Top Tips on Effective Warm-Ups for Dinos!

Retro lifting at Dino Headquarters always begins with a long, thorough and complete warm-up. It's a must for anyone, but a double must for an older lifter.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week we talked about stretching, and
whether it was good or bad for you.

I noted that when I was in high school,
stretching was the big deal in athletics.

The coaches had us do all sorts of stretches
before and after every practice and every
competition. It was supposed to prevent
injuries.

That theory has pretty much fallen by the
wayside over the years.

We've learned several important things,
and they've made coaches change what
they do.

Here's what we now know:

1. Too much stretching lowers a muscle's
strength and power potential -- so it's
NOT a good idea to do tons of stretching
before a heavy workout (or a football game
or a wrestling match or anything else
where strength and power is important).

2. Stretching can injure a "cold" muscle
or its attachments.

3. You get a better and fuller stretch when
the muscles and joints are warmed up and
looser.

For all of these reasons, most coaches
now have their athletes do stretching at
the end of a workout or a practice rather
than before.

Of course, some of us do need some
stretching before we train, usually for
a particular joint that needs extra work
to warm up and get loose. For example,
I always stretch my ankles before a
workout.

My workouts always begin with a good warm-up, followed by my first sets with an empty bar, and then gradually going up to heavier weights. Older trainees need longer warm-ups than younger trainees.

But most of my warming-up follows
these general guidelines:

1. The best way to prepare for a workout
(or a practice or a competition) is to do a
warm-up that involves light movements
rather than the static stretches we did
"back in the day".

a. For example, you might prepare for a
squatting or deadlifting workout by doing
deep knee bends with no added weight.

b. Or you might do squats, front squats
or overhead squats with a length of PVC
pipe or broomstick.

c. And you might use light Indian clubs to
loosen up your shoulders and upper back
before hitting the iron.

2. Do enough warming-up so that the joints
and the muscles are ready for the heavier
stuff, but don't do so many reps that you
start to get a pump. It's a warm-up, not
a workout. Five to ten deep knee bends (or
several sets of five to ten) may be all it
takes.

a. I usually do sets of three to five reps in
the overhead squat with a broomstick as
part of my warm-up. That's light and easy,
of course, but it does the trick.

3. Start light and perform the specific
exercise or lift you are planning to work --
and use a series of progressively heavier
warm-up sets performed in perfect form
to prepare you for the heavy stuff.

a. Remember that many or most top
weightlifters will start with the empty
bar for their first warm-up set -- even
if they work up to world-class weights
for their final sets.

4. Older trainees need more warming up
than younger trainees.

a. The older you get, the more time you
need to devote to your warm-ups.

b. At age 60, I now spend about 20
minutes on warm-ups before I even
touch the barbell -- and then I begin
with super light sets with the empty
bar and progress gradually from
there.

The barbell doesn't need a warm-up, but YOU do!

5. If you have time to train, you have time
to do a proper warm-up.

6. During the warm-up, concentrate deeply
on what you are doing. Don't just "run
through" the warm-up movements and the
warm-up sets. FOCUS on them.

a. Use the warm-up to help shift from the
everyday world we live in to the inner
universe we lift in.

7. Concentration and focus means no talking,
no goofing around, no distractions and (gasp!)
no social media.

And that's my take on warming-up. It's not
complicated, but it's not like the stuff the
coaches had us do 40 years ago.

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. We had a three way tie for our most
popular training books last week. Do YOU
have them all?

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Knife, Fork, Muscle

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train smart,
and as you grow older, train smarter."
-- Brooks Kubik

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

How to Keep Your Shoulders Healthy and Strong

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a lot of questions about
shoulder issues -- dings, dents, exercises
that help, exercises that hurt, and possible
work-arounds.

It seems that many trainees - especially older
trainees - have shoulder problems that hold
them back - and that's a shame.

So I thought I'd cover some of the key points
in today's email. Hope it helps!

1. Use light Indian clubs every day.

Light Indian clubs -- not heavy ones! Five or
ten minutes of light club work is great for
shoulder health -- especially if you work at
a computer or keyboard all day long.

