Lessons from the Strongest Man in America

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We released the April issue of The Dinosaur
Files a few weeks ago. We're running a bit
behind on the schedule, so the next issue
will be a catch-up issue. We'll combine the
May and June issues and make it a bit
bigger than usual.

I worked all day on Saturday, Sunday and
Monday to finish the little monster, and get
it to my layout and design guy.

He has his work cut out for him because
we're offering the Files in two formats now:
PDF with immediate electronic delivery, and
Kindle. The problem is, you have to the lay-
out and design twice - once for PDF and
again for Kindle. In other words, there's
twice as much work.

Of course, as always, I'll send a link when
the May-June issue is ready.

Anyhow, one of the articles I did in the
May-June issue covers the training of an
old-timer who was the Strongest Man in
America.

I found an old article that covered his
training in detail. Not just what he did
when he was a champion, but how he
trained to get there. The programs he
used to turn himself from an ordinary
farm kid into America's Strongest Man.

I had never read the article before, so
this was new and fascinating information
for me.

I won't go into the details right now -
that's what the article is for, so you'll
have to wait until the May-June issue
of the Dinosaur Files is ready - but I
will say this.

His training was 100% Dino.

He did EVERYTHING I covered in Dinosaur
Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development.

In other words, he was one of the original
Dinos - and one of the first to prove that
Dino Training really works.

And he DID prove it. After all, he was the
Strongest Man in America. The top champion,
the best lifter, and the man who lifted the most
weight in the recognized lifts then used in
competition.

And he got there by training Dino style. That's
pretty good.

We'll work as fast as we can to get the May-
June issue of The Dinosaur Files to you - and
I'll send the link as soon as it's ready.

In the meantime, train hard and continue
the Dino tradition! Remember, you're following
in the footsteps of a long line of champions -
including the Strongest Man in America.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab the April issue of The
Dinosaur Files:

Go here to grab the April issue in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016.html

Or go here to grab the April issue in
Kindle format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016-kindle.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -
including Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development - are right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Study the great
champions of the past, and learn what they
did and how they trained." - Brooks Kubik

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

Important Updates for Dinos - Please Read!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are two important updates for
Dinos.

1. The April Dino Files

The April issue of The Dinosaur Files
has been getting great reviews from
Dinos. And for the first time ever, it's
available in your choice of PDF with
immediate electronic delivery or
Kindle.

Go here to grab the April issue in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016.html
 
Or go here to grab the April issue in
Kindle format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016-kindle.html
 
 2. Seven Keys to Concentration
 
I did a terrific CD with Carl Lanore a
few years ago. It's called Seven Keys
to Concentration, and it's a step by
step course that teaches you the art
of concentration in strength training.


I was offering these as a special FREE
bonus with hard copy orders for books
and courses (or DVD's) - but on a
limited time basis, while supplies
lasted.

I just wanted to let you know that
we're out of them now.

However, if you're interested in the
Seven Keys to Concentration CD,
we may be able to offer it as some
sort of on-line, streaming product.

Stay tuned, and we'll see what we
can do.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find all of our books,
courses and DVD's right here at
Dino Headquarters:


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

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

Try This Super Simple Weightlifting Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Here's an email from a couple of years
ago. I'm running it again because I get
so many questions about weightlifting
programs. The general rule - keep it
simple - applies to all other types of
training, be it strongman, powerlifting,
bodybuilding, sports training, or
anything else.)

For the past couple of weeks, I've been
following the simplest weightlifitng workout
in the world -- and having lots of fun with it --
and getting stronger and faster all the time.

It's a workout that Mike Burgener recommends
for Master's weightlifters -- which is me, at
close to 60 years of age.

You can use it with power style lifts, split
style lifts or squat style lifts.

I switched back to split style lifts last month,
so that's what I've been using.

I begin with 10 minutes of stretching and
loosening up. That always includes some work
with Indian clubs. They're great for your upper
back and shoulders. Get them from John Wood:

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

Next, I do 6 to 8 progressively heavier singles
in the snatch. I work up to a weight that is
heavy but not my absolute max. If you
like to use percentages, maybe 92 to 95
percent of my true max.

I'm obsessive about doing these in good form.

I video tape my lifts, and I watch the video
after every lift. I always try for better and
smoother form. The goal is to make every
lift perfect.

Next, I do 6 to 8 progressively heavier singles
in the clean and jerk. Once again, I work up
to a weight that is heavy but not my actual
max. And I focus on perfect form on every
lift.

