My Old-School Training DVD's

 

A 302 pound push press with a Christmas tree barbell - featured in my Power Rack Training DVD. Note the chains at the end of the bar to get us up over 300 pounds. This was shot 20 years ago at the original Dinosaur Dungeon. There's another two hours of action on the DVD.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I sent this email recently, but ever
since I began posting videos of my
workouts here at Dino Headquarters
I've been getting questions about
my old Dino DVD's and where to
get them.

"Where are they?"people ask. "I
can't find them on your website."

So I thought I should cover it again.

Back in the late 1990s, I made five
Dinosaur Training videos:

1. The Lost Art of Heavy Dumbbell
Training

2. Bags, Barrels and Beyond

3. Power Rack Training

4. Olympic Lift Basics

5. Strength Training Basics

We didn't have I-phones back then,
so I had to do things the old-fashioned
way.

I hired a professional camera-man,
and shot each of them in the original
Dinosaur Dungeon.

Each of them is about 2 hours long,
and each of them has a ton of lifting,
non-stop action, and plenty of chalk
and sweat.

The camera-man loved the assignment.

He was used to filming wedding videos.
This was a *little bit* more exciting.

I sold them in VHS format for a long
time, and then we remastered them
to DVD.

But I don't carry them today.

I've licensed them to John Wood so
that he can feature them at the Iron
League member site.

So that's the place to go if you want
to see them.

And frankly, it's a great deal - because
the cost of a one year's membership is
less than the cost of all five DVDs. And
you get to see a ton of other great Iron
Game stuff, as well.

So if you missed them the first time
around, or if you didn't see all of them -
or if you bought the DVDs but can't
find them after your last move or the
last big flood - then sprint on over and
join the Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

T

The Forgotten Man

 

Hitting it hard back in my mid to late 40's. I'm 60 now, and still hitting it hard - and my workouts are more fun than ever!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Peary Rader, the founder and (for 50
years) editor of the original IronMan
magazine had a special term for older
trainees.

"The forgotten man."

Why did he use that term?

Because back then, if you were over the
age of 40, the muscle magazines, books
and courses -- and everyone who wrote,
edited or published them -- forgot
about you.

It was as if you didn't exist after age 40.
That's still the case today. In fact, it's
probably more true than ever.

And it's not that they forget about you.

They give you bad advice.

Case in point.

A gym owner recently suggested that a
60 year old Dino should start training
three hours a day, six days a week, to
"take it to the next level."

Really?

How long do you think THAT program is
going to last?

And how long before our 60-year old ends
up with massive over-training -- or a bad
injury?

John Grimek trained right up until the end of his life - using squats and dumbbell presses as his mainstays.

Not to mention that he won't be able to
work his job, live a normal life, and stay
married if he starts to spend 20 hours
a week in the gym. I know I couldn't
do it.

Older Dinos understand what I'm talking
about. As you get older, you need to
change what you do.

That doesn't mean you have to stop
training.

Far from it. As you get older, training
becomes more and more important.

But you need to do it as effectively
and as efficiently as possible.

I know. That's because I'm one of you.
I, too, am one of the Forgotten. I'm 60
now, and that means I do things differently
than when I was 20 or 30 -- or even when
I was 40.

Hitting some old-school, retro snatches at Dino Headquarters. At age 60, I focus on ground-based training and old-school workouts.

But I still train. And to tell the truth, my
training is more fun than ever before. And
I'm going to keep on doing it for a very
long time.

But still -- it gripes my goat to see the
nonsense that older trainees have to
contend with.

So I've done several things to try to even the
score for the Forgotten Man (or Woman).

I wrote Gray hair and Black Iron -- a book
that covers effective training for older Dinos
in detail -- and gives you over 50 different
workouts for older trainees:

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

Two years ago, I did a terrific mini-course
for older Dinos -- with a brand new workout --
and it's available in PDF format with immediate
electronic delivery:

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

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

For example, the December 2015 issue of
The Dinosaur Files features part one of a
four-part series on effective lower body
training for older Dinos - with advice,
ideas, feedback and suggestions from
more than 50 older Dinos. Where else
are you going to find that sort of
information?

