Hard Work, Intelligently Applied!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Someone asked John Grimek the secret
of his success.

"Hard work," said Grimek.

That's a very good answer, and an important
message -- especially for anyone who might
be looking for an "easy" way to build strength
and muscle.

But hard work alone is not the answer.

It has to be "hard work, intelligently
applied."

In other words, you need to train hard but
smart.

The secret of smart training is to follow a
sensible and realistic progression system.
You start relatively light and easy, and
gradually increase the difficulty of your
workouts. The initial workouts help you
lay the foundation for harder and heavier
workouts later on -- and for the gains
that those workouts will bring. But you
can't just jump into the hard and heavy
stuff. You have to build up to it.

This basic principle applies to any kind of
training, and any kind of equipment.

It sounds ridiculously simple -- and some
of you may be thinking, "I already KNOW
that!" or "Why are we talking about this?"

That's a fair question. Here's the answer.

We're talking about it because most
people are too stubborn to do it. Rather
than start light and easy, and lay the
foundation for big gains down the
road, they jump into a super-demanding
and ultra-intense training program
because they think they can make
super-fast gains that way.

But the gains don't come.

Instead, the over-zealous trainee does
the "Crash and Burn." He over-trains,
goes stale, burns out -- and often injures
himself.

And I'm not just talking about beginners.
This is a mistake that experienced trainees
often make  when they come back from a
lay-off, or when they start doing a new
exercise or a new program, or when they
decide to go on some sort of special
program.

I've done it -- you've done it -- and John
Grimek did it. Everyone does it.

But you don't have to keep on doing it.
You can start training smarter -- and the
way to do it is to use old-school progression
methods with "slow cooking." Don't try for
overnight results, instant this, big arms in
21 days, 20 pounds of muscle in six weeks,
or adding 100 pounds to your PR in four
short weeks.

Take it slow. Slow and steady
is always better.

Remember, there's no such thing as
overnight results in the Iron Game. It
takes time to build serious strength and
muscle mass. That's where the "train
smart" rule comes into play.

In short, make haste slowly.

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 old-school progression in this
course -- and I think it's one of the best
and most useful courses I've ever done.
It's available in hard-copy, Kindle or PDF
with immediate digital download:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol3_digital.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

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

P.S. 3. "It takes time and effort. Don't try to
short-circuit or speed up the process. Give
Mother Nature the time she needs to do her
job." -- Brooks Kubik

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

My Favorite Dumbbell Workout

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We've been getting a ton of questions
about dumbbell training and dumbbell
workouts, so I thought I'd share my
all-time favorite dumbbell workout
with you.

I used this 20 years ago, when I was
preparing to film The Lost Art of
Dumbbell Training.

It worked pretty well. I got up to doing
the two dumbbell clean and press with
a pair of 126 pound dumbbells, a one
hand clean and push press with a 151
pound dumbbell, a one hand swing with
a 151 pound dumbbell, and a two hand
clean and push press with a pair of 131
pound thick handled dumbbells.   Those
were done at a bodyweight of 225 or
so, and I was 40 or 41 years old.

I trained three times per week, alternating
between two workouts. Workout A was
nothing but squats. I did bottom position
squats in the power rack, and either worked
up to a top single, or worked up to 5, 10 or
20 singles with a little less weight.

That was all I did in Workout A. Nothing
but squats.

Workout B was the dumbbell program. On
the one arm exercises, I would do one set
with each arm at each weight. On the two
dumbbell exercises, I would do one set at
each weight.

I trained all singles. I started light, and
worked up in 10 pound jumps to my top
weight in each exercise. Of course, the
program would work fine with doubles,
triples, fives or any other number of
low to medium reps. Or you could
start with sets of five and work up
to singles. There are many ways to
do the job.

To keep from having to spend the whole
workout changing weights, I would do one
set of all the exercises for each weight, and
then add weight and repeat the process.
As the weight increased and I maxed out
on different exercises, I would drop them
out of the rotation. Thus, at the end, with
the very heaviest weights, I would do only
the one hand swing and the one hand
clean.

I did the following exercises:

1. Two hand dumbbell clean and press
(with two dumbbells)

2. One hand dumbbell clean and press

3. One hand dumbbell swing

4. Two hand dumbbell clean and push
press (with two dumbbells)

5. One hand dumbbell clean and push
press

6. One hand dumbbell clean (optional)

And that was it. Five or six big exercises.
Fast, fun and furious -- and very effective.

I cover more dumbbell workouts in
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- in fact,
there's a total of 50 of them, along with
detailed instruction on how to perform
each exercise:

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

Anyhow, if you're looking for something
fun and effective, give this workout a try.

It worked great for me -- and I bet it would
work great for you, too.

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 the
hugely popular Dinosaur Files newsletter
with immediate digital delivery -- are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

The Dinosaur Files is available in Kindle
and PDF editions. Look for it in the Kindle
and PDF sections on our Products Page.

The most recent issue of the Dinosaur
Files is the Nov-Dec issue. We don't have
the Kindle edition out yet (but we will very
soon). You can grab the PDF edition here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Old school
dumbbell training builds serious strength
and power. Try it and see!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

Some Questions About Sets and Reps

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Files

We launched a monthly Dinosaur Files
newsletter last year, and for the first time
ever we made it available in PDF format
with electronic delivery.

If you missed them, you missed some great
training articles. But don't worry - they're
still available.

You can find all the issues from last year
right here at our products page. Look in
the section for PDF products with immediate
electronic delivery:

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

Beginning in (I believe) April 2016 we began
offering each issue of the Dinosaur Files in
your choice of PDF or Kindle editions - so if
you prefer Kindle, we've got you covered.

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 about 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:

a. Over the course of a training cycle, you can
move from 3 x 5 working sets to 1 x 5. In
other words, you do fewer heavy sets as
the weight goes up from week to week.

You can do 3 x 5 in light weeks, 2 x 5 in
medium weeks, and 1 x 5 in  heavy weeks.

b. The stronger you are, and the heavier you
train, the fewer work sets you need (or can
stand).

c, Older trainees usually do better on one working
set in any exercise.

d. 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 neck 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.

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 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

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

The 70 Percent Workout

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Note: Here's one from a year ago. I
think the message is very important,
so I wanted to share it again. Also,
it's something I do regularly now -
and it'as been working very well for
the past year.)

I had one of my best workouts of the
year last night.

I went out to the garage, warmed up,
got nice and loose, and then did a
series of progressively heavier singles
in the clean and jerk.

I did squat cleans and power jerks.

Long story short, I ended up doing 22
pounds more than I had planned to do.
And I hit my top weight not once, but
twice. Once to lift it -- and the second
time to reenforce the successful lift.
(That's a Tommy Kono trick, and a
good one.) (Note: these were two
singles, not a double.)

And the top weights actually felt light.

