Try My Super-Secret 25 Second Workout!

Hitting it hard here in the outdoor training area at Dino Headquarters - and having tons of fun doing it.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then I'll share
my super-secret 25-second workout.

1. Strength Muscle and Power

We're down to the last box of Strength,
Muscle and Power, and I'm not going
to print any more any time soon - and
perhaps not ever - so if you want a copy,
grab it now - while it's still available:

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

2. The Dinosaur Files

We're going to release a combined July-
Aug issue of the Dinosaur Files news-
letter.

Hopefully, it will be available later this
week.

I'll send an email when it's ready.

In the meantime, if you don't have
it, grab the May-June combined issue
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-mayjune2018.html

3. My Super-Secret 25 Second
Workout

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

So don't get confused - we moved in
2015 and there's no garage to train
in at the new place - so I train in the
basement and out in the drive-way -
and I do split snatches now, not
squat snatches - they're easier on the
shoulders - and I'm 61 in Sept, so
add a few years to my age when
you read the reference to being
almost 60. I was a youngster back
then!

But otherwise, things are pretty
much the same then as now.

Tons of iron - plenty of chalk - and
gallons of sweat.)

I had a great workout in the garage
last night.

I did 10 minutes of stretching and
loosening up exercises, including
overhead squats and snatch drills
with my trusty broomstick.

Then I began doing a series of squat
snatches.

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

I filmed each lift, and checked my
form on the replay after each lift -
and did some more stretching in-
between each lift.

At close to age 60, the stretching
gets to be more and more important
for me. I need to do it in order to
hit the bottom position in a squat
snatch.

So the pattern was:

1. Lift

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

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

4. Stretch.

5. Repeat 1 - 4.

I did a total of 25 singles.

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

So the workout took a total of 48
minutes.

Or did it?

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

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

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

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

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

The key point for all of us is this:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity.

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

3. Stay 100% focused from start
to finish.

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

5. Strive for perfect form on every
rep.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: 

"It doesn't take much time, but it
does take effort." 

-- 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

Kangaroo Jumps, Log Presses, the Apollon Wheels, Pull-ups and Much More!

World and Olympic champion John Davis hits a heavy split-style snatch. Head on over to my Instagram page (link below) for a great video of John Davis lifting the Apollon Wheels.

Hail to the Dinosasurs!

If you're not already following me
on Instagram, I'd like to invite you
to do so.

My Instagram account has a ton of
fun stuff - and I'm adding more all
the time.

Right now, you can sprint on over
and see:

The special benefits of assisted
pull-ups.

Trudi's Kangaroo Boots - and how
she uses them for leg, hip, core
and balance training - as well as
some fun cardio - and why she
stops traffic when she uses
them.

The Bronze Man photo - one of
Trudi's favorites - showing the
result of several years of an
all-bodyweight training program
(the kind I write about in my
book, Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training).

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

The perils of un-balanced uni-
lateral leg training.

Real world log presses - with a
very serious log.

John Davis lifting the Apollon
Wheels.

One of my all-time favorite
wrestling throws - a sure pin -
and why I believe so strongly
in serious neck training.

John Steed - from the original
Avengers - a classic memory
for many of us.

Tons of Dino breakfasts, lunches
and dinners - so you can see what
I've been eating lately - and yes,
I'm following a whole food, plant-
based diet for just under a year
now - and it's been working
great.

And much more.

Go here to take a peek:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/?hl=en

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Hit the LIKE button as much
as you like - and feel free to ask
questions and leave comments.

How to Save 45 Clams!

We're down to the very last box of Strength, Muscle and Power - and used copies are selling for crazy-high prices - so if you want to save some serious wampum, grab it now - before it's out of print and you have to pay big bucks for a used copy.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just checked my author's page in
the Kindle bookstore - poked around
the Amazon store for a bit - and was
surprised to see that used copies of
Strength, Muscle and Power are
selling for anywhere from $79.95
all the way up to - get this -
$272.14.

Yep, that's right.

The cheapest USED copies of the
little monster are going for right
under 80 clams to close to 300
clams - and that's a lot of wam-
pum.