You can grab the December 2015 issue
of the Dinosaur Files right here -- and like
the mini-course, it comes to you with
immediate electronic delivery:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_december2015.html

Older trainees may be forgotten everywhere
else. But they're not forgotten here -- and
they never will be!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I almost forgot - we also cover training for older Dinos in my new Q and A course:

My new course is available right here in the Kindle bookstore: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html


Knowledge is power.

 

Why I Like Weightlifting

Bernard Baron - one of the top lifters in the USA back in the early 1940's. A great example of old-school strength and development!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

For the last week or two, I've been sharing
plenty of fun photos from my workouts here
at the new Dino Dungeon, a/k/a the drive-
way behind our new apartment.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I even shared
some video clips. (You can see them on
Facebook, Instagram and at the Dinosaur
Training Blog.)

In one workout, I'm doing old-school split
style clean and jerks.

In the other, I'm doing old school split
style snatches.

 

So, this has led to a barrage of questions
from Dinos around the world, who are
asking:

1. "Why do you do an all-weightlifting
program now?"

2. "Do you still do [fill in the blank]?"

3. "I do [fill in the blank]. Should I start
to do weightlifting?"

So I thought I'd cover those questions in
my daily emails this week.

Let's start with question no. 1: "Why do I
do weightlifting workouts now?"

There are several reasons.

First and foremost, it's fun. I enjoy it more
than anything else I might do. And when
you're my age (60), and you've been
training for over 50 years, it's important
to do things that are fun.

That doesn't mean that weightlifting is
good and everything else under the sun
is bad -- and it doesn't diminish the benefits
of other types of strength training. It just
means that I enjoy weightlifting workouts
more than anything else.

Second, it's a way of specializing on the
legs and back, which is always a good idea
for anyone, and an even better idea for an
older trainee.

Third, it requires a combination of strength,
power, speed, flexibility and technique.
That makes it very challenging for an older
trainee -- and meeting new challenges is
one of the things that keeps you young.

Fourth, weightlifting increases your
flexibility, mobility, balance and
coordination -- all of which is very
good for an older trainee.

Fifth, weightlifting is practiced around the
world -- and has been part of the Iron Game
for over 100 years -- so I can compare my
performance against others men of my own
age and bodyweight -- or against the old-
time champions such as Grimek, Stanko
and the rest of the York Gang.

Sixth, weightlifting is an athletic way of
training -- and training like an athlete can
help keep your brain and nervous system
working at a high level as you grow older.

Seventh, I find it easy to focus, concentrate
and dive into the inner universe when I do
my workouts -- which makes a weightlifting
workout a form of moving meditation for me.

There are many studies validating the
beneficial effects of exercise, as well as
the beneficial effects of meditation. So it
stands to reason that an activity that
combines both has some
serious benefits.

And those are the reasons why I follow an
all-weightlifting workout.

Should YOU do weightlifting workouts?

We'll cover that question tomorrow.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I have tons of great workouts for older
Dinos -- using a wide variety of equipment
and training methods -- in Gray Hair and
Black Iron:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Follow me
on Instagram and Twitter, and friend me
on Facebook -- but not while you're doing
squats!" -- Brooks Kubik

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. This is the latest one. Go here to see the complete list: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

If you want the best results from your training, learn how to train as productively and effectively as possible!

 

 

 

A Bird's Eye View of Last Night's Workout

At age 60, I'm enjoying my workouts more than ever - and that's after more than 50 years of training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a video from last night's workout at
Dino Headquarters.

I was doing old-school, split style snatches.

Trudi decided to get a bird's eye view of the
action -- and it turned out to be pretty darn
interesting:

If I look like I'm having fun, it's because
I am.

At age 60, my workouts are more fun than
ever before -- and that's after more than 50
years of training.

It's just a matter of finding things that you
like to do -- and then doing them!

By the way, if you're interested in old-school
training programs and retro-workouts, grab
my three-volume series, DINOSAUR
TRAINING SECRETS, Vols 1 - 3.

