bench.
Long story short -- I gave it a real good try, but I
missed the lift.
And I was furious with myself.
I fumed about it all the way home -- and it's a long
drive from Jacksonville to Louisville.
When I got home, I sent in an entry form for another
meet in that organization -- this time in Edison, New
Jersey.
It was two weeks away.
I had six workouts to get ready for it.
In each workout, I benched 405 pounds, starting
from the bottom position in the power rack (pins
set so the bar was on my chest) -- or from two inches
higher -- or four inches higher -- or six inches higher.
The idea was to work the sticking points -- and to
destroy the mental barrier that missing 405 had
set up.
In other words, I wanted to OWN 405 pounds.
And I did.
At the contest in New Jersey, I nailed the 405 --
and made that World Record.
And that's another way to deal with a setback or a
sticking point -- use partials in the power rack and
smash it to pieces.
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 power rack training in detail in Strength,
Muscle and Power -- and in my power rack training
DVD (which also shows my lifting at that New Jersey
meet):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the
Dinosaur Files quarterly -- are right here at Dino
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it doesn't work as
planned, regroup, re-apply yourself, and try again."
-- Brooks Kubik
*************************************************
How to Get Past a Bad Workout!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Three quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. Big News Coming!
We have something new and exciting coming
soon -- be watching for the big announcement!
2. The Quarterly Dinosaur Files, Issue No. 2
Is also coming soon -- so if you missed issue
no. 1, grab it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
Also, if you have feedback on the first issue,
please send me an email. I'm always looking
for feedback from Dinos!
3. Dinosaur Training DVD's
Not sure why, but there's been a big surge in
orders for my Dinosaur Training DVD's. (Yes, we
have DVD's in addition to books and courses.)
You can find them right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
On the training front, let's talk about how to get
past a bad workout.
I received an email from one of our older Dinos
(age 68), who had to drop the bench press
because of bone spurs. So the military press
is his primary upper body pushing movement.
He trains twice a week and starts his workout
with presses. Last year he was doing 3 x 5 for
his work sets with 150 pounds.
This year, he is using a 10/10/8/6/4/2/1
pyramid up to 160 -- which he sometimes
makes and sometimes misses.
He's been having trouble with his pressing
groove in his last couple of workouts -- and
because he starts his workouts with presses,
when his presses aren't clicking, it throws off
his entire workout.
So he asked about how to get past a bad workout
or two -- and also, whether he should change
his sets ands reps in the press.
And frankly, I think he's answered his own
question.
Or rather, the answer to the second question is
YES -- by all means change your sets and reps --
and that's also one of the best things to do to
get past a sticking point or a series of bad
workouts.
He was doing better last year when he was using
3 x 5 working sets with 150 pounds.
My advice is to go back to a 5 x 5 or 6 x 5 program,
and work up to 135 x 3 x 5 -- which will be easy --
and then gradually build back up from there.
The change in sets and reps will work better from
a purely physical point of view -- but more importantly,
it will work better from a mental perspective.
Rather than beating his head against the wall on
his current sets and reps, he should change and
start on something fresh -- and start to rebuild and
reenforce the Success Habit.
It's a form of strength training ju-jitsu. You don't
always have to smash through a barrier. Sometimes
it's better to slide around it.
You can accomplish the same thing by changing
exercises -- for example, switching from barbell
presses to dumbbell presses. But since our Dino
needs to work on his pressing groove, he should
stick to presses and change the sets and reps.
Our trainee also should work on shoulder and
upper back flexibility. That's often what causes
your press to fall out of the groove. Some easy
stretches every day would be good. Working
with Indian clubs or light resistance cables
also would be good.
We'll cover other strategies in later emails.
There are plenty of tricks to use to get past
a sticking point or a couple of bad workouts.
In the meantime, and 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. They call Dinosaur Training "the Bible of
strength training" -- and it is. If you don't
have a copy, you're missing out on something
very special:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2. Save clams on shipping and handling by
ordering two or more books or courses -- or
DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files quarterly -- so
we can ship them in one package. Go here
to see all of our different products:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Step over, smash
through, or slide past an obstacle -- but get past
it." -- Brooks Kubik
*******************************************
Three quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. Big News Coming!
We have something new and exciting coming
soon -- be watching for the big announcement!
2. The Quarterly Dinosaur Files, Issue No. 2
Is also coming soon -- so if you missed issue
no. 1, grab it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
Also, if you have feedback on the first issue,
please send me an email. I'm always looking
for feedback from Dinos!
3. Dinosaur Training DVD's
Not sure why, but there's been a big surge in
orders for my Dinosaur Training DVD's. (Yes, we
have DVD's in addition to books and courses.)
You can find them right here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
On the training front, let's talk about how to get
past a bad workout.
I received an email from one of our older Dinos
(age 68), who had to drop the bench press
because of bone spurs. So the military press
is his primary upper body pushing movement.
He trains twice a week and starts his workout
with presses. Last year he was doing 3 x 5 for
his work sets with 150 pounds.
This year, he is using a 10/10/8/6/4/2/1
pyramid up to 160 -- which he sometimes
makes and sometimes misses.
He's been having trouble with his pressing
groove in his last couple of workouts -- and
because he starts his workouts with presses,
when his presses aren't clicking, it throws off
his entire workout.
So he asked about how to get past a bad workout
or two -- and also, whether he should change
his sets ands reps in the press.
And frankly, I think he's answered his own
question.
Or rather, the answer to the second question is
YES -- by all means change your sets and reps --
and that's also one of the best things to do to
get past a sticking point or a series of bad
workouts.
He was doing better last year when he was using
3 x 5 working sets with 150 pounds.
My advice is to go back to a 5 x 5 or 6 x 5 program,
and work up to 135 x 3 x 5 -- which will be easy --
and then gradually build back up from there.
The change in sets and reps will work better from
a purely physical point of view -- but more importantly,
it will work better from a mental perspective.
Rather than beating his head against the wall on
his current sets and reps, he should change and
start on something fresh -- and start to rebuild and
reenforce the Success Habit.
It's a form of strength training ju-jitsu. You don't
always have to smash through a barrier. Sometimes
it's better to slide around it.
You can accomplish the same thing by changing
exercises -- for example, switching from barbell
presses to dumbbell presses. But since our Dino
needs to work on his pressing groove, he should
stick to presses and change the sets and reps.
Our trainee also should work on shoulder and
upper back flexibility. That's often what causes
your press to fall out of the groove. Some easy
stretches every day would be good. Working
with Indian clubs or light resistance cables
also would be good.
We'll cover other strategies in later emails.
There are plenty of tricks to use to get past
a sticking point or a couple of bad workouts.
In the meantime, and 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. They call Dinosaur Training "the Bible of
strength training" -- and it is. If you don't
have a copy, you're missing out on something
very special:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. 2. Save clams on shipping and handling by
ordering two or more books or courses -- or
DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files quarterly -- so
we can ship them in one package. Go here
to see all of our different products:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Step over, smash
through, or slide past an obstacle -- but get past
it." -- Brooks Kubik
*******************************************
Lift Like a Grizzly Bear!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're late today because we switched to a new
internet service provider, and we've been off
line for the past few hours.
