Showing posts with label Olympic weightlifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympic weightlifting. Show all posts

Brooks Kubik's Strength Training Collection - List No. 2 - Iron Man's Lifting News

Peary Rader's wonderful Lifting News magazine is almost impossible to find at any price - but here's a very special chance to grab some vintage copies of this excellent old-school strength and power publication at a rock-bottom, bargain basement !



Brooks Kubik's  Strength Training Collection

List No. 2 – Iron Man Lifting News

I'm selling 32 issues of Iron Man’s Lifting News, published by Peary Rader back in the 1960's. These are great magazines that focused on strength and power training, weightlifting and powerlifting. With articles by and about top lifters and their training, these magazines are a goldmine of old-school strength and power training.

Peary Rader was the founder of Iron Man magazine, which he edited and published for 50 years before he retired and sold the magazine.You've probably seen old issues of Peary Rader's Iron Man magazine. But you may not have ever seen any old issues of Lifting News - because not many issues were published, and they're very rare and hard to find. So this is a BIG opportunity to grab some magazines you might not ever find again.

This cover photo shows Don Cundy pulling a World Record deadlift. Lifting News covered many of the pioneers of powerlifting, as well as Olympic weightlifting champions.


The price is just $20.00 per issue plus shipping and handling. And if you order 10 or more issues, I'll give you a 10 percent discount.

All orders will be shipped by USPS Priority Mail. Please note that in filling orders we are limited to what we can fit into a USPS Priority Mail shipping box.

Everything listed below is first come, first served, and I only have one of each set, so if you want something, order it ASAP by emailing me at:

info@brookskubik.com  

When you email, please give me your shipping address and preferred payment method. PayPal, credit card and check are fine for anyone living in the USA. However, we can only accept PayPal and credit card for orders outside the USA.

Note: if you prefer to pay by credit card, do NOT send your cc info by email. When I respond to you, I'll let you know how to place a secure cc order.

Because these are one of a kind items, we cannot replace them or refund the purchase price, so please give me a secure shipping address, preferably where someone will be there to sign for the package when it is delivered.

We reserve the right to decline any order based on the cost of shipping, delivery issues/concerns in a given country or any other reason.

Shoot me an email if you have any questions!

Here’s a list of the available magazines and the cover-man on each issue:

Lifting News was one of the best old-school training magazines - and it focused entirely on weightlifting, powerlifting and strength and power training.

1961    September     Newspaper format - no cover photo
            November     Yuri Vlasov and other lifters from 1961 World Championships

1963    May                Weightlifters and powerlifters from 1963 Jr. Nationals

1964    June                 Norb Schemansky

1965    January           Isaac Berger
            April               Kids weightlifting
            July                 Bob Bartholomew
            August             Tony Garcy
            September       Gerry Ferrelli
            October           Hans Zdrazila
            November       James Roberson

1966    January           Gary Gubner
            February         Leonid Zabotinsky
            March             Bob Bednarski
            April               Paul Anderson
            June                 Frank Holton  
            July                 Pat Casey
            August             Russ Knipp
            September       Phil Grippaldi
            October           Robert Weaver
            December        Waldemar Baszanowski

1967    April               Gary Gubner
            June                 Bob Bednarski
            July                 Philip Grippaldi
            August            Bob Hise
            October           Pan Am games photos
            November       Sr. National Power Lifting photos
            December        Donald Cundy, Jr.

1968    January           Joe Dube
            February         Bob Bednarski
            May                George Pickett
            October           Mel Hennessy


Lifting News - an outstanding publication for anyone interested in old-school strength and power training, Olympic weightlifiting, and powerlifting.



All Out Exercises for Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

On the training front, let's talk a bit more
about Bradley J. Steiner's "Essential Exercises."

I covered them in an email several days ago.

If you missed it, go to the Dinosaur Training
Blog and read it there. By the way, I post all
of my emails on the Blog, so if you ever miss
an email, you can always find it at the Blog.

You can access the Blog from the drop down
bar at my website.

Or, just follow this link:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/steiners-top-21-exercises-do-you-do-them.html

Anyhow, one of Steiner's essential exercises for
the back was the power clean.

I agree that the power clean belongs on the list,
but I'd go a bit further and add a number of
other weightlifting movements to the program.

Some people call these "All Out" exercises. That's
an excellent term for them.

And I'll tell you something else. I very much wish
that someone had taught me to focus on these
exercises when I was a kid. It would have been
the best thing ever for my wrestling. I was a
very good wrestler in high school -- I won a
state championship in Greco-Roman wrestling --
but I would have been twice as good if I had
trained with All Out exercises.

So here are some exercises that I consider to
be "Essential Exercises" for athletes -- and for
anyone who wants to increase their strength
and power enormously:

1. Power cleans

Note: If you know how to do them, you can
use squat cleans instead. Or train both
movements.

2. Clean grip high pulls

3. Power Snatches

Note: If you know how to do them, you can
train split snatches or squat snatches. Or
train power snatches and your choice of
split or squat snatches.

4. Snatch grip high pulls

5. The power clean and press

Note: You can squat clean and press if you
prefer squat cleans. Ditto for the next two
movements.

6 . The power clean and push press

7. The power clean and jerk

8. Push presses

9. Jerks

Note: These can be power jerks or split
jerks.

10. Snatch grip deadlifts

11. Clean grip deadlifts

12. Snatch grip or clean grip deadlifts
with a shrug at the top of the movement

All of the exercises listed above provide
multiple benefits. They simultaneously:

1. Build your strength and explosive power.

2. Improve your speed, balance, coordination,
timing and athleticism.

3. Train the heck out of your legs, back, hips
and shoulder girdle (which are the true keys
to Herculean super strength).

4. Build strong, thick bones.

5. Strengthen your nervous system, and help
maintain a strong mind-muscle link and
athletic movement patterns -- which makes
them very important for healthy aging.

For details on how to work these movements
into your training programs, see:

1. Chalk and Sweat (50 workouts for anyone from
beginners to advanced trainees, with many workouts
featuring weightlifting exercises):

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power (29 chapters covering
a huge variety of topics, including how to add Olympic
lifting to your programs):

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

3. Black Iron: The John Davis Story (reveals World
and Olympic champion John Davis' actual training
programs):

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

4. The Doug Hepburn Training Course (how the 1953
World Weightlifting champion trained):

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

Note: This one is also available in Kindle and PDF
editions -- see the links at our Products page,
which is right here:

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

5. Gray Hair and Black Iron (how older lifters can
train safely and effectively with Olympic lifting
movements):

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

6. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 (covers many
different training approaches for cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas, including some excellent weightlifting
workouts):

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

Note: This also is available in Kindle and PDF editions.
See the links at our Products page.

