Revealed - The Super Secret 25 Second Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Note: Here's an email from several years
ago. I'm re-sending it because it's a pretty
important message.)

I had a great workout in the garage last night.

I did 10 minutes of stretches and loosening up
exercises, including overhead squats and snatch
drills with a broomstick.

Then I began doing a series of squat snatches.

I started light, and worked up slowly but
steadily to my top weight for the day -- and
did five singles with it.

I filmed each lift, and checked my form on
the replay after each lift - and did some more
stretching in-between each lift. At close to age
60, the stretching gets to be more and more
important for me. I need to do it in order to
hit the bottom position in a squat snatch.

So the pattern was:

1. Lift

2. Review lift on video and focus on what to do
to make the next lift better.

3. Add weight to the bar if the next set calls for
more weight.

4. Stretch.

5. Repeat 1 - 4.

I did a total of 25 singles.

I started at 6:12 and finished at 7:00 on the nose.

So the workout took a total of 48 minutes.

Or did it?

If you just count the time it took for each lift --
the actual lifting time -- it was more like 25
seconds -- because each snatch takes about
one second from start to finish.

Now, that doesn't sound like much -- and it's
not. But remember, each squat snatch was a
fast, fluid, total body effort -- and each lift
literally worked everything from toes to
eyeballs.

In other workouts I focus on the squat style
clean and jerk. I follow the same sort of
progression. I lift for about an hour, and I
do nothing but singles -- and I get a terrific
workout.

You can do the same thing -- and you don't
have to do Olympic lifting.

Nor do you have to do singles -- although you're
welcome to do them if they work for you.

The key point for all of us is this:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity.

2. It's not how long you train that matters --
it's HOW you train.

3. Stay 100% focused from start to finish.

4. Concentrate on every rep -- including the
warm-up sets.

5. Strive for perfect form on every rep.

6. Block out all forms of distraction when you
train.

a. Anything that interferes with your
concentration interferes with your training.

7. Keep detailed records of what you do, and
strive to improve your performance from one
workout to another.

8. Find what works best for you and stick to it.

9. Use basic, compound exercises and total body
movements to do the most work in the minimum
amount of time.

10. For older trainees, and those of you who are
pressed for time, give one and two exercise
workouts a try -- they really deliver.

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 about effective training with
abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated workouts,
grab any or all of these great books and courses:

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

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

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

P.S. 2. Support your training with the right kind
of diet and nutrition -- the kind I cover in Knife,
Fork, Muscle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "It doesn't take much
time, but it does take effort." -- Brooks Kubik

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25 Impressive Things that Dinos Do!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When it comes to training, most people focus
on "the champions" and what the "champions"
are doing.

I tend to focus on the ordinary folks -- people
like you and me who love to train and who stick
to it through thick and thin, and who end up
pretty darn strong and pretty darn impressive.

For example, I read something years ago about
a top NFL strength coach who was in his mid-50's.

Someone saw him training one day.

He was doing squat snatches.

To me, that's impressive. He may not have been
setting a world record, and he may not have been
outlifting the much younger NFL players -- but he
was doing something very impressive.

As anyone who's ever tried to do a squat snatch
will tell you, the lift requires strength, power, speed,
timing, coordination, balance, flexibility, mobility
and athleticism. So when a 50-something-year
old coach steps onto the platform and hits some
squat snatches in perfect form, that's impressive.

I got to thinking about it, and I started a list of
Impressive Things that Dinos do. Here it is. See
if you can spot yourself on the list (and note
that you may be there more than once):

1. Lifting and carrying great big stones.

2. Giving a heavy sandbag the ride of its life.

3. Making great gains from your training even if
you only have time for one or two workouts a week.

4. Doing squats -- and doing them hard and heavy.

5. Any of the advanced workouts in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training.

6. Heavy dumbbell training -- with the emphasis on
heavy. (See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for details.)

7. Finishers.

8. Thick bar training.

9. Heavy partials in the power rack.

10. Keeping at it after age 40.

11. Keeping at it after age 50.

12. Keeping at it after age 60 and beyond.

13. Making a date with a special strength stone
somewhere in Scotland - or in Iceland.

14. Teaching your children how to train.

15. Teaching your grandchildren how to train.

16. Learning to do new stuff -- whatever your
age.

17. Using the same barbell at age 60 that you
used at age 12.

18. Growing as much of your own food as possible.

19. Entering your first powerlifting, weightlifting
or strongman comp.

20. Saying "no" to roidskies.

21. Dropping 40 pounds and five inches off your
gut because you know it's good for your health --
and staying just as strong at your new bodyweight as
you were when you were heavier.

22. Focusing on lifelong strength and health.

23. Learning about the lives and lifting of the great
old-time champions -- and striving to match their
lifts in your own workouts.

24. Setting a good example for others.

25. Having the greatest workout of your entire life
and NOT posting about it on Facebook.

There are many more. Send in your ideas and I'll
post the best ones!

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. No. 26 on the list is having a well-read copy
of Dinosaur Training on your bookshelf or in
your gym bag:

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

P.S. 2. Diet and nutrition is one of the keys to
lifelong strength and health -- and Knife, Fork,
Muscle covers everything you need to know about
healthy eating:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "The only person you
should be trying to impress is YOU." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

A Message for the Forgotten Men

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Before we talk about The Forgotten Men, let
me give a great big THANK YOU to everyone
who has been reading and enjoying the new
monthly Dinosaur Files training journal.

We're running late on the August issue, but
it will be out very soon - and it's a heck of
an issue.

If you missed any of the earlier issues from
Dec 2015 to July 2016, they're available in
PDF format at our products page - under
the section for PDF products:

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

On the training front, Peary Rader coined the
term I'm using in today's email message.

He believed that older trainees -- which meant
anyone over the age of 35 or 40 back in the
day -- were "the Forgotten Men."

By that, he meant that the muscle magazines
catered primarily to younger trainees -- men in
their teens or twenties -- and weren't interested
in addressing the needs of older trainees.

By and large, that was true -- and by and large,
it's true today.

To the degree that it's changing, it's changing
because the pharmaceutical and supplement
industries have targeted older trainees.

So we're starting to see more of an emphasis
on selling Youth in a Pill than ever before.
Older trainees are urged to use HRT, roidskies,
gray-market supplements, and everything else
they can find to stay cut, jacked, swole, buff,
pumped, and awesome looking.

Of course, that still ignores the two most important
things that older trainees need in order to maintain
lifelong strength and health:

1. Sensible exercise,

and

2. Sensible diet and nutrition.

You can use all the pills, powders, patches and
potions in the world -- but if you're not training
and eating the right way, they're not going to do
very much for you.

And on the flip side of the coin, if you DO train
the right way -- with challenging but age-appropriate
workouts -- and if you DO eat the right way (with an
emphasis on high quality protein, healthy fats and lots
and lots of fresh veggies) -- you probably are NOT
going to be a very good target for the supplement
companies and the pharmaceutical industry.

