A Halloween Treat for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's Halloween, and that means that "Trick
or treat!" is the phrase of the day.

So I wanted to update you on a special
treat we are preparing for the Dino Nation.

We had hoped to announce it on Friday,
but we're going to have to wait until
Monday.

It's new and different -- and it's something
we've never done before.

It's also something that many of you have
been asking about. It's definitely something
that you want us to do.

And I think you're really going to like it.

There's still a bit more work to do to get
everything finished and ready to go. But
Monday is the BIG DAY -- so be looking
for my email on Monday -- and be ready
to take immediate action!

In the meantime, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Make it a good one -- a fun one -- and
a safe one.

And if you train today or tomorrow, make
that a good one, too!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

Something New -- Be Looking for It!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I wanted to give you a very quick heads
up.

We have something new and a bit different
for you. I think you're really going to like it.

Stay tuned for for the big announcement.

If all goes well, we'll be launching it
tomorrow.

Be on the lookout -- and be prepared to
take immediate action as soon as you get
my email!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Bench Press Questions

John Davis completes a heavy jerk at Muscle Beach "back in the day."  Davis always did plenty of heavy bench presses as part of his Olympic lifting workouts.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

For some reason, I've been getting a ton
of bench press questions lately. So let's
cover some of them.

Q. Is it better to pause the bar at your chest,
or use a drop, bounce and rebound so you
can handle more weight?

A.The pause style is better. It's much stricter,
and it's much harder. And if you intend to enter
powerlifting or bench press competition, it's
what you'll be doing in the contest.

The drop, bounce and rebound is a way
of cheating. You can handle more weight,
but it's because you're cheating, not because
you're getting stronger.

Q. What's the best assistance exercise for
the bench press?

There are three movements that are particularly
good.

One is the bottom position bench press in the
power rack. You can do it with the pins set so
the bar is brushing your chest at the bottom
of the movement -- or two inches above the
chest -- or four inches -- or six inches. This
helped my bench press more than anything
I ever did.

Do singles in the bottom position bench press.

The second movement is the close grip bench
press. By close grip, I mean a slightly less
than shoulder width grip. Do sets of five.

The third exercise is the seated press on a
very high incline bench. Do these in the power
rack with the pins set so you can start from the
chest. Do singles.

Upper back work is also very important for
bench pressing. So are heavy curls -- emphasis
on heavy. The back work and the curls help to
balance out the pushing exercises. Don't
neglect them.

Q. I know you were a National bench press
champion and record holder. Can you give me
specific tips on bench pressing technique?

I've done a complete bench press course that
covers this topic in detail. It's available at
John Wood's Iron league site -- along with
tons of other great stuff:

http://www.ironleague.com/

Q. Where can I find a good training program
for powerlifting and the bench press?

I've put together a terrific power rack program
that will be perfect for you. It's in book 1 in
my Dinosaur Training Strength Archive series:
Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

This is NOT a bench press only course -- it's a
complete guide to buiklding all-around strength
and power, but it includes exactly the kind of
bench press work that helped me win five
National championships in the bench press.
If you're looking to build strength and power,
this program will do it.

There are more questions, but we'll have to save
them for another time.

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 almost forgot. I have more power rack
training tips -- and more about bench press
and powerlifting workouts -- in Strength,
Muscle and Power:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
links to all of my Dinosaur Training e-books --
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Hard, heavy
and basic." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Do You Do the Basic Six for Strength and Muscle Building?

The original York Big 10 Special built tons of strength, muscle and health.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk about
the Basic Six.

1. Strength Matters

I was interviewed recently on the Strength
Matters podcast, and I think you'll enjoy it.

Here's part 1 of the interview:

http://www.strengthmatters.tv/smp-56-hail-to-the-dinosaurs/

Be sure to give the little monster a five
star rating -- and leave a comment!

And please shoot me an email and let
me know how you like the show.

2. E-Book Bundles

Amazon is offering the first three e-books
in the Dinosaur Training Secrets series in
one bundle -- so you can buy all three with
one purchase. That's great, because it's
faster than ever -- and that leaves more
time for heavy training:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016QAEIQE/ref=series_rw_dp_sw


As always, be sure to rank our e-books
after you buy them -- and leave a brief
review. The reviews help us enormously.

3. Do You Do the Basic Six?

It was almost 50 years ago when a
skinny kid with thick glasses found
a magic book in the library.

It was written by a man named Myles
Callum. (No relation to John McCallam,
who wrote the popular "Keys to Progress"
series in Strength and Health.)

The title of the book was Body-Building
and Self Defense.

It was written in 1962 and published
by Barnes and Noble. It must have been
pretty popular, because it went through
at least eight printings.

Now, if you haven't already guessed it,
that skinny kid was me. And you're
reading this because that little book
got me started in the Iron Game.

I recently found a copy of it, and went
back and re-read it. The advice stands
up pretty well.

For example, the weight training section
of the book features "The Basic Six." These
were the six best exercises -- the ones that
did the most for you, and the ones that
would give you a complete total body
workout. Callam urged his readers to
focus on these six exercises.

What were they?

Here's the list, exactly the way that Callam
presented it:

1. The bench press is the best single
exercise for chest development. It builds
up the pectoral muscles, frontal deltoids
and triceps.

2. The military press develops the arms
(triceps) and shoulders.

3. Squats are the best-known leg developers.
Squats are excellent for building up the thighs,
lungs and rib cage.

4. The rowing motion builds a strong back by
developing the latissimus dorsi muscles,
trapezius and rear deltoids.

5. Curls are the famous biceps-builders,
essential for strong arms.

6. Deadlifts take care of the all-important
lower back muscles, or spinal erectors.

So here we are today -- 53 years after the
publication of Callam's book -- and the Basic
Six is still a darn good list of exercises. In
fact, you'd be hard pressed to come up
with a better list of six movements!

So if you know anyone who needs to get
started the right way -- or who needs to
get back to the basics and start gaining
again -- be sure to tell him (or her) about
the Big Six.

