A Shocking Discovery

 

I just found six copies of BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY hidden in a box of other books down in the basement. These are all we have left - so if you want to order a copy, shoot me an email asap. One per customer, and strictly first come, first served.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last Spring we cracked open our last box
of Black Iron: The John Davis Story -
my massive, almost 500 page biography
of John Davis, the legendary TWO TIME
Olympic gold medal winner and SIX-
TIME World champion in weightlifting.

It covers his entire life - his complete
lifting career - and how he trained.

It even includes something that has not
been published anywhere else - John
Davis' actual training program from
1940.

He wrote it on a small note-card and gave
it to his training partner, Hymie Cohen.

I went to Florida and interviewed Hymie
when I was researching the book - and
when I asked him about John Davis'
training, he pulled the card out of a
folder marked "John Davis" and handed
it to me - and I copied the program -
and now it's right there, in the book.

Anyhow . . .

I thought we were completely out of all
copies of the book - but earlier today I
was getting some copies of Legacy of
Iron books out of a box in the basement,
and guess what I found hidden away in
the very bottom of the box?

That's right - some copies of Black Iron:
The John Davis Story.

Six copies, to be exact.

And I do believe that this is it.


So if you missed it before, here's a final
and last chance.

The book is $35.00 plus shipping
and handling.

If you want one, shoot me an email.

Since there are only six of them left,
it's first come, first served - so if you
want a copy, act now.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Look What I Found in the Warehouse!

John Davis - 6 time World Champion and two-time Olympic gold medal winner.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought we had sold all of our
copies of Black Iron: The John
Davis Story - but I was wrong.

The other day, we were at the
warehouse, getting some other
books, and I found a box with
12 more copies.

It was over in the corner, mixed
up with some boxes of Gray
Hair and Black Iron.

I guess I need to stop using
"black iron" in book titles - it's
too confusing.

Anyhow, this will be the LAST 12
copies I have - because we're not
going to do another printing - so
if you want a copy, grab it now.

The cost is $34.95 plus shipping
and handling.

We took down the order page for
the book, but if you're interested
shoot me an email and let me
know where we'll be shipping the
little monster, and your preferred
method of payment. We'll work up
a total and get back to you.

For those of you who don't know
John Davis, let me note that he
was one of the greatest Olympic
lifters of all time - a six-time
World and two-time Olympic
Champion - and in his era, the
strongest man in the world.

The book covers his life and
lifting in detail - with more than
450 pages, and many original
photographs that you won't see
anywhere else.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S Here's one of the photos of
John Davis that you'll see in the
book - it was from the private
collection of his former training
partner, and had not previously
been published:

They're Gone!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As of about 15 minutes ago, we're
all out of Black Iron: The John Davis
Story.

If you want one, I think Bill Hinbern
and John Wood may have some - but
I don't.

Check with Bill at:

http://superstrengthtraining.com/contact

And check with John at:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/contact/

If they DO have any left, they don't
have many - so act fast and if one of
them has a copy, grab it.

A very big thank you to everyone
who ordered a copy of the book while
we had it available for you. It was a
good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Two Left!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We are down to TWO copies of
BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS
STORY.

If you want one of them, grab it
now. They won't be around for
very long.

Here's the link:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

13 Left!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A quick note - we have 13 copies
left of my big book on the life and
lifting of the legendary John Davis,
6 time World Weightlifting  champion,
two-time Olympic champion and
multi-world record holder.

I'm not going to do a reprinting,
so if you want the book, grab it
now.

Here's the link:

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

Sorry if this sounds like a hard
sell - it's not - it's just a head's
up for anyone who wants the
book.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

One Box Left!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We have just one box left of Black
Iron: The John Davis Story,
which details the life and training
of one of the greatest weightlifters
of all time.

It even includes his training program
from 1940 - given to me by his
training partner at the time. (And
that's something you won't see
anywhere else.)

We may do a second printing
sometime in the future, but
not for a while - so when this
box is gone, that's it.

That means that if you want a
copy, the time to act is now:

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

Yours in strength,

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

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

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

Strength and Muscle in 100 Words or Less, Part 2

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

So here's a question.

Guy named Steve Stanko could clean and
press 310 pounds back in 1940.

He weighed 225 pounds -- and it was solid
muscle.

