Seven Tips for Strong and Healthy Shoulders

 

Old-timers like Bernie Baron (pictured above - in a photo from the early 1940's) built amazingly strong and healthy shoulders - and were able to avoid many of the shoulder problems that plague so many modern trainees.

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.

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.

I've been using dumbbells a lot lately - and
I have to tell you, they are GREAT for older
Dinos.

John Grimek did heavy dumbbell pressing right into his 70's. Like many of us, he found that dumbbells are best as you grow older.

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.

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

And again, let me repeat - for older Dinos
with shoulder problems, dumbbells are
usually way better and more forgiving
than barbells for your overhead work.

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. Train your arms.

Your arms and shoulders work together - as
a unit - and your arms actually help keep your
shoulders healthy and strong.

That includes both your triceps and your
biceps.

So don't be afraid to include some arm
work. You don't have to do two hours of
curls and triceps pumpers - but do enough
arm training to help boost your shoulder
integrity.

A couple of sets of curls and some close
grip bench presses 2x a week can work
wonders.


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.  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:

"You only have two shoulders, and you
need both of them - so take care of them."

-- 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

Some Terrific Bench Press Alternatives for Dinosaurs!

No bench, no spotter, no rack - no problem! There are plenty of great bench press alternatives to try - including some of the killer exercises in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several readers have asked about bench
press alternatives for Dinos who train
alone, without a spotter and without
a power rack.

It's a good question because doing bench
presses without a spotter and without a
power rack is a bad idea - as in, you can
literally die under the bar if you get stuck
with a heavy weight.

And I'm not making this up. At least once a
year there's a newspaper report from some-
where about someone who got pinned under
 a heavy barbell while training bench presses
on his own - and he died.

So what are the options?

One obvious possibility is the parallel
bar dip. However, I would stay away
from these. They can be very tough
on the shoulders. That's especially
true if you do them on wide dipping
bars or if you pile on plenty of extra
weight.

Having said that, I know that some of you
do dips, enjoy them, and have no problem
with them. If they work for you, then feel
free to do them, but do them the RIGHT
way. Avoid a deep stretch, and don't do
any sort of drop and bounce stuff.

Here are some other, and in my opinion,
much better options. Of course, you
would only use ONE of these in any
particular training program:

1. Dumbbell Bench Presses

These are great, and many trainees
find that they actually work the chest
muscles harder than regular bench
presses.

Don't lower the dumbbells any further
than you would lower the barbell. A
deep stretch can hurt your shoulders.

2. Dumbbell Incline Presses

These were a favorite of many top
bodybuilders from the 1940s and 1950s.
Reg Park, Clarence Ross, Steve Reeves,
Alan Stephan and George Eiferman all
did plenty of dumbbell incline presses.

Note that you can use different angles.

Some dinos prefer a 30 degree angle,
others a 45 degree angle, and others
a 60 degree angle.

3. Dumbbell Floor Presses

Charles Smith covered these in an old
issue of Muscle Power magazine back
in the 1950s. It's a good exercise, and
with practice, you can go pretty heavy.

Resist the temptation to bounce your
upper arms and elbows off the floor
to use more weight or do more reps.

That's cheating, and it's a good way to
hurt yourself.

4. Barbell Floor Presses

Of course, you do these with plates
large enough that you can roll the bar
into the starting position and then roll
it back out when you are finished with
your set. You don't want to get stuck
under a heavy barbell.

Again, resist the temptation to bounce
the upper arms and elbows off the floor.

Some Dinos find that floor presses are
easier on their shoulders than bench
presses are -- but others (I'm one of
them) find the reverse to be true. So
start light and work up slowly until you
are sure the exercise will be okay
for you.

5. One Arm Dumbbell Bench Presses

These are a very good exercise -- and a
very tough one. It's hard to balance the
dumbbell and stay in position on the
bench. You actually get a good *core*
(I hate that word) workout when you
do these.

These are a good exercise if you have
trouble getting two dumbbells into the
starting position for the two dumbbell
bench press.