7. If you need help on how to perform the movements,
see my Going Strong at 54 DVD:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.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

P.S. Thought for the Day: "You're never too
old to learn something new, and you're never
too old to lift!" -- Brooks Kubik


***********************************************************************************

Gray Hair and Fast Feet

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about about speed, and
about a  question I received from an older
Dino who said that he lost his speed -- not
his strength, but his speed -- sometime
around age 60.

He asked me if I had noticed the same thing.

The answer is -- not yet -- and I'm working
really hard to keep it that way.

In fact, my workouts focus as much on speed
as on strength development now -- although
many of the things that build one also
build the other.

Here are seven things I do in my workouts
that help keep me moving FAST. They'll do
the same for you.

1. Stand on Your Feet Training
with Barbells and Dumbbells


You build balance, coordination, strength,
power and speed by using good, old-
fashioned, stand on your feet training.

Standing presses.

Squats.

Front squats.

Deadlifts.

Trap Bar deadlifts.

Dumbbell cleans and swings. (Note - see
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for details on
how to perform them safely and effectively.)

Power cleans and power snatches (or
high pulls) if you know how to do them.

Stay away from lying and seated exercises,
and skip the machines. They do nothing for
your speed.

2. Perfect form.

Do all of your exercises in perfect form.
Perfect form promotes well-balanced
development -- and that helps your
speed of movement as you grow older.

It's also safer -- and avoiding injuries
is one of the most important things for
an older trainee to do. (See point 5,
below.)

3. No slow movements.

I don't do any slow, grinding movements in
my workouts.

Slow movements make you slow. You don't
need that.

That's not to say you use light weights and
fast, bouncy movements. Far from it. I train
heavy, and I do almost nothing but singles.

But there's a big difference between a slow,
grinding rep that takes forever to finish,
and a rep that's a little lighter but moves
twice as fast.

4. Keep your weight under control.

You can't move fast if you're carrying 20 or
more pounds of blubber. It's like running a
hundred yard dash while carrying  a heavy
sandbag on your back. The sandbag just
slows you down -- and so do the Lard
Lumps.

5. Don't get hurt.

This one is easier to say than to do. Older
bodies are easier to injure.

But do everything you can to avoid injuries.

The dings and dents really slow you down.
They tighten you up, reduce your range of
motion, and make you stiff.

Train smart, and keep your ego in check.

Don't baby yourself, but don't be stupid.

Find the balance between aggressive training
and reckless training.

6. Under-train.

I almost said "don't over-train," but for an
older trainee, over-training is so easy that
it's better to say: "Under-train."

If you make it a point to do a little bit less
than you feel like you could do, both in
terms of weight, effort and volume, you
may end up doing just about the right
intensity and amount of work.

Always leave something in the gas tank.
It helps your recovery enormously.

As an older trainee, you've paid your dues.
Right now, consistent, regular training is
what you want. There's no need to smash
yourself into a pulp every time you train --
and every reason NOT to do so.

7. Follow a healthy, anti-inflammatory
diet.

Inflammation is an older trainee's worst
enemy. It makes you stiff and sore and
inflexible -- tightens your muscles -- and
slows you down.

You don't need that.

You need a body that doesn't suffer from
extreme inflammation.

You get there by under-training (see point
no. 6) -- and by following the right kind of
diet and nutrition plan.

The diet and nutrition program in Knife,
Fork, Muscle will work great. It's an anti-
inflammatory diet as well as a strength
and muscle-building diet -- and it will
help keep the excess pounds off, as
well.

Go here to grab the little monster:

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

8. A Bonus Tip

Bonus tip. I said we'd have seven, but
here's one more. Work on stretching and
flexibility -- or as they now call it, mobility.

You want freedom of movement in all your
major joints.

Freedom of movement helps your speed
enormously. Stiff and tight joints slow you
down.

So work on staying loose and flexible and
supple.

There's one more tip -- and it's a big one.
We'll cover it tomorrow. But those seven --
sorry, EIGHT -- tips will really help. They
work great for me.

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 number one book about
effective training for older Dinos:

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

P.S. 2. I mentioned Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training. Go here to grab the little monster:

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
available right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Stay strong, stay
lean, stay loose, stay fast." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

From a Single Suitcase to Gold Medal Glory

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The soldiers came and told everyone to pack
up and leave immediately.

They were allowed a single suitcase for every
person.

When they left their house under the watchful
eyes of the soldiers, they carried everything
they owned - and each person had a single
suitcase that held it all. They left everything
else behind.

The soldiers put them into trucks - and took
them to the camps.

It was 1940. Japanese American citizens up
and down the West Coast of the United States
were rounded up and sent to camps for the
duration of the War.

He was a boy when it happened. And like all
the others, all he had in the entire world was
inside the small suitcase.

When they got to the camps, they went to
work in the fields. It was hard, hot, sweaty,
back-breaking work.

But even so, they tried to stay in shape. The
boys and young men saved their coins, pooled
their money, and bought a basic barbell set
from the York Barbell Co. in far away Penn-
sylvania.

It arrived by truck.

They carried the box into a tent used for
laundry, and that became their gym.

And that's where the boy began barbell training.

A dozen years later, he won an Olympic Gold
medal in weightlifting.

He went on to win a second gold medal four
years later - and a silver medal in his third
and final Olympics - along with six World
Championships.

His name was Tommy Kono - and he was one
of the greatest weightlifters who ever lived.

I was reminded of this because I saw an on-line
photo gallery with photos of some of the camps
and the men, women and children who lived in
them.

One of the photos shows the inside of a tent that
housed a family of four. You can see the suitcases
on the top of one of the two bunk beds. I wasn't
kidding about the suitcases.

Photo no. 6 in the series shows a muscular man
wearing a t-shirt from the Sacramento YMCA.

They don't give his name, but that t-shirt made
me stop and think long and hard.

You see, after the War, Tommy Kono's family
moved back to Sacramento. Tommy had enjoyed
his barbell training at the camp, and he joined
the Sacramento YMCA so he could keep on
lifting weights.

One day, an older lifter named Mits Oshima
talked Kono into entering a weightlifting contest -
and the rest, as they say, is history.

Was that Mits Oshima in the photo?

I don't know.

Perhaps it was. Or perhaps it was the man who
got Mits Oshima started in his training - or maybe
it was a man who helped both Kono and Oshima
when they were training after the War.

Whoever it was, he might very well have helped
Tommy Kono as the young man began to learn
the art of Olympic weightlifting.

In other words - he might have helped Tommy
Kono go from a single suitcase to the top of the
Iron Mountain.

You can see the photos right here:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2016/sep/28/uprooted-japanese-american-lives-in-farm-labour-camps-in-pictures

Anyhow, we've been talking about younger
trainees and how to get them started - and
I think this is a good example of how to do
it.