My form was perfect through the entire
workout. As the weights got heavier, my
form and speed got better and better.

And there was a reason for this.

The last two workouts before this one
were light workouts. In one of them, I
did snatches to 70 percent of my one rep
max. In the other, I did cleans to 70
percent of my one rep max. In each
workout I did five singles with the 70
percent weight.

I took the light workouts because I had
been training extra hard and heavy, and
I was getting a bit sore and beat up. I
needed a bit of a break from the heavy
training.

And it worked pretty well.

The seventy percent workout is an
excellent idea for older trainees. It's
particularly good for Olympic lifting,
because you can drill form and
technique on the light day. But it
works well for any older trainee,
no matter what exercises you
perform.

You can follow a simple cycling system
similar to those outlined in Gray Hair
and Black Iron, or you can follow the
Light, Medium Heavy system outlined
in Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vols. 1
and 3. There's no one way to do it.

The important thing is to include some
light workouts that allow you to recover
mentally and physically from the harder
and heavier workouts. They'll set the
stage for some great workouts -- just
like they did for me last night!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 2. We also have a great new mini-course
that covers effective training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/minicourse_01.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Every step takes
you closer to your destination -- even the little
ones." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Looking Ahead to the New Year!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Like many of you, I'm looking ahead to the
New Year.

In other words, I'm sharpening my pencils
and scribbling notes on paper as I outline
my workouts for the coming year.

Most people think about "resolutions" for
New Year.

I don't.

I think about training programs.

With the right training program, good things
happen.

Of course, the right program starts with the
right kind of goals. You start by establishing
your goals for the coming year, and then you
design a program to achieve them.

What do I mean by "the right kind of goals"?

The right kind of goals are:

1. Realistic, but challenging.

2. Difficult, but not impossible.

3. Not too hard, and not too difficult.

4. Objective and measurable.

a. Poundage goals or other performance
based goals are best.

5. Easy to put into words, such as:

a. I want to press my bodyweight.

b. 300/400/500.

c. I want to gain 20 pounds of muscle.

e. I want to lose 30 pounds of flab.

f. I want to set a new state record in the
squat.

g. I want to close the No. 2.5 gripper.

h. I want to ______________________ .
[Fill in the blank -- it should fit into the space
provided.]

6. No. 5 is important because you need to
internalize your goal and burn it into your
heart and mind.

a. You do that by thinking about it --
visualizing it -- repeating it -- or writing
it on notes.

b. You can't do any of those things if your
goal takes 10 pages to put on paper.

And most importantly --

7. Your goal needs to be something that
motivates and inspires you.

a. It has to be YOUR goal -- not someone
else's goal.

b. It has to be something you truly want
to achieve.

c. It has to be something that you will work
toward for the entire year -- not something
that will hold your interest for a week or two,
and then you bounce to something else.

Goal-setting empowers you.

Harness the power -- and make 2017 your
best year ever.

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 Dinosaur Files monthly newsletter will
help keep you focused on your training and on
achieving your goals for 2017. Start with the
Nov-Dec 2016 issue  -- it's available right
here with immediate electronic download:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

P.S. 2. We also have back issues of the Dinosaur
Files available in PDF editions - beginning with
December 2015 and moving forward from
there. The information is timeless, and you'll
definitely want the whole set. Look for the
links under the PDF products section at our
Products Page:

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

P.S. 3. You can find my other books and
courses right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set your sail for 
the far horizon and steer a course to great
accomplishments." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Night Before Christmas (Dinosaur Version)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Christmas is almost here -- and that means that it's
time for the Night Before Christmas (Dinosaur Version).

This is another Christmas tradition for the Dinos -- and
one that I always enjoy sharing with you.

Hope you enjoy it!

T’was the Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the gym,
the lifters were lifting with vigor and vim.
They squatted so heavy the bars were all bending,
as they ground out the reps in the sets never ending.

They snatched and they pressed and they cleaned and they jerked,
until all of their muscles were thoroughly worked.
Then they ran to their sandbags and heaved them up high,
then heaved them again – right up into the sky!

When out in the back there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the rack to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave a luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a bag-flattened sleigh and unconscious reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
He was hopping and shouting and yelling and screaming.
He wasn’t just hot – he was totally steaming!

“You sandbagged my sled!” he cried in dismay.
“And that means you ruined the big Christmas day!
My toys are all broken, there’s no time to fix ‘em –
And look what you did to poor Prancer and Vixen!”

The lifters were flummoxed. “We’re sorry!” they cried.
And they picked up the reindeer and brought them inside.
“Quick!” someone shouted, “I know what to do!
We’ll whip up a batch of a high-powered brew!”

We started with milk and eggnog and eggs,
and added Hi Protein and poured it in kegs.
We tossed in some chocolate and ice cream for flavor,
Then added some honey, for reindeer to savor.

We mixed it together until it was ready,
Then lifted the reindeer and held them all steady.
We gave each performer three cups of the stuff,
Then added another to make it enough.

“It’s working!” cried Santa. “They’re coming around!
“That Hi Protein potion is the best to be found!”
He turned to his sled – we had fixed that, as well –
if the toys could be fixed, then all would be swell.

“There’s no time to do it,” said Nicholas, sadly.
“This is one trip that is turning out badly.”
The lifters were quiet and took all the blame,
And hung their heads lower in sorrow and shame.

Then Santa bent over and picked up a letter
That lay in the snow, getting wetter and wetter.
The letter said, “Santa, for Christmas I’d like
a whole lot of muscles. Your friend, Little Mike.”

“That’s perfect!” I cried. “Here’s a course for the kid!
We’ll send one to each of them!” And that’s what we did.
Each kid got a course and a full set of weights --
barbells, and dumbbells and squat stands and plates!

Now Santa was smiling – the good boys and girls
Would soon have their barbells for presses and curls!
The kids would be healthy and happy and strong –
For with barbells and dumbbells you never go wrong.

Santa sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 6)

This is part 6 of the Dinosaur Christmas story
for 2016. If you missed parts 1 - 5, scroll on
down and read them first!

Part 1

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-1.html

Part 2

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-2.html

Part 3

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-3.html

Part 4

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-4.html

Part 5

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-5.html

And now, without further ado, here's Part 6 of the story. Sit
down, buckle up, strap in, and get ready for a wild ride.

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 6)

The match became a war that raged back and forth
across the ring, with the fans roaring the entire
time.

And then -- it happened.

At the 40 minute mark, the two men separated,
bounced backward into the ropes and hurtled
themselves across the ring.

They hit each other with smashing force in the
center of the ring.

Dazed, both men swayed, waving their arms to keep
their balance.

The masked man seemed to have gotten the worse of
it. He shook his head, trying desperately to clear
the cobwebs.

Seizing his opportunity, the champ dropped back
against the ring ropes, using them like a
slingshot -- and launched himself like a missile,
right hand raised to deliver a crushing blow.

