The Fortune Cookie Workout

Reg Park followed many different training programs, but I don't think he ever did the Fortune Cookie Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Son. no. 1 came over last night to
join us for dinner, and he and Trudi
shared a special treat of Chinese
carry-out.

So this morning I spotted a fortune
from a fortune cookie sitting on the
dinner table.

It made me think that most people
today train in such a random, hap-
hazard fashion that you could just
grab a fortune cookie, break it open,
and use the lucky numbers to devise
your workout.

So here goes.

The lucky numbers on this fortune
were:

9, 28, 32, 10, 13 and 17

This one's easy.

You do 9 different exercises.

You total the remaining numbers:

28 plus 32 plus 10 plus 13 plus
17 = 100

So you do 100 reps of each exercise.

Or - you do 9 different exercises for
whatever sets and reps you want,
and get a total of 100 reps.

That's totally random, of course,
and it makes no sense whatsoever,
but it's pretty much the way most
people train.

Of course, you also could do ONE
exercise for a series of descending
reps to match the lucky numbers:

1 x 32 reps

1 x 28 reps

1 x 17 reps

1 x 13 reps

1 x 10 reps

1 x 9 reps

Or - you could do one exercise where
you do as many sets as you want to
get a total of 32 reps.

Followed by another exercise where
you do the same thing to get a total
of 28 reps.

And so on.

There are lots of different ways to do
it.

Me, I'm going to do things the old-
fashioned way:

1. I have my program.

2. I know what exercises to do.

3. I know what sets and reps - and
what weights - to use.

So I'm going to go ahead and do the
job - and stick to the program - and
make things slow, steady and
progressive.

It's not the Fortune Cookie Workout,
but it's pretty darn effective.

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. There are 50 great workouts in
Chalk and Sweat - and you'll have no
trouble finding one that is perfect for
you:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day

"Tried and true is very effective -
and if very effective is boring, you
might as well throw in the towel."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

Try this Unusual Workout Schedule!

The deadlift is a terrific exercise - and it might be even better if you follow this unusual training schedule.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I received a ton of responses to yesterday's
email about how training less and resting
more can help you avoid over-training -
and thus, lead to better gains in strength
and muscle.

Some responses were from readers who
just didn't believe it - and some of them
were downright angry - and two or three
of them even said so in language that
was a little less than polite. They almost
scorched my eye-balls.

Others agreed with the message - and
that's not surprising, because the kind
of old-school training schedules I talked
about yesterday have been helping
trainees build strength and muscle for
well over 100 years.

One of the most interesting replies came
from a reader who wrote:

Hi Brooks,

I'm training two days a week now:
Tues and Thurs.

Every second Sunday I deadlift.

I feel that I am progressing faster in
deadlifts than if I did it once a week,
as I often add 5 or even 10 kilos in
every deadlift workout.

Granted, I'm still an intermediate
strength-wise, but I am not slowing
down.

Less IS more.

Thanks!

Cameron

Thanks for the feedback, Cameron -
and thanks for sharing your training
schedule.

It's very unusual - but very interesting -
and it would probably work very well for
many of our fellow Dinos.

If anyone else is following a similar
training schedule - or if you give this
one a try - shoot me an email and let
me know how it works for you!

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 find many other unusual
but effective training programs in
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1:

Hard-Copy and Kindle editions

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

PDF edition

Look for the link to our PDF books
and courses on our products page -
it's a big list, but Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, is easy to find - it's
fourth from the bottom, with a thumb-
nail showing John Grimek doing some
dumbbell presses:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters - including
links to my PDF courses and my Kindle
books:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"If you don't test things, you'll never
know if they work."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

Why I Give You So Many Different Training Programs

John Grimek hitting a heavy military press at an exhibition back in the early 1940's. In addition to being a two-time Mr. America, Mr. Universe winner and the top bodybuilder of his era, Grimek won the USA Senior National Weightlifting Championship, and the North American Weightlifting Championship, and was a member of the USA World and Olympic Weightlifting teams. He set several American records in the military press, and even set unofficial World records in the lift. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I sent several emails earlier this week
about Strength, Muscle and Power -
noting that we're getting to the end
of the last printing, and we won't be
doing another one because Trudi and
I are moving to the Pacific Northwest
and I can't take a couple of thousand
books with me.