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. Chalk and Sweat has 50 hard-hitting
workouts built around the basic exercises
that are so effective for strength and
muscle building. Go here to grab a copy:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses --
and links to my e-books on Kindle --
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Good advice
stands the test of time." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Yes, I'm a Garage Gorilla!

Rich Abbott pulls a heavy deadlift.  Rich began his training career at the American College of Modern Weightlifting -- a garage gym in Akron, Ohio that produced World and Olympic Champion, Pete George.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yes, I admit it. I'm a garage gorilla.

I often write about celler dwellers and
garage gorillas -- meaning Dinos who
train in their home gyms. That includes
quite a few of you. And it includes me,
as well.

There are many reasons to train at home.
Here are some of mine:

1. No distractions.

1A. Meaning no talk radio, no television,
no talking, no bros doing bro stuff, no
pumpers doing curls in the power rack,
no one chattering on their cell phone,
and no talking about bodybuilding, the
latest and greatest super supplement
or  the new super roidskie that can put
(they claim) 27 inches on your upper
arms in just two hours.

1B. "Distraction is a physical culturist's
worst enemy." Bradley J. Steiner

2. Better concentration.

2A. Intense, focused concentration is one
of the keys to strength training success.

3. Better bars.

3A. Most gyms have second or third rate
bars. Some are so bad that you really
don't want to use them -- and you
definitely don't want to load them
heavy.

4. Better equipment. Meaning better quality
equipment. Too many gyms spend big bucks
on the silly stuff that gets people in the door
(e.g., cardio theater), and then they don't
have money for the kind of heavy duty bars
and power racks a  Dino needs.

5. The EXACT equipment you need -- most
of which is not going to be found at a gym:

high quality Olympic bar

lifting platform

bumper plates

super-strong power rack

sandbags

thick bars

farmers' walk implements

rocks

barrels

grip tools

6. No drugs, no super supplements and
no bad advice.

7. No one will kick you out of the gym for
using chalk, grunting or doing heavy
deadlifts.

8. Music. I get to pick it. Or no music if
I prefer no music that day.

9. Better posters on the wall: John Grimek,
Steve Stanko, John Davis, Doug Hepburn,
Reg park, etc.

A. The posters we include with hard copy
orders for books and courses are pretty
good for your home gym.

10. I can do exactly what I want, how I
want, when I want. And at age 58, having
trained for almost 50 years, I'm entitled.

Of course, if you train at a gym you can
always make it work -- you just need to
work really hard to stay focused, and you
need to rev up your powers of concentration.

You also need to avoid the negative people,
the doubters, the naysayers, the talkers,
the whiners, the complainers, and the folks
who want to argue with you about everything
you do.

Anyhow, that's why I train at home.

Oh -- there's one more reason.

It's exactly 27 steps from the garage to the
back door -- and Trudi has dinner ready for
me after I train!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

1. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur
Bodyweight training are great additions to
your training program:

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

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

2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with
links to all of my e-books on Kindle:

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

3. Thought for the Day: "I train alone, but
I always train with the Dinos." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Dinosaur Diet (with Photos)

 

Dinosaur Lunch (the Movie).

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several readers have asked me to share
a typical daily menu here at Dino Head-
quarters.

"Tel us what you eat in a typical day," they
say. "Including the in-between meal snacks."

So here goes.

First of all, there are no in-between meal
snacks. Three meals a day is more than
enough for this 58-year old Dino.

Also, there are no protein shakes or
blender bombers or pre-workout energy
drinks. I get my nutrition from real food.
Real food is cheaper, tastier, and much
healthier.

Note that everything other than salmon
comes from our backyard or our favorite
farmer's market -- meaning that we buy
our food directly from local growers. That's
good for the local economy, and helps
assure that we have local sources of
fresh, high quality food.

Our food is chemical-free and "organic"
in the true sense of the word. Grass-fed
beef, eggs from free-range, scratch in
the dirt chickens, veggies grown in
compost (rather than with chemicals),
etc.

It's affordable because we buy local
and we buy directly from the growers.
There's no middle man. My food dollars
go to the local farmer or grower, and to
no one else.

I eat a low-carb diet, and I don't eat any
grains or dairy products. Sometimes I
have rice with dinner, but usually I skip
it.

Anyhow, here's a typical daily menu:

Dinosaur breakfast.

Breakfast

4 eggs, scrambled or cooked in an omelet

Bacon (from pastured pork, minimally
processed)

one or two very small potatoes

salad made from mixed greens or sliced
tomatoes, cucumbers or radishes

coffee

Note: I usually mix the potato and the bacon
with the eggs, and serve the other veggies on
the side.

Dinosaur lunch.

Lunch

8 - 12 oz. ground beef patties

large green salad

in season treat: sliced apple or other locally
grown fresh fruit on the salad

Note: I don't use salad dressing, but
sometimes I put some olive oil and
fresh lemon juice on the salad.

water and coffee

Dinosaur dinner.

Dinner

8 - 12 oz. beef, pork or wild salmon

Note: the price of salmon has gone through
the roof, so we'll be sticking to locally raised
beef and pork unless and until it comes back
down.

salad (same as lunch)

1 or 2 cooked vegetables

1 glass red wine

water

And that's it.  Tons of nutrition, lots of flavor,
and it's all fast and easy to prepare.

You can read more about my daily diet, and
how I use real food to build lifelong strength
and health in Knife, Fork, Muscle.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter and
Instagram, and friend me on Facebook for
photos of my meals -- and other fun stuff.
You can find me at "Brooks Kubik" or by
using #brookskubik or #dinosaurtraining.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle in
the hard copy edition:

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

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in a
series of four Kindle e-books. Go here to grab
the first three books in the series -- and note
that Kindle bundles them now, so you can
grab all three with one purchase by clicking
on the photo that shows all three books:

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 2

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html 

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_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: "Real food builds real
muscle." -- Brooks Kubik

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

A Very Good Reason to Keep On Training!