The fans screamed in anticipation.

The champ swung with all his might --

--but missed!

The masked man ducked, and the powerful punch went
whistling over his head.

In the same motion, he drove forward, sliding behind
the champ -- and slapped on a sleeper hold.

The champ struggled wildly -- but the masked man held
him in a vice-like grip in the center of the ring.

"How much is he paying you to break my leg?" whispered
the masked man.

"Ack --gargh -- ughkk . . ." sputtered the champ.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't enough," whispered the masked
man.

The champ waved his arms weakly.

"I should break your neck right now," said the masked
man. "But it's Christmas Eve, so I won't. Consider
yourself lucky.

The champ's eyes went wide with fear -- and then they
closed. His knees sagged, his body went limp, and the
masked man loosened his grip and let him fall to the
mat. He rolled him over, placed one huge hand on his
chest, and motioned to the referee.

The ref didn't know what to do. There was no way to
stopit. All he could do was sell it and hope the promoter
could work it out later on.

He dropped down and began the count.

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

And just like that, there was a new champion.

The referee walked to the side of the ring and motioned
to the time-keeper, who handed him the championship
belt. He turned and handed it to the masked man.

Pete and his fellow officers stepped close to the ring,
forming a human shield, and escorted the new champion
back to his dressing room.

This time there was no riot. The crowd was too stunned by
what they had seen. They sat in their seats, eyes bulging,
as the ring doctor worked frantically to revive the fallen
man.

But the promoter knew what to do. He ran back to the
dressing room, grabbed Pete by the arm, and pointed
toward the door.

"Arrest that man!" he said. "He's trying to steal my
championship belt!"

"Steal it? He won it fair and square! That's not stealing!"

"No, you don't understand. We had a deal! I have a contract!
He was supposed to lose!"

"Let me see the contract!"

The promoter handed the paper to him.

"Who signed it?" asked Pete.

"HE did!"

"Are you sure that's his real name? I'm no lawyer, but I
know a contract's not binding if it's not signed with your
real name."

"Of course it's his name. Who else would it be?"

"That's the name of some kid that used to live here," said
Pete. "His parents died in a fire. He grew up in the county
home. Left years ago. No one's seen him since."

"Maybe it's him!"

"Or maybe not!"

"But what am I gonna do?" asked the promoter. "He has my belt!
Those are real diamonds, damn it!"

"Maybe if you ask nice, he'll give it back to you," said Pete.

The promoter threw the contract on the floor, cursed, and
stepped to the door.

"If you won't do anything, I'll handle this myself!" he said.

Pete waited until the promoter was just beginning to turn the
doorknob -- and then he spoke.

His voice was soft, his tone mild -- but his words cracked like
a whip.

"You might want to reconsider," he said. "He knows you paid the
champ to break his leg."

The promoter stopped dead in his tracks. The blood drained from
his face, and his hand slipped from the doorknob.

"What did you say?"

Pete repeated it.

"I don't -- I don't know what -- what you're talking about,"
sputtered the promoter.

"I could always ask the champ," said Pete. "The old champ, I
mean."

"Ask him whatever you like," said the promoter. "He won't talk."

"He might," said Pete. "Especially when I ask him why he has an
envelope with an even thousand bucks in $20 bills in his suit
pocket. That sort of sounds like getting paid for some kind of
special job -- unless you're gonna tell me you paid him his
share of the gate already -- before you had time to total it
and add in the concessions sales -- and it just happened that
his percentage worked out to an even thousand clams."

"That was -- that was a Christmas bonus!"

Pete nodded slowly.

"Maybe," he replied. "We'll see."

The promoter sagged against the concrete wall.

"Look, you gotta help me get my belt back," he said. "Go talk
to him. Work out some deal. Tell him he can keep one of the
diamonds. Hell, let him keep two of the diamonds. I don't care!
I can replace them with glass. It doesn't matter. But I need
that belt back -- and I need him out of the territory --
right now. And we can all forget about this -- this
misunderstanding."

"Stay here," said Pete. "I'll see what I can do."

CHRISTMAS MORNING

The kids in the county home always had oatmeal porridge
and dry toast for breakfast. Some of them couldn't remember
ever having anything else. Not even on Christmas. There
wasn't enough money for anything else.

But this morning was different.

They woke to the smell of bacon and eggs, ham slices, pancakes
with real maple syrup, and fresh buttermilk biscuits with real
butter and strawberry jam.

They threw on their clothes and raced downstairs -- and stopped
in amazement.

"What are those?" cried one of the youngest boys.

"They're presents!" said one of the girls.

Presents!

Some of them had never had a Christmas present before.

They tore into the packages wildly, some laughing, some
crying, and some afraid to believe it was real.

You can buy a lot of presents (and a lot of food) with a
couple of small diamonds -- and you can even open a
bank account and make a nice deposit in an interest
bearing account that helps put food on the table for
a long, long time.

Pete stepped into the room, carrying a small yellow
puppy with a red ribbon.

"Who wants a puppy?" he asked.

"WE DO!" they shouted in unison -- and just like that,
the little yellow puppy had a new home and the biggest
and best family a dog could want.

One of the boys held out his hands, and Pete handed
the puppy to him. The boy smiled as he held the
puppy -- and then began to cry softly as the puppy
licked his face.

The other kids crowded around, each wanting to hold
the little bundle of fur.

The boy handed the puppy to one of the girls, wiped his
eyes, and looked up at Pete.

"Thank you, officer," he said. "Thanks for everything!"

Pete paused for a second, not trusting his voice. There
was a lump in his throat the size of a piano.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Thank Frankie."

"Who's Frankie?" asked the boy.

Pete considered his answer for several seconds.

"He's just a little kid who went through some hard times
and came out okay," he said.

The boy considered the answer carefully.

"Did you know him?" he asked. "I mean -- did you
know him when he was a boy?"

Pete nodded.

"He was my best friend," he said.

"Did he live here?"

Pete nodded again.

"He lived here," he said. "So did I."

The little boy nodded in understanding.

"I thought so," he said.

"Ten years for me," said Pete. "A little longer for him."

The other children raced by, laughing merrily as they
chased the little yellow puppy across the room.

The boy looked up at Pete.

"Are you staying for breakfast?" he asked.

"Of course I am, said Pete. "It's Christmas!"

The boy held out his hand. Pete took it in his, and they
walked to the heavily-laden breakfast table.

THE END

Note: That ends the 2016 Dinosaur Christmas story.

I hope you enjoyed it -- and I wish you, your friends,
and loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy,
Healthy and Prosperous New Year!



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

The Dinosaur Christmas Story (Part 5)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Things are really heating up in the
Dinosaur Christmas story - so without
further ado, here's the link to Part 5:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-5.html

In other news and updates, we're
open for business, as they say -
and if you need a last minute
prezzie for anyone (including
yourself) remember that our
Kindle and PDF books and
courses come with immediate
electronic delivery.