After all, you never know how far that skinny
kid in the corner of they gym might go.

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. John Davis was another legendary lifting
champion - with two Olympic gold medals and
six world championships. You can read about
John Davis and his training in Black Iron: The
John Davis Story:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The iron may be
all you have, but it's all you need." - Brooks
Kubik

***********************************************************************************

The Passing of a Legend

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I want to give you some news and updates
today - beginning with some sad news.

1. The Passing of a Legend

We lost Norb Schemansky.  The four-time
Olympic medal winner (one gold, one silver,
and two bronze medals) passed away on
September 7 at (I believe) age 92.

Here's a link to a wonderful tribute to
Norb Schemansky at the USA Weightlifting
website - complete with photos and some
video of "Skee" in action:

http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Features/2016/September/07/Weightlifting-Legend-Norbert-Schemansky-Dies

My good friend Bill Hinbern wrote a very
nice tribute to the champion. You can find
it at Bill's Facebook page. It has some of the
classic Schemansky stories - and it's very
well worth reading.

2. 11-11

In somewhat happier news, the Dino Nation
has a great film to watch - a short film by
director Keith Rivers - starring my daughter,
Lily.

It's called 11-11 - and it's being released
today on vimeo at exactly 11-11. (Not sure
if that is Eastern time or what, but I'm sure
about the 11-11 part.)

Here's the trailer for it - take a look, and then
be sure to look for the complete film later
today, after the release:

https://vimeo.com/181129261

Trudi was able to see it yesterday, as a special
"for mom only" advance screening, and she was
in tears afterwards. It's a very beautiful, very
moving film. Needless to say, we're proud
parents today.

3. The Dino Files

We're finishing the little monster up, and we'll
be releasing it soon. I'll send an email with the
order link as soon as it's ready.

If you missed any of the earlier issues, go to
our products page and look for the PDF products
with electronic downloads:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

What's the The Best Kind of Strength Training?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

What's the best kind of strength training?

Over the past week, I've received emails
from Dinos around the world who were
having great workouts and getting terrific
results from their training.

And here's the interesting thing.

They were all doing different types of
training.

One was doing heavy partials in the power
rack.

Another was training for a powerlifting
contest.

One was doing strongman style training,
and looking to enter a strongmen contest
in the near future.

One was doing Olympic weightlifting.

Another was doing an all-bodyweight
program.

Still another was doing a combination of
barbell, dumbbell and bodyweight work.

One was specializing in kettlebell training --
another was doing barbells, kettlebells and
cables -- and yet another was combining
weight training and yoga.

One Dino was doing muscle control (using
the old Maxick course), dumbbells and
cables -- along with some bodyweight
work.

And one of the older Dinos was hitting it
in his garage gym, using an old York barbell,
and following the same York training courses
he used more than 50 years ago when he first
began to train.

Some were doing 5 x 5, some were doing
singles, and some did pyramids.

Some trained three times per week, some
two, and one trained once every three to five
days.

Some did strength work and cardio, others
did strength work only, and some did both
but on different days.

Who was getting the best workout?

I don't know. They were all having great fun,
and they all reported great results.

Whose training program was best?

Once again, I don't know. It seems as if all
of the programs were pretty good.

I think that's the answer to the question.

What's the best kind of strength training?

There isn't one.

There are many.

Pick what you enjoy the most -- and work
on it hard -- and stick to your program like
gorilla glue -- and you'll do just fine!

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. Old-school dumbbell training and old-
school bodyweight training can give you a
terrific workout all by themselves -- or you
can combine them with other training tools
for a super-effective head to toe workout:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training (book)

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

The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training (DVD)

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links
to all of my e-books on Kindle -- and to my
PDF books and courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's what you do,
but it's also how you do it, that counts." -- Brooks
Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Build Strength, Muscle and Power with Rest Pause Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the new things in Olympic lifting is to do a
special kind of hypertrophy training to increase the
size and strength of the exact fast twitch muscle
fibers used in the snatch and the clean and jerk.

Here's how it works.

A lifter will train the snatch by warming up, working
up to a heavy weight, and then doing 10 - 20 heavy
snatches.

The lifter will do triples, doubles and singles.

The lifter may do wave training where he works up,
drops back down, works back up, drops back down
and works back up.

The lifter trains at a fast pace. The entire sequence
of heavy snatches may take 15 or 20 minutes.

The lifter does the same thing with the clean and
jerk, and the front squat.

Those may be the only exercises in the program.

Remember, as I said, it's a special kind of program
that targets the fast twitch fibers used in lifting.

And that's the state of the art stuff for the best
in the world in 2014.

Amazingly, lifters were doing the same sort of thing
back in the 1950's - and the 1940's - and the 1930's.

There were even bodybuilders who trained this way,
although they used different exercises.

And plenty of garage gorillas and cellar-dwellers did
this kind of program back in the day.

They called it Rest Pause Training -- and it built
tons of real world strength and muscle.

Nowadays, everybody does 8 x 8, 10 x 10, 12 x 12
and 20 x 20 to build muscle mass. Heck, someone
is probably teaching 50 x 50. Volume training rules.
But back in the day, men built muscle mass the old-
fashioned way - one rep at a time.

I cover Rest Pause Training in detail in Strength,
Muscle and Power - and the program could be the
key to the best gains of your entire life:

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

P.S. For maximum gains in strength, muscle and power,
you need to support your training with the right kind
of diet and nutrition - which is exactly what you'll
find in Knife, Fork, Muscle:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train old-school style
with rest-pause reps - and build real world strength
and muscle." - Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Try This Super Simple Weightlifting Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Here's an email from a couple of years
ago. I'm running it again because I get
so many questions about weightlifting
programs. The general rule - keep it
simple - applies to all other types of
training, be it strongman, powerlifting,
bodybuilding, sports training, or
anything else.)

For the past couple of weeks, I've been
following the simplest weightlifitng workout
in the world -- and having lots of fun with it --
and getting stronger and faster all the time.

It's a workout that Mike Burgener recommends
for Master's weightlifters -- which is me, at
close to 60 years of age.

You can use it with power style lifts, split
style lifts or squat style lifts.

I switched back to split style lifts last month,
so that's what I've been using.

I begin with 10 minutes of stretching and
loosening up. That always includes some work
with Indian clubs. They're great for your upper
back and shoulders. Get them from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/classic-wooden-indian-clubs

Next, I do 6 to 8 progressively heavier singles
in the snatch. I work up to a weight that is
heavy but not my absolute max. If you
like to use percentages, maybe 92 to 95
percent of my true max.

I'm obsessive about doing these in good form.

I video tape my lifts, and I watch the video
after every lift. I always try for better and
smoother form. The goal is to make every
lift perfect.