So I'll make today's email a little shorter than
usual, so I can fire it on out to you.
I received tons of great feedback in response to
my recent post on The Power of One.
Nik Hawks sent in a really great response, and
I wanted to share it with you. I think Nik speaks
to and for all of us:
"Brooks,
Totally with you on this. A man is only a man if
he lives by his own lights, curious though they
may be to others.
Working physically alone, whether lifting, running
or sailing, has delivered many of my formative and
peak experiences. Alone there is no one else to
blame in failure and no one else who can claim the
victory; both are deeply deserved and heartily felt.
For many, the haunting ache of no audience is too
harsh; for those of us who live for that fleeting and
wild cry found only in the silence of one, the power
of "alone" is the backbone of our existence.
It reminds me of a quote from the forward of Lord
Grizzly, by Frederick Manfred:
"I don't mind [being alone] because I'm part bear,
grizzly bear. Grizzlies, male grizzlies particularly,
like to be alone a lot -- and the older they get the
more they are alone. But perhaps more importantly,
if you're going to do anything creatively, whether it's
in architecture, or writing novels, or sculpture, you
can't be spending your time in the presence of other
people if you really want to explore your ideas."
Effort, real physical effort, is for many of our lonely
tribe an exploration of ideas. Can I? Will I? Must I?
How we choose to answer it differs only in form,
not reason, and we know, deep in each of our
hearts, that the only answer to carry us forward
is Yes.
With thanks for the reminder of the Power of One.
Nik Hawks"
That's pretty good, and pretty heavy -- and pretty
well said. Thanks for sharing it, Nik.
To everyone else -- 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 a terrific book about a great champion who
trained alone for much of his career -- and who became
the strongest man in the world and one of the greatest
athletes of all time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files journal -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Some of the best moments
of your entire life are when it's you and the barbell and
no one else." -- Brooks Kubik
***********************************************
We're late today because we switched to a new
internet service provider, and we've been off
line for the past few hours.
So I'll make today's email a little shorter than
usual, so I can fire it on out to you.
I received tons of great feedback in response to
my recent post on The Power of One.
Nik Hawks sent in a really great response, and
I wanted to share it with you. I think Nik speaks
to and for all of us:
"Brooks,
Totally with you on this. A man is only a man if
he lives by his own lights, curious though they
may be to others.
Working physically alone, whether lifting, running
or sailing, has delivered many of my formative and
peak experiences. Alone there is no one else to
blame in failure and no one else who can claim the
victory; both are deeply deserved and heartily felt.
For many, the haunting ache of no audience is too
harsh; for those of us who live for that fleeting and
wild cry found only in the silence of one, the power
of "alone" is the backbone of our existence.
It reminds me of a quote from the forward of Lord
Grizzly, by Frederick Manfred:
"I don't mind [being alone] because I'm part bear,
grizzly bear. Grizzlies, male grizzlies particularly,
like to be alone a lot -- and the older they get the
more they are alone. But perhaps more importantly,
if you're going to do anything creatively, whether it's
in architecture, or writing novels, or sculpture, you
can't be spending your time in the presence of other
people if you really want to explore your ideas."
Effort, real physical effort, is for many of our lonely
tribe an exploration of ideas. Can I? Will I? Must I?
How we choose to answer it differs only in form,
not reason, and we know, deep in each of our
hearts, that the only answer to carry us forward
is Yes.
With thanks for the reminder of the Power of One.
Nik Hawks"
That's pretty good, and pretty heavy -- and pretty
well said. Thanks for sharing it, Nik.
To everyone else -- 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 a terrific book about a great champion who
trained alone for much of his career -- and who became
the strongest man in the world and one of the greatest
athletes of all time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files journal -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Some of the best moments
of your entire life are when it's you and the barbell and
no one else." -- Brooks Kubik
***********************************************
Ready -- Aim -- Lift!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. Knife, Fork, Muscle
Is getting rave reviews from Dinos. Many are
calling it the best book they ever read about
diet and nutrition for strength and health.
Go here to grab your copy:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
2. The Dino Files Quarterly
We're also getting great reviews for the Dinosaur
Files in its new quarterly format. Go here to
grab issue no. 1:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
I'm working on issue no. 2, so if you have an idea
for an article you'd like to submit, shoot me an email.
And now, let's talk training.
In my last email, I talked about the power of
one -- and how training alone has certain very
unique benefits.
But, of course, not everyone trains alone.
Many train at a commercial gym or school
weight room.
And that means there are plenty of distractions.
Meaning plenty of things that disrupt your focus
and shift your concentration away from your
training to something else.
What that means, of course, is that you have
to work twice as hard to train with the kind of
concentration and focus that brings good results.
That doesn't mean it's impossible -- it just means
that it's harder.
It can actually be a good thing-- because it can
teach you how to shut out distractions, clear your
head, and step right into the inner universe on
every rep and every set of your entire workout.
I think of it as "Ready -- Aim -- Lift!"
And it's a very good skill to develop.
Tommy Kono is a case in point.
He began his weightlifting career at the Sacramento
YMCA.
The weight room was down in the basement -- with
the lifting platform right next to a boxing ring,
a heavy bag, and a speed bag.
So when Tommy was on the platform, he had two
guys pounding on each other in the boxing ring --
another guy pounding on the heavy bag -- and a
third guy pounding a rat-a-tat-tat drum beat on
the speed bag.
All of them no more than 10 or 15 feet away from
him.
And all of them very, very LOUD.
It was like training in the middle of Times Square.
Can you imagine having to listen to all that -- and
to see all that out of the corner of your eyes --
when you're chalking up to do a heavy snatch
or a heavy clean and jerk?
Now, you might ask, "Why not go to a different gym?"
That might work today -- except all gyms are pretty
much the same. They tend to be loud and noisy.
And back then -- we're talking late 1940's -- there
weren't very many places to train.
So Tommy had to make do. He had to learn to train
hard and heavy in adverse circumstances. He had to
develop his powers of concentration to the point
where he could shut out all of the noise and all
of the confusion in that super-crowded, sardine
can basement gym.
It wasn't easy -- and there's a report in an old
weightlifting newsletter that says the speed bag
actually flew all the way to the other side of the
gym one day while Tommy was training.
Not sure how THAT happened.
Surely he didn't THROW the darn thing . . . or did
he?
But on the bright side, by learning to concentrate
in a loud, noisy environment, Tommy Kono developed
his mindpower to the absolute maximum -- and this
led him to victory after victory when he mounted
the platform in National, World and Olympic
competitions.
In other words, he took an apparent negative -- and
made it a positive.
Food for thought -- for all of us.