He gained something like 70 or 80 pounds
of muscle in his first two years of training.

All he had were barbells and dumbbells.

No drugs.

No roidskies.

Not even any supplements.

Just iron.

So tell me -- exactly why do you think that
modern training methods are so much better?

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's someone else who did pretty darn
good training old-school style:

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

P.S. 2. And here's someone else who did pretty
darn good with old school training:

Hard-copy course:

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

Kindle e-book:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If old-school works, then
why bother with anything else?" -- Brooks Kubik

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

An Old School Pressing Program!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's an interesting training
question from an old English
magazine called VIGOUR. This is
from the June, 1947 issue.

John Barrs, one of the editors
of the magazine, gave the answer.

I'll offer my own comments after
the question and the answer from
Barrs.

THE QUESTION -- NEW PRESSING
SCHEDULE

Dear Mr. Barrs,

I have made good progress with
my lifting since my last letter
to you . . .  but now my press
has got stuck.

I can't get past 160, yet my
snatch has moved up to 165 and
my clean and jerk to 210 or 215.

I have been using the 5/4/3/2/1
system. 135 x 5, 140 x 4, 145
x 3, 150 x 2, 160 x 1. I do this
at the beginning of my schedule
and again at the end with all
weights 5 pounds less. I work
out three times per week.

JOHN BARRS' ANSWER

A change of programme and more
frequent pressing is indicated
in this case. Good results should
be obtained by employing the fixed
poundage method -- 8 or 10 sets of
3 presses at a time with about 75
percent of your maximum weight.

125 pounds will be quite enough to
start with, but this weight should
be increased about 2 1/2 pounds
every fortnight.

Leverage exercises with dumbbells
are not especially helpful towards
press improvement. The answer is
to press, press and keep on pressing.
Limit try-outs should be made not
more often than once a week

MY COMMENTS

I think John Barrs nailed it! If you've
read Dinosaur Training, you know that I
discuss the following progression:

1. Train on 5 x 5 for awhile.

2. After a couple of months, change
to 5/4/3/2/1.

3. After a couple of months try something
like 5 x 3 or 5 x 2.

Note that the above are work sets, so the
idea is to do some progressively heavier
warm-up sets before the work sets. Thus,
5 x 2 might really be 2 x 5 progressively
heavier warm-up sets, 1 x 3 ditto, and then
5 x 2 work sets with the same weight.

You need to follow sensible set/rep schemes
at all times, but you also need to change
them up from time to time.

Barrs' suggestion of 8 - 10 triples with
75% is a tough schedule. You might want to
try 5 x 2 with 75% and add one set per week
(or once set every two weeks) until you get
up to 10 x 2.

Three times per week pressing will be too
much for many trainees (especially older
trainees). Once per week will work better
for many of you.

But over-all, John Barrs gave a great answer
and some great training advice. Follow it,
and you'll make good gains in the press!

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. The legendary John Davis was a six-time
World Champion and two-time Olymnpic Gold
medal winner. He followed a unique training
program that's very similar to the John Barrs
pressing program. Check it out in Black Iron:
The John Davis story:

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

P.S. 2. For more tips on how to build world
class pressing power, grab this:

Hard-copy:

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

Kindle e-book:


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


P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "If you're going to
train, you might as well do it right." -- Brooks
Kubik

Didjya Know? -- Iron Game Trivia!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll get to the Iron in a minute, but let
me begin by saying three things about the
terrible events in Boston yesterday:

1. I know there were members of the Dino
Nation there -- and we all hope you're okay.

2. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone
affected by this senseless attack.

3. To all the first responders, and to everyone
who helped the wounded -- thank you for what you
did -- and thank you for everything you do. 

And I know that everyone reading this
email shares the same thoughts.

On the Iron front, here's something a little
different for you.

My buddy Bill Hinbern sometimes does articles
and email messages titled “Didjya Know” – and
they’re always fun. So, with a tip of the hat
to Bill Hinbern, and a suggestion that you head
over to his website and check out what he has
to offer, let’s try a little “Didjya Know?”

(Note: I'm having trouble getting a live link here,
Bill Hinbern is at www.superstrengthtraining.com --
head on over and take  a look at his great books
and courses.)

Didjya know:

1. That John Davis military pressed 170 pounds
the first time he ever touched a barbell?

2. That Reg Park hated to train in a gym with
mirrors on the wall, and would actually cover
the mirrors with towels or sheets when he trained?