In one of the emails, I listed every-
thing I cover in the book. It was a
long list.

I started to count up the different
training programs, but there were
too many, so I gave up.

Most of my books and courses have
a lot of different training programs.

There are over 30 in Strength, Muscle
and Power.

50 in Chalk and Sweat.

At least 50 in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training.

Over 50 in Gray Hair and Black Iron.

Over 50 in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training.

And well over another 50 - maybe well
over 100 - if you add in the programs
from all of my other books and training
courses.

Add The Dinosaur Files and you have
another 100 or more - probably a
couple of hundred.

And that's a lot of training programs.

There's a reason I give you so many different
training programs.

It's because no one program works best
for everyone.

In fact, no one program works best for
everyone at every stage of his or her
career.

You need different programs as you
progress - and as you grow older.

And your programs will need to change
if your goals change, as they often do
over the years.

Heck, sometimes you need a new program
just for a change of pace!

Anyhow, I "get" that - and that's why
YOU get so many different programs.

I want you to have the right program
for YOU - at every stage of your career.

I also want you to stick to sane, sensible,
Dino-style, old-school training programs -
and not get sucked into the modern-day
silliness that most people do.

Sane and sensible is good. Silly is not.

Anyhow, that's why I offer so many
different training programs. And it's
why I plan to keep on doing it for a
very long time.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. We're not at the end of the line
for Strength, Muscle and Power, but
we're getting there. It's a great book,
so if you don't have a copy, grab
one now:

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

P.S. 2. I have plenty of old issues of
Peary Rader's IronMan magazine for
sale - from the 50's through the 80's.
Shoot me an email if you're interested.
(I'm at info@brookskubik.com).

IronMan was probably THE BEST of the
old-time magazines - and today, the
old issues from Peary Rader's era are
getting awfully hard to find.

I'm offering them to the Dinos because
I want YOU to have a chance to grab
and read them. They're something very
special.

P.S. 3. I also have ONE copy of my old
Dinosaur Training DVD, Strength Training
Basics. $20.00 plus s&h. Email if
interested.

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day

"It starts with a plan. After that, it
requires plenty of hard work and
sweat."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

The 70 Percent Workout

Hitting it hard at age 60. The key to lifelong strength and health is intelligent training on a regular and consistent basis.  

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The February Dinosaur Files

Is now available in your choice of Kindle
or PDF formats:

Go here for the Kindle edition:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_february2017kindle.html

Go here for the PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

The Kindle edition is already in the
Top 10 List for its category on
Kindle, which is pretty good for a
training journal devoted to old-school,
common sense strength training.

2. John Wood's Trap Bar Training
Guide

Is getting great reviews from Dinos
around the world. Go here to grab
the little monster in a Kindle edition:

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

This little monster is a No. 1 best
seller on Kindle - again, that's pretty
good for hard, heavy and basic.

3. The Complete List

I have 24 books in the Kindle bookstore
now - go here for the complete list and
links to all of them:

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

4. The 70 Percent Workout

(Note: this one's from two years ago,
but it's an important training tip, so
I wanted to share it again.)

I had one of my best workouts of the
year last night.

I went out to the garage, warmed up,
got nice and loose, and then did a
series of progressively heavier singles
in the clean and jerk.

I did squat cleans and power jerks.

Long story short, I ended up doing 22
pounds more than I had planned to do.
And I hit my top weight not once, but
twice. Once to lift it -- and the second
time to reenforce the successful lift.
(That's a Tommy Kono trick, and a
good one.) (Note: these were two
singles, not a double.)

And the top weights actually felt light.
My form was perfect through the entire
workout. As the weights got heavier, my
form and speed got better and better.

And there was a reason for this.

The last two workouts before this one
were light workouts. In one of them, I
did snatches to 70 percent of my one rep
max. In the other, I did cleans to 70
percent of my one rep max. In each
workout I did five singles with the 70
percent weight.

I took the light workouts because I had
been training extra hard and heavy, and
I was getting a bit sore and beat up. I
needed a bit of a break from the heavy
training.