You just won't need the stuff they're peddling.

When John Grimek was in his 50's, 60's and 70's,
he didn't train the way he did when he was in his
20's or 30's -- but he was squatting 400 pounds or
more for sets of 10 to 15 reps and handling 100
pound dumbbells in the alternate dumbbell press.

That shows you what you can accomplish when you
keep on training for your entire life.

And one final (and I hope, encouraging) note. I'm
closing in on age 60, and I'm having more FUN in
my workouts than ever before.

That may be because I don't have as many of them
left as I did when I was getting started 50 years ago,
so I try to make the most out of each workout.

Or may just be that my lifelong love affair with the
Iron is burning as hot as ever.

I don't know. But I do know this. Training on the
sunny side of 50 is a heck of a lot of fun -- and it
sure does make you feel good!

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron covers sensible
and effective training for older Dinos:

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

P.S. 2 I cover diet and nutrition for older trainees
(and trainees of all ages) in Knife, Fork, Muscle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You can't stay young
forever, but you can stay strong, fit and healthy for
a long, long time." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The 7 Best Assistance Exercises for the Press

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The military press is a majestic lift.

The lifter tightens his belt, chalks his hand and
approaches the bar.

He stands over it, eyes closed, concentrating
fiercely.

He opens his eyes, gets into position, sets
himself, and cleans the bar to his chest.

He stands tall and straight -- and then drives
the bar off his shoulders. There's no leg kick,
no hip thrust, no body drive and no back bend.

It's nothing but arm and shoulder power.

He hits the sticking point and drives twice as
hard as before. It's man against iron, and for
a second, no one knows who will win.

He pushes through -- and suddenly, the bar is
up and over his head. He holds it high, arms
locked, every muscle straining, as the crowd
goes wild.

Good lift!

And it's not just a magnificent lift. It's a
terrific muscle builder.

Back in the day,  John Grimek was the best built
man in the entire world -- and one of the best
pressers in the world. He owed much of his upper
body, arm and shoulder development to the
military press. He set American and unofficial
World records in the press -- and you can see
why when you look at his photos. He had
cannonballs on top of his shoulders.

He also had triceps that looked like they
were carved from solid marble -- or that
he had borrowed them from a bronze
statue.

Grimek had a favorite assistance exercise for the
military press. So did most other lifters. Here are
the seven top assistance exercises for the press:

1. The Seated Military Press

A favorite exercise of John Grimek. Nuff said.
Do them strict. That's the whole point of the
seated press.

2. The Two Dumbbell Press

All of the York lifters liked heavy dumbbell pressing.
Frank Spellman thought dumbbell presses were
the best way to bring up the press. He won the
Olympic gold medal in 1948, so that's gold medal
advice.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and my Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training DVD for detailed instruction and
tons of useful training tips on dumbbell work:

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

3. The Incline press

This came into vogue in the 50's, and helped many
top lifters improve their press.

I used to do lots of pressing on an 80 degree
incline, and built some serious shoulder strength
doing it. I did the exercise in the power rack, and
set the pins so I could start from the bottom
position. I worked up to 320 pounds, which is
a lot of iron.

4. The Two Dumbbell Alternate Press

Also known as the see-saw press. Another John
Grimek favorite. He learned the exercise from
Sig Klein.

5. Handstand pushups

A favorite of many top pressers, including Sig
Klein, who set a professional World record in
the press, and Tony Terlazzo, who won the
Olympic gold medal in 1936. Even the big
men did them -- Paul Anderson and Doug
Hepburn both did plenty of handstand
pushups.

See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for tips
and progressions on handstand pushups:

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

6. Overhead lockouts in the power rack

The secret weapon of the York champions,
including John Grimek and John Davis. The
latter won six World championships and two
Olympic gold medals. See my power rack
training DVD for more ideas about how to
do heavy rack work for pressing power.

7. The bench press

John Davis, Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson
all used the bench press to build strength and
power for the military press. Once again, nuff
said.

Of course, you have to do strict benches to
have any carry-over to the military press. No
bench bounces!

You now have seven terrific assistance exercises
to help build a world class military press. Have
fun with them -- and set some PR's in the press!

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 information about building a world
class military press, see The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course. It's
available in your choice of hard-copy, PDF or
Kindle e-book:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF edition

See the section for PDF courses at our
products page:

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

P.S. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links
to all of our Kindle e-books:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train,
train like a champion. Give every workout
everything you have." -- Brooks Kubik

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

"I Don't Listen to Old Guys!" He Said

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Over the past couple of days, I've been
buried in emails from readers in response
to the emails I've sent out this week.

The consensus is this -- it's a crying shame
that more guys and gals don't start training
the right way from the very beginning -- as
opposed to wasting so much time and effort
on the high volume muscle blasting programs.

And everyone wonders why that happens.

Especially if you have the proof right in front
of you.

A number of older Dinos mentioned that their
nephews or grand-nephews -- or their sons or
grandsons -- are teenagers or twenty-somethings
who are just getting into weight training.

They have an older family member -- father,
grandfather or uncle -- who is a very strong
and very accomplished lifter. He clearly knows
what he's doing -- and how to put together a
workout that brings FAST and BIG results.

But the newbies don't ask for his advice. They
just jump right into the muscle-blasting nonsense
in their favorite muscle comic or muscle comic
website.

Uncle Joe trains twice a week in his garage,
and does the basics -- and lifts a ton.

The kids run off the the nearest Chrome and Fern
Gym and do a 6-day per week triple split routine
featured in their "must read" muscle comic.

Forget about Uncle Joe.

What does he know?

He's OLD, man!

The same thing happens in the gym.

The newbies do what they read in the muscle
comics. Never mind that there's a big, thick,
strong as a horse older guy doing 5 x 5 in the
squat over in the corner -- or pressing double
what the young guys are deadlifting -- or doing
heavy deads from the knees with more than the
combined weight of the young guys, their curl
bars and their pec decs.

They. Just. Don't. Ask. Him.

It's such a shame. The evidence is right there --
right in front of them.

Here's someone who knows what he's doing.
Just look at him. Look at the weight on the
bar!

And he's doing something WAY DIFFERENT than
what they tell you to do in this month's issue of
Ultra-Massive Super Muscle or Inter-Galactic
Power Pecs.

Why not ask HIM for a training program?

Or for some advice?

What do you have to lose?

(End of rant.)

Okay, deep breath.

I guess all we can do is keep fighting the fight.
If you're a younger trainee, give the old-school,
basic, hard and heavy approach a try. You'll be
shocked by your results.

If you're an older trainee who knows the score,
keep on squatting, pushing and pulling. They'll
ask for help someday.

And when they do -- be ready to drop some
knowledge bombs on them!

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.Speaking of knowledge bombs, Strength,
Muscle and Power has plenty of them:

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: "A prophet is without
honor in his own country, and so is anyone who trains
old-school style -- even if he's the strongest guy in
the room. And that needs to change." -- Brooks
Kubik

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Do You Make These Seven Strength Training Mistakes?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

On the training front, let's talk about mistakes
that trainees make -- mistakes that can ruin
your progress.

