The Save Your Life Neck Training Workout - And More!

 

The Save Your Life Neck Workout is a must-read for anyone interested in wrestling, bjj, grappling or any other combat sport - and it's pretty darn important for everyone else, as well. By the way, that's World Champion Lou Thesz applying the toe hold in the above photo - and he did a heck of a lot of neck training over the years.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Are you reading the new Dinosaur
Files monthly newsletter?

I hope so, because every issue is a
goldmine of information.

It's 8 to 12 pages per issue - a fast,
fun read - available in PDF format
with immediate electronic delivery -
and it's printable, so you can print
each issue and save it in your
strength training and muscle
building collection.

And if you don't have a printer, just
talk to your local Kinko's or other
printing center. You can email The
Dino Files to them, and they can
print it for you for a nominal charge -
and it will be ready by the time you
walk into the shop.

We started this format with the Oct,
2017 issue - and it seems to work
pretty well. It saves a ton on postage,
especially for our overseas Dinos.

We've had great feedback on each
issue - and that's not surprising,
because each issue is loaded with
valuable training tips and workouts.

For example . . .

The October 2017 issue includes:

1. a stonelifting workout that you
can do on its own or once a week
in combination with barbell and
dumbbell workouts; and

2. a 3-day per week workout used
with great success by a 58-year
old Dinosaur

The November 2017 issue covers:

1. one-hand barbell lifts,

2. Bone Strength Training,

3. outdoor training,

4. a six-exercise, total-body HIT
workout,

5. a sled-pulling and tire flipping
workout; and

6. The Save Your Life Neck
Training Workout

By the way, people often ask me about
strength training for wrestling, bjj and
martial arts - and The Save Your Life
Neck Training Workout is a pretty
good place to start.

The December 2017 issue features
a very effective six-day per week
workout that you can modify to
do your choice of:

1 exercise per workout

2 exercises per workout

or

3 exercises per workout

This has been one of our most
popular workouts - and one of
our most popular issues.

The January 2018 issue covers:

1. Bone density and celiac disease,

2. Cold weather workouts,

3. Lower back rehab,

4. Handstand pushup progressions,

5. A kettlebell workout, and

6. A special mass-building program
for Dinos (which is a little bit different
than most of my suggested workouts -
but very effective and lots of fun)

The February 2018 issue includes:

1. Training for older Dinos,

2. A three-day per week program,

3. A flexible daily training program
with complete training schedules for
both indoor and outdoor training -
giving you more than a dozen
workouts to try.

As you can see, we pack tons of great
info into each issue - and all of it is
practical and effective. In the words
of my good friend, Mike Thompson,
it's "the real thing."

You can grab the Oct, Nov, Dec and
Jan issues right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

And you can grab the February 2018
issue right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-february2018pdf.html

I'll send links to other issues of The
Dinosaur Files in a separate email -
because this one is plenty long
already!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want a subscription to The
Dinosaur Files, we can make it happen.
I can even do hard-copy subscriptions for
those of you here in the USA. Just shoot
me an email and ask for the details.

An Unbeatable Combination!

 

Earle Liederman had one of the thickest, most massive necks imaginable. A thick, powerful neck is a sign of remarkable strength and vitality.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last night I got a very interesting and
encouraging email from one of our long-
time Dinos.

He was talking about real-world, no-
nonsense, Dino-style strength training -
the kind that includes:

1. Tendon and ligament training

2. Bone strength training

3. Old-school neck training

Here's what he had to say:

"Hi Brooks,

Just picked up the November issue of
the Dinosaur Files, and have already
read the section on neck training.

I have always trained my neck because
I like the look of a thick, powerful neck.

I wanted to see what you recommended,
and I will be adding your neck training
program to my workouts - beginning
with my very next workout, which is
tomorrow morning. I can't wait to get
started!

BTW, I am an almost 53-year old Dino -
and I have been training for 41 years
now.

I am also doing the exercises from John
Wood's Bone Strength Project. My body
is responding already - and very rapidly.
Just finished my first month of Bone
Strength work.

Keep up the great work!

John B."

