"Would this Work?" He Asked

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Things have been moving at warp speed
here at Dino Headquarters.

We got the copies of my new "How Strong
Are You?" course from the printer, and we've
been stuffing envelopes and shooting them
out into the mail ever since.

We still have some more to pack and ship
today, so today will be busy as well.

A number of Dinos have already grabbed
and read the e-book version of the course,
and we're getting great feedback from them.
It looks like another home run.

The little monster made it into the Amazon
Top 10 in its category -- proving that there is
more of an interest in old-school, real world
strength training than I ever imagined.

Anyhow, if you've been waiting to grab the
course, do it now -- and then come back
and keep on reading, because we're going
to cover some important information:

a. For hard-copy, go here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

b. For Kindle e-book, go here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

On the training front, I'm getting a ton of
questions from Dinos about doing total body
workouts two or three times a week.

By total body, they mean five to ten different
exercises, including squats, deadlifts, and upper
body exercises in each workout.

"Would it work?" they ask.

And the answer is -- it depends.

Total body workouts are great for beginners.
It lets them do the same exercises often enough
to learn how to perform them properly and
efficiently. And beginners are not strong enough
to outrun their recovery ability with a total
body session. So for beginners, a total body
workout is an excellent idea.

For intermediates and advanced trainees, things
are different.

Intermediate and advanced trainees are strong
enough to handle weights that are so heavy that
it becomes very difficult to recover from a total
body workout.

You also have the problem of doing more sets
as you grow stronger -- because you need to
do more progressively heavier warm-up sets to
get to your working weight -- and that means
the workout grows longer and longer.

As I've often noted, I hit a pleateau in my 20's
where I could not gain an ounce of muscle or
add any weight to the bar no matter how hard
I tried.

At the time, I was doing a nine exercise total
body workout three times a week. I did 5 x 5
on almost all of the exercises. And I did squats
and deadlifts in every workout -- which really
over-trained my lower back.

I switched to abbreviated training and a divided
workout schedule, and made enormous progress,
both in strength and muscle mass.

I cover the details in Strength, Muscle and Power
and in Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1, Exercises,
Workouts and Training Programs. If you're thinking
about a total body workout, you ought to give them
a read. What you learn might save you years of
wasted training.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one. In the
meantime, I'm going to get back to packing orders
for the new course!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Strength, Muscle and Power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

P.S. 2. For Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1, go here:

a.  Hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

b. Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.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: "What works best in your
training will change over time. That often takes a long
time to understand." -- Brooks Kubik

**********************************************

A Big Mailing Day at Dino Headquarters!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Today's a very busy day at Dino Headquarters.

Our printer is running the copies of my new
training course, "How Strong Are You?" --
along with the pre-publication bonus that
goes with it -- and we'll be picking them
up and stuffing them into envelopes and
shooting them out into the mail as fast
as possible.

If you haven't already grabbed the little
monster, there's still time to do so -- and
yes, you can still get the pre-publication
bonus IF you grab the course today.

The course is vol. 2 in a continuing series
of courses. Each course drills down into
a different aspect of productive, no-nonsense
real world strength training and muscle
building.

"How Strong Are You?" explores strength
standards for drug-free trainees -- and
gives you a variety of ways to compare
yourself to other drug-free trainees.

It teaches you how to measure your
strength against a trainee of a different
age or a different bodyweight.

It tells you what it took to be considered
"strong" back in the day.

It tells you what the old-time champions
could handle -- and the kind of weights
that the average trainee aspired to lift.

It gives you real world strength standards
for trainees who work for a living, go to
school (or both) -- and who love to train
but can't devote their lives to it. For a
trainee who can fit in two or three
45 to 60 minute workouts a week,
what counts as "good"?

The answer will surprise you -- and
hopefully, enourage you.

And that's not all the course covers.

It teaches you how to compare your
current lifts, at your current age, to
what you lifted when you were younger.

That makes it a fascinating resource for
trainees of any age -- and an extremely
useful tool for older trainees.

Personally, I like to compare myself to
the whippersnapper I was 30 or 40 years
ago. It's fun to beat him.

The course is available in your choice
of hard-copy or e-book format:

a. Hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

b. Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

By the way, I'm including a letter and a
handwritten note to everyone who orders
the hard-copy course during the
pre-publication special.

Be sure to look for them. And yes,
I have a severe case of writer's cramp
at the moment. But that's okay -- because
the Dinos always deserve the best!

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. The "How Strong Are You?" course is vol. 2 in
a new series of training courses I'll be doing in
2015 and 2016. If you missed vol. 1 in the series,
go here to grab it:

a. Hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

b. Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.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: "It's good to be
strong, and it's good to know how you measure
up to the strongmen of the past." -- Brooks Kubik

*****************************************

Available Now -- Dinosaur Training E-Books!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our longtime Dinos was travelling
last week, and ended up stranded on the
tarmac for a very long time -- and he sent
an email to Dino Headquarters, and said:

"I wish you offered e-books, because I've
got my Kindle with me, and I could be
reading one of them right now!"

The surprised me, because we have four
e-books available. But it's a very new
development, and not everyone knows
about it yet.

So I fired some links off to him, and I
hope he was able to download one of
our e-books and enjoy it while he and
the other passengers waited for
take off.

Anyhow, that made me think that I
should send the links out to all of
the Dinos -- just in case anyone
else is stuck somewhere and needs
a good book to read -- or in case
you haven't heard about our new
e-books.

So here they are:

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1.
"Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs"

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

2. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,
"How Strong Are You?"

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

3. The Training Secrets of John Grimek

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

4. The Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html


By the way, every one of our e-books has
made it into the Amazon Top 10 in its category --
and many days we've had two books in the Top
10 list at one time -- and sometimes we even
have THREE books in the top 10.

We're still looking for the day when we have
all four of our e-books in the top 10. You can
help by grabbing one or more of them -- and
by posting reviews at the Amazon page for
each of the e-books. The reviews really help.

Of course, if you prefer hard-copy books and
courses, we have each of the little monsters
in hard-copy format. Go here to grab them:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

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. Save this email and keep it handy the
next time you're travelling. You never know
when you may need to grab a good book to
read!

***************************************

Diet and Nutrition for Old-School Strength

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me start with a great big THANK YOU
to everyone who has stepped up, taken
action, and grabbed a copy of my new
"How Strong Are You?" training course.

We've had tons of Dinos order the hard-
copy course -- and we've also had tons of
Dinos order the e-book version which we
released yesterday.

In fact, the e-book is so popular that it
jumped into the Amazon Top 10 list in
its category in less than 24 hours. And
when we woke up this morning, three
of our four e-books were in the top 10.

So THANK YOU to everyone who grabbed
a copy of the "How Strong Are You?"
course!