3. That weight training actually makes you SMARTER?
(Several teams of scientists just published some
research studies on this one. Of course, those of
us who are smart enough to lift weights already
KNEW it – right?)

4. That the Russian strongman, Alexander Zass, who
toured Europe as “The Amazing Sampson,” was a spy
for the British government? His strongman act
provided the perfect cover for a secret agent.

5. That Chinese villagers trained with homemade
barbells fashioned of stone disks. Photos appear
in George Jowett’s classic book, The Key to Might
and Muscle.

6. That Herman Goerner picked up four kettlebells,
two in each hand, for a total weight of 441
pounds – and then sprinted around the training
hall in Leipzig -- a distance of 78 feet? Performed
on August 5, 1934.

7. That the famous old-time bare-knuckle boxer,
John L. Sullivan, was a close friend of the
French-Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr?

8. That Bob Hoffman wrote “How to be Strong,
Healthy and Happy” in exactly ten days? (Or
did he – it’s 494 pages, and that’s awfully
fast typing!)

9. That Iron Game author Harry Paschall set
an American record in the snatch -- bowled a
perfect 300 -- and made a hole in one playing
golf! (But not all in the same day.)  

10. That the great Jack LaLanne, champion of
endurance feats, was a sickly youth with severe
asthma? Physical training and a proper diet made
him a superman!

That’s all for now – let me know if you enjoyed
these, and if so, we’ll do more of them from
time to time!

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 another Didjya Know -- Didjya know
that BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY covers
the life and lifting of the six-time World
Champion and two-time Olympic gold medal
winner in detail? It's over 450 pages, with
photos -- including some photos that have
never been published before -- and it's a
great tribute to a great lifter:

http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.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: "Knowledge is power --
but only if you add some good, old-fashioned hard
work to the equation." -- Brooks Kubik

Pearl Harbor Day Memories

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Today is Pearl Harbor Day.

If you were alive on Pearl Harbor
Day, you can probably remember where
you were when you heard about the
attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl
Harbor.

My dad was a kid, but he still remembers.
He heard the original news broadcast on
the radio.

I happen to know where John Davis was
when he heard the news.

He was at a weightlifting meet in
Philadelphia.

It was a local meet. Just a couple of
lifting clubs going up against one
another.

One of the heavyweights had hit a big
clean and jerk.

It was 300 pounds or more.

And as he stood there, with the bar
locked out at arms' length overhead,
the radio crackled, and the news came
in.

The big heavyweight stood there, holding
the bar, listening in disbelief.

His eyes went wide, he muttered a single
four letter word that sounds like shoot
and uses the same letters as the word
"hits" -- and then he dropped the bar.

It hit the platform, bounced up and down,
and rolled onto the gym floor.

And for many guys, that was the end of
their lifting for the next couple of
years.

America was at war -- and America's
young men traded iron for lead.

The guys went to enlist the following
Monday.

John Davis was too young to enlist --
but he went anyway. Stood in line with
his friends. And not long after, he, too,
enlisted -- and went overseas, serving in
the Pacific Theater.

You can read more about John Davis and
the other lifters of his era in this
book:

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

You also can read more about the Iron
Game and the great champions of the 1930's
and 1940's in my Legacy of Iron books.

Start with Legacy of Iron and read them in
sequence. The story builds from book to book.

Legacy of Iron is here:

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

And book number 4 in the series opens on a
sunny beach in Hawaii -- on December 7, 1941:

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

By the way, you can order all five of the Legacy
of Iron books and save some clams. See the bottom
of the order page for vol. 5 in the series:

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

And yes, there will be more Legacy of Iron
books to come. I'm actually working on book
no. 6 in the series. I know that many of you
are looking forward to it. And so am I!

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 other books and courses are available
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Study the lives
of the champions and learn to think and act
like a champion." -- Brooks Kubik

The Little Gym that Beat the World

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two men huddled in front of an old
fashioned, wood-burning, cast-iron
stove.

The men wore double sweat suits, dark
gray fisherman's knit hats, and thick
gloves.

One of them pulled his gloves off and
held his hands close to the top of the
stove.

"If my fingers were any colder, they'd
be icicles," he muttered.

The other man nodded in silent agreement.