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. Wherever you train, the goal is get great
results -- and Strength, Muscle and Power will
teach you how to do it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files journal -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train your powers of
concentration as hard and as progressively as you
train your body." -- Brooks Kubik
************************************************
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. Knife, Fork, Muscle
Is getting rave reviews from Dinos. Many are
calling it the best book they ever read about
diet and nutrition for strength and health.
Go here to grab your copy:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
2. The Dino Files Quarterly
We're also getting great reviews for the Dinosaur
Files in its new quarterly format. Go here to
grab issue no. 1:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
I'm working on issue no. 2, so if you have an idea
for an article you'd like to submit, shoot me an email.
And now, let's talk training.
In my last email, I talked about the power of
one -- and how training alone has certain very
unique benefits.
But, of course, not everyone trains alone.
Many train at a commercial gym or school
weight room.
And that means there are plenty of distractions.
Meaning plenty of things that disrupt your focus
and shift your concentration away from your
training to something else.
What that means, of course, is that you have
to work twice as hard to train with the kind of
concentration and focus that brings good results.
That doesn't mean it's impossible -- it just means
that it's harder.
It can actually be a good thing-- because it can
teach you how to shut out distractions, clear your
head, and step right into the inner universe on
every rep and every set of your entire workout.
I think of it as "Ready -- Aim -- Lift!"
And it's a very good skill to develop.
Tommy Kono is a case in point.
He began his weightlifting career at the Sacramento
YMCA.
The weight room was down in the basement -- with
the lifting platform right next to a boxing ring,
a heavy bag, and a speed bag.
So when Tommy was on the platform, he had two
guys pounding on each other in the boxing ring --
another guy pounding on the heavy bag -- and a
third guy pounding a rat-a-tat-tat drum beat on
the speed bag.
All of them no more than 10 or 15 feet away from
him.
And all of them very, very LOUD.
It was like training in the middle of Times Square.
Can you imagine having to listen to all that -- and
to see all that out of the corner of your eyes --
when you're chalking up to do a heavy snatch
or a heavy clean and jerk?
Now, you might ask, "Why not go to a different gym?"
That might work today -- except all gyms are pretty
much the same. They tend to be loud and noisy.
And back then -- we're talking late 1940's -- there
weren't very many places to train.
So Tommy had to make do. He had to learn to train
hard and heavy in adverse circumstances. He had to
develop his powers of concentration to the point
where he could shut out all of the noise and all
of the confusion in that super-crowded, sardine
can basement gym.
It wasn't easy -- and there's a report in an old
weightlifting newsletter that says the speed bag
actually flew all the way to the other side of the
gym one day while Tommy was training.
Not sure how THAT happened.
Surely he didn't THROW the darn thing . . . or did
he?
But on the bright side, by learning to concentrate
in a loud, noisy environment, Tommy Kono developed
his mindpower to the absolute maximum -- and this
led him to victory after victory when he mounted
the platform in National, World and Olympic
competitions.
In other words, he took an apparent negative -- and
made it a positive.
Food for thought -- for all of us.
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. Wherever you train, the goal is get great
results -- and Strength, Muscle and Power will
teach you how to do it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files journal -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train your powers of
concentration as hard and as progressively as you
train your body." -- Brooks Kubik
************************************************
Strength Training and the Power of One!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A quick note, and then we'll cover strength
training and the power of one.
1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly
I'm working on issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur
Files quarterly journal. If you have an idea
for an article that you'd like to submit,
shoot me an email and let me know.
Also, I'm always looking for good photos
from Dinos -- and from letters, feedback,
training questions and classified ads.
If you missed the first issue of the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files, go here to grab
it -- you'll be glad you did, because the
little monster has been getting great
reviews from your fellow Dinos:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
And now, let's talk about the power of one
in strength training.
I happen to think that the original model for
teaching and learning strength training was
pretty close to perfect.
It was the old-fashioned, mail order model.
A skinny (or chubby) teenager or young man
(or an out of shape older man) would carefully
clip the order form from an advertisement in a
magazine, fill it out, and mail it to a barbell
company along with a check or money order
for a barbell set.
He'd wait, patiently or not, until that grand
and glorious day when the barbell arrived.
And then he dragged or carried it to a private
place where he could do his training.
It was usually a bedroom, basement, or
garage. Sometimes it was the attic -- or the
laundry room -- or a barn or stable -- or a
tool shed. Sometimes it was the back yard.
But the key point was, it was private.
Strength training was something you did
alone. Most beginners preferred that, because
they weren't very strong and they were a bit
embarrassed about their lack of strength and
their poor condition.
So they read the little instruction booklet that
came with the barbell -- and looked at the
exercise photos in the wall chart -- and tried
to figure out how to do the exercises.
And amazingly, they did.
Even more amazingly, they often got great
results. Many reported gains of 20, 30 or even
40 pounds of muscle in their first year of training.
That happened for several reasons. One of them
was what I call "the power of one."
Psychologists tell us that the best performers
in virtually any activity from sports to music
to math to science to computer programing to
chess to art to creative writing to -- anything --
all have one very important thing in common.
And I'm talking about people at the top of
their game (or profession). Champions. Nobel
Prize winners. The best of the best.
They spend much of their time working or
training or practicing ALONE.
Not in a group. Not as part of a team. ALONE.
Psychologists call it "Deep Practice" -- and it's
a very good term. And it has enormous
benefits.
It allows them to train with greater focus,
deeper concentration, and no distractions.
It requires them to generate their own drive
and their own motivation.
It allows them to set their own goals.
It allows them to work on exactly what they
need to work on to get better.
It forces them to think things through -- to
solve problems -- and to be their own coach.
It builds self-reliance, self-confidence and
self-trust.
And ALL of that was part of the oldtime, mail
order barbell business.
So here's the interesting question: "Did the
founding fathers of the Iron Game create this
wonderful model on purpose -- or by accident?"
And here's another question: "What can YOU
do to harness the power of one in your own
training?"
Think about it. I'll offer some suggestions in
tomorrow's email.
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 great ideas about effective home gym
workouts that harness the power of one, grab
these great books:
a. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
b. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
c. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
e. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My Dinosaur Training DVD's are also a
great guide to effective home gym workouts:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The best way to build
strength and muscle is to roll up your sleeves and
get started." -- Brooks Kubik
**********************************************
A quick note, and then we'll cover strength
training and the power of one.
1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly
I'm working on issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur
Files quarterly journal. If you have an idea
for an article that you'd like to submit,
shoot me an email and let me know.
Also, I'm always looking for good photos
from Dinos -- and from letters, feedback,
training questions and classified ads.
If you missed the first issue of the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files, go here to grab
it -- you'll be glad you did, because the
little monster has been getting great
reviews from your fellow Dinos:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
And now, let's talk about the power of one
in strength training.
I happen to think that the original model for
teaching and learning strength training was
pretty close to perfect.
It was the old-fashioned, mail order model.
A skinny (or chubby) teenager or young man
(or an out of shape older man) would carefully
clip the order form from an advertisement in a
magazine, fill it out, and mail it to a barbell
company along with a check or money order
for a barbell set.