If you missed it earlier, go here:

a. For the e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

b. For the hard-copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

On the training front, I was thinking about
how amazingly strong so many old-timers
were -- at relatively light bodyweights.
For example, Tony Terlazzo weighed 148
pounds and military pressed 260 pounds.

That's 100 pounds over his own bodyweight --
in the military press -- in official competition --
with three eagle-eyed judges watching the lift.

And since this was back in the early 1940's,
we know that it was a drug-free lift. No
roidskies. 100 percent natural.

Now, just to be clear -- there are very few men
of any bodyweight who can military press 260
pounds -- and most who can weigh MUCH MORE
than Tony Terlazzo weighed.

And Terlazzo was not alone in being super strong
in comparison to his bodyweight. There were many
old-timers who were super strong at fairly light
bodyweights.

I have a theory about this. I believe that the
old-timers flourished on a diet of natural,
chemical-free foods. What we would now
call organic foods.

They ate meat, eggs and vegetables.

The desert of choice was fresh fruit.

The vegetables and fruit were fresh -- and
often came straight from the garden or
a local farmer.

They enjoyed healthy, nutritious home-cooked
meals.

There were no "convenience" foods. No "fast"
foods.

They ate far less refined food than we eat
today.

They consumed far less in the way of
chemicals, additives, emulsifiers, and
other chemicals and artificial
ingredients.

There were no GMO's in their food.

There were no antibiotics in their food.

Far less chemical fertilizers were used to
grow their food.

Far fewer pesticides were sprayed on their
food.

They ate little or no sugar.

They avoided high carbohydrate foods.

They avoided deep-fried foods.

They didn't stuff themselves with corn, soy,
and vegetable oils, as so many do in  the
modern world.

Many of them were first or second generation
immigrants.  Their families came from rural
Europe. They were used to simple foods and
simple meals, and that's what they grew up
eating.

And as a result, they grew up lean and strong
and muscular.

When they became interested in weightlifting
and weight training, they quickly built plenty
of lean, powerful muscle.

It was the perfect combination of strength
training and diet.

I cover this kind of diet and nutrition program
in Knife, Fork, Muscle. Readers have called it
the best book ever written about real world,
no-nonsense diet and nutrition for strength
training and muscle building.

I agree, but I wrote the book, so I'm biased.
But I do know this. If you want to build the
kind of pound-for-pound strength and power
that Tony Terlazzo had, you need to train
right and you need to eat right. And an
old-school diet and nutrition program
will help you enormously.

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. Go here to grab your copy of Knife, Fork,
Muscle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "For great results,
you need to train right and eat right." -- Brooks
Kubik

***************************************

The Spartan Workout, Part Two

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. The "How Strong Are You?" E-Book

My new course, "How Strong Are You?" is
now available as a Kindle e-book at Amazon.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

If you grab the e-book, please post a
review at our Kindle page. The reviews
really help.

For a hard-copy version of the new course,
go here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

2. Physical Culture Radio

I'll be co-hosting Physical Culture Radio at
12:00 noon EST today. Catch it live or listen
to the download later on:

http://superhumanradio.com/

3.  The Spartan Workout (Part Two)

Yesterday's post discussed the benefits of
training in spartan quarters as opposed to
a more luxurious facility.

One of the benefits of training in a spartan
facility is that you don't have lots of
equipment.

And that's a good thing.

A garage gym typically features a barbell
set, a power rack, and a bench.

Maybe you have some dumbbells or kettlebells,
a Trap Bar, a Log Bar, heavy-duty cables, a heavy
duty headstrap for neck work, and some grip
blasters. Perhaps a pull-up bar if you have a
place for it.

An old-school commercial gym has more
racks, benches and barbells -- and more
dumbbells -- but it doesn't have much
else. It certainly doesn't have tons of fancy
machines.

Most people think you need lots of different
equipment to get a good workout.

They're wrong.

What you need is GOOD equipment. Strong,
well-made bars, benches and racks. The
emphasis should always be on quality,
not quantity.

High quality equipment is better because it's
stronger and safer -- and because it feels
better when you use it. If you're used to
a high quality barbell, for example, you're
in for a shock if you ever use a low quality
bar. The difference is night and day. Found
that out a few years ago when I was on
vacation.

But the biggest benefit of training with less
equipment is that it allows you to focus on
the exercises and equipment that really
matter.

A gym with 10 or 12 different leg machines
is sending a not so subtle message about
squats -- the message being:

1. Squats are just one of many exercises for
the lower body.

2. Squats alone are not enough, so you need
other leg exercises.

3. You can skip squats and do other exercises
for your lower body.

In contrast, a gym with no leg machines, and
nothing but squat stands or power racks for
leg training, sends a much different message --
the message being:

1. Do squats!

You can make the same point about all of
the other basic exercises -- and about pretty
much everything you might find in a typical
modern gym.

The more equipment in the gym, the more
likely you are to skip the basics -- or to over-
train by doing too many different movements --
or to water down your effort and your intensity
because you're spreading yourself too thin on
too many different exercises.

Don't do that. Train smart. Train the Dino way.

Keep it simple. Focus on the exercises that
count. Skip the other stuff.

And if at all possible, train somewhere that
supports and encourages hard work on the
basics -- and if you have to, set up a place
of your own where you can do precisely
that.

If you're stuck in a less than perfect place to
train, practice tunnel vision. Put on the visors,
shut out the noise, the chatter and the silliness,
and do your job.

In other words, "Get it done."

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 are the links again for my new
"How Strong Are You?" course. Remember
to post a review if you grab the e-book:

a. Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

b. Hard-copy (ink on paper):

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.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: "Squats and deadlifts
are pretty basic -- but they're also pretty effective."
-- Brooks Kubik

*****************************************

In Strength Training, Spartan Is Best!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets

This is a new series of training courses for
2015 and 2016. I've already launched vol. 1
in your choice of hard copy or Kindle e-book,
and we're in the middle of a short pre-
publication special for volume 2. Go here
to grab either or both of the little
monsters:

Vol. 1

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Vol. 2

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

2. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly

Is the best hard copy training journal out there.

If you missed issues no. 1 and no. 2, go here
to grab them. We're selling them issue by issue,
not as a subscription, because that works better
for a quarterly publication:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

If you live overseas or in Canada, email and
ask for a shipping quote for multiple items.
We can usually save you some big clams
by shipping several items together.

On the training front, let's talk about true
Spartan training -- and I don't mean the
so-called "300 workout" they did for the
movie.

There's a great book by Daniel Coyle called
"The Little Book of Talent." It contains 52
rules for improving your performance in
sports, business, job, school, or anything
else.

Coyle studied top performers in a wide
range of disciplines, and found a number
of similarities between the top performers.

They tended to do certain things in the same
ways.