We have over a dozen titles in
our Kindle series, and the same
in PDF, so there are lots of options
to choose from.

You can find our Kindle links and
PDF books and courses at our
Products Page:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 5)

(Note: This post is part 5 in the 2016 Dinosaur
Christmas story. If you missed parts 1 - 4, scroll
on down and read them first! Merry Christmas,
everyone!)

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 5)

"So how about it?" asked the promoter. "One more
match before you leave town -- a special championship
match on Christmas Eve?"

The masked man paused and thought it over.

"Who wins?" he asked.

The promoter chuckled.

"Why -- the champ, of course! It's a Loser Leave Town
Match. You're leaving town. The champ's staying."

"How do we play it?"

"You guys do whatever you want for 30 or 40 minutes.
Get lots of heat going. I want the fans going crazy.
And then you give him one of those great big body
slams you do -- but don't knock him out, okay?"

"What then?"

"You slap on the old figure four leg-lock while he's
lying there stunned -- but he reverses it -- and that's
how he wins!"

"That sounds easy enough."

"The fans will love it! Just sell it really good. Make
them think he's broke your leg."

"They'll like that, won't they?"

"Absolutely! You're the most hated man in the territory!"

The masked man nodded. He was used to being hated
wherever he went.

"Give me the contract," he said.

The promoter slid the standard sheet of paper across the desk.

The masked man read it carefully -- and then signed it.

He handed the paper back to the promoter.

"There you go," he said.

The promoter took the contract, glanced at the signature, and
smiled in satisfaction.

"Is that your real name?" he asked.

The masked man shrugged.

"Maybe," he said.

"I knew a guy with that name once. He lived down the street.
Something happened when he was a kid -- what was it?"

"Must have been something pretty bad if you remember it after
all these years."

"Yeah, it was -- it was. Heck, I remember, It was a fire. That's
right, a fire. Killed his parents. He and his brother ended up
in the county home. He stayed there until he finished school, I
think."

"Most kids in the county home don't finish school."

"Yeah, but this guy was different. Big guy. Real strong. Used
to work out all the time. Played football. Wrestled, too. He
was pretty good, too. All Conference."

"What happened to him?"

"He joined the army, I think. Or maybe the Marines."

"Ever see him again?"

"Nope. Guy's never come back."

"Some guys never do."

"Yeah, I guess that's right."

The promoter sat back in his chair and looked at his watch. He
had another meeting scheduled in five minutes.

"So -- we're all set, right?"

The masked man nodded.

"Yeah, sure," he said.

He stood up and walked to the door -- then stopped, and turned
back to the promoter.

"They say that championship belt is made of real gold -- with
real diamonds. Is that true?"

"It's true. It's the best damn belt anywhere. I had it made
special."

"You think maybe I could look at it -- or even just hold it?
After the match, I mean."

The promoter looked back with a twisted smile.

"Sure, pal -- you can do whatever you want to do -- after the
match is over."

"Thanks."

"If you feel up to it, I mean."

The masked man nodded, opened the door, and left the promoter
sitting behind him.


LATER -- ON CHRISTMAS EVE --


As Pete walked to his squad car, he passed a Salvation Army
volunteer, standing in back of his kettle, ringing his bell
and calling "Merry Christmas" to everyone who passed by --
and a "Thank you!" to everyone who tossed a coin into the
kettle.

"Hey, Pete -- you got a second?"

"Sure, Bill -- what's up?"

"I gotta tell you about something -- something I heard."

"What is it?"

"You know that masked wrestler -- the guy that's been knocking
everyone out? The one that started the riot last week?"

"What about him?"

"Well, two things. First off, I know who he is. And I know
him. So do you. We were all in the Home together."

Pete's jaw dropped in amazement.

"Of course!" he said. "It's Frankie! That's how he knew my name!"

"Well, there's something else."

"What?"

"You know the big match tonight at the auditorium? Where Frankie's
wrestling the Champ?"

"Sure, I'm heading over there right now. They're expecting the
biggest crowd ever."

"Yeah, while I heard some guys talking about it -- the promoter
is paying the Champ to break his leg!"

"Break which leg?"

"No, he's paying him to break Frankie's leg!"

Pete swore under his breath.

"The hell he is!" he said.

"No, really -- that's the plan. They have it all figured out. Some
special ending where Frankie is working him over -- and then he
fights back and gets Frankie in some kind of leg hold -- and they
told Frankie to make like the Champ breaks his leg -- but they're
gonna do it for real. Break his leg, I mean!"

Peter shook his head.

"No, they're not!" he promised.

He slammed his hands together. It sounded like an explosion.

"Come on!" he said, grabbing the kettle and turning toward the
squad car. "We gotta go find Frankie!"

TO BE CONTINUED.

(Note: I had planned on finishing the story in 5 installments, but
we're running over -- so be looking for part 6 later today or
tomorrow!)

P.S. Yes, we're open -- and taking orders. You can find us at the
usual place:

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

P.S. 2. If you're looking for some reading with immediate
delivery, take a look at our PDF and Kindle books and
courses.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If I were running things,
every kid over the age of 11 or 12 would get a barbell for
Christmas." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Dinosaur Christmas Story (Part 4)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I hope you're having a great
week before Christmas!

And I hope you're enjoying
the Dinosaur Christmas
Story.

Speaking of which -- here's
Part 4 of the story:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-4.html

As you can see, things are
really heating up.

BTW, if you missed Parts 1, 2
or 3 of the story, don't worry --
I have the links to them at the
beginning of Part 4. Read them
in the right order to keep up
with the action.

Otherwise, thanks for reading
and have a great day. If you
train today, make it a good
one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Yes, we're open for
business - and we have
tons of great books and
courses for you:

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

P.S. 2. If you don't have the Nov-Dec
issue of The Dinosaur Files, you're
missing a terrific issue. Go here to
grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"We all have time. How we
use it is what makes all the
difference." -- Brooks Kubik 


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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 4)

Note this is part 4 of the 2016 Dinosaur Training
Christmas Story. If you missed parts 1, 2 and 3,
read them first so you can follow the story in the
proper order:

Part 1

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-1.html

Part 2

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-2.html

Part 3

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-3.html

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 4)

The wrestling promoter slammed his hand down on the
table.

"I don't care how much damage those crazy fans did
last week!" he shouted. "This match will pay for all
of it!"

"Do you think?" asked the man who owned the
auditorium.

"I KNOW it! The fans hate him. They'll fill the seats
to see him get beat!"

"I don't know. Last time was a mess. It took forever to
clean up."

The third man at the table laughed.

"We'll charge double the usual for the tickets," he said.
"We'll be the ones who clean up!"

"Can you do that?" asked the auditorium manager.

"Who's gonna stop us? The Commission? I don't think
so! Not with what we've got on them!"