And it worked pretty well.

Getting ready for lift-off. Effective training requires careful planning.

 The seventy percent workout is an
excellent idea for older trainees. It's
particularly good for Olympic lifting,
because you can drill form and
technique on the light day. But it
works well for any older trainee,
no matter what exercises you
perform.

You can follow a simple cycling system
similar to those outlined in Gray Hair
and Black Iron, or you can follow the
Light, Medium Heavy system outlined
in Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vols. 1
and 3. There's no one way to do it.

The important thing is to include some
light workouts that allow you to recover
mentally and physically from the harder
and heavier workouts. They'll set the
stage for some great workouts -- just
like they did for me last night!

(Note: As I said, that was two years
ago. I've been using the 70 percent
workout idea ever since, and it always
works well for me.)

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 2. We also have a great PDF mini-course
that covers effective training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/minicourse_01.html

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Every step
takes you closer to your destination --
even the little ones." -- Brooks Kubik

My new training course is available right here in the Kindle bookstore: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

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

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The January Dinosaur Files

Is now available in both PDF and
Kindle editions - AND (get this) in
hard-copy. The hard-copy is printed
and shipped to you by Amazon.

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017.html

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017kindle.html

Amazon hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017hardcopy.html

2. The Complete List

Speaking of Amazon, here's the complete
list of all 22 Dinosaur Training e-books
available in the Kindle bookstore, with
quick and easy order links for all of them:

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

Note that you do NOT need a Kindle reader
to read Kindle books. Amazon has a free app
you can download that lets you read Kindle
books on any device.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Burgener has a good way of putting it:

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

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

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

And this is one of the very hardest things to
learn. But it's also one of the most important.
If you're having an off day and you try to push
through it, things usually don't go very well. It's
better to train light, and then come back and
hit it harder another time.

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

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

Hope that helps!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Gray Hair and Black Iron covers simple
cycling systems for older trainees -- and details
over 50 great workouts for older Dinos:

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

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

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF

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

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

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Think, plan, and
pay attention." -- Brooks Kubik

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

If It's Working, Keep On Doing It!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
Training.

1. The July Dinosaur Files

Here's the link to the PDF version of
the July Dino Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

We're going to try top get the Kindle
version up this weekend. I'll send a
link when it's ready.

2. New Stuff at the Iron League!

Check out some of the latest stuff
at John Wood's Iron League site. It's
pretty awesome.

I like the bone density studies (compare
the Neanderthal bones to the modern
human bones - ouch!) - and some of the
old-time strongman training items are
really interesting.

Then, of course, there's a lot of video
of me lifting and carrying heavy stuff.

Or doing bodyweight stuff.

Anyhow, check it out:

http://www.ironleague.com/

3. If It's Working, Keep on Doing It!

At least once a week I get an email from a
reader who's doing something that's working
well for him -- meaning that he's making good
gains in strength and muscle, recovering from
his workouts and enjoying his training -- but
then he sees something on the Interwebs
and it makes him think he should change
his program and do something different.

It's usually one of two things:

1. Something new and different that might
be better than what he's doing now -- often
being the workout of a current champion.

2. A blog post, article or forum discussion
telling him that what he's doing "doesn't
work."

Most of the time it's number two -- which
is surprising, because the immediate
response should be, "It may not work
for YOU, but it works for ME!"

But written words are powerful, and so
they often make us second-guess
ourselves.

So our trainee -- the one who is making
good gains and having lots of fun in his
workouts -- starts to second-guess
himself.

And he sends me an email and asks what
he should do.

As I said, this happens at least once a
week. Luckily, as questions go, it's an
easy one.

The answer is always the same:

"If it's working, keep on doing it. If your
gains slow down or stop, then and only
then try something different."

And here's a related point. When you do
try something different, it should probably
be something similar, not a radical change
in approach. In other words, if 5 x 5 has
worked well for you, you might try 5 x 6
or 6 x 6 -- or perhaps try 5 x 5 followed
by 1 x 3 and 1 x 1.

But don't change from 5 x 5 to 10 x 10
or 50 rep death sets or a three hour
pumping program.