One thing he noted about many highly
skilled, top performers was that they
trained in spartan quarters -- particularly
when they were climbing the ladder.

For example, a top tennis school might have
the future stars of the sport playing on courts
with cracks in them and grass or weeds pushing
up here and there.

A top ski school might look like a 1950s era scout
camp, with the future greats living in very simple,
almost primitive log cabins.

A top high school might have the smartest kids
on the planet studying in what looks more or less
like an old army barracks.

And I'm not making these up. They're real life
examples from Coyle's book.

In contrast, many "fancy" facilities didn't have
a very good track record when it came to creating
successful performers.

The parallel to effective strength training is
obvious. The so-called "fitness" industry
pushes high-tech training in opulent "gyms"
featuring lots of chrome, mirrors, fancy lighting,
air conditioning, aromatherapy, piped in music,
cardio theater, big screen plasma tv's, espresso
bars, donuts, pizza delivery, and row after of
plushly padded machines.

Spartan it is not.

And that's one of the big reasons why the
Chrome and Fern Pleasure Palace Gyms don't
deliver.

They're too fancy. Too nice. Too pretty.

And fancy, nice and pretty don't work in the
Iron Game.

And yes, it's a training day today -- and I'll be
hitting it hard and heavy out in my garage. Just
me, the iron and a homemade lifting platform.

Just the way it should be.

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 are the links again for Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1 and 2:

Vol. 1

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Vol. 2

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.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: "The best leaders
live simple lives. So do the best lifters."
-- Brooks Kubik

******************************************

Take a Look at the Table of Contents!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Over a dozen Dinos have asked me to
post the Table of Contents for my new
Dinosaur Training course -- which means
that there are probably 1200 Dinos who
want to see it.

When you ask, we listen.

So here you go:

Dinosaur Training Secrets

Vol. 2. -- How Strong Are You?

Introduction

1.  How Strong Are You?

2.  The Man Who Met the Paschall
Standards

3.  How the Paschall Standards Measured
Up in Weightlifting Competition

4.  Adjusting the Paschall Standards for
Your Bodyweight – The Hoffman Formula

5.  An Alternative to the Hoffman Formula –
The Sinclair Formula

6.  Age-Appropriate Strength Standards

7.  Age Coefficients for Masters Weightlifting

8.  How to Adjust the Paschall Standards to
your Age and Weight

9.  The Bob Hoffman Table of Lifting Awards

10.  Deadlifting Exercises

11.  The Bench Press

12.  Curling Exercises

13.  Pressing Exercises

14.  Squatting Exercises

15.  The Snatch and Related Exercises

16.  The One-Hand Dumbbell Swing

17.  The Clean and Jerk

18.  Some Final Thoughts

As you can see, we cover the topic in detail --
and we give you a ton of great information.

Go here to grab the little monster in
hard-copy format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

We're working on getting the Kindle e-book,
and will get it up for you as soon as possible.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Course 1 in the series is available in your
choice of hard-copy or Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
available right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The dreamers are
the saviours of the world." -- James Allen

*******************************************

Questions About the New Dinosaur Training Course

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We launched a new course yesterday. It's
course no 2 in a new series of courses called
Dinosaur Training Secrets.

This one is titled "How Strong Are You?"

The course gives a detailed set of old-school,
drug-free strength standards covering a wide
range of different exercises and lifts.

In fact, it gives two different sets of old school
strength standards, with ranges from "good" to
"world class."

Then it teaches you how to adjust those
standards for weight and age.

And that let's you see how you compare to
the old-time champions -- exactly the same
as if you were in the gym with Sig Klein,
John Grimek, Harry Paschall, Steve Stanko,
John Davis, and the rest of them.

As you might expect, the course has been
selling like hotcakes -- and as always happens
with something new, we've been getting a
ton of questions about it:

Q. When did you start doing a new series of
courses?

A. In January.

Q. How many new courses are you going to
do?

A. I'm planning to do 10 or 12 of them in 2015
and 2016.

A. I missed course no. 1 in the series. Where can
I get it?

It's available in hard copy from me, and in e-book
at Amazon's kindle bookstore. Go here for links
to the hard copy order page and the Kindle order
page:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Q. Is course no. 2 available in hard copy or
e-book?

It will be available in both. We're doing a pre-
publication special for the hard copy, and should
have it printed and ready to ship by this Friday or
by Monday of next week.

The e-book will be ready very soon -- hopefully in
the next 7 to 10 days.

Q. I want the course NOW!

A. Be patient, grasshopper.

Q. Why do you focus on old-time strength
standards instead of modern lifters?

A. I focus on old-time strength standards and
old-time lifters because they were drug-free.
Dinos train drug-free, and they need to have
realistic strength standards to allow them to
set realistic training goals.

Matching yourself against drug-based standards,
be they strength standards or bodybuilding
standards, is one of the greatest sources of
frustration imaginable. It causes far too many
trainees to give up in discouragement. That's
wrong, and it's something we all need to fight
against. This course is part of that battle.

Q. Why focus on strength standards? I'm not a
competitive weightlifter or powerlifter!

I focus on strength because we're all doing
strength training in one form or another.

Q. Do you give goals for anything other than
Olympic weightlifting?

A. Of course. We even cover curls! HEAVY curls,
I might add.  Some of the old-timers curled
more than most modern guys squat!

Q. What will you be doing in your next course?

A. Ask me in about 60 days when we release it.
In the meantime, grab vol. 2 in the series -- and
see how you measure up to the great strongmen
of the past:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

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. My other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headquarters -- along with the world
famous Dinosaur Files quarterly, Dinosaur DVDs,
Dinosaur t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. If you're an overseas Dino or you live
in Canada, save some clams on s&h by ordering
two or more books and courses. Send an email
and ask for a shipping quote on multiple items.

And for everyone -- if you want me to autograph
a book or course, all you need to do is ask. There's
no charge for an autograph. I'm honored to be
asked for one.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If the old-timers
did it without drugs, so can you." -- Brooks Kubik

*****************************************

A New Training Course for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you missed the big announcement
earlier today, here's some exciting
news:

We have a new Dinosaur Training
course for you!

Head over here to read all about
it -- and to grab your copy of the
little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

*********************************

How Strong Are You?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

How strong are you?

How do you rank compared to the great
champions of the Golden Age of Muscle
and Might?

If you stepped into a Time Machine that
carried you back to Sig Klein's New York
City gym in the 1930s -- or to the world
famous York barbell gym in the 1940s --
how would your best lifts compare to
everyone else in the gym?

What are realistic goals for a drug-free
trainee?

What should you be squatting -- pressing --
or deadlifting?

What should you be handling in other
important exercises?

How can you compare your best lifts to
trainees of other bodyweights?

How does your age affect your poundage
goals?