The first man reached down and picked up
a York Olympic barbell that lay close to
the stove.

"It's ready," he said.

The other man laughed softly.

"Meaning it's not frozen," he said.

"Meaning it's not frozen," said the first
man.

He carried the barbell to the lifting
platform, and performed five quick reps
in the clean and press.

"Your turn," he said.

The second man stepped onto the platform
and began to do his warm-ups.

That was the South Phillie Weightlifting
Club in 1940. A neighborhood gym on the
second floor of a garage. The only source
of heat was the old wood-burning stove,
and the lifters kept one barbell close
to the stove so they could do their
warm-up sets with a barbell that didn't
feel as cold as ice. After that, they
used one of the other barbells -- one
of the cold ones. But after you did your
warm-ups, you could stand the cold.

That was in winter. In the summer, the
gym was so hot it felt like you were
training inside a blast furnace.

The gym was spartan at best. There were
a few wooden lifting platforms, some
homemade wooden benches and squat racks,
a pull-up bar, and some barbells and
dumbbells. That was it.

The men trained on basic exercises. Most
of them practiced Olympic weightlifting.
Many of them did plenty of squats and
bench presses, as well. They did lots of
dumbbell pressing, and plenty of high
pulls.

At the 1948 Olympic Games, six gold medals
were awarded in weightlifting.
 
Two of them went to men from the South
Phillie Weightlifting Club. John Davis
and Frank Spellman.

The little neighborhood gym had out-lifted
the world.

And that tells you something very important
about what it takes to be a champion --
and about the kind of gyms that build a
champion.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can read more about John Davis and
how he trained in BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS
STORY. It covers his life and lifting in a
big (almost 500 page) epic, with special
insights from his friends, team mates, and
training partners -- and many never before
published photos. It's a great tribute to a
great champion -- and a tribute to the
greatness in all of us:

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

P.S. 2. My new book, DINOSAUR DUMBBELL
TRAINING, is in stock and ready to ship.
You can grab your copy right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right
here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Luxury is for
cruises, not lifting." -- Brooks Kubik

Lifting Memories from the 1948 Olympic Games in London!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

With the London Olympics right around
the corner, let's review an earlier
Olympic Games in London: the 1948
Olympic Games.

The United States won the team title
in weightlifting. Yes, that's right.
The USA had the very best weightlifting
team in the entire world.

Joe DiPietro started things off by
winning the gold medal in the 123
pound class. Richard Tom grabbed the
bronze medal.

Frank Spellman took the gold at 165
pounds, and Pete George took the
silver. (The back story here was
that they almost missed the weigh-in!
They were roommates at the Olympic
Village, and stayed behind while the
rest of the team went to the lifting
venue. Spellman was sleeping and George
was writing as letter to his family.
Somehow, they lost track of time, and
had to pay a cab driver to break all
speeding laws to get them to the venue
on time. They ended up jumping out of
the cab, throwing a handful of money
at the driver, and sprinting to the
weigh-in room, peeling their clothes
off as they ran up to the scale. They
made it with only a minute or two to
spare.)

Stan Stanczyk walked away with the gold
medal at 181 pounds, and Harold Sakata
too the silver. (Sakata went on to become
a famous professional wrestler, and then
won even greater fame by playing "Odd Job"
in one of the early James Bond films).

John Davis seized the gold medal in the
Heavyweight class, and Norb Schemansky
took the silver.

You can read all about it in my biography
of John Davis -- which weighs in at more
than 450 pages, and has 16 pages of
photos, including some never before
published photos:

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

They also had a Mr. Universe contest. It
wasn't an Olympic event, but it was held
in conjunction with the Games. John Grimek
won it -- and Steve Reeves took second place.
I cover the contest in detail in my new
John Grimek training course:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

I don't know what the 2012 Olympic Games will
hold -- but I bet we're going to see some more
great lifting! I don't know about you, but I'm
looking forward to it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Greg Everett has just released a very good
book called "Olympic Weightlifting for Sports."
It's short, concise, and to the point, and does
a great job of simplifying the lifts. I give
it four stars -- and you can grab a copy right
here (note: it's on Amazon, but it's always better
to order directly from the author -- it helps
keep them in business!):

http://www.catalystathletics.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=581

P.S. 2. For more about the history of the iron
Game in the USA, grab my Legacy of Iron books:

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

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "A true champion
teaches us the meaning of greatness -- and how
to achieve it in our own lives." -- Brooks Kubik

Remembering a Great Champion!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

With the London Olympics right around
the corner, I'm thinking about the
strongest man in the World in 1948.