Also, the best way to change things up is
often to use a new exercise, while keeping
the sets and reps the same. For example,
switch from back squats to front squats,
or from straight bar deadlifts to Trap Bar
deadlifts.

And remember this -- when you switch to
a new exercise or a new program, start
light and easy, and gradually add weight
to the bar. Make it progressive. Don't try
to max out and set new PR's the first day
in the saddle. See Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3, for detailed advice on how to use old-
school progression systems for steady gains
without going stale or burning out.

Anyhow, that's the answer to a very common
question -- one that's become all the more
common because of the often overwhelming
amount and diversity of information on the
Interwebs.

Remember, if it's working for you, keep on
doing it -- and if it ain't broke, don't try to
fix it.

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 mentioned Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3. Go here to grab the little monster in
your choice of three formats:

Hard-copy edition

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

Kindle edition

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

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol3_digital.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train with
confidence. Avoid doubters and nay-sayers.
Be resolute, and do what you need to do."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Try this Three Week Mini Cycle for Great Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Lost Articles.

We've been reminding readers about my LOST
ARTICLES - meaning the original Dinosaur Files
from 1997.

They're back - and here's where to grab them.
Here's the link to the hard copy edition:

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

And here's the link to the Kindle edition:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

2. Try this Three Week Mini Cycle for Great
Gains!

(Here's something I shared last year. I'm running
it again because the program is so darn effective.)

I celebrated my birthday last night by hitting a
hard workout.

It was pretty good, because I hit a PR for 2015
in the split style snatch. In fact, it was the most
I had lifted in the split style snatch for the past
two years.

So that was a birthday present to myself.

I got there by using a simple variation of the old
Light, Medium and Heavy system.

It's a three week mini-cycle.

I use singles in all of my exercises, but it works
fine for sets of multiple reps, as well. Once you
understand the system, you can apply it to many
different kinds of workouts.

Here's how it goes:

Week 1 -- Light

I work up to 5 singles with my working weight.
I use a relatively light weight -- 70 to 75% of my
max.

In other words, my working weight is week 1 is
a light weight.

Week 2 -- Medium

I work up to 2 or 3 singles with my working weight.
I go heavier this week, but not too heavy -- 80 to
85% of my max.

Week 3 -- Heavy

I work up to one single with my working weight.
This is my heavy week. I go as heavy as I can. If
I feel good, I try to lift my max or to set a new
max. However, I usually work up to 90 or 95%
of my max. As an older lifter, I can train heavy
but I can't push for a new max too often.

Week 4

Start the mini-cycle all over again.

And there you have it.

As I said, it's a simple system -- but it's been
very effective. It keeps me strong, helps me
improve my speed, form and technique, and
best of all, helps me avoid overtraining.

And so far (knock on wood), it's helped me
avoid dings and dents.

Give it a try and see how you like it -- and
shoot me an email with your results.

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 cover other simple but very effective
cycling systems in Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- Legacy of Iron
books -- and links to all of my e-books on
Kindle -- are right here:
 
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "First, last and
foremost -- TRAIN!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

How to Stop Your Progress Dead in its Tracks!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's take a minute and talk about the number
one progress buster.

This derails more trainees than almost anything
else.

It happens to beginners and intermediates all
the time - but it even happens to experienced
trainees.

I'm going to cover it NOW, so it doesn't ever
happen to YOU!

Last week I discussed the importance of concentration
when you train -- and I noted that distraction was a
physical culturist's greatest enemy.

I was talking about distraction during your workouts.
But there's another kind of distraction -- and it's a
huge problem -- and one that's getting bigger all the
time.

It's information overload -- and it's the result of all the
different people with all the different whiz-bang training
programs, workouts, exercises, and ideas.

Now, there's nothing wrong with training information
per se -- or with reading about training or with being
on the lookout for new ideas. In fact, the availability
of good information and the free-flow of ideas is a
good thing.

But it becomes a bad thing when it leads a trainee to
start to second-guess what he's doing -- or to change
what he's doing before he's had a chance to make any
real progress from it.

Remember, it takes a while for a training program to
work.

For most people, it goes something like this.

You start light and easy and gradually add weight and
build up the intensity of your workouts. This may last
anywhere from two to six weeks.