1. Over-training.

a. This is the biggie, and it's an insidious mistake
because the more committed you are to your
training, the more likely you are to over-train.

b. As you get older, it becomes easier and easier
to over-train.

c. As you get stronger, it becomes easier and
easier to over-train.

2. Following a program that's too advanced for
your current level of strength and development.

a. This one is also very common, and it always
leads to over-training.

b. Following the training program of the current
top champion will NOT turn you into the champion.

3. Unrealistic expectations.

a. Too many trainees expect overnight miracles, and
when they don't get them, they think that something
is wrong with their training program -- when all they
really need to do is to put in the time it takes to get
good results.

4. Program hopping.

a. Hopping is fine for rabbits and kangaroos. It's bad
for strength training if you hop from program to
program. You need to pick a program and stay with
it long enough to get good results. This usually means
a minimum of six to 12 weeks.

5. A bad diet.

a. A bad diet will sabotage your training efforts. See
Knife, Fork, Muscle for advice about sensible diet and
nutrition for strength training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

6. Relying on food supplements to build strength
and muscle -- or to try to make up for a bad diet.

a. This is related to number 5.

b. They call them "supplements" because they are
supposed to supplement a healthy diet -- not replace
it, and not make up for a poor diet.

7. For older trainees -- not adjusting your workouts
to match your age.

a. This one is tough because none of us like to admit
that we're getting older.

b. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for details on sensible
training for older Dinos:

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

I could probably keep going with many more
mistakes that trainees make -- but seven is
enough for today.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one - and
don't make any of the mistakes we just covered!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Do you have my FIRST book - the original
"little blue monster" - the one they call "the
Bible of strength training" - the one that
started the Dinosaur Revolution way back
in 1996? If not, go here to grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.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: "You can't avoid
making mistakes, but you can try to reduce
the number of mistakes you make -- and try
to avoid repeating them." -- Brooks Kubik

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

How to Build Gold Medal Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two weeks ago I shared an email about
Olympic gold-medal winner Henry
Wittenberg.

Now I want to tell you a bit about
his training.

Henry Wittenberg was one of the first
amateur wrestlers in the United States
to do heavy weight training.

His coach didn't believe in weight training
or weightlifting. He thought it made you
slow and muscle-bound -- which is what
most coaches thought back in the thirties
and forties. Heck, many coaches still
worried about the muscle-bound myth
when I was in high school!

Henry Wittenberg reasoned that building
great strength would make him a better
wrestler -- and that he'd maintain his
speed and his timing if he kept on doing
his regular wrestling workouts.

It was good thinking. In fact, it was 100
percent correct.

But because his coach didn't believe in
weight training, he had to train in secret.

And because he spent so much time on the
mat, he had to keep his barbell and dumbbell
workouts short and sweet, with no wasted
effort and no wasted time.

So he trained on the basics -- the military
press with barbells, squats, barbell bent-
over rowing, dumbbell curls and dumbbell
presses.

And it worked pretty well. He got REALLY
strong.

He worked up to doing TEN consecutive
reps in the military press with 200 pounds --
and that was his bodyweight -- so it was
pretty darn good.

He could military press 250 pounds for
a single.

That's some serious pressing power.

Whittenberg was strong in other exercises,
as well.

He squatted with 400 pounds, and did 10
reps in the bent-over row with 180 pounds.
And he handled 60 pound dumbbells in his
curls.

Not bad for a man who was training for a
different sport -- and who had to do his
lifting in secret so his coach wouldn't find
out about it!

At the 1948 Olympic Games he trained with
the United States Olympic weightlifting team.
He was so strong that the lifters tried to get
him to change sports!

For extra conditioning, he did roadwork.

Good old-fashioned running.

That, and his wrestling workouts, were all he
did -- and all he needed to do.

Eventually, he made a confession to his
wrestling coach. Admitted that he'd been
lifting weights in secret. At that point, he
was the Olympic champion -- so the
coach let him keep on lifting!

You can do a lot of fancy, modern stuff if
you're a wrestler -- but you also can train
like Henry Wittenberg. You can keep it
hard, heavy and simple.

And if you do, you'll do pretty darn well.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want to build the kind of serious,
old-school pressing power and total body
strength that won Henry Wittenberg an
Olympic gold medal in wrestling, then
grab this little monster today:

Kindle e-book

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

Hard-copy

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

PDF edition

See the links to our PDF products at our
products page:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
links to my other Kindle e-books -- are
right here:

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

P,S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard,
keep it real, and never give up." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

Bench Press Tips for Older Dinos

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our older Dinos -- age 68 -- asked about a
bench press program for older Dinos.

He's been doing 5 x 5, followed by 1 x 3 and 1 x 1.
He used to bench press 350 x 1 and 225 x 15.

He knows he won't get back to those numbers, but
he still wants to try to increase his current bench.

So he asked what kind of program to follow.

My answer is pretty much the same as my answer
to any question from an older Dino:

1. Follow a good, all-around training program that
works all of the major muscle groups.

a. It doesn't have to be a total body workout. It's
fine to use a divided workout schedule. In fact, for
many older Dinos, it's better because you get more
rest and more recovery time.

2. Do some additional work for any lift or any body-
part you want to specialize on.

a. The key word is "some" -- which means "a little,
and not too much."

b. Specialize on one lift or one body-part at a time.

3. Don't overdo things by jumping into a full-bore
specialization program to force progress -- or you'll
probably just hurt yourself.

a. A little bit of extra work for a given lift or a given
body-part goes a long way.

b. Concentration, visualization and focus will help
enormously. Practice tunnel-vision training.

4. Follow a slow and steady progression system. Do
NOT try to gain too much too fast. That, too, will
probably lead to an injury for an older trainee.

a. The progression systems in Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 3, are perfect for any older trainee --
and for any trainee at any age:

Kindle e-book:

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

Hard-copy:

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

PDF format:

See the links to our PDF products (we have a
number of them now) at our products page:

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

5. Work on maintaining healthy joints as much as
building strength. For bench presses, this means doing
plenty of shoulder and upper back work. Dumbbells
and Indian clubs will help keep your shoulders supple
and strong from all angles. Cables are also excellent.

a. Include lots of rowing, and your choice of
pull-ups or pull-downs.

b. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for more tips on how
to maintain healthy joints -- and for a list of shoulder
wreckers and other exercises to avoid at all times.

6. If you have access to a power rack, and rack work
doesn't cause any joint pain for you, try partial benches
in the power rack.

a. The best position for rack work is a bottom position
start.

b. The next best position is anywhere from 2 inches to
six inches off the chest.

c. Lockouts are okay, but not nearly as useful as
bottom position benches or benches from the 2 inch
to six inch position.

d. Some older trainees thrive on rack work. Others
find it is too hard on the joints. So start light, be
conservative, and see what works best for you.

e. See Strength, Power and Muscle for more
details about rack work.

f. If you don't have access to a power rack, try
pause style bench presses.