So that makes a total of 12 to 16 lifts.

And that's it.

After the clean and jerk, I call in the dogs,
put out the fire, unload the bar, lock the garage
and go into the house for some serious, Dino
style post-workout nutrition -- a/k/a meat
and veggies.

The entire workout takes about 45 to 60
minutes from start to finish.

It's a good program, and a fun one. Give
it a try!

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 have more back to basics workouts
in my new Dinosaur Training Secrets courses.

The new courses are available in your
choice of hard copy, Kindle e-book or PDF.
Note that you can order all three with
one purchase under the Kindle and PDF
options.

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1.
"Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs"


Covers exercises, workouts, abbreviated
training, ultra-abbreviated training, and
much more.

2. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,
"How Strong Are You?"


Covers real world strength standards
for drug-free lifters, and how to adjust
them based on your age and bodyweight.

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
Progression Systems


Covers the best and most effective
progression systems for drug-free
training. Learn what really works -
and how to make steady progress
without going stale or burning out.

You can find all them right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Keep
it simple, work hard, and have fun."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

The Magic of Strength Training

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In the Middle Ages, alchemists tried to
find a way to change iron to gold.

Some men spent their entire lives in a
fruitless search for the magic formula
that would change ordinary iron into
beautiful, shining gold -- gold that would
make them wealthier and more
powerful than emperors and kings.

They never succeeded.

Iron was iron, and gold was gold.

But hundreds of years later, other men
made a remarkable discovery.

They learned how to unleash the magic of
iron.

These were men like Alan Calvert, Mark
Berry, Harry Paschall, George F. Jowett,
Sig Klein, Bob Hoffman and Peary Rader.

The men who put barbells and dumbbells --
and the secret of how to use them --
into the hands of thousands of eager
trainees around the world.

And make no mistake about it. Barbells and
dumbbells are quite literally miracle tools.

Properly used, they can transform your
physique, adding many pounds of muscle,
and building enormous strength and power.

With the right kind of training, you can double
or even triple your starting levels of strength
and development. And some trainees do even
better than that.

To me, that's magic. Far more magic than
turning iron to gold.

But it doesn't stop there.

Barbell and dumbbell training works because it
is a form of progressive resistance training. You
start by handling weights that are manageable but
challenging -- and you gradually increase your
reps in each exercise -- and then you add weight
to the bar, drop back on the number of reps, and
build back up again.

And you repeat the process over and over.

It's a series of small steps -- but every step is a
step forward. With every step, you move forwards
toward more strength, more muscle and more
power. Every step is a victory.

You end up transforming your body -- but more
than that, you end up transforming your mind,
your heart and your entire being.

You learn some of the most important lessons
a person can learn.

You learn that hard work leads to great results.
That success occurs step by step.

That whatever you can conceive and believe, you
can achieve.

That nothing can stop you.

And that you and you alone control your destiny
and your future.

And that's REAL magic.

If you train, you know what I'm talking about. If
you don't train, or if you stopped training, now's
the time to start (or start again) -- and to grab
some of that magic.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. More than any book ever written, Legacy
of Iron captures the magic of barbell and dumbbell
training -- by taking you back to the 1930's and
letting you share the magic with a young man
named Jim Miller -- who needed a miracle -- and
found it when he discovered barbell training:

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: "If you're looking
for magic, look no further than the nearest
barbell." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The "What Do You Do on a Rest Day?" Question

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk training.

1. Train with Doug Hepburn

Last year we launched a revised version of
my Doug Hepburn training course as a
Kindle e-book. The cover is over the top
good, so even if you already have the
hard-copy version of the course, head on
over and check out the cover. My design
guy is ready for the Big Leagues.

Doug Hepburn was one of the strongest
men who ever lived -- and one of the most
massive -- and his training methods are
well worth learning.

Go here to grab the e-book:

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

Go here to grab a hard-copy version of
the Doug Hepburn course:

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

If you grab the e-book, please post a
review. The reviews really help us. If
you're an Amazon customer and you
have a hard-copy version of the course,
you can still post a review.

BTW, the little monster made it up to no. 5
on the Amazon Top 10 in its category -- so
I need to say THANK YOU to everyone who
made it happen!

2. "What Do You Do on a Rest Day?"

On the training front, I received an email from
a 49-year old Dino who trains heavy three
days a week, and asked about what to do on
his rest days.

He wanted to know if the recovery day
should be a complete day of rest or if it
was okay to do CV work. By CV work, he
means "walking, running, swimming, skipping
rope, circuits, etc."