It's available in your choice of hard-copy or
PDF at my website -- or in Kindle editions at
the Kindle bookstore.

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik 

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. This is the latest one. Go here to see the complete list:
http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

If you want the best results from your training, learn how to train as productively and effectively as possible!

10 Strength Training and Muscle Building Mistakes

 

Louis Abele was one of the strongest men in the world back in the late 1930's and early 1940's. He thrived on old-school Olympic lifting, supplemented with plenty of leg and back training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We all make mistakes, and I'm no
different than anyone else.

But there's a good side to making
mistakes. Hopefully, it teaches you
a better way of doing things.

And if you're really lucky, you can
learn from other people's mistakes.
That saves time, effort, wear
and tear.

So I thought I'd share The Top 10
Training Mistakes I Made When I
Was a Kid. Hopefully, this will help
you avoid making some of the
mistakes that I made.

Don't laugh too hard when you read
these. They were things I did in junior
high and high school -- a very long
time ago. And in my defense, we all
made these mistakes back then.

The Top 10 Training Mistakes I
Made When I Was a Kid

1.  I read the muscle magazines.

a. Worse, I believed them.

2. I tried the Get Big Drink.

a. I did NOT get big. I got sick.

b. Very sick.

3. I used soy-based protein powder.

a. We all did. And it was terrible for
us.

b. Soy powder is indescribably nasty.

4. I didn't do Olympic lifting.

a. For some reason. Olympic lifting
all but disappeared in the USA in the
60's and 70's.

b. I really wish our coaches had trained
us in Olympic lifting. What a difference
it would have made.

c. Even teaching us power cleans, high
pulls and push presses would have been
huge improvement.

Arthur Saxon knew far more about effective strength training than the magazines taught us when I was growing up - and Saxon was in his prime more than 100 years ago!

5. I used machines instead of free
weights.

a. Including the Universal Gym.

b. Of course, all the pro athletes did
the same thing.

c. Related point: I should have used
heavy awkward objects.

d. I should have done old-school
dumbbell training (the kind I teach
in Dinosaur Dumbbell Training).

6. I did long, slow running instead of
sprints and other fast, short-burst cardio
work.

a. The long, slow stuff didn't have very
much carry-over to wrestling, which is
what I was training for in high school --
but it's what all of us did back then.

7. I used high-volume bodybuilding
programs.

a. The magazines said that was the
way to be a champion.

b. It wasn't.

c. And besides, why train like a body-
builder if you were a wrestler?

8. I didn't do anywhere near enough leg
and back work.

a. None of us did.

John Grimek epitomized the very best in old-school strength training and muscle building.

9. I didn't do anywhere near enough grip
work.

a. I don't think my high school even had
anything for the grip -- other than a wrist
roller thingie on the Universal Gym.

b. I wish I had done the farmer's walk
back then.

c. Or used thick handled barbells and
dumbbells.

10. I didn't do enough bodyweight training --
which would have been an excellent program
for a high school wrestler.

a. The muscle magazines never said anything
about bodyweight training.

So there you have it: 10 big mistakes that I
made almost 50 years ago.

And here's the thing -- many people are still
making one or more of those mistakes -- or
very similar mistakes -- and some people are
making ALL of them.

That's a shame. There's a much better way
of doing things. I teach it in all of my books
and courses, from Dinosaur Training to Chalk
and Sweat to Strength, Muscle and Power to
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

Don't make my mistakes. Train the right
 way.

Unlock your true potential.

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 is a great book for
beginners, intermediates and advanced
trainees:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Those who
ignore the lessons of history are doomed
to repeat them -- and that includes the
lessons of the Iron Game." -- Brooks
 Kubik

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. This is the latest one. Go here to see the complete list:
http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

If you want the best results from your training, learn how to train as productively and effectively as possible!

Moving Fast, Staying Strong!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been posting some photos of my
workouts over the past couple of weeks,
and a number of you have asked for
some video.

So here's a short clip from a workout
where I was doing old-school, split
style clean and jerks.

