The Craft of Strength Training

 
The old-timers treated strength training as a craft - which is something we're going to talk about this week.


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The weekend before last I attended
a terrific strength training clinic
in Cincinnati, hosted by John and
Kim Wood.

It was a special program for members
of The Iron League. No admission (and
a free lunch) but only for members of
The Iron League.

The plan is to have another of these
terrific clinics next year - and that's
a very good reason to join The Iron
League:

https://www.ironleague.com/

It was hosted in Germantown, not far
from the famous mural of the old-time
strongman, Cincinnti's own Henry
Holtegrewe. He owned a bar where he
poured drinks, lifted weights, lugged
heavy iron, and arm wrestled all
comers.

Eugen Sandow came to Cincinnati
once, and had a lifting contest with
Holtegrewe.

The massive bartender beat him
decisively.

Now, in fairness to Sandow, Henry
Holetegrewe was an incredibly
strong man - and he outweighed
Sandow by over 100 pounds.

There were some very unique
pieces of equipment on display
at the clinic.

Some special, one of a kind, grip
training tools that John had made
based on designs and ideas from
Arthur Jones. These drew a lot of
attention during the breaks. Every-
one gave them a try - and everyone
was super impressed with them.

There also were some very old,
very famous pierces of iron -
including one that I had met
many years ago - and almost
half a world away.

I'll tell you more about them
tomorrow - and about what
triggered the thought giving
rise to the title of this message:

"The Craft of Srength Training"

In the meantime, I'm going to
work up another list of special
books, courses and magazines
for sale at our Big Dinosaur Book
Sale. I'll send an email when it's
ready.

If you missed the previous lists,
you can find them at The Dinosaur
Training Blog:

List No. 5

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2017/07/rare-strength-training-books-and.html

List No. 4

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2017/07/rare-books-and-magazines-from-dinosaur.html

List No. 3

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2017/07/rare-books-and-magazines-for-sale-list_27.html

By the way, you can sign up to
receive notifications of new posts
at The Dinosaur Training Blog -
so you'll get a head's up whenever
a new list goes live. That's probably
a good thing to do, since the books,
courses and magazines are being
offered for sale on a strict first
come, first served basis.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

 
We have tons of great books and courses for sale during our big Book Sale at Dinosaur Training Headquarters. Check it out!         

Dull and Boring - Or Fun and Exciting?

My workouts don't change very much. I stick to the same exercises, the same sets and the same reps. For many people, that would be dull and boring - but for me, it's fun and exciting. 


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Are your workouts dull and boring?

Or are they fun and exciting?

I was thinking about my own work-
outs the other day.

They don't make very good social
media posts because it's pretty much
the same thing in every workout.

I have two workouts - Workout A
and Workout B - but every Workout
A looks like the previous Workout A -
and every Workout B looks like the
previous Workout B.

In other words, I stick to the same
exercises, the same sets and the
same reps.

I don't mix things up, and I don't
change things around, and I don't
add new stuff very often.

For many people, a program like
that would be dull and boring.

They couldn't stand it.

But for me, it's the reverse.

My workouts are fun and exciting.

I enjoy the challenge of working on
a small number of movements and
trying to master them - and on trying
to do them better every time I train.

I don't think either approach is wrong,
as long as you don't change things up
too often. You need to stick to a given
program long enough to let it work
for you. Many people change programs
far too often, and that usually doesn't
work very well.

Of course, there comes a time when
changing to a new workout or a new
program can be the best thing in the
world for you.

You just have to know when to do it -
which is largely a matter of training
long enough to understand both your
body and your mind, and to learn
what works best for you.

Anyhow, I'll be training today, and it
will be dull and boring - pretty much
the same thing as always - but it will
be fun and exciting for me.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's something different that's
also fun and effective:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"The iron doesn't get bored,
and neither should you."


Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

The Strongest 80-Year Old in the World (Part 2)

Lifting weights is fun at any age - and the older you are, the more fun it is!


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought I'd share some more
info about Wolfgang Sadowski,
the strongest 80-year old in the
world.