Eventually, you hit a point where the workouts are hard,
heavy and demanding. This is where the program will
prove its worth. It's the hard part of the training cycle
where you make your gains.

Finally, you reach a point where your gains slow down or
come to a stop.

At that point, you switch to another workout -- once again
starting light and easy, and working up to some serious
iron and some serious effort.

Over time, this approach gives you plenty of variety,
and builds a ton of strength, muscle and power.

But you have to stick with each program long enough
to make progress.

If you change your program every time you see some-
thing new and different, you usually don't do very well.
In short, information is good -- but you need to know
how to use it -- and when to use it.

And you need to stick to a given program long enough
to get some real results.

Make a plan -- and follow through.

That's the key to success.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you need help finding the right program for
your current level of experience, strength and
development, grab this:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "A good program always
works, but it doesn't work overnight. You have to give
it time." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Hard Work, Intelligently Applied

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday's email ended with some good
advice from John Grimek.

Someone asked Grimek the secret of his
success.

"Hard work," said Grimek.

That's a very good answer, and an important
message -- especially for anyone who might
be looking for an "easy" way to build strength
and muscle.

But hard work alone is not the answer.
It has to be "hard work, intelligently
applied."

In other words, you need to train hard but
smart.

The secret of smart training is to follow a
sensible and realistic progression system.
You start relatively light and easy, and
gradually increase the difficulty of your
workouts. The initial workouts help you
lay the foundation for harder and heavier
workouts later on -- and for the gains
that those workouts will bring. But you
can't just jump into the hard and heavy
stuff. You have to build up to it.

This basic principle applies to any kind of
training, and any kind of equipment.

When you put it that way, it sounds self
evident -- and some of you may be
thinking, "I already KNOW that!"
or "Why are we talking about this?"

That's a fair question. Here's the answer.

We're talking about it because most
people are too stubborn to do it. Rather
than start light and easy, and lay the
foundation for big gains down the
road, they jump into a super-demanding
and ultra-intense training program
because they think they can make
super-fast gains that way.

But the gains don't come.

Instead, the over-zealous trainee does
the "Crash and Burn." He over-trains,
goes stale, burns out -- and often injures
himself.

And I'm not just talking about beginners. 
This is a mistake that experienced trainees
often make  when they come back from a
lay-off, or when they start doing a new
exercise or a new program, or when they
decide to go on some sort of special
program.

I've done it -- you've done it -- and John
Grimek did it. Everyone does it.

But you don't have to keep on doing it.

You can start training smarter -- and the
way to do it is to use old-school progression
methods with "slow cooking." Don't try for
overnight results, instant this, big arms in
21 days, 20 pounds of muscle in six weeks,
or adding 100 pounds to your PR in four
short weeks. Take it slow. Slow and steady
is always better.

Remember, there's no such thing as
overnight results in the Iron Game. It
takes time to build serious strength and
muscle mass. That's where the "train
smart" rule comes into play.

In short, make haste slowly. It takes
time, but slow and steady helps you
travel much further -- and people only
remember what you end up doing, NOT
what you did at the start of the journey.

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 cover old-school progression in this
course -- and I think it's one of the best
and most useful courses I've ever done.
It's available in hard-copy, Kindle or PDF
with immediate digital download:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol3_digital.html

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

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

P.S. 3. "It takes time and effort. Don't try to
short-circuit or speed up the process. Give
Mother Nature the time she needs to do her
job." -- Brooks Kubik

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

How (Not) to Stop Your Progress Dead in It's Tracks!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk about the number
1 progress stopper you face.

1. There's still time to reserve your copy of Knife, Fork,
Muscle during our pre-publication special:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

1a. If you forgot to ask for an autograph, and you want
one, shoot me an email.

1b. I'm not sure when we'll get the books from the
printer, but I'll keep you posted via my emails -- and
we'll shoot them right out the door by pterodactyl
mail as soon as we get them.

2. Yes, we are launching a new quarterly version of the
world-famous, one and only Dinosaur Files newsletter.

I'll put an order page up next week. We're going to
do single issues rather than subscriptions. Each issue
will be BIG -- it will move from newsletter to magazine
size. Be looking for the announcement soon.