"It doesn't seem right doing that on Christmas Eve!"

"That's the whole point! There's never before in the
whole history of wrestling been a Championship match on
Christmas Eve. Not here, not in New York, not anywhere!"

"Yeah, but do you think they'll come? I mean, it's
Christmas Eve -- and people have stuff to do -- and they
want to be home with their families!"

The promoter shook his head.

"Nuts to that!" he said. "They want to see the mystery man
beat within an inch of his life. They want to see him busted
up. Maybe see his leg get broke. That's what we gotta give
them!"

"On Christmas Eve?" asked the auditorium manager.

"Why the hell not?"

"But it's Christmas Eve!"

"Right, and it's gonna be Christmas a day early for us when
we pack the place like sardines in a can!"

"At double the usual price!" added the third man.

"Right!" said the promoter.

"And you promise you'll cover any damage if there's another
riot?" asked the auditorium owner.

"Of course I will," said the promoter.

"Put it in writing!" demanded the owner.

He pulled out his standard contract and shoved it across the table.
The promoter signed the document without reading it, and flipped it
back to the owner.

"There's your signature," he said.

The owner nodded. He took the contract, put it into a big yellow
envelope, and put the envelope into his safe.

He closed the door of the safe, spun the dial on the combination,
and turned back to the other men.

"Are you really gonna break his leg?"

The two men smirked and exchanged quick sideways glances.

"Not us! We won't do it!"

"But you'll tell the Champ to do it."

The promoter shook his head.

"You misunderstand me. I don't tell the Champ to do anything. It's
just that sometimes -- in a big match -- things happen."

The other man nodded.

"Things happen," he said.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. Yes, were open for business at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2.Here's the original little monster that started the
Dinosaur Revolution way back in 1996 -- and it's been
a best-seller ever since:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "You can sit back and
dream or you can take action -- it's your choice."
-- Brooks Kubik


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

The Dinosaur Christmas Story (Part 3)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's Part 3 of the Dinosaur Christmas
Story:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-3.html

If you missed Parts 1 and 2 of the
story, be sure to read them first.
I've included links to Parts 1 and 2
at the start of Part 3.

In other news, we're open for
business and filling orders as
fast as possible.

If you want to place a last minute
order, don't wait - take immediate
action, and do it NOW. Our books
and courses are right here at
Dino Headquarters:

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

Otherwise, I hope you're having
a great week before Christmas -
and that you're getting in some
great workouts.

If you train today, make it a good
one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you don't have the Nov-Dec
issue of The Dinosaur Files, you're
missing a great issue. Go here to
grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Make
your next workout the best one ever."
- Brooks Kubik


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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 3)

Note: This is part 3 of the 2016 Dinosaur
Christmas story. If you missed parts 1 and 2,
they're posted on the Dinosaur Training Blog;
be sure to read them first to follow the story:

Part 1

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-1.html

Part 2

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-dinosaur-christmas-story-part-2.html

Also, if you want to place a Christmas Order,
do it now! Things are down to the wire.

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 3)

The little yellow puppy searched up and down
the alley without finding anything to eat.

He stopped in front of a big trash can. From
inside the steel can, he could smell someone's
table scraps -- meat, potatoes, and a steak
bone.

He stood up on his back legs and tried to
scramble up the side of the trash can.

He made it half way, then slid back down to
the dirt.

He tried again.

Same result.

A third time.

Again, no luck.

He sat down, staring upward, his nose twitching
at the tantalizing food smells. He was hungrier
than ever.

He was so hungry that he never heard the crunch
of the heavy footsteps behind him.

A dark shadow fell across the alley, and a huge
man stood above him.

"What are you doing here all alone out in the cold?"
the man asked.

The puppy turned and looked up.

"Are you lost?"

The puppy stood on all four legs, and wagged his tail.

The man leaned forward, reached down, and picked the
the puppy up, cradling him in two powerful arms.

"What's your name, boy? Do you have any tags?"

He gently felt around the puppy's neck.

"No tags -- no collar -- your ribs are poking right
out your sides -- you're either lost or abandoned!"

The puppy answered by burrowing deeper into the man's
coat.

"You're cold, too! How long have you been out here?"

There was no answer. But that didn't matter. The big man
already knew the answer.

"Well, come with me, boy. I know where to find you a
nice steak dinner."

He held the puppy gently but firmly, walked to the
front of alley, turned to the right and headed down Main
street.

At the corner, they passed a Salvation Army volunteer
standing in front of his black kettle and ringing his bell.

"Merry Christmas!" he called. "Merry Christmas!"

The big man reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful
of coins, and dropped them into the kettle.

"Thank you, sir -- and Merry Christmas to you!"

The big man disappeared down the street. He was almost
out of sight when the Salvation Army volunteer looked into
the kettle.

"What the --?"

He reached into the kettle and pulled out five gold coins.

"Thank you!" he cried. "Thank you, mister!"

But the man and the puppy were out of earshot.

The volunteer looked at the gold coins in his hand. He
had heard stories about that sort of thing, but never
dreamed he'd live to see it happen. Not to him! Not here.

"What a great guy," he thought. "I wonder who he is."


TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. We're still taking orders and packing and shipping
them as fast as we can. You can find my books and
courses right here at Dino Headquarters:


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

P.S. 2. Here's one of our favorite courses:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html


If you prefer Kindle or PDF format, look in
the Kindle and PDF sections on our Products
Page. The Military Press course is available in
all three formats.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it was easy, it
wouldn't be worth doing." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinosaur Christmas Story (Part 2)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes -- but they're all
very important.

1. The Dinosaur Christmas Story

Here's part 2 of the Dinosaur Christmas
Story for 2016:

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 2

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-2.html

We'll run part 3 of the story tomorrow.
Hope you're enjoying it!

2. Christmas Orders

If you need to do some last minute
Christmas shopping, do it now - as
in, today - and the sooner the better.
If you have any questions about
orders, postage or shipping, shoot
me an email.

3. The Nov-Dec Dinosaur Files

We've released the Nov-Dec issue of the
Dinosaur Files -- and Dinos around the
world are grabbing the little monster.

And they're LOVING it. We're getting rave
reviews.

Go here to grab your copy of the best
strength training journal anywhere:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

And, as always, let me know how you
like this issue!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Knife, Fork, Muscle would make a
pretty good Christmas present for a
lucky Dinosaur:

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

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

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

P.S.2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard. Train
heavy. Train smart. Train with full focus and
total concentration. You won't believe the
results." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 2)

(Note: This is part 2 of the Dinosaur Christmas story
for 2016. If you missed part 1, I posted it yesterday:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-1.html

Be sure to begin with part 1 and read the daily
installments in the proper sequence.

Also, if you need to place a Christmas Order,
do it today - the big day is almost here!)