This is a very common question, so I thought
I'd cover it with everyone.

The answer -- like the answer to so many
training questions -- is IT DEPENDS.

It depends on your age, training experience,
goals, how much iron you move in your weight
training workouts, what kind of CV you do,
and how hard you go on the CV work.

1. If you're training to gain maximum strength
and muscle mass as fast as possible, extra CV
work isn't going to help you and will probably
slow your progress.

a. Doug Hepburn became the strongest man
in the world by lifting heavy iron, not by mixing
weight work with jogging.

b. Vince Gironda always used to warn body-
builders not to do running or jogging (or high
rep ab work) because it would lead to what he
called "over-tonus" -- meaning that you would
over-train and your hormone levels would drop.

2. On the other hand, lots of very strong and
powerful athletes have combined strength
training and cardio work. Wrestlers do it all
the time.

a. Of course, most of these athletes are young
men.

3. If you're a younger trainee, you will find
it much easier to do weight work one day and
some modest CV the next day.

4. If you're an older trainee, it's usually better
to do both weights and CV on the same day,
and then have a day of complete rest.

a. You also can try two days per week of strength
training workouts and one day of cardio work.

5. If you do hard CV -- especially something
that works your legs hard -- then it will affect
your squatting and deadlifting (or Olympic
lifting).

6. If you do breathing squats, you don't need
any other cardio training.

7. If you do lugging and loading drills -- or
Dino-style finishers -- you don't need extra
cardio training.

8. Walking is great exercise and will not cut
into your recovery unless you do lots and lots
of it.

9. Swimming is easy on the joints.

10. Jogging and running is hard on your joints
if you are older or heavier.

The bottom line is this: if you feel strong and
you're adding weight to the bar and you sleep
well and you look forward to your workouts,
then you've got things balanced out pretty
well -- so keep on doing what you're doing.

If not, look at your weekly schedule and
think about making some adjustments --
which usually means, reduce the length and
the frequency of your workouts and cut
back on the cardio.

And remember, there's nothing at all wrong
with making a rest day a REST day. You don't
have to do anything. Save it for the iron.

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

And be sure to take a look at the new Hepburn
e-book -- that cover is amazing:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover real-world cardio for Iron Heads
in 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:

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

For e-books, look at our Amazon Kindle pages.
We have 15 or 16 Kindle e-books, including:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Work, rest and
repeat is a pretty good way to do it." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

An Olympic Lifting Question

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll get to
today's training question.

1. The April Dino Files

The April issue of the Dinosaur Files
has been getting great reviews from
Dinos around the world.

Go here to grab the April issue in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016.html

Or go here to grab the April issue in
Kindle format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016-kindle.html

And be sure to let me know how you
like the issue - and what you want to
see in future issues!

2. Olympic Lifting Substitutes

One of the Dinos had a question about Olympic
weightlifting. This was in response to yesterday's
email about 10 tips for older Dinos.

I had mentioned that it's very important for
older Dinos to work on maintaining and even
improving their speed, power, balance, timing,
coordination, flexibility and athleticism.

And I had noted that Olympic lifting is a
great way to do it.

So I got an email from a reader who agreed
with that but wondered what he could do if
he didn't do Olympic lifting.

That's actually a fairly common question.

Here's the answer:

1. Do stand on your feet training with barbells
and dumbbells.

a. Standing presses, push presses and squats
are hard to beat.

2. Do one workout a week that includes some
sort of weighted carry or lugging and loading
drills.

3. Build explosive power, timing, coordination,
and athleticism with the exercises in Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training.

a. They're fun, and they're easy to learn.

b. They're an excellent alternative to Olympic
lifting workouts.

c. Exercises like the two-dumbbell clean and
press build a terrific mixture of strength, power
and over-all conditioning.

d. John Grimek, Sig Klein, and many other
old-school champions always did plenty of
heavy dumbbell training.

e. When he was older, Grimek did lots of
squats and lots of dumbbell presses - and
they kept him in terrific shape!

So if you're looking for an alternative to
weightlifting workouts, give Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training a try!

Go here to grab the book:

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

And go here to grab my Dumbbell Training
DVD - it helps to see the exercises on video:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

And, of course, let me know how Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training works for you - and keep
me posted on your training and your
progress!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

10 Things that Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we covered 10 things that
don't work. Today we'll cover 10
things that work!

10. Squats. (Bet you saw this one
coming!)

9. Deadlifts. (Ditto.)

9a. Any program based on basic, heavy
duty compound exercises.