Next, I do 6 to 8 progressively heavier singles
in the clean and jerk. Once again, I work up
to a weight that is heavy but not my actual
max. And I focus on perfect form on every
lift.

So that makes a total of 12 to 16 lifts.

And that's it.

After the clean and jerk, I call in the dogs,
put out the fire, unload the bar, lock the garage
and go into the house for some serious, Dino
style post-workout nutrition -- a/k/a meat
and veggies.

The entire workout takes about 45 to 60
minutes from start to finish.

It's a good program, and a fun one. Give
it a try!

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. I have more back to basics workouts
in my new Dinosaur Training Secrets courses.

The new courses are available in your
choice of hard copy, Kindle e-book or PDF.
Note that you can order all three with
one purchase under the Kindle and PDF
options.

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


Covers exercises, workouts, abbreviated
training, ultra-abbreviated training, and
much more.

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


Covers real world strength standards
for drug-free lifters, and how to adjust
them based on your age and bodyweight.

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
Progression Systems


Covers the best and most effective
progression systems for drug-free
training. Learn what really works -
and how to make steady progress
without going stale or burning out.

You can find all them right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Keep
it simple, work hard, and have fun."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

An Olympic Lifting Question

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll get to
today's training question.

1. The April Dino Files

The April issue of the Dinosaur Files
has been getting great reviews from
Dinos around the world.

Go here to grab the April issue in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016.html

Or go here to grab the April issue in
Kindle format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_april2016-kindle.html

And be sure to let me know how you
like the issue - and what you want to
see in future issues!

2. Olympic Lifting Substitutes

One of the Dinos had a question about Olympic
weightlifting. This was in response to yesterday's
email about 10 tips for older Dinos.

I had mentioned that it's very important for
older Dinos to work on maintaining and even
improving their speed, power, balance, timing,
coordination, flexibility and athleticism.

And I had noted that Olympic lifting is a
great way to do it.

So I got an email from a reader who agreed
with that but wondered what he could do if
he didn't do Olympic lifting.

That's actually a fairly common question.

Here's the answer:

1. Do stand on your feet training with barbells
and dumbbells.

a. Standing presses, push presses and squats
are hard to beat.

2. Do one workout a week that includes some
sort of weighted carry or lugging and loading
drills.

3. Build explosive power, timing, coordination,
and athleticism with the exercises in Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training.

a. They're fun, and they're easy to learn.

b. They're an excellent alternative to Olympic
lifting workouts.

c. Exercises like the two-dumbbell clean and
press build a terrific mixture of strength, power
and over-all conditioning.

d. John Grimek, Sig Klein, and many other
old-school champions always did plenty of
heavy dumbbell training.

e. When he was older, Grimek did lots of
squats and lots of dumbbell presses - and
they kept him in terrific shape!

So if you're looking for an alternative to
weightlifting workouts, give Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training a try!

Go here to grab the book:

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

And go here to grab my Dumbbell Training
DVD - it helps to see the exercises on video:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

And, of course, let me know how Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training works for you - and keep
me posted on your training and your
progress!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Peary Rader's Lifting News

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Many of us remember Peary Rader's
wonderful Iron man magazine, which
many believe was the best magazine
in the history of the Iron Game.

It was good, but there was something
else that I think was even better.

It was Peary Rader's OTHER magazine -
LIFTING NEWS.

LIFTING NEWS covered Olympic weight-
lifting, powerlifting and serious, old-school,
strength and power training.

Each issue was filled with priceless
information for lifting fans and anyone
else who wanted to learn about strength
and power building.

LIFTING NEWS brought you:

Detailed, in-depth, reports of the big
contests - who won, who placed, who
bombed - and why.

Results from smaller contests. (Hey, did
you know a guy named Kubik won a
powerlifting contest in Arizona some 50
years ago? Was he a relative? I don't
know. But I saw it reported in an old
issue of LIFTING NEWS.)

Great photos. (Let me repeat that -
GREAT photos. Many that you never
saw anywhere else.)

Killer cover photos of the top lifters
in the USA and around the world.

Articles by the top lifters in the world.
(Doug Hepburn wrote some of his very
best articles for LIFTING NEWS.)

Tons of articles on lifting technique,
strength and power programs, and
power rack training. Man-making
stuff. (Peary Rader was a huge fan
of power rack work.)

The problem was, very few issues of
LIFTING NEWS were ever printed -
and today, they're rarer than hen's
teeth.

And if you can find them, they usually
cost an arm and a leg.

But you can read them - fast, easy
and for pennies a day.

John Wood is posting some of his
favorite issues of LIFTING NEWS
at the Iron League.

Go here for further info - and to sign
up for an Iron League membership:

http://www.ironleague.com/

By the way, John has a pretty good
collection of other great stuff - and
it makes the Iron League the Library
of Congress of Strength, as one of
our long-time Dinos aptly called it.

He also has 3 boxes of special stuff
that I just loaned to him to scan and
post - and it includes stuff that is
literally one of a kind. Meaning that
you won't see it anywhere else.

I did that because I really like what
John is doing with the iron league -
and I want to support him as much
as possible.

Anyhow, LIFTING NEWS is back - and
it's a goldmine of strength and power
training.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again to join the
Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Reading is
important, but you have to know what
to read." - Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

The Secret of World Class Strength and Power

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Note: We have a nice little bonus for you
this week - see P.S. 2 below for details.
But first, read the email and learn one
of the most important secrets of strength
training.)

One of our longtime Dinos sent me some
incredibly rare copies of an old newsletter
from 1950. It includes the following note
from Tommy Kono. I think this was taken
from a letter that Tommy wrote to the
editor of the newsletter - or perhaps it
was from a conversation they had.

The interesting thing is that this was
written BEFORE Tommy has won a U.S.
Senior National title, a World weightlifting
championship or an Olympic Gold Medal -
so this is when he was standing on the
door to greatness.

And more than anything else, this gives
you an insight into what made him one
of the greatest weightlifters of all time:

I've learned that it isn't so much the
muscle size that makes a lifter a heavy-
weight, but how he thinks.

I could outpress [Mr. America and Mr.
Universe winner, Steve Reeves] even
when my arms measured more than
three full inches less than his.

Why can't I outpress [Russian champion
Grigori] Novak and all the rest?

Simply because I have not "talked" my
subconcsious mind into it.

For instance, if the World's record in
the Press for a light-weight was 500
lbs., I'm sure I would be pressing, and
for that matter practically everyone,
about 300 lbs. and not think much
about it.

It is only as one approaches the world's
record or some fabulously sounding
figures that they assume it is hard.
Naturally it is hard, but when you
think it is impossible to surpass the
record then you immediately set up
a barrier in your mind causing you to
hit a standstill.

This is one of my theories, and so far
it has worked fine.

Wow - powerful stuff, indeed!