7. If you are an older trainee, do not do wide grip
bench presses. They're too hard on the shoulders.

8. The best assistance exercise for the bench press
(other than rack work) is the close grip bench press.
Use a grip that is a little less than shoulder width. It
should not be a super close grip.

9. Follow a healthy diet that helps keep your T levels
high and reduces inflammation. See Knife, Fork,
Muscle for specific advice on diet and nutrition.

10. Shoot for realistic goals based on your current
age and current condition. Don't try to compete with
the lifter you were 30 or 40 years ago.

a. See Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2, my "How
Strong Are You?" course for specific advice on how
to calculate age-appropriate training goals.

Finally -- and this should go without saying for any
trainee at any age -- always bench inside a power
rack with the pins set to catch the weight at the
bottom.

If you don't have  a power rack, make sure you
have an experienced and reliable spotter.

As for sets and reps, 5 x 5, followed by 1 x 3 and
1 x 1 is good. The real key is to use the right kind
of progression system.

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 a copy of Gray Hair and
Black Iron. It's a MUST HAVE for older Dinos:

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

P.S. 2. Go here to grab any of the other books
or courses mentioned in today's email:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Rule no. 1 is to
keep on training." -- Brooks Kubik

Does Abbreviated Training Really Work?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I received an email from a reader
who asked whether abbreviated training really
works.

Apparently, he's been reading "stuff on the
internet" that tells him he has to follow long,
frequent workouts to make any sort of
meaningful progress.

So let me offer a counter view to the interweb
stuff.

I'll make it very simple. I'll give it you in six short
words -- and they even rhyme, so that will make
it very easy to remember.

If you over-train, you won't gain.

Period, end of story.

And that's what the Interweb whiz kids all forget.

It's not just how how hard you train. It's how you
recover from your training. No recovery means no
gains in strength and muscle mass.

Most trainees start off by making good gains, in
part because they're not strong enough to over-train.
But as they grow stronger and better conditioned,
they start to over-do things. And at that point, their
progress comes crashing to a halt.

Many trainees train for years without making any
progress because they over-do things in the gym
and they are barely able to stay even, much less
to make significant gains in strength and muscle
mass.

Go to any gym in the world, and you'll see this
happen over and over. It probably happens to
(9% of the trainees at the typical gym.

And no one seems to be able to figure it out --
which is amazing, because the answer is very
simple and very obvious:

Train less, but train harder and heavier.

So when someone asks me, "Does abbreviated
training really work?" the answer is this:

1. Yes, it does.

and

2. Try it and see for yourself.

And remember , there's an entire army of Dinosaurs
around the world who've found that abbreviated
training brought them the best results of their
lives.

If it worked for them, it will work for you.
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 Dinosaur Training Secrets courses
will get you on the right track for BIG GAINS
with sensible, abbreviated workouts. Grab them
in your choice of hard-copy, Kindle e-book or
PDF editions.

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

Kindle e-book:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

Hard-copy:

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

PDF - see the PDF links at our products page:

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

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

Kindle e-book:

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

Hard-copy:

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

PDF - see the PDF links at our products page:

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

c. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"

Kindle e-book:

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

Hard-copy:

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

PDF - see the PDF links at our products page:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard enough and heavy
enough to stimulate growth, and then stop." -- Brooks Kubik

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

How to Combine Strength Training and Martial Arts

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. New PDF Courses for Dinos

We just added two new PDF courses
to our ever-growing list of PDF courses.
Both courses have been available in hard
copy and Kindle editions, but many of
you prefer PDF courses, so we decided
to release them in that format, as well.

The first is the Dinosaur Training Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course:

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

The second is my very popular Doug
Hepburn Training Course:

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

I know that many of you - particularly
our overseas Dinos - have been waiting
for these to be available in PDF editions -
so here they are! Hope you enjoy them!

2. How to Combine Strength Training and
Martial Arts

On the training front, let's talk about a topic
that comes up all the time. I just got an email
from a reader asking about it, and I've had
two more of them in recent weeks.

How do you combine strength training and
martial arts or self-defense training?

The question usually comes from older Dinos
who have limited energy and limited recovery
ability. They tend to overtrain very quickly if
they train too often. Three strength training
workouts and three martial arts workouts in
one week flattens them.

I can see that. I don't do martial arts, but I
train hard with Olympic weightlifting. At age
58, three weekly workouts of 60 to 75 minutes
are plenty. I'd have a very difficult time adding
anything more to it. That's a far cry from the
long hours of daily training when I was a high
school wrestler.

So what do you do?

Try this:

1. Train no more than 4 days per week total.

a. Two martial arts workouts and two strength
training workouts.

b. Or try two martial arts workouts and one
strength training workout -- or the reverse.

2. Use abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated
workouts. See Strength, Muscle and Power
for more details on abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts.

a. Focus on the basic, compound exercises
that give you the biggest return for every
minute of training time.

3. Focus on precise movements and perfect
technique in both your strength training
workouts and your martial arts or self-
defense workouts.

a. Doing the exercise or the technique in
100% perfect form is far more effective
than doing it sloppy -- and far easier on
your body.

b. In other words, don't try to muscle through
things. Focus on SKILL.

c. If you need to do extra flexibility work, then
do it -- religiously!

4. Don't try to do the long workouts you did
when you were younger -- and that goes
for the dojo as well as the weight room.

a. 30 to 45 minutes of focused, concentrated
training is PLENTY for many older trainees.

5. Your martial arts or self-defense training
will double as cardio training -- so don't add
much if any in the way of additional cardio
work.

a. Many older trainees use walking for their
"cardio" or conditioning work. It's not flashy,
but it's effective.

6. Use a simple cycling system for your
strength training workouts so you don't go
hard and heavy all the time. The simple
cycling system in Gray Hair and Black Iron
is ideal:

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

7. Follow the diet and nutrition advice in
Knife, Fork, Muscle. It's an anti-inflammatory
diet, and it will help you recover from your
workouts:

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

So there you are. Seven tips to help combine
strength training with martial arts or self-defense
training. I hope they help!

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 almost forgot - here's the link
for Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train
with concentration and focus, a little work goes
a very long way." -- Brooks Kubik

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

A Top Secret Workout - For Dinos Only!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's been a long and busy week here at Dino
Headquarters, and to celebrate the weekend,
I thought I'd give you a top-secret workout for
Dinos only.

You can only use it if you put on your Dinosaur
Training De-Coder Ring and program it for
"Maximum Gains."

If you don't have one of our special De-Coder
Rings, close your eyes and think about the
York Barbell Club "back in the day" -- and
click your heels together three times -- and
then open your eyes and keep on reading!

THE TOP-SECRET WORKOUT -- FOR DINOS
ONLY!

Train three times per week.

Start each workout with a ten-minute general
warm-up. Get nice and loose and ready to
train.

You will follow three different workouts. Train
Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thurs/Sat.

