The Best Way to Get Started (or Get Back Into) Strength Training

I started physical training at age 9 - and began weight training at age 11 - and today, more than half a century later, I'm still doing it - and still loving every minute of every workout.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Over the past week, I've received several
questions about training programs for
beginners - or for "off and on" trainees
who are getting back into it after a long
lay-off.

So I thought I'd share some quick tips
about what works - and what doesn't
work - for beginners.

These tips also apply to anyone who is
getting back into training after a long
lay-off.

1. Start light and easy.

a. There's no need to strain or struggle
at the beginning.

b. If you're a beginner, you are NOT ready
for hard training yet. You need to build
the foundation to handle it.

2. Use basic exercises, basic programs
and short workouts.

a. See Chalk and Sweat for effective
workouts for beginners:

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

a. Workouts should take 30 to 45 minutes.
b. Train at a comfortable pace. Don't
dawdle, but don't rush.

c. Focus on strength training, not on
cardio training.

3. Train three days per week, with a
day of rest after each workout - and
two days after every third workout.

a. The old M/W/F or T/Th/Sat schedule
is perfect.

4. Use barbells and dumbbells.

a. Nothing beats a simple, old-fashioned
110 pound barbell and dumbbell set for
beginners.

5. Use a simple progression system.

a. See Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
for the specifics on the most effective
progression systems:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF with electronic delivery

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

6. Follow the right kind of diet to build strength
and muscle while reducing any unwanted flab.

a. See Knife, Fork, Muscle for details:

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

b. Don't waste time and money on supplements.
You don't need them.

7. Make regular training a habit. Never miss a
workout during your first 90 days of training.

a. If you DO miss a workout, then train the next
day and hit it back to back for two days in a row.

b. Regular, consistent training is the secret of
great results.

c. This is why you start light and easy,
why you use basic exercises and basic
programs, and why you use a simple
but regular progression system. All of
these things make it easier to stick to
your program.

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

Oh, and please do me a favor - share the
heck out of this email. It will help plenty
of newbies out there.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I almost forgot - bodyweight training is a
very good way to get started. Grab Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training for the best bodyweight
program out there:

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


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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Start light and easy, and gradually
progress to heavy and hard."

-- 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:

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

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

Train with Doug Hepburn!

In the early 1950's, Canada's Doug Hepburn was hailed as the strongest man in the world - with record setting lifts and spectacular feats of strength - all due to his unique and highly effective training methods.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I mentioned Doug Hepburn the other day,
and of course, I got some emails asking
about how he trained.

So I thought I should mention something
for all of the new Dinos out there - and
for our longtime Dinos who may have
forgotten.

In 2010 I did a killer training course
that covers Doug Hepburn's life and
lifting.

It includes tons of training tips from
Big Doug - along with not one, not
two, and not three - but TWELVE
complete training programs.

The programs follow Doug Hepburn's
own workouts back when he was setting
records and winning championships -
but they're scaled for the average
trainee.

I like them a lot - and I think you will,
as well.

In 2016 we released a revised version of
my Doug Hepburn course as a Kindle
e-book.

We changed the title and the cover photos,
but otherwise, it's pretty close to the hard-
copy course.

And then, just for good measure, we released
the course as a PDF with immediate electronic
delivery. It's printable, so you can print it and
save it in your collection.

Go here to grab the course in whichever
format you prefer - and have fun training
with Doug Hepburn!

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

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

PDF

Go to our products page and look for the
section for PDF courses - and you'll see
the Doug Hepburn course close to the
bottom of the list.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

10 Things Dinosaurs Never Say!

 

There are some things that Dinosaurs never say - here are 10 of them!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Top 10 lists are always a favorite on a
rainy Friday morning - and it's definitely
a rainy Friday morning here in Louisville.

So let's cover 10 Things that Dinosaurs
Never Say.

10 Things that Dinosaurs Never Say!

10. "Let's skip the squats - my legs are
too sore from spin class."

9. "Been doing the same thing for almost
a week now - it's probably time to switch
to a new routine."

8. "I don't know what that does, but it will
look cool in my Instagram feed!"

7. "I saw a guy doing it on YouTube, so I
decided to give it a try."

6. "Weekends begin on Wednesday and I
never train on weekends."

5. "Let's just order pizza."

4. "Warm-ups? I don't have time for
warm-ups!"

3. "No need to train heavy - I'm strong
enough already."

2. "I want to look like the guy in the
advertisement, so I decided to buy
the stuff."

And finally - drum roll - no. 1!

1. "What do you think about [fill in the
blank with anything from the muscle
mags or the muscle blogs]? Asking for a
friend."

Do any of those sound familiar? If they
do, you must have been talking to some-
one who needs to drop the silly stuff and
start training Dino style!

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. Do you have my first book - the one
that started the Dinosaur revolution?

If not, you need a copy of Dinosaur
Training - and you can get it right here:

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

3. Thought for the Day: 

"Let the rest of the world talk about why
it can't be done. Your job is to go ahead
and do it!" 

- 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:

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

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

Some Very Good Advice from an Iron Game Legend

At age 61, I'm still training - and still doing lots of squats and Olympic lifting - and that's way better than most 61-year olds. There's a reason for that - I don't do dangerous and foolish exercises, and I've never done them.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I was looking at a copy of Hepburn's Law
the other day. It's an old training course
written by Doug Hepburn.