And that's how the mind of a champion
works. And how you can program your
mind for championship performance.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover many more secrets of old-
school training and championship
mindpower in Dinosaur Training. If
you don't have a copy, grab it today:

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

P.S. 2. Since mindpower is on my mind
(no pun intended), I'm going to give you
a chance to grab a great little bonus.

Order a hard-copy edition of any book or
course from me this week, and in the
special instructions section of the on-line
order form, ask me to send you a free
mindpower CD.

The CD is titled"Unleash Your Inner
Strength: The Seven Keys to Concentration."

This offer is good this week only, and only
while supplies of the CD last - so step
up and take action.

You can find the hard-copy editions of
my books and courses right here:

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

Remember, you have to order a hard-
copy book or course (or a DVD) to get
the bonus. It's not available with our
Kindle and PDF products.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strength
begins in your imagination and in your
mind." - Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

A Final Message from Tommy Kono

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

You've probably heard the news by now.

Weightlifting champion Tommy Kono
passed away on April 24 at the age
of 85.

Tommy Kono may have been the greatest
weightlifter of all time. He won six World
championships, two Olympic gold medals
and a silver medal in his last Olympics.

He was the only weightlifter in history to
set official world records in FOUR
different weight classes: 148, 165,
181 and 198 pounds.

He also won the Mr. Universe title four
times.

Tommy Kono was a tireless spokesman
for the sport of weightlifting. He traveled
the world promoting the sport, and gave
freely of his time and knowledge to help
teach and inspire others.

Like so many others, I consider Tommy
Kono to have been a friend, mentor, and
teacher. He shared many nuggets of Iron
Game history with me - and I'll share
them with you in future emails and in
The Dinosaur Files newsletter.

When I learned that Tommy was ill,
I asked the Dinosaur Nation to send
cards and letters to me so that I could
forward them on to him. You responded
with overwhelming support. We sent
half a dozen big bundles of cards, notes
and letters to Tommy.

One of them was from a Dinosaur who
remembers seeing Tommy Kono training
at the local YMCA when he was a kid.
Later, when he began training, our
Dino realized who it was that he had
seen - and what it meant to be training
with the same barbells and dumbbells
that Tommy Kono once used.

I'm sure the cards and letters were
appreciated. So THANK YOU to all the
Dinos who helped support that effort.

About one month ago, I received a
letter from Tommy. It was a short note,
typed, and he probably sent the same
note to all of his friends around the
world. He had MANY friends - far
more than most people. It was
part of his magic.

Let me share Tommy Kono's final
message with you.

Tommy began by apologizing for not
having responded to earlier written
communications from his friends.

He explained that he was dying of
liver disease and related complications.

He concluded by saying something very
important for all of us:

We all develop health problems in the
end.  After all, life is for the living so
enjoy the journey while you can!

Thank you for your friendship throughout
the years.

Aloha and Best Wishes,

Tommy T. Kono

And now Tommy Kono is gone - but not
- not ever - forgotten.

Join me in  moment of silence, and honor
the memory of this remarkable man.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik



***********************************************************************************

Strength Training Books, Magazines and Courses for Sale (List No. 2)





Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I have a ton of duplicate books, courses and magazines about strength training, weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, physical culture, Iron Game history, boxing, wrestling, martial arts, diet,  nutrition, and related subjects, and I since I only need one copy of any particular item, I'm going to sell the rest of them.

We're setting up an eBay store to sell them on eBay, but in the meantime, here are some items you might want to grab right now.

All of these items come from the world-famous Dinosaur Training Research Library - and I'll include a letter to confirm this when I fill your order. Thus, you'll have something great to read AND you'll be owning a piece of Iron Game history.

IMPORTANT!

Everything is first come, first served.  So if you're interested in anything, do not delay. Shoot me an email and ask about availability. Include your shipping address so we can calculate shipping and handling for you.

In addition, please let me know whether you use PayPal. If you use PayPal, we can send you a payment request that includes the appropriate s&h charge for the item(s) you purchadse.

If you prefer to pay by check or credit card, please let me know. We will contact you by email to let you know how to pay by either of these options. Please do NOT send credit card info by email.  


My email is:

info@brookskubik.com


THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE FOR SALE:

1. Olympic Weightlifting for Sports

By Greg Everett. 106 pages, with many photos. 2012 edition. Paperback. A gently used copy in good condition.

A great little guide to using the Olympic lifts to train athletes - or in teaching yourself how to perform the lifts.  Although it is aimed at coaches and athletes, it is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the lifts safely and effectively.


PRICE: $9.95 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: AVAILABLE

2. Gotch: An American Hero

By Mike Chapman. Paperback. 279 pages. Published in 1999. Soft cover. Good condition.

An historical novel telling the life story or the man many believe to have been the greatest professional wrestler of all time. (Remember, Gotch beat George Hackenschmidt not once, but twice, during the prime of Hack's career.)

A very good book about an outstanding athlete - written by one of the nation's top wrestling historians.

PRICE: $9.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

3. That's Muscle Control

By Ed Jubinville. 1988 edition.  107 pages, with over 70 photos.  Soft cover. Good condition.  Over 70 photos.

Born in 1921, Ed Jubinville was one of the legendary masters of the lost art of muscle control, and thrilled thousands with his world famous muscle control act. Now, you may be asking "What's muscle control?" Ed Jubinville described it as "the ability tto control the voluntary muscles of your body . . . through total concentration." In other words, it's a perfect way to train and develop the mind-muscle link.

It's also what John Grimek, the immortal Monarch of Muscledom, used in his legendary posing routines. 

Good stuff - right out of the Golden Age of Physical Culture.

By the way, I spoke with Ed Jibinville a few times before he passed away. What a wonderful man he was - and what a huge fan of the Iron Game!

PRICE: $30.00 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: AVAILABLE

4. The Strongest Man in History: Louis Cyr

By Ben Weider (yes, Ben Weider - Joe Weider's brother). Paperback. 104 pages, plus 8 full page photos. Published in 1976. Fair condition, with small pencil marks on the front cover and on the final page of the Appendix - but very readable.

A fascinating biography of one of the strongest men who ever lived, from his birth in a small village in Canada to his rise to world-wide acclaim as the Strongest Man in  the World. Includes detailed accounts of his greatest matches with other legendary strongmen, and to his world tour where he met and defeated all challengers.

If you enjoy reading about old-school strongmen and rugged feats of strength and power, you'll love this book.

PRICE: $12.95 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: SOLD

 5. Weight Training for Athletes

By Bob Hoffman. Photography by Robert L. Hasse. Hardcover. Published in 1961. 216 pages, with numerous black and white photographs, including many photographs of weightlifter Bill March. Fair condition but very readable.

