No, I'm Not Crazy!

I'm not crazy - but a lot of people seem to think I am - read why in today's post!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I mentioned that the July-
Aug issue of The Dinosaur Files
strength training newsletter was out
and available.

I also mentioned that it includes
an article about two young weight-
lifters who decided to go live on a
south seas island; enjoy a healthy,
natural lifestyle; get lots of sun-
shine; eat tons of fresh fruits and
vegetables; and do plenty of barbell
training.

And I mentioned that they got really
good results from their two-man
experiment.

As in - get this - one of them gained
35 pounds of muscle.

And he wasn't a beginner.

He was an Australian weightlifting
champion.

The other man was an Australian and
New Zealand weightlifting champion.

He gained 6 or 7 pounds of muscle -
but he did it without any leg training
at all (because he wanted to specialize
on his upper body and his pressing
strength). If he had done squats, you
can imagine how much more he would
have gained.

The article details their exact diet -
what they ate every day - and what
they didn't eat.

It also gives their exact training pro-
gram, with several different workouts
they used during the course of their
experiment.

I also suggested that it might be fun
and more than a little interesting to
give their diet and training program
a try - just to see what happens.

Or, at the very least, to try a modified
version of their diet and training
program.

And see what happens.

I thought that was a good idea, but,
of course, I got a lot of emails asking
if I was crazy.

"Move to the South Seas? I can't do
that! Are you CRAZY?!"

So let me clarify something.

I am NOT suggesting that you move
to the south seas (although frankly,
it sounds more than a little intriguing).

I AM suggesting that you read this
article - and that you consider doing
an experiment of your own:

1. Train old school - on the basics -
with basic equipment. It can be barbell
training, dumbbell training, kettlebell
training, bodyweight training, heavy
awkward objects or a combination of
them.

2. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. Get enough rest and sleep every day.

4. Get out in the sun every day.

5. Be active.

6. Do everything you can to keep your
stress levels as low as possible.

7. Follow the old school rules of good
health as much as you can.

And see what happens.

You might surprise yourself.

You see, I'm not crazy - I'm just very
interested in seeing what happens
when people follow a truly healthy
diet and lifestyle - and combine it
with regular strength training.

Whether they do it here or in the
south Pacific.

Here's the link to grab the July-Aug
issue of The Dinosaur Files - go ahead
and grab it - and read the complete
article - I think you'll find it  to be
interesting and thought-provoking:

July-Aug Dino Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-julyaugust2018.html

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

Yours in  strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

Another Way to Measure Progress as You Grow Older

John Grimek was healthy and strong for pretty much his entire life - and he lived a very long life. We have much to learn from the old-timers about healthy and successful aging.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I changed doctors seven years ago,
and when I did, I collected a full set
of medical records from my first doc.

I'd been seeing him since I was 28 or
29 - and I changed docs at age 54 -
so there were a ton of records.

Anyhow, the other day Trudi had an
idea:

"You should go through all your old
medical records - and then get new
labs and blood work done - and com-
pare where you are now - at age 60 -
to where you were at age 30, 40 and
50. That would be good information."

"You could share it with the Dinos,"
she added. "They'd like to see it."

That's a good idea, so I'm going to
go ahead and do it.

My birthday is in September - I'll be
turning 61 - so I may wait until then
to get the labs and blood work.

That way I can compare age 29, 30
and so on to age 61 - a full 32 years
later.

In the meantime, I'm following a very
healthy diet - and training hard - doing
a lot of new things, that I'll be sharing
with you in the future - and working on
being as strong, healthy, fit and well-
conditioned as possible as I head into
my 60s.

I don't compete against other people
any more. I compete against myself.

My goal is to be stronger, leaner, fitter,
healthier and better conditioned at age
61 than I was at age 30 - or age 40 -
or age 50.

In fact, I plan to kick the you know what
out of the younger version of Brooks.

Not that the younger version was a bad
guy - or in bad shape - but the goal is
to always keep on improving - and the
more ways to measure improvement,
the better.