He'd wait, patiently or not, until that grand
and glorious day when the barbell arrived.
And then he dragged or carried it to a private
place where he could do his training.
It was usually a bedroom, basement, or
garage. Sometimes it was the attic -- or the
laundry room -- or a barn or stable -- or a
tool shed. Sometimes it was the back yard.
But the key point was, it was private.
Strength training was something you did
alone. Most beginners preferred that, because
they weren't very strong and they were a bit
embarrassed about their lack of strength and
their poor condition.
So they read the little instruction booklet that
came with the barbell -- and looked at the
exercise photos in the wall chart -- and tried
to figure out how to do the exercises.
And amazingly, they did.
Even more amazingly, they often got great
results. Many reported gains of 20, 30 or even
40 pounds of muscle in their first year of training.
That happened for several reasons. One of them
was what I call "the power of one."
Psychologists tell us that the best performers
in virtually any activity from sports to music
to math to science to computer programing to
chess to art to creative writing to -- anything --
all have one very important thing in common.
And I'm talking about people at the top of
their game (or profession). Champions. Nobel
Prize winners. The best of the best.
They spend much of their time working or
training or practicing ALONE.
Not in a group. Not as part of a team. ALONE.
Psychologists call it "Deep Practice" -- and it's
a very good term. And it has enormous
benefits.
It allows them to train with greater focus,
deeper concentration, and no distractions.
It requires them to generate their own drive
and their own motivation.
It allows them to set their own goals.
It allows them to work on exactly what they
need to work on to get better.
It forces them to think things through -- to
solve problems -- and to be their own coach.
It builds self-reliance, self-confidence and
self-trust.
And ALL of that was part of the oldtime, mail
order barbell business.
So here's the interesting question: "Did the
founding fathers of the Iron Game create this
wonderful model on purpose -- or by accident?"
And here's another question: "What can YOU
do to harness the power of one in your own
training?"
Think about it. I'll offer some suggestions in
tomorrow's email.
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 great ideas about effective home gym
workouts that harness the power of one, grab
these great books:
a. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
b. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
c. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
e. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My Dinosaur Training DVD's are also a
great guide to effective home gym workouts:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The best way to build
strength and muscle is to roll up your sleeves and
get started." -- Brooks Kubik
**********************************************
Train Hard, but Train Smart!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
American weightlifters have won a total of
15 Olympic gold medals.
It might have been 17, but two freak accidents
derailed two of our greatest lifters in their final
Olympics.
In 1956, Pete George was training in the York
Barbell Club gym -- one of the most famous
gyms in the world at the time. George had
won the World championship in 1947, 1951,
1953, 1954, and 1955 -- the silver medal at
the 1948 Olympics -- and the gold medal at
the 1952 Olympics. So a second gold medal
in 1956 was a very real possibility.
He hit a heavy lift in practice -- and the lifting
platform split apart under him as he hit the
squat position.
And with a heavy weight at your chest, that's
not good.
And that was a freak accident, if there ever was
one. The York Barbell Club was the last place
where you expected to see a World and Olympic
champion get hurt because of a bad lifting
platform.
So Pete George went to his last Olympics with a
pair of banged up legs from the freak accident --
and took second to a Russian lifter in a hard
fought contest.
In 1959, Tommy Kono was giving a lifting exhibition
to a group of Boy Scouts. He had won the Olympic
gold medal in 1952 and 1956, and was gunning for
a third gold medal in 1960.
Kono used the squat snatch in competition, but
decided to show the Boy Scouts the split snatch.
He used a mere 135 pounds -- well under his
World record of 294.5.
But somehow, he hurt his knee on that lift. Not
bad, but bad enough. It got worse and worse,
and was a real problem at the 1959 World
Championships. By the time of the 1960
Olympics, it was even worse. And Tommy
Kono ended up taking second place.
Now, please note -- I am NOT in any way
being critical of these great lifters. Their
accidents were freak events. Extreme
cases of bizarre bad luck.
But there's an important lesson for all of us.
Always do everything possible to avoid training
accidents.
Check your platform or training area before
lifting.
Be sure there's nothing (and no one) in your
way. Nothing to trip on, slip on, or stumble
over.
If you train outside, check for slick spots.
Wear good, high quality lifting shoes. Keep the
soles clean. When they wear out, buy new ones.
Check your bars, benches, racks, squat stands
and dumbbells before using them.
Make sure your bar is loaded correctly before
each set.
If you try a new exercise -- or an old exercise
that you haven't done for a while -- be very
smart, and go very light and easy. Take some
time to relearn the movement and to work on
the flexibility the movement requires.
Do NOT emulate the Facebook heroes and
YouTube warriors who try to set a new PR in
something they haven't done for a couple of
months (or a couple of years). (For some
reason, we see this all the time in the
deadlift -- which is truly a bad exercise
to max out on if you haven't been doing
it for a while.)
Don't go for a new PR 20 pounds over your
current best. Break it into smaller increments
and get there in 2.5 or 5 pound jumps.
Use a power rack or safety bars for squats
and bench presses -- with the bottom pins
set to catch the bar if you miss.
Make perfect form a priority on every rep and
every set.
Give yourself time for a good warm-up.
If you don't feel good, or you can't get loose
for some reason, make it a light day, and save
the heavy stuff for another time.
And don't even get me started about doing
barbell squats on a stability ball.
Despite your best efforts, a freak accident can
always happen. So do your very best to avoid
the accidents that are avoidable.
It might not mean the difference between an
Olympic gold medal and a silver medal -- but
it might mean the difference between a long
and healthy training career and getting
sidelined by an unncessary injury.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one -- and a safe one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Older Dinos need to give extra attention
to smart training, rest, recovery, recuperation,
and avoiding unnecessary waer and tear on
their bodies. Gray hair and Black Iron gives you
detailed advice on how to train and gain as an
older Dino:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "Train hard, but train
smart. As you get older, train smarter." -- Brooks
Kubik
*****************************************
American weightlifters have won a total of
15 Olympic gold medals.
It might have been 17, but two freak accidents
derailed two of our greatest lifters in their final
Olympics.
In 1956, Pete George was training in the York
Barbell Club gym -- one of the most famous
gyms in the world at the time. George had
won the World championship in 1947, 1951,
1953, 1954, and 1955 -- the silver medal at
the 1948 Olympics -- and the gold medal at
the 1952 Olympics. So a second gold medal
in 1956 was a very real possibility.
He hit a heavy lift in practice -- and the lifting
platform split apart under him as he hit the
squat position.
And with a heavy weight at your chest, that's
not good.
And that was a freak accident, if there ever was
one. The York Barbell Club was the last place
where you expected to see a World and Olympic
champion get hurt because of a bad lifting
platform.
So Pete George went to his last Olympics with a
pair of banged up legs from the freak accident --
and took second to a Russian lifter in a hard
fought contest.