John - Thanks for your email. I'm glad to
hear that you are going to try the neck
training program - and equally glad to
hear that you are also doing the Bone
Strength Program.

The two programs make an unbeatable
combination - and will help make you as
as strong, sturdy and as injury-proof as
possible.

Keep me posted on your training and
your progress - and be sure to let John
Wood know about your experiences with
the Bone Strength Project.

And finally - congratulations on 41 years
of training. Not many people can say that -
and if they can, they're probably Dinosaurs!

To everyone else - if you're not already doing
so, why not join John and try my Save Your
Life Neck Training Program - along with John
Wood's Bone Strength Project?

The two really do make an unbeatable
combination - in part because they help
strengthen your spine from top to bottom -
which is a very good thing, especially be-
cause a strong spine means a strong
nervous system - and that means all
kinds of good things for your muscles,
your brain and your internal organs.

George F. Jowett wrote about this way
back in the 1920's - and he was
absolutely right.

The November Dinosaur Files has the Save
Your Life Neck Training Program - and you
can grab it right here for not much more
than the cost of a double latte with extra
whipped cream and a cherry:

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

The Bone Strength Project is outlined in
issue no. 4 of The Train Hard Bulletin -
and that's the price of a double latte
and some pocket change:

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bone-strength-projectPDF.html

Please keep me posted on your
experiences with both the neck
training course and the Bone
Strength Project. Your feedback
is always important!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Something to Think About

A classic photo of old-time wrestling and weightlifting champion, George Hackenschmidt. He's thick and massive from head to toe - but take a close second look at the thickness of his neck. Almost all of the old-timers specialized in neck training - and it shows!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Did you know that many of the old-time
strongmen and weightlifting champions
were also wrestlers?

And that many weightlifting gyms were
also wrestling gyms - and vice-versa?

It's true.

At least, it was true back in Europe.

Not so much in the USA, simply because
there wasn't much weightlifting in the
USA back then.

Back in the day - the 1860's or 1870's
through World War I (or perhaps even
into the 1920's), most of the top strong-
men and weightlifters in Europe also did
plenty of wrestling.

George Hackenschmidt, the famous
"Russian Lion," was both a weightlifting
champion and record holder and a great
wrestling champion.

George Lurich set a world record in the
one-hand jerk - and also won plenty of
wrestling titles.

George F. Jowett was a famous lifter and
strongman - but he also doubled as a
wrestling champion.

Arthur Saxon was one of the most famous
strongmen of the era - but he also did
plenty of wrestling.

The list goes on and on. It includes all or
substantially all of the old-time European
strongmen and weightlifters.

In Europe, the strongmen traveled from
city to city, engaging in hugely popular
weightlifting contests. Back in those days,
weightlifting contests were a popular thing
to see, and people paid good money to
watch an afternoon of top notch lifting.

And people also paid good money to see
top notch wrestling.

So the promoters got smart, and paid
what it took to bring the strongmen to
town - but then doubled their ticket
sales but hosting TWO events with the
same men - a lifting event, and a
separate wrestling event.

One of the results of this was that all old-
time strongmen had truly excellent neck
development.

That's because wrestling builds the neck
muscles - and because wrestlers do plenty
of bridging - and because the old-school,
stand on your feat weightlifting that these
men did was great for building the traps
(which is a necessary part of effective
neck training).

Later, wrestlers and weightlifters drifted
apart.

In the 1940's, Henry Wittenberg, one of
the best amateur wrestlers in the USA, had
to do his weight training in secret so his
coach wouldn't find out about it. (It worked,
too, because Wittenberg won an Olympic
gold medal in 1948 and a silver medal in
1952.)

And when bodybuilding became the big
thing on the weight training side of things,
some men actually stopped training their
neck at all - because they thought it would
make their arms and shoulders look bigger!

Anyhow, I happen to think that the old-
school way of doing things was the best.
Nothing beats a combination of all-around
strength training PLUS specialized neck
training.

It builds a strong, thick, massive, and
impressive neck - one that tells the entire
at the very first glance that YOU are a man
to be reckoned with!

That's the kind of development you want.