I got this tip directly from Tommy Kono, so
I think of it as "gold medal" training advice.
I use my Indian clubs every day, and it
really helps -- as in, it keeps me doing
Olympic lifting at close to 60 years of
age.

Get your clubs from John Wood:

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

2. Focus on overhead pressing.

Focus on overhead pressing rather than bench
pressing. Bench pressing is much harder on the
shoulders. Old-time lifters had fewer shoulder
problems than modern lifters, in part because
they did lots of overhead work and very little
bench pressing or similar movements.

If overhead presses hurt, then try push
presses or use dumbbells - or kettlebells.

3. Avoid the "stretch."

If you do dumbbell bench presses, dips or
other movements where you can go really
low and "stretch" the chest and shoulders,
be very careful -- and DON"T over-do the
stretch. That's where many shoulder injuries
happen.

4. Skip those McDonald Bar bench presses.

Bench press superstar Mike McDonald used a
special bench press bar in training. It allowed
a greater range of movement, i.e, a deep
stretch at the bottom. Don't do these --
they can hurt you. See point no. 3 above.

5. Stop doing the press behind neck.

This is a tough one for many of us, because
we grew up reading about Reg Park ramming
300 pounds overhead in the press behind neck.

The problem is, for many of us, the press behind
neck leads to shoulder problems. Military presses,
push presses and dumbbell presses are much
easier on the shoulders.

6. No machines!

Pullover machines and pec decs are certified
shoulder destroyers. This is especially true if
you "go for the stretch" when you do them.

7. No flies or pullovers.

Flies or pullovers can also lead to shoulder
problems. They're not very effective muscle
builders in any event, so why do them?

Note: I am referring to heavy pullovers.
Light, breathing pullovers after a set of
squats are okay because you use a very
light weight when you do them.

So there you have it -- seven tips for shoulder
health. I hope they help -- and I hope you keep
your shoulders healthy and strong for a very,
very long 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. Gray Hair and Black Iron covers training for
older Dinos -- and if you're age 40 or older, you
need this book. It will help you enormously:

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

P.S. 2.Dinosaur Dumbbell Training has some
terrific shoulder builders - and remember, many
trainees find dumbbells much easier and more
forgiving than barbells:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Shoulders are like
knees. You only have two of them, so take care
of them." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Dumbbell presses were one of John Grimek's favorite exercises.

 
Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Training Strength
Archive

We have a new e-book for you at our
Amazon Kindle page:

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

This is the e-book version of book 1
in my new series, The Dinosaur Training
Strength Archive, which collects the best
of my articles from the original Dinosaur
Files monthly newsletter that I began
publishing way back in 1997.

If you prefer hard-copy, go here to
grab it:

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

2. Indian Clubs

We've been talking a bit about Indian Clubs,
and many readers have asked where to get
them and what weight to use.

Get the one pound clubs -- that's all you
need -- and get them from John Wood:

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

3. Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Shoulder problems are very common among
trainees of any age, and in particular, among
older trainees.

Some of that is due to age-related wear and
tear -- some to dings and dents going back
to an old accident or injury --  and some to
our modern lifestyle where we spend so much
time hunched over a keyboard.

But some of it is the direct result of the
exercises we do.

Like it or not, some exercises are very
tough on our shoulders.

Here are the seven exercises that seem to
cause or contribute to shoulder problems
more often than any others:

1. The Pull-over Torso machine

The original version of the Nautilus pull-
over torso machine had an enormous
range of motion, and pulled your upper
arm way back behind your head -- which
led to serious problems for many trainees.

You weren't stretching the muscles in that
position. You were literally pulling the
shoulder joint apart on every rep.

I believe that later models of the pull-over
torso machine use a reduced ROM -- but
I think back to the problems the original
machine caused for me, and I say, "Thanks,
but no thanks."

2. Straight Arm Pull-overs

Same problem if you do these with heavy
weight. If you do them with very light weight
and use them solely as a chest expansion
exercise after your squats, that's okay --
just don't go crazy with the stretch!

