Hail to the Dinosaurs!
What are your seven favorite exercises?
The ones that give you the most bang for
your buck?
The ones you include in all of your training
programs -- and the ones you include in any
programs you work up for other people?
My list is pretty basic.
1. Squats
I prefer Olympic style high bar squats. And
yes, I'm talking about full squats. All the
way down.
To do these properly, you need to wear
Olympic lifting shoes -- and you may need
to work on your flexibility and to use light
weights until you can perform the movement
properly and safely.
2. Front squats
As an older trainee, I prefer these to back
squats. They're easier on my lower back.
Once again, strict form is a must -- and so
is a full range movement. And yes, so are
Olympic weightlifting shoes.
Note: I wear the Addidas Power Perfect II.
I get them from Bud Charniga and Todd Lyons
at Dynamic Fitness. Tell them I sent you:
http://www.dynamicfitnessequipment.com/default.asp
3. Cleans
I prefer squat cleans, but feel free to do
power cleans.
These and the next two movements are great
for building explosive power.
Good form is a must. If your clean looks like a
deadlift followed by a reverse cheat curl, there's
a problem -- and you need to fix it.
I usually combine my cleans with presses, push
presses or jerks. If you prefer to do them as
separate movements, that's fine.
You also can combine squat cleans or power
cleans with front squats.
4. Snatches
I prefer squat snatches, but you can do power
snatches if you prefer.
I never did these as a high school wrestler, and
that's a shame. They would have been great for
me.
And it's a double shame because one of our high
school coaches was a competitive Olympic weight-
lifter. I wish he had taught weightlifting to the
guys on the football and wrestling teams.
5. High pulls
You can do these with a snatch grip or a clean
grip.
High pulls are easier to learn and with a little
work anyone can do them in good form.
The main problem most guys have is to go too
heavy, and turn the movement into a slow
deadlift followed by a heave. You don't want
that. You want to do a smooth movement
that starts slow and accelerates from start
to finish.
6. Military presses
These are one of the best exercises for upper
body strength and development. John Grimek
was an American record holder in the military
press -- and even broke the World record on
two occasions (but the lifts were never submitted
as official World records). They worked pretty
well for him.
Note that you can train the clean and press as
a single exercise or as two separate movements.
Grimek thought the clean and press was the
single best exercise you could do. That's a
pretty powerful endorsement.
7. Push presses and jerks
Okay, these are two different exercises, but
they're close cousins. Some of you will prefer
one, and some of you will prefer the other.
Again, note that you can combine these with
a clean -- or perform them as separate
movements.
Of course, there are plenty of other good
exercises. But these are my personal favorites.
My Super Seven.
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 are the Kindle e-book editions of the
first three volumes in my new series of Dinosaur
Training courses:
a. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1.
"Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs"
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html
b. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,
"How Strong Are You?"
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html
c. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html
P.S. 2. For hard-copy editions of the new
courses -- or for any of my other books and
courses -- go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are tools, and
it's important to use the right tools for the job."
-- Brooks Kubik
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