A strong, thick, powerful neck - just like
all of the old-timer champions.

To help you do that, I've included an all
new, complete neck training course in
the November issue of The Dinosaur
Files newsletter.

You can find it right here:

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

Go ahead and grab it today - and start
the neck course tonight - and build the
very biggest, thickest and most powerful
neck possible.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The November Dino Files is available
in a PDF edition with immediate electronic
delivery.

The PDF is printable, so if you prefer a
hard-copy, order the PDF and print it --
and you'll have an instant hard-copy to
save in your collection.

If you don't have a printer, send me
an email and we'll see what we can do
for you.

Also, if you prefer to subscribe to The
Dino Files rather than order each issue
as it becomes available, shoot me an
email and we'll work up a special
subscription package for you.

The Save Your Life Neck Training Workout

George F. Jowett shows some serious, old-school neck development in this classic photo.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'll keep this short and sweet.

The single most neglected muscle group
is also one of the most important.

In fact, maximal development of this
muscle group may save your life.

And yet, most people ignore it entirely.
Even coaches - who are charged with
the health and safety of their athletes -
often ignore it.

I'm talking about the neck.

And if you think I'm overstating things,
consider this. Over the years, we've had
Dinos who literally owed their life to the
size, strength and thickness of their neck
muscles.

We've had Dinos who:

1. Survived terrible car crashes. (I'm one
of them - it was  head-on collision on a
country road - and pieces of my car were
scattered all over a cornfield for a hundred
or more feet from the site of the crash. But
I walked away from it.)

2. Being hit by a car or truck while riding a
bike or a motorcycle.

3. Motorcycle crashes.

4. Bad industrial accidents.

5. Being hit or pinned by falling machinery
or heavy equipment.

6. Climbing accidents.

7. Getting hit by a speeding car while crossing
the street.

8. Not getting choked out in a real life combat
situation - as in, hand to hand combat on the
battlefield while in the military.

9. Getting hit by a cannonball (i.e., a shot
put) while at a track and field meet.

10. Getting hit by a cannonball (a hammer)
at a Highland Games event.

Now, I hope none of these (or anything
similar) ever happens to you. But if it does,
I hope you've done plenty of the right kind
of neck training.

That's why the workout of the month in
the November issue of The Dinosaur Files
is called "The Save Your Life Neck Training
Workout."

It's a complete course on training your neck
and traps. It's all there, with everything you
need to know. Equipment, sets, reps, how
often to train, the whole thing.

And this alone is worth the modest price
of the entire issue.

Especially if - as might happen - it saves
your life someday.

Go here to grab the little monster in PDF
format with immediate electronic download:

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

The PDF is printable, so if you prefer a
hard-copy, order the PDF and print it --
and you'll have an instant hard-copy to
save in your collection.

If you don't have a printer, send me
an email and we'll see what we can do
for you.

But whatever you do, get this issue of
The Dinosaur Files - follow the course -
and build the thickest, strongest, most
powerful neck possible.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Exercises for Great Backs -- And Some Advice that Helped Save My Life!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The July 1970 issue of Peary Rader's IronMan
magazine had a ton of great articles --
including "Exercises for Great Backs" by
Bradley J. Steiner.

It was part of Steiner's famous four-part
series on "The Essential Exercises" -- and
it was a real eye-opener for a 12-year old
kid named Brooks Kubik.

Steiner was 100% old-school in his exercise
choices -- and his recomendations were VERY
different than what most people were doing
or advocating.

But, of course, his ideas worked. In fact,
they worked GREAT!

I read that article over and over until I
almost memorized it. To this day, 45 years
later, I can still tell you every exercise that
Steiner suggested -- and I can tell you some
exercises that he decided were only second-
best -- and some of the exercises on the "do"
and "don't do" list will surprise you.

In addition, Steiner suggested one exercise
that just might save your life someday. It's
an exercise for the neck -- and back then,
very few Iron Game authors bothered to
mention neck training, much less teach
their readers how to do it safely and
effectively.

In fact, many authors of the day told
their readers NOT to train the neck --
because a small neck would make their
arms and shoulders look bigger!!!