Especially when you consider that
I sell it for $34.95.

A difference of 45 clams.

I mention this because we're down
to the very last box of Strength,
Muscle and Power - and I'm not
going to do a new printing any
time soon - and perhaps not
ever.

So you can grab it now for $34.95 -
or you can sit back and wait - and
grab a used copy later on - for
anywhere from $79.95 to that
big sticker price of $272.14.

And, of course, once it's out of
print, the used copies will probably
go up in price.

So if you don't have a copy - or if
you want a second copy for your
collection - or you're looking ahead
to buy a birthday or Christmas gift
for someone - grab it now and save
yourself some serious clams.

Here's the link:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. It's a great training book, with
tons of workouts - and chapters
on:

Abbreviated Training

Ultra-Abbreviated Training

Grip Training

Sandbag Training

Barrel Lifting

Power Rack Training

Specialization Programs

Powerlifting Workouts

Rest Pause Training

Home Gym Training

Finishers

Thick Bars and How to Use
Them

A Special program for Tendon
and Ligament Strength

And much more.

29 chapters - 356 pages - and so
many hard-hitting workouts I can't
count them.

If you want me to sign your book
for you, just ask for a signature.

There's no charge for an autograph -
it's an honor to be asked for one.

But act now - because we don't have
many left - and I'd really rather you
grabbed it from me at a reasonable
price than from a used book seller
for an off the charts price.

Here's the link again:

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

Going - Going - Almost Gone!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We're down to the very last box of 
Strength, Muscle and Power -
and I'm not going to do another
printing anytime soon - perhaps
not ever -so if you want a copy,
grab it now.

It's a great training book, with
tons of workouts - and chapters
on:

Abbreviated Training

Ultra-Abbreviated Training

Grip Training

Sandbag Training

Barrel Lifting

Power Rack Training

Specialization Programs

Powerlifting Workouts

Rest Pause Training

Home Gym Training

Finishers

Thick Bars and How to Use
Them

A Special program for Tendon
and Ligament Strength

And much more.

29 chapters - 356 pages - and so
many hard-hitting workouts I can't
count them.

If you want me to sign your book
for you, just ask for a signature.

There's no charge for an autograph -
it's an honor to be asked for one.

But, as I said, we don't have many
copies left, and when they're gone,
that's it - so if you want one, grab it
now.

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Seven Dinos With the Same Question

As a young man, John Grimek did plenty of special exercises to build his bone, tendon and ligament strength - and he kept on lifting heavy iron for the rest of his life. Build and maintain the foundation, and good things will happen!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I usually get one or two questions in
response to an email blast - but we set
a new record for questions yesterday.

Seven Dinos wrote in with questions
in response to yesterday's email about
heavy partials, bone strength, bone
mass, and muscle mass.

They phrased the question a little bit
differently - but it was something like
this:

Hi Brooks,

Gotta question for you.

You said that increasing your bone mass
also increases your testosterone levels.

As an older Dino, that made my ears
perk up a bit.

Do you think that training to add bone
mass would help an older Dino keep his
T levels nice and high?

Older Dino

That's a good question, and I'm sure it
occurred to more than seven of you.

As in, EVERYONE was probably thinking
about it.

So here's the answer, in three words:

1. Yes.

2. Absolutely.

and

3. If you don't believe me, try it and see.

Sorry - that was 12 words. But no. 3 is
pretty important.

Try it and see.

You know, there's a whole industry that
makes gazillions of clams selling youth
to older men:

Youth thru drugs.

Youth thru supplements.

Youth thru the gloppy stuff that colors your
hair that dark color it used to be way back
in your 20s.

And so on.

But regular strength training beats all of
them hands down.

There's no comparison.

Nothing else comes close.

And for older guys, an important part of
your training should be exercises that
build bone strength and bone density.

For many reasons - including the link
between increased bone mass and
higher T levels.

But don't take my word for it. Like I
said - try it and see.

For the details, grab one or more of these
resources:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Heavy Partials Course (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html

John Wood's Bone Strength
Program

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bone-strength-projectPDF.html

And here's something else I should
mention.