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 2)

He was all ears and feet and matted puppy fur. He was
seven weeks old. He'd been living on the streets for
six freezing days and nights -- ever since the day his
mother's owner had packed the puppies into a box,
driven far out into the country, and delivered them
one by one to seven farmers.

Farmers could always use another dog. But they wanted
a big dog. None of them wanted the runt of the litter.

And so his brothers and sisters disappeared one by
one, until only he and his yellow-furred sister
remained -- and then the very last farmer chose
her, picked her up out of the box and handed her
to his wife.

"Do you want the other one?"

"The small one? No, I got no use for a runt."

"He'd be half price. Two fifty."

"Not worth it. He'd cost more to keep than the work
I'd get out of him."

"You can have him for free. I don't want him."

"Neither do I. Runts are trouble."

And so he stayed in the box, and when they got back to
town, his owner stopped the car by a dark alley, picked
him up by the scruff of his neck, opened the car door,
and dumped him unceremoniously into the cold winter
night.

"Go on -- get out of here!"

He sat down, shivering, not knowing what was happening or
what to do.

"Scram, you little mutt! Beat it!"

Then the wheels turned, and the car began to move away --
and just like that he was all alone.

He slept in the alley that night, curled up in a tiny ball
of fur inside an old wooden crate lying next to one of the
garbage cans.

He woke in the morning, cold and hungry and miserable.

Two big men were wrestling the trash cans to the front of
the alley, picking them up, and dumping their contents into
the back of a garbage truck.

"Damn, it's cold!"

"What do you expect this time of year?"

"I hate this time of year!"

"Whaddaya mean? It's almost Christmas!"

The first man hacked and spat.

"I hate Christmas, too!" he said.

"Yeah, but we get the day off."

"That's true."

The men walked back into the alley.

"Watch out -- it's a rat!"

"Where?"

"That old crate over there!"

"That's not a rat -- it's a damn dog!"

"Looks like a rat!"

The two men looked down into the wooden crate.

"Must be lost or something."

"I guess."

"You want him?"

"What would I do with a dog?"

"I don't know."

"I don't want no damn dog."

"Neither do I."

The men grabbed two more trash cans and hauled them to their
truck.

"Maybe some kid would want the dog. He could be a Christmas
present."

"I don't know any kids."

"Some kid in the neighborhood."

"They're all juvenile delinquents. They're always throwing
stuff and breaking windows. The only thing I want to give
any of them is a size 12 boot."

"Yeah, they're like that where I live, too."

The men took the trash cans back down the alley, and stopped
by the wooden crate. They looked down at the puppy.

"I guess we just leave him here, right?"

"I guess."

"Someone will want him."

"People always want dogs."

"So I guess he'll find a home pretty soon."

"You can count on it."

The men turned and walked back to their truck.

But they were wrong. No one paid any attention to the
tiny puppy that slept in the alley and lived on whatever
food scraps he could find.

The days passed, and the nights grew colder. The puppy
shivered as he thought of his mother, his sisters and his
brothers -- all lost to him forever.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. We're in major packing and shipping mode here at Dino
Headquarters. The orders are flying in -- and you can place
YOUR order for Dinosaur Training books and courses
by going right here:

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

P.S. 2.The Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course has been a big hit ever since we launched it back
in 2011. Go here to grab the little monster in hard copy
format.

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

If you prefer Kindle or PDF format, see the links in the
Kindle and PDF sections at our Products Page.

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

Attn Dinos: Here's Our Christmas Schedule!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a quick update on our schedule
leading up to Christmas.

1. We're going to keep filling orders as
fast as we can -- so help us out by placing
them as soon as you can.

2. We're shipping everything by USPS
Priority Mail, which is almost as fast as
Pterodactyl Mai -- but again, the sooner
you place an order, the better.

3. Earlier today, I launched part 1 of the
Dinosaur Christmas Story for 2016.

a. The Dinosaur Christmas Story is an
annual tradition, and it's always a lot of
fun.

4. I'll post The Dinosaur Version of The
Night Before Christmas on -- you guessed
it -- the day before Christmas.

a. This is another Christmas tradition
here at Dino Headquarters. And it's
always a hit with the Dino Nation.

5. When time permits, I'll be hitting the
iron hard and heavy -- and so will Trudi.

a. Holidays are NOT an excuse for not
training.

6. I've been sharing lots of great photos
and even some video on my Facebook
page, my Instagram account and my
Twitter feed. I'll keep on doing that --
so follow and friend me. You'll like what
you see.

a. I'm on Facebook at Brooks Kubik;
on Twitter at Brooks Kubik; and on
instagram at #brookskubik and
#Dinosaurtraining.

7. We have several great products
that are available with electronic
download, so that gives you plenty
of options if you're a last minute
shopper. Heck, you can grab them
on Christmas Day if you need to!

8. Ditto with our Dinosaur Training
e-books on Kindle. The Kindle store
is always open for business.

9. Go here for links to our products with
immediate electronic delivery -- as well
as links to our e-books on Kindle -- and
our hard copy books and courses, as
well:

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

a. Note that there's a special section for
the products with electronic delivery --
and another separate section for our
e-books on Kindle.

10. I think that covers it, but if you have any
questions, send them on in!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's a Christmas suggestion:

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

P.S. 2. And another one:

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

P.S. 3. And a third:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "It may or may
not be a White Christmas -- bit it's definitely
going to be a Dino Christmas!"

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

The Dinosaur Christmas Story (Part 1)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The Dinosaur Christmas story is a holiday
tradition here at Dino Headquarters -- and
it's always a big favorite with the Dinos.

I'm posting this year's Christmas Story at
the Dinosaur Training Blog. If you're a long
time reader, you may have seen it before -
it's back, as they say, by popular demand.

Here's the link to Part 1:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-masked-mans-christmas-part-1.html

In other news, there's still time to get those
Christmas orders in.  We ship books and courses
by Priority Mail, so they should make it to you
before Christmas if you are in the USA -- but
you need to place your order NOW!

Also, be sure to grab the Nov-Dec issue of the
Dinosaur Files newsletter in PDF format with
immediate electronic delivery:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the little book that started it all -
and it's a must read for anyone interested in
serious strength training:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Christmas
comes
but once a year - but squats are
for all year
round." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 1)

[Note: It's a Dinosaur Training tradition to give
you a special Christmas story in daily installments.
Here's part one of this year's Christmas story. I hope
you enjoy it!]

The Masked Man's Christmas (Part 1)

The crowd roared with anger as the hulking masked man
stomped mercilessly on his opponent.

The referee pushed him away, waving his finger in a
stern warning.

"Clean it up, buddy!" he said. "Clean it up and start
wrestling!"

The masked man gazed back impassively. All you could
see were his eyes. They were dark, deep and hard, like
twin chunks of obsidian.

The referee glanced behind him. The other wrestler was
still down, lying flat on the canvas. He hadn't so much
as moved after the masked man had delivered a crushing
body slam.