I thought it over and decided that the
"small neck is good" argument was a
very large barrel of hog-wash. So I
ignored it.

I followed Steiner's advice, and I trained
my neck hard. And seven years later, I
was in a horrendous auto accident -- a
head on collision with me driving a
Pinto station wagon and the other guy
driving a Thunderbird.

For the record, a Pinto station wagon
was a very bad vehicle to be driving
if you get into a high speed head on
collision.

Especially if the other guy is driving one
of those old model T-birds. Those things
were built like tanks.

He fell asleep at the wheel right as we
both went into a curve on a country
road in southwestern Ohio late at
night.

I was going about 60 miles an hour. He
was probably doing the same.

He moved right into my lane at exactly
the moment that our cars were about
to pass each other -- and pieces of my
little Pinto ended up scattered through
the corn fields on both sides of the
road.

To say it was totalled would be an
understatement. It was hard to tell
it had been a car. It looked like a
tin can that had been smashed with
a heavy hammer a couple of times.

The steering wheel was bent to a
90 degree angle -- and one of the
tires ended up a couple of hundred
feet down the road.

But I lived through it. In fact, I walked
away from the accident.

All I had were cuts and scratches from
the broken glass.

No broken bones. No soft tissue injuries.
No whiplash. No concussion.

And that was due in part to reading
Steiner's article in that old issue of
IronMan -- and doing a lot of serious
neck training because Steiner said to
do it.

I was thinking about this today because
that old issue of IronMan is now available
at The Iron League member site.

And not just Steiner's article.

The whole issue.

Along with a a ton of other great old-time
books, courses and magazines.

And more is being added all the time.
Go ahead and scoot on over and take a
look at what's available. I guarantee you
will see things you've never seen before --
and things you're going to want to read:

http://www.ironleague.com/

One of our fellow Dinosaurs has called
The Iron League the "Library of Congress
of Strength." That's a good name for it.

And who knows -- some 12 year old kid
might join The Iron League and read that
old article by Brad Steiner -- and he might
start training his neck -- and it just might
save his life someday.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Off Season Training for Wrestlers!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We just finished the end of the high
school and collegiate wrestling season,
and now I'm getting lots of letters and
emails asking about off-season training
programs for wrestlers.

So as a former wrestler, and long time
lifter, let me address the issue.

First and foremost, to be a good wrestler
you need to wrestle. The more mat time,
the better. So wrestling needs to be
part of your regular routine all year
round. 

Second, a wrestler's best hold is being
in great condition. To be a champion,
you need to be able to wrestle several
matches in one day -- all at full speed,
against top competition. And sooner or
later (or maybe often), you'll need to
win the match with an explosive move in
the very final seconds of action. That
takes great conditioning. So make
conditioning work a big part of your
program.

Nothing beats running. Roadwork and
sprints, including hill sprints, are
great. Bodyweight work is also great
for both strength and conditioning.
See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for
details:

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

Your strength training should be based
on Olympic lifting and related exercises,
supplemented by some bodyweight work. Do
NOT do "bodybuilding." Muscle pumping is
silly for a wrestler, because the last
thing you want to do is "pump up" during
a hard match. And you don't want to do
isolation exercises. You want to train
like an athlete -- meaning, you want to
do total body exercises that teach you
to move with power, precision and
explosiveness.

You'll want to train your neck and traps
extra hard. That means head-strap work
for the neck, along with the bridging
you do as part of your mat drills.

And you'll want to work your grip very,
very hard. A strong grip is one of your
best weapons on the mat.

As a brief aside, stay away from the
machines. They are useless for wrestlers.
I once saw a book that advocated a
wrestling workout where you did nothing
but machine training, and I wanted to
strangle the author. Any athlete who
followed the program would have been
doomed to second or third rate progress,
and that's not good if you're trying to
get into the best shape of your life to
make a serious run at a state or NCAA
title.

But getting back to the exercises --
one of the best things you can do as
a wrestler is to get some one on one
coaching from someone who coaches Olympic
weightlifting. If you live in the USA, go
to the USA Weightlifting website and find
the drop-down that lists the LWC's -- local
weightlifting clubs -- and find a club close
to you and go over and get some coaching.

