The Best Cardio Workout for Older Dinos

When you're big as a house (like Mr. Universe, Reg Park, pictured above) and you do plenty of heavy strength training, you need a special kind of cardio training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk about
cardio training for older Dinos - or really,
for Dinos of any age.

1. It's Here - the Sept-Oct Dino Files!

The Sept-Oct issue of The Dinosaur
Files is available in PDF format with
immediate electronic delivery.

Go here to grab the little monster - and
get ready to enjoy some serious, super
inspiring and extremely valuable tips on
no-nonsense strength training and
muscle building:

Sept-Oct Dino Files (PDF)

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

And, of course, let me know how you
like this issue!

2. The Best Cardio Workout for Older
Dinos

I've been getting tons of questions from
readers about how to combine strength
training with cardio training.

Most of them come from older Dinos --
and they're asking how to program sprints,
hill sprints, long distance running, finishers,
prowler pushes, high rep bodyweight work
or high rep kettlebell swings.

So here's the bottom line -- and as always,
I'm going to be perfectly blunt.

Most of the "cardio training" that you see on
the interwebs or in the magazines isn't going
to work very well for you.

That's because you're a strength athlete --
and strength athletes require a different
kind or cardio -- especially if they're older
trainees. 

Cardio training for strength athletes requires
a careful balance between doing enough to
get results and NOT doing so much cardio
that you affect your strength training or
your recovery ability.

You also need to train your cardiovascular
system in ways that avoid excessive wear
and tear on your joints.

And please note -- both problems are of
special concern to (1) a bigger, heavier
lifter (which describes many of us), and
(2) an older lifter (which also describes
many of us).

I mean, face it -- the things that are okay
for a 17 year old who weighs 145 pounds
are hardly going to work for a 60 year old
who weighs 220 pounds.

And if strength training is your preferred
form of exercise, and it's important to you
to squat, deadlift, pull, push and press hard
and heavy -- then face it, too much cardio
work is going to have a NEGATIVE effect
on your training.

I don't care how you program it, running
10 miles a day is going to cut your squat
and deadlift big time.

That's why very few (if any) top weightlifters
or powerlifters do much if any cardio. Lifting
heavy iron is their job, and they don't want
to do anything that will hurt their lifting.

But still, there are benefits to doing cardio
work -- especially for older trainees.

So here's a middle of the road position --
although you should avoid the middle of
the road when you do it.

Try walking.

In many respects, walking is a perfect cardio
exercise for guys who do lots of squatting,
pulling and pushing.

It's easy to do.

You can do it pretty much anywhere.

It doesn't require any special equipment
other than a good pair of shoes.

You can start as easy as you want, and build
up gradually over time.

It won't cut into your recovery ability and it
won't affect your strength training (unless
you go nuts and overdo it).

For a healthy lifter with no pre-existing foot,
leg, back or hip issues, it's pretty safe -- as
long as you wear good shoes and you start
slow and easy and build up the speed and
the distance g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y.

Of course, if you have any kind of health
issue -- high blood pressure, heart problems,
joint issues, etc. -- then check with your
doctor before starting a walking program.

Note: "Gradually" means "slowly, steadily,
sensibly and progressively." It does not, as
many believe, mean "overnight" or "
"immediately."

Many doctors -- including at least one former
Surgeon General of the United States --
believe that 30 minutes of daily walking is
one of the very best things you can do for
your health and fitness.

Bernarr McFadden believed the same thing.
He was such a big fan of walking that he
even wrote a book about it. He titled it
"The Walking Cure." Good title.

There are other kinds of Dino-style cardio
training that you can try. I detail them in
Gray Hair and Black Iron. It will give
you tons of tips on effective cardio training
for older Dinos and for strength athletes.

But start by walking. It's good for you.

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

And remember to grab the Sept-Oct issue of
The Dinosaur Files. You can read it after
you go for that walk we were talking about.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Shoes on feet, and feet on the ground,
makes a darn good cardio workout."

-- Brooks Kubik

Before You Leave - Check These Out! 

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these little monsters:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

More Cardio Training Ideas for Dinosaurs!

Old-school, split-style snatches performed for sets of 3 to 5 reps will get you puffing and panting pretty quickly. For even more cardio benefit, use a lighter weight and do sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Over the years, we've received tons of
great ideas from Dinos around the world
about "cardio for iron-heads" - which is
my term for cardio training for those of
us who focus on heavy weight training
but want to do something that gives a
good cardio workout without adversely
affecting our strength training.