In the meantime, if you'd like BACK ISSUES -- not a
new subscription, but BACK ISSUES from 2010 and
2011, you can find them here:

For 2010 back issues (a 12 issue set):

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

For 2011 back issues (a 12 issue set):

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

Remember, these are for BACK ISSUES only, NOT for a
new subscription.

On the training front . . . let's talk about the number
one progress buster.

Yesterday I discussed the importance of concentration
when you train -- and I noted that distraction was a
physical culturist's greatest enemy.

I was talking about distraction during your workouts.
But there's another kind of distraction -- and it's a
huge problem -- and one that's getting bigger all the
time.

It's information overload -- and it's the result of all the
different people with all the different whiz-bang training
programs, workouts, exercises, and ideas.

Now, there's nothing wrong with training information
per se -- or with reading about training or with being
on the lookout for new ideas. In fact, the availability
of good information and the free-flow of ideas is a
good thing.

But it becomes a bad thing when it leads a trainee to
start to second-guess what he's doing -- or to change
what he's doing before he's had a chance to make any
real progress from it.

Remember, it takes a while for a training program to
work.

For most people, it goes something like this.

You start light and easy and gradually add weight and
build up the intensity of your workouts. This may last
anywhere from two to six weeks.

Eventually, you hit a point where the workouts are hard,
heavy and demanding. This is where the program will
prove its worth. It's the hard part of the training cycle
where you maker your gains.

Finally, you reach a point where your gains slow down or
come to a stop.

At that point, you switch to another workout -- once again
starting light and easy, and working up to some serious
iron and some serious effort.

Over time, this approach gives you plenty of variety,
and builds a ton of strength, muscle and power.

But you have to stick with each program long enough
to make progress.

If you change your program every time you see some-
thing new and different, you usually don't do very well.
In short, information is good -- but you need to know
how to use it -- and when to use it.

And you need to stick to a given program long enough
to get some real results.

Make a plan -- and follow through.

That's the key to success.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you need help finding the right program for
your current level of experience, strength and
development, grab this:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "A good program always
works, but it doesn't work overnight." -- Brooks Kubik

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

A Simple Plateau-Buster for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinos,

A reader wrote in with a training
question, and I thought I'd share
it with you -- along with my
answer -- because it may apply
to many readers.

He's been doing an ultra-abbreviated
workout where he just does squats and
presses (a program Paul Anderson used
with "notable" success).

He's been making good gains, and is
adding weight to the bar on a regular
basis -- but he's finding it harder
and harder to add weight, and he's
almost starting to "dread" the next
workout.

So he asked (1) is this problem unique
to him or is it a more common problem
among trainees generally, and (2) what
should he do about it?

The answer to the first question is --
it's a very common problem. That's why
you should plan your workouts and your
training programs to get around it.

The answer to the second question --
the what to do question -- is pretty
simple.

Switch from the two-exercise workout
that you repeat in every session, over
and over, to a program where you have
two or even three different workouts --
with different exercises in each workout.

That keeps you fresh. It avoids the mind
game where you start to worry and fret
about the upcoming workout.

And it's very easy to do.

For example:

Workout A (on Mon)

1. Military press

2. Squats

Workout B (on Wed)

1. Pull-ups, pull-downs or rowing

2. Bench press or incline press

Workout C (on Fri)

1. Deadlift or Trap Bar deadlift

2. Deadlift or Trap Bar deadlift partials
(from the knees)

Note: start each workout with a 10
minute warm-up and finish with your
choice of gut, grip or neck work,
rotating each from session to session.

Now, what this does is give your mind
and your body a bit of a break.

Instead of pushing hard and heavy on
the same two exercises in each workout,
you're always doing something. It's hard,
and it's demanding, of course -- but
it's much easier than hitting the same
thing over and over and over.

Note: this is NOT a suggestion to do
a different and random workout every
time you train. You need to PLAN a
program, and you need to follow the
program, and you need to make your
program progressive. But your program
will work better if you use a couple
of different workouts rather than
sticking to the same thing all the
time. That way, each workout is fresh
and exciting -- a challenge rather
than a monotonous grind.

