Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We'll talk iron in just a second, but first let
me mention that we just launched issue no.
3 of the Dinosaur Files Quarterly.
It's available right here in your choice of
hardcopy or Kindle e-book:
Hardcopy
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterlyorder.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_03_kindle.html
If you want to combine a hardcopy version of
the course with any of our other hardcopy books
or courses (or a shirt or DVD), shoot me an email
and ask for a shipping quote. We can usually save
you some clams that way. For overseas Dinos, we
can usually save many clams by shipping several
items together.
On the training front, here's a question that a reader
sent in for my interview with Bill Hinbern. We weren't
able to get to it, but it's a very common question, so
I thought I'd answer it in an email.
The reader wants to do a three-exercise program:
1. Squat
2. Clean and press
3. Deadlift
He'd include some sandbag finishers, and that
would be it.
Note: I assume this is a divided workout program
with one exercise in each workout. It would be very
hard to do all three in one workout several times a
week. Also, if you did clean and press and one or
both of the other movements, the clean and press
should come first. Always do your explosive
movements (meaning the clean, in this case)
at the beginning of your workout.
Anyhow, his question is this:
"I feel a bit guilty for not incorporating direct chest
or bicep work. Can I get a good chest workout --
biceps, too -- from these three exercises without
doing a specific bench press or curl?"
Now, I get variations of this question all the time.
Readers want to know if their arms and chest will
shrink away to nothingness if they stop doing
bench presses and curls.
So here's the answer.
1. If upper arm size is important to you, then do
curls or pull-ups once a week.
a. Pull-ups would have the added benefit of working
your lats, which would be good to do.
2. If chest size is important to you, then do bench
press, incline press or dumbbell variations of either
movement once a week -- or do some variation
of pushups.
3. If upper arm size and chest size is important to
you, then you need to train these muscles.
a. Otherwise, you'll fret and worry that you are
losing size, and that will just derail your entire
program.
b. Why make things harder for yourself?
4. If upper arm size and chest size is NOT that
important to you, then you can either do the
direct arm and chest work or skip it, as you
prefer.
5. Note that many oldtimers never did any bench
pressing or curling -- and they did fine.
a. You also have many oldtimers who never did
bench presses. John Grimek is a good example --
he never did bench presses, but he was the best
developed man of his generation -- and one of
the strongest.
6. Most Olympic lifters don't do bench presses or
direct arm work, and they do fine, as well.
7. In most cases, the guys who ask the question
should do some direct arm and chest work --
because the mere fact that they are asking
the question suggests that they will worry
that they are "getting smaller" if they don't
include those exercises -- even if they're
actually growing like weeds from the heavy
leg and back work.
a. Remember, 90% of the physical game is a
mental game.
b. See 3(a) and (b) above.
8. Some trainees (especially older trainees)
have shoulder issues that make bench pressing
difficult or impossible for them. If that's the
case, do incline bench work or pushups or
just stick to overhead presses.
9. Always remember that your current program
is not what you will be doing for the rest of your
life.
10. In other words, you can skip direct arm and
chest work for a couple of months, and then
work it back into your program. Problem
solved!
And that's the answer to a very common question.
I hope it helps. If anyone has additional thoughts,
send them on in.
And remember to grab issue no. 3 of The Dinosaur
Files Quarterly! It's a great issue.
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 issue no. 3 of
the Dinosaur Files Quarterly:
Hardcopy
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterlyorder.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_03_kindle.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to my other Kindle e-books -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Focus on leg and back
work, and fill in the rest of your workout as needed.
You'll do fine." -- Brooks Kubik
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