6. One Arm Dumbbell Incline Press

Again, this is a good exercise if your
problem is wrestling a pair of heavy
dumbbells into the starting position
for the two dumbbell version of the
exercise.

Remember to experiment with different
angles!

7. Push-ups

See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for
dozens of super-effective push-up variations.

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

Also, note that you can add resistance
with heavy bands or by putting a barbell
plate or a sandbag on your upper back.

Pro wrestling great Bruno Sammartino
famously did a push-up with 600-pound
wrestler Haystacks Calhoun sitting on
his upper back and shoulders. That
might be an all-time record in weighted
push-ups.

So there you have it: seven terrific
alternatives to the regular bench
press. Give them a try!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Training started a strength
training revolution when I published the little
monster way in 1996 - and it's been a best
seller ever since:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Where there's a will, there's a way --
and where there's a way, strength and
muscle lies ahead."

-- 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

Shoulder Rehab - Sorry for the Confusion!

Here's the 60-year old guy hitting some power cleans and jerks here at Dino Headquarters. It's hard to believe that 11 years ago I had a frozen shoulder that made it impossible to lift my arm over my head to comb my hair. But I fixed it with some common sense rehab work.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Files

The Oct and Nov issues of the Dinosaur
Files are available right here in a quick
and easy PDF format with immediate
electronic delivery:

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.

Also, if you prefer a one year, 12-issue
subscription, shoot me an email and
we'll make it happen.

I hope you enjoy the October and
November issues -- shoot me an email
and let me know how you like them!

Of course, I'm hard at work on the
December issue - and it should be
ready very soon. I'll send an email
as soon as the little monster is
available.

2. Sorry for the Confusion!

I got an email from an older Dino who,
like many (or most) (or perhaps ALL)
older Dinos, has some shoulder aches
and pains and dings and dents.

It's part of growing older - just part of
the territory - although many of us
didn't help our shoulders with bad
exercise choices when we were
younger - or with bad exercise
performance when we didn't know
any better.

Anyhow, in Gray Hair and Black Iron
I talk about the time I woke up one
morning somewhere around age 49
with a frozen shoulder.

The joint was so stiff and tight that I
couldn't raise my arm above parallel
to the floor.

I couldn't even comb my hair.

I had an orthopedic surgeon look at it.

He couldn't find anything wrong, but
suggested surgery anyway.

"Once we get inside and look around,
I'm sure we'll find something we can
do," he said (or words to that effect).

Well, thanks, but no thanks.

So I rehabbed it with a special program
of very light shoulder exercises, performed
for hundreds of reps, just to get my arm
moving, restore some mobility, and get
some blood flowing into the shoulder
joint and related muscle groups.

I did the program every day.

100's of reps.

Every kind of shoulder exercise you
ever saw, and many more that I
invented right then and there.

With very light weights.

I think I started with soup cans for
weights, progressed to 2 1/2 pound
plates, and then moved up to five
pound dumbbells.

Over the course of a few months, I
worked up to 40 or 50 pound dumb-
bells on some of the exercises.

And after a couple of months, my
shoulder was pretty much okay.

At that point, I started doing barbell
work again.

Anyhow, one of our older Dinos is
having some shoulder problems,
and he tried a similar program -
and it was working well for him.

But then he read some other parts
of Gray Hair and Black Iron where I
recommended doing low reps in your
workouts.

So he stopped doing his high rep
shoulder exercises.

That was the wrong thing to do - but
it's my fault, not his.

I guess I wasn't clear enough - and I
ended up confusing him.

And maybe I've confused other Dinos,
as well.

So here's what I was trying to say:

1.For rehab work - or to help smooth
out some dings and dents - high reps
with light weights can be very helpful.

2. For general strength and muscle
building, low to medium reps are
best.

I hope that clears things up for our
Dino - and for anyone else who was
confused about my suggestions on
sets and reps.