A basic introduction to weight training for athletes, featuring a wide variety of exercises with barbells, dumbbells, iron boots, swing bells, and pulleys. Includes a basic training program and specialized training programs for 37 different sports.

When I was a kid, this was one of the few books on weight training that was available at the public library - so I probably read it a hundred times. If you're my age, you probably did the same.

 PRICE: $30.00 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

 6. Muscle Beach: Where the Best Bodies in the World Started a Fitness Revolution

By Marla Matzer Rose. Published in 2001. Softbound. 160 pages, with many black and white photos.
Good condition.

This is a detailed and very interesting account of the men and women who made Muscle Beach the legendary Mecca of bodybuilding in the 1940s and 1950s.  Well-researched and well-written, it's a time machine that can take you back to the sun, sand and surf of California in the 1940s - when John Grimek was the King of Bodybuilding and when Muscle Beach was the most fascinating place in the entire world.

PRICE: $12.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

7. Bones of Iron: Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete

By Matt Foreman. Paperback. Published in 2011. 182 pages. Good condition.

A collection of articles that cover training, competing and coaching Olympic weightlifting. Contains plenty of practical advice for any strength athlete. Written with passion and humor. A fast, fun, informative read - and totally and completely BS-free. Matt Foreman tells it like it is.

Price: $12.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

8. An Introduction to Olympic-Style Weightlifting

By John M. Cissik. Second edition, 1997. 132 pages, with numerous photographs and line drawings. Fair to good condition but very readable. Signed by the author. (An author's signature adds magic to any book.)

A detailed guide to Olympic weightlifting for beginners, with training programs designed to take the lifter from the beginning stage to National competition.

Price: $34.95 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: SOLD

9. Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Coaches and Athletes

By Gregg Everett. Second edition, 2009. Soft-cover. 422 pages. Many photos. Good condition, with a small tear at the top of the cover.

This is one of the most complete, and most detailed, books on Olympic weightlifting ever written, and covers everything you need to know about this fascinating sport.

A must for any competitor or coach - and one of the best guides available for any beginning weightlifter.

One of the top Masters-age weightlifters in the World (a 2015 Masters World Champion) taught herself how to lift by reading this book - and won the Master's World championship a mere two years later!

A great book, and highly recommended.

Price: $34.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

10.  The Development of Muscular Bulk and Power

By Anthony Ditillo.  Paperback. 140 pages. Modern reprint edition published by William F. Hinbern. Very good condition.

This is one of the classic books about strength and bulk training, by one of the most popular authors to ever write for Peary Rader's old Iron Man magazine.  Contains numerous training programs. Focuses on hard, heavy training on the basic exercises, with an old-school powerlifting focus. Includes plenty of great information on power rack training.

Perfect for those who compete in RAW powerlifting - perfect for cellar dwellers and garage gorillas - perfect for anyone who trains hard, heavy, and serious. 

Note: If you're a Ditillo fan, grab this book along with item no. 13, below. 

Price: $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

11. Remembering Muscle Beach: Where Hard Bodies Began

By Harold Zinkin, with Bonnie Hearn. Hard cover. 128 pages. Many stunning photos of the athletes and bodybuilders who made Muscle Beach the famous piece of real estate in the world.

This is a beautiful and inspiring book, with classic photos and best of all, it's written by one of the pioneers who created Muscle Beach. In other words, it's the inside story. And if you want to see what men and women looked like with 100-percent natural, drug-free training, this will be an eye-opener.

Excellent condition. A real treasure.

Price: $39.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: AVAILABLE 

12. The Strongest Man in the World: Vasily Alexeyev

By Dmitry Ivanov. Translated by Anatol Kagan and Ariadne Esterhazy. With a foreword by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Published in 1979. Hard copy. 279 pages, with many photos. Good condition aside from a little aging on the cover and some yellowing (small brown spots) on the outer portion of the pages. No dust jacket. Very readable.

An inspiring biography of one of the most famous weightlifters of all time: the mighty Vasily Alexeyev.  World and Olympic champion, World and Olympic record holder, and the first man in history to clean and jerk 500 pounds.

This is another hard to find item - and another item where the photos alone are worth the price of the book. 


Price: $50.00 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: SOLD

13. The Development of Physical Strength

By Anthony Ditillo.  Paperback. 140 pages. Modern reprint edition published by William F. Hinbern. Very good condition.

This is the second book that collects Anthony Ditillo's old Iron Man articles (many of which also have appeared in Milo). Many of the training programs and workouts in this book were inspired by Ditillo's friend and training partner, a former Bulgarian weightlifter named Dezso Ban.

A very interesting guide to strength and power training as practiced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Price: $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

STATUS: SOLD

14. Hepburn's Law

By John A. Myles, in consultation with Doug Hepburn. Spiral bound. 54 pages. Many drawings. Cover photo of Doug Hepburn.

This is an original copy of a very popular course based on the training philosophy of World Weightlifting Champion and World record holder, Doug Hepburn - one of the strongest and most massively muscular men of all time.

The original course is hard to find now, so it's a true collector's item.

Price: $50.00 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: SOLD

15. Defying Gravity: How to Win at Weightlifting

By Bill Starr, author of The Strongest Shall Survive. First edition, 1981. Paperback. 120 pages. Many great photos. With an introduction by Dr. Ken E. Leistner. Good condition.

This is a classic book about training and competing in weightlifting and powerlifting. It is very rare and hard to find. The photos alone are well worth the price of the book.

This book is currently selling for prices ranging between $142.75 and $270.22 for a used copy in comparable condition, so you can see that it's a real collector's item. I want it to find a good home with one of my Dinosaurs, so I've priced it for much less than the other used copies on the market. 

Price: $100.00 plus shipping and handling

STATUS: SOLD

Also Available -- Strength and Health Magazine

Note: We also have some complete 12-issue sets of Strength and health magazine from the 1930s and 1940s. Go here to see the years and the prices:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/03/rare-strength-and-health-magazines-for.html

That's it for now. If you have any questions, shoot me an email!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik
info@brookskubik.com



***********************************************************************************






The Best Measure of Strength -- More Reader Responses!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are more responses from your fellow
Dinos about the best measure of strength
and power:

1. A Clean and Press Vote.

"I say the clean and press. It has both a
strength component, taking a weight from
the ground to overhead, working the entire
body, and it has a cardio and endurance
component.

Thus, it measures most attributes of an
athlete, specifically strength and strength
endurance." 

John G.

 2. A Vote for the Clean and Push Press.

"Personally, I lean toward the clean and
push press. It allows a heavier weight
than the strict press, and uses more
muscles in the pressing part of the
movement. And the heavier weight
makes the clean much harder.

The Olympic lifts are so technique
dependent that they demonstrate
more than pure strength.

The three lift powerlifting total is a
close second in my opinion, despite
the lack of an overhead lift.