Olympic lifting is the best thing in the
world for wrestlers, but you need to do it
right. And since you don't have time to
make training mistakes -- not if your goal
is to win a championship before you
finish high school (or college), you
need to get some coaching in the lifts
from someone who really knows them --
and that means a USAW-certified coach.

And on a slightly related note -- wear OL
shoes when you lift. You need the shoes to
support your feet, and you need them to
perform the lifts with proper technique.
Wrestling shoes won't work, and neither
will going barefoot -- and neither will
those Chuck Taylors you own and love.

I'll give a sample wrestling workout
tomorrow, but I wanted to cover some
basic points -- and that's what we
just did.

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 some great ideas on grip training,
grab a copy of Dinosaur Training:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.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: "Wrestling and
weightlifting go hand in hand." -- Brooks
Kubik

Did Grimek Do Curls? (And Other Questions from Dinos)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I am getting buried in questions from readers,
so I thought I’d cover some of them in an email.
When one or two (or ten) people have the same
question, others usually do, as well.

1. Do we ship to the UK?

Q. I am interested in purchasing a book from your
website and was wondering if you ship outside of
the US to the UK? -- Ash

A, We ship anywhere – including Outer Congolia.
The on-line order system automatically gives you
the correct rate for international shipping once
you input your shipping address. For multiple
send an email with what you want, tell us where
you live and ask for a shipping quote.

2. Snatches and Cleans from Blocks

Q. You have mentioned doing snatches off of blocks
lately. What is the advantage over doing hang
snatches? Seems to me they would be rather awkward
have never done them but have done many hang cleans
and snatches. Funny how sets of more than 3 reps
are counter productive sets when oly lifting. Hard
to hold form for more than 3 reps. -- Keith

A. I do most of my pulling from the platform, but
want to try some pulls, snatches and cleans from
blocks just for a change of pace and to see how
they feel. They’re supposed to be good for speed
and explosiveness. Consider it an experiment,
with yours truly as the test subject.

As for reps – you’re right. Three is about as high
as I go on any OL moves. Speed, form and technique
are critical.

3. Combining Progression Methods

Q. I want to tell you how pleased I am with your book
Chalk and Sweat. I had flu-like symptoms over the
holidays and ended my current cycle. Needless to
say, I made great gains. Thank you for your help
and inspirational emails and books.

I took a week layoff and cycled back my poundages
between 10-20% and have settled on program no. 21
in Chalk and Sweat. This is similar to what I was
doing, but I still need to focus on the basics and
getting my poundages up. The program calls for 3 x 5
work sets but I also like progressing by adding
reps/sets. Once the weights push me and I’m in new
poundage territory again would it be appropriate
to combine progression methods rather than straight
single progression with 3 x 5? For example, drop
to 3 x 3 and add reps until I get back to 3 x 5,
or add weight, drop to 1 x 5 and build back up to
3 x 5. Maybe experiment with different methods for
different exercises? – Kevin

A. Kevin – Glad to hear you are enjoying Chalk and
Sweat, and making good progress in your training.
By all means, feel free to try different progression
methods. The name of the game is PROGRESSIVE strength
training – your job is to determine the progression
methods that work best for YOU. That’s one reason I
cover so many different progression methods in my
various books and courses.

For everyone else -- if you don't already have a
copy of Chalk and Sweat, you're missing a good one.
You can grab the little monster right here:

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

4. Neck Exercises

Q. Brooks, what neck exercises would you recommend
incorporating into your program so as to build a Dino
neck? -- Murray

A. Try neck extensions with a heavy-duty head-strap
for the back of the neck. 3 x 10 -1 5 reps.

For the front of the neck, lie on a bench, place a
folded towel on your forehead, and then place a barbell
plate on your forehead – be sure to hold it in place
with your hands! -- and then perform front neck
extensions. Again, 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Add some heavy shrugs as well. Two or three sets of
five to fifteen reps – or five sets of five to eight
reps.

