Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Here's some BIG BREAKING NEWS -- and then
we'll talk training:
1. It's Here -- The Iron League!
John Wood's Iron League is now open -- and
you can head on over, grab a membership,
and dive headfirst into the amazing strength
archive right now:
http://www.ironleague.com
As I mentioned the other day, I've been a
beta-tester for the Iron League -- and I have
to tell you, I am AMAZED at how much great
material John has put into the strength
archive. And there's more of it -- lots more --
on the way!
Head on over -- and tell John I sent you!
And please -- share this post and spread the
word. We want all strength fans all around the
world to know about The Iron League.
And now . . . let's talk training.
7 Exercises that Build Serious Strength and
Muscle Mass
Here are some tips to help you build plenty
of rugged strength and Herculean muscle
mass.
These are seven of the most effective strength
and muscle building exercises that you can do.
And yes, they are all Dino-approved and Dino-
certified. They include some of my favorite
exercises.
1. Bottom Position Bench Presses
Do these in a power rack. Set the pins so you
can just barely squeeze under the bar. Start
each rep from the bottom and drive the bar
up to the lockout positiion. Lower slowly and
under control, pause, get set, and repeat.
If you prefer, do singles. That lets you get
set in the right position for each rep.
When I trained for powerlifting and bench
press competition, these were all I ever did.
I never used the regular bench press. The
only time I ever did it was in a contest.
It worked pretty well. I won five national
championships in the bench press and set
a ton of records -- lifting in the submaster's
division, 198 and then 220 pound weight
class, in drug-free competition.
2. The Negative Accentuated Push Press
This is a push press with a slow negative
on each rep. Drive the bar overhead with
a combination of leg, shoulder and arm
power -- lock it out -- and lower as slowly
as possible.
Pause, get set, and repeat.
Three reps will fry your shoulder girdle.
This was a favorite exercise of Dr. Ken Leistner,
and many old-time lifters used it to help train
the military press.
3. Doug Hepburn's Power Curls
Doug Hepburn used heavy-duty wooden
boxes to position a barbell so he could begin
his curls from a deadstop with the bar resting
on the boxes.
This forces you to curl in good form, and it
allows you to do each rep with a tight back
and flared lats -- so you can dig your elbows
into your lats as you curl.
Hepburn worked up to 260 pounds in the
strict curl, so that shows you that the
exercise works.
I worked up to 185 for 5 reps in the strict
curl. That's not Hepburn territory, but it's
not bad.
Curls don't get much respect these days, but
this is a great exercise for wrestlers, judoka,
martial artists, football players, and anyone
else who needs to pancake an opponent.
4. Pause-style Front Squats
Perform regular front squats (using strict form,
an upright stance, and going all the way down).
Pause for two seconds at the bottom, and then
drive back up to the finish position.
Wear Olympic lifting shoes with a heel when
you do these. They help you maintain the
proper upright position at the bottom.
5. The Two Dumbbell Clean and Press
Sig Klein called this movement "the secret
exercise" of the old-time European lifting
champions -- and taught it to all of his
gym members.
He also taught it to John Grimek -- and
that turned out pretty well.
Clean the dumbbells, press them, lower
them to your shoulders, and then lower them
to the hang. Clean them from the hang, press
them, and repeat for the desired number of
reps.
This is a great conditioner, as well as a
terrific strength builder.
See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for other
great old-school dumbbell body blasters.
6. Arched Back Pull-Ups
I teach these in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.
I'm in good company, too, because Vince
Gironda taught them in his famous North
Hollywood Gym.
Do a regular pull-up, but arch your back and try
to pull your shoulders as far back as possible at
the finish of each rep.
And try to touch your lower pec to the bar
on each rep.
Pause and hold the contracted position briefly,
then lower and repeat.
These are tough, so you may need to start
by doing singles. Or you may need to jump
up to get into the contracted posiiton, hold
it, and lower slowly -- until you build the
strength to perform regular reps.
For my money, these are way better than
doing weighted pull-ups with a rounded
back or partial range of movement.
7. Handstand Push-Ups
Another exercise I teach in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and a favorite of many old-school
champions. America's first gold medal winner in
weightlifting, Tony Terlazzo, did lots of these.
So did John Grimek, Sig Klein, Doug Hepburn
and Paul Anderson.
If you can do them free-standing, that's great.
If not, keep your feet against a wall for balance.
So there you have it. Seven great exercises for
serious strength and muscle mass.
And remember -- The Iron League is now open
for business. Head on over and join up:
http://www.ironleague.com
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 great exercises and unique ways
to perform them for maximum results, grab
these great books:
a. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
b. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
c. Strength, Muscle and Power (especially
the chapters on rack work and rest-pause
training)
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
links to my Kindle e-books -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. "It's the little things that make a huge
difference in strength training and muscle
building." -- Brooks Kubik
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