You can do the same sets and reps for
each exercise, or mix them up, as you
prefer. I've always found that certain
set/rep schemes worked better for me
on some exercises than on others. You
may find the same thing to be true for
you.

So that's a simple solution to a common
problem. And it's a solution that can
help you keep on the road to some
serious gains in strength, muscle
and power.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For tons of other plateau-busters,
grab Strength, Muscle and Power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "Every great
accomplishment begins with a good plan."
-- Brooks Kubik

Crazy Exercises and Insane Workouts!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just did a google search for "crazy exercises"
and got 19,800,000 hits.

"Crazy workouts" got 5,940,000 hits.

"Insane exercises" did pretty well, too. I got
7,450,000 hits on that one.

"Insane workouts" delivered 2,150,000 hits.

Now, I don't know about YOU -- but I'm not
interested in crazy exercises -- crazy
workouts -- insane exercises -- or insane
workouts. 

But it seems everyone else in the world is.

And that, my friends and fellow dinosaurs,
is one of the biggest problems with modern
day training. It's not about the things that
matter -- basic exercises, hard work, short
(abbreviated) workouts, quality training, the
mind-muscle link, progression, adding weight
to the bar, etc. (i.e., the things I teach
in my Dinosaur Training books and courses).

Instead, it's about CRAZY stuff. INSANE stuff.
Stuff that is new, different, and no one else
in thew world is doing it other than the guy
on YouTube and the 77 million people who saw
his clip and decided to go out and try his
brand new exercise.

Squats?

Forget it! Everyone wants to do Bulgarian
split squats on a well-oiled stability ball
perched on top of a wobble-board floating in
a pool of water. The guy on YouTube said it
was great for the exernometer muscles and
the gluteus radiculous. And it sure looked
CRAZY!

Deadlifts?

Not on your life. Everyone wants to do downhill
tire flips on 60 degree slope, while pulling
one of those parachute things and wearing a
World War I era gas mask and roller skates.
Hey, it looked INSANE in the video clip!

The clean and press?

No way! Not unless you stand on a mini-
trampoline while you do it. That looked
crazy AND insane in the video.

Five sets of five reps?

That's SO old-fashioned. The big thing this
month is 500 sets of 500 reps. It's gotta
work -- it's too CRAZY not to work!

Training two or three times a week -- for
45 to 60 minutes per workout?

PUH-LEEZE! That's not crazy. It's too
old-fashioned to be crazy. CRAZY is training
three or four times a day (five is better)
for a couple of hours per session -- and
doing it seven days a week. Everyone on
Facebook will say you're INSANE when
you tell them about it.

Abbreviated workouts? Quality training?

Nuts to that. It doesn't come anywhere
near the ASYLUM FACTOR!

In short, everything that WE do -- THEY
don't like. It's not crazy. It's not
insane. In fact, it's probably not even
cool.

So there we are. A small army of extremely
strong, very well-conditioned, old-school
strength trainers -- sticking to the basics,
doing the boring stuff, and ignoring the
world of the CRAZY and the INSANE.

I guess that makes us old-fashioned.

It also makes us Dinosaurs.

And that's why I start every email message
the very same way:

HAIL TO THE DINOSAURS! If it wasn't for
you, crazy and insane is all there would be.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want crazy and insane, I can't help
you. But if you want old-school strength training
that REALLY WORKS, you can find it in any of
my Dinosaur Training books and courses:

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

P.S. 2. Save some wampum on s&h by ordering two
or more books and courses at the same time.

P.S. 3. My new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training,
is coming soon. Be looking for the big announcement!

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Simple works."
-- Brooks Kubik

The Fortune Cookie Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I mentioned seeing John Davis'
training program from 1940 - 41. I saw
it when I interviewed his former training
partner while I was working on BLACK IRON:
THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. (Which, by the way,
is a heck of a good book -- and one that
belongs on every Dino's book shelf.)

John Davis' 8 week program was written
on a 3 x 5 note-card.

It fit perfectly -- all 8 weeks -- because
it was short and simple.

And for the very same reason, it worked!
Witness John Davis' six World championships,
his two Olympic gold medals, and his long
list of World and Olympic records.

I thought that was pretty interesting, so
I shared it with you in yesterday's message.