I don't use that gloppy stuff to color my
hair - but I do heavy partials and Bone
Strength Training in my workouts - and I
follow a high nutrient, anti-inflammatory
diet - and at age 61 my hair is actually
getting a little darker than it used to be
a year or two ago.

Sounds crazy, but it's true.

Trudi noticed it first - commented on it -
and I took a close look - and she was right.

Heck, if I could bottle this stuff, I'd be a
zillionaire!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

How to Gain Muscle Mass

 

Doing heavy partial push presses back in the original Dino Dungeon - and yes, that's 440 pounds on the bar.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Way back in my late 20s, I experimented
with a special program of power rack
training - and ended up gaining something
like 45 pounds over a period of three or
four years.

I also became enormously stronger - so
strong that I ended up winning five
National Bench Press Championships
in drug-free powerlifting comps.

And that was 100% drug-free - and it
was supplement-free other than a one a
day vitamin (which I don't take any
more, and neither should you - more
on that another time).

One of the reasons my power rack pro-
gram worked so well is that training
with heavy iron builds bone mass -
and increased bone mass increases
your potential for muscle mass.

It also - and this is pretty important -
increases your testosterone levels.

Naturally.

Without drugs.

It's an added benefit of the right kind
of heavy training.

And mind you, I was working a very
demanding full-time job - six or even
days a week most of the time - and I
had very little time to train.

So I only trained three times a week
on average - for about one hour per
workout.

Something that anyone can do - no
matter how busy you are, or how
pressed for time you are.

I've been writing about this for many
years now - and some people have
tried it - but many others have chosen
NOT to even try it.

Because, you know:

"You need to do high reps to build mass."

"You need to pump your muscles to gain
mass."

"You need to eat 6,000 calories a day to
build mass."

"You need the right kind of supplements
to build mass."

"You need to (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
try this stuff . . .  I can get it for you from
a guy I know."

Anyhow, fast forward to three or four years
ago.

My buddy John Wood went on a special
program to build his bone mass.

The idea being:

Increasing your bone mass increases your
potential for maximum muscle mass -
so why not see what happens if you focus
on building your bones and THEN start to
train for muscle mass.

So John did nothing but Bone Strength
Training for several years - and ended up
increasing his bone mass quite a bit, as
measured by DEXA scans.

And THEN - in step 2 of his experiment - he
got back into a more conventional program.

Drug-free, of course - and supplement free.

And no kind of special high-protein or high-
calorie diet.

Long story short - he ended up going from
245 pounds to 270 pounds - a gain of 35
pounds of muscle.

So it worked for me - and it worked for John
Wood - and that's why I say with complete
confidence: "It will work for you."

All you need to do is roll up your sleeves
and give it a try.

You can try the kind of heavy partials I do -
I wrote about them in Strength, Muscle
and Power - and I cover a different but
very effective way to do them in my new
course on heavy partials. Grab one or the
other and try it - or grab both, read them,
and decide which program to try first:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Heavy Partials Course (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html

You also can - and you should - try John's
Bone Strength Program:

The Bone Strength Project (PDF)

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bone-strength-projectPDF.html

Yes, you can combine my heavy partials
and John's Bone Strength Training in
your program - I cover how to to do it in
my new course. Give this a try - I think
you'll be very pleased with your results.
OR - if you prefer - you can shoot me an
email and tell me that heavy partials and
Bone Strength Training don't build muscle
mass - because - you know - tick off the
reasons the doubters and naysayers have
been putting out for the past 30 years.

But first, stop and ask the doubters and
naysayers for THEIR results - and watch
them squirm.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Can (and Should) You Do Heavy Partials in Curls, Rowing and Pull-Ups?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our Dinos asked about doing
partial curls, pull-ups and rowing -
as in, can you do them and if so,
how do you do them - and are they
any good for building strength and
muscle?

Those are good questions, so I
thought I'd answer them in today's
email.

1. Can you do them?

Of course. You can do partials in
pretty much any exercise - with
the possible exception of very
short range movements like calf
raises, wrist curls or crunches.