8. Multiple sets of low to medium reps.

a. Start with 5 x 5, and work into
5 x 3 or 5/4/3/2/1.

b. Don't sweat "how to do 5 x 5." There
are different ways to do it: you can
do two progressively heavier warm-up
sets and three work sets -- or do 
three and two -- or four and one.
They're all good and they all work.

c. And no, there's no magic system
of sets and reps that always works
for everyone -- you need to engage
in some intelligent experimentation.

7. Abbreviated workouts. (I wouldn't
be writing this, and you wouldn't be 
reading it, if I hadn't learned about 
abbreviated training.)

6. Divided workout programs. (See no.
7, above.)

5. Combining weights with heavy awkward
objects.

5a. Combining weights with Dino-style 
bodyweight training.

5b. Combining weights with Dino-style
cardio for Ironheads -- as described in 
Gray Hair and Black Iron.

5c. The key to all of the above is to
keep your programs short and intense, and 
not go volume crazy. 

4. Power rack training. (It's the bridge from
strong to super-strong. See Strength,
Muscle and Power for details.) 

3. Olympic lifting. (Can't say enough good
things about Olympic lifting.)

2. Drug-free training.

2a. Seriously. (Hey, I know most people
don't believe it any more -- which is one
of the biggest indictments of the mainstream 
muscle media.) 

2a. When you look like Grimek and lift like
Stanko or Davis, then you can tell me how 
drug-free training doesn't work.

1. Training with concentration, focus, and
intensity -- making every rep count -- and
always striving to make yourself better
and stronger.

1a. No. 1 is the real key, of course -- and
it's the one that most people never even
consider, much less follow. Which is what
separates Dinosaurs from the rest of the
world.

So there you are. 10 Things that Work! Hope
you enjoyed it.

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. You can find plenty of what works in 
Strength, Muscle and Power -- Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training -- Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training -- and Gray Hair and Black Iron:

a. For Strength, Muscle and Power, go here:

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

b. Go here for Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

c. Grab Dinosaur Dumbbell Training here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

d. And go here for 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: "It's never easy,
but it's not impossible." -- Brooks Kubik
 
***********************************************************************************

Two Quick Notes for Dinos

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes for Dinos.

1. The April Dino Files

The April issue of The Dinosaur Files
has been getting great reviews from
Dinos. And for the first time ever, it's
available in your choice of PDF with
immediate electronic delivery or
Kindle.

Go here to grab the April issue in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016.html

Or go here to grab the April issue in
Kindle format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016-kindle.html

 2. Seven Keys to Concentration

Earlier today I sent an email about
the importance of training with total
focus and complete, pinpoint
concentration.


But there was something I forgot to
mention . . .

I did a terrific CD with Carl Lanore a
few years ago. It's called Seven Keys
to Concentration, and it's a step by
step course that teaches you the art
of concentration in strength training.

I have a limited number of the CD's
and I'm including them FREE with
every order for a hard copy book or
course (or DVD).

This offer is good for as long as
supplies last - but we don't have
many of the CD's, so if you want
one, act now.

And please note - the offer is only
good for hard copy books or courses
(or for a DVD).

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find all of our books,
courses and DVD's right here at
Dino Headquarters:

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

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

10 Things that Don't Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

You always like Top 10 Lists from
Dino Headquarters -- so here we go!

THE TOP TEN THINGS THAT DON'T
WORK


10. Trying to build big arms by doing
nothing but arm work.

a. Not even if you do Hawaiian curls,
Himalayan curls or Hungarian
curls.

9. The ever-popular "All Upper
Body All the Time and No Squats
Workout."

a. Also known as the "Spot Me,
Bro!" workout.
b. On the plus side, lets you wear
a "Look, I'm a Stork!" teeshirt.

8. Anything you see in an info-
mercial.

a. Note that the only cure for watching
an infomercial is to do extra squats and
deadlifts for your next 10 workouts.

7. This month's version of the
"Pump til You Drop Workout for
Massive Muscles in Four Weeks."

a. Last month's version of ditto.

b. The month before that.

c. Next month's version.

6. The "No Effort" Workout.

a. The "No Effort" workout is probably
the most popular workout of all time.

5. The ever-popular geekster workout
where you start by hanging your gym
towel in the power rack and then do
your entire workout without ever using
the power rack.

4. Any workout where you talk more than
you train.

4a. The "Take Your Cell Phone to the
Gym Workout."

