What Builds the Most Strength?

"How do I build the most strength as fast as possible? he asked. So I thought I'd answer the question in today's Blog post.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll talk training in just a second - but
first, here's an important reminder - and
a call to action.

1. The Sept-Oct Dinosaur Files

The Sept-Oct 2018 issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter has
been getting great reviews - and that's
no surprise.

It's another big issue - 12 pages - with
tons of training tips, exercises and great
workouts - including a very challenging
program featuring exercises with a heavy
duty strongman yoke.

There's also a great article on a new and
different progression system for 20 rep
breathing squats - and one Dino's true
story of how old-school strength training
saved his life one day.

You can grab the Sept-Oct Dino Files
right here:

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

Be sure to join your fellow Dinos by
grabbing this issue. It's a good one -
and you don't want to miss it.

2. What Builds the Most Strength?

Yesterday I answered a question from
a reader who wanted to know how
various sandbag and barrel lifts
compared to similar barbell lifts.

So I shared some numbers from my
own workouts 20 plus years ago -
comparing my top barbell clean
and press to my top sandbag or
barrel clean and press, and so
on.

That was part one of his question.

He also wanted to know what built
the most strength.

In other words, which is better -

1. Training with barbells and dumb-
bells,

or

2. Training with sandbags, barrels
and similar types of heavy awkward
objects?

So here's my answer.

They're both good - and they both
work.

But it's hard to say that one is better
than the other - or that one is more
effective than the other.

Instead, think of them as different
ways to do the same job.

That said, remember this:

1. If you plan to do powerlifting comps,
you need to train for powerlifting.

2. If you plan to do strongman comps,
you need to do a combination of basic
lifting (squats, deadlifts, presses or
push presses, etc.) along with training
for the events that you'll contest.

If your goal is to build all-around
strength and power, then you can
do whatever you enjoy the most,
be it barbell and dumbbell work or
heavy awkward objects.

Or . . . what I like the best . . . 
you can combine different training
tools.

In other words, use barbells, dumb-
bells, sandbags, barrels and other
fun training tools.

I cover workouts that do exactly this
in many of my books and courses,
including:

Chalk and Sweat

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development

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

Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 1

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

And, of course, we cover these kinds
of workouts in the Dinosaur Files.
(As I noted before, the latest issue
includes a unique workout using a
strongman yoke as your primary
piece of equipment.)

Sept-Oct Dino Files

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

So don't limit yourself. Life's too short.

Have fun when you train. Use a variety
of different training tools and different
exercises - and use them to build tons
and tons of strength, muscle and
power!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Before You Leave - Check These Out! 

 

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these little monsters:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

Who's Stronger?

An old photo from 20 or 22 years ago - hitting a one-hand swing in the original Dinosaur  Dungeon with 151 pounds. I made the lifts I describe in today's Blog post at about the same time as this photo.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
iron - as well as sandbags and barrels.

1. The Sept-Oct Dinosaur Files

The Sept-Oct 2018 issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter has
been getting great reviews - and that's
no surprise.

It's another big issue - 12 pages - with
tons of training tips, exercises and workouts -
including a very challenging program that
uses a special combination of exercises
performed with a strongman yoke.

You can grab the Sept-Oct Dino Files right
here in a downloadable and printable PDF -
with immediate electronic delivery:

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

2. The Complete Physique Course
John Wood just released vol. 3 of the
excellent but very hard to find Complete
Physique Course.

This volume includes Lessons 5 and 6
of the Course - covering hand-balancing
and strand pulling (a/k/a cable training).

It's available right here at the Kindle
bookstore - and it's highly recommended!

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/complete-physique-03.html

3. Who's Stronger?

One of our Dinos posted the following
question for the The Dinosaur Training
Facebook Group. (BTW, if you're not a
member, go ahead and apply to join -
and include a note saying you read
about it here.)

Who's Stronger?

Need an opinion here. Who's stronger?

The man who can heave a 300 pound
barrel to his shoulder and squat with it
for reps - or the man who can squat
500 pounds for reps?

The man who can press 225 pounds for
reps or the man who can press a 150
pound sandbag for reps?

At a crossroads here. Please weigh in.

Jim

As you might expect, there were a ton
of responses - so I thought I'd cover it
in today's email and Blog post.