Brooks Kubik hitting it hard -- with the famous Double Rope Staggered Grip Pull-ups featured in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. 
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're my age or older, and you started
training in your teens, you probably knew
plenty of people who told you not to do it.

Your doctor didn't want you to lift weights.

Your coaches didn't want you to lift weights.

Your parents didn't want you to lift weights.

They thought it was bad for you.

They believed that weight training would
make you slow, clumsy, stiff and muscle-
bound.

It would ruin your joints, wreck your knees
and destroy your spine.

You would "pull" your muscles, develop a
hernia, and ruin your chances for having
children.

You would harm your heart, develop high
blood pressure, and probably die of a heart
attack at an early age.

That was the conventional wisdom of the
time.

Those of us who ignored the advice to "STOP
IT!" learned that weight training made us
bigger, stronger, and -- somehow -- healthier.

If we kept training, we eventually realized
that we were bigger, stronger, healthier and
much younger looking than our peers. If
you're age 50 or older and you've been
training for your entire life and you go to
a high school reunion you know exactly
what I mean.

And now, somewhat late in the game,
science is catching up to us.

There's a new report of a study of 8,677
men, conducted over a period of more
than 20 years.

The researchers monitored the men's health,
including their muscular strength.

The results turned the conventional wisdom
right on its head.

Get this -- the men who did regular weight
training and had the highest levels of muscular
strength were between 30 and 40 percent less
likely to die from cancer than their non-training
peers.

Now, that's pretty amazing. I don't know of
anything, other than not smoking, that has
that kind of protective effect.

So keep on doing what you love. Keep on
hitting the iron -- and hit it hard, heavy and
often -- because you were right all along:

It really IS good for 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. Strength, Muscle and Power will teach you
how to build exactly that -- along with lifelong
health and fitness:

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron is the number one
book about successful strength trainlng for
older Dinos:

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

For the best in old-school bodyweight training --
and how to combine it with barbell and dumbbell
training -- grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to my Dinosaur Training e-books on Kindle --
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's always best to
start young, and keep at it. But whatever your
age, start NOW if you need to start -- and keep
at it!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

Answers to Your Training Questions

The Dinosaur Files Quarterly is a great resource for Dinosaurs. It's available in your choice of hard copy or Kindle e-book.  It comes out every three months.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions from
Dinos around the world, and thought I'd
share some of them with you -- along
with my answers.

1. You're a former bench press champion
and record holder. Why don't you write a
course about bench pressing?

A. I just wrote a long course on the bench
press. But I don't sell it. It's only available
at The Iron League, which is a terrific new
member's only strength training archive
developed by my good friend, John Wood.

I've also allowed John to upload five of my
original Dinosaur Training DVD's, as well 
as all seven of my Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training DVD's. They're not all available
yet, but several are. And in the meantime,
there's a ton of other great stuff at The
Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

As you can tell, I'm a very big supporter
of what John is doing with the Iron League.
It's a terrific resource for serious strength
trainers and Iron Slingers.  One fellow
Dino has called it "The Library of
Congress of Strength."

2. When you outline a program where the
trainee does 5 x 5 with one heavy set, what
weight do you use on the warm-up sets? If
the top set is 100%, what are the percentages
for the warm-up sets?

A. Try 60/70/80/90/100 percent. If you are
doing an exercise like squats or deadlifts where
you need to start lighter and do more warm-up
sets, then try 30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100
percent.

3. I dropped off your email list. What happened?

A. I don't know. People sometimes drop off the
list and we don't know why. It's either something
to do with our email service or its something at
your end. One reader changed mobile devices
recently, and doesn't get the emails any more.

I send emails every day other than Sunday, so
if you miss an email, there's a glitch somewhere.

Go to my website and sign back up -- and check
your junk mail settings, because they change
sometimes and you may need to put us on
your white list.

As a back-up, I post every email I send at the
Dinosaur Training Blog. If you miss an email, go
to the Blog to catch up. You can access the Blog
from my website. Email me if you can't find the
link.

I'm also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at
"Brooks Kubik." I share links to my blog posts
on Facebook and Twitter, so those are great
ways to stay in contact. Look for #brookskubik
or #dinosaurtraining.

4. I'm a young woman. How should I get started
in strength training?

A. Women can and should train exactly the same
as men. See Chalk and Sweat, and Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1 and 3 for training
programs for beginners.

5. Which is better for upper body muscle mass --
the bench press or the push press?

A. The bench press will build more mass, but
the push press will build more power and is a
better movement for athletes in most sports.
That said, don't do one or the other. Do BOTH!


6. What do you weigh now? Are you trying to
gain or lose weight? What do you eat?

About 210. I am trying to get down to 206 pounds
so I can compete in the 94 kilo class in Masters
Weightlifting.  At my age (58) it's important to
train for strength and power, but it's just as
important to keep your weight under control.

My diet is meat, eggs, fish and veggies, including
tons of fresh salads, and small amounts of fruit.
We try to use local, in-season food from our
favorite farmers market.

For details, see Knife, Fork, Muscle. For photos
of my meals, see my Facebook and Instagram
pages (at "Brooks Kubik" or #brookskubik or
#dinosaurtraining. You'll see a lot of fresh
green stuff in these photos.

7. Do you like body rows with rings?

A. Yes, and I cover them in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- along with tons of other great exercises
with rings (and with ropes, as well). Many Dinos
like body rows better than any other rowing
exercise.

There have been about a hundred more
questions this week, but we'll have to leave it
at seven for now.

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 Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, Knife Fork Muscle and my
new Dinosaur Training Secrets courses:

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

P.S. 2. Remember to check out The Iron
League -- it's really good:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "There's never one
RIGHT way to do something -- but there are plenty
of WRONG ways." -- Brooks Kubik

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

How to Develop and Maintain the Training Habit!

Frank Gotch - Old-school Wrestling Champion.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A 58-year old reader asked a question about
warm-up sets, and also mentioned that he is
trying to get back into his training after a long
lay-off of about three years or so.