In 1959, Tommy Kono was giving a lifting exhibition
to a group of Boy Scouts. He had won the Olympic
gold medal in 1952 and 1956, and was gunning for
a third gold medal in 1960.
Kono used the squat snatch in competition, but
decided to show the Boy Scouts the split snatch.
He used a mere 135 pounds -- well under his
World record of 294.5.
But somehow, he hurt his knee on that lift. Not
bad, but bad enough. It got worse and worse,
and was a real problem at the 1959 World
Championships. By the time of the 1960
Olympics, it was even worse. And Tommy
Kono ended up taking second place.
Now, please note -- I am NOT in any way
being critical of these great lifters. Their
accidents were freak events. Extreme
cases of bizarre bad luck.
But there's an important lesson for all of us.
Always do everything possible to avoid training
accidents.
Check your platform or training area before
lifting.
Be sure there's nothing (and no one) in your
way. Nothing to trip on, slip on, or stumble
over.
If you train outside, check for slick spots.
Wear good, high quality lifting shoes. Keep the
soles clean. When they wear out, buy new ones.
Check your bars, benches, racks, squat stands
and dumbbells before using them.
Make sure your bar is loaded correctly before
each set.
If you try a new exercise -- or an old exercise
that you haven't done for a while -- be very
smart, and go very light and easy. Take some
time to relearn the movement and to work on
the flexibility the movement requires.
Do NOT emulate the Facebook heroes and
YouTube warriors who try to set a new PR in
something they haven't done for a couple of
months (or a couple of years). (For some
reason, we see this all the time in the
deadlift -- which is truly a bad exercise
to max out on if you haven't been doing
it for a while.)
Don't go for a new PR 20 pounds over your
current best. Break it into smaller increments
and get there in 2.5 or 5 pound jumps.
Use a power rack or safety bars for squats
and bench presses -- with the bottom pins
set to catch the bar if you miss.
Make perfect form a priority on every rep and
every set.
Give yourself time for a good warm-up.
If you don't feel good, or you can't get loose
for some reason, make it a light day, and save
the heavy stuff for another time.
And don't even get me started about doing
barbell squats on a stability ball.
Despite your best efforts, a freak accident can
always happen. So do your very best to avoid
the accidents that are avoidable.
It might not mean the difference between an
Olympic gold medal and a silver medal -- but
it might mean the difference between a long
and healthy training career and getting
sidelined by an unncessary injury.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one -- and a safe one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Older Dinos need to give extra attention
to smart training, rest, recovery, recuperation,
and avoiding unnecessary waer and tear on
their bodies. Gray hair and Black Iron gives you
detailed advice on how to train and gain as an
older Dino:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "Train hard, but train
smart. As you get older, train smarter." -- Brooks
Kubik
*****************************************
More Thoughts on Diet and Nutrition for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We'll talk diet and nutrition in a minute, but
first, allow me to cover three quick notes:
1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly Journal
I'm working on issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur
Files quarterly journal, so if you'd like to
submit an article, photo or letter -- or a
training question -- or give feedback on
the first issue, pls do it soon!
If you haven't grabbed your copy of the
FIRST issue of the new quarterly Dinosaur
Files -- along with the bonus -- a certificate
of membership in the American Strength
and Health League, signed by Bob Hoffman
and George F. Jowett -- do it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
2. Autographs
I'm always happy to sign books or courses
for you. There's no charge for an autograph.
Just ask for one in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form. And let me
know who to sign it to -- "Jim" or "James",
"Mike" or "Michael", etc.
3. Personal Notes
We also include a personal note with all orders.
I handwrite all of them. Look for it when you
open your package -- it will be there somewhere,
perhaps tucked into your book or course.
On the diet and nutrition front, one of our many
UK Dinos reported that he recently visited the
US, and was struck by:
1. The size of the food portions at restaurants.
He normally has a three-course meal at a UK
restaurant, but our portions are so much larger
that he struggled to eat anything after the first
course.
2. The amount of salt and sugar. Our food has
much more salt and sugar -- or both. Some
foods were so sweet he couldn't eat them.
3. How hard it was to avoid gaining weight.
During a two-week stay -- even though he
did his best to eat smart and avoid overdoing
things, and even though he always bought
his own food and cooked his own meals
whenever he could -- he gained 5 pounds.
Five pounds that he did NOT want to gain.
Five pounds of Lard Lumps -- in two short
weeks.
That's scary -- and more than a little infuriating.
There's no reason that our food needs to be
that unhealthy and that fattening.
And this is why I place so much emphasis on
the quality of your food -- and on buying fresh
food and preparing your own meals (or packing
your own homemade lunch) whenever possible.
And yes, I know it's not easy.
It takes time, and it takes advance planning, and
you need to learn where to shop for high quality
food that's affordable -- but it's well worth the
time and effort.
It's like training.
Training requires time, effort and commitment.
You need to find a good place to train -- or set
up a home gym -- and you need to study up on
HOW to train for best results -- and then you
need to make the time to train -- and to give
your workouts the concentration, focus and
intensity that they deserve.
None of that is easy -- but it's well worth the
time and effort.
Especially if you're a Dinosaur -- and you're
dedicated to doing whatever it takes to build
strength, muscle and power -- and lifelong
health and fitness.
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 healthy eating and sensible diet and
nutrition for strength training, muscle building
and whacking the Lard Lumps in Knife, Fork,
Muscle. It's printed, in stock and ready to ship:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headquarters -- along with the Dinosaur
Files quarterly, Dinosaur Training DVD's, Dinosaur
shirts, muscle shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies --
and the world-famous Legacy of Iron books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train for strength,
and eat for health. Follow the strength and health
way of life." -- Brooks Kubik (echoing Bob Hoffman)
*******************************************
We'll talk diet and nutrition in a minute, but
first, allow me to cover three quick notes:
1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly Journal
I'm working on issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur
Files quarterly journal, so if you'd like to
submit an article, photo or letter -- or a
training question -- or give feedback on
the first issue, pls do it soon!
If you haven't grabbed your copy of the
FIRST issue of the new quarterly Dinosaur
Files -- along with the bonus -- a certificate
of membership in the American Strength
and Health League, signed by Bob Hoffman
and George F. Jowett -- do it now:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html
2. Autographs
I'm always happy to sign books or courses
for you. There's no charge for an autograph.
Just ask for one in the Special Instructions
section of the on-line order form. And let me
know who to sign it to -- "Jim" or "James",
"Mike" or "Michael", etc.
3. Personal Notes
We also include a personal note with all orders.
I handwrite all of them. Look for it when you
open your package -- it will be there somewhere,
perhaps tucked into your book or course.
On the diet and nutrition front, one of our many
UK Dinos reported that he recently visited the
US, and was struck by:
1. The size of the food portions at restaurants.
He normally has a three-course meal at a UK
restaurant, but our portions are so much larger
that he struggled to eat anything after the first
course.
2. The amount of salt and sugar. Our food has
much more salt and sugar -- or both. Some
foods were so sweet he couldn't eat them.