The referee didn't know if he was playing possum or if
he'd really had the wind knocked out of him. It happened
sometimes. The men knew how to fall, but sometimes they
hit harder than expected.

The referee knew his job. He decided to give the fallen
man more time to recover.

He waved his finger at the masked man.

"Stay here!" he ordered.

He stepped back to the fallen man and began a long, slow
count, waving his arms to punctuate each tick of the
clock.

"ONE!"

No response from the fallen wrestler.

"TWO!"

Still no response.

"THREE!"

Nothing. Maybe he was really hurt. Maybe it would be
better to slow the count down.

He swept his hands wide and low, leaning over the fallen
man.

"FOUR!"

Not even a twitch!

Meanwhile, the fans were going wild, shouting and screaming,
begging and pleading, imploring their favorite to get up.

An elderly woman walked to the side of the ring, held onto
the lowest ring rope, and screamed in the fallen man's ear.

"GET BACK ON YOUR FEET AND MURDER THE BUM!" she hollered.

The crowd took up the chant.

"Kill him! Murder the bum!"

The referee bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. With
Christmas a mere five days away, the crowd was hardly in a
Holiday mood.

"FIVE!"

The fallen man moved his left foot.

"SIX!"

The fallen man groaned.

"SEVEN!"

The fallen man rolled to his side.

"EIGHT!"

The fallen man pushed himself to his knees.

"NINE!"

The masked wrestler bulled forward, grabbed his opponent
by the ears, yanked him to his feet, picked him up, held
him high -- and then slammed him to the mat.

He hit the canvas with a bone-crushing thud, bounced, and
lay still.

The referee knew he could count to a 100 this time. It
wouldn't make any difference.

He had to sell it. The match couldn't end with a knockout.
That would make it three in a row for the masked giant.

He turned to the time-keeper at the side of the ring.

"Ring the bell!" he said. "Ring the bell!"

He turned to the masked man.

"YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED!" he roared.

The dark eyes flickered -- and suddenly, without conscious
thought, the referee was out of the ring, down the aisle
and running for his life.

The masked man turned to his fallen opponent and pointed.

He held up his other hand, three fingers spread wide apart.

The meaning was unmistakable.

Three matches. Three knockouts!

And that's when the crowd went totally, utterly berserk. The fans
stormed the ring, swinging and kicking and clawing. They threw
eggs, fruit, cups, bottles, cigars, cigarettes, rocks and bricks.

It took four tries and half a dozen broken heads before the squad
of six burly policemen could get the architect of the insanity
out of the ring, through the crowd and back into the dressing
room. They shoved the door open, pushed him inside and stood
outside while he showered and dressed.

The sergeant eyed the crowd uneasily. It was more of a mob than
anything else. He'd never seen anything like it.

He turned to one of his men.

"Step inside and tell him to hurry up," he said. "I don't like the
looks of this."

The officer stepped into the dressing room.

Thirty seconds later he stepped back out.

"He's gone!" he said.

"Gone?"

"Gone! The back window's open. He must have crawled out and
climbed down."

"Let me see!"

The sergeant stepped into the room and looked it over -- and
saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks, his
eyes wide with surprise.

Six bottles of liquid refreshment stood on a small table next
to a cracked mirror. Each bottle stood on a five dollar bill.

A note lay next to the bottles.

"Thanks, Pete -- and Merry Christmas to you and the men!"

The sergeant pushed his cap back and ran his thick hand through
his dark hair.

"How in the heck did he know my name?" he asked.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. If you're still doing your Christmas shopping, head over
to Dinosaur Headquarters and do it the easy way:

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


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Questions and Answers About the Essential Exercises

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Get Your Christmas Orders In!

We're filling Christmas orders as fast as we
can, but there's not much time - so pls get
those orders in so we can get them to you
before the big day.

2. Grab the The Nov-Dec Dino Files!

Here's the link for the PDF edition - it's a
great issue, and we've been getting terrific
feedback on it.

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html


We also release the little monster in a
Kindle edition. We're trying to get that
finished and released as soon as possible.
I'll send a link when it's ready.

We release the PDF edition first, and then
the Kindle edition. The Kindle edition has
to be formatted differently, so we can't
release both at the same time.

3. Questions and Answers About the
Essential Exercises.

On the training front, let's answer some
questions from readers.

We've been talking about the Essential Exercises
this week, and I've been getting lots of feedback
from the Dino Nation.

If you missed the original email about this,
go to the Dinosaur Training Blog to read it:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/steiners-top-21-exercises-do-you-do-them.html

So let's cover some of the more common
questions.

Q. Why didn't Bradley J. Steiner include deadlifts
as one of the Essential Exercises?

A. Steiner preferred stiff legged deadlifts. Personally,
I prefer deadlifts. I think stiff legged deadlifts are
best done with a LIGHT weight, more for stretching
and flexibility than heavy strength training. Some
men (Dr. Ken) for example, thrive on heavy stiff
legged deadlifts. I guess it depends on your body
structure as much as anything else.

Q. Why didn't Steiner include Trap Bar Deadlifts on
his list of Essential Exercises?

A. Because the Trap Bar hadn't been invented then.
If it had been available, he might well have suggested
that readers try it. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the
Trap Bar. For more info on Trap Bar training, or to
order the original Gerard Trap Bar:

http://www.trapbartraining.com/

Q. What about dips? Don't you think they should
be on the list?

A. I know some of you are going to hate this answer,
but Steiner preferred the bench press and the

dumbbell incline press.

So do I. Dips are a great movement for young guys,
and many do them and use added weight and really
enjoy them -- but they are very hard on the shoulder
joint. I have rec'd many letters and emails over the
years from guys who hurt their shoulders doing dips.

If you simply MUST do them, do them slow and strict,
with no bouncing, and do NOT go for a deep stretch
at the bottom. And if you're an older and heavier
Dinosaur, you may want to skip them entirely.

If you don't like bench presses or dumbbell incline
presses, try the pushup variations in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training:

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

Steiner, by the way, liked pushups quite a bit.
He thought they were better than bench presses
for martial artists.

Q. Steiner's list of Essential Exercises is pretty
old-school.

A. Right -- that's why I like it, and why I shared it
with you.

Q. What about Nautilus machines? I know those were
really big back in the 70's when Steiner compiled his
list.

A. They were indeed. Steiner actually thought they
were pretty good (he liked Arthur Jones' one set to
failure ideas), but he also noted (as did Jones) that
you could get great results with nothing other than
a barbell and a set of squat stands.

Steiner was at heart a home gym guy. He trained at
home, and he always wrote training programs that
worked for a home gym trainee. Cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas usually have barbells, dumbbells,
benches, and squats stands or a power rack --
but they don't have the space or the cash for
a set of a dozen expensive Nautilus machines.


So Steiner wasn't about to call them "essential"
even though he did like them.