And I thought I'd cover it by giving you
the best numbers I hit in these lifts -
which should give you a good basis for
comparing the relative merits of the
various lifts Jim asked about.

Back around age 40, at a bodyweight of
220 to 225 pounds, I did the following
for one rep each after training on the
various lifts for a reasonable period of
time to develop the necessary skill to
perform them well:

1. Two dumbbell clean and press with a
pair of 121 pound dumbbells.

2. Two dumbbell clean and push press
with a pair of 126 pound dumbbells.

c. Note the total weight here - 242
pounds and 252 pounds respectively.

3. Clean and press with a 165 pound
anvil wrapped with 55 pounds of log
chain - total weight 220 pounds.

a. Working from memory here - it
may have been 60 pounds of log
chain for a total weight of 225
pounds.

b. I may have been able to do more,
but that was all the chain I had.

4. Clean and press with a 220 or 225
pound beer keg.

a. I also could shoulder this beer keg,
of course - and I think I worked up
to 250 in shouldering it.

5. Clean and press with a wooden
lifting log with handles in the center
and plates and chains on the ends -
250 pounds total weight.

6. Sandbag clean and press - 250
pounds.

a. I also could shoulder this sandbag.

7. Barbell clean and press - 275
pounds.

8. Bottom position squat - starting
with the tops of the thighs just below
parallel - no wraps or lifting suit -
500 pounds.

a. For me, a 500 pound bottom position
squat was the equivalent of a 600 pound
regular squat.

So my best barbell clean and press was
275 pounds - my best sandbag clean and
press was 250 pounds - and my best squat
(bottom position style) was 500 pounds.

This suggests that shouldering a 300
pound barrel is tougher than squatting
500 pounds.

Perhaps it's more like a 600 pound
squat (with no gear other than a belt).

Or perhaps more like 700 pounds.

It also suggests that if you clean and
press 225 with a barbell, you should be
able to handle about 180 to 200 pounds
in a sandbag clean and press.

Or vice-versa.

As for which type of equipment builds
the most strength - or builds strength
fastest - that's a different question -
and one that I'll answer tomorrow.

Anyhow, that's my answer. Hope it
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. Here's the book that started the
Dinosaur Revolution - and brought
heavy awkward objects, sandbags
and barrels into the mainstream:

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

P.S. 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. 2. Thought for the Day:

"Barbells work. Dumbbells work. So
do sandbags and barrels. It all works
if YOU work."

-- Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

Some Very Good Training Advice

Like many old-time champions, Sig Klein kept training for his entire life. Today's training tip gives you one of the reasons that so many of the old-timers were able to keep slinging the iron when they were in their 50's, 60's, 70's or beyond.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
training.

1. The Sept-Oct Dinosaur Files

Available in PDF format with immediate
electronic delivery - and fully printable,
so you can save it in your collection.

This issue covers training with a strong
man yoke - a new system for 20-rep
breathing squats - a unique dumbbell
training progression system - and
much more.

You can grab it here:

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

2. My Heavy Partials Course

This little monster is available in your
choice of PDF or Kindle - and whichever
you prefer, it's a heck of a good course.

Heavy partials are excellent strength
and muscle builders - and they're great
for strengthening your tendons and
ligaments - as well as helping to build
bone strength.

They're also great for adding some
serious iron to your current PR's in
the squat, bench press, deadlift and
press.

As I mentioned last week, one of our
Dinos tried the Heavy Partials course
a few months ago when we released
the PDF version - and he set a new
PR in the bench press in just two
short weeks.

Go here to grab it:

Dinosaur Strength and Power -

Course No. 2 - Heavy Partials

Kindle edition

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

PDF edition

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

If you grab the Kindle edition, be
sure to post a review at the Kindle
page - the reviews really help us!

3. Some Very Good Training Advice!

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 Champion-
ship in 1953 - and won the British Empire
(now the Commonwealth Games)
Championship in 1954.

Anyhow - back to the course.

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

In it, Doug Hepburn gave this advice:

"Don't do dangerous and foolish lifts."

A simple 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.

In other words, riser deadlifts.

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.

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 bajillion 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
commonsense strength training and
muscle building for older Dinos - and
teaches you how to build your body as
safely and efficiently as possible.

Go here to grab a copy:

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

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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