Start light and learn the movements – condition the
muscles – and then add weight slowly and steadily. You
can get incredibly sore if you jump into heavy neck
work.

5. I read that John Grimek hardly ever did curls, and
that he did not care for them!  True? – Ben

Yes and no. As a young man, Grimek did an all-around
course of exercises that included plenty of the basic
exercises, including curls. Later on, Grimek did more
lifting training, but he and Steve Stanko enjoyed
doing the two-dumbbell curl and press. (With heavy
weights – as in, up to 80, 90 or 100 pounders). I
write about this in the Legacy of Iron books.

On occasion, Grimek would go on an arm specialization
program that included plenty of curls. And he was a
STRONG curler – as in, 185 or 190 for reps, which he
used backstage at the Mr. Universe contest as a
warm-up before going on stage.

But later on, he was trying to set a World record in
the one-arm dumbbell swing (250 pounds) and hurt his
arm. After that, he stopped doing curls and trained
his biceps with close grip pull-downs and 45 degree
pulley rowing.

At one point in his life – perhaps the 60’s or 70’s,
Grimek told Bill Hinbern, “I hate curls – I don’t
want to ever do another one of them.”

So, did Grimek do curls? Yes and no – depending on the
stage of his career, his goals and his age. Much like
most of us who have been training for 30, 40 or 50
years. Our exercises and workouts change over time.
Nothing wrong with that!

As always, thanks for reading – and if you train today,
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more information on John Grimek's life and
lifting -- and how he trained -- grab this:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. For more about old-school, Grimek-style
workouts, grab a copy of Dinosaur Arm Training
and the Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:

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

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

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Hard work isn't the
answer to everything, but it's the answer to most
things." -- Brooks Kubik

How to Train to Save Your Life!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The light changed, and a tall, broad-shouldered
man with dark hair stepped into the street and
began to cross it.

He was exactly half-way across when a dark car
came speeding through the intersection.

He barely saw it -- and could do nothing more
than roll with the impact as best he could.

The car knocked him high into the air, twisting
and turning and spinning.

He crashed back onto the sidewalk, landing on
his head and shoulders.

It knocked him cold.

But when he came to, he was fine.

Nothing broken.

And especially -- no broken neck.

The thick muscles of his neck, traps and shoulders
had cushioned the impact of the landing, acting as
shock absorbers that protected the fragile bones.

That's a true story. It happened to one of your
fellow Dinosaurs.

In fact, I know of about a dozen Dinosaurs who
are alive today -- healthy and whole -- because
they had similar neck, trap and shoulder
development. They all survived potentially fatal
or crippling accidents or falls. Which just
goes to show you -- accidents can happen to
anyone, at any time. You need to be ready.

And that's why I always urge readers to finish
their workouts with some neck work.

It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I like to
do back neck extensions with a heavy-duty
head-strap. Two or three sets of 10 to 15 reps
will do the trick. Start light and build up
slowly and sensibly.

For the front of the neck, lie on a bench, place
a folded towel on your forehead, and hold a
barbell plate on the towel. Move your head up
and down with neck power alone. Same sets and
reps, and again, start LIGHT!

For your traps, do deadlifts, heavy partial
deadlifts and shrugs.If you enjoy power cleans,
power snatches, high pulls, and similar movements,
then do those.

The Hise shrug is another good one for trap
development. So are one arm deadlifts.

For your shoulders, do military presses, push
presses, dumbbell presses, one arm dumbbell
presses, and see-saw presses.

For more detail about how to put it all together
into a complete workout, grab the following
resources:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

2. Chalk and Sweat: Dinosaur Training Workouts for
Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced Lifters

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

3. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Remember, the life you save by building a strong,
thick, powerful neck will be your own!

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. All of the above goes double for athletes, martial
artists, servicemen, law enforcement personnel and fire-
fighters. We've covered neck work and training programs
for those who fall into these groups in back issues of
the Dinosaur Files newsletter. If you missed them, you
can grab the complete 12 issue set for 2010 to 2011
right here:

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

How to Train for Strength and Power

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Nearly 40 years I was on a wrestling mat in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the opening period of a freestyle match.