I've been doing squat style cleans and
split style snatches, but decided to work
on split style cleans for a while and see
how they work.

One of the great things about split style
lifting for older Dinos is that it makes
you move FAST.

Those feet have to really fly -- and at age
60, that's a very good thing.

The goal is to be both strong and fast --
meaning powerful -- at age 60 and
beyond.

Anyhow, here's the clip -- not a maximum
weight, by any means, but it will give you
an idea of what things look like here at
Dino HQ:

By the way, if you're interested in old-school
training programs and retro-workouts, grab
my three-volume series, DINOSAUR
TRAINING SECRETS, Vols 1 - 3.

It's available in your choice of hard-copy or
PDF at my website -- or in Kindle editions at
the Kindle bookstore.

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. This is the latest one. Go here to see the complete list:
http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

The "How Many Meals A Day?" Question

 

After a hard workout, nothing beats a nice home-cooked meal.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm often asked, "How many meals a day do
you eat?"

And a lot of people don't believe the answer.
The answer is "three."

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now, for the record, that's what John Grimek
ate -- what Steve Stanko ate -- what John
Davis ate -- and what almost every strongman,
bodybuilder and weightlifter ate prior to 1950
or so.

Around 1950, the muscle mags started to push
six meals a day for weight gaining.

And ever since, trainees have been obsessed
with the idea of eating six meals a day (or
more) and gaining more muscle mass than
a herd of charging elephants.

But six meals a day isn't for everyone.

Six meals a day may work for some very
skinny and underweight trainees during a
relatively short period when they're trying
to gain muscular bodyweight -- but it's not
necessary to do it forever.

For an older trainee who has gone through
the weight gaining phase and is already as
big as he wants to be, three meals a day
will work fine.

Of course, they need to be three big meals,
with plenty of high quality food.

And they should be easy to prepare, because
nothing beats home-cooked meals.

And they should be delicious -- because the
more you enjoy your meals, the better your
digestion will be.

And besides, after a hard, heavy workout,
you deserve a delicious meal.

I cover diet and nutrition for strength training
in detail in Knife, Fork, Muscle. It gives you
everything you need to know about what to
eat for lifelong strength and health -- and
includes meal plans, daily menus, and even
some simple recipes and cooking tips direct
from Dino Headquarters.

By the way, did you know that John Grimek
believed that three meals a day were
BETTER than six?

He wrote several articles about this. He believed
that it was easier to digest and assimilate your
food if you gave your body more time between
meals.

He also believed that overloading your digestive
system was a mistake -- especially for skinny
trainees. After all, one of the reasons they're
skinny is that they have trouble digesting and
assimilating their food! And giving someone a
belly ache doesn't build strength and muscle.

In any case, I get the question all the time --
and the answer always seems to shock people.

But it's three. Three meals a day. That and hard
training are all you need for great 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. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle in
the hard-copy edition:

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

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in
a series of Kindle e-books. The first three
books in the e-book series are right here;
book 4 in the e-book series is coming soon:

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Kindle e-book 1

(covers protein for strength training -- how
much, the best sources of high-quality
protein, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Kindle e-book 2

(covers healthy and unhealthy carbs,
vegetables, starchy vegetables, grain
and gluten issues, organic foods, and
gardening)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html 

 Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3

(covers healthy and unhealthy fats,
food and chemical allergies, and the
importance of allergy-free diets)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html 

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Heavy iron
and good food works every time."
-- Brooks Kubik

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. Go here to see the complete list:  http://www.brookskubik.com/

Dinosaur Training DVDs - Where to Find Them!

Push pressing 302 pounds with a Christmas Tree Barbell - one of the many highlights of my Dinosaur Training DVDs.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in the late 1990s, I made five
Dinosaur Training videos:

1. The Lost Art of Heavy Dumbbell
Training

2. Bags, Barrels and Beyond

3. Power Rack Training

4. Olympic Lift Basics

5. Strength Training Basics

We didn't have I-phones back then,
so I had to do things the old-fashioned
way.

I hired a professional camera-man,
and shot each of them in the original
Dinosaur Dungeon.

