A Very Common Training Conundrum

 

Like all great champions, Reg Park always went to the gym with a very clear idea of what he was going to do that day - but he also listened to his body, and made adjustments as necessary.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two important notes, and then we'll talk
training.

1. The April Dinosaur Files

Is now available in a 12-page PDF edition -
with immediate electronic delivery - and it's
printable, so you can print it and save it in
your Iron Game collection.

It includes some great articles - including my
article on the virtually unknown 2-1 Workout -
which everyone seems to want to try now.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

2. The John Wood Report, No. 2

Issue No. 2 of The John Wood Report is
getting great reviews - and that's no
surprise because it's a really good issue.

Go here to grab it:

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-02.html

Like the Dino Files, The John Wood
Report is a PDF with immediate elec-
tronic delivery - and it's printable.

3. Should You Plan Your Workouts
                         or
Train Based on How You Feel?

A reader asked me whether I always plan
my workouts before training or whether I
base the workout on how I feel that day.

That's a good question, and it's one that
seems to puzzle lots of people -- probably
because they view it as an "either/or" when
it's really a "bit of both."

To begin with, I always have a long term
training plan, and long term goals -- usually
a one-year plan, but sometimes a bit longer.

To get there, I break things down into a
series of mini-cycles. I like to do one month
mini-cycles. I set specific goals for each of
the one month cycles.

I alternate lighter weeks with more volume,
and heavier weeks with less volume.

This is a simple but effective way for an older
Dino to train. I call it "simple cycling." It's a
way of maximizing recovery by using a
combination of light, medium and heavy
days.

I always go back through my training log,
and review the last couple of workouts,
and then write up my workout -- with
all of the exercises, sets, reps and
weights.

So the answer to the question is "Yes,
I plan my workouts very carefully."

But I also listen to my body, and based
on how I feel on a given day, I may very
well change things up a little once I start
training.

Mike Burgener has a good way of putting
it:

"When the oven is hot, you do your cooking."

In other words, if everything is clicking on
a given day, use more weight or do more
sets or more reps.

BUT -- and this is very important -- you
also need to go lighter and easier on those
days when that oven just won't heat up.

This is one of the very hardest things to
learn. But it's also one of the most
important.

If you're having an off day and you try to
push through it, things usually don't go
very well. It's better to train light, and
then come back and hit it harder another
time.

Of course, you don't want to take it too easy
too often -- but if you're a Dino, there's not
much danger of that happening.

So plan your workouts -- but listen to your
body, and make any necessary adjustments
after you chalk your hands and get going.

Hope that helps!

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 simple
cycling systems for older trainees -- and details
over 50 great workouts for older Dinos:

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

P.S. 2. Progression is the name of the game,
and I cover a variety of very effective progression
systems in Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF

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

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

"Think, plan, pay attention, and modify
as needed." 

-- 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

Everyone Wants to Try It!

Not everyone wants to do old-school, Retro Lifting the way I do it here at Dino Headquarters - but everyone wants to give something else a try - and when you read about it, you may want to join them!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The April issue of The Dinosaur Files
newsletter features a very unusual
workout.

It's called the 2-1 Workout.

I learned about it from an old-timer
way back in the late 1970's.

And get this - I've never heard about
anywhere else - and never read about
it - and never seen anyone else do it.

And that's saying a lot, because I've
been training and studying strength
training for over 50 years - and I've
pretty much read everything there is
to read about it.

Which means that the 2-1 workout is
a very unusual program.

But it's also a very good one.

So far, every email I've received with
feedback on the April Dino Files is
from a reader who wants to give it
a try.

You can check it out yourself - and
see if YOU want to give it a go.
It's right here - in the April issue of
The Dinosaur Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

Also - if you missed the Oct, Nov, Dec,
Jan, Feb or March issues. you can grab
them here:

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

Feb issue

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-february2018pdf.html

March issue

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-march2018pdf.html

The Dinosaur Files comes in a down-
loadable PDF with immediate electronic
delivery. Once you have it, you can save
it on your pc or print it out (or do both).

If you don't have a printer and you need
a hard-copy, shoot me an email - we'll see
what we can do.

Also - if it's easier for you to purchase a
one year, 12-issue subscription, shoot me
an email - we can make that happen, as
well.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

I Get this Question All the Time!

Training hard and having fun in the outdoor training area here at Dinosaur Headquarters.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The April Dinosaur Files.

Is available right here in PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

As always, be sure to let me know how
you like the little monster.

2. I Get This Question ALL The Time!

On the training front, here's a very
common question. I get it all the time.