And in response, I received an email from
Erick Brown, a long-time Dino, who is getting
great results from a program you can write
on a fortune cookie paper!

Talk about short and simple! Wow! You can't
do better than that.

Here's what Erick wrote:

"Brooks,

Good post. I'll go one better. How about a
program you can write on a fortune cookie
paper?

Mon -- Legs -- Squat

Wed -- Press -- Your choice

Fri -- Pulls -- Your choice

Enjoy your writings.

Erick"

Now, that's a pretty good workout. Thanks
to Erick for sharing it!

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. Erick's program is a good one for older
trainees -- and there are more than 50 other
programs (and tons of related training
advice) for older trainees in GRAY HAIR
AND BLACK IRON:

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

P.S. 2. You can grab a copy of BLACK IRON: THE
JOHN DAVIS STORY right here:

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are available
at the usual place:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the day: "Short and simple
works. Long and complicated doesn't." -- 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

A Dinosaur Training Program for Great Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my readers wanted some tips on
starting a 5 x 5 program with a two-
way divided workout.

He's in his late twenties, and wants
to build his program around the basic,
compound exercises that Dinos know and
love.

So here's what he needs to do:

1. Train three times per week. M/W/F or
T/Th/Sat. If you prefer, twice a week
will work fine.

2. Use two workouts -- Workout A and
Workout B. (See below for the workouts.)
Alternate back and forth from workout
to workout.

3. For the first month, do two to four
progressively heavier warm-up sets on
each exercises, followed by 3 x 5
working sets.

Note: Yes, I know this means you may
be doing 6 x 5 or 7 x 5, but that's
fine. Don't get hung up on 5 x 5. Take
your time and do the warm-up sets and
work up to the 3 x 5. The important
part of the workout is the 3 x 5, so
do whatever needs to be done to be
ready for those sets.

4. For the second month, do the same
progressively heavier warm-up sets
followed by 2 x 5 working sets.

Note: Your working sets will be heavier
now, so feel free to do an additional
warm-up set.

5. For the third month, do the same
progressively heavier warm-up sets
followed by 1 x 5 working sets.

Note: Again, with heavier work sets
you may want to add a warm-up set.

6. Here are the workouts:

Workout A

1. Squats or front squats 

2. Bench press or dumbbell incline press
or dumbbell bench press

3. Pull-ups or barbell bent-over rowing
or one-arm dumbbell rowing

4. Gut, grip and neck work for a couple
of sets each

Workout B

1. Bent-legged deadlift with barbell or
Trap Bar

2. Military press, push press or dumbbell
press

3. Barbell or dumbbell curls

4. Optional: close grip bench press

5. Gut, grip and neck work -- same as in
Workout A

7. Since our lifter is new to 5 x 5, he should
start light and add weight in a progressive
fashion. With the right weight selection and
intelligent (brain driven rather than ego
driven) weight increases, he should not miss
a single rep during the first month of the
program -- or perhaps over the entire three
month program.

8. Intense concentration and mental focus will
double your results on this program -- see
Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for details about the all-important
mental aspects of strength training.

9. Use the visualization techniques described
in Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training, as well. They make an incredible
difference.

10. Keep your mind filled with positive energy.
Read everything you can find about the old-time,
drug-free champions. My Legacy of Iron books,
my History's Strongest Men Training Courses,
and my huge -- almost 500 page -- biography of
World and Olympic Champion John Davis will do
the trick pretty darn well. You want to immerse
yourself in a world where men dare to dream
great dreams -- and then go out and achieve
them.

Okay, deep breath. That's a heck of a lot of
information. Go back and read it again --  or
read it later. Points 8, 9 and 10 are
particularly important.

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. Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training are right here:

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

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


P.S. 2. Volumes one and two of History's Strongest
Men and How They Trained are here:

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

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html



P.S. 3.  My Legacy of Iron books are here:

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. 4. Black Iron: The John Davis Story, is right
here -- and it weighs in at close to 500 pages
of unbelievable lifting by one of the greatest
champions who ever lived:

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

P.S. 5. Thought for the Day: "Train your mind the
same way you train your body. You have to do both."
-- Brooks Kubik