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. Go here to grab Gray Hair and
Black Iron. It's the best book ever
written for older trainees:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -
and 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/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Dings and dents are part of life, but
they don't have to derail your training
permanently."

-- 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

How to Keep Your Shoulders Healthy and Strong!

 

John Grimek military pressed 285 pounds at a bodyweight of 183 pounds - way back in 1940.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a lot of questions
about shoulder problems - dings,
dents, tightness, exercises that help,
exercises that hurt, and possible
work -rounds for exercises that
you just can't do any more.

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.

Five or ten minutes of LIGHT
Indian club work every day is
great for the shoulders.


Use 1, 1.5 or 2 pound Indian
clubs.


These are especially good if
you sit in front of a computer
all day.

I got this tip from Tommy Kono,
the great two-time Olympic gold
medal winner in weightlifting -
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 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 trainees, in
part because they did lots of over-
head work and little or no bench
pressing or similar movements.

If military presses hurt, try push
presses.

3. Avoid the "stretch."

If you do dumbbell bench presses,
dips or other movements where
you can go really low and "stretch"
your chest and shoulders, be VERY
careful.

Don't drop and bounce.

Don't go too low.

Don't pause in the low position.

It's better and safer to use a
limited range of movement,
especially on dips.

4. Skip those McDonald Bar
bench presses.

Bench press record holder Mike
McDonald used a special bench
press bar that allowed a much
greater range of movement,
with a very deep stretch at
the bottom.

My advice is to skip these. They
give you too much of a stretch,
and that can be a problem.

5. Stop doing the press behind
neck.

This is a tough one for many of us,
because we grew up reading about
Reg Park working out with 300
mind-boggling pounds in the
press behind neck - and we all
wanted to do the same!

The problem is, the press behind
neck leads to shoulder problems
for many of us.

Military presses, push presses, and
dumbbell presses are much easier
on the shoulders.

6. No pullover machines or
pec decs!

Pull-over machines and pec decs
are certified shoulder wreckers.

That's especially true if you "go
for the stretch" when you do
them.

7. No flies or pullovers.

Flies and pullovers can lead to
shoulder problems, especially if
(you guessed it) you do them
with a deep stretch at the
bottom.

They're not very good strength
and muscle builders anyway, so
why do them?

Note: I'm talking about heavy
pull-overs. Light breathing pull-
overs after a heavy 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 strong
and healthy for a 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 safe and effective training
for older Dinos. If you're age 35
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 to be much
more forgiving than barbells:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day:
"Take care of your shoulders,
and they'll take care of you."
- Brooks Kubik

 

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

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

More Tips on Shoulder Health

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of emails from the Dino
Nation in response to yesterday's email
about shoulder health.

I'm going to share a few because they include
some more great tips for keeping your shoulders
healthy and strong.

1. Overhead Presses and DB Benches Work!

"Great advice! I had stiff shoulders for over a
year. Three months ago, I injured my right pec
bending 5/8" rebar and stopped doing bench
presses due to the injury. During that time,
I kept doing overhead presses, and my
shoulders feel MUCH better.

I also emphasized back strength, and have
begun doing dumbbell bench press instead
of barbell bench press, which seems to be
much easier on my shoulders and my
injury. I am already back to the 100's
for 8 reps.

Dustin Jones"

Dustin -- Sorry to hear about the injury, but
it sounds like it taught you some important
things -- and that you're coming back stronger
than ever! Thanks for sharing your findings.

2. When Lowering the Bar Is the Problem

"I agree wholeheartedly with all of your tips
re: shoulder health. In addition, in my case,
I can press overhead without pain as long
as I stay in the proper groove.

However, I cannot find a way to lower the
bar from overhead without pain to my right
shoulder (which gets worse if I try to fight
through it) -- so I have solved the issue by
dropping every press from overhead."

Brian DeLong

Brian -- That's not so unusual for older Dinos.
Thank goodness for bumper plates!