What lifts are good at age 40 -- or 50 --
or 60 -- or beyond?

Are you getting older -- or getting better?

I have a brand new training course that
answers all of these questions -- and more!
You can find it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

You'll never have a chance to train with John
Grimek, Steve Stanko, John Davis or Doug
Hepburn. But this course is the next best
thing. It lets you compare your lifting to the
legendary Ironmen of the past -- exactly the
same as if these mighty men were your
actual training partners.

So step up, take action, and grab the course
right now -- and answer the question:

How strong are you?

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://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

P.S. Volume 1 in the series of new courses is
right here -- if you missed it, grab both of them
now.

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right
here -- and please note -- if you order from
overseas and you want two or more books or
courses, email us and ask for a shipping
quote. We can usually save some you clams
by shipping two or more items together:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set realistic but
challenging goals and work to achieve them."
-- Brooks Kubik

***************************************

Big Announcement on Monday!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been pounding the keyboard like a
madman to finish a special project that
I've wanted to do for several years.

It's new, different and very exciting --
and I think you're really going to like
it.

For right now, the details are top secret --
other than me, only Trudi knows about it,
and she's not telling.

But I'll give you more information on
Monday.

Be sure to look for it -- and if you don't see
an email, look for me on FaceBook -- or
go straight to the Dinosaur Training Blog
and look there. I always post my emails
on the Blog, so if you miss an email, you
can find it on the Blog.

Access the Blog by going to the Dinosaur
Training website, and looking for the 
drop down bar.  The button for the Blog
is to the right.

Or -- just follow this link:

http://www.dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/

I post the emails on the Blog because emails
don't always get through. The cyber gremlins
seem to like to gobble them up sometimes. So
I post them on the Blog as a back-up.

I also link the Blog to our Facebook page. If
you friend me on facebook, you can always
see the daily link to the Blog via Facebook.

In any case, there's going to be a BIG
announcement on Monday. Be sure to
look for it.

And now -- back to work. I have a lot to
do between now and Monday morning.

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. The best sellers for the week are all
available in your choice of Kindle e-book or
hard copy.

a. The first is Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

b. The second is The Training Secrets of John
Grimek:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

c. The third is the Dinosaur Training Military Press
and Shoulder Power Course:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters. Knife, Fork,
Muscle has been very popular this week --
if you don't have it, act now:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It doesn't happen
overnight, but it happens. Just keep on training."

-- Brooks Kubik

**********************************************

More Tips on Shoulder Health for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of emails from the Dino
Nation in response to yesterday's email
 about shoulder health.

I'm going to share a few because they include
some more great tips for keeping your shoulders
healthy and strong.

1. Overhead Presses and DB Benches Work!

"Great advice! I had stiff shoulders for over a
year. Three months ago, I injured my right pec
bending 5/8" rebar and stopped doing bench
presses due to the injury. During that time,
I kept doing overhead presses, and my
shoulders feel MUCH better.

I also emphasized back strength, and have
begun doing dumbbell bench press instead
of barbell bench press, which seems to be
much easier on my shoulders and my
injury. I am already back to the 100's
for 8 reps.

Dustin Jones"

Dustin -- Sorry to hear about the injury, but
it sounds like it taught you some important
things -- and that you're coming back stronger
than ever! Thanks for sharing your findings.

2. When Lowering the Bar Is the Problem

"I agree wholeheartedly with all of your tips
re: shoulder health. In addition, in my case,
I can press overhead without pain as long
as I stay in the proper groove.

However, I cannot find a way to lower the
bar from overhead without pain to my right
shoulder (which gets worse if I try to fight
through it) -- so I have solved the issue by
dropping every press from overhead.

Brian DeLong

Brian -- That's not so unusual for older Dinos.
Thank goodness for bumper plates!

In my own case, I do singles, and lower my
overhead lifts to the shoulders, bending my
legs at the knees a bit to help catch the weight.

From there, I lower the bar to my upper
thighs -- and then to the platform, as if I
were lowering the bar after a deadlift. It's a
three step process. Easier on the bar and on
the platform. And also easy on my body.

If that's not clear, shoot me an email and
I'll try to explain it in more detail.

3. A Tip for Narrow Grip Benches

"I feel you should add that full range narrow
grip benches are no different than a deep dip.
I coach narrow grip benches for everyone but
limit the range to a three board. I'm not a huge
board guy, but they serve a great purpose here.

Chris Clark"

Chris -- That's a good tip for anyone with a
training partner who can help with the board.
In most cases, it's the last bit of ROM that can
cause problems in any exercise. Thanks for
the idea.

4. Try Bodyweight Training

Tons of readers emailed to note that they got
great results from the push-up and hand-stand
push-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and that they helped balance their
upper body development with the pull-up
variations in the book. They're right -- those
can really help.

5. Dumbbells, Dumbbells, Dumbbells!

We also had MANY Dinos report that their
shoulders improved when they switched from
barbell presses to dumbbell presses. That's
always been one of the benefits of dumbbell
work, and it's one of the reasons so many
of the old-timers (such as John Grimek) used
dumbbell presses almost exclusively as they
grew older.

So there you go -- more tips for protecting,
preserving and strengthening your shoulders!
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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.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. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

*******************************************

Seven Tips for Shoulder Health

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been geting a lot of questions about
shoulder issues -- dings, dents, exercises
that help, exercises that hurt, and possible
work arounds.

So I thought I'd cover some of the key points
in one email. For more on the topic, see Gray
Hair and Black Iron and The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.

1. Use light Indian clubs every day.

Light Indian clubs -- not heavy ones! Five or
ten minutes of light club work is great for
shoulder health -- especially if you work at
a computer or keyboard all day long.

I got this tip directly from Tommy Kono, so
I think of it as "gold medal" training advice.

I use my Indian clubs every day, and it
really helps -- as in, it keeps me squat
snatching at close to 60 years of age.

Get your clubs from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/classic-wooden-indian-clubs

2. Focus on overhead pressing.

Focus on overhead pressing rather than bench
pressing. Bench pressing is much harder on the
shoulders. Old-time lifters had fewer shoulder
problems than modern lifters, in part because
they did lots of overhead work and very little
bench pressing or similar movements.

3. Avoid the "stretch."

If you do dumbbell bench presses, dips or
other movements where you can go really
low and "stretch" the chest and shoulders,
be very careful -- and DON"T over-do the
stretch. That's where many shoulder injuries
happen.

4. Skip those McDonald Bar bench presses.
Bench press superstar Mike McDonald used a
special bench press bar in training. It allowed
a greater range of movement, i.e, a deep
stretch at the bottom. Don't do these --
they can hurt you. See point no. 3 above.