Also - for safety sake - I would
not do partials on neck work.

2. Do they build strength and
muscle?

I like heavy partial curls - and
I think heavy partial pull-ups
have their place - but I don't
like heavy partials in rowing,
for the reasons discussed
below.

3. Heavy partial curls.

I cover these in detail in my
new course on heavy partials,
so you know I like them.

In fact, I like them a lot.

And you can build some
serious strength with them.

There's a true story in the
course that I won't share
now - but it will make you
a believer in this movement.

It made a believer out of a
smart-alec young physical
therapist - but again, I don't
want to give away the story.

Let's just say the old "Grab
my hand, hold as tight as
you can and pull on my arm"
test didn't go as expected
when he did it with the old
guy who'd been doing tons
of heavy partial curls and
other partial movements.

Do partial curls from the
start position, and make it
a short movement - 3 to 5
inches. Strict form, of course.

Arm power all the way. No
cheating. No bouncing.

Again, see the new course
for details.

And yes, you can use a straight
bar, EZ curl bar, thick bar, specialty
bar - or even sandbags or dumb-
bells.

4. Heavy Partial Rowing.

I'm not a fan. Heavy partial
deadlifts are better and safer,
and if you do them right, they
work the entire back.

Heavy partial barbell rows are
awfully hard on your lower back.

I'd skip them.

And I don't like heavy partials
with dumbbell rows. Pull-ups are
better and safer.

And that brings us to . . .

5. Heavy partial pull-ups.

You can do heavy-partial pull-
ups starting from the bottom
(arms extended) position.

Make it a 3 to 5 inch movement.
Strict form. Slow. No bouncing.

These are somewhat useful -
but frankly, they're a bit risky
and not as effective as regular
pull-ups.

6. The bottom line.

Heavy partial curls - very good.

Heavy partial rowing - skip it.

Heavy partial pull-ups - okay,
but not my top pick.

7. Further reading.

If you want to know more about
heavy partials - and to see a step
by step course on how to do them -
grab this little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html

And be sure to let me know how
you like the course - and how it
works for you!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Are Five Work Sets Too Many?

Hitting it hard at Dino Headquarters. The older I get, the more fun my workouts are - but I have to pay careful attention to the workload and make sure I'm not over-doing things.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk iron.

1. The Dinosaur Facebook Group

If you use Facebook, be sure to join
your fellow Dinosaurs at The Dinosaur
Training Facebook Group.

It's under: "Dinosaur Training - Brooks
Kubik."

You need to apply for membership -
but if you note that you read about
it here, you should get in with no
trouble.

John Wood's Strength Secrets Face-
book Group is also a great place to
go - so be sure to join that one, as
well.


2.The Dinosaur Strength Training
Notebook, Vol. 1

This little monster is our newest edition
to the Kindle bookstore, and it's been
selling like crazy. Go here to grab a copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurnotebook001.html

3. "Are Five Work Sets Too Much?"

I just got an email from a reader who
says he does 5 x 5, using five work sets
for each exercise.

He wondered if that was too much.

Short answer: Yes, it's probably too
much work -- but, like anything else,
it depends on many different factors.

And to add an extra level of complexity,
it will probably change for you over time.

Many trainees get very good results
from ONE work set. They find that
they over-train if they perform more
than one work set -- especially in
exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Other trainees do well with TWO
or even THREE work sets.

But three work sets is the limit for
most trainees, unless they're doing
very low reps (singles, doubles or
triples).

As a general rule, older trainees do
better with fewer work sets -- and
stronger, more advanced trainees
do better with fewer work sets. So
what works best for you may change
over time.

If you do five work sets, you need to
follow an ultra-abbreviated training
program. Limit yourself to one or two
exercises per workout. You won't be
able to do justice to more than that.

And here's a thought:

If one, two or three work sets do the
job for you, why do more?

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 straight talk on sets,
reps and real world, no-nonsense
strength training, grab Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

PDF

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

"Why do MORE when LESS works just
as well -- or maybe even better?"

-- 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