If you're  a younger Dino, get some
labs and blood work - and save the
results - and compare them to where
you are in 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.

The docs used to say that weight
training would kill us. Let's all work
together to prove them wrong!

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 has
tons of workouts and training tips
for trainees. If you don't already
have a copy, do yourself a big favor
and grab it today:

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

"Stay strong, stay young."

 -- Brooks Kubik

Seven Keys to Lifelong Strength and Health

The right kind of exercise is vitally important for lifelong strength and health - and Gray Hair and Black Iron covers it in detail.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We have a ton of things happening here
at Dino Headquarters - so let's get going.

1. The May Dino Files

. . .  is running late  . . . because I've been
buried in a very big, unexpected project.

But it should be ready soon - and I'll send
an email when it's good to go.

2. My New Course

I've got a brand new training course out.
It covers old-school arm training - not the
pump stuff, but the kind of training that
builds plenty of strength and power.

It comes in a downloadable and printable
PDF - and you get a special bonus with it -
four workout charts. You can print them
out, make copies and use them to keep
track of your workouts.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-01.html

And no, this is NOT a reprint of Dinosaur
Arm Training - it's a brand new course.

Also - it's the first in a series of courses -
so grab them all, starting with this one -
print them out and save them - and you'll
have the complete set - and a ton of great
training programs.

3. Save 10 Percent at the Retro-
Strength Shop!





Father's Day is just around the corner,
and the Retro-Strength Shop is a
great place to get some awesome Dad
swag.

That includes Dinosaur Training shirts,
John Grimek shirts, Louis Cyr coffee
mugs, killer posters and so much more
old-school Iron Game stuff you won't
believe it.

And you can save 10 percent when you
shop at Retro-Strength.

All you have to do is sign up for the Retro-
Strength emails - and you'll get a special
10 percent off coupon code.

The coupon code is good for any purchase
between now and June 17, 2018.

Go here to sign up for the Retro-Strength
emails - and have fun shopping with that
10 percent off coupon code:

https://www.retrostrength.com/shop/

By the way, I think some new stuff is being
added today or tomorrow - so check it out.

4. Seven Keys to Lifelong Strength
and Health

I was talking with a friend and fellow
Dinosaur the other day. He's about my
age (I'm 61 in weightlifting years), and
like me, he's been training for pretty
much his entire life.

He's in excellent shape, and he looks
*much* younger than his age.

And that's true of many lifelong Iron
Slingers.

But it doesn't happen by accident. It
happens by living what Bob Hoffman
called "the Strength and Health lifestyle."

In other words, it's the result of eating
the right way - and training the right
way - and (very important) keeping
your weight under control.

Anyhow, we talked about those topics
a bit, and I thought I'd share some of
what we covered. So here are seven
rules for lifelong strength and health:

1. Follow a Dino-style strength
training program.

More than any other form of exercise,
progressive resistance training helps
keep you young and healthy - in part
because strength training helps you
maintain healthy hormone levels as
you grow older.

Cardio training helps (if it's the right
kind of cardio training), and so does
stretching and what they now call
"mobility" work - but progressive
resistance training is far and away
the most important thing to do.

2. Follow a training program that
you enjoy.

If you don't enjoy your workouts, you
won't keep doing them.

If you like kettlebells, use kettlebells.

If you prefer barbells, use barbells.

If you enjoy dumbbell training, then
use dumbbells.

If you 'd rather do bodyweight training,
do bodyweight training.

If you prefer to mix things, up, that's fine,
too.

No one type of training is "best." What's
best for YOU is what you enjoy doing. That
varies from person to person, and it may
change for you over time.

If you're a mature trainee - meaning my
age, seasoned and experienced - you've
earned the right to have FUN when you
train.

3. Train hard, but train smart.

Older trainees need to listen to their
bodies. There's a time to push hard,
and a time to ease up a bit.

See Gray Hair and Black Iron for advice
on sane, sensible and effective training
programs for older Dinos. It gives you
over 50 of them.