3. Bent Arm Pull-overs

Same problem. Skip them.

4. Parallel Bar Dips

Some trainees can do these with no problem,
and others have hurt themselves badly by
doing dips. The problem seems to be when
you go too low. That deep stretch position
may feel like you're hitting the deep fibers
of the chest, but you're over-stretching
your shoulder joints every time you do it.

If you MUST do dips, don't go too low -- and
don't drop and bounce!

5. The press behind neck

I used to love the press behind neck. It's a
great shoulder builder -- but it, too, can lead
to shoulder problems. Skip it, and stick to
military presses and dumbbell presses.

6. Behind the neck pull-downs

These were hugely popular when I was a
kid, but there's not much point in doing them.
They're not a very good exercise, and they're
very hard on the shoulders. Pull-downs and
pull-ups to the chest are much safer and
more effective.

7. McDonald Bar Bench Presses

The McDonald Bar is a special bench press bar
that allows you to lower your elbows way far
down on each rep. The idea is that the increased
ROM stimulates more muscle fibers. In fact, it
over-stretches the shoulder joints.

There you have it. Seven shoulder wreckers.

Do yourself a big favor, and replace them with
other, safer and more effective exercises.

And yes, dumbbell flies and pec dec squeezes
almost made the list -- except I doubt that many
Dinos ever do them.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Many Dinos have found that Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training is easier on their shoulders than
anything else:

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.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: "Train hard, but
train smart. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Top Tips on Effective Warm-ups for Dinosaurs!

Bob Hoffman performing a hip lift with the World's Biggest Dumbbell, owned by legendary strongman Warren Lincoln Travis, who stands watching with interest. I hope Hoffman warmed up before trying this lift!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week we talked about stretching, and
whether it was good or bad for you.

I noted that when I was in high school,
stretching was the big deal in athletics.
The coaches had us to all sorts of stretches
before and after every practice and every
competition. It was supposed to prevent
injuries.

That theory has pretty much fallen by the
wayside over the years.

We've learned several important things,
and they've made coaches change what
they do.

Here's what we now know:

1. Too much stretching lowers a muscle's
strength and power potential -- so it's
NOT a good idea to do tons of stretching
before a heavy workout (or a football game
or a wrestling match or anything else
where strength and power is important).

2. Stretching can injure a "cold" muscle
or its attachments.

3. You get a better and fuller stretch when
the muscles and joints are warmed up and
looser.

For all of these reasons, most coaches
now have their athletes do stretching at
the end of a workout or a practice rather
than before.

Of course, some of us do need some
stretching before we train, usually for
a particular joint that needs extra work
to warm up and get loose. For example,
I always stretch my ankles before a
workout.

But most of my warming up follows
these general guidelines:

1. The best way to prepare for a workout
(or a practice or a competition) is to do a
warm-up that involves light movements
rather than the static stretches we did
"back in the day".

a. For example, you might prepare for a
squatting or deadlifting workout by doing
deep knee bends with no added weight.

b. Or you might do squats, front squats
or overhead squats with a length of PVC
pipe or broomstick.

c. Or you might use light Indian clubs to
loosen up your shoulders and upper back
before hitting the iron.

2. Do enough warming-up so that the joints
and the muscles are ready for the heavier
stuff, but don't do so many reps that you
start to have a pump. It's a warm-up, not
a workout. Five to ten deep knee bends (or
several sets of five to ten) may be all it
takes.

a. I usually do sets of three to five reps in
the overhead squat with a broomstick as
part of my warm-up. That's light and easy,
of course, but it does the trick.

3. Start light and perform the specific
exercise or lift you are planning to work --
and use a series of progressively heavier
warm-up sets performed in perfect form
to prepare you for the heavy stuff.

a. Remember that many or most top
weightlifters will start with the empty
bar for their first warm-up set -- even
if they work up to world-class weights
for their final sets.

4. Older trainees need more warming up
than younger trainees.

a. The older you get, the more time you
need to devote to your warm-ups.

b. At age 58, I now spend about 20
minutes on warm-ups before I even
touch the barbell -- and then I begin
with warm-up sets with the empty bar.