5. Stop doing the press behind neck.

This is a tough one for many of us, because
we grew up reading about Reg Park ramming
300 pounds overhead in the press behind neck.
The problem is, for many of us, the press behind
neck leads to shoulder problems. Military presses,
push presses and dumbbell presses are much
easier on the shoulders.

6. No machines!

Pullover machines and pec decs are certified
shoulder destroyers. This is especially true if
you "go for the stretch" when you do them.

7. No flies or pullovers.

Flies or pullovers can also lead to shoulder
problems. They're not very effective muscle
builders in any event, so why do them?

Note: I am referring to heavy pullovers.
Light, breathing pullovers after a set of
squats are okay because you use a very
light weight when you do them.

So there you have it -- seven tips for shoulder
health. I hope they help -- and I hope you keep
your shoulders healthy and strong for a very,
very long time.

See the links below for some Dino books and
courses that will help you build plenty of
strength and muscle while avoiding those
unnecessary dings and dents.

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron covers training for
older Dinos -- and if you're age 40 or older, you
need this book. It will help you enormously:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1, and the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course are available in your choice of
hard-copy or Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Shoulders are like knees.
You only have two of them, so take care of them."
-- Brooks Kubik

********************************************

What Really Works!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me begin by wishing everyone a
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Wear green
and do squats!

On the training front, let's talk about
old and new -- and about what really
works.

There's plenty of talk about modern
advances in strength training and
muscle-building, but absolutely nothing
beats the tried and true training programs
that have been building strength, muscle
and power for the past 100 years.

Do you want to get big -- really big?

Do you want to get strong -- really
strong?

Then you need to do what men did
back in the 1930's and 1940's.

You need to do plenty of heavy squats.

You need to do plenty of standing presses.

You need to do plenty of heavy back work.

You need to train for strength. You need to
always keep trying to add more weight to
the bar.

And you need to train HARD. Playing around
with light weights won't do the job. To build
big muscles, you need to build your strength
to the point where you can move some serious
iron. It's just that simple.

On the other hand, you do NOT need to spend
your life in the gym. In fact, it works better if
you don't.

You need to train two or three times a week,
for about one hour to 90 minutes per workout.
Some Dinos will do best on shorter workouts.

Remember, it's QUALITY that counts -- not
QUANTITY. One hard set is worth 20 causual
ones.

Total body workouts are great for beginners
and intermediates. Many advanced men will
do well on them, but most will do better on
divided workout programs.

The programs that were developed in the 30's,
40's and 50's are STILL the very best programs
for drug-free trainees who want to build a good
balance of strength, muscle, power, condition,
athleticism, health and fitness.

You can read about them in any of my books
and courses, from Dinosaur Training (published
way back in 1996 and a best-seller ever since)
to my most recent training courses and e-books,
as well as each and every issue of the Dinosaur
Files quarterly.

Why do I write about old-time training methods
and old-time training programs?

I write about them because they WORK!

They're fast, quick, and efficient. They don't
require fancy equipment. They're perfect for
home gym training. They're fun. And they
build strength and muscle that lasts your
entire life -- along with superb health.

So if you're looking for the "latest" in strength
training, I can't help you.

I don't deal in the "latest." I deal in the BEST.

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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Training, Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development -- and learn more
about the super-effective training methods of the
old-time strongmen:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 2. If you prefer e-books, we have three of
them available -- go here and grab the little
monsters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

Note: If you prefer hard-copy, all three e-books are
also available in hard-copy at Dinosaur Training
headquarters. (See the link below.)

P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- and Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are available right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Strength training
works -- but you need to do it the right way."
-- Brooks Kubik

********************************************

How Long Should a Workout Last?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes and then we'll talk
training.

1. John Grimek on Kindle

We just released my John Grimek
Training course as an e-book on
Kindle. If you missed it the first
time around and you read e-books,
go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

If you prefer the hard-copy edition,
you can find it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly
We've published two isssues of the
Dinosaur Files quarterly. Go here to
grab them:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1
This is course no. 1 in a new series of
courses for 2015 and 2016. You can
grab it in your choice of hard-copy
or Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

And now, let's talk training!

A reader asked me how long a workout
should take. Here's the exact question:

"My question is workout duration. Is the
45 minute thing bro science? Sometimes
my workouts go into the 1 hour and 15
minute time frame. This is before I do 15
to 20 mins of mobility work and warming
up. I'm 42, and entering the gray hair
group."

So that's the question of the day -- now
let's figure out where to begin and how
to answer it.

First, I'm scratching my head a little because
I'm not sure what "the 45 minute thing" is.

And I have no idea if it's "bro science" because
I stay as far away from the bro's as possible.
(As you may have noted, there are no bro's
in my garage gym -- and there never will
be. It's a BFZ -- "Bro Free Zone.")

Anyhow, I assume "the 45-minute thing"
refers to advice to keep your workout to
45 minutes.

That goes back to advice from a Bulgarian
weightlifting coach who visited the U.S.
back in the 1970's or 1980's, and was
quoted as saying that workouts should
last no more than 45 minutes because
your blood levels of testosterone start
to diminish after 45 minutes.

To get around that, the Bulgarians
supposedly trained for 45 minutes and
then rested for awhile -- and then trained
some more -- and then rested -- and so
on for pretty much the entire day.

At least, that's how it was reported.

Whether that's what the Bulgarians actually
did is anybody's guess -- and whether there's
any sort of solid science behind it is also
anybody's guess.

And, of course -- leave aside the drug issue.
If any testing was done to validate the 45
minute thing, was it done on natural
athletes or on drug-users?

Yeah, that would kind of change things,
wouldn't it?

But I digress . . .

It's obvious that you can't go to school or
work for a living (or do both, as many do),
and train all day -- meaning that  the so-called
Bulgarian method doesn't cut it in the real
world. In the real world, you can't train all
day. So let's not even talk about it.
 
In the real world, we need to rely on good,
old-fashioned common sense -- and some
intelligent trial and error on the part of the
trainee.

Common sense tells us that there's no
such thing as an optimal time for a workout.

It would depend on too many factors that are
unique to a given individual: age, experience,
types of exercises performed, sets, reps, how
heavy, time of year, where you are in a
training cycle, etc.

You also have the question of light, heavy
and medium days. The total training time
would probably fluctuate depending on how
hard and how heavy you train on a given day.

So instead of hard and fast rules, we need to
have ranges.

Here are some ranges and some suggestions:

1. Start with 10 to 20 minutes of warm-ups.

a. More if you need more, less if you need
less. Age is a key factor here. Older trainees
need more warm-up time.

2. Train for 40 to 90 minutes.

a. Note that this is a wide range. It will
accomodate most of us perfectly well.

3. Total training times including warmups,
should be between 50 minutes and two
hours.

a. See no. 2a above.