He was an American weightlifter from
Brooklyn -- and he weighed only about
225 or 230 pounds. A big man, but not
a giant. But he could lift more than
any man in the entire world.

His name was John Davis. He won his
first World Championship in 1938 --
at the age of 17 -- after only two years
of barbell training!

He went on to win six World Championships,
the Pan-American Championship, and two
Olympic Gold medals.

He was undefeated in international
competition from 1938 through 1953.

And at one time, he held the American,
World, Olympic and Pan-American records
in the press, snatch, clean and jerk
and total!

He's always been one of my favorite
lifters -- and not merely because he
was so good.

I admire the fact that John Davis did it
almost entirely on his own. He was almost
entirely self-taught and self-coached. He
often trained alone. He devised his own
workouts. Wrote his own training programs.

He had the courage to follow his own path.
And it's a good thing he did -- because the
path led him to greatness.

I've written a very long, very detailed
biography of John Davis. It's nearly 500
pages, and it features 16 pages of great
photos -- many of which have never been
published before. And it includes John
Davis' actual training program from 1940
and 1941. I got it from his training
partner, a man in his mid-90's (who still
trains!).

The 2012 Olympics are almost here, and we'll
see a new lifter crowned The Strongest Man
in the World. But we'll never see another
John Davis.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab BLACK IRON -- THE JOHN DAVIS
STORY right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. John Davis also appears in my LEGACY OF
IRON series:

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

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right
here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "A champion lives
forever." -- Brooks Kubik

A Gold-Medal Training Secret!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the problems about strength
training programs is that it's EASY
to write a program.

What's hard is training on it --
and recovering from it.

And that's where many trainees
go wrong.

They sit down and they start writing
up a program.

They start with squats, because
everyone knows that squats are good for
you.

Then they add front squats because
someone said that those were good, too.

Overhead squats because they look
impressive, and they build lots of
strength, and they want to start doing
some Olympic lifting someday.

And there's a  blog post someone wrote
about one-legged squats -- so they add
those in, as well.

Next, they include some Romanian deadlifts
for the hamstrings -- and some good mornings,
because a guy in a forum recommended them.

Plus some one legged deadlifts because you
gotta do the unilateral stuff.

And some car pushing, because they do stuff
like that in strongman comps.

Plus, some hill sprints because you want
to be fast.

Quarter squats for tendon and ligament
strength.

Depth jumps for speed strength and explosive
power.

Jumping up onto a platform to build even
more explosive power.

Breathing squats because it would be pretty
cool to gain 30 pounds of muscle in six
weeks.

Kettlebell squats because kettlebells are
fun, and you need to keep your volume up.

Some bodyweight squats for high reps on
the off days -- for active recovery.

Plus some jogging on off days because
McCallum's Uncle Harry went jogging and
Bipsy and the other girls cheered for him
when he ran his laps on the track.

Plus a whole bunch of different kinds of
calf raises, and some iron boot exercises,
and some box squats, and some zerchers
and this funky thing some guy at the
gym was doing that he said helped him
put 50 pounds on his squat in three days,
and extra work for the hamstrings, and
walking up high hills with a knapsack
or a weight vest, and walking around
with a heavy barbell on your shoulders,
and some other stuff just to be sure you
don't miss anything.

And that's just the leg work. 

By the time they're finished writing up
their program, it runs several pages and
it's as complicated as heck, and it
takes about half an hour to read the
whole thing.

Then they go out and try the program,
and it's like running right into a
brick wall. Instant headache. And
they don't get anywhere.

That's because you can always write up
a program that is simply too long, too
intense, and too demanding to use.

And that's exactly what most people do.

The BEST programs are different.

They're short, sweet and simple.

I once interviewed the training partner
of World and Olympic Champion John Davis.
He showed me John Davis' actual training
program for 1940 and 1941.

It was an eight week program.

It fit on a 3 x 5 note-card.

That's right -- the strongest man of his
era -- and the greatest weightlifter of his
era -- used a program so short, simple and
basic that you could write down an 8 week
program on a 3 x 5 note-card.