Each of them is about 2 hours long,
and each of them has a ton of lifting,
non-stop action, and plenty of chalk
and sweat.

The camera-man loved the assignment.
He was used to filming wedding videos.
This was a *little bit* more exciting.

I sold them in VHS format for a long
time, and then we remastered them
to DVD.

But I don't carry them today.

I've licensed them to John Wood so
that he can feature them at the Iron
League member site.

So that's the place to go if you want
to see them.

And frankly, it's a great deal - because
the cost of a one year's membership is
less than the cost of all five DVDs. And
you get to see a ton of other great Iron
Game stuff, as well.

So if you missed them the first time
around, or if you didn't see all of them -
or if you bought the DVDs but can't
find them after your last move or the
last big flood - then sprint on over and
join the Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The Difference Between Age 30 and Age 60

Hitting it hard at age 60. The older you are, the more fun it is!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

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

The difference is 1.514.

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

The coefficient for a 30 year old lifter is 1.00.

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

300 x 1.00 = 300.

The coefficient for a 60 year old lifter is 1.514.

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

200 x 1.514 = 302.8

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

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

In other words, if you're "only" lifting 200
pounds at age 60, you're doing pretty darn
good - and probably better than you think!

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

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

You can grab it right here in your choice of
hard copy, Kindle e-book or PDF.

Do the math, and see where you rank. It's a
lot of fun -- and you may surprise yourself!

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF

If you prefer PDF courses, it's also
available in PDF - just go to our
Products page and look for the
PDF courses:

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

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

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Older Dinos can build and maintain
very surprising levels of strength and
development. But you need to train the
right way to get there. Here's a PDF
course for older trainees that tells you
exactly what to do:

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have 23 books and courses available at the Kindle bookstore. Go here to see the complete list:  http://www.brookskubik.com/

Hitting It Hard in the Dino Dungeon (with Photos!)

 

Hitting it hard at age 60.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I  had a fun workout the other
day.

I did old-school split style clean
and jerks.


At age 60, they're a lot more
forgiving than squat style cleans.

Check out the action.

Get set, concentrate, get ready to lift.

Setting the grip.

Rocket booster time.

Giving it everything on the pull.

Finishing the jerk. Step up slowly and carefully to bring those feet together!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want to know how to train hard,
heavy and effectively as an older trainee,
grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. For my Kindle e-books and training
courses, go here:

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

Here's the latest addition to the Dinosaur Strength Training Library - but we have 23 other books in the Kindle bookstore, as well as tons of hard-copy and PDF books and courses at my website: http://www.brookskubik.com/

What's Your Favorite Exercise?

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought I'd start the day with a question
for the Dinos.

Send in your answer, and I'll share the
results with the Dino Nation.

Here's the question:

What's your favorite exercise -- and why?

And while you're thinking about it, I'll
share my answer.

1. My favorite exercise has changed over
the years. Of course, that's to be expected,
since I've been training for over half a
century.

2. I've always enjoyed virtually every
exercise I've ever done, so at any point
in time I've had a number of favorite
exercises.

3. In picking a favorite exercise, I look
at how much I enjoy performing the
movement -- and also at how it makes
me feel immediately after I finish -- as
well as how it makes me feel later in
the day and the next day.

Old-school split snatches are fast, fun and effective.

4. And, of course, I look at the results
the exercise gives me.

5. It's hard to pick just ONE favorite
exercise!

6. Past favorites have included bottom
position squats and bottom position
bench presses  -- as well as seated
presses on an 80 degree incline
bench, which I also performed
bottom position style.

a. These were probably the best strength
and muscle mass movements I ever did.

7. One hand barbell snatches were a
favorite once.

8. So was the barbell clean and press.

9. And the one-hand dumbbell swing.

10. Ditto for some of the advanced pull-up
variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

11. Along with handstand push-ups and
some of the other push-ups covered in
DBT.

a. And the one-hand barbell deadlift.

b. The farmer's walk.

c. Sandbag and barrel lifting.


d. Heavy partials in the power rack.

e. The seated press behind neck.

f. Heavy barbell curls.

g. The Trap Bar deadlift.

g. And the list, as they say, goes on and
on.