4. Younger trainees usually recover better
than older trainees, so they can experiment
with the "more" end of the range.

5. Older trainees (age 35 and up) usually don't
recover as well, so they should move more to
the low end of the range.

6. On a low energy day, shorter is better.

7. On a high energy day, do a bit more if
you're in the mood. Or not. Either way works
fine.

a. If you train on Sat or Sun, that's usually
a good day for a longer workout.

8. The most important consideration is not
how long you train, but how much you FOCUS
on what you are doing. If you go through the
motions, you're wasting your time. If you really
concentrate on your training, you can have a
very productive workout in a short period of
time.

9. Measure your progress by weight on the bar.
If you're getting stronger, everything is fine. If
not, make adjustments.

10. If you're not getting stronger, you usually
need to do LESS training, not MORE training.

Hope that helps!

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron is the best book
out there about serious training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- and remember,
you also can find us in Amazon's Kindle
bookstore:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's better to be
a lone wolf than a lemming." -- Brooks Kubik

********************************************

Diet and Nutrition for Lifelong Strength and Health!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!


Breaking news -- we rec'd not one, but TWO
mentions -- and a photo with one of our books
in it -- in Keris Marsden's most recent Blog
Post. 

Keris is the co-author (with Matt Whitmore) of
The Paleo Primer, which is one of my favorite
diet and nutrition books. You can grab it right
here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Paleo-Primer-Jump-Start-Primally/dp/1939563046

Check it out -- and enjoy the post, because it's
one  of the best I've ever seen about sensible
diet and nutrition for lifelong strength and
health:

http://fitterlondon.co.uk/2015/03/12/saving-mum-dad-nutrition-and-health-for-the-older-generations/#.VQWIdZJ2FyM.facebook

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 more about no-nonsense diet and nutrition
for older Dinos -- or for trainees of any age -- grab
Knife, Fork Muscle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. I cover sensible training for older Dinos --
sensible meaning hard but smart -- in Gray Hair and
Black Iron:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, eat smart,
and stay strong." -- Brooks Kubik

********************************************

The Training Secrets of John Grimek

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Breaking news -- we just released my very
popular John Grimek training course as an
e-book on Kindle.

This has been one of our best-sellers ever
since we released it in hard copy back in
2012 -- so if you missed it in hard-copy,
sprint on over and grab the e-book right
now.

You can find the little monster right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

If you prefer the hard-copy edition of the
course, you can find it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

Thanks, and if you order the Kindle
e-book, please post a review. They
really help us.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The Best Gym in the World

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It was a humble wooden box.

Just some boards nailed together.

Six feet long -- one foot wide -- one foot
deep.

It was wrapped with a long chain, and the
chain was pulled tight and pad-locked.

A young man worked the late shift. He went
to work at 4:00 in the afternoon and worked
until 12:00 midnight.

After he finished working, he walked home
in the dark night.

He reached his house, went to his room,
and changed into sweat clothes.

By now, it was almost 1:00 in the morning.

The night was silent.

The moon cast a golden glow over the
town, the house, and the yard.

He went outside, walked into the rickety
old garage, lit a match, lit an old lantern,
put it over in the corner, and turned to
the wooden box.

He reached under the seventh brick back
by the wall, and pulled out a key.

It was the key to the padlock.

He opened the lock, loosened the chain,
and opened the box.

He reached inside, and pulled out a long
iron bar.

It was a barbell.

He pulled out a series of iron plates.

Dumbbell bars.

Kettlebell bars.

In just a few minutes, he had almost 300
pounds of iron lying on the dirt floor of
the old garage.

And that's when he began his workout.
He started with a basic warm-up exercise --
a sort of power snatch performed with straight
legs -- and moved on to curls.

After the curls, he did presses.

He loaded the bar and did rowing, shrugs, stiff
legged deadlifts, clean and press, straddle lifts,
snatches, clean and jerk, rowing, squats, bent
legged deadlifts and more.

He worked in dumbbell exercises, kettlebell
exercises, pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, handstand
pushups, leg raises, side bends, grip work,
and the wrestler's bridge.

He trained for almost two hours under the
light of the moon and the flickering lantern.
He finished his workout, wiped away the
sweat, unloaded his barbell, and put the
barbell, the dumbbells, the kettlebells and
the weights back in the box.

He wrapped the chain around the box, pulled
it tight, and locked it up again.

He put the key to the padlock back under the
same old brick.

Brick no. 7.

The lucky brick.

He walked outside, shut the garage door, and
went back into the house.

His name was John Grimek -- and he went on
to become the greatest all-natural bodybuilder
in the history of the world.

And it all started with that wooden box.

It was the best gym in the world.

The very best gym -- in the entire world.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, remember that wooden
box -- and make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Back in 2012 I wrote a terrific course about
John Grimek's life and training. You can grab it
in your choice of hard-copy of Kindle e-book:

a. For the Kindle e-book, go here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grimektraining_kindle.html

b. For the hard-copy course, go here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. My other books and courses are right here at
Dinosaur Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

3. Thought for the Day: "If you bring sweat, enthusiasm
amd hard work, it doesn't take much more." -- Brooks
Kubik

**********************************************

Something to Learn from a Gold Medal Winner

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I often get questions from older Dinos about
what constitutes good lifting for a trainee in his
50's or 60's.

These questions usually come from a Dino whose
been hitting it hard and heavy for his entire life.

He used to be able to lift a LOT more than he
can lift now -- and it's frustrating for him.

Heck, it's frustrating for all of us after we reach
a certain point in our careers.

So let me share something with you.

This is important -- so pull up a chair and pay
close attention.

A very good Russian lifter named Valery Shary
won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games.

He competed in the 82.5 kilo class (181.5 lbs.).

He snatched 162.5 kilos (357.5 lbs.).

He sealed the win with a 202.5 kilo clean and
jerk (445.5 lbs.).

He was 29 years old at the time -- and he was
the best in the entire world in his weight class.

Not long after, he retired from active competition,
but remained involved in lifting as a coach.

At age 60, he staged a comeback -- and did pretty
darn well by winning the Master's World champion-
ship in the 105 kilo (231 lb.) weight class, age
60 - 64 category.

He weighed 102.5 kilos (225.5 lbs.).

He snatched 93 kilos (205 lbs.).

He clean and jerked 120 kilos (264 lbs.).

Now, those are terrific lifts for a 60-year old
weightlifter. They're literally "best in the
world" lifts -- because he won the World
Championship with them.

But they were less than 60% of his best
lifts when he won the Olympic gold medal.

His snatch was 57% of his top lift in the
1976 Olympics -- and his clean and jerk
was 59% of his top lift.

Which goes to show you that age catches
up to everyone -- including a gold medal
winner.

So if you're an older Dino -- or if you plan
to be an older Dino one of these days --
keep this in mind.