3. Squats on a stability ball.

3a. Squat or split snatches on a
stability ball.

3b. Rollerskating and downhill skiing on
a stability ball.

3c. Mud wrestling on a stability ball.

3d. Buffalo stampedes on a stability
ball.

2. Bunny training, a/k/a lots and lots of
silly isolation exercises with weights
my aunt Matilda could lift -- and she's
97!

And the number 1 thing that doesn't
work:

1. Trying to catch a fish by thinking
about it.

1a. Or by wishing you could catch one.

1b. Or by arguing about the best way to
catch one.

Tomorrow, we'll cover the top 10 things
that WORK! See you then!

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 see something that
works, try the workouts in Strength,
Muscle and Power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "If it sounds
too good to be true, it probably is - and
that goes double for strength training and
muscle building." - Brooks Kubik

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

My Top 10 Tips for Older Dinos

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's start the day by covering my top 10
training tips for older Dinos.

1. Keep training. If you stop, it's really
tough to get back into it -- and it will
take a l-o-n-g time to get back to your
previous levels of strength and condition.
It's much better to start and stay with it.

2. Do what you like best. For me, that's
Olympic weightlifting. For others, it's
powerlifting, strongman training, body-
weight exercises, stone lifting, heavy
sandbags, power bodybuilding, muscle
control or power rack work.

a. You're old enough to know what you
like -- so do it!

3. Dress for success. Wear good lifting shoes
when you train. Keep your muscles warm. If
your knees hurt, use Tommy Kono knee
sleeves.

3a. Tiger Balm can be your best friend.

4. Work around the sore spots. If a particular
exercise hurts -- and ALL older trainees have
at least one exercise that hurts -- find a
substitute.

5. If squats are a problem -- and they are
for many older trainees -- try the Trap Bar
deadlift. It's one of the great training tools
for anyone, but it's especially good for older
trainees.

5a. I like the Gerard Trap Bar -- the ORIGINAL
Trap Bar designed by engineer and powerlifter,
Al Gerard. You can get it from John Wood, who
also offers some excellent Trap Bar training
guides:

http://www.trapbartraining.com

6. Work on strength, but don't neglect speed,
power, balance, coordination, timing, flexibility
and mobility. You need it all to age with success.
6a. Also, do some cardio training! (But don't
over-do it.)

7. Watch your weight! Don't let the Lard Lumps
pile up -- and if you already have them, get rid
of them. Nothing ages you faster than Lard
Lumps.

8. Stay active. The more you move, and the
more often you move, the better. Try to do
something physical every day -- not heavy
training or hard cardio, but something
physical, even if it's just walking the dog
or working in the garden.

9. Forget about what you lifted when you
were younger, and focus on what you can
lift NOW -- and then work to increase your
current best.

9a. The idea is to get better, not older.

10. Use abbreviated workouts and simple
cycling systems, as detailed in Gray Hair
and Black Iron. The right kind of training
and the right kind of workout is critical for
an older trainee.

There you have it -- ten training tips for
older Dinos. I hope they help -- and I hope
they keep you going strong for many years
to come.

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 -- and my Going Strong at 54 DVD:

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

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Many grow old.
Few do it well." -- Brooks Kubik

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The Focus On One Thing Workout

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the keys to success in your training
is to focus on one thing at a time.

By that, I don't mean to do one exercise
workouts, although those can be very
effective.

I'm talking about your mind set when you
train.

Serious strength training is a very unusual
and unique activity. It requires a special
mindset -- a mindset that is much different
than the mindset most people employ
throughout the day.

Most people go though the day in an endless
series of frantic multi-tasking, plate spinning
and juggling.

They're doing one thing on one side of the
computer screen, another thing on the other
side, and third thing on their nearby laptop --
and they're answering email while they do it
all -- and they're on their phone -- and they're
conducting three different conversations with
three different people -- and they do this all
day long.

They never focus on one thing. They just
juggle and jump from one thing to another.

That's life in the modern world, but it's not
what you do when you train.

Training requires a much different approach.

When you train, you need to focus on one
thing at a time.

You begin by focusing on each rep.

You take your reps one by one.

You don't worry about the next rep -- or the
next set -- or the next exercise.

You turn your focus inward, and dive deep
into the rep.

You live the rep.

You become the rep.

And then you do the next rep.

When you finish your set, you take a rest and
focus on the next set -- and when you do the
next set, you do it rep by rep.

And that's how you do your entire workout:
rep by rep, with total concentration and laser
focus.