I got this info from articles in
German newspapers, which I
translated with a translation
tool. I think it's correct, but if
not, consider it "lost in trans-
lation."

He trains three times a week.

His workouts last one hour.

He used to train more when
he was younger, but he finds
needs the rest now.

He lifts a total of 5 tons in
every workout (that's total
tonnage, of course).

In other words, a total of
10,000 pounds.

I'm not sure if that's work
sets only, or if it's all sets,
including warm-ups.

But to put that in perspective,
consider this - based on a
possible workout for a man
who clean and jerks 80 kilos:

Clean and jerk

Bar x 5 = 220 lbs.

Bar plus 5 lb. plates x 5 = 270
lbs.

Bar plus 5 kilo plates x 5 = 330
lbs.

Bar plus 10 kilo plates x 3 =
264 lbs.

50 kilos (bar and plates) x 3
= 330 lbs.

55 kilos x 3 = 363 lbs.

60 kilos x 2 = 264 lbs.

65 kilos x 2 = 286 lbs.

70 kilos x 1 = 154 lbs.

75 kilos x 1 = 165 lbs.

80 kilos x 1 - 176 lbs.

TOTAL = 2822 lbs.

So his workout would be 3 or
4 times what I just outlined
for the clean and jerk alone -
which is a heck of a workout
to complete in one hour.

Not many men of any age
could do that, let alone a
man of 80.

After each workout, he has a
big bowl of oatmeal, bananas,
and at least one liter of milk.

He goes to bed at 9:00 every
night.

He wears full sweats when he
trains (a very good idea for all
of us).

He keeps a detailed training
journal (another very good
idea for all of us).

There's more, but I'll save it
for another email.

Here's a video about Wolfgang
Sadowski:

https://www.thequint.com/news-videos/2017/07/18/80-year-old-german-weight-lifter

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Old-school, stand on your feet
training is one of the secrets of
healthy aging. I cover it in all of
my books and courses:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"The guy who says it can't
be done probably never
even tried."


Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

The Strongest 80-Year Old in the World

We all get older - but that's no reason to stop training!

 Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought you might enjoy a
video of the strongest 80 year
old in the world.

His name is Wolfgang Sadowski.

He lives in Germany.

The video is in German, but I
think you'll understand what's
going on.

By way of background, he's an
80 year old masters weightlifter.

He's been lifting since 1955.

He won the Masters World
Championship in 2002 - back
when he was just a kid - and
competed in the age 65 to 60
age group.

He lifted in the 94 kilo class.
Snatched 87.5 kilos and clean
and jerked 110 kilos.

Now he's going for a World
Record for the plus 80 years
old class.

And get this - he can clean and
jerk 80 kilos - at 80 years of age.

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_PyRwwx8ws

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. He trains for one hour per
workout, 3x a week - much like
I suggest in my books and
courses - including this little
monster:




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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"You're never to old, and it's
never too late."


Brooks Kubik


BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:



I'm Tired of Hearing It!

 
I don't know about you, but at age 60, I'm tired of people telling me what to do - and what not to do.


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I don't know about you, but at age
60, I'm tired of people telling me
what to do - and what not to do.

I'm over it.

Tired of hearing it.

Over the years, I've pretty much
heard it all, especially when it
comes to strength training.

When, I was a kid, the coaches
said "Don't do it - it will make you
musclebound."

I didn't listen to them - and that
was a good thing.

When I was a little older - as in,
my 20's - people started to tell
me I was "too old" to lift weights.

Yes, that's right.

They told me I was too old - and
that was when I was 25 or 26!

I didn't listen to those people,
either.

Today, at age 60, people tell
me:

1. That I'm too old to lift weights.

2. That I'm too old for Olympic
lifting.

3. That I'm too old for singles,
doubles and triples.

4. That I need to start doing a
light-weight pumpathon workout.

5. That I need to start using
exercise machines.

6. That at my age, I need to use
drugs.

7. That after age [fill in the blank],
it's all downhill.

I'm happy to say, I don't listen to
those people, either.

But I do train - and I have tons of
fun doing it.