But, as you say, there is no "right"
answer.

Had you asked which single lift was the
best measure of athleticism, the quick
and simple answer would be either
Olympic lift!"

Bill T.

3. A Five In One Answer!

 "The best measure of strength and power
is obviously the five lift total of the three
power lifts and the two Olympic lifts.

Power (the measure of strength times
speed) is best measured by the Olympic
lifts. Speed is critical in the snatch and
the clean and jerk.

The best measure of strength is the power
lift total. Using the total as a measurement
helps balance out the mechanical advantages
a lifter may have in any one lift.

Isn't it funny that powerlifting measures
strength and Olympic lifting measures
power?"

Jim D.

4. How About Manhood Stones?

"Clean and press along with dead lift seem like
the obvious answer. But I think strongman gets
it right when all is said and done. Yokes and
farmer's walks, dragging, pushing and carrying.

The learning curve is very nominal. It's how we
all get around. Who can move around with the
greatest burden?

We also can look a little further in our collective
past and notice how many cultures utilized heavy
stones to test their male population. They weren't
called manhood stones for nothing!"

Ray J.

Those are all good answers. We'll cover more
later in the week!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover a wide range of strength and power
building methods in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power. Go here to grab
them:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development


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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses, DVDs, links to
my PDF products, links to my Kindle e-books, and
the monthly Dinosaur Files newsletter, are right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Life is movement,
and stronger movement makes a better life."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Files

We've re-launched the monthly Dinosaur
Files as of December 2015. The Dec, Jan
and Feb issues are available exclusively
in PDF format. That means you get
instant delivery, and you can print
them if you prefer to read a printed
newsletter.

Go here to grab them:

February 2016 Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_february2016.html


January 2016 Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_januaryr2016.html

December 2015 Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_december2015.html

2. Physical Culture Radio

We'll be live at 1:00 EST tomorrow for
a special edition of Physical Culture
Radio. Catch it live at the SuperHuman
Radio network or listen to the download
at your convenience:

http://superhumanradio.com/

Physical Culture Radio normally airs
on Thursdays, but we're going to move
it to Wed this week because my co-host,
Carl Lanore, has another commitment on
Thursday.

3. Old Dogs and New Tricks

After almost 50 years in the Iron Game,
it's always fun to learn something new.

On Saturday night, I found a YouTube
video showing a Masters' weightlifting
contest from 1992. (Masters meaning
a contest for older lifters -- age 35 and
up -- competing in categories by both
bodyweight and age.)

I was watching it, and I saw Mike Huska,
one of the best lifters of all time in both
the senior level and the masters level.

Mike Huska was born in Hungary, and lifted
on the Hungarian team back in the 1960's.
Later he moved to the USA. I'm Hungarian
on my mother's side, so I've always wanted
to see him lift.

And in this video from 1992, he was my
current age and just about my current
weight. So that made it even more
interesting.

But it turned out to be BETTER than
Interesting." It was a real eye-opener.

Huska did some terrific lifting, using a
super-fast, letter perfect style in the
split style snatch.

The best I've ever seen at the Masters
level. It was just superb.

I rewound, and watched him a dozen
more times -- at both regular speed
and in slow motion -- and I noticed
something about his foot movement.

It was something different from most
lifters -- and different from the way Bob
Hoffman and other writers have taught
the lift here in the USA and in the UK.

Why was he doing that?

So I tore through some of my old
resources on the split style snatch --
and buried in one of them, I found a
single sentence that hinted at the
answer.

On Sunday, I did a workout and tried
my best to use the same foot movement
that Huska used -- and it made a HUGE
difference in my lifting.

In short -- I learned something new and
different -- and very effective.

And it only took 50 years to get there.

That's one of the fun things about the
Iron Game -- and one of the reasons
why it's such a wonderful life-long
activity.

You never stop learning -- and you
never stop growing.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training has
plenty of new and different exercises
and tons of great workouts. If you
want something that's new, different
and effective, give it a try:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses --
and my Dinosaur Training DVDs -- are
right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stay strong,
train hard, and always keep learning."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

All Out Exercises for Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Before we talk about sets and reps, I want
to thank everyone for all of the kind words
and emails about Marcel. Trudi and I
appreciate it enormously.

Carl Lanore let me dedicate yesterday's
episode of Physical Culture Radio to Marcel.

It turned out to be a great memorial for a
truly wonderful and amazing cat. If you
missed it, you can listen to it here:

http://superhumanradio.com/shr-1787-physical-culture-radio-living-life-like-marcel-almonds-10-grams-a-day-helps-keep-the-doctor-away.html

On the training front, let's talk a bit more
about Bradley J. Steiner's "Essential Exercises."
I covered this in an email on Monday.

If you missed it, go to the Dinosaur Training
Blog and read it there. By the way, I post all
of my emails on the Blog, so if you ever miss
an email, you can always find it at the Blog.
You can access the Blog from the drop down
bar at my website.

Anyhow, one of Steiner's essential exercises for
the back was the power clean.

I agree that the power clean belongs on the list,
but I'd go a bit further and add a number of
other weightlifting movements to the program.

Some people call these "All Out" exercises. That's
an excellent term for them.

And I'll tell you something else. I very much wish
that someone had taught me to focus on these
exercises when I was a kid. It would have been
the best thing ever for my wrestling. I was a
very good wrestler in high school -- I won a
state championship in Greco-Roman wrestling --
but I would have been twice as good if I had
trained with All Out exercises.

So here are some exercises that I consider to
be "Essential Exercises" for athletes -- and for
anyone who wants to increase their strength
and power enormously:

1. Power cleans

2. Clean grip high pulls

3. Power Snatches

4. Snatch grip high pulls

5. The power clean and press

6. The power clean and push press

7. The power clean and jerk

8. Push presses

9. Jerks

10. Snatch grip deadlifts

11. Clean grip deadlifts

12. Snatch grip or clean grip deadlifts
with a shrug at the top of the movement

All of the exercises listed above provide a triple
benefit. They simultaneously:

1. Build your strength and explosive power.

2. Improve your speed, balance, coordination,
timing and athleticism.

3. Train the heck out of your legs, back, hips
and shoulder girdle (which are the true keys
to Herculean super strength).

4. Build strong, thick bones.

5. Strengthen your nervous system, and help
maintain a strong mind-muscle link and
athletic movement patterns -- which makes
them very important for healthy aging.