3. How hard it was to avoid gaining weight.
During a two-week stay -- even though he
did his best to eat smart and avoid overdoing
things, and even though he always bought
his own food and cooked his own meals
whenever he could -- he gained 5 pounds.
Five pounds that he did NOT want to gain.
Five pounds of Lard Lumps -- in two short
weeks.
That's scary -- and more than a little infuriating.
There's no reason that our food needs to be
that unhealthy and that fattening.
And this is why I place so much emphasis on
the quality of your food -- and on buying fresh
food and preparing your own meals (or packing
your own homemade lunch) whenever possible.
And yes, I know it's not easy.
It takes time, and it takes advance planning, and
you need to learn where to shop for high quality
food that's affordable -- but it's well worth the
time and effort.
It's like training.
Training requires time, effort and commitment.
You need to find a good place to train -- or set
up a home gym -- and you need to study up on
HOW to train for best results -- and then you
need to make the time to train -- and to give
your workouts the concentration, focus and
intensity that they deserve.
None of that is easy -- but it's well worth the
time and effort.
Especially if you're a Dinosaur -- and you're
dedicated to doing whatever it takes to build
strength, muscle and power -- and lifelong
health and fitness.
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 healthy eating and sensible diet and
nutrition for strength training, muscle building
and whacking the Lard Lumps in Knife, Fork,
Muscle. It's printed, in stock and ready to ship:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headquarters -- along with the Dinosaur
Files quarterly, Dinosaur Training DVD's, Dinosaur
shirts, muscle shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies --
and the world-famous Legacy of Iron books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train for strength,
and eat for health. Follow the strength and health
way of life." -- Brooks Kubik (echoing Bob Hoffman)
*******************************************
A Diet and Nutrition Tip for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
2015 is here, and everyone's thinking about
diet and nutrition.
That's both good and bad.
It's good because diet and nutrition works
hand in hand with your training to build strength
and health.
It's bad because there's so much crazy stuff
floating around -- and it's very easy to get
caught up in the diet and nutrition nonsense,
just as it's very easy to get caught up in the
training nonsense that floats around.
So I'm going to share more diet and nutrition
tips this year than in previous years.
Starting with a little tip about Irish green kelp.
Back in the day, gym owner Vince Gironda
always urged bodybuilders to take kelp tablets.
He believed that the iodine and other minerals
in the kelp tablets sped up the metabolism
and helped carve razor sharp definition.
That may or may not be true. I took kelp
tablets by the handful, and they never did
anything for me.
But fast forward to January 5, 2014. As in,
yesterday.
Trudi is making soup stock from two Dino-
sized duck breasts. She's had it simmering for
over 24 hours, with garlic, onions and spices.
It smells great.
She wants to add some turkey meatballs, so
we run over to the Root Cellar to grab some
ground turkey.
The Root Cellar is a very cool place. It's an old-
fashioned corner grocery store stocked entirely
with local foods. Everything is grown or raised
within 150 miles of Louisville. And much of it is
organic in the true sense of the word -- not big
box organic, but what gardening guru Eliot
Coleman calls "deep organic." Meaning it
comes from local growers who put their
hearts and souls into what they grow.
When we get there, we remember that we're
low on eggs, so we grab a dozen.
"You'll like them," says the friendly young man
working the cash register. "They're extra big."
He opens the carton and shows us.
And he's right.
These are ostrich eggs. At least, they look like
ostrich eggs. They're enormous.
"Why are they so big?" we ask.
"The farmer started feeding Irish green kelp to
his chickens. As soon as he did, they started
laying these really big eggs."
Which shows that it's a good idea to get to
know your local farmers. And to ask this kind
of question. You learn some interesting things.
When we got home, we weighed some regular
size eggs from another local farmer and
compared them to the giant eggs.
The regular size eggs weighed 1.8 ounces
apiece.
The giant eggs weighed 2.8 ounces.
That means the giant eggs are more than 60
percent higher in protein than the regular size
eggs.
I can only assume that the eggs are also much
higher in minerals -- and in omega 3 fatty acids.
How could they not be if the chickens eat Irish
green kelp every day?
So here's the diet and nutrition tip of the day:
Irish green kelp.
But not in tablets. In your food.
Try looking for local eggs from a farmer who
feeds Irish green kelp to his chickens.
And look for other foods from local growers that
give their animals and their veggies the same
sort of attention and the same sort of high-
powered nutrition. The more nutrition you
get in the food you eat, the better your
results.
And besides -- Vince Gironda would approve.
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 sensible diet and nutrition in detail
in Knife, Fork, Muscle -- which is printed, in stock
and ready to ship -- and getting great reviews
from readers around the world:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and t-shirts,
sweatshirts, hoodies and DVD's -- as well as the
Dinosaur Files strength training journal -- are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Keep your training
basic and simple. Do the same with your diet."
-- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
2015 is here, and everyone's thinking about
diet and nutrition.
That's both good and bad.
It's good because diet and nutrition works
hand in hand with your training to build strength
and health.
It's bad because there's so much crazy stuff
floating around -- and it's very easy to get
caught up in the diet and nutrition nonsense,
just as it's very easy to get caught up in the
training nonsense that floats around.
So I'm going to share more diet and nutrition
tips this year than in previous years.
Starting with a little tip about Irish green kelp.
Back in the day, gym owner Vince Gironda
always urged bodybuilders to take kelp tablets.
He believed that the iodine and other minerals
in the kelp tablets sped up the metabolism
and helped carve razor sharp definition.
That may or may not be true. I took kelp
tablets by the handful, and they never did
anything for me.
But fast forward to January 5, 2014. As in,
yesterday.
Trudi is making soup stock from two Dino-
sized duck breasts. She's had it simmering for
over 24 hours, with garlic, onions and spices.
It smells great.
She wants to add some turkey meatballs, so
we run over to the Root Cellar to grab some
ground turkey.
The Root Cellar is a very cool place. It's an old-
fashioned corner grocery store stocked entirely
with local foods. Everything is grown or raised
within 150 miles of Louisville. And much of it is
organic in the true sense of the word -- not big
box organic, but what gardening guru Eliot
Coleman calls "deep organic." Meaning it
comes from local growers who put their
hearts and souls into what they grow.
When we get there, we remember that we're
low on eggs, so we grab a dozen.
"You'll like them," says the friendly young man
working the cash register. "They're extra big."
He opens the carton and shows us.
And he's right.
These are ostrich eggs. At least, they look like
ostrich eggs. They're enormous.
"Why are they so big?" we ask.
"The farmer started feeding Irish green kelp to
his chickens. As soon as he did, they started
laying these really big eggs."
Which shows that it's a good idea to get to
know your local farmers. And to ask this kind
of question. You learn some interesting things.
When we got home, we weighed some regular
size eggs from another local farmer and
compared them to the giant eggs.
The regular size eggs weighed 1.8 ounces
apiece.
The giant eggs weighed 2.8 ounces.