And frankly, that was one of the secrets
of his success. He knew that the best
programs are short, simple and basic -
because they allow you to focus all
your effort on the exercises that really
count.

And that, my friend is a gold-medal training
secret -- from a two-time Olympic Champion
and six-time World Champion.

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 included John Davis' actual training
program (which was previously unpublished)
in BLACK IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. You can
grab a copy right here:

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

P.S. 2. The best training programs are short,
simple, and basic. I like abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts. Learn all about them in
Dinosaur Training, Gray Hair and Black Iron,
Chalk and Sweat, and Strength, Muscle and
Power -- or in my various training courses:

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

P.S. 3. You also can use abbreviated workouts
with bodyweight exercises. See Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for details:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Any fool can write
a training program that would cripple anyone who
tried it. And far too many trainees would
give it a try -- and that's a shame."
-- Brooks Kubik

Strength Training Research -- Is It Helpful?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I was flipping through an issue of
Strength and Health from back in the
1960's, and I spotted an article that
summarized the then-current research
on building strength and muscle.

It was written by Dr. Richard A. Berger
of Texas Technological College, so if you
disagree with any of his conclusions,
complain to him, not to me!

Anyhow, Dr. Berger made the following
conclusions based on the state of the
research in 1965:

1. Two sub-maximal workouts per week
and one maximal training session per
week work just as well as three maximal
sessions per week.

(Note: In other words, the old Light,
Medium and Heavy system works.)

(Second note: These were total body
workouts, not divided workout programs.)

(Third note: These were based on studies
of previously untrained college students,
and in most cases the studies lasted no
longer than 12 weeks.)

2. Training with sub-maximal loads of
two-thirds max for one set, three times
per week will NOT increase strength.

(Note: Some of you will disagree with
this.)

(Second note: I thought ANYTHING worked
for previously untrained college students!)

3. The increase in strength that results from
two sub-maximal workouts per week (training
with two-thirds of your one rep max) and
one heavy workout (a single with your one
rep max) is the result of the workout where
you perform the one rep max.

(Note: In other words, if you use the Light,
Medium and Heavy system, it's the Heavy day
that builds strength.)

4. Sets of between three and ten reps are best
for building strength.

(Note: Not sure how this squares with point
no. 3.)

5. Six sets of two reps with your two rep
max is as effective as three sets of six reps
with your six rep max.

(Note: Is that a surprise?)

6. Three sets of six reps is more effective
than three sets of two reps or three sets of
ten reps.

(Note: Pair this with number five and it means
that six sets of two reps is better than three
sets of two reps.)

7. Training once per week for one set of
one rep with your one rep max will increase
strength significantly for at least six
weeks.

(Note: That one's interesting.)

(Note: I hope they were doing warm-up sets
before hitting a one rep max.)

8. Training two times per week for three sets
of ten reps is as effective as doing three
sets of ten reps three times per week.

(Note: In other words, two workouts per week
work as well as three workouts per week.)

(Second Note: Didn't I just write an email
about that?)

Put it all together and what do you get?

I'm not sure -- and that's one of the
problems with research studies based on
previously untrained college students. It
seems like everything works for them --
at least for awhile.

But here's a thought.

John Grimek started training at age 18 and
three years later he was one of the strongest
and best built men in the world. (And later he
grew enormously stronger and more muscular.)

Steve Stanko started training at age 17 or so,
and a few years later he was the strongest man
in the world -- and 80 pounds of muscle heavier
than when he started.

John Davis started training at age 15 or so,
and two years later he was the World weight-
lifting champion.

I don't know about you, but I want to train the
way Grimek, Stanko and Davis trained -- which
happens to be the Dino way: old-school, basic,
hard and heavy!

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 John Grimek training course covers John
Grimek's life, lifting and training in detail:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. Black Iron: The John Davis Story is a
detailed biography of the greatest weightlifter
of his generation -- and it gives you his actual
training program from 1940 -- week by week,
exercise by exercise, set by set and rep by
rep:

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- including
Dinosaur Training, Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training and Strength, Muscle and
Power -- are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Theory is great,
but nothing beats experience." -- Brooks Kubik

Strength Training -- It's a Way of Life!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my older readers is an older gentleman
who started lifting in the late 40's or early
50's.