In short, when you train, you focus on the
here and now.

It's actually what our brains were wired to do.
Not multi-tasking -- but rather, pinpoint
concentration.

It's good for them -- and it's important to use
them this way -- and that's actually one of the
most important benefits of serious strength
training. It helps wire your brain the way
it's supposed to be wired.

I trained last night, and for 58 minutes I was
deep in the zone. Total concentration. Maximum
focus. Pushing and pulling in the here and now.

And it felt pretty darn good.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. 1. I teach you how to concentrate and
how to focus on your workouts in Dinosaur
Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.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: "When you ride on
the back of a tiger, focus on the tiger." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

5 Quick Updates and Some 300 Pound Dumbbells!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are five quick updates for Dinos.

1. Follow Me on Instagram!

I post tons of great photos on Instagram.

Follow me here:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/

And feel free to hit the like button and share
and post comments. Let me know how you
like the photos of the old-school deadlifting
platform and the old-school iron at Jim
Cain's Gym here in Louisville.

2. 7 Keys to Concentration

I found a bag of my 7 Keys to Concentration
CD buried in a corner, and I'm including a
free CD with all orders for a hard-copy book
or course.

This offer is only good as long as supplies
last, and only with orders for hard-copy
books and courses.  (Or a DVD.)

For a complete list of our books, courses
and DVD's, go here:

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

3. The April issue of The Dinosaur Files

A number of you have been asking about
the April issue - it's finished, and we just
need to get it loaded and set up the link.
As soon as it's ready, I'll send out an email.

4. Follow Me on Facebook!

I'm on Facebook at Brooks Kubik. Send me
a friend request and keep up to date via
Facebook.

5. Our Most Popular PDF Course

Our most popular PDF course is this mini-
course no. 1 - covering training programs
and special advice for Older Dinos.

It costs just five clams, so it's about the
price of one of those fancy-pants cups of
coffee with the whipped cream and the
choco sprinkles on top.

To grab it, go to the products page and
scroll down to our PDF products - and
look for Mini Course No. 1.

The products page is right here:

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

6. A Bonus Link

John Wood has set up an Instagram account,
and is posting some great photos. He visited
The Pit Gym in Evansville not long ago, and
took some great photos. Go here to see them:

https://www.instagram.com/oldtime.strongman/

By the way, The Pit has dumbbells up to 300
pounds apiece - and John posted a photo of
them. That's a lot of iron.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

Peary Rader's Lifting News

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Many of us remember Peary Rader's
wonderful Iron man magazine, which
many believe was the best magazine
in the history of the Iron Game.

It was good, but there was something
else that I think was even better.

It was Peary Rader's OTHER magazine -
LIFTING NEWS.

LIFTING NEWS covered Olympic weight-
lifting, powerlifting and serious, old-school,
strength and power training.

Each issue was filled with priceless
information for lifting fans and anyone
else who wanted to learn about strength
and power building.

LIFTING NEWS brought you:

Detailed, in-depth, reports of the big
contests - who won, who placed, who
bombed - and why.

Results from smaller contests. (Hey, did
you know a guy named Kubik won a
powerlifting contest in Arizona some 50
years ago? Was he a relative? I don't
know. But I saw it reported in an old
issue of LIFTING NEWS.)

Great photos. (Let me repeat that -
GREAT photos. Many that you never
saw anywhere else.)

Killer cover photos of the top lifters
in the USA and around the world.

Articles by the top lifters in the world.
(Doug Hepburn wrote some of his very
best articles for LIFTING NEWS.)

Tons of articles on lifting technique,
strength and power programs, and
power rack training. Man-making
stuff. (Peary Rader was a huge fan
of power rack work.)

The problem was, very few issues of
LIFTING NEWS were ever printed -
and today, they're rarer than hen's
teeth.

And if you can find them, they usually
cost an arm and a leg.

But you can read them - fast, easy
and for pennies a day.

John Wood is posting some of his
favorite issues of LIFTING NEWS
at the Iron League.

Go here for further info - and to sign
up for an Iron League membership:

http://www.ironleague.com/

By the way, John has a pretty good
collection of other great stuff - and
it makes the Iron League the Library
of Congress of Strength, as one of
our long-time Dinos aptly called it.

He also has 3 boxes of special stuff
that I just loaned to him to scan and
post - and it includes stuff that is
literally one of a kind. Meaning that
you won't see it anywhere else.

I did that because I really like what
John is doing with the iron league -
and I want to support him as much
as possible.