That means the giant eggs are more than 60
percent higher in protein than the regular size
eggs.
I can only assume that the eggs are also much
higher in minerals -- and in omega 3 fatty acids.
How could they not be if the chickens eat Irish
green kelp every day?
So here's the diet and nutrition tip of the day:
Irish green kelp.
But not in tablets. In your food.
Try looking for local eggs from a farmer who
feeds Irish green kelp to his chickens.
And look for other foods from local growers that
give their animals and their veggies the same
sort of attention and the same sort of high-
powered nutrition. The more nutrition you
get in the food you eat, the better your
results.
And besides -- Vince Gironda would approve.
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 sensible diet and nutrition in detail
in Knife, Fork, Muscle -- which is printed, in stock
and ready to ship -- and getting great reviews
from readers around the world:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and t-shirts,
sweatshirts, hoodies and DVD's -- as well as the
Dinosaur Files strength training journal -- are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Keep your training
basic and simple. Do the same with your diet."
-- Brooks Kubik
****************************************
The Iron Will to Succeed
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of the marks of a champion is something
I call "the iron will to succeed."
You find it in any champion in any sport -- but
you probably find it to a greater degree when
you study the great champions of the Iron Game.
There's a reason for that.
The vast majority of champions in other sports
were naturally strong, fast, athletic and gifted.
They were bigger, taller and heavier than the
other kids. In many cases, that's what made
them gravitate to sports in the first place.
In other words, they had a good start.
The Iron Game is different.
Many Iron Game champions were drawn to
barbells, dumbbells and strength training not
because they were bigger and stronger than
other kids -- but because they were smaller
and weaker than the other kids.
In many cases, they were small and skinny
and weak -- and sick.
Tommy Kono suffered from childhood asthma
that was so bad he couldn't run or play games
with other children. He was literally an invalid.
As a young teenager, he used barbells and
dumbbells to help overcome his asthma.
It was hard work, but he stuck with it. Other
kids dropped out of the program. Kono kept
going.
He discovered weightlifting -- learned how to
do the lifts -- and trained harder than ever.
He ended up winning six World championships
and two Olympic gold medals. The former invalid
became one of the greatest weightlifters of
all time.
Jack LaLanne was a sickly kid with a terrible
addiction to sweets. Soft, weak, and pale, with
bad teeth from the candy he ate all day long.
He used diet and exercise to become healthy
and strong.
It was hard work for him, too. But like Tommy
Kono, he stuck with it. He kept going.
He ended up world-famous for his his magnificent
physique, lion-like bearing, radiant good health
and remarkable strength and endurance.
For many years, he celebrated his birthday each
year by performing a super-human feat of strength
and endurance, such as pulling a heavily loaded
boat behind him as he swam the heavy surf from
Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shore -- while
wearing handcuffs.
Once again, another sickly kid became a legend
of strength, health and fitness.
Doug Hepburn was born with a club foot that
required multiple surgeries. The surgeries left
him a near cripple, with one lower leg nothing
but skin and bone. That doesn't speak well for
a career in athletics.
What did he do?
He began a program of systematic strength
training that included hand-balancing, hand-
stand pushups, and plenty of barbell and
dumbbell training.
He worked hard, and when things were tough,
he buckled down and worked harder.
He worked hard on the squat -- and on Olympic
weightlifting -- which wasn't easy because of his
bad leg. But he never gave up. He kept working
to achieve his dream.
He ended up winning the Heavyweight class at
the World Weightlifting championships of 1953.
He won the Heavyweight class at the British
Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games)
of 1954 -- which as luck would have it were
held in his home city of Vancouver, British
Columbia.
He was the first man in history to bench press
500 pounds.
He set a remarkable series of records in a wide
variety of lifts -- and is hailed as one of the
founding fathers of powerlifting and one of
the most massively muscular men of all time.
Like Tommy Kono and Jack LaLanne, Doug
Hepburn overcame adversity. He used the
power of an iron will to crash through every
obstacle -- and to accomplish the seemingly
impossible.
If you want a secret to strength, muscle and
radiant good health, it is this:
Harness the power of the iron will -- and use
it to achieve your dreams.
Good luck, and good lifting!
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 learn more about Doug Hepburn's
rise to Iron Game immortality -- and how he
trained to develop world class strengh and
power -- in my Doug Hepburn training course:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
P.S. 2. Train for strength and eat for health.
Knife, Fork, Muscle tells you how:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- and Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Seize the day, and
make the most of it -- and do it for every day of
your life." -- Brooks Kubik
*******************************************
One of the marks of a champion is something
I call "the iron will to succeed."
You find it in any champion in any sport -- but
you probably find it to a greater degree when
you study the great champions of the Iron Game.
There's a reason for that.
The vast majority of champions in other sports
were naturally strong, fast, athletic and gifted.
They were bigger, taller and heavier than the
other kids. In many cases, that's what made
them gravitate to sports in the first place.
In other words, they had a good start.
The Iron Game is different.
Many Iron Game champions were drawn to
barbells, dumbbells and strength training not
because they were bigger and stronger than
other kids -- but because they were smaller
and weaker than the other kids.
In many cases, they were small and skinny
and weak -- and sick.
Tommy Kono suffered from childhood asthma
that was so bad he couldn't run or play games
with other children. He was literally an invalid.
As a young teenager, he used barbells and
dumbbells to help overcome his asthma.
It was hard work, but he stuck with it. Other
kids dropped out of the program. Kono kept
going.
He discovered weightlifting -- learned how to
do the lifts -- and trained harder than ever.
He ended up winning six World championships
and two Olympic gold medals. The former invalid
became one of the greatest weightlifters of
all time.
Jack LaLanne was a sickly kid with a terrible
addiction to sweets. Soft, weak, and pale, with
bad teeth from the candy he ate all day long.
He used diet and exercise to become healthy
and strong.
It was hard work for him, too. But like Tommy
Kono, he stuck with it. He kept going.
He ended up world-famous for his his magnificent
physique, lion-like bearing, radiant good health
and remarkable strength and endurance.
For many years, he celebrated his birthday each
year by performing a super-human feat of strength
and endurance, such as pulling a heavily loaded
boat behind him as he swam the heavy surf from
Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shore -- while
wearing handcuffs.
Once again, another sickly kid became a legend
of strength, health and fitness.
Doug Hepburn was born with a club foot that
required multiple surgeries. The surgeries left
him a near cripple, with one lower leg nothing
but skin and bone. That doesn't speak well for
a career in athletics.
What did he do?
He began a program of systematic strength
training that included hand-balancing, hand-
stand pushups, and plenty of barbell and
dumbbell training.
He worked hard, and when things were tough,
he buckled down and worked harder.
He worked hard on the squat -- and on Olympic
weightlifting -- which wasn't easy because of his
bad leg. But he never gave up. He kept working
to achieve his dream.
He ended up winning the Heavyweight class at
the World Weightlifting championships of 1953.