He said he is starting to fall into a pattern of
training for awhile, and then laying off for a
long time before getting back into it.

He starts training, trains for a month or so,
and then stops -- and doesn't get back into
it for a couple of years. This has happened
several times. He wonders what he can
do to stop the cycle.

So I thought I'd tackle both questions in a
couple of emails. This is the first one.

Step one is to start training again -- and to
keep on training WITHOUT FAIL (meaning NO
MISSED WORKOUTS) until training becomes
a HABIT.

We used to refer to training programs and
training schedules and training routines.
The words "program," "schedule" and
"routine" are not accidental word choices.
They mean something. They mean that
you need to train on a consistent and
regular basis.

To do that, you need to train on a regular
basis, without any back-sliding or missed
workouts -- and you need to do it long
enough to make training a regular part
of your life.

And here's the good news: it only takes
30 days to establish the pattern.

That's just four weeks of regular training.

From there, you simply re-enforce the
pattern. Again, it doesn't take long. Two
months should do it.

So I want our on again, off again Dino to
follow a simple program that he can
stick to like gorilla glue for ther next 30
days -- and for the next 60 days after
that.

In short, I want him to get back into the
training habit -- and the success habit.

To get there, I'd like him to make it very
easy to train, and very hard to come up
with an excuse to miss a workout.

I'd like him to train three times a week.
More than that is too much, and won't
give him adequate time for recovery.
Less than that is too infrequent to make
training a regular part of his life.

He's been doing a total body workout
where he does 8 to 10 different exercises.

I'd like him to change to a three-day per
week divided workout program. That will
make each workout shorter and faster,
and still allow adequate time for his
warm-up and warm-up sets. At age 58,
he needs to be doing a good warm-up,
followed by several progressively heavier
warm-up sets on each exercise.

I want him to use the 5 x 5 system on all
of his exercises, and to do four progressively
heavier warm-up sets and one top set on
each exercise.

He should start light and easy and add a
small amount of weight to the bar on each
exercise every week for the first four to
six weeks -- and add weight every two
weeks for the next six weeks.

His program should look like this:

Mon

1. General warm-up

2. Military press or DB press 5 x 5

3. Back squat or front squat 5 x 5

4. Gut work -- 2 sets, low to medium reps

Wed

1. General warm-up

2. Bench press (barbell or DB) or incline
press (BB or DB) 5 x 5

3. Pull-downs, pull-ups, barbell bent-over
rowing or one-hand dumbbell rowing 5 x 5

4. Neck work with a headstrap or neck
isometrics -- two sets

Fri


1. General warm-up

2. Bent-legged deadlift with regular bar or
Trap Bar 5 x 5

3. Barbell or dumbbell curl 5 x 5

4. Close grip bench press 5 x 5

5. Grip work -- 2 or 3 sets

That's a good training program that will
build some serious strength and muscle
very quickly -- but each workout is short
and simple and it's really hard to look in
the mirror and say, "I'm too tired to train"
or "I don't have time to train."

Our trainee probably needs to clean up his
diet and optimize his nutrition. He should
read Knife, Fork, Muscle and follow the
advice it contains. If he needs to lose
weight, he should try the diet in Gray
Hair and Black Iron.

Our trainee also should start reading the
Dinosaur Files Quarterly -- because each
issue contains articles from trainees just
like him -- who have found ways to keep
on training no matter what obstacles they
face. Their stories are motivating, inspiring,
and educational. They'll help him stick to
his training when things get tough.

The Dinosaur Files Quarterly -- a goldmine of information, inspiration and motivation.

After all, if someone else facing serious
obstacles can still find time to train, SO
CAN YOU!

In 90 days, our trainee will look and feel
like a new man -- and he'll be back to
regular training for the rest of his life!

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 Gray Hair and Black Iron
and Knife, Fork, Muscle -- as well as the
Dinosaur Files Quarterly. Go here to grab
them:

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

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

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

P.S. 2 My other books and courses -- and
links to all of my e-books on Kindle -- are
right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Start now, and
make sensible strength training a regular part
of your life." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Dumbbell presses were one of John Grimek's favorite exercises.

 
Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Training Strength
Archive

We have a new e-book for you at our
Amazon Kindle page:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

This is the e-book version of book 1
in my new series, The Dinosaur Training
Strength Archive, which collects the best
of my articles from the original Dinosaur
Files monthly newsletter that I began
publishing way back in 1997.

If you prefer hard-copy, go here to
grab it:

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

2. Indian Clubs

We've been talking a bit about Indian Clubs,
and many readers have asked where to get
them and what weight to use.

Get the one pound clubs -- that's all you
need -- and get them from John Wood:

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

3. Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Shoulder problems are very common among
trainees of any age, and in particular, among
older trainees.

Some of that is due to age-related wear and
tear -- some to dings and dents going back
to an old accident or injury --  and some to
our modern lifestyle where we spend so much
time hunched over a keyboard.

But some of it is the direct result of the
exercises we do.

Like it or not, some exercises are very
tough on our shoulders.

Here are the seven exercises that seem to
cause or contribute to shoulder problems
more often than any others:

1. The Pull-over Torso machine

The original version of the Nautilus pull-
over torso machine had an enormous
range of motion, and pulled your upper
arm way back behind your head -- which
led to serious problems for many trainees.

You weren't stretching the muscles in that
position. You were literally pulling the
shoulder joint apart on every rep.

I believe that later models of the pull-over
torso machine use a reduced ROM -- but
I think back to the problems the original
machine caused for me, and I say, "Thanks,
but no thanks."

2. Straight Arm Pull-overs

Same problem if you do these with heavy
weight. If you do them with very light weight
and use them solely as a chest expansion
exercise after your squats, that's okay --
just don't go crazy with the stretch!

3. Bent Arm Pull-overs

Same problem. Skip them.