For details on how to work these movements
into your training programs, see:

1. Chalk and Sweat (50 workouts from beginners
to advanced men, with many workouts featuring
weightlifting exercises):

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power (29 chapters covering
a huge variety of topics, including how to add Olympic
lifting to your programs):

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

3. Black Iron: The John Davis Story (reveals World
and Olympic champion John Davis' actual training
programs):

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

4. The Doug Hepburn Training Course (how the 1953
World Weightlifting champion trained):

http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
5. Gray Hair and Black Iron (how older lifters can
train safely and effectively with Olympic lifting
movements):

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

6. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 (covers many
different training approaches for cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas, including ssome excellent weightlifting
workouts):

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

If you need help on how to perform the movements,
see my Going Strong at 54 DVD:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.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

P.S. Again, thanks for the kind words about Marcel.
Trudi and I miss him terribly, but we are hanging in
there. Our other cat, Louie, misses Marcel, too. He
sits on the back porch, waiting for his friend to
come home. So we're being extra good to Louie.
It's a tough time for him. He and Marcel have been
together ever since Marcel joined us 10 years ago.

P.S. 2. You'd be surprised how many Dinosaurs are
big animal lovers. It seems to be a part of our Dino
DNA.

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Black Iron: The John Davis Story


Hail to the Dinosaurs!

John Davis was a six-time World Weightlifting Champion and won the gold medal in weightlifting at two Olympic Games.

In his day, he was the Strongest Man in the World.

This book tells his story -- and includes his actual training program, as recorded on a small note-card by one of his friends and training partners way back in 1940.  I know, because I interviewed his training partner as part of the research for this book.

It's a fascinating story, and you can find it right here:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik





How John Grimek Trained

 
During the time he won the Mr. America contest and for 7 or 8 years prior to winning the Mr. America contest, John Grimek did no bodybuilding whatsoever. He followed an Olympic weightlifting program and trained for weightlifting competition.

Yes, that's right. The greatest bodybuilder of his generation followed a weightlifting workout -- NOT a bodybuilding program!


For more about John Grimek's life and training grab this detailed course:


Hard copy

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


Kindle e-book


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


Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik





The Christmas Tree Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Eighteen or nineteen years ago, I did
something new and unusual.

I hired a video company to come over
to my original Dinosaur Dungeon --
the basement gym in my old house --
and film a series of 2 hour "how to do
it" training videos.

This was before cell-phones, before You-
Tube, and before DVD's so it was high-
tech stuff for its time -- even though
the technology is pretty ancient by
now.

We covered old-school dumbbell training,
heavy awkward objects, power rack
training, Olympic lifting basics, and
strength training basics.

I later remastered the videos to DVD,
and we've been selling them at the
Dinosaur Training site for years --
and they've always been very
popular.

The power rack DVD included a special
program that took my push press from
275 pounds to 300 pounds in just
two weeks -- which is pretty good.

I even made a new PR at the end of
the video. And it was such a fun looking
lift that we also included it at the end of
the video on Olympic lifting basics.

It was 302 pounds -- and I made it with
a Christmas Tree Barbell.

No, it wasn't a real Christmas Tree --
but that's the best name for it.

The ceiling in the basement was a little
too low to do overhead lifts with an
Olympic barbell loaded with 45 pound
plates, so I had to use 25's, 10's, and
5's. These were iron plates, not bumper
plates, so the lighter plates were smaller
in diameter. I could use them without
hitting the ceiling.

But I didn't have enough smaller plates
to get me up to 300 pounds.

I ended up adding some one pound
and 1/2 pound plates (the kind used for
micro-loading), and some short lengths
of chain rolled into a loop and then
wrapped with duct tape to keep them
from unrolling.

If memory serves correctly, I had to
tape the small plates and the chains to
the bar to keep them from sliding off.
So the barbell looked like a Christmas
Tree covered with odd-shaped and
mismatched ornaments.

A 302 pound Christmas tree.

It made for a heck of a lift -- and you can
see it right here at The Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

In fact, you can see all five of my old
Dinosaur Training videos at The Iron
League. That's roughly 10 hours of
"how to do it" instruction -- and some
very heavy lifting.

The Iron League is John Wood's new
members only site, and serves as
an on-line archive of terrific strength
training stuff -- and boxing, wrestling
and martial arts stuff -- including many
books, courses and magazines that
are virtually impossible to find any-
where else.

I have a pretty complete library of old
strength training books, magazines and
courses -- but John has things I never
saw before -- and some things I never
even knew existed.

He also has original material from Kim
Wood, Dennis Rogers and others -- and
a special bench press course that I
write for him. It's an Iron League
exclusive.

One of my friends and fellow Iron
Slingers called The Iron League the
"Library of Congress of Strength."
That's a pretty good name for it.

Anyhow, take a look at the video
clip and see what you think about
the Christmas Tree Barbell!

http://www.ironleague.com/

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Thought for the Day: "The more you
know, the more you can do." -- Brooks
Kubik

***********************************************************************************

What Is the Best Kind of Strength Training?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

What is the best kind of strength training?

Is it powerlifting?

Strongman training?

Dumbbell training?

Kettlebell training?

Power bodybuilding?

Power rack training?

Olympic weightlifting?

Bodyweight training?

High Intensity Training?

The old-school barbell and dumbbell workouts
in the York Courses?

Muscle control?

Cables?

Or something else?

Should you follow Doug Hepburn's program, or
Paul Anderson's program, or Reg Park's program,
or Tommy Kono's program or Arthur Saxon's
program or Herman Goerner's program or
George Hackenschmidt's program?

Should you train like the Chinese or the Germans
or the Bulgarians or the Cubans or the Greeks or
the Russians or the Polish or the Hungarians
or the York lifters from the 1940's?

Should you do 20 rep breathing squats or 5 x 5
or triples, doubles or singles?

If you do 5 x 5, how many work sets should you
do?

I could go on for a very long time -- because there
are literally thousands of different ways to train,
different exercises and different set/rep systems.

So which one is THE BEST?

Here's the answer.

The BEST way to train is the way that you enjoy
the most -- because you'll train harder and more
effectively if you do something you enjoy doing.

That's particularly true if you're an older trainee
who's been doing this for a long time. After 30,
40 or 50 years of training, you deserve to do
things you enjoy doing.

In simple terms, that means this:

If you prefer powerlifting style workouts, then do
powerlifting style workouts.

If you prefer strongman training, then do strong-
man training.

If you prefer Olympic lifting, then do Olympic
lifting.

If you prefer to use dumbbells or kettlebells or
bodyweight exercises, then that's what you
should use.

If you love power rack training, then do
that.

If you prefer to mix things up (as many do),
then that's what you should do.

And if you like to train one way for awhile and
then switch to another style of training, that's
fine, too.

As long as you train regularly and progressively,
you'll do fine.

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. My new Dinosaur Training Secrets series is
perfect for trainees of all ages and all levels of
experience, from beginner to advanced. Each
book in the series is available in hard copy or
Kindle e-book. If you prefer hard copy and live
overseas, email me for shipping charges for
two or more books or courses:

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


Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

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


Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"


Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The best day to
train is today." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************