Here are some of my favorites over the
years.

I should also note that TONS of you like
to go for a walk with a weighted vest. I
get more feedback and "thumbs up" for
that than anything else. I guess I should
start selling special Dino-style weighted
vests (in approved Dino black).

1. Try 20 Rep Squats and Deadlifts!
I added a set of 20 rep squats and dead-
lifts for my cardio, and I feel super ener-
gized - and my joints feel great.

Jeff Hackett

2. Loaded Carries Do the Trick!

My solution to the cardio issue as an
older Dino has been loaded carries.
Outdoors I will do 1 - 5 lifts, followed
immediately by a 1 minute loaded
carry that tracks the lift I am doing:
sandbag shouldering and carry, sand-
bag zercher squat and zercher carry,
barbell muscle clean or snatch and
overhead carry, or deadlift and
farmers walk.

I take a one-minute timed rest
between sets, and repeat  each
lift and carry 4 - 10 times. I cover
60 to 80 meters on each carry.

I am breathing like a locomotive
at the end.

In six months, I've dropped 5 per-
cent fat while maintaining my
weight of 200 pounds at 6 feet.

Add in a low volume of daily grip,
gut and neck work and I'm good
to go.

Zail Khalsa

3. Hill Walks

Could not agree with you more. I
take two 30-minute walks a day in
my hilly neighborhood. I go faster
up the hills and slow down on the
flats and the decline. My husky
loves it, too.

Peter Yates

4. Try Cycling!

I would add cycling, too. It must be
one of the most under-rated cardio
exercises, not to talk of the potential
of building strong legs. And it's
easy on the lower back.

You also can get a lot of errands
done on a bicycle!

Paul Soumendra

5. The Rowing Machine!

Add rowing on the rowing machine!

Jan Moerman

So there you have it. Five more
ideas for Dino-style cardio training.

For more, see Gray Hair and Black
Iron and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training:

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters --
along with links to my Kindle e-books
and our PDF books and courses:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: 

"It's amazing what you can do with
a little bit of regular training and
steady, consistent effort." 

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

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

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

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

The Best Cardio Workout for Older Dinos

 

Gray Hair and Black Iron covers strength training for older Dinos - but it also includes some great ways for older Dinos to do safe, fun and effective cardio training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk about
cardio training for older Dinos - or really,
for Dinos of any age.

1. It's Here - the March Dino Files!

The March issue of The Dinosaur Files
is now available in PDF format with
immediate electronic delivery.

Go here to grab the little monster - and
get ready to enjoy some serious, super
inspiring and extremely valuable tips on
no-nonsense strength training and
muscle building:

March 2018 Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-march2018pdf.html

Also - if you missed the October, Nov,
Dec Jan or Feb issues, go here and
grab them so you have the complete
set:

Feb 2018 Dinosaur Files

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

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan Dinosaur Files

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

And, of course, let me know how you
like this month's issue!

2. The Best Cardio Workout for Older
Dinos

I've been getting tons of questions from
readers about how to combine strength
training with cardio training.

Most of them come from older Dinos --
and most of them are asking about how
to program sprints, hill sprints, long distance
running, finishers, prowler pushes, high rep
bodyweight work or high rep kettlebell
swings.

So here's the bottom line -- and as always,
I'm going to be perfectly blunt.

Most of the "cardio training" that you see on
the interwebs or in the magazines isn't going
to work very well for you.

That's because you are a strength athlete --
and strength athletes require a different kind
or cardio -- especially if they are older
trainees. 

Cardio training for strength athletes requires
a careful balance between doing enough to
get results and NOT doing so much cardio
that you affect your strength training or
your recovery ability.

You also need to train your cardiovascular
system in ways that avoid excessive wear
and tear on your joints.

And please note -- both problems are of
special concern to (1) a bigger, heavier
lifter (which describes many of us), and
(2) an older lifter (which also describes
many of us).

I mean, face it -- the things that are okay
for a 17 year old who weighs 145 pounds
are hardly going to work for a 60 year old
who weighs 220 pounds.

And if strength training is your preferred
form of exercise, and it is important to you
to squat, deadlift, pull, push and press hard
and heavy -- then face it, too much cardio
work is going to have a NEGATIVE effect
on your training.

I don't care how you program it, running
10 miles a day is going to cut your squat
and deadlift big time.