4. Parallel Bar Dips

Some trainees can do these with no problem,
and others have hurt themselves badly by
doing dips. The problem seems to be when
you go too low. That deep stretch position
may feel like you're hitting the deep fibers
of the chest, but you're over-stretching
your shoulder joints every time you do it.

If you MUST do dips, don't go too low -- and
don't drop and bounce!

5. The press behind neck

I used to love the press behind neck. It's a
great shoulder builder -- but it, too, can lead
to shoulder problems. Skip it, and stick to
military presses and dumbbell presses.

6. Behind the neck pull-downs

These were hugely popular when I was a
kid, but there's not much point in doing them.
They're not a very good exercise, and they're
very hard on the shoulders. Pull-downs and
pull-ups to the chest are much safer and
more effective.

7. McDonald Bar Bench Presses

The McDonald Bar is a special bench press bar
that allows you to lower your elbows way far
down on each rep. The idea is that the increased
ROM stimulates more muscle fibers. In fact, it
over-stretches the shoulder joints.

There you have it. Seven shoulder wreckers.

Do yourself a big favor, and replace them with
other, safer and more effective exercises.

And yes, dumbbell flies and pec dec squeezes
almost made the list -- except I doubt that many
Dinos ever do them.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Many Dinos have found that Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training is easier on their shoulders than
anything else:

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.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: "Train hard, but
train smart. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

This has been one of our best-sellers this month -- and with good reason. It's a great book!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Top Tips on Effective Warm-ups for Dinosaurs!

Bob Hoffman performing a hip lift with the World's Biggest Dumbbell, owned by legendary strongman Warren Lincoln Travis, who stands watching with interest. I hope Hoffman warmed up before trying this lift!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week we talked about stretching, and
whether it was good or bad for you.

I noted that when I was in high school,
stretching was the big deal in athletics.
The coaches had us to all sorts of stretches
before and after every practice and every
competition. It was supposed to prevent
injuries.

That theory has pretty much fallen by the
wayside over the years.

We've learned several important things,
and they've made coaches change what
they do.

Here's what we now know:

1. Too much stretching lowers a muscle's
strength and power potential -- so it's
NOT a good idea to do tons of stretching
before a heavy workout (or a football game
or a wrestling match or anything else
where strength and power is important).

2. Stretching can injure a "cold" muscle
or its attachments.

3. You get a better and fuller stretch when
the muscles and joints are warmed up and
looser.

For all of these reasons, most coaches
now have their athletes do stretching at
the end of a workout or a practice rather
than before.

Of course, some of us do need some
stretching before we train, usually for
a particular joint that needs extra work
to warm up and get loose. For example,
I always stretch my ankles before a
workout.

But most of my warming up follows
these general guidelines:

1. The best way to prepare for a workout
(or a practice or a competition) is to do a
warm-up that involves light movements
rather than the static stretches we did
"back in the day".

a. For example, you might prepare for a
squatting or deadlifting workout by doing
deep knee bends with no added weight.

b. Or you might do squats, front squats
or overhead squats with a length of PVC
pipe or broomstick.

c. Or you might use light Indian clubs to
loosen up your shoulders and upper back
before hitting the iron.

2. Do enough warming-up so that the joints
and the muscles are ready for the heavier
stuff, but don't do so many reps that you
start to have a pump. It's a warm-up, not
a workout. Five to ten deep knee bends (or
several sets of five to ten) may be all it
takes.

a. I usually do sets of three to five reps in
the overhead squat with a broomstick as
part of my warm-up. That's light and easy,
of course, but it does the trick.

3. Start light and perform the specific
exercise or lift you are planning to work --
and use a series of progressively heavier
warm-up sets performed in perfect form
to prepare you for the heavy stuff.

a. Remember that many or most top
weightlifters will start with the empty
bar for their first warm-up set -- even
if they work up to world-class weights
for their final sets.

4. Older trainees need more warming up
than younger trainees.

a. The older you get, the more time you
need to devote to your warm-ups.

b. At age 58, I now spend about 20
minutes on warm-ups before I even
touch the barbell -- and then I begin
with warm-up sets with the empty bar.

5. If you have time to train, you have time
to do a proper warm-up.

6. During the warm-up, concentrate deeply
on what you are doing. Don't just "run
through" the warm-up movements and the
warm-up sets. FOCUS on them.

a. Use the warm-up to help shift from the
everyday world we live in to the inner
universe we lift in.

7. Concentration and focus means no talking,
no goofing around, no distractions and (gasp!)
no social media.

And that's my take on warming-up. It's not
complicated, but it's not like the stuff the
coaches had us do 40 years ago.

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. We had a three way tie for our most
popular books last week:

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Knife, Fork, Muscle

http://www.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: "Train smart,
and as you grow older, train smarter."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Physical Culture Radio

Abe Boshes, old-school champion.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I do a regular weekly podcast with Carl Lanore, the founder of SuperHuman Radio. It's called Physical Culture Radio, and it's live at 12:00 EST on Thursdays.  If you miss the live show, you can listen to the podcast at your convenience.

Here's  a link to last week's show:

http://superhumanradio.com/shr-1739-physical-culture-radio-indian-clubs-the-10-000-kicks-rule-stretching-friend-or-foe-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-apples.html

Hope you enjoy it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

How a 75-Year Old Veteran Saved 16 Children

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I did a podcast yesterday with the guys from
Strength Matters. I'll send a link as soon as
they put it on line.

During the podcast, I was talking about the
importance of training for real world strength
and physical ability -- as opposed to just
looking good in the mirror.

I noted that being strong and well-conditioned
can literally save your life -- or allow you to save
someone' else's life.

I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but I also
know that it's true. It's happened to me, and it's
happened to other Dinosaurs.

It also happened to a man named James Vernon.

And the funny thing is, I read about this right
after the podcast.

James Vernon is a 75-year old hero.

On October 15, he was in his local library.  It was
3:25 in the afternoon. As you might expect, there
were plenty of children in the library, along with
some mothers who there with the younger kids.