For those who don't know - which I assume
is few of my readers - Hepburn was one of
the biggest and strongest men in the world
back in the 1950's.

He set World records in the military press,
strict barbell curl, one-arm dumbbell press,
two-dumbbell press, bench press and squat.

He was the first man in history to break the
500 pound barrier in the bench press.

He won the World Weightlifting Championship
in 1953 - and won the British Empire (now the
Commonwealth Games) Championship in 1954.

If you want to learn more about Doug Hepburn
and how he trained, I wrote a complete course
about his life and lifting - which you can grab
right here:

Kindle edition

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

Hard-copy edition 

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

Anyhow - back to Hepburn's Law.


There was a chapter about injuries and how
to prevent them.

And Doug Hepburn gave this advice:

"Don't do dangerous and foolish lifts."

A line drawing on the opposite page shows
a trainee doing a heavy deadlift while standing
on a low platform or riser so the lift begins with
the bar almost touching the toes.

Now, some people swear by riser deadlifts.

They used to be part of the Swedish Deadlifting
Program back in the late 60s and early 70s -
and they worked great for some people.

And long before that, John Grimek did heavy
stiff legged deadlifts while standing on a box
or bench so he could lower the bar all the way
down to his toes.

And today, riser snatch pulls and clean pulls
are popular among many Olympic weightlifters.

So don't send me hate mail about riser dead-
lifts. That's not the point - although if you ever
DO try riser deadlifts, be sure you have the
flexibility and proportions to do them with a
flat back. They work for some people but
not for others.

Instead, focus on Hepburn's basic message.

Far too many trainees hurt themselves by
doing dangerous and foolish lifts. It's so
common now that it's a Facebook meme.

I often joke about it by referring to "squats
on roller skates."

But you really do see people doing squats
on stability balls - with a barbell on their
shoulders.

Which is something that looks impressive
(or perhaps insane), and thus, garners a
lot of traffic on social media.

But remember, all it takes is one slight
twist and you can blow out a knee or an
ankle - and that can make effective training
impossible for a very long time. Perhaps
forever.

So why do it?

Why even try it?

Why not knuckle down to some serious back
squats or front squats - performed in perfect
form - with a good series of progressively
heavier warm-up sets before your work set
or work sets?

It's not as cool looking as squats on a stability
ball, and it won't get you a million likes on
Facebook, but it will build strength and muscle
as fast, effectively and as safely as possible.

And remember this - if Doug Hepburn saw
you training your squats (or any other basic
exercise) that way, he'd give you a big
thumbs up!

And a thumbs up from Doug Hepburn is
worth a thousand likes on Facebook.

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 common
sense strength training and muscle building
for older Dinos - and teaches you how to
build your body up rather than tearing it
down:

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: 

"Train for results, not for social media."

-- 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:

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

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

Dinosaur Style Powerlifting

An old-school, heavy duty power rack gives you some great training options for strength and power training. But amazingly, most modern trainees have no real idea how to use a power rack.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several readers have asked for
Dinosaur Style powerlifting
programs.

You can find plenty of powerlifting
workouts in Strength, Muscle and
Power - including a detailed look
at exactly how I trained when I
was competing in powerlifting
and bench press contests.

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

There's also a terrific all-new
power rack training program
for powerlifters in The Dinosaur
Strength Training Archive, Vol.
1.

Why a power rack training
program?

Because power rack training
is far and away the best way
to increase your squat, bench
and deadlift.

It's how I added over 200 pounds
to my squat - and how I built my
bench press to the point where I
won 5 National Bench Press
contests.

Go here to grab the little monster:

Hard copy

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

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.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

Your Desert island Training Equipment (Part 2)

During World War Two, World Champion John Davis was shipped overseas - "somewhere in the Pacific" as they would write in the letters they sent home - and brought a barbell with him when he shipped out. The barbell made it to Hawaii, where he had to leave it behind - but other servicemen who followed Davis were able to use his barbell while they were in Hawaii.  I don't know what happened to that barbell, but it must have been a very special piece of iron.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We got a ton of great responses
to yesterday's email asking you
to name your three favorite pieces
of training equipment.

Meaning, the equipment you would
take to a desert island - knowing
it would be all you had for training.

Here's what some of you had to
say:

MY BIG THREE

1. A pair of adjustable dumbbells
up to 100 or more pounds - for
heavy farmer's walks and presses).

2. A plate-loading barbell.

3. A sledgehammer (great for
forearm strength, shoulder mobility
doing rotations, and for working on
the island).

Michael H.

THE TOP THREE

1. A pair of gymnastic rings
(nothing better for working the
upper body pushing and pulling
muscles)

2. One plate-loaded dumbbell with
lots of iron for one-arm swings,
snatches, presses, weighted one-
legged squats, etc.

3. One 53 lb. kettlebell (for serious
cardio training)

That's it - simple, but they were
not easy choices!

Peter J.

MY CHOICES

I would take my thick-handled, plate
loading dumbbells, lots of plates, and
my two 10' climbing ropes.

Adam S.

Those are all good choices. What about
you?

What training equipment would you
take to a desert island?

Send me an email and let me know!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find a ton of great
workouts suitable for desert island
training with minimal equipment
in these books:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Chalk and Sweat

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

"You don't need lots of equipment to
get a great workout." 

- 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:

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

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