That's why very few (if any) top weightlifters
or powerlifters do much if any cardio. Lifting
heavy iron is their job, and they don't want
to do anything that will hurt their lifting.

But still, there are benefits to doing cardio
work -- especially for older trainees.

So here's a middle of the road position --
although you should avoid the middle of
the road when you do it.

Try walking.

In many respects, walking is a perfect cardio
exercise for guys who do lots of squatting,
pulling and pushing.

It's easy to do.

You can do it pretty much anywhere.

It doesn't require any special equipment
other than a good pair of shoes.

You can start as easy as you want, and build
up gradually over time.

It won't cut into your recovery ability and it
won't affect your strength training (unless
you go nuts and overdo it).

For a healthy lifter with no pre-existing foot,
leg, back or hip issues, it's pretty safe -- as
long as you wear good shoes and you start
slow and easy and build up the speed and
the distance g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y.

Of course, if you have any kind of health
issue -- high blood pressure, heart problems,
joint issues, etc. -- then check with your
doctor before starting a walking program.

Note: "Gradually" means "slowly, steadily,
sensibly and progressively." It does not, as
many believe, mean "overnight" or "
"immediately."

Many doctors -- including at least one former
Surgeon General of the United States --
believe that 30 minutes of daily walking is
one of the very best things you can do for
your health and fitness.

Bernarr McFadden believed the same thing.
He was such a big fan of walking that he
even wrote a book about it. He titled it
"The Walking Cure." Good title.

There are other kinds of Dino-style cardio
training that you can try. I detail them in
Gray Hair and Black Iron. It will give
you tons of tips on effective cardio training
for older Dinos and for strength athletes.

But start by walking. It's good for you.

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

And remember to grab the March issue of
The Dinosaur Files. You can read it after
you go for that walk we were talking about.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses --
including links to my Kindle e-books -- are
right here:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Shoes on feet, and feet on the ground,
makes a darn good cardio workout."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

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

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

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

The Road to Health and Strength

 

Hitting it hard at Dino Headquarters. The Iron Pills keep me young and strong at age 60. Regular exercise is the royal road to lifelong health and strength.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Highway 101 runs along the California
coast.

It's a great drive.

Twisting, turning, with eye-popping
curves - the beautiful blue Pacific
on one side - and the rugged
mountains to the other.

There's an incredible place called
Big Sur that's right off of the
highway.

It's one of the most beautiful places
in the world.

And for most of this year, it's been
one of the most isolated.

There were some huge storms and
mudslides this winter - and a big
stretch of Highway 101 got washed
away.

Meaning that there was no way to
get into or out of Big Sur unless
you did it the old-fashioned way -
on foot.

Everyone had to walk anywhere
they wanted to go.

The people who live there had to
hike out if they wanted to get food
or other supplies.

Yes, hike.

There was an old trail that led up
and over the mountains.

It was a little over one and a half
miles long. Close to two miles.

Very narrow - and very steep.

Up and down the whole way there,
and the whole way back.

So for the past 5 or 6 months,
everyone in town has been doing
a lot of walking - and a lot of
hiking.

Mountain trail hiking.

A 3 1/2 mile round trip, and that's
with a loaded pack on the way
back.

At first everyone grumbled.

Then they did it. They had to.

It was hard at first.

Their legs were sore, their feet
hurt, and their muscles ached.

Gradually, it got easier.

Soon it was fun.

And then something interesting
happened.

The local clinic started to see a
dramatic improvement in the
residents' health.

People who needed to lose weight
found that the pounds and inches
melted right off.

People with high blood pressure
found that their blood pressure
dropped way down.

One resident who had been
diagnosed with diabetes found
that his blood sugar levels
normalized - without medication.

And I'm sure that people started
growing a lot of muscle in their
legs and hips - and increasing
their bone density - improving
their balance and mobility - and
generally getting into excellent
condition.

I don't know if anyone in town
has a barbell set, but that's all
they would have needed to put
the icing on the cake.

Seriously, can you imagine what
kind of shape you'd be in if you
trained with basic barbell and
dumbbell workouts 3x a week
and hiked those rugged mountain
trails 3 or 4 times a week?

Especially if you didn't drive at
all - and walked everywhere you
went?

I don't know about you, but it
sounds perfect to me.

It sounds like it's made to order
for Dinosaurs - and for lifelong
health and strength.

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. Here's something else that's
great for lifelong health and
strength:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"Stay active, eat smart, lift
iron, and be strong." - 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

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