In fact, there were 16 children in the library.

Suddenly, a 19-year old man bursts into the
library, brandishing two hunting knives.

"I'm going to kill some people!" he shouts.

He steps forward -- but James Vernon steps
in front of him, shielding all of the children.

He tries to talk the guy down -- but as he does,
he's watching carefully, and nothing that the
armed man is right handed . . .

And when the man suddenly attacks him,
James Vernon is ready.

And that's when his military combat training
kicks in.

Training that he received more than 50 years
earlier.

Remember, he's 75.

The armed attacker is 19.

"First rule of combat: be fast and vigorous,"
Vernon said later.

He blocked the knife slash, and although he
sustained some bad cuts on his hands and
arm, he managed to grab the attacker --
and throw him onto a wooden table.

Meanwhile, the children and their mothers
run out the back door to safety.

The attacker's left arm is pinned under his
body as he lies on the table.

Vernon holds him down and smashes his
right collor-bone with hard closed hand
blows -- until the man drops the knife
from his right hand.

Vernon is bleeding badly, but he holds
the man down until help arrives.

And he ends up saving 16 children.

That makes James Vernon a true American
hero -- and it demonstrates very clearly that
you never know what can happen -- and that
it pays to be ready for anything.

Here's a link to a newspaper story about
it -- with a photo of James Vernon. You
might want to leave a comment for him.
I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

http://www.pekintimes.com/article/20151015/NEWS/151019593

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 want to be ready for anything,
Dinosaur Training will do the job:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters -- along with
links to all of my e-books on Kindle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train like your life
depended on it -- because someday it might."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

A Gold Medal Tip for Healthy Shoulders

The Dinosaur Dungeon. Note the Indian clubs back against the far wall.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a gold medal training tip for
shoulder health.

I call it a gold medal tip because I
got it from Tommy Kono -- and Tommy
Kono is a two-time Olympic gold medal
winner and six-time World champion in
weightlifting.

We were talking about the neoprene
knee sleeves that so many lifters use
to help sore knees. Tommy invented
them back in the 1960s. The first ones
were made from an old scuba suit.

I told Tommy that the knee sleeves had
probably saved more lifting careers than
anything else ever invented -- and then
I said, "I wish there was something
similar for the shoulders."

"Do you have shoulder problems?" he
asked.

"I do," I said. "I hurt my right shoulder
when I was in high school, and it's
bothered me ever since."

"Well, I know something that might help,"
he said. "It's something that I do every
day. It's really good for the shoulders."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Indian clubs," said Tommy.

"Indian clubs?"

"That's right. I swing them every day. They
make my shoulders feel great."

Well, as I said, that was a gold medal tip.

And you don't get too many gold medal
tips in life.

So I ordered a pair of light wooden Indian
clubs from John Wood -- and I started to
swing them -- and they've been a regular
part of my training program ever since.

In fact, I hit the iron last night -- a workout
consisting of all squat style snatches, which
require strong and flexible shoulders -- and
I started the workout with 10 minutes of
club swinging to get my shoulders nice and
loose.

It worked, too. I had a great workout.

I wish I had started to use Indian clubs when
I was a kid. They might have saved me from
some of the shoulder problems that I've had
over the years.

Still, as they say, it's better late than never.

And I'm very happy that I'm using them now.
Dinos need heavy iron -- but they also need
some light wooden Indian clubs. The clubs
are a very simple training tool -- but they
can make all the difference in the world.

And that's your gold medal tip of the day.

I hope it helps -- especially for anyone who
has nagging shoulder problems of one sort
or another.

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 bought my Indian clubs from John
Wood. The one-pounders are probably
best; if you want to go heavier, grab the
two-pounders:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's nothing
wrong with old-fashioned and simple as long
as it works." -- Brooks Kubik

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

An Update on My Training

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Couple of quick notes, and then I'll give
you an update on my current training.

No. 1 -- I'll be on Physical Culture Radio
with my co-host Carl Lanore at 12:00 noon
today (Eastern time). Catch us live or listen
to the download:

http://superhumanradio.com/

No. 2 -- I've moved into the modern age,
and you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram at "brooks kubik." I've been
posting some fun photos and videos on all
of them, so friend and follow me and don't
miss anything!

No. 3. I've been adding photos and video
to the Dinosaur Training Blog -- so go over
and take a look. For example, here's a video
of the World's Strongest English Professor
SMASHING the No. 3 gripper:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/09/meet-worlds-strongest-english-professor.html

On the training front, I wanted to give
you an update on my current training.
As longtime Dinos know, I'm currently age
58, and I'm doing 100% Olympic lifting in
my garage gym.

I've been switching back and forth between
the split style snatch and the squat style
snatch.

The split style snatch is easier on my
shoulders, but harder on my knees and
hips.

The squat style snatch is easier on my
knees and hips, but harder on my
shoulders.

When I last reported, I was doing split
style snatches -- but that's changed.

They were starting to take a toll on my
lead leg (my right leg) and my hip.

I was getting REALLY sore and stiff, and
instead of getting better over time, the
problem was getting worse.

One day I was warming up for split style
snatches and my lead leg simply said,
"No!"

So I switched to squat style snatches that
day and had a great workout.

That night, there was no pain in my leg and
hip -- and that's continued over the past few
weeks, as I've done 100% squat style lifts
and NO split style lifts.

The moral of the story is very simple:

1. Listen to your body.

2. Make intelligent corrections or changes
whenever you need to do so.

3. Don't try to work THROUGH dings and
dents -- work AROUND them.

4. The important thing is to keep on
training -- but to do it in a way that
helps rather hurts.

5. Training is an adventure -- there's
always a new challenge on the horizon.

6. The best exercises for you may (and
probably will) change over time.

7. There's good stubborn and bad
stubborn. Be good stubborn. Bad
stubburn can get you hurt, and
that's no good.

Anyhow, I've been having some GREAT,
pain-free workouts -- and I've been
enjoying the heck out of my training --
and the iron is humming and the chalk
and the sweat are flying, and all is good
at Dino Headquarters.