In my own case, I do singles, and lower my
overhead lifts to the shoulders, bending my
legs at the knees a bit to help catch the weight.
From there, I lower the bar to my upper
thighs -- and then to the platform, as if I
were lowering the bar after a deadlift. It's a
three step process. Easier on the bar and on
the platform. And also easy on my body.

If that's not clear, shoot me an email and
I'll try to explain it in more detail.

3. A Tip for Narrow Grip Benches

"I feel you should add that full range narrow
grip benches are no different than a deep dip.
I coach narrow grip benches for everyone but
limit the range to a three board. I'm not a huge
board guy, but they serve a great purpose here."

Chris Clark

Chris -- That's a good tip for anyone with a
training partner who can help with the board.
In most cases, it's the last bit of ROM that can
cause problems in any exercise. Thanks for
the idea.

4. Try Bodyweight Training

Tons of readers emailed to note that they got
great results from the push-up and hand-stand
push-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and that they helped balance their
upper body development with the pull-up
variations in the book. They're right -- those
can really help.

5. Dumbbells, Dumbbells, Dumbbells!

We also had MANY Dinos report that their
shoulders improved when they switched from
barbell presses to dumbbell presses. That's
always been one of the benefits of dumbbell
work, and it's one of the reasons so many
of the old-timers (such as John Grimek) used
dumbbell presses almost exclusively as they
grew older.

So there you go -- more tips for protecting,
preserving and strengthening your shoulders!

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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

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

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, but 
train smart. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Seven Tips for Healthy Shoulders

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.

So I thought I'd cover some of the key points
in one email. For more on the topic, see Gray
Hair and Black Iron and The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.

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 squat
snatching 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.

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.

See the links below for some Dino books and
courses that will help you build plenty of
strength and muscle while avoiding those
unnecessary dings and dents.

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 Training Secrets, Vol. 1, and the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course are available in your choice of
hard-copy or Kindle e-book:

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

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

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

***********************************************************************************a

More Tips for Shoulder Health

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of emails from the Dino
Nation in response to yesterday's email
 about shoulder health.

I'm going to share a few because they include
some more great tips for keeping your shoulders
healthy and strong.

1. Overhead Presses and DB Benches
Work!

"Great advice! I had stiff shoulders for over a
year. Three months ago, I injured my right pec
bending 5/8" rebar and stopped doing bench
presses due to the injury. During that time,
I kept doing overhead presses, and my
shoulders feel MUCH better.

I also emphasized back strength, and have
begun doing dumbbell bench press instead
of barbell bench press, which seems to be
much easier on my shoulders and my
injury. I am already back to the 100's
for 8 reps.

Dustin Jones"

Dustin -- Sorry to hear about the injury, but
it sounds like it taught you some important
things -- and that you're coming back stronger
than ever! Thanks for sharing your findings.

2. When Lowering the Bar Is the Problem.

"I agree wholeheartedly with all of your tips
re: shoulder health. In addition, in my case,
I can press overhead without pain as long
as I stay in the proper groove.

However, I cannot find a way to lower the
bar from overhead without pain to my right
shoulder (which gets worse if I try to fight
through it) -- so I have solved the issue by
dropping every press from overhead.

Brian DeLong

Brian -- That's not so unusual for older Dinos.
Thank goodness for bumper plates!

In my own case, I do singles, and lower my
overhead lifts to the shoulders, bending my
legs at the knees a bit to help catch the weight.
From there, I lower the bar to my upper
thighs -- and then to the platform, as if I
were lowering the bar after a deadlift. It's a
three step process. Easier on the bar and on
the platform. And easy on my body.

3. A Tip for Narrow Grip Benches.

"I feel you should add that full range narrow
grip benches are no different than a deep dip.
I coach narrow grip benches for everyone but
limit the range to a three board. I'm not a huge
board guy, but they serve a great purpose here.

Chris Clark"

Chris -- That's a good tip for anyone with a
training partner who can help with the board.
In most cases, it's the last bit of ROM that can
cause problems in any exercise. Thanks for
the idea.