5. If you have time to train, you have time
to do a proper warm-up.

6. During the warm-up, concentrate deeply
on what you are doing. Don't just "run
through" the warm-up movements and the
warm-up sets. FOCUS on them.

a. Use the warm-up to help shift from the
everyday world we live in to the inner
universe we lift in.

7. Concentration and focus means no talking,
no goofing around, no distractions and (gasp!)
no social media.

And that's my take on warming-up. It's not
complicated, but it's not like the stuff the
coaches had us do 40 years ago.

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. We had a three way tie for our most
popular books last week:

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Knife, Fork, Muscle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "Train smart,
and as you grow older, train smarter."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Physical Culture Radio

Abe Boshes, old-school champion.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I do a regular weekly podcast with Carl Lanore, the founder of SuperHuman Radio. It's called Physical Culture Radio, and it's live at 12:00 EST on Thursdays.  If you miss the live show, you can listen to the podcast at your convenience.

Here's  a link to last week's show:

http://superhumanradio.com/shr-1739-physical-culture-radio-indian-clubs-the-10-000-kicks-rule-stretching-friend-or-foe-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-apples.html

Hope you enjoy it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

A Gold Medal Tip for Healthy Shoulders

The Dinosaur Dungeon. Note the Indian clubs back against the far wall.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a gold medal training tip for
shoulder health.

I call it a gold medal tip because I
got it from Tommy Kono -- and Tommy
Kono is a two-time Olympic gold medal
winner and six-time World champion in
weightlifting.

We were talking about the neoprene
knee sleeves that so many lifters use
to help sore knees. Tommy invented
them back in the 1960s. The first ones
were made from an old scuba suit.

I told Tommy that the knee sleeves had
probably saved more lifting careers than
anything else ever invented -- and then
I said, "I wish there was something
similar for the shoulders."

"Do you have shoulder problems?" he
asked.

"I do," I said. "I hurt my right shoulder
when I was in high school, and it's
bothered me ever since."

"Well, I know something that might help,"
he said. "It's something that I do every
day. It's really good for the shoulders."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Indian clubs," said Tommy.

"Indian clubs?"

"That's right. I swing them every day. They
make my shoulders feel great."

Well, as I said, that was a gold medal tip.

And you don't get too many gold medal
tips in life.

So I ordered a pair of light wooden Indian
clubs from John Wood -- and I started to
swing them -- and they've been a regular
part of my training program ever since.

In fact, I hit the iron last night -- a workout
consisting of all squat style snatches, which
require strong and flexible shoulders -- and
I started the workout with 10 minutes of
club swinging to get my shoulders nice and
loose.

It worked, too. I had a great workout.

I wish I had started to use Indian clubs when
I was a kid. They might have saved me from
some of the shoulder problems that I've had
over the years.

Still, as they say, it's better late than never.

And I'm very happy that I'm using them now.
Dinos need heavy iron -- but they also need
some light wooden Indian clubs. The clubs
are a very simple training tool -- but they
can make all the difference in the world.

And that's your gold medal tip of the day.

I hope it helps -- especially for anyone who
has nagging shoulder problems of one sort
or another.

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 bought my Indian clubs from John
Wood. The one-pounders are probably
best; if you want to go heavier, grab the
two-pounders:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's nothing
wrong with old-fashioned and simple as long
as it works." -- Brooks Kubik

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

New Shoulders In a Box (With an Important Update)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I sent this email out earlier in the year, 
but I wanted to send it out again for two
reasons.

First, I recently got an email from a
Dino who ordered the Top Squat and
the Log Bar from John Wood, and says
that they have really helped with some 
shoulder problems. (Which is something
I hear fairly often.)

Second -- I have heard through the
grapevine that the Top Squat may not
be available much longer, and if you
want one, you should take immediate
action.

And since shoulders are important,
I thought I should dust off this email
and fire it on out to you.

So here goes . . .
 
We were talking about preserving and 
protecting your shoulders last week, 
and that reminded me of some things
that are awfully good for them.