And I hope things are just as good for
you and for your training.

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 World's Strongest English Professor
gives you his complete grip training program
in issue no. 4 of The Dinosaur Files Quarterly:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to all of my e-books on Kindle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Always listen to
your body. It knows more than you do."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Stretching -- Friend or Foe?

Dinosaur Training's Brooks Kubik

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, stretching became the
new craze in athletics training.

The coaches were told to have all of their
athletes do plenty of stretching drills before
and after every practice and before and after
every competition.

Most of this was static stretching, where you
get into an extended position and hold it for
10 to 30 seconds -- or ballistic stretching,
where you would go close to the extended
position and then move back and forth or
up and down for 10 or 15 reps.

It was supposed to prevent injuries.

Did it work?

Darned if I know.

I remember talking to NFL Hall of Fame
coach Paul Brown one summer when I
worked a job selling popcorn and cokes
at the Cincinatti Bengals training
camp.

"I don't know about all this stretching,"
he said. "They say it's good for the players.
But I think about Jim Brown."

Jim Brown had played for Coach Brown
when he was the head coach of the
Cleveland Browns. He was the best
running back in football -- and he
finished his career with an all-time
rushing record that stood for many
years.

He also was one of the few football
players in history who ever played
his entire pro career without missing
a single game due to an injury.

He was both unstoppable and
indestructible.

"Jim Brown never did any stretching,"
said Coach Brown. "He was so tight he
couldn't put his hands any lower than
his knees when he bent over with his
legs straight."

That was interesting information -- and
it sure as heck got me thinking.

Here's something else to think about.

I've had shoulder problems since I was
in high school.

That's because I hurt my right shoulder
doing pullovers on a Nautilus Pullover
Torso machine.

Back in those days, the Pullover Torso
machine had an enormous range of
motion. Your elbows would go way
back behind your head on every rep.

They said it was good for you -- that
it would strengthen the shoulders
and help make them injury-proof.

In my case, the reverse happened.

Many trainees have similar problems
with exercises that over-stretch the
shoulder joint -- including the press
behind neck, behind the neck pull-
downs, straight arm barbell pull-
overs, flies, and bench presses with
a McDonald bench press bar.

The same thing can happen with dips.
If you go too low, you're just asking
for trouble. especially with a ton of
extra weight -- or if you bounce.

But back to the original question.

Is stretching your friend or your foe?

I'll give you my answer later in the week.

But in the meantime, let me hear from
YOU! Shoot me an email and tell me
what you think.

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 tells you how to
train for lifelong strength and health -- and how
to preserve and protect your joints:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including
links to my e-books on Kindle -- are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Start young and
keep going for the rest of your life. If you're
not young, start NOW and keep going for the
rest of your life." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Special Bonuses for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We always try to include a bonus photo when we fill hard copy orders for Dinosaur Training books and courses -- or for hard copies of the Dinosaur Files Quarterly.

It's our way of saying THANK YOU for supporting old-school, no-nonsense strength training!

Here are some of the bonus photos we've used in the past. We use different bonuses with different books and courses, and try to add new ones from time to time. Some of our long-time Dinos have a wall full of bonus photos in their home gym -- which ought to add plenty of extra weight to their lifts!

The bonuses featured above include a previously unpublished photo of John Davis performing the military press at a meet in Philadelphia back in 1940 or 1941 -- a photo of one of our Dinos lifting the legendary Inver Stone -- a photo of me after a hard workout in the garage -- and two autographed photos of John Grimek.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

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

 

The 10,000 Kicks Rule

Bernard Baron

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

After close to 30 years of writing about
strength training, and getting tons of
feedback from readers, you start to
notice certain patterns.

One thing I've noticed over the years
is that older trainees who need hip or
knee replacement surgery tend to have
similar backgrounds.

Most of them have done:

1. Martial arts (usually karate or kung fu;
hence the reference to 10,000 kicks in the
title of this message).

2. Lots of running or jogging.

3. Bicycling, swimming, or triathalons.

4. High volume weight training workouts
when they were younger. (These can be
high volume weightlifting or high volume
bodybuilding workouts.)

5. Two or more of the above.

Now, before the martial artists and runners
start sending me hate mail, let me note that
I am NOT saying that these activities are bad
or dangerous, or you shouldn't do them.

What I AM saying is that there's something
going on here, and it's something worth
looking at.

All of the activities I've mentioned involve
very high repetition or high volume workouts,
where you do the same movement hundreds
and hundreds of times.

For example, if you run five miles every day,
think of how many steps (reps) you are
doing. Thousands per week.

Running is a high rep repetitive movement --
and over time, at least for for some people, it
starts to take its toll.

It wears down the tendons and ligaments,
and sets the stage for joint problems of one
sort or another.

Trudi, for example, used to do triathalons and
mini-marathons. She now has a fused ankle
from the running.

And this is one reason why I like abbreviated
and ultra-abbreviated strength training work-
outs.

Abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated workouts
are low volume workouts.

You don't do a lot of exercises and you don't
do a lot of reps.

You also don't train every day. Instead, you
give your body time to rest and recuperate.

If you are combining strength training with
martial arts, running or any other high rep
sort of training, you will do FAR BETTER if
you use abbreviated strength training.

If you have a history of high rep work of
one sort or another, you probably will find
that abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated
workouts are MUCH EASIER on your
joints.

Similarly, if you are an older trainee -- age
35 or older, and certainly age 50 and up --
then you've done plenty of reps over the
years, and that means that abbreviated
and ultra-abbreviated training is going
to feel a heck of a lot better and be a
heck of a lot more forgiving for you.

I know that's true in my case. And based
on feedback from readers around the
world, it's true for many others.

The bottom line is this: when you hit the
iron, keep the volume under control.

Focus on quality, not quantity.

I want to see you hitting the iron for many
years to come. To get there, you need to
train smart. Get it done with the minimal
amount of wear and tear.