Each workout will include a pushing exercise,
a pulling exercise, and a squatting exercise.

But the exercises will be different in each
workout. Thus, you get plenty of variety,
but you always hit the BIG exercises -- so
you trigger maximum growth stimulation,
and maximum gains in strength, muscle
and power!

Workout A

1. Military press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

2. Power cleans 5 x 3

or

Clean grip high pull 5 x 3

or

Pull-ups 5 x 5-6

3. Back squat 5 x 5

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- 2 or 3
sets of each. You pick the exercises, sets
and reps. If you're too tired to do all three,
do gut work in Workout A, grip work in
Workout B, and neck work in Workout C.

Workout B

1. Power snatch 5 x 3

or

Snatch grip high pull 5 x 3

or

Barbell bent-over rowing 5 x 5

2. Two-dumbbell military press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

or

Two-dumbbell incline press 5 x 5 or 5 x 8-10

or

Bench press 5 x 5-6

3. Front squat 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- same as Workout A

Workout C

1.  Push press 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

or

Alternate dumbbell press 5 x 5-10

2. Your choice of power clean, power snatch,
clean high pull or snatch high pull from the
platform, the hang or from blocks 5 x 3

or

Barbell or dumbbell shrugs 5 x 5

3. Overhead squats 5 x 3

or

Bottom position squats or front squats with
a 10 inch range of motion 5 x 5 or 5 x 3

or

Trap Bar deadlift on 2 inch riser 5 x 5-6

4. Gut, grip and neck work -- same as Workout A

So there you have it. A TOP-SECRET workout
for Dinos only! Don't let anyone else see it --
it would scare the heck out of the folks in
Chrome and Fern Land!

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 other great workouts, and some
terrific progression systems to use with this
training program, grab a copy of my new
Dinosaur Training Secrets course:


Hard-copy:

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

Kindle e-book:

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

PDF edition

See the link in the PDF section of our
products page in P.S. 2 below.

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to all of my Kindle e-books and PDF courses --
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you can't find any
more of the big plates, it probably means there's a
Dino in the gym!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

Do You Have the July Issue of The Dinosaur Files?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Do you have the July issue of the Dinosaur
Files? If not, you can grab it right here, in
your choice of Kindle e-book or PDF format:

PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

It's a terrific issue. Here's what's
inside:

Hail to the Dinosaurs!
     by Brooks Kubik

Mesozoic Mail
     by The Dinosaurs

Jurassic Jottings
     by Brooks Kubik

An Interview with Peary Rader
     by Brooks Kubik

Seven Exercises that Build Serious
Strength and Muscle Mass
     by Brooks Kubik

Rediscovering the Squat
     by Allan Roth

The Dinosaur Kitchen
     by Brooks Kubik

The Power Rack Project
     by Peter Yates

Complexes for Strength and
Conditioning
     by John Grahill

Answers to Your Training Questions
     by Brooks Kubik

Back Issues of The Dinosaur Files
     by Brooks Kubik

The Wrap-Up
    by Brooks Kubik

Happy reading, and be sure to let
me know how you like the little
monster!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

The Day My Glasses Fell Into the Chalk Box

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we were talking about bad workouts,
and how to get past them.

How about a bad competition?

I entered a bench press contest in Jacksonville,
Florida once. My goal was to hit 405 pounds --
a World Record in the 220 pound class, Submaster's
age group, in that particular organization.

I smoked 365 on my first attempt and did the
same with 385.

I felt strong. I knew I could hit the 405.

I got super-psyched for the lift -- chalked up --
slapped the side of my face for good measure --
and knocked my glasses right into the chalk box.
Now, remember, this was Florida -- and it was hot --
and my glasses were covered with sweat -- and the
chalk stuck to them like snow, and there was no
way in the world to wear them and see anything.

And there was no time to wash them off, because
I needed to do the lift. The clock was running.

So I went out and did the lift with no glasses.

And me with no glasses means I'm almost blind.

I had to peer at the bar, look for the knurling, and
figure out where to grip the bar -- and then ask the
hand-off guy to mark the spot with his fingers,
because I couldn't see it when I lay down on the
bench.

Long story short -- I gave it a real good try, but I
missed the lift.

And I was furious with myself.

I fumed about it all the way home -- and it's a long
drive from Jacksonville to Louisville.

When I got home, I sent in an entry form for another
meet in that organization -- this time in Edison, New
Jersey.

It was two weeks away.

I had six workouts to get ready for it.

In each workout, I benched 405 pounds, starting
from the bottom position in the power rack (pins
set so the bar was on my chest) -- or from two inches
higher -- or four inches higher -- or six inches higher.

The idea was to work the sticking points -- and to
destroy the mental barrier that missing 405 had
set up.

In other words, I wanted to OWN 405 pounds.

And I did.

At the contest in New Jersey, I nailed the 405 --
and made that World Record.

And that's another way to deal with a setback or a
sticking point -- use partials in the power rack and
smash it to pieces.

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 power rack training in detail in Strength,
Muscle and Power -- and in my power rack training
DVD (which also shows my lifting at that New Jersey
meet):

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the
Dinosaur Files newsletter -- are right here at Dino
Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it doesn't work as
planned, regroup, re-apply yourself, and try again."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

The No. 1 Regret of Older Trainees

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's something I often hear from older
Dinos -- and really, from Dinos of every
age.

And I've been hearing it ever since I first
released Dinosaur Training way back in 1996.

In fact, if I had a nickel for every card, letter or
email that's mentioned this, I'd be a very wealthy
man. And I'd be typing this email on the sunny
sands of a South Pacific island paradise. (Which
would actually be kind of fun to do -- assuming
that said island paradise had a decent gym!)

So here it is -- the number one regret of older
Dinos.

It goes something like this:

"I got your book, and read about abbreviated
training and old-school workouts, and I gave
them a try, and I can't believe the results!

I'm just sorry I didn't learn about this stuff
sooner -- I would have saved myself years of
wasted effort on the high volume stuff they
teach us in the muscle magazines!"

And my response is always the same:

"I wish I had learned about it earlier, too. It
would have saved ME many years of wasted
effort!"

And that's true, because it took me 15 or 20
years to learn that abbreviated training and
old-school workouts were what I needed to
build strength and muscle.

And that's a lot of years of wasted effort.

All of which leads to an interesting question:

"Why is it that *everyone* has to waste years
of effort on the stuff that doesn't work before
learning what really does work?"

I've thought about that a lot. The muscle mags
deserve plenty of blame, since they're the source
of the high volume, split routine, bomb, blast and
blitz stuff.

But it's also the case that most of us think we need
to work "hard" to build strength and muscle -- and
we tend to confuse hard training with high volume
training.

In other words, we fall into the "more is better"
trap -- and it's very hard to escape. After all, there
are very few activities in life where less work gives
you better results.

Anyhow, I've been writing about abbreviated
training and old-school workouts for nearly a
quarter of a century. I KNOW they work -- both
for me and for thousands of others who gave
them a try.