4. Try Bodyweight Training.

Tons of readers emailed to note that they got
great results from the push-up and hand-stand
push-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and that they helped balance their
upper body development with the pull-up
variations in the book. They're right -- those
can really help.

5. Dumbbells, Dumbbells, Dumbbells!

We also had MANY Dinos report that their
shoulders improved when they switched from
barbell presses to dumbbell presses. That's
always been one of the benefits of dumbbell
work, and it's one of the reasons so many
of the old-timers (such as John Grimek) used
dumbbel presses almost exclusively as they
grew older.

So there you go -- more tips for protecting,
preserving and strengthening your shoulders!

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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

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

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, but
train smart. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

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

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

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

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

More Tips on Shoulder Health for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of emails from the Dino
Nation in response to yesterday's email
 about shoulder health.

I'm going to share a few because they include
some more great tips for keeping your shoulders
healthy and strong.

1. Overhead Presses and DB Benches Work!

"Great advice! I had stiff shoulders for over a
year. Three months ago, I injured my right pec
bending 5/8" rebar and stopped doing bench
presses due to the injury. During that time,
I kept doing overhead presses, and my
shoulders feel MUCH better.

I also emphasized back strength, and have
begun doing dumbbell bench press instead
of barbell bench press, which seems to be
much easier on my shoulders and my
injury. I am already back to the 100's
for 8 reps.

Dustin Jones"

Dustin -- Sorry to hear about the injury, but
it sounds like it taught you some important
things -- and that you're coming back stronger
than ever! Thanks for sharing your findings.

2. When Lowering the Bar Is the Problem

"I agree wholeheartedly with all of your tips
re: shoulder health. In addition, in my case,
I can press overhead without pain as long
as I stay in the proper groove.

However, I cannot find a way to lower the
bar from overhead without pain to my right
shoulder (which gets worse if I try to fight
through it) -- so I have solved the issue by
dropping every press from overhead.

Brian DeLong

Brian -- That's not so unusual for older Dinos.
Thank goodness for bumper plates!

In my own case, I do singles, and lower my
overhead lifts to the shoulders, bending my
legs at the knees a bit to help catch the weight.

From there, I lower the bar to my upper
thighs -- and then to the platform, as if I
were lowering the bar after a deadlift. It's a
three step process. Easier on the bar and on
the platform. And also easy on my body.

If that's not clear, shoot me an email and
I'll try to explain it in more detail.

3. A Tip for Narrow Grip Benches

"I feel you should add that full range narrow
grip benches are no different than a deep dip.
I coach narrow grip benches for everyone but
limit the range to a three board. I'm not a huge
board guy, but they serve a great purpose here.

Chris Clark"

Chris -- That's a good tip for anyone with a
training partner who can help with the board.
In most cases, it's the last bit of ROM that can
cause problems in any exercise. Thanks for
the idea.

4. Try Bodyweight Training

Tons of readers emailed to note that they got
great results from the push-up and hand-stand
push-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and that they helped balance their
upper body development with the pull-up
variations in the book. They're right -- those
can really help.

5. Dumbbells, Dumbbells, Dumbbells!

We also had MANY Dinos report that their
shoulders improved when they switched from
barbell presses to dumbbell presses. That's
always been one of the benefits of dumbbell
work, and it's one of the reasons so many
of the old-timers (such as John Grimek) used
dumbbell presses almost exclusively as they
grew older.

So there you go -- more tips for protecting,
preserving and strengthening your shoulders!
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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

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

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, but
train smart. You're in it for the long haul."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Seven Tips for Shoulder Health

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

So I thought I'd cover some of the key points
in one email. For more on the topic, see Gray
Hair and Black Iron and The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.

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 squat
snatching 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.

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.

See the links below for some Dino books and
courses that will help you build plenty of
strength and muscle while avoiding those
unnecessary dings and dents.

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 Training Secrets, Vol. 1, and the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course are available in your choice of
hard-copy or Kindle e-book:

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

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

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

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