I also have tons of tips for older
trainees - and some really good
workouts. More than 50 of them.

They're right here:





Go here to grab a copy - and have
yourself a grand old time with the
iron!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik




60 Minutes of Uninterrupted Focus

World and Olympic Champion John Davis possessed tremendous powers of concentration. In his era, he was hailed as The Strongest Man in the World.


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The human brain evolved to work
in two very important and distinctly
different ways.

Both were survival mechanisms for
early man,

You either mastered these two skills,
or you perished.

The first was the ability to concentrate
deeply and intently on one task - and
to give it your full focus and attention,
sometimes for long periods of time.

I once read about Eskimo hunters
standing motionless on the ice, spear
at the ready, waiting patiently for a
seal to swim up to an ice-hole next
to the hunter.

Sometimes they waited like that -
silent and motionless - for hours.

But when they seal came, they
acted immediately - or they missed
their dinner.

And too many missed dinners meant
that you died.

I train alone because I can concentrate and focus on what I'm doing.


The second kind of mental skill was
the ability to process a sudden mass
of information that comes flying at
you from many different directions -
and to use it to make split second,
life or death decisions.

Think about a stone-age hunter in
the middle of a stampede of wild
buffalo.

You duck, dodge, spin, weave, dive,
roll, sprint, jump and move - and
every move has to be the right one -
or you die.

Both types of thinking require the
ability to focus and concentrate
deeply and intently, without even
a moment of distraction.

Because for early man, that moment
of distraction often meant his death.

In the modern world, we don't need
to use that sort of concentration and
focus very often.

But we still need to train it.

It helps to keep our brains healthy
and strong - and to keep our nervous
system strong.

And besides - it's fun.

It feels good to focus on something
deeply and intently.

You don't need much for a great workout - but you DO need to train with concentration and focus.


That's why I like to train alone - in
silence - with no distractions - so I
can concentrate and focus on what
I'm doing.

My workouts are 60 minutes of
uninterrupted focus.

And when you train that way, you
accomplish more in one short hour
than most people manage in a year
mindless workouts.

Make that your goal when you
train:

60 minutes of uninterrupted focus.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The book that started the Dinosaur Training Revolution!


P.S. I cover the mental aspects of
old-school strength training in
Dinosaur Training - Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Strength, iron, concentration
and focus."


Brooks Kubik

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:






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

Dinosaur Training T-Shirts

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As longtime Dinos know, we used to
carry some sharp-looking Dinosaur
Training t-shirts.

Many of you ordered them - and
some of you may still have them.

Many of you wore them for Dino-
style workouts - and I'm told they
were often good for setting a new
PR.

We discontinued t-shirts when we
downsized and moved into a small
apartment last year. We just don't
have any room to store them.

But Trudi had a great idea the
other day.

"Let's do a limited run of new
t-shirts," she said.

"We can put up a sales page and
take orders - find out exactly how
many to print and in what sizes -
have them printed, fill all the
orders and that's that."

I nodded in agreement.

It's a great idea.

A win-win for everyone.

Anyone who wants a t-shirt
can get one - and because it's
a special, limited run, we don't
have to worry about having to
find a place to store a bunch of
t-shirts.

Anyhow, we're going to go ahead
and set it up.

We should be ready to go some-
time in the next 5 to 7 days.

I'll send a link when we're ready
to go.

Remember, this will be a special,
limited run of new t-shirts, so if
you want one (or a couple of
them), take immediate action
and place your order as soon
as you get the link.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. In the meantime, we've got
tons of books and courses for
you - in hard-copy, PDF and
Kindle editions:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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


We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here's one of them - head on over and take a look at the others:






Lost in the Woods

 
Like all champions, Reg Park knew the importance of setting goals and working relentlessly to achieve them. Park learned what worked, and stuck to it through thick and thin. 


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy decided to go hiking, so
he packed up his knapsack and
headed out.

He ended up far, far into the
woods.

It was very quiet - and very
beautiful.

He was all alone.

He walked along a clearly
marked path.

Someone had blazed it many
years earlier - and many
people had followed it
over the years.