Anyhow, LIFTING NEWS is back - and
it's a goldmine of strength and power
training.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again to join the
Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Reading is
important, but you have to know what
to read." - Brooks Kubik

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

Diet and Nutrition Tips for Older Trainees!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll talk diet and
nutrition.

Last week I found a bag of my 7 Keys to
Concentration CD buried in a corner - under
some other stuff. It's a good CD, and I want
as many of you as possible to listen to it - so
I'm including it as a free bonus with all orders
of hard-copy books or courses for as long as
supplies last.

Of course, it's only available as a bonus if
you order a hard-copy book or course (or
a DVD). That way, I can slip it into the
envelope and there's no extra postage.

I have about a dozen CD's left, so if you want
one, take action now.

On the diet and nutrition front, let's start by
looking at something that worked for the
champions of the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's -
and that still works pretty darn well today.

Back in 1940, Bob Hoffman wrote a book
called Better Nutrition for the Strength and
Health Seeker.

It detailed the diets of the York champions
of the era, including John Grimek and Steve
Stanko when they were young lions.

What did they eat?

Tons of fresh vegetables - smaller amounts of
fresh fruit - and lots and lots of of meat. John
Grimek once said "Meat is my baby." He ate
like he meant it.

Remember, this was when they were young
lions. Young lions eat meat - and plenty of it.

There was a big snow storm one year, and
everyone got stuck at Bob Hoffman's house.
Grimek and Stanko pretty much ate everything
there was to eat, and when the food ran low,
they shoveled their way out to get more.

Bob Hoffman was such a believer in fresh,
healthy foods for his lifters that he actually
opened a small, old-fashioned grocery store
in York, and stocked it with the highest
quality meat, fish, eggs and produce that
he could find. It was one of the very first
"health food stores" - and it didn't feature
anything other than good, fresh food. No
supplements of any sort. There really
weren't any back then.

But the York champions didn't eat that way
forever. That's because things change as we
get older. Young lions become older lions.

In the 1950's, the York lifters hit middle age,
and like most middle aged men, they began
to struggle to keep off the extra pounds.

They actually developed a special diet that
worked pretty well for them. It allowed them
to eat three big meals a day, get plenty of
muscle-building protein, and tons of vitamins
and minerals from fresh veggies. It gave them
plenty of energy for their training - and it was
easy to follow. No special meals, no special
drinks, no special foods, and no fuss.

I cover it in detail in Gray Hair and Black
Iron.

I figure that if it worked for Grimek, Stanko,
Hoffman, Terlazzo, Venables and the rest of
the York champions, it's probably going to
work for the rest of us.

By the way, it's very similar to my own diet,
and very similar to the diet and nutrition
program in Knife, Fork, Muscle.

Anyhow, if you're working to keep off the
unwanted pounds without living on celery
sticks and cottage cheese, this might be
just the thing for you.

After all, you might be an older lion now,
but you're still a hungry lion - and you're
still training - and you're still eating lots
of meat!

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 your copy of Gray Hair
and Black Iron:

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

You also might like Knife, Fork, Muscle. The
two books make a good combination:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "When you combine
the right kind of training with the right kind of diet
and nutrition, good things happen." - Brooks Kubik



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

Something New for the Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Quick update. The April issue of The Dinosaur
Files newsletter will be available very soon - but
in the meantime, here's something you may have
missed.

In 2015 I did a Quarterly version of the Dinosaur
Files. They were available in hard copy and Kindle
editions (see the links at our products page). Since
it was a quarterly there were (you guessed it) a
total of four issues.

Now they're available in PDF format with immediate
electronic delivery.

If you missed them the first time, go here to grab
them:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_01_pdfdownload.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_02_pdfdownload.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_03_pdfdownload.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_04_pdfdownload.html

For cover photos and the table of contents for
each issue of The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, go
here:

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

We've switched to a monthly format for the
Dinosaur Files, but the Quarterly issues are
still great reading, with tons of terrific training
advice in each issue. Check them out and see!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Find What Works - and Follow Through!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a great email in response to my
message from yesterday. This shows the
value of two very important things that
I talk about a lot:

1. Finding what works for you.

and

2. Following through on it.

In other words, learn what works for you,
and stick to it!

Here's what happened when one of your
fellow Dinos did exactly that:

Great email, as always. I am 29 and was in
 similar boat to this reader. For the past 5
years I have been on again and off again
with my training.

Basically, I would train real hard in the
winter months, but as soon as spring
summer rolled around, and my work
picked up I put training on the back
burner.

