Hail to the dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk iron.
1. The Dinosaur Files
We've gone back to a MONTHLY version
of the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- and
for the first time ever, it's available
with digital delivery. The December
and January issues are out now, and
you can grab them right here:
a. The January Dinosaur Files
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_januaryr2016.html
b. The December Dinosaur Files
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_december2015.html
2. The Iron League
John Wood's enormous archive of rare
strength training, boxing, wrestling, self
defense and physical culture books, courses
and magazines is going great guns -- and
it's a terrific resource for Dinosaurs. Go
here to check it out:
http://www.ironleague.com/
3. Some Questions About Sets and Reps
For some reason, I've been getting a lot
of questions about sets and reps. Here are
some of the most common questions -- and
my answers to them.
Q. How do I build up to doing heavy singles?
A. Do 5 x 5 for 3 months, and then do 5/4/3/2/1
or 5 x 5 followed by 1 x 3 and 1 x 1 for three
months.
Q. You always talk abouty 5 x 5 -- but what
if I need to do more warm-up sets?
A. Go ahead and do them. If it turns out to
be 6 x 5 or 7 x 5, that's fine.
Q. Does 5 x 5 mean you do five sets with your
heaviest possible weight?
A. No, it means you do a series of progressively
heavier warm-up sets followed by 3 working sets
with your top weight -- or 2 working sets -- or
one working set.
Some related points:
Over the course of a training cycle, you can
move from 3 x 5 working sets to 1 x 5.
You can do 3 x 5 in light weeks, 2 x 5 in
medium weeks, and 1 x 5 in heavy weeks.
The stronger you are, and the heavier you train,
the fewer work sets you need (or can stand).
Older trainees usually do better on one working
set in any exercise.
Squats and deadlifts usually work best with
one working set.
Q. Do heavy singles work well for all exercises?
A. They work best for squats, front squats, dead-
lifts, Trap Bar deadlifts, bottom position bench
press, bottom position squats, push presses,
military presses, cleans, snatches and the
clean and press or the clean and jerk.
Curls, shrugs, and lat exercises usually work
better with sets of five or six reps.
Gut work and grip work is best if you do sets
of 8 to 15 reps. Ditto for calf work.
Grip work varies depending on what you do.
Q. When you do heavy singles, do you lift your
maximum possible weight in your top set?
A. No, you do a series of progressively
heavier sets and work up to a weight that
is heavy, demanding and challenging -- but
not to your absolute max.
Q. Can I skip the warm-up sets to save time?
A. No, warm-up sets are important. If you
don't have time to do warm-up sets, you
don't have time to train.
Q. What is the best system of sets and reps?
A. There isn't one. The best system of sets and
reps for YOU will depend on a variety of factors,
and it will change over time. It also will vary
from exercise to exercise.
Don't agonize over finding "the best" way to
train. Find a GOOD way, and work it hard.
You'll do just fine.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more details on effective strength
training and muscle building workouts, grab
these:
a. Strength, Muscle and Power
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
b. Chalk and Sweat
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
c. The Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are available
right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you sweat
more planning your workouts than you do
when you train, there's a problem." -- Brooks
Kubik
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