My opponent and I were on our feet, locked up, working for an opening. I had my right hand on the back of his neck and my left hand on his upper arm right above the elbow. He had the same grip on me.

I pulled down on his neck and he pulled back – and then bulled forward.

As he did, I pulled him close, twisted to the side and hit a powerful hip throw combined with a hard leg sweep. For a fraction of a second I was balanced on my left leg, with my right leg sweeping backward, shooting him high into the air.

He went up five feet in the air, his body turned from vertical to horizontal in the blink of an eye – and then he hit the mat, flat on his back, with me landing on top for an instant pin.

Yesterday’s post about Henry Whittenberg’s training program for wrestling got me to thinking about that throw.

It was a perfect example of the kind of total body strength and explosive power you need for championship wrestling – or for martial arts – or for football – or any combat sport.

How do you build that kind of strength and power?

You do it the way Henry Whittenberg did – and remember, he won a Gold Medal in freestyle wrestling at the Olympics. You can’t do better than that!

1. Use barbells and dumbbells for the majority of your strength and power training. They give you the biggest bang for your buck.

1a. Pull-ups, push-ups and rope climbing are great for wrestlers. Most coaches have their wrestlers do plenty of bodyweight exercises before and after their mat work.

2. Stand on your feet for 90 percent of your training. Note that Henry Whittenberg did standing presses, not seated presses – squats, not leg presses – and barbell bent-over rowing, not lat machine pulldowns.

3. Use basic, compound exercises. Squats, presses, deadlifts, rowing, etc. They worked for Henry Whittenberg, and they’ll work for you.

3a. If you know how to do power cleans, power snatches, push presses and jerks, then work them into your program.

4. Train your legs, hips and lower back. That’s where your power comes from. Do NOT fall into the common trap of working your upper body and ignoring your lower body. Think about that hip throw and leg sweep. Perfect move – instant pin – and I sure as heck didn’t do it with arm strength.

4a. Wrestling is all about coordinated effort and total body power. So train that way. Forget about the isolation movements and bodybuilding stuff.

4b. Heavy curls are a strength movement, not an isolation movement. If you’ve ever done HEAVY curls, you understand what I mean.

5. Note that Whittenberg trained three primary exercises and one of them was – that’s right – squats! He knew the importance of leg, hip and lower back strength!

6. A little bit of strength training goes a LONG way – and leaves you plenty of time for mat work and drilling. How many times do you have to drill a move in practice before you can make it work in a match? The answer is – MANY TIMES!

7. Train your neck. That hip toss started when I pulled my opponent’s head down and forward. If his neck had been stronger, it wouldn’t have been as easy.

8. Train your grip. Note that the throw started when I had my hands on my opponent – and yes, I was holding him tight. When a good wrestler grabs you, you KNOW you’ve been grabbed.

8a. Thick bar work is great for the grip – so are heavy-duty grippers like these:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/captains_of_crush_grippers.html

8b. Strong thumbs! Do plenty of pinch grip work!

9. You can’t be strong and powerful if you run out of gas – so do plenty of cardio work, and plenty of mat work. You need to be able to go full-speed for the entire match.

10. Sandbags, sandbags, sandbags – they offer endless possibilities for wrestlers.

If you missed it, take a look at yesterday’s post with Henry Whittenberg’s complete (and very effective) training program. It’s posted on the Dinosaur Training Blog, so scroll down for it after you finish this post.)

And of course, take a look at my various training books and training courses at the Dinosaur bookstore. They cover effective strength and power training in detail:

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

As always, thanks for reading. Have a great day and a great weekend. And if you train today, do it Dino style: hard, heavy and serious.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Never, ever wrestle a guy who trains this way – unless YOU train the very same way! For more information, grab a copy of Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development:

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

Did Grimek Do Curls? (And Other Questions)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I am getting buried in questions from readers, so I thought I’d cover some of them in an email. When one or two (or ten) people have the same question, others usually do, as well.

1. Do we ship to the UK?

Q. I am interested in purchasing a book from your website and was wondering if you ship outside of the US to the UK? -- Ash

A, We ship anywhere – including Outer Congolia. The on-line order system automatically gives you the correct rate for international shipping once you input your shipping address.