I just wish that more people would give
abbreviated workouts a try when they
begin to train, rather than after wasting
years of effort on the silly stuff.

Can you imagine what the world would be like
if everyone who started strength training and
muscle-building did it the right way from the
very start?

Who knows -- it might start a revolution in the
Iron Game!

That would be pretty darn cool. So I guess I'll
just keep beating the drum for sane and sensible
training -- and for productive, effective, real
world workouts.

Workouts that really work.

Not the science fiction stuff.

The real stuff.

Stuff that works.

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. Chalk and Sweat gives you 50 different workouts,
including programs for beginners, intermediates and
advanced trainees -- as well as 20 leg and back
programs for maximum strength and muscle mass:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here --
along with my Dinosaur Training DVDs, and links
to my Kindle e-books and PDF courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Accept the past, and
focus on the future. There's always another heavy
squat day around the corner." -- Brooks Kubik

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

10 Tips to Rev Up Your Workouts

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Workouts are the best part of the day --
and the better the workout, the better
the day.

So let's talk about to maximize your
workouts -- and how to make each
workout as result-producing and
effective as possible.

Here are 10 tips to rev up your workouts:

1. Spend 10 minutes a day visualizing your workouts
in full, complete and vivid detail -- to the point where
you see and feel the sweat dripping down your face
as you squat, push and pull.

a. 15 or 20 minutes is better.

2. When you train, concentrate deeply on each and
every rep. "Become" the rep.

a. In other words, shut out the rest of the world.
Go deep inside the rep.

3. After each set, review your performance and focus
on the next set.

a. See Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for more details on the all-important
mental aspects of strength training.

4. Wear your power color when you train. Everyone
has a power color (or colors). You feel stronger when
you wear your power color.

a. For me, power colors are black, navy blue and gray.

b. We also have colors that make us feel weak. Don't
wear those! (For example, I avoid brown or tan.)

5. Focus on adding weight to the bar, BUT always
maintain perfect form. If in doubt, focus on form.
Never add weight at the expense of maintaining
perfect form.

6. Rest pause training builds serious strength and
muscle. See Strength, Muscle and Power for details
and suggested workouts.

7. Abbreviated training works better than anything
else for the vast majority of trainees. See Dinosaur
Training, Strength, Muscle and Power, and Chalk and
Sweat for abbreviated workouts that will build plenty
of real world strength and muscle.

7a. Many trainees -- especially older trainees -- will
do best on ultra-abbreviated training. See Gray Hair
and Black Iron for details and workouts.

8. Eat smart. This means the right kind of real food.
That's the whole focus of Knife, Fork, Muscle -- real
food to help build lifelong strength and health.

a. Learn what foods work for you. That's one of the
important keys to long-term success.

b. Supplements will NOT make up for a poor diet.
You need to learn to eat right. When you do, the
results will amaze you.

9. Don't obsess about your training. Just do it. The
most important thing is to train regularly and
consistently. It all adds up over time.

10. Have FUN when you train. Fun is important. Your
training days should be the best days of the week --
and your workouts should be some of the most
enjoyable things you do.

a. Yes, hard work and challenging workouts are
fun!

b. And yes, it's a shame that most people don't
have a clue about this . . .

c.  . . . which is why it's good to train hard and heavy
and old-school, and set an example for others.

So there you have it -- 10 tips to rev up your
workouts. I hope you enjoyed them -- and I
hope you use them.

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron is the no. 1 book
for older trainees -- go here to grab a copy:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It all boils down
to you and the iron."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Something New for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We just added two new PDF courses
to our ever-growing list of PDF courses.

Both courses have been available in hard
copy and Kindle editions, but many of
you prefer PDF courses, so we decided
to release them in that format, as well.

The first is the Dinosaur Training Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course:

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

The second is my very popular Doug
Hepburn Training Course:

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

I know that many of you - particularly
our overseas Dinos - have been waiting
for these to be available in PDF editions -
so here they are!

Hope you enjoy them!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

"You've Got No Guts, Kid!"

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

He was the captain of the chess team and a
bit of a bookworm.

In addition to chess and books, he loved to
swim. So he went out for the swim team.
But he had trouble making proper turns in
the pool -- which is bad news for a kid who
wants to be a competitive swimmer. It's
sort of like wanting to play baseball and
not being able to hit a curve ball.

His swim coach was less than happy with
him.

One day, the coach uttered these fateful
words:

"Kid, forget it. You'll never be a swimmer.
You've got no intestinal fortitude. You know
what that means? You've got no guts."

Twelve years later, the kid represented the
United States in the 1948 Olympic Games
in London.

Not in swimming -- but in wrestling!

In the semi-final match, he suffered a
crippling injury -- a severe muscle and
tendon tear in his chest.

He won the match, but afterwards he could
barely move. Pain ripped through his body
with every breath.

His coach told him to forfeit the gold medal
match.

"No way," he replied.

He went into the final match bandaged like a
mummy -- and challenged one of the very
best wrestlers in the world.

He won the match -- and the Olympic gold
medal.

His name was Henry Wittenberg, and he was
one of the greatest amateur wrestlers who
ever lived.

"No guts?" Not hardly.

I don't know the name of the high school swim
coach who told Henry Wittenberg he had "no
guts" -- but I do know this: People remember
Henry Wittenberg. No one remembers the swim
coach.

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. Henry Wittenberg built tremendous strength
with old-school, Dino-style barbell and dumbbell
training -- the kind we cover in Dinosaur Training:
Lost Secrets of Strength and Development:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "Don't ever listen
to someone who tells you you can't do it."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

The 10,000 Kicks Rule!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

After close to 30 years of writing about
strength training, and getting tons of
feedback from readers, you start to
notice certain patterns.

One thing I've noticed over the years
is that older trainees who need hip or
knee replacement surgery tend to have
similar backgrounds.

Most of them have done:

1. Martial arts (usually karate or kung fu;
hence the reference to 10,000 kicks in the
title of this message).

2. Lots of running or jogging.

3. Bicycling, swimming, or triathalons.

4. High volume weight training workouts
when they were younger. (These can be
high volume weightlifting or high volume
bodybuilding workouts.)

5. Two or more of the above.

Now, before the martial artists and runners
start sending me hate mail, let me note that
I am NOT saying that these activities are bad
or dangerous, or you shouldn't do them.

What I AM saying is that there's something
going on here, and it's something worth
looking at.

All of the activities I've mentioned involve
very high repetition or high volume workouts,
where you do the same movement hundreds
and hundreds of times.

For example, if you run five miles every day,
think of how many steps (reps) you are
doing. Thousands per week.

Running is a high rep repetitive movement --
and over time, at least for for some people, it
starts to take its toll.

It wears down the tendons and ligaments,
and sets the stage for joint problems of one
sort or another.

Trudi, for example, used to do triathalons and
mini-marathons. She now has a fused ankle
from the running.

And this is one reason why I like abbreviated
and ultra-abbreviated strength training work-
outs.

Abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated workouts
are low volume workouts.