They're tools that I use, and they're
tools that many Dinos use -- particularly,
many older Dinos. I've suggested them to
readers before, and whenever I do, I always 
get emails a month or two later from someone
who says, "Took your advice -- and it
really helped."

But they're also important tools for younger
Dinos. If you start using them NOW, your 
shoulders will be in better shape when
you're older. 

So here they are:

1. The Dave Draper Top Squat

Many older trainees find it hard to
hold onto a squat bar when they do back 
squats -- and some can't even get into
position to do the movement. Their
shoulders just aren't flexible enough.

So they end up doing front squats or
Trap Bar squats -- or skipping their 
leg work -- or doing second and third
rate exercises like leg extensions or
leg presses.

Enter the Dave Draper Top Squat.

This is a simple device that fits onto
your barbell and allows you to hold the
bar in position with your hands out to
the front.

You're tight, solid and in complete 
control -- and there's no problem
getting into proper position, even
if you have the tightest shoulders 
in the world. 

You can buy this direct from Dave Draper,
or order it from John Wood (who sells the
Top Squat under a license with Dave Draper).

To order from Dave Draper:

http://www.davedraper.com/top-squat.html

To order from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1

2. Indian Clubs

Indian clubs are light (1 to 2 pound)
wooden clubs that look a little like
skinny bowling pins.

They were popular in the 1880's, 1890's
and early 1900's, and many of you my age
can recall seeing them lying around a
school gym or YMCA when you were young.

You use them to perform a variety of
shoulder exercises, using rotational
movements and moving the shoulder joints
through a wide range of motion.

They're not a strength builder. They're
a way to keep your shoulders loose,
flexible and supple. 

Note that you do NOT need heavy clubs.
You want them light. One pound clubs
are plenty, and 1.5 pounders are also
good. Two pound clubs are as heavy as I
would recommend.

I started to use them on the advice of
Tommy Kono -- so you can say that this is
a Gold Medal Training Tip -- coming from 
a two-time Olympic Gold Medal Winner and
six-time World Champion. 

I use the clubs as a part of my regular
warm-up in every workout, and they work
GREAT. 

How great?

Well, I'm 57, and I've had more than my
share of shoulder problems - starting with 
a bad injury when I was a high school
wrestler 40 years ago. 

But I can do squat snatches -- and that
requires pretty darn flexible (and strong
and health) shoulders. 

And the Indian clubs have helped me do it.

I ordered my clubs from John Wood:

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

So there you have it. Two unique tools
to help preserve and protect your shoulders.

Grab them now. It will be like getting new
shoulders in a box.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover plenty of other  tips about
preserving and protecting your shoulders
in Gray Hair and Black Iron and the Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course:

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.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: "Treat your 
shoulders right. They deserve it." -- Brooks
Kubik 

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

New Shoulders in a Box!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We were talking about preserving and
protecting your shoulders last week,
and that reminded me of some things
that are awfully good for them.

They're tools that I use, and they're
tools that many Dinos use -- particularly,
many older Dinos. I've suggested them to
readers before, and whenever I do, I always
get emails a month or two later from someone
who says, "Took your advice -- and it
really helped."

But they're also important tools for younger
Dinos. If you start using them NOW, your
shoulders will be in better shape when
you're older.

So here they are:

1. The Dave Draper Top Squat

Many older trainees find it hard to
hold onto a squat bar when they do back
squats -- and some can't even get into
position to do the movement. Their
shoulders just aren't flexible enough.

So they end up doing front squats or
Trap Bar squats -- or skipping their
leg work -- or doing second and third
rate exercises like leg extensions or
leg presses.

Enter the Dave Draper Top Squat.

This is a simple device that fits onto
your barbell and allows you to hold the
bar in position with your hands out to
the front.

You're tight, solid and in complete
control -- and there's no problem
getting into proper position, even
if you have the tightest shoulders
in the world.

You can buy this direct from Dave Draper,
or order it from John Wood (who sells the
Top Squat under a license with Dave Draper).

To order from Dave Draper:

http://www.davedraper.com/top-squat.html

To order from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1

2. Indian Clubs

Indian clubs are light (1 to 2 pound)
wooden clubs that look a little like
skinny bowling pins.

They were popular in the 1880's, 1890's
and early 1900's, and many of you my age
can recall seeing them lying around a
school gym or YMCA when you were young.

You use them to perform a variety of
shoulder exercises, using rotational
movements and moving the shoulder joints
through a wide range of motion.

They're not a strength builder. They're
a way to keep your shoulders loose,
flexible and supple.

Note that you do NOT need heavy clubs.
You want them light. One pound clubs
are plenty, and 1.5 pounders are also
good. Two pound clubs are as heavy as I
would recommend.

I started to use them on the advice of
Tommy Kono -- so you can say that this is
a Gold Medal Training Tip -- coming from
a two-time Olympic Gold Medal Winner and
six-time World Champion.

I use the clubs as a part of my regular
warm-up in every workout, and they work
GREAT.

How great?

Well, I'm 57, and I've had more than my
share of shoulder problems - starting with
a bad injury when I was a high school
wrestler 40 years ago.

But I can do squat snatches -- and that
requires pretty darn flexible (and strong
and health) shoulders.

And the Indian clubs have helped me do it.

I ordered my clubs from John Wood:

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

So there you have it. Two unique tools
to help preserve and protect your shoulders.

Grab them now. It will be like getting new
shoulders in a box.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover plenty of other  tips about
preserving and protecting your shoulders
in Gray Hair and Black Iron and the Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course:

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

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.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: "Treat your
shoulders right. They deserve it." -- Brooks
Kubik

A New Twist in My Training

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last night I trained in the Fortress of
Strength, a/k/a The Dinosaur Dungeon
(although I actually train in the garage
now, so it's not really a dungeon).

I did a 15 minute general warm-up to get
loose and limber, and then did power
snatches, followed by dumbbell snatches
dumbbell swings.

It took about 90 minutes. That's a long
workout for me, but I've been training
extra hard lately. I guess the Olympics
have got me fired up!

I've been doing something interesting,
and I wanted to share it with you. I'm
training every day now -- sort of.

I hit the iron 3 times a week, on Tues,
Thurs and Sun. But on the other days,
I go out to the F of S, a/k/a the D D,
a/k/a the garage, and do 30 to 45
minutes of stretching and mobility
work, focusing on the muscle groups
that are tightest and on the parts of
the body that need to be as loose and
limber as possible for Olympic style
weightlifting.

For example, I need loose, limber
shoulders to do snatches, cleans and
jerks, so I do a combination of static
and dynamic stretches for my shoulders,
along with five or ten minutes of Indian
club work.

This is actually similar to something
I did as a high school wrestler. Back
then (don't ask me how long ago) I
would do up to an hour of stretching
and flexibility work every day.

It worked pretty well. I was so flexible
that I could get out of holds by going
into weird positions that the other guy
had never seen before because he'd never
wrestled anyone as flexible.

My only problem was that the referee
would stop the action sometimes right
when I was about to reverse a guy or
score a take-down because he thought
I was going to hurt myself.

I used to say, "I'm fine, ref -- let me
wrestle!"

Anyhow, at age 55, I'm not going to
turn back into the Junior Rubber Man
that I was when I was 17 -- but I bet
I can improve my current levels of
flexibility pretty significantly.

Anyhow, yesterday was a lifting day.
Today will be a stretching and mobility
day. And I'll also do plenty of form and
technique work with a broomstick. That
will set things up nicely for Thursday,
when I hit the iron again.

By the way, my power snatches last night
went up like rockets and felt better than
they have in ages. It looks like the extra
shoulder stretches and Indian Club work
are already starting to pay off.

I'll keep you posted on my progress -- so
stay tuned to the Dino Channel!

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. Step up and reserve your copy of my
new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell training during
big pre-publication special:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.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: "Review your
strengths and weaknesses, and then work hard
to turn your weaknesses into strengths."
-- Brooks Kubik