I would also suffer from minor injuries,
because I was always training too heavy
too soon, and doing singles and heavy
partials before I was strong enough and
conditioned enough to do them.

Back in November, I decided I wasn't going
to skip workouts any more, and I ordered
your book, Chalk and Sweat.

I started with program 11 and then did
program 12, each one for a full course.
After those, I decided I wanted to focus
on the Secret of Herculean Strength, as
you call it, and so I started on one of the
programs in that section of the book.

My numbers are shooting up, I am losing
fat, and I feel and look stronger than ever.
I plan on following the Secret for the next
two years.

At age 29, I am making better progress
than ever. There are several reasons for
this. One is that I realize I am not as young
as I once was, and cannot recover as well
from stupid injuries and mistakes. Thus, I
listen to my body more.

Also, following Chalk and Sweat really helped.
In the past, I would follow a program that was
too advanced for me, or I would follow a good
program but get bored and switch it up too
often. Chalk and Sweat is helping me reach
my goals, without burning out or getting
bored. Great book, and I would recommend
it to anyone.

William K.

Thanks for your detailed feedback, William. It
sounds like you've discovered the true secret
of lifelong training success. Keep on going, and
keep me posted on your progress!

To everyone else - take this message to heart.
YOU CAN DO IT - you just need to fins what
works and then stick to it like T in T-Rex!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab a copy of Chalk and Sweat -
and remember, if you want me to include a free
copy of my 7 Keys to Concentration CD, just ask
for it in the Special instructions section of the
on-line order form:

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

Note: I found a bag of old CD's last week.
I'll include a free copy of the CD with your
book order for as long as supplies last. if
you want one, act fast because I don't have
very many of them.

P.S. 2. My other books and courses - and my
Dinosaur Training DVDs - are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Two words - relentless
effort." - Brooks Kubik

"Am I Too Old to Make Good Gains?" He Asked

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a training question the other day that
almost knocked me out of my chair.

It went like this:

I just turned 30. I've been out of regular
training (due to my job) for almost four
years now. Now I am going to get back
into it.

There is one fear I have in the back of my
mind.

Will I be able to reach my former level
of strength and continue gaining?

I was gaining all the way up to age 26.
I had stopped and restarted a few times,
and the gains always came back rather
quickly. The few times over the last four
years when I've gone back to training,
I did get the usually quick return, but
never got back to my top weights before
stopping.

I know 30 seems young compared to
59! I just wonder what the consequences
for taking off so long are actually going to
be.

So here's my response:

Congratulations on getting back into your
training. Now the job is to stay at it. Strength
training is the best thing you can do for your-
self - but it only works if you keep on doing it!

If your job makes it hard to find time to train,
then use abbreviated and ultra-workouts. Many
Dinos get great results training just two or three
times a week for perhaps 45 to 60 minutes per
workout. See Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 1
, for details on this.

If your problem is that you gain fast and then hit
a sticking point, you're trying to do too much too
fast. Follow one of the progression systems in
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3. They will
allow you to make steady gains for a long time.

At age 30, you should be making excellent
progress. Don't worry for a second about being
too old to get good results. I made the best
progress of my life in my late 20's and early
30's - and many others have done the same.

And yes, I KNOW that there's a lot of silliness
out there about how you can't gain after age
18 or 20 or 25 or whatever - but that's just
mass-market, muscle media nonsense - and
most of it is to sell supplements. Pay no
attention to it.

Likewise, don't agonize about the possible
effects of your lay-off. Put any and all negative
thoughts out of your mind. Start training NOW.
Follow a sensible, slow-cooking progression
system. Use abbreviated workouts. Above all
else, stick with it!

In one year, you won't believe your results.

BUT - you need to start now - and you need
to stay with it. No more of the on and off
stuff. Make it a lifelong commitment.

We've had fellow Dinos who have trained
through times of incredible hardship - who
have come back from crippling injuries - or
who have kept on training while fighting
cancer or other deadly diseases. If they
can do it, ALL of us can do it!

In other words, no excuses! Start training
again and keep at it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab my Dinosaur Training
Secrets courses in your choice of hard-copy,
Kindle or PDF editions:

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 (hard-copy)

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

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2 (hard-copy)

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

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3 (hard-copy)

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

For Kindle or PDF editions, go to our products
page and look for the links to our Kindle e-books
and our PDF books and courses:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Don't ask if it will
work. Try it and see." - Brooks Kubik

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