It was easy to see - easy to
follow - and it led straight
to a cabin with fresh water,
food and plenty of wood.

"I wonder if I should cut
through the underbrush,"
he thought. "That might be
quicker."

So he turned to the side,
left the clearly marked path,
and plunged into the heavy
brush.

In no time at all he was
utterly and completely lost.

He went up steep hills.

He scrambled through thick,
foul-smelling mud.

He hurt his feet on sharp
stones.

He got stuck in a brier patch
(and it hurt!).

He was hungry and thirsty and
tired.

He went round and round in
circles for several hours.

Finally, after many tries, he
found the path again.

He headed rapidly toward the
cabin.

Things went well for several
miles.

Than he had an idea.

"I wonder if I should cut
through the underbrush,"
he thought. "That might be
quicker."

MORAL OF THE STORY

Find what works - and keep on
doing it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Training has been
teaching the path to might and
muscle for over 20 years. If you
don't have a copy, grab it now:

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

The little blue book that's been helping people build strength and muscle for more than 20 years. If you don't have a copy, grab it now.


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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"Why go in circles when you
can go straight to your goal?"
Brooks Kubik

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here's one of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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


10 Good Ones

 
We have over 25 Dinosaur Training books in the Kindle bookstore. Here are 10 of them.


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We have more than 25 Dinosaur
Training e-books in the Kindle store,
and readers keep asking me for a
complete list with all the links.

But 25 is too many - the list
would take forever.

So here's 10 of them:

The three-book Dinosaur Training Secrets series has been a huge hit with Dinos around the world. You can order all three with one click of the button in the Kindle bookstore.

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

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

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

This little monster is one of my favorite courses. If you want to make steady gains without hitting any sticking points, this book is for you.
 
3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"

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

Mr. America and Mr. Universe, John Grimek, was every bit as strong as he looked. He military pressed 285 pounds at a bodyweight of 183 pounds.
 
4. The Training Secrets of John
Grimek

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

Old-school trainees specialized in stand-on-your-feet, lift the bar overhead workouts. The Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course teaches you how to match their strength, power and development.

 5. The Dinosaur Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course

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

Doug Hepburn started life with a crippled foot - but ended up becoming one of the strongest men who ever lived. This book gives you the story of his life and lifting - as well as explaining exactly how he trained. And it includes 10 complete training courses.
 
6. The Doug Hepburn Strength and
Muscle Building System

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


Squats and steak. Need I say more?

7. Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1
(covers protein for strength training --
how much, the best sources of hiqh
quality protein, etc.)

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

All four issues of The Dinosaur Files Quarterly are available in Kindle editions. Each issue includes tons of great training tips, workouts, and reports from your fellow Dinosaurs.    
8. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, Vol. 1
(December, 2014)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_01_kindle.html



The Legacy of Iron books give you a behind the scenes look at the legendary champions of the York Barbell Club - including their training. These are some of the most motivational and inspirational books you'll ever read.
9. Legacy of Iron

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron01_kindle.html

10. Legacy of Iron 2 - Clouds of
War

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron02_kindle.html

For the rest of the little monsters,
go here for the complete list:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Be sure to post reviews after you
read our Kindle e-books. You also can
post reviews if you have read the book
in hard-copy and have an Amazon
account. The reviews help us
enormously.

P.S. 2. Amazon has a free downloadable
app to use to read Kindle e-books if you
don't have a Kindle. See any of the above
links for further information.


John Davis says: "Happy reading - and stay strong!"  

A Question from an Older Lifter (Part 3)

 
The squat stands are resting after some heavy front squats at Dino Headquarters. Note the towels, which I use to hold the bar on my shoulders. At age 60, I'm not as flexible as I used to be - but that doesn't stop me from training!


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I have some more information about
our 67-year old, life-long lifter who
wants to know a good weight goal
for 10 to 20 rep squats at age 67.

He's been training for 50 or more
years.

He used to bench 390 and squat
300 x 20 - "back in the day." Of
course, that was a long time
ago.

He weighs 170 pounds.