4. If it hurts, don't do it.

You'd be surprised how many trainees
ignore this rule.

Things that work great at age 20 or 30
may be very bad for you at age 50 or 60.
Dings and dents may require work-
arounds and/or different exercises.

5. Pay attention to rest, recovery
and recuperation.

If you don't recover from your workouts,
they will gradually wear you down, not
build you up.

Get enough sleep every night. Your body
rebuilds and recharges itself while you're
sleeping.

6. Pay attention to diet and nutrition.

When you're young, you can eat almost
anything and get away with it. Things are
different for older trainees.

See Knife, Fork, Muscle for detailecd
information about diet and nutrition for
lifelong strength and health.

7. Keep your weight under control.

You don't need to walk around flashing your
six-pack - or posting six-pack selfies on Face-
book - but you do need to keep your gut under
control.

Excess stomach fat is linked to a whole host
of health problems, including diabetes and
heart disease.

The vast majority of physical culture heroes
who maintained good health and active life-
styles well into their advanced years were
men and women who prided themselves on
staying lean, fit and muscular.

So there you have it - seven rules for lifelong
strength and health. You probably follow them
already, but a little reminder now and then is
a good thing.

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 Knife, Fork, Muscle and
Gray Hair and Black Iron. Go here to
grab them:

Knife, Fork, Muscle


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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

P.S. 2. We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle
as a series of Kindle e-books. Same content,
but broken into four books. Books 1, 2 and 3
are already available, and book 4 will be out
soon.

Go here for the complete list of all of our
kindle books:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"The ultimate goal is very simple - lifelong
strength and health." 

-- Brooks Kubik

Why Your Future Is Now

Like all great champions, John Grimek made good choices regarding his training, his diet and his nutrition. Over time, a long series of good choices added up to remarkable results.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The April Dinosaur Files

Is now available in a 12-page PDF edition -
with immediate electronic delivery - and it's
printable, so you can print it and save it in
your Iron Game collection.

It includes some great articles - including my
article on the virtually unknown 2-1 Workout -
which everyone seems to want to try now.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

2. The John Wood Report, No. 2

Issue No. 2 of The John Wood Report is getting great reviews - and that's no
surprise - because it's a really good issue.

Go here to grab it:

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-02.html

Like the Dino Files, The John Wood
Report is a PDF with immediate elec-
tronic delivery - and it's printable - so
you can print it, read it, and save it.

3. Why Your Future Is Now

Your future isn't next week, or month, or
next year.

It isn't five years from now - or ten years
from now - or twenty years from now.

Your future is right now.

That's because the things you do (or don't
do) today will determine the person you
become.

In other words, today's choices become
tomorrow's future.

You food and meal choices.

What you eat - and how much you eat.

How many glasses of water you choose
to drink over the course of the day.

Whether you choose to train today.

What exercises you choose to do - and how
you choose to do them.

Whether you train progressively - with a
purpose - or helter-skelter, aimless, and
dis-organized.

Whether you train for results - or for likes
and looks on social media.

What you read - and whether it enriches
or impoverishes you.

Whether you choose to smoke - or drink.

What time you choose to go to bed.

How you choose to live your life.

Bob Hoffman often spoke about the rules
of Strength and Health. I talk about them,
too.

We all know what they are.

But whether you choose to follow them is
up to you.

It's your decision.

No one else's.

Yours.

And your decision - today's decision - will
become your future.

Make the right choices TODAY - and enjoy
a stronger, healthier, happier future
tomorrow - and the day after tomorrow -
and all the days of your life.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Good choices are important at any age -
and they're particularly important for older
traines. If you're close to or over age 40, be
sure to read Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

"Whatever you need to do, do today. Not
tomorrow, but today."

-- 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

A Super Nutrition Drink

Eating the right kind of healthy, nutrient-rich foods is one of the keys to lifelong strength and health. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then I'll share Trudi's
Super Nutrition Drink. It's great for keeping
your immune system in peak condition
during the winter flu season.

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vols 1, 2 and 3

I just ordered more copies of Dinosaur Training
Secrets Vols. 1, 2 and 3. So if you missed them
the first time around, now's a good time to grab
them:

These little monsters are available in your choice of hard copy, Kindle or PDF.

Vol 1 - Exercises, Sets, Reps and Workouts -
with 20 Detailed Workouts 

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

Vol. 2 - Poundage Goals and Measuring Where
You Stand - and How You Compare to the Great
Champions of the Past

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

Vol. 3 - Old-School Progression Systems - How
to Make Steady Progress Without Going Stale or
Burning Out

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

All three courses are also available in Kindle and
PDF editions - see the links for Kindle and PDF
courses in P.S. 2. at the bottom of this email.

2. The Strength Secrets Facebook Group

I believe in hard work and heavy iron - and so do the members of the Strength Secrets Facebook group.

John Wood has created a special, members only
Facebook group focusing on old-school strength
training and muscle building, Iron Game history,
old time physical culture, and everything else that
Dinos like.

Go here to apply for membership - and be sure to
tell him I sent you:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/strengthsecrets/

Join up, head over, and say hi to your fellow
Dinosaurs!

3. Trudi's Super Nutrition Drink

It's the middle of the flu season - and Trudi
works at a health care facility - so she's
extra careful to do everything she can to
stay healthy.

One of her secrets is the Super Nutrition
Drink.

Use a juicer to make it.

If you don't have a juicer, a hand-mixer or
blender will work fine - except you'll have
more of a smoothie than an actual juice.

If you make a smoothie, you'll need to
add water before mixing or blending.

For superb good health, always eat plenty of foods packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals - and supplement your meals with Trudi's super nutrition drink.

Here's the recipe:

1. Juice some fresh ginger root. Use one or
TBS of ginger juice for your drink. Pour it into
a glass and set it to the side until you mix the
other ingredients.

You'll probably have extra ginger juice. If
you do, set it aside and save it separately
for later use.

Ginger is highly anti-inflammatory and
is great for your immune system.

CAUTION: fresh ginger is strong stuff -
so don't go wild and overdo it the first
time! Start with a TSP or two - not a
TBS - and get used to it. From there,
build up to one or two TBS of ginger
juice.

I got inspired as I typed this Blog post, so I whipped up a quick Super Nutrition Drink with an apple, strawberries, a teaspoon of fresh squeezed lime juice and a tablespoon of fresh ginger juice. 

2. Now juice any fresh fruit of your
choice.

Trudi likes apples, oranges, lemon,
grapefruit, or berries.

You can use one fruit or two fruits that
would work well together. For example,
oranges and berries go well together -
and so do apples and berries, or apples
and lemons.

Fresh fruit is packed with antioxidants
and phytochemicals that will work with
the ginger juice to help rev up your
immune system.

Health warriors.

NOTE: if you're short on time, just mix
the ginger juice in some unsweetened
100% fruit juice. Berry, cherry and
pomegranite juice are VERY healthy.

NOTE 2: Here's a bonus for you! One
8 oz. glass of pomegranate juice every
day for just a couple of weeks increased
testosterone levels in men by almost 20
percent! (And they weren't even training -
so imagine what would happen if you
were doing regular Dino-style workouts
while drinking pomegranate juice every
day.)

3. Optional - juice one or two carrots.

These go well with citrus fruit or berries.
They also go well with apples.

Carrots provide additional antioxidants
and phytochemicals which will increase
the health benefits of the drink.

4. Mix the fruit juice (or fruit and carrot
juice) with the ginger juice - give it a stir -
and enjoy!

As far as amounts go - two pieces of
fruit, two carrots and two TBS of ginger
juice will make a small (4 to 6 oz) serving.

That's all you need, because there is so
much concentrated nutrition in this drink.

Give it a try, and let me know how you
like this super-nutritious and super-
healthy drink!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I have plenty of other recipes and
nutrition tips in Knife, Fork, Muscle:

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

P.S. 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. 4. Thought for the Day: 


"Strong is good, but strong and healthy
is better."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

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

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

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