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| 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
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