Having fun with one of my favorite exercises.

12. My current favorites are snatches,
clean and jerks, high pulls, and front
squats.

a. I love the feel of these movements.

b. And I love how I feel when I finish a
hard workout built around these
exercises.

c. And I love the way they make me
feel -- as in, strong, healthy and energized.

And my favorite is -- I honestly don't
know.

Probably one of the four movements I
currently do -- or all of them.

That's not a definitive answer, but it's the
best I can do. And it may very well change
over time.

But in any case, let me know what YOUR
favorite exercise is. So give it some
thought, and fire in an email.

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'll find some terrific exercises in
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. Who
knows -- they might end up being your
new favorites!

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

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
like friends -- choose them wisely."
--Brooks Kubik

Whatever your favorite exercise, life is better when it includes regular workouts.

Top Tips on Effective Warm-Ups for Dinos!

Retro lifting at Dino Headquarters always begins with a long, thorough and complete warm-up. It's a must for anyone, but a double must for an older lifter.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week we talked about stretching, and
whether it was good or bad for you.

I noted that when I was in high school,
stretching was the big deal in athletics.

The coaches had us do all sorts of stretches
before and after every practice and every
competition. It was supposed to prevent
injuries.

That theory has pretty much fallen by the
wayside over the years.

We've learned several important things,
and they've made coaches change what
they do.

Here's what we now know:

1. Too much stretching lowers a muscle's
strength and power potential -- so it's
NOT a good idea to do tons of stretching
before a heavy workout (or a football game
or a wrestling match or anything else
where strength and power is important).

2. Stretching can injure a "cold" muscle
or its attachments.

3. You get a better and fuller stretch when
the muscles and joints are warmed up and
looser.

For all of these reasons, most coaches
now have their athletes do stretching at
the end of a workout or a practice rather
than before.

Of course, some of us do need some
stretching before we train, usually for
a particular joint that needs extra work
to warm up and get loose. For example,
I always stretch my ankles before a
workout.

My workouts always begin with a good warm-up, followed by my first sets with an empty bar, and then gradually going up to heavier weights. Older trainees need longer warm-ups than younger trainees.

But most of my warming-up follows
these general guidelines:

1. The best way to prepare for a workout
(or a practice or a competition) is to do a
warm-up that involves light movements
rather than the static stretches we did
"back in the day".

a. For example, you might prepare for a
squatting or deadlifting workout by doing
deep knee bends with no added weight.

b. Or you might do squats, front squats
or overhead squats with a length of PVC
pipe or broomstick.

c. And you might use light Indian clubs to
loosen up your shoulders and upper back
before hitting the iron.

2. Do enough warming-up so that the joints
and the muscles are ready for the heavier
stuff, but don't do so many reps that you
start to get a pump. It's a warm-up, not
a workout. Five to ten deep knee bends (or
several sets of five to ten) may be all it
takes.

a. I usually do sets of three to five reps in
the overhead squat with a broomstick as
part of my warm-up. That's light and easy,
of course, but it does the trick.

3. Start light and perform the specific
exercise or lift you are planning to work --
and use a series of progressively heavier
warm-up sets performed in perfect form
to prepare you for the heavy stuff.

a. Remember that many or most top
weightlifters will start with the empty
bar for their first warm-up set -- even
if they work up to world-class weights
for their final sets.

4. Older trainees need more warming up
than younger trainees.

a. The older you get, the more time you
need to devote to your warm-ups.

b. At age 60, I now spend about 20
minutes on warm-ups before I even
touch the barbell -- and then I begin
with super light sets with the empty
bar and progress gradually from
there.

The barbell doesn't need a warm-up, but YOU do!

5. If you have time to train, you have time
to do a proper warm-up.

6. During the warm-up, concentrate deeply
on what you are doing. Don't just "run
through" the warm-up movements and the
warm-up sets. FOCUS on them.

a. Use the warm-up to help shift from the
everyday world we live in to the inner
universe we lift in.