You will NOT be able to keep on doing your
lifetime best as youy grow older -- but that's
okay.

The important thing is to keep on training,
and to stay as strong as possible.

Don't dwell in the past. Don't worry about
what you used to do. Focus on the present.
Work on improving your current strength
levels.

And make it FUN. If you're an older Dino,
you deserve to have fun when you train.
You've earned the right.

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron covers training for
older Dinos -- and if you're age 40 or older, you
need this book. It will help you enormously:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly is
out the door and getting rave reviews from Dinos.
Go here to grab your copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

P.S. 3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1, and the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course are available in your choice of
hard-copy or Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Whatever your age, keep
moving forward and get it done." -- Brooks Kubik

********************************************

Barbells vs. Nautilus Machines -- Who Wins?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes and then we'll talk training.

1. The Dinosaur Files quarterly

Issue no. 2 is out -- and it's getting great feedback
from readers. Go here to grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

2. Physical Culture Radio

I'll be co-hosting Physical Culture Radio at 12:00
noon EST tomorrow. Catch us live or listen to the
download at your convenience. Find us here on
Carl Lanore's SuperHuman Radio network:

http://superhumanradio.com/

We've had two shows already, which you can
download from the archives. Give them a try --
I think you'll like them!

BTW, we're answering questions from readers,
so send them on in and we'll see if we can
answer them on air.

3. Dinosaur Training on Kindle

We have two Dinosaur Training courses available
in your choice of hard-copy or Kindle e-book --
with more to come. The Kindle option is a big
favorite with many Dinos -- so many that both
courses have been Amazon Top 10 best sellers
in their category.

The Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course is right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

My new course, Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 1, is right here -- there are separate
order buttons for the hard-copy and the
Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

If you grab one of the Kindle e-books, please
post a review. They really help us.

And now -- let's talk training.

Over the years, you may have noticed that
people LOVE to argue about the merits of
barbells vs. exwercise machines.

If we didn't have this to argue about, half the
training forums in cyber-land would lose all
of their readers overnight.

And we'd lose half the flame wars -- and
two thirds of the trolls -- and the avatars
probably wouldn't be nearly as good.

But rather than argue about it, let me share
my personal training results with an all-barbell
program and an all-Nautilus program.

And then YOU can make your own decisions
about the whole "barbells vs. machines"
debate.

So here's what happened in my own case.

When I was in college, I trained on an all-
Nautilus program for several years. I weighed
about 155 pounds (at 5'9") when I started
college.

Over the next two or three years, my weight
went up to 165 pounds and then plateaued.

I started training at home with an all barbell
program.

My weight went up to 175 or 180 pounds.

I took an out-of-town job one summer, was
not able to train, and had very little to eat
because I was trying to save money for
school.

During that summer, my weight dropped to
165 pounds. I viewed that as my "no training
and not much food weight."

I started law school that Fall, and was able
to train again, using an all barbell program.
I also was able to eat in the school cafeteria,
so I had three square meals a day.

My weight went up to 180 pounds in a couple
of months.

During my third year of law school, I was very
busy with classes and was working a couple of
part time jobs -- and not training very much --
and not eating very much, because I didn't
have much money for food.

My weight dropped back to -- you guessed it --
165 pounds.

I graduated from law school, got a job in
Louisville, started training at a local gym
that had nothing but barbells and dumbbells,
and started to eat better -- and my weight
went up to 180 pounds again very quickly.

Then we moved, and for the next year I trained
at a nearby Nautilus club.

After one year at the Nautilus club, I stepped
onto the scales.

My weight had dropped back down to 165
pounds.

My "no training and not much food weight."

I quit the Nautilus club, went back to the
barbell gym, and my weight shot back up
to 180 pounds.

From there, it went up to 225 pounds --
but that's a different story. I cover it in
Strength, Muscle and Power and Knife,
Fork, Muscle -- and in Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1.

Anyhow, I don't bother to read the stuff
on the interweb forums about barbells vs.
exercise machines. I know what works for
me.

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 mentioned Strength, Muscle and
Power and Knife, Fork, Muscle. You can
find them right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "It's easy to
make mistakes. What's hard is to learn from
them." -- Brooks Kubik

*******************************************

Are Strength and Power Dirty Words?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We're closing in on St. Paddy's Day, which is
always one of our favorite holidays here at
Dino Headquarters.

We celebrate by watching our favorite movie
about the Emerald Isle -- THE QUIET MAN,
starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and
pretty much every Irish actor in Hollywood
back in the day (1952).

Great movie -- if you haven't seen it, be sure
to catch it sometime soon.

Anyhow, here's somehting interesting about
it.

The censors cut a short line out of the film. If
You know where to look, and you look closely,
you'll see the cut.

I won't tell you where to look -- it would be a
spoiler. But it's there.

Or rather, it WAS there.

Not any more.

It's very short -- just five words.

If you blink, you'll miss it. And if you're laughing
too hard, you'll miss it.

Here are the five FORBIDDEN words:

"The power of the man!"

That's right.

Back in 1952, a Hollywood censor thought those
five words were a little too much for an audience
to handle -- so he made the studio cut them out
of the film.

Apparently, "power" was a dirty word back in
1952, when the film was released.

And that leads me to an interesting thought.

I don't think things have changed.

Power is still a dirty word.

So is strength.

Nobody wants to hear about them.

They want to hear about mass -- muscle size --
definiton -- separation -- cuts -- abs -- a six-pack --
and oil bagging.

They want to hear about pumping the muscles
until they're ready to burst.

About going for the burn.

About hypertrophy training.

About 100 sets of 100 reps, and every other high
volume workout for the lunatic fringe that wants
to do nothing but train all day.

But strength -- no, they don't want to hear about
strength -- or about how to build it.

Ditto for power.

Power - shmower. Give me some oil bag biceps.

Dinos are different.

Dinos train for strength -- and they train for power.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Dinos are
muscleless midgets. Far from it. Advanced Dinos
are pretty darn big, and pretty darn strong --
and pretty darn powerful.

So if that censor from 1952 was around today,
he'd probably try to censor the entire Dinosaur
Nation.

And frankly, that's okay with me. I never planned
to make it to Hollywood.

I just wanted to build some old-school CENSORED
and CENSORED.

Oops -- sorry.

Just said it!

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in CENSORED,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If youy want to build some serious CENSORED,
Muscle and CENSORED, grab this little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "Enjoy your green beer,
but don't forget to do your squats." -- Brooks Kubik

*******************************************

Strong as Heck at Age 60

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. Dinosaur Training e-books

Tons of readers have asked us to offer e-books,
and we're doing it. And we're also offering the
same material in hard-copy format, so you can
choose which format you prefer.