His timing was pretty good, because he saw many
of the great champs of the era.

For example -- he saw Doug Hepburn training when
Hepburn visited New York city. Hepburn finished
his workout by performing a one-arm handstand!

He trained at a gym where John Davis trained
near the end of his competitive career. Davis
would spot him in the bench press. That's not
bad for a young lifter -- to be spotted by a
six time World champion and two-time Olympic
gold medalist.

My reader later moved to Florida, and became
friends with Milo Steinborn -- the legendary
German strongman who came to the USA after
World War One and amazed the American lifting
fans with his lifting ability and his remarkable
strength in the squat.

Steinborn was the man who would stand a heavy
bar on one end and slowly wedge himself under
it until the bar tipped over and rested on his
shoulders while he was in a full squat. He'd
then stand up with it and perform his set --
and then reverse the process to get the bar
back on the platform.

Steinborn, you will recall, was a prisoner of
war during WWI. He kept in shape by training
with a homemade barbell fashioned from a long
steel bar and two enormous tree trunks. Talk
about a Dinosaur!

You may also recall that Steinborn once scared
the heck out of poor Sig Klein by going to his
gym, grabbing a 180 pound globe barbell, cleaning
it, and then holding it at his shoulders while
he performed a wild Cossack dance -- the one
where you start in a deep squat and jump up and
shoot your leg forward, first the right and then
the left -- as if you were doing a series of
bouncing one-legged squats.

Try it some time with no weight. It's not easy.
And then imagine the strength and power that
Steinborn possessed, to be able to perform
the feat with a 180 pound barbell!

Anyhow, my reader just ordered a copy of BLACK
IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. He mentioned that
they used to call him "Johnny D" -- the letter
"D" being short for "Davis" and short for "Deuce."
They called the champ Johnny Deuce because he
liked to do many, many sets of two reps in his
training.

He also shared a story about Milo Steinborn and
John Grimek. It's a pretty good story, so I
thought I'd share it with you.

My reader is talking with Milo Steinborn when
both Steinborn and Grimek are pretty well up
there in years.

He asks Steinborn if Grimek is still training.

Steinborn looks at him in surprise.

"Does a man give up his religion?" he asks.

To men like Milo Steinborn and John Grimek, that's
what training was all about. It was a way of life.
It was something you started as a young man and
continued to do until the end of your days.

I understand how they feel. I feel the very same
way. And if you're reading this, I bet you feel
the same!

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. You can learn more about Doug Hepburn, John
Davis and John Grimek right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:

1. To grab a copy of my Doug Hepburn training
course, go here:

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

2. To order BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY,
which includes details on John Davis' actual training
program from 1940 and 1941 (given to me by his
training partner), go here:

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

3. For my new course on John Grimek's life, lifting
and training, go here:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're not
training, start now. Once you start, never stop."
-- Brooks Kubik

It Starts with a Dream!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the most important things you can
do is feed your mind.

No, I'm not talking about special supplements
for the brain cells -- or eating goldfish or
anything else that supposedly makes you smarter.

I'm talking about filling your mind with
positive, motivating, and inspiring thoughts.

One of the great things about the old-school
books, courses and magazines -- the ones from
the 1920's, 30's, 40's and 50's -- was the
way they pushed a positive message. They
made you BELIEVE that if you trained hard
and followed the rules of good health, YOU
TOO could be successful. YOU TOO could be a
champion.

Now, you need to remember, this was back in
the days when there were very few gyms or
other places to train -- weightlifting, weight
training and other forms of progressive physical
training were about as rare as little green men
from Mars -- and buying a simple plate loading
barbell and dumbbell set was an undertaking that
often required six or more months of working odd
jobs and saving your pennies before you could
afford to buy it.

And yet, tens of thousands of young men and boys
were so moved by what they read and saw in the
old-school magazines, books and courses, that
they saved their pennies, ordered their barbells
(or found a lifting club, gym or YMCA with
weights) -- and got into some serious training.

And many of them had incredible success.

One of those young men lived in Brooklyn. His
name was John Davis. He was raised by his mother.
he never knew his father. Dad skipped out when
John was a baby. (Or perhaps even sooner than
that.)