You don't do a lot of exercises and you don't
do a lot of reps.

You also don't train every day. Instead, you
give your body time to rest and recuperate.

If you are combining strength training with
martial arts, running or any other high rep
sort of training, you will do FAR BETTER if
you use abbreviated strength training.

If you have a history of high rep work of
one sort or another, you probably will find
that abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated
workouts are MUCH EASIER on your
joints.

Similarly, if you are an older trainee -- age
35 or older, and certainly age 50 and up --
then you've done plenty of reps over the
years, and that means that abbreviated
and ultra-abbreviated training is going
to feel a heck of a lot better and be a
heck of a lot more forgiving for you.

I know that's true in my case. And based
on feedback from readers around the
world, it's true for many others.

The bottom line is this: when you hit the
iron, keep the volume under control.

Focus on quality, not quantity.

I want to see you hitting the iron for many
years to come. To get there, you need to
train smart. Get it done with the minimal
amount of wear and tear.

And that's the message for the day.

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 about abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated training, grab Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol1_digital.html

P.S. 2. We also cover abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated training in these
terrific books:

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Chalk and Sweat

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train with passion
and precision. Make every rep count."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

The Essential Exercises - Do You Do Them?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, my favorite Iron Game
author was Bradley. J. Steiner.  His work
appeared regularly in Strength and Health,
Muscular Development and Iron Man.

One of Steiner's classic series of articles
was a four-part opus titled, "The Essential
Exercises." It ran in Iron Man way back in
1969 or 1970.

For those of you who missed these articles
the first time around, here are Bradley J.
Steiner's "Essential Exercises." Note that
there aren't too many of them -- and that
they don't require much in the way of
equipment -- and they can be performed
in most home gym settings. Steiner was
a home gym trainer, and believed that
it was best to train at home whenever
possible. At the time he wrote his four-
part series, he trained in an apartment
in Brooklyn -- using thick rubber pads
to keep from disturbing the neighbors
when he lowered the bar to the floor!

Arms and shoulders

1. Barbell curls (strict)

2. Dumbbell curls (standing, seated or lying
back on an incline bench)

3. Press behind neck (standing or
seated)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite shoulder
exercise, by far.

4. Military press (strict)

5. Dumbbell presses (both arms together
or alternate arm style)

Note: Steiner did not believe in doing direct
exercises for the triceps, such as french presses
or triceps extensions. He believed they put too
much stress on the elbow joints. He also believed
(as did John Grimek) that overhead presses in
strict form were the very best exercise for the
triceps. Steiner also believed that bench pressing
was a great exercise for the triceps.

Chest

1. Light breathing pullovers with dumbbells
(performed after squats, with light weights
and lots of deep breathing, solely as a way
to help expand the rib-cage)

2. Bench press (strict!)

3. Dumbbell incline press (strict and heavy)

Back

1. Power cleans

Note: Steiner also liked high pulls.

2. Stiff-legged deadlifts

Note: this was Steiner's favorite exercise
for the low back.

3. The good morning exercise

4. Barbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite
exercise for the upper back.

5. Dumbbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

6. Shoulder shrugs (barbell or
dumbbell)

7. Bridging (for neck development)

Note: This was the first time I ever saw
anyone recommend neck training in a
muscle magazine.

Legs

1. Squats

Note: As you might imagine, Steiner believed
that squats were the single best exercise.

2. The straddle lift

Note: I think Steiner liked this exercise
because John Grimek did them. He was
a big Grimek fan.

3. Calf raises

Midsection

1. Leg raises -- preferably with iron boots

2. Dumbbell side-bends

3. Sit-ups with weight resistance -- preferably
on a sit-up board

And that was it. A total of 21 exercises. In Steiner's
opinion, the 21 BEST exercises. The "Essential
Exercises."

You may or may not agree with Steiner's choices,
although you probably agree with many of them.
But I like the idea of picking THE BEST exercises
and building your training programs around them.
There are literally thousands of exercises to do, but
you only have so much time and energy -- so why
not focus on the very best movements?

By the way, the fact that Steiner selected 21
"Essential exercises" did not mean you were
supposed to do all 21. You might use only five
or six in any one training program. But that's
a topic for another day.

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 July issue of the Dinosaur Files is
getting rave reviews from Dinos around the
world.

Here's the link to grab the July issue
of the Dinosaur Files in Kindle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

If you prefer PDF format, go here
to grab the July Dinosaur Files in
PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.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: "For best results,
focus your effort on the best exercises."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

The Squats on Roller Skates with Chains and Power Bands Craze

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The July Dino Files

Is now available in your choice of Kindle
or PDF:

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

Of course, and as always, be sure
to let me know how you like the
little monster.

2. The Squats on Roller Skates with
Chains and Power Bands Craze

As you might imagine, a lot of training
videos pop up in my Facebook feed --
and the other day I saw one that
featured a ton of cool looking and
exotic exercises for the lower body.

It looked like someone had combined
yoga moves, pilates, ice skating,
sprinting, high jumping, hurdling,
savate, and kung fu with barbells,
dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance
bands, wobble boards, stability
balls, tires, chains and Atlas
stones.

You moved forward, backward,
sideways, up and down.

You jumped, hopped, skipped,
and ran in place.

You did one-legged stuff and
two-legged stuff.

You twisted your body like a
contortionist.

You didn't do squats on roller skates
with chains and resistance bands,
but you came darn close to it.

I guess the idea was to keep from
missing anything important. You
know, the old "hit the muscles
from all angles thing."

But there was one problem.

One very good exercise was
missing.

There were no back squats.

Not squats on roller skates. I'm
talking about real squats.

I mean the basic "bar on the upper
 back, feet on the floor, squat
down, drive back up and be ready
for plenty of puffing, panting and
perspiring" kind of squat. The kind
that Reg Park, John Grimek, Paul
Anderson, Tommy Kono, Norb
Schemansky, John Davis and
Doug Hepburn did.

I guess that's because squats are
too old-fashioned.

They're too basic.

They're last year's news -- or
perhaps last century's news.

Of course, you see lots of other
training videos.

Some feature the strongest men and
women on the planet. World and
Olympic champions, even.

And guess what?

They do squats.

In fact, the really strong men and
women stick to the basics. They
may play around with other stuff
(or they may skip it entirely), but
they put most of their time and
energy into the basics.

There's a reason for that.

The basic exercises have been
building strength and muscle for
a very long time -- and they'll be
building strength and muscle long
after this year's crop of funky new
exercises is long forgotten.

If you're looking for new and exotic
exercises, stop.

Stick to the basics. Train them hard.
Work up to some serious weight. And
give them your all.

You won't believe the results!

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. This was one of our most popular
training courses of 2015:

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1

This course covers exercises, sets, reps,
workouts, and training programs for
Dinosaurs. It's great for new Dinosaurs,
and it's an excellent refresher for longtime
Dinos.

It's available in hard-copy, Kindle
e-book or a PDF with immediate
electronic delivery.