Go here to grab The Dinosaur Military Press
and Shoulder Power course in your choice of
hard-copy or e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

Go here to grab my new course, Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1. It's the first in a
series of all-new courses I'll be doing this
year. There are separate order buttons for
the hard-copy course and the Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

If you order one of our e-books, please post
a review on our Amazon page. The reviews
really help us.

2. Physical Culture Radio

I'm co-hosting Physical Culture Radio every
Thursday at 12:00 noon EST. Catch it live or
listen to the download ayc.

You can find Physical Culture Radio -- including
our first two episodes -- right here:

http://superhumanradio.com/

I answer questions from readers on the show,
so if you have a question you'd like me to
cover, shoot it on in.

On the training front, let's talk about one
of my long-term training goals -- and how
I plan to get there.

Here it is:

I want to be strong as heck at age 60.

I started thinking about this after my last
birthday, back in September. I turned 57.

But in weightlifting years, I'm already 58 --
because in Masters weightlifting competition,
your lifting age is effective on January 1 --
so for lifting purposes, I'm 58.

And that made me think how close I am to
age 60 . . .

and that made me think that being strong as
heck at age 60 would be pretty darn good.

That raises the question of how to measure
the "strong as heck part."

And that's easy.

I like to train on weightlifting workouts now,
so I'll measure the "strong as heck" part by
seeing what I can snatch and clean and jerk
at age 60.

I chose those lifts because I enjoy weight-
lifting workouts more than anything else. But
it would work just as well with a powerlifting
program -- or with anything else you like to
do. The important thing is to have a way of
measuring your performance at age 60 -- or
whatever age you are approaching. It may be
40, 50, 60, 70 or even 80.

The critical thing is to set a goal and work
towards it -- and to turn the whole "getting
older" thing into a way of making your workouts
part of a long-term goal and a life-long process.

And it's a way of getting excited about every
passing year rather than feeling blue about it.
In a way, it's a little like Jack LaLanne's famous
birthday celebrations -- where he did a new and
incredible feat of strength and endurance every
year on his birthday.

It worked pretty well for him -- he stayed strong
and healthy and fit for his entire life -- right up
until the end, at close to age 100.

Anyhow, that's the program.

Strong as heck at age 60.

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're never too old to train -- you just need
to train smarter as you get older. Gray Hair and
Black Iron tells you how to do it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and issues
no. 1 and 2 of the new Dinosaur Files quarterly --
are available right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Getting older happens.
Getting older and better takes more work." -- Brooks
Kubik

********************************************

The Top 10 Signs You're In a Bad Gym

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Most Dinos can spot a bad gym a mile away.

But for anyone who needs some help -- or
who would like to see a list of the top 10
signs that you're in a bad gym -- here's a
simple list.

Share it with newbies. They need to know
this stuff.

10. The gym has a sign on the wall that
says:

"Absolutely no lateral raises or other heavy
lifting while aerobics classes are in session!"

9. One of the trainers tells you: "We caught
someone sweating the other day and had to
suspend his membership."

8. The Juice Bar offers a pre-workout drink
called "Calmness and Serenity."

7. There's a sign on the power rack that says:

"Absolutely no squats in the curl rack!"

6. You call and ask if you can do Olympic
lifting and the manager tells you, "Yeah, we
have machines for everything!"

5. They have a flyer describing the place and
it says they have "nearly 100 pounds of free
weights."

4. You call and ask what kind of bars they have
and they tell you there are plenty of them
nearby.

3. You call and ask if you can come over and do
some heavy deadlifts and suddenly you're
disconnected.

2. They have four pec decs arranged in a
cirlce so the bros can talk about stuff while
they pump their pecs.

And no. 1 on the list -- DRUM ROLL:

1. You walk in wearing a Dinosaur Training
t-shirt and they ask you to leave before you
scare the other members.

All of which is why I train at home -- in the
sanity of my garage gym.

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. Go here to grab The Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course
and Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 in
your choice of Kindle e-book or hard-copy
format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 2. If you want honest information about real
world strength training and muscle building, grab
a copy of Dinosaur Training:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "A good gym is a
place where magic happens." -- Brooks Kubik

**********************************************

The Focus on One Thing Workout

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. Physical Culture Radio

I'll be co-hosting Physical Culture Radio at
12:00 noon EST today. Catch the show live or
listen to the podcast later on. We're at:

http://superhumanradio.com/

We'll be covering questions from listeners
today -- and we have some good ones from
your fellow Dinos. It will be a great show,
so be sure to listen to it.

2. The Dinosaur Files quarterly

We've done two issues of the Dinosaur Files
quarterly, and readers are loving them. Go
here to grab issue no. 1 and issue no. 2:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

On the training front . . .

One of the keys to success in your training
is to focus on one thing at a time.

By that, I don't mean to do one exercise
workouts, although those can be very
effective.

I'm talking about your mind set when you
train.

Serious strength training is a very unusual
and unique activity. It requires a special
mindset -- a mindset that is much different
than the mindset most people employ
throughout the day.

Most people go though the day in an endless
series of frantic multi-tasking, plate spinning
and juggling.

They're doing one thing on one side of the
computer screen, another thing on the other
side, and third thing on their nearby laptop --
and they're answering email while they do it
all -- and they're on their phone -- and they're
conducting three different conversations with
three different people -- and they do this all
day long.

They never focus on one thing. They just
juggle and jump from one thing to another.
That's life in the modern world, but it's not
what you do when you train.

Training requires a much different approach.

When you train, you need to focus on one
thing at a time.

You begin by focusing on each rep.

You take your reps one by one.

You don't worry about the next rep -- or the
next set -- or the next exercise.

You turn your focus inward, and dive deep
into the rep.

You live the rep.

You become the rep.

And then you do the next rep.

When you finish your set, you take a rest and
focus on the next set -- and when you do the
next set, you do it rep by rep.

And that's how you do your entire workout:
rep by rep, with total concentration and laser
focus.

In short, when you train, you focus on the
here and now.

It's actually what our brains were wired to do.
Not multi-tasking -- but rather, pinpoint
concentration.

It's good for them -- and it's important to use
them this way -- and that's actually one of the
most important benefits of serious strength
training. It helps wire your brain the way
it's supposed to be wired.

I trained last night, and for 52 minutes I was
deep in the zone. Total concentration. Maximum
focus. Pushing and pulling in the here and now.

And it felt pretty darn good.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, take it rep by
rep -- and make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. 1. I teach you how to concentrate and
how to focus on your workouts in Dinosaur
Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

P.S. 2. Vol. 1 in my new series of training
courses -- Dinosaur Training Secrets -- is
available in your choice of hard-copy or
Kindle e-book. Go here to grab the little
monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "When you ride on
the back of a tiger, focus on the tiger." -- Brooks
Kubik

*******************************************