Those are some of the more common questions
about the essential exercises. I'll cover some others
next week.

In the meantime, and 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. For the best exercises for older trainees,
see Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino headquarters -- including
links to my Kindle e-books and the all-new
monthly Dinosaur Files with immediate
digital delivery:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
tools. Use the best you can find." -- Brooks
Kubik

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The Ticking Clock

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We got a Christmas tree the other
day - because Christmas is right
around the corner.

I'm going to a Christmas party
today - because Christmas is right
around the corner.

Trudi is finishing up her Christmas
shopping today - because, well, you
know why.

I'm hitting the iron hard and heavy
tomorrow - doing a snatch workout -
not because Christmas is right around
the corner, but because it's my training
day and snatches are on the schedule.

The point is - Christmas is right
around the corner.

So help us out by getting those
orders in - so we can pack them
up and get them out in the mail.

We want to make sure they get
there in time for the big day.

Because Christmas is right around
the corner.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My Legacy of Iron books make
great Christmas presents, especially
for younger Dinos who are starting
out in the Iron Game and who could
benefit from learning its amazing
and inspiring history.

They're also good for older Dinos
who enjoy reading about the way
things were back in the good old
days of hard work and heavy iron.

Go here to grab them:

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.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. "The best
gift is the gift of lifelong strength and
health." -- Brooks Kubik

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How to Train for Lifelong Strength and Health

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Sig Klein was one of the strongest and
best developed men in the entire world
back in the 20's, 30's and 40's.

How strong?

Get this -- he performed a letter-perfect
military press with 227 pounds -- while
weighing just 148 pounds. That's more
than 150 percent of his bodyweight.

Klein could perform dumbbell presses with
a pair of 100 pound dumbbells -- for sets
of 10 or more reps with each hand in the
see-saw press.

He also was a remarkable hand-balancer.
He could perform perfect handstand
push-ups while balancing on a piano
stool. Up and down he'd go, lowering
himself until his chest touched the
piano stool -- and then he'd push
himself back up again.

On one occasion, he had some helpers
strap a 75 pound dumbbell to his back --
and then lay face-down on the floor with
his hands at his sides -- and levered
himself up and into a perfect handstand.

Klein seemed to be ageless. He had photos
taken at age 40, standing in a pose that
matched a photo taken when he was in
his 20's. He looked almost exactly the
same.

He did the same at age 50 -- and at age
60.

He maintained the same bodyweight
and the same measurements from
his 20s to his 70's.

And he lived a long and healthy life,
active and alert and strong right up
until the end. He passed away in 1986,
at the ripe old age of 84.

Klein followed the rules of healthy living,
watched what he ate, and kept his weight
under control.

And he exercised.

He trained with weights three times a
week for 60 to 90 minutes. Just like
clockwork. He never missed a workout.

Interestingly, he never did cardio
training. The weight work was all
he needed.

And although he trained hard, he never
trained "over the top." He finished his
workouts feeling strong and refreshed.

If you're looking for the key to lifelong
strength and health, look no further.

Follow Sig Klein's example.

Eat smart, watch your weight, and keep
on training!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. As an older trainee, I know the struggles
that older trainees face. And I've done several
things to help you on your journey.

1. Here's the most complete book ever written
about effective training for older trainees:

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

2.  I also wrote a terrific mini-course for older
Dinos -- with a brand new workout -- and
it's available with immediate electronic
delivery:

http://www.brookskubik.com/minicourse_01.html

3. And last but not least -- each issue of the
Dinosaur Files newsletter covers effective
training for older Dinos -- and gives you
real life, real world workouts used by your
fellow Dinos. It's the stuff no one else ever
covers -- but it's standard fare for the Dino
Files.

You can grab the Nov-Dec issue of the Dinosaur
Files right here -- and like the mini-course, it
comes to you with immediate electronic
delivery:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

For previous issues of The Dinosaur Files,
go to our Products Page and look in the
section for PDF products with immediate
electronic delivery. You'll find 9 issues, all
of them packed with tons of no-nonsense.
straight from the shoulder information:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "The time to
start training is right now -- and the goal
is to keep on training for the rest of your
life." -- Brooks Kubik

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The Difference Between Age 30 and Age 60

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

What's the difference between a serious, hard
charging weight trainer at age 30 and the same
trainee at age 60?

And to clarify, I'm talking about someone who
keeps training from age 30 to age 60 -- not
someone who stops training somewhere along
the road.

The difference is 1.514.

That's the difference in the age-coefficient
formula used in Masters Weightlifting to
compare the relative performance of athletes
of different ages.

The coefficient for a 30 year old lifter is 1.00.

So if the lifter clean and jerks 300 pounds, his
relative performance is:

300 x 1.00 = 300.

The coefficient for a 60 year old lifter is 1.514.

If the 60 year old lifts 200 pounds in the clean
and jerk, his relative performance is:

200 x 1.514 = 302.8

That means that the 30 year old is stronger --
but on an age-adjusted basis, the two lifters
are virtually identical.

It also means that if the 30 year old lifts 300
pounds -- and 30 years later, when he is 60,
he lifts 200 pounds -- his relative strength
on an age-adjusted basis is almost exactly
the
same as when he was younger.

Of course, there also are formulas to compare
the relative strength of different lifters of
different bodyweights. Or you can compare
your own performance at different body-
weights.

I cover all of this in detail in Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 2 -- the "How Strong Are You?"
course.

You can grab it right here in your choice of
hard copy or Kindle e-book. Do the math,
and see where you rank. It's a lot of fun --
and you may surprise yourself!

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

PDF

See the section for the PDF courses at our
products page.

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

If you're an older trainee, it's very useful to
see where you compare NOW to where you
were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. You may find
that on an age-adjusted basis, your current
workouts are the hardest and heaviest of
your life. That doesn't mean you're going
to win a gold medal at the next Olympics,
but it does mean you're doing pretty darn
well!

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. Older Dinos can build and maintain
very surprising levels of strength and
development. But you need to train the
right way to get there. Here's a special
mini-course in PDF format that tells you
how to do it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/minicourse_01.html

For more detail about effective training
for older Dinos -- and for more than 50
great workouts for older trainees, grab
Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Two words:
stay
strong!" -- Brooks Kubik

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The Dinosaur Diet

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk diet
and nutrition for strength and muscle
building.

1. The Dino Files

We just released the Nov-Dec issue of
The Dinosaur Files, and it's been selling
like hotcakes - and getting GREAT reviews
from readers.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

And be sure to let me know how you
like this issue!

2. The Dinosaur Diet

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 60-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:

Breakfast

4 eggs, scrambled or cooked in an omelet

Sausage or 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 potatoes and the bacon
with the eggs, and serve the other veggies on
the side.

Lunch

8 - 12 oz. ground beef patties

large green salad

in season treat: sliced apple or berries
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

Dinner

One pound of 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

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