Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I received an email from Sean C., one
of our newer Dinos. He began training
Dino style two years ago, around age
42, and he's made really good progress.
For example, he started with the empty
bar on 20-rep squats, and now he's up
to bodyweight -- which means he's three
or four times stronger than when he
began training.
Sean asked the following question:
"The balance between intensity and
avoiding over-training seems difficult
to figure out.
Going all out for an hour or 90 minutes,
lifting heavy, concentrating, staying
focused and intense seems to conflict
with not doing too much.
How does one know where to draw the
line?"
That's a good question, and one that I
get at least once a week -- so I thought
it would be a good idea to share my
answer with everyone.
First of all, I think anyone can handle two
or three weekly workouts using a divided
workout program and an abbreviated
training schedule without running the
risk of over-training.
And I think that training for 45 to 90
minutes will work fine -- although for
many Dinos, 45 to 60 minutes is better.
Ninety minutes is a very long workout
if you're pushing hard and staying in
the zone the entire time.
Remember, when I give a range (such
as 45 to 90 minutes for a workout),
that does NOT mean that the upper
end of the range is better.
It's a bell curve. Some people do better
at the lower end of the curve, and some
do better at the upper end -- but most
do best right in the middle.
A 45 minute workout might be best for
20 percent of us -- a 90 minute workout
might be best for another 20 percent --
and a 60 minute workout might be best
for the remaining 60 percent.
I also think that focus, concentration,
and mental intensity are vital to your
training success. You need to use these
tools in every workout. They allow you
to make good gains with a relatively
small amount of training.
Training for 45 minutes with full focus
and deep concentration is better than
training for three hours of mindless,
haphazard work.
To find your own best range of how long
to train, then ask yourself three questions:
1. Am I making measurable progress, i.e.,
increasing what I can do in my exercises?
2. Am I enjoying my workouts and having
fun when I train?
3. Do I look forward to my workouts?
If the answer to all three questions is "Yes!"
then you're doing just what you need to be
doing -- so keep on doing it.
If the answer is "no," you need to make
changes -- which probably means to lower
your volume or intensity, or to use the
simple cycling systems I outline in Gray
Hair and Black Iron and Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1 and 3.
In Sean's case, he's making good progress,
and he enjoys his training -- and looks forward
to each and every workout. So he should keep
on doing what he's doing.
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 Gray Hair and Black
Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. All three of my Dinosaur Training Secrets
courses are available in your choice of hard-copy,
Kindle e-book editions, or PDF with immediate
electronic delivery. You can find the links for
the format of your choice right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it works,
keep on doing it." -- Brooks Kubik
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