7. Concentration and focus means no talking,
no goofing around, no distractions and (gasp!)
no social media.

And that's my take on warming-up. It's not
complicated, but it's not like the stuff the
coaches had us do 40 years ago.

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. We had a three way tie for our most
popular training books last week. Do YOU
have them all?

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Knife, Fork, Muscle

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train smart,
and as you grow older, train smarter."
-- Brooks Kubik

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Retro Lifting at Dino Headquarters

Retro lifting at Dino Headquarters - it's fast, fun and effective!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Today's a training day at Dino Headquarters,
and I'm looking forward to it.

I'll be doing split style snatches, snatch high
pulls and front squats. That will make a long
workout. It will run about 90 minutes, and it
will work everything from the toes to the
eyeballs and back again.

Most of the workout will focus on the split
style snatch. I do plenty of singles to work
on my form and technique in the snatch.

The footwork takes lots of practice -- and
like anything else, to do it right you need
work at it.

Some people call the split style of snatching
or cleaning "old man lifting."

Others call it "grandfather lifting."

Jim Schmitz calls it "retro lifting." He started
out as a split style lifter back in the 1960's,
and then switched over to the squat style,
and today, at age 70, he's back to the split
style because it's easier on his body.
And he still lifts in competition once or
twice a year. At age 70, that's pretty
impressive.

Anyhow, I agree with Jim Schmitz. I think
"retro lifting" is the best term for split style
snatching and cleaning.

World and Olympic Champion John Davis hits a split snatch back in the day.

But whatever you call it, old-school lifting
is fun to do.

It's also good exercise -- and it keeps you
young, fast, strong and powerful.

So does any kind of basic barbell and dumbbell
training -- especially the stand on your feet stuff
I write about in all of my books and courses.

So here's the bottom line:

I don't care how old you are in years, but
if you're standing on your feet and squatting,
pulling and pushing heavy iron a couple of
times a week, you're younger and stronger
than most people.

And if you keep on doing it, you'll stay
younger and stronger for a very long
time.

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.Here are some great resources to help
keep you healthy and strong at any age:

a. Gray Hair and Black Iron is a must-read
for any older trainee:

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

b. Two years ago, I did a terrific mini-course
for older Dinos -- with a brand new workout --
and it's available in PDF with immediate electronic
delivery:

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

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

If you've not been reading the Dinosaur
Files, start with the December 2015 issue
and work forward from there:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_december2015.html

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stronger is
younger." -- Brooks kubik

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Helping You Save Clams on Shipping and Handling!

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I published Dinosaur Training
way back in 1996, postage rates were
fairly low, even for international mail.

So I could fill orders from around the world
at a relatively low cost for shipping and
handling.

But postage rates have gone higher and
higher over the years - especially for
international mail.

Case in point. A guy from Australia
ordered Dinosaur Training today,
and the shipping and handling was
almost double the cost of the book.

That's because our shopping cart uses
Priority Mail shipping as a default
option.

And Priority Mail is expensive for
international shipping.

However, if you want to save clams on
shipping for an international order,
it's easy to do.

Just place your order, and include a note
in the Special Instructions section of the
on-line order form asking us to ship your
book or books by First Class Mail instead
of Priority Mail.

We'll go ahead and calculate the cost for
First Class Mail and ship it that way. And
we'll refund the difference between the
two shipping charges.

Trudi just did exactly that for the guy I
mentioned in Australia - and saved him
a whopping 22 clams on postage.

That's more work for us, of course, but
we're happy to do it if it helps our
Dinos.

Of course, the other thing we're doing to
help with shipping and handling is to offer
Dinosaur Training books and courses in
PDF and Kindle format.

This is a great option for everyone, but
it's especially good for overseas Dinos,
because there is literally ZERO in
shipping and handling charges.

Right now, we have 23 Dinosaur Training
books and courses on Kindle. Here's the
complete list - and we're adding more
and more all the time:

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

Important - you do NOT need to purchase
a kindle device to read Kindle e-books. You
can download an app that lets you read
them on any device. There's a link for
the app on every sales page in the
Kindle bookstore.