2. Snatches and Cleans from Blocks

Q. You have mentioned doing snatches off of blocks lately. What is the advantage over doing hang snatches? Seems to me they would be rather awkward have never done them but have done many hang cleans and snatches. Funny how sets of more than 3 reps are counter productive sets when oly lifting. Hard to hold form for more than 3 reps. -- Keith

A. I do most of my pulling from the platform, but wanted to try some pulls, snatches and cleans from blocks just for a change of pace and to see how they feel. They’re supposed to be good for speed and explosiveness. Consider it an experiment, with yours truly as the test subject.

As for reps – you’re right. Three is about as high as I go on any OL moves. Speed, form and technique are critical.

3. Combining Progression Methods

Q. I want to tell you how pleased I am with your book Chalk and Sweat. I had flu-like symptoms over the holidays and ended my current cycle. Needless to say, I made great gains. Thank you for your help and inspirational emails and books.

I took a week layoff and cycled back my poundages between 10-20% and have settled on program no. 21 in Chalk and Sweat. This is similar to what I was doing, but I still need to focus on the basics and getting my poundages up. The program calls for 3 x 5 work sets but I also like progressing by adding reps/sets. Once the weights push me and I’m in new poundage territory again would it be appropriate to combine progression methods rather than straight single progression with 3 x 5? For example, drop to 3 x 3 and add reps until I get back to 3 x 5, or add weight, drop to 1 x 5 and build back up to 3 x 5. Maybe experiment with different methods for different exercises? – Kevin

A. Kevin – Glad to hear you are enjoying Chalk and Sweat, and making good progress in your training. By all means, feel free to try different progression methods. The name of the game is PROGRESSIVE strength training – your job is to determine the progression methods that work best for YOU. That’s one reason I cover so many different progression methods in my various books and courses, and in the Dinosaur Files newsletter.

4. Neck Exercises

Q. Brooks, what neck exercises would you recommend incorporating into your program so as to build a Dino neck? -- Murray

A. Try neck extensions with a heavy-duty head-strap for the back of the neck. 3 x 10 -1 5 reps.

For the front of the neck, lie on a bench, place a folded towel on your forehead, and then place a barbell plate on your forehead – be sure to hold it in place with your hands! -- and then perform front neck extensions. Again, 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Add some heavy shrugs as well. Two or three sets of five to fifteen reps – or five sets of five to eight reps.

Start light and learn the movements – condition the muscles – and then add weight slowly and steadily. You can get incredibly sore if you jump into heavy neck work.

5. I read that John Grimek hardly ever did curls, and that he did not care for them! True? – Ben

Yes and no. As a young man, Grimek did an all-around course of exercises that included plenty of the basic exercises, including curls. Later on, Grimek did more lifting training, but he and Steve Stanko enjoyed doing the two-dumbbell curl and press. (With heavy weights – as in, up to 80, 90 or 100 pounders). I write about this in the Legacy of Iron books.

On occasion, Grimek would go on an arm specialization program that included plenty of curls. And he was a STRONG curler – as in, 185 or 190 for reps, which he used backstage at the Mr. Universe contest as a warm-up before going on stage.

But later on, he was trying to set a World record in the one-arm dumbbell swing (250 pounds) and hurt his arm. After that, he stopped doing curls and trained his biceps with close grip pull-downs and 45 degree pulley rowing.

At one point in his life – perhaps the 60’s or 70’s, Grimek told Bill Hinbern, “I hate curls – I don’t want to ever do another one of them.”

So, did Grimek do curls? Yes and no – depending on the stage of his career, his goals and his age. Much like most of us who have been training for 30, 40 or 50 years. Our exercises and workouts change over time. Nothing wrong with that!

As always, thanks for reading – and if you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you’ve not already grabbed a copy of Chalk and Sweat, do it now – it will DEFINITELY kick your training into high gear for 2011:

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

P.S. 2 Grab two or three books at once – or a book and a Dinosaur Training hoodie – and save on shipping:

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