He won the Heavyweight class at the British
Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games)
of 1954 -- which as luck would have it were
held in his home city of Vancouver, British
Columbia.
He was the first man in history to bench press
500 pounds.
He set a remarkable series of records in a wide
variety of lifts -- and is hailed as one of the
founding fathers of powerlifting and one of
the most massively muscular men of all time.
Like Tommy Kono and Jack LaLanne, Doug
Hepburn overcame adversity. He used the
power of an iron will to crash through every
obstacle -- and to accomplish the seemingly
impossible.
If you want a secret to strength, muscle and
radiant good health, it is this:
Harness the power of the iron will -- and use
it to achieve your dreams.
Good luck, and good lifting!
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 learn more about Doug Hepburn's
rise to Iron Game immortality -- and how he
trained to develop world class strengh and
power -- in my Doug Hepburn training course:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
P.S. 2. Train for strength and eat for health.
Knife, Fork, Muscle tells you how:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- and Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Seize the day, and
make the most of it -- and do it for every day of
your life." -- Brooks Kubik
*******************************************
Projects, Challenges, Goals and Resolutions!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
It's that time of year again, and everyone is
thinking about New Year's resolutions.
Personally, I don't make resolutions.
I focus on three things instead:
1. Projects
2. Challenges
3. Goals
If I focus on projects, challenges and goals,
the resolutions take care of themselves. At
least, they do in my case.
Projects are things you do over the course of
the year. They usually involve making, creating
or finishing new things.
For example, I'm working on a new book, so
one of my first projects for the new year is to
finish the little monster and get it published.
I have other books and courses to do, so those
are other projects for 2015.
And a new *secret* project that I think you're
going to like -- or actually, several of them. You'll
hear about them later in the year. They're all
new projects for me -- and some are things I've
never done before (which also makes them new
challenges).
And there's lots of work to do in the garden --
so I have a big, long list of garden projects.
(Trudi will probably add to it, as well -- which
is fine with me.)
A friend is setting up his first home gym. That's
another example of a project (and a fun one).
Challenges are things that make you stretch to
achieve them.
An example would be learning a new skill. Thus,
a trainee might challenge himself to learn how
to perform the squat style clean and jerk -- or
the squat or split style snatch -- or the old
school dumbbell exercises I cover in Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training.
Another example of a challenge is to do something
you've never done before.
An example would be entering your first powerlifting,
weightlifting or strongman contest.
A goal is something you want to achieve during
the year.
I have lots of goals.
I have lifting goals -- I want to snatch such and so,
clean and jerk such and so, total such and so, front
squat a particular weight, etc.
I have poundage goals for single lifts and sets and
reps.
Goals are good. They give you the strength to
perservere -- and to achieve them.
I break my goals down into a series of little goals,
so I can work towards them step by step and workout
by workout (which is the only way to achieve anything
significant).
You also can set goals for gaining or losing a certain
amount of bodyweight. Those are common goals for
most people. Again, break them up into a series of
small goals. That makes every pound you gain or
lose a victory -- which helps establish the success
habit.
Every time you achieve a mini-goal you build your
self-confidence and your self-reliance -- which is a
very good thing to do.
One key point about goals is this:
Keep them to yourself. If you share your goals with
others, you weaken their power.
And yes, I know that can be hard to do -- but it's
important. If you share your goals with others you
subconciously feel that you've already achieved
them -- and you also invite the doubters and the
negative types to bombard you with negative
thoughts.
The last thing you need is to let a negative thinker
start making you doubt your ability to achieve a
given goal.
True story -- when I entered my first National Bench
Press Championship (which I won), no one knew I
was going to a National championship.
I told my wife I was going to a contest. Never told
her it was a National championship.
And I didn't say anything to anyone else.
You may or may not play poker. But keep your goals
close to your vest -- and don't share them.
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 don't believe in starting the new year with a
crazy diet -- but I DO believe in smart and healthy
eating. I cover this in detail in Knife, Fork, Muscle:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here
at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Projects, challenges
and goals empower us. Choose them wisely, and
make full use of their magic." -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
It's that time of year again, and everyone is
thinking about New Year's resolutions.
Personally, I don't make resolutions.
I focus on three things instead:
1. Projects
2. Challenges
3. Goals
If I focus on projects, challenges and goals,
the resolutions take care of themselves. At
least, they do in my case.
Projects are things you do over the course of
the year. They usually involve making, creating
or finishing new things.
For example, I'm working on a new book, so
one of my first projects for the new year is to
finish the little monster and get it published.
I have other books and courses to do, so those
are other projects for 2015.
And a new *secret* project that I think you're
going to like -- or actually, several of them. You'll
hear about them later in the year. They're all
new projects for me -- and some are things I've
never done before (which also makes them new
challenges).
And there's lots of work to do in the garden --
so I have a big, long list of garden projects.
(Trudi will probably add to it, as well -- which
is fine with me.)
A friend is setting up his first home gym. That's
another example of a project (and a fun one).
Challenges are things that make you stretch to
achieve them.
An example would be learning a new skill. Thus,
a trainee might challenge himself to learn how
to perform the squat style clean and jerk -- or
the squat or split style snatch -- or the old
school dumbbell exercises I cover in Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training.
Another example of a challenge is to do something
you've never done before.
An example would be entering your first powerlifting,
weightlifting or strongman contest.
A goal is something you want to achieve during
the year.
I have lots of goals.
I have lifting goals -- I want to snatch such and so,
clean and jerk such and so, total such and so, front
squat a particular weight, etc.
I have poundage goals for single lifts and sets and
reps.
Goals are good. They give you the strength to
perservere -- and to achieve them.
I break my goals down into a series of little goals,
so I can work towards them step by step and workout
by workout (which is the only way to achieve anything
significant).
You also can set goals for gaining or losing a certain
amount of bodyweight. Those are common goals for
most people. Again, break them up into a series of
small goals. That makes every pound you gain or
lose a victory -- which helps establish the success
habit.
Every time you achieve a mini-goal you build your
self-confidence and your self-reliance -- which is a
very good thing to do.
One key point about goals is this:
Keep them to yourself. If you share your goals with
others, you weaken their power.
And yes, I know that can be hard to do -- but it's
important. If you share your goals with others you
subconciously feel that you've already achieved
them -- and you also invite the doubters and the
negative types to bombard you with negative
thoughts.
The last thing you need is to let a negative thinker
start making you doubt your ability to achieve a
given goal.
True story -- when I entered my first National Bench
Press Championship (which I won), no one knew I
was going to a National championship.
I told my wife I was going to a contest. Never told
her it was a National championship.
And I didn't say anything to anyone else.
You may or may not play poker. But keep your goals
close to your vest -- and don't share them.
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 don't believe in starting the new year with a
crazy diet -- but I DO believe in smart and healthy
eating. I cover this in detail in Knife, Fork, Muscle:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here
at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Projects, challenges
and goals empower us. Choose them wisely, and
make full use of their magic." -- Brooks Kubik
******************************************
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