If you prefer PDF to Kindle, check out the
section of PDF books and courses at our
products page. There's a lot of them:

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

Also, note that we've bundled Dinosaur
Training Secrets 1, 2 and 3 - so you can
grab all three courses with one purchase.
We got the idea from Amazon, which
bundles all three courses in the Kindle
bookstore.

I know that some of you prefer hard copy
books and courses, and we'll continue to
offer those - but the Kindle and PDF
options will help many of you save
some serious clams.

And saving serious clams is a good
thing.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Happy Training Day!

After more than 50 years of training, each workout is more fun than the last one - and more precious than ever.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's one from a couple of years ago,
bit it's gray and gloomy today, so it's
worth remembering it.

Wet, Cold, Gray and Gloomy - But
It's A Training Day!

I type my daily emails in my second floor
study, looking out into a nearby park. On
a sunny day, it's beautiful, with golden
rays of light dancing on the trees, the
grass and the leaves.

But today's not sunny and bright.

It's mid-November, and it's wet, cold,
gray and gloomy.

But that doesn't matter.

I looked out the window, and I thought:

"Today's a training day! What a great day
it's going to be!"

And that's part of the magic of strength
training.

After you do it for awhile, strength training
becomes a regular part of your life. More
than that, it becomes a part of your life
that gives meaning to everything else.

For example, think about this: If someone
asked you to describe yourself in just ONE
word, what would your answer be?

For many of us, it would be:

Weightlifter.

Or powerlifter.

Or strongman.

Or bodybuilder.

Or Harry Paschall's old favorite -- "Iron Slinger"
(which is two words, but it's a great phrase,
so let's use it anyway).

Heck, some of us might even say "Dinosaur."

And even if your first response to the question
is "parent" or "father" or "husband" or a
word that defines your job or your profession,
if we let you list a couple of more terms I'm
pretty sure that one of them would speak to
your passion for strength training.

The point is, strength training defines who we
are and what we do -- and how we approach
life.

And yes, it's wet, cold, gray and gloomy today.

But it's a training day, and that means it's
going to be a great 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. Here's something that will give you plenty
of motivation and inspiration for hard training --
along with dozens of great workouts and
training ideas:

Strength, Muscle and Power 

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

The newest addition to the Dinosaur Training Library - now available at the Kindle Bookstore.
http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard
and have fun!" -- Brooks Kubik

The Old School Strength Training Q and A

 

My new course is available right here in the Kindle bookstore: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Imagine that you were training with
me right here at Dinosaur Headquarters.

We'd lift tons of iron and have tons of
fun.

We'd scare the heck out of the
neighbors.

We might even cause a small
earthquake right here in Louisville.

And after the workout, you'd probably
ask me a couple of training questions -
and I'd give you a detailed answer to
each of them.

You may never make it to the Dino
Dungeon (very few people ever
have), but here's the next best
thing.

Exactly two weeks ago, we launched
a new training course.

The title is Brooks Kubik's Old
School Strength Q & A.

It covers 15 questions from
readers - with detailed answers
to them.

As I said, it's just as if we were
training partners and you asked
me a question after a hard workout
here at Dino Headquarters.

We cover a wide variety of important
training topics in the book, including:

The best footwear for squats.

How to keep your T-levels
healthy and high.

How to break a plateau on
pull-ups.

How the old-timers REALLY
trained.

Exercise alternatives if you can't
do squats.

Strength co-efficients for older lifters
and how to use them.

Safe and effective training for older
trainees.

How to break through a sticking
point.

How long a workout should last.

Parallel dips for older trainees.

Warm-up sets.

Sets and reps for the military press.

Sets and reps for muscle mass.

Deadlift questions.

And much more.

The Q and A format makes the new course
fast, fun and eminently readable -- but let's
us give you plenty of vitally important
strength training information.

It's just like training together - right
here in the Dino Dungeon.

Go here to grab a copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

 

Hitting it hard and heavy at the Dino Dungeon!