People phrase it differently, of course,
but the bottom line is wanting to do a
program that focuses exclusively on
a couple of big exercises - but wondering
if they'll start losing muscle from the
muscle groups that don't get direct work.

For example . . .

A reader wants to do a three-exercise
program:

1. Squat

2. Clean and press

3. Deadlift

He'd include some sandbag finishers, and that
would be it.

Note: I assume this is a divided workout program
with one exercise in each workout. It would be very
hard to do all three in one workout several times a
week. Also, if you did clean and press and one or
both of the other movements, the clean and press
should come first. Always do your explosive
movements (meaning the clean, in this case)
at the beginning of your workout.

Anyhow, his specific question is this:

"I feel a bit guilty for not incorporating direct chest
or bicep work. Can I get a good chest workout --
biceps, too -- from these three exercises without
doing a specific bench press or curl?"

Now, as i said, I get variations of this question
all the time.

Readers want to know if their arms and chest will
shrink away to nothingness if they stop doing
bench presses and curls.

So here's the answer.

1. If upper arm size is important to you, then do
curls or pull-ups once a week.

a. Pull-ups would have the added benefit of
working your lats, which would be good to do.

2. If chest size is important to you, then do
bench press, incline press or dumbbell variations
of either movement once a week -- or do some
variation of pushups.

3. If upper arm size and chest size is important
to you, then you need to train these muscles.

a. Otherwise, you'll fret and worry that you're
losing size, and that will derail your entire
program.

b. Why make things harder for yourself?

4. If upper arm size and chest size is NOT that
important to you, then you can either do the
direct arm and chest work or skip it, as you
prefer.

5. Note that many old-timers never did any bench
pressing or curling -- and they did fine.

a. You also have many old-timers who never did
bench presses. John Grimek is a good example --
he never did bench presses, but he was the best
developed man of his generation -- and one of
the strongest.

6. Most Olympic lifters don't do bench presses or
direct arm work, and they do just fine.

7. In most cases, the guys who ask the question
should do some direct arm and chest work --
because the mere fact that they are asking
the question suggests that they will worry
that they are "getting smaller" if they don't
include those exercises -- even if they're
actually growing like weeds from the heavy
leg and back work.

a. Remember, 90% of the physical game is a
mental game.

b. See 3(a) and (b) above.

8. Some trainees (especially older trainees)
have shoulder issues that make bench pressing
difficult or impossible for them. If that's the
case, do incline bench work or pushups, or
just stick to overhead presses.

9. Always remember that your current program
is not what you will be doing for the rest of your
life.

10. In other words, you can skip direct arm and
chest work for a couple of months, and then
work it back into your program. Problem
solved!

And that's the answer to a very common
question. I hope it helps. If anyone has
additional thoughts, send them on in.

And remember to grab the April issue of
the Dinosaur Files! It's a great issue.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S.If you're interested in some fun variations
of pull-ups and push-ups, grab Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training:

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

"Focus on leg and back work, and the
rest of the workout will take care of
itself."

-- 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

The Mysterious 2-1 Program - and Much More!

 

John Grimek used many different training programs during his career - but I don't think he ever used the 2-1 Program. Very few people have ever used it - or even know what it is - and that's a shame, because it's an excellent program.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Big breaking news!

Yesterday afternoon we released the April
issue of The Dinosaur Files strength
training newsletter - and Dinos around
the world have been racing to grab the
little monster.

You can join them by going here to grab
your copy of the April issue:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

It's another great issue, with some really
good articles - including part 2 of John
Stehman's inspiring and motivational
article about his battle against cancer -
and his comeback after his cancer
surgery.

Part 1 of John's article was far and away
the most popular article in  the March
issue - and part 2 is even better.

There's also a terrific article where I cover
the mysterious 2-1 program - and give you
the exact 2-1 program I followed back in
the day - and an updated and much more
effective version for you to try now.

You've probably never heard of the 2-1
program, and that's no surprise.

Very few people have ever heard of it.

I learned about it long ago from an old-
timer who had a home gym where a
friend and I used to train.

Where he learned it, I have no idea.

I've never heard of it from anyone other
than him - and I've never read about it -
and the odds are good that you've never
read about it either.

But you can read about it now - beginning
at page 10 of the April Dinosaur Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

So grab the issue, read it, and give the 2-1
program a try - and let me know how you
like it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Here It Is - The April Dinosaur Files!

 

It's here - the April 2018 issue of The Dinosaur Files strength training newsletter!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'll keep this one short and sweet.