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol1_digital.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the
new MONTHLY Dinosaur Files newsletter -- are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Super glue and
duct tape are wonderful things, but if it ain't
broke, don't fix it." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Seven Training Tips from Bradley J. Steiner

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The July Dino Files

The July issue of The Dinosaur Files
is available in your choice of Kindle
or PDF:

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

2. Seven Training Tips from Bradley
J. Steiner

For the last couple of days, we've
been talking about ways to increase
the conditioning value of your regular
weight training workouts, and it has
reminded me of some good tips from
Bradley J. Steiner.

Steiner used to write for Peary Rader's
old Iron Man magazine when I was a
kid. He was my favorite Iron Game
author by far -- and ranks as one of
the most popular and most influential
Iron Game authors of all time.

Steiner taught self-defense, and used
his strength training workouts to help
his martial arts training and enhance
his self-defense skills. So he always
focused on ways to make you strong,
fit, and rugged -- and ready for anything
that might happen!

Steiner liked to integrate some basic
conditioning work into his barbell and
dumbbell workouts.

Here are some of the things he did to
maximize the conditioning value of his
strength training workouts:

1. Steiner liked to begin and end his
workouts with two or three "rounds" of
double-unders with the jump-rope. This
is a staple of training for boxers, and it's
an excellent conditioner. It also doubles
as a warm-up and a warm-down.

Use a high-quality leather jump rope --
the kind that boxers use.

Each "round" should last two or three
minutes. Start at 30 seconds and work
up.

2. Steiner liked to include some sort of
all-out exercise, such as power cleans,
power snatches, or the clean and press.

Doing 5 x 5 in the clean and press is
a great conditioner -- as well as a terrific
strength and power builder. You can use
a barbell or two dumbbells. Do one clean
and one press on every rep.

This was taken from the old York Training
courses -- in particular, the "repetition
weightlifting exercises" of course no. 3.

3. Steiner always included leg work, i.e.,
squats or front squats, which have plenty
of conditioning value.

We always think of 20 rep squats when
we think of conditioning workouts, but
any number of reps will have some degree
of conditioning value.

4. Steiner always followed the squat with
the breathing pull-over to help expand the
rib-cage and get your breathing back to
normal.

In essence, this was a deep breathing
exercise.

Note that you use LIGHT dumbbells for
pullovers. It's not a muscle builder or a
strength movement -- it's a breathing
exercise.

5. Steiner included stiff-legged deadlifts
in most of his workouts. Like the squat,
the stiff-legged deadlift has plenty of
conditioning value.

6. Steiner urged trainees to train at a
fairly fast pace, and to keep their rest
times to a minimum. You didn't rush
things or race the clock, but you
worked at a steady pace and didn't
waste any time.

7. To maximize point no. 6, Steiner
suggested that you try to cut 10 or 15
minutes off your total training time --
while performing the same exercises,
sets and reps.

Doing a 60 minute workout in 50 minutes
means that you're resting much less, and
ensures that you maximize the conditioning
value of your workout.

So there you have it -- seven training tips
from Bradley J. Steiner -- and seven ways
to maximize the conditioning value of your
strength training workouts.

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. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for more
ideas on how to combine strength training
and conditioning in a single workout:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Simple changes
can have profound benefits." -- Brooks Kubik

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

An Interview with Peary Rader

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Earlier today I sent an email about
Peary Rader and how he developed
incredible endurance by doing 20
rep breathing squats.

Those same 20 rep squts also helped
him gain close to 100 pounds of muscle
in just two years - and to develop the
strength and power to win a number
of Regional weightlifting championships.

You can learn more about Peary
Rader in the July issue of The
Dinosaur Files.

One of the articles is an interview
of Peary Rader.

It's based on an article Peary wrote
way back in 1938 - a short auto-
biographical note.

I used it to create a nice little Q and
A - just me and Peary, talking about
his life and his training.

It's pretty good stuff - and well worth
reading. After all, Peary Rader is one
of the all-time Good Guys in the Iron
Game. He did more to push sane,
sensible, productive and effective
training than almost anyone else.

Anyhow, check it out. It's a fun
read - and it's one of many great
articles in the July issue!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The July Dinosaur Files is
available in your choice of Kindle
or PDF:

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html



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

The Man Who Sprinted Up the Rocky Mountains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The July Dino Files on Kindle

Here's the link to grab the July issue
of the Dinosaur Files in Kindle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

If you prefer PDF format, go here
to grab the July Dinosaur Files in
PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

2. The Man Who Sprinted Up the
Rocky Mountains!

Many years ago, a man who lived in
Alliance, Nebraska went on vacation
way out in the rugged Colorado Rockies.

His name was Peary Rader. He was the
founder, editor and publisher of the old
Iron Man magazine.

Back home in Nebraska, there were few
opportunities to climb mountains -- and
certainly no opportunity to climb anything
remotely like the Rocky Mountains.

But to his surprise, Peary found that he
was as fast and nimble as a mountain
goat.

He literally ran up the side of some of the
steep slopes, leaving his friends far behind
him as they trudged slowly and doggedly
up the trail.

He also discovered that he had tremendous
endurance.

He could climb mountains all day without
feeling tired -- and when he woke up the
next morning, he was ready for more!

Now, you might ask if he did a lot of running
back home to get ready for the trip.

Surprisingly, he did none at all.

You might wonder if he did some sort of
intense cardio training -- perhaps riding
a bicycle?

Again, he did none at all.

Or long walks?

Nope.

Or you might think he was on some kind
of special, six-day a week, high volume
training program to build maximum work
capacity.

Again, the answer is no.

Peary trained just twice a week, using a
simple program and a small number of
basic exercises.

His primary exercise was the squat.

He did one set of 20 reps with all the
weight he could handle.

He did breathing squats -- meaning that
he took several huge, enormous breaths
in-between every rep. He breathed so hard
the plates rattled on the bar.

He used the breathing squat program as
a way of gaining muscular bodyweight
and strength. It worked great. In his first
two years on the program, he gained
close to 100 pounds of muscle -- and went
on to be a regional weightlifting champion.

But the squats also gave him tremendous
endurance. The trip to the Rocky Mountains
proved it.

It's another example of what we talked about
yesterday -- using your weight training to
build a superb combination of strength,
power and endurance.

Yes, you can get a great conditioning workout
and build tremendous stamina and endurance
with your barbell workouts.

Peary Rader proved it.

For details about specialized leg and back
programs to build strength, muscle and
outstanding condition, grab a copy of
Chalk and Sweat. It has 50 terrific
workouts, and they'll get you into
great shape faster than you can say
"mountain goat!":

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

And for special instruction on how to ease
into your squatting program and make
steady progress with old-fashioned "slow
cooking", grab Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3. It's available in hard-copy, Kindle
or PDF with immediate electronic delivery:

Hard-copy edition

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

Kindle edition

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

PDF with electronic delivery

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

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 are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good,
but strong and well-conditioned is better."
-- Brooks Kubik

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