And that's the message for the 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. For more about abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated training, grab Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

P.S. 2. We also cover abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated training in these
terrific books:

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Chalk and Sweat

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train with passion
and precision. Make every rep count."
-- Brooks Kubik

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The Secret of Great Gains

Louis Abele

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Thirty years ago, when I trained at a
commercial gym, I noticed something
very interesting.

Most people went through the same
exact workout every time they trained.

Or, if they did a split routine, they did
the same arm and shoulder workout,
the same leg workout and the same
chest and back workout.

Same exercises, same sets, same
reps -- and same weight on the bar.

And the weight on the bar never
changed.

One guy got married and divorced
two times over a period of five or
six years. He changed wives more
often than he changed weight on
the bar.

Not surprisingly, these guys all looked
the same after a couple of years of
steady training. They never added
any appreciable muscle mass --
never got bigger, thicker and better
developed -- never looked harder
and more muscular -- never looked
stronger -- and never built any
additional strength.

They trained, but their training didn't
do anything. It was all wasted effort.

That's because they forgot one of
the most important rules of training:

Make your training progressive.

In other words, add weight to the bar
on a regular basis.

After all, they call it "Progressive Strength
Training" -- or "Progressive Resistance
Training" -- and that's because you're
supposed to make it progressive.

Of course, there are certain things you
can do that help you add weight to the
bar on a regular basis.

You need to follow a systematic approach.

You need to plan what you are going to
do -- and then you need to follow the plan.

You need to use the right balance of volume
and intensity.

You need to include heavy days, medium
days and light days.

You need to use the right number of exercises,
the right number of workouts and the right
number of working sets in any given workout.

Most importantly, you need to progress at
a sustainable rate -- so you make steady
gains for a long period of time rather than
doing the all-too-common crash and burn.

There are lots of variables -- and for maximum
results, you need to use a training system that
takes all of them into account.

For some reason, this continues to be a
problem for many trainees -- so I wrote a
complete training course that covers the
very best old-school progression methods.

It's available in your choice of hard copy or
Kindle e-book -- and it will give you everything
you need to put together a personalized
progression plan for maximum gains.

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_03.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.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 -- and links
to my other Dinosaur Training e-books on
Kindle -- are right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "You don't get to
the top of the mountain by standing in one
place." -- Brooks Kubik


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Real Food Builds Real Muscle!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so a short video clip must be worth 10,000 words or more.

Here's the haul from this morning's trip to the farmer's market.  It's pretty much food for the entire week, all of it locally grown or locally raised, and all of it 100% organic in the true sense of the word -- meaning that it comes from small growers who don't use chemicals.

This is real food -- and real food plus real training builds real muscle.

Fresh greens, spring mix, potatoes, sweet potatoes, grass fed beef, free range eggs, bacon from pastured pork,  apples, cabbage, green onions, and (of course) Dinosaur Kale.

Plus TWO bunches of flowers for Trudi. #flowers4trudi #smarthusband

For more about a healthy diet for strength training and muscle building, grab Knife, Fork, Muscle.  It's available in your choice of hard copy or a series of Kindle e-books that are available for immediate download: 

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1
(covers protein for strength training -- how much,
the best sources of hiqh quality protein, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html


Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 2
(covers healthy and unhealthy carbs, vegetables,
starchy vegetables, grains and gluten issues,
organic vs. conventional foods, gardening,
growing your own vegetables, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html


Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3
(covers healthy and unhealthy fats,
food allergies and how to avoid them,
chemical allergies and how to
avoid them, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html

We have one more e-book to finish to complete
the series. Be looking for it soon.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. If you train
today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

What One Dinosaur Learned from a Trip to the Emergency Room

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Pay careful attention because today's message
may save your life someday.

About a year ago, one of our hard-charging
Dinos asked me about some of those high-tech
super supplements. They were endorsed by
someone he respected, and they sounded
pretty good.

I told him that I don't use any supplements
other than vitamin-mineral tablets and fish
oil, and that works perfectly fine for me.

"Skip the supplements and use the money you
save to buy the highest quality food you can
find and afford," I said.

I also noted that many of the modern super
supplements come with warning labels that
read much like the warning labels for a
prescription drug.

"Don't use if you have this condition or that
condition, don't combine with this or that,
don't use if you take X or Y, etc."

Canadian labeling laws are stricter than those
in the USA, so it's a good idea to fire up the
old google and check the Canadian warning
labels. You'd be surprised at what you find.

For example, I have glaucoma (an eye disease)
and many prescription medications AND modern
supplements are contra-indicated if you have
glaucoma.

Six months ago, we had a repeat of the same
conversation. He was interested in a different
supplement. I gave him the same advice.

Last week, we had third repeat of the conversation.
Different supplement.

Same advice.

Well, I must not have been very convincing.

This morning, I woke up and found an email
with the subject line "Stupidity."

That was a bit harsh, but he's the one who
wrote it.

Long story short, he went ahead and tried
the supplement -- and ended up in the ER.

He wasn't sure what happened, but he assumed
it was a drug interaction.

Something to do with some prescription meds
he takes.

Anyhow, he asked me to let the rest of you know
about this. And I thought that was a pretty good
idea. After all, a trip to the ER is no fun.

Now, I'm not saying that you need to avoid all
supplements. That's an individual choice. You
need to make the decision.

But I am saying this: pay very close attention
to the warning labels -- and be aware of possible
interactions if you take any kind of prescription
meds -- or if you drink lots of coffee or other
products that contain caffeine -- or if you have
high blood pressure, glaucoma or any other
medical conditions.

And that's the message for today. I'm sorry if
it's not as much fun as sets and reps and heavy
iron, but it's important.

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 supplement questions -- and tons of
other important topics -- in Knife, Fork,
Muscle:

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

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in a series
of Kindle e-books. See our products page for the
links:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard and train
smart. Eat well, and eat smart." -- Brooks Kubik

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