The April issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter
has arrived!

It's another 12-page issue - loaded
with great articles - and you can
grab it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The Best System of Sets and Reps - What Is It?

 

Old-school champs like Bernie Baron used a variety of sets and reps in their workouts - but over time, each of them learned what worked best.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk training.

1. The Dino Files

The April issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter
has arrived!

It's another 12-page issue - loaded
with great articles - and you can
grab it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

Be sure to let me know how you like this
month's issue. Your feedback is very
important to us!


2. The First Man to Clean and Jerk
400 Pounds

The first man in history to clean and
jerk 400 pounds was a ferociously
powerful and and amazingly fast
French weightlifter named Charles
Rigoulet.

Check out the great poster of him at
the RetroStrength Shop:

https://www.retrostrength.com/product/charles-rigolot-1924-miroir-des-sports-poster/

If you want genuine "old school" on the
wall of your home gym, this poster will
do the trick.

3. The Best System of Sets and Reps

I get tons of questions about sets and reps.

Most of them are from someone asking me to
give him "the best" system of sets and reps.

But I can't do that.

No one can.

That's because there is no "best" system of
sets and reps.

When you talk about sets and reps, you need
to consider all of the following factors:

1. The "best' sets and reps vary from person to
person. What works best for ME may or may not
work best for YOU.

Reg Park thrived on 5 x 5.

a. Reg Park did great with with 5 x 5. Three Mr.
Universe wins. 500 pound bench press. One of
the best bodybuilders of all time.

b. Tony Terlazzo used 5 x 5 -- and did okay, but
then switched to 5/4/3/2/1, sets of 3 and sets of
2 -- and became an Olympic champion, and the
best lifter of his era.

John Davis did great on 8 x 2.

c. John Davis did great with 8 x 2. Six World
championships and two Olympic gold medals.

d. Tommy Kono liked heavy triples. It worked
pretty darn well for him. Six World champion-
ships, two Olympic gold medals, and one
Olympic silver medal.

Heavy singles worked great for Doug Hepburn.

e. Doug Hepburn thrived on heavy singles. He
won the World weightlifting championship with
them.

f. Peary Rader gained  almost 100 pounds of
muscle with 20 rep breathing squats. In terms
of over-all gains, that's hard to beat.

2. The "best" sets and reps will vary from one
exercise to another. What works best for curls
may or may not work best for presses -- and
what works best for presses may or may not
work best for squats and deadlifts.

2a. As a general rule, you should use lower
reps on exercises that involve a high level
of skill and technique, such as Olympic
weightlifting. Most weightlifters use singles,
doubles and triples.

2b. If you go over three reps on a skill lift,
you will begin to compromise your form.

3. The "best" sets and reps will change for
anyone based on their level of experience.

3a. What works best for a beginner is different
than what works best for an intermediate
or advanced trainee.

4. What works "best' depends on what your
goals are. The best set/rep system for building
strength is much different than the best set/rep
system for building endurance or "condition."

4a. Adding cardio work or upping your cardio
may change what sets and reps are best for
you in your strength training.

5. The "best' sets and reps will change as you
grow older. What works best for you at age 15 --
or age 25 -- or even age 35 -- will probably be
different than what works best for you at age
45, 55 or 65.

5a. General rule: as you grow older, drop the
volume. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for tips
on age-appropriate workouts for older Dinos.

6. The "best' sets and reps allow full recovery
from one workout to another. What allows full
recovery will change as you grow stronger. The
stronger you are, the less training you need --
or can stand.

Heavy singles helped me work up to 151 pounds in the one-hand dumbbell swing.

6a. For example -- a beginner who does 1 x 12
in the squat with 55 pounds on the bar is going
to have a much different effect on his body than
an advanced trainee who does 3 x 5 with 350
or 400 pounds. The beginner's efforts are a mild
stimulus for growth -- the advanced trainee's
workout hits his body like a freight train.

7. The "best" sets and reps are usually far less
than what you think they are. It's always easier
to write down a workout than to do it -- or to
recover from it.

7a. The vast majority of trainees at all levels
of development fail to achieve their full potential
because they over-train -- meaning that they do
too many exercises, too many reps and too many
sets.

And finally, as a corollary to all of the above --
the "best' sets and reps are almost NEVER
what you see in the muscle comics.

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 sets and reps -- and
about productive, effective, real world
strength training and muscle building,
grab Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

P.S. 2. Older trainees should also grab
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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: 

"Think, but don't over-think. Train,
but don't over-train."

-- 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