From an early age, John was fascinated with
strength and power. He watched Tarzan movies
and wanted to be like Tarzan -- so he started
"training" by doing pull-ups, horizontal bar
work, ring work, dips, pushups and handstand
pushups on the playground equipment at a small
neighborhood park.

One day, right around this time of year, a
group of boys were fooling around, trying to
lift a big slab of concrete left behind by some
workmen. None of them could budge it -- not
even the oldest and strongest boys.

That's when John Davis gave it a try -- and
he amazed the other boys by lifting the concrete
slab to his shoulders -- and then pressing it
overhead.

And that moment changed everything for John
Davis -- and for American weightlifting.

An older boy named Steve was walking by the park,
and he saw what happened. Steve was a weightlifter
and weightlifting fan -- and he even owned his own
barbell. He invited John to come over and see how
much he could lift with a real barbell.

And that was how it started.

Less than two years later, John Davis won the World
Weightlifting Championship -- defeating the defending
World Champion and the defending Olympic champion.

He went on to be undefeated in international
competition for nearly 15 years -- and during
that time he won SIX World Championships, TWO
Olympic Gold medals, the first Pan American Games,
something like a dozen USA national championships --
and set a string of National, World and Olympic
records. At one time, he held all of the USA,
World, Pan-American and Olympic records in the
Heavyweight class -- and this was at a bodyweight
of a mere 220 to 230 pounds.

He was one of the greatest weightlifters in the
history of the world -- and in his prime, he was
the STRONGEST man in the world -- and it all
started on a cold, gray day in a park in Brooklyn.

It started with a dream -- and with a young man
who believed in his dream -- and who made that
dream a reality.

And that's how it always starts.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can learn more about John Davis and his
remarkable life and lifting in BLACK IRON: THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY -- which many readers say is their number
one favorite book from Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. You also can learn more about John Davis and
other American weightlifting champions, bodybuilders,
and strongmen in the LEGACY OF IRON series:

Legacy of Iron (book no. 1 in the series):

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

Clouds of War (book no. 2 in the series):

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

The 1,000 Pound Total (book no. 3 in the series):

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html

York Goes to War! (book no. 4 in the series):

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

Barbells in the Pacific (book no. 5 in the series):

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

NOTE: See the bottom of the sales page for Barbells
in the Pacific for a special deal on all five of the
LEGACY OF IRON books!

P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- and DVD's,
t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts -- are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "It starts with a dream --
followed by plenty of old-fashioned hard work." --
Brooks Kubik

The Story of a Superman

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you've been following my writing for
any period of time, you know that I'm a
huge fan of John Davis.

I admire him so much that I wrote a book
about him: BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY.
At 496 pages, with 16 pages of photos, it's
the biggest and thickest book I've ever
written.

For those who do not know anything at all about
John Davis, consider the following:

1. He was the youngest World champion in history
when he won his first World weightlifting
championship in 1938.

2. He won his first World championship at age 17 --
after less than two years of training.

2A. Yes, you read that correctly. John Davis won
his first World championship after less than TWO
years of training. TWO years!

3. He was undefeated in international competition
from 1938 through 1952.

4. He won World championships in TWO different weight
classes and (get this) THREE different decades.

5. At one time, he held all of the American, World
and Olympic records in the Heavyweight class -- and
he only weighed around 225 pounds!

6. He may have been the only World and Olympic
Heavyweight champion who could perform one arm
chins.

6A. His former training partner told me he saw
John Davis do a one arm chin while holding a
50 pound dumbbell in his other hand.

7. He dominated the Heavyweight division for many
years, while weighing only 215 to 235 pounds.

8. He did much of his training alone -- often in
the basement of a neighborhood church -- with
nothing other than a barbell, homemade squat
stands, a homemade lifting wooden bench and
a homemade lifting platform.

9. As the top Heavyweight in the world, he powered
the USA to SIX team titles at the World championships
and the Olympic Games.

9A. On several occasions, the team title came
down to a battle between John Davis and one or more
massive Russian lifters who outweighed him by 50 or
more pounds.

9B. The Russians never had a chance.

10. He followed a unique training system of his own
design -- and in the book, I give it to EXACTLY as John
Davis performed it. I got this from his 94-year old
training partner, and it's never been published before.
But it's a heck of a program!

There's more -- much more -- and it's all there in
BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY.

Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab your copy of BLACK IRON: THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY right here at Dino Headquarters:

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