The missing piece of information
is what he's doing in the squat
right now. I've asked, but I don't
have the answer yet.

Anyhow, here's my suggestion.

It's based on whatever his
current squat for 10 to 20
reps is.

The reps are the same as what
he's doing now. In other words,
if he's doing 10 reps with 135,
the suggested goal is 150 x 10
reps.

Note: I'll list the weights in lbs.,
not kilos.

Current squat - Goal Weight

135 - 150

150 - 170 (bodyweight)

170 - 185

185 - 200

200 - 225

225 - 250

Note: 250 x 10 is about as
high as he can expect to go.
That's a lot of weight for age
67 and 170 pounds. But I'll
add three more progressions
for the younger or heavier
guys to consider.

250 - 275

275 - 300

300 - 315

Now, if you're familiar with an
Olympic barbell that uses pound
plates, you can see what I've
done.

I've based everything on working
from one big plate to two big plates
on each end - and factored in the
plate jumps and the magic numbers.

For example, 135 pounds is the bar
plus two 45 pound plates.

Your next goal after 135 is 150
pounds (a magic number).

From 150 pounds, shoot for 170
pounds (because it's bodyweight,
which makes it another magic
number).

From 170, shoot for 185 - the bar,
a pair of 45 pound plates, and a
pair of 25 pound plates.

From 185 pounds, shoot for 200
pounds (a magic number).

And that's how you set poundage
goals for yourself.

It's how I did it (and still do it) - and
it works great.

Poundage goals are one of the
secrets of big gains. They pull
you forward. So you just learned
something very important.

Hope it helps!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover poundage goals in a
variety of different exercises in
Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 2.

It's available in your choice of
hard-copy, Kindle or PDF.

And yes, it teaches you how to set
sensible goals based on your age
and weight.


Hard-copy

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

Kindle

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

PDF

See the list of PDF courses on our
products page:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day:
"You're only young once, but
you can be strong for a very
long time." - Brooks Kubik

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are a couple of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

A Question from an Older Lifter (Part 2)

 
I work hard on my front squats, but I don't do eye-balls popping out of the head death sets. At age 60, that's not necessary - and it's usually counter-productive. Older trainees should always leave some gas in the tank.


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week i shared an email from
an older Dino.

He has a 67-year old friend who's
a longtime (50 years) trainee.

He likes doing sets of 10 to 20 reps
in the squat and he wants some
ideas on what would be a good
poundage goal for him - for 20
reps.

I replied with an email where I
asked some follow-up questions:

What does he weigh?

How tall is he?

How lean is he?

Does he do any kind of cardio
work?

What is he doing right now in
his squats (sets, reps, weight)?

Is he doing parallel or full
squats?

Is he currently doing 20-rep
squats? If not, how long has
it been since he did them?

What did he do in his 20 rep
squats when he was younger?

What does he handle in his
other big exercises?

It's hard to suggest poundage
goals in a vacuum - so I've
asked for more information.

I should also note that MANY
older Dinos have written in
to suggest that lower reps
are much easier on your
body when you're an Iron
Game veteran.

I agree with that. I know it's
true in my case.


Getting set for lift-off. I do singles in all my cleans and snatches because I want to do each rep in letter-perfect form.

Plus, when you perform lower
reps you can do every rep in
perfect form. With higher reps,
trainees tend to get tired, lose
form and start cheating.

So rather than 1 x 20 for your
working sets, I'd suggest doing
1 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps.

These should NOT be slow,
grinding, eyeballs popping
out of your head sets.

They should be challenging,
and you should need to focus
and concentrate on them, but
you should be 100% capable
of doing every rep of every set
in perfect form.

I cover this in detail in Gray
Hair and Black Iron. Pull your
copy off the bookshelf and
reread it. If you don't have a
copy, grab one today:

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

Anyhow, I'll keep you posted
when I get a response to my
questions.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again for
Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

3. Thought for the Day: "Whatever
your age, strength training is the
very best thing you can do for
yourself." -- Brooks Kubik

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are a couple of them - head on over and take a look at the others: