Try this Workout for Great Gains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a ton of feedback from yesterday's
post, and many readers wanted to hear
more about ultra-abbreviated workouts.

So here's an example of an ultra-
abbreviated training program:

Train 3x per week.

Do three different workouts: Workout A,
Workout B and Workout C.

Do one primary exercise in each workout,
followed by gut, grip and neck work for
a couple of sets each.

Use the BIG exercises. Ultra-abbreviated
doesn't work very well if you focus on
concentration curls and triceps pumpers.

Use multiple sets of low to medium reps.

Train progressively -- add reps, add sets,
and add weight to the bar whenever you can.
And remember, you can train progressively
bu doing your exercises in better form --
with tighter focus and do, intense
concentration.

Let me repeat -- concentration is key.
That's one of the great things about
ultra-abbreviated training. It lets you
focus.

Workout-wise, try something like this:

Workout A

1. Warmup

2. Squats 5 x 5 progressively heavier
warm-up sets, then 2 x 5 working sets

3. Gut, grip and neck work

Workout B

1. Warmup

2. Power clean and press (do one clean
and one press on each "rep") -- do 5 x 5
progressively heavier warm-up sets,
followed by 2 x 5, 2 x 3 and 2 x 1 for
your working sets

3. Gut, grip and neck work

Workout C

1. Warmup

2. Your choice of bent-legged deadlifts,
Trap Bar deadlifts, clean grip high pulls,
snatch grip high pulls, or power snatches --
same sets and reps as the clean and press

3. Gut, grip and neck work

There you have it -- short, sweet and
simple -- but incredibly effective. Give
it a try and see for yourself.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated training, grab Dinosaur
Training, Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training or Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

P.S. 2. I also cover abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts in Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's not how long
you train, it's HOW you train." -- Brooks Kubik

"Am I Overtraining?" He Asked.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy sent me an email saying he likes
to train four time per week. He does
one exercise per workout.

Something like this:

Mon -- Squat

Tues -- Bench press

Thurs -- DL

Fri -- Press

In other words, he's doing what I call
ultra-abbreviated training -- using a
divided workout schedule.

Things were going fine, and then he read
something on the internest (that's not
a typo, it describes the thing -- especially
when it comes to strength training advice)
where some guy said if you train more than
three times per week you're overtraining.

So the Dino sends me an email and asks,
"Am I overtraining?"

Well, that's a good question.

Here's the answer.

1. Stop reading internest stuff about
strength training. It will get you messed up
and second-guessing yourself every time.

2. Are you overtraining? Heck, I don't know.
The real question is -- are you GAINING?

2A. If you're adding weight to the bar on a
regular basis, you're not overtraining. Keep
on doing what you're doing.

3. As you add weight to the bar and increase
the intensity of your workouts, it becomes
easier to overtrain. So a program that works
great for you NOW may not work as well six
months from now.

4. As you grow older, it becomes easier to
overtrain (and harder to recover from your
workouts). So what works great NOW may not
work as well five or ten years from now.

5. One exercise workouts work really well,
and are a great way to avoid overtraining.
They let you focus and drill down and get
the most out of each exercise you do -- and
that's one of the keys to great gains -- so
if you like them, do them!

6. One exercise workouts work great if you're
crunched for time.

7. Always remember, the way to judge the
effectiveness of a workout is to look back
over your training and log and see if you're
adding weight to the bar. If you ARE, keep
on doing what you're doing -- and if you're
NOT, make some changes.

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. You can read more about abbreviated and
ultra-abbreviated workouts in these books and
courses:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

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

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

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: "Abbreviated training
is the way to go for gains in strength, muscle and
power." Brooks Kubik

The Best Exercise

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Guy asked me "What's the best exercise?"

"The best exercise for what?" I asked him.

His answer floored me.

It wasn't "the best exercise for building
strength and bulk."

It wasn't "the best exercise for building
muscle mass."

It wasn't "the best exercise for strength
and power."

And it wasn't "the best exercise if you
have hardly any time to train and you
can only do one exercise."

Far from it.

"I want to know the best exercise to post
about on Facebook," he said. "You know --
something really crazy that will go viral
and gets tons of LIKES."

Tons of likes?

Why not shoot for pounds on the bar?

Ah, but I'm old fashioned -- and I'm
showing my age. I FORGOT that the most
important part of the modern workout is
posting about it on Facebook.

Anyhow, here's the deal.

I'm hitting the iron tonight. Alone. Out in
the garage.

Yes, it's gonna be a good one -- and no, I'm
not gonna post about it on Facebook.

I invite you to do the same.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Tonight's workout will come straight out
of the pages of Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a time
for training, and a time for talking -- and
contrary to popular opinion, they're two
different times." -- Brooks Kubik

Old School Iron!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Nowadays, everyone knows what a barbell is,
and everyone knows how to perform the basic
exercises: curls, presses, bench presses and
so on.

It's hard to imagine a time when things were
different. But not too long ago most people
had never seen a barbell -- and almost no one
had any idea what to do with one.

The first plate-loading barbells were sold in 
the United States beginning about 100 years
ago. Not very many were made, and not very many
were sold -- and all through the 1920's, 30's
and 40's, barbells remained pretty rare, pretty
unusual and pretty mysterious.

And that raised an interesting issue for the
barbell manufacturers.

When they shipped the barbell, it was usually
going to someone who had absolutely no idea
what to do with it.

So when they shipped the barbell, they had to
include a course that told you (1) how to
perform the basic exercises, and (2) how to
put them together into a training program.

That's exactly what the Milo Barbell Company
did -- and later, it was what the York Barbell
Company did.

And amazingly, the men and boys (and the
occasional woman or girl) who ordered a barbell
were able to follow the course well enough to
get some pretty good results.

Take Harry Paschall, for example. Farm kid from
North Central Ohio -- orders a Milo barbell back
around 1914 or 1915 -- and gains 25 pounds of
muscle in one year. Goes on to become a lifting
champion -- and later, to write his own books
and courses about barbell training.

And there were many other similar cases. Young
men and boys who ordered a barbell, followed the
little training course that came with it -- and
gained 20, 30, 40, 50 or more pounds of muscle
and tons of strength.

In fact, the average results from barbell training
"back in the day" were little short of amazing --
and they were (get this) BETTER than the average
results achieved by modern trainees -- most of whom
never gain much of anything at all, give up in
disgust, and tell people "I tried that barbell
stuff, but it doesn't work."

I write about the old-school training methods in all
of my books and courses. There's  a reason for that.
They have a long history of success. They've been
building strength, muscle and power for well over
100 years.

If you're tired of the modern stuff that just doesn't
seem to work, give old-school methods a try. You
won't regret it for a second.

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. CHALK AND SWEAT contains over 50 detailed training
programs -- 10 for beginners, 10 for intermediates, 10
for advanced men -- and 20 different programs for building
maximum strength and muscle mass. All of them old-school,
and all of them very, very effective:

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

P.S. 2 My other books and courses are available right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Hard work, heavy iron
and an old-school attitude." -- 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

Didjya Know? -- Iron Game Trivia!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll get to the Iron in a minute, but let
me begin by saying three things about the
terrible events in Boston yesterday:

1. I know there were members of the Dino
Nation there -- and we all hope you're okay.

2. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone
affected by this senseless attack.

3. To all the first responders, and to everyone
who helped the wounded -- thank you for what you
did -- and thank you for everything you do. 

And I know that everyone reading this
email shares the same thoughts.

On the Iron front, here's something a little
different for you.

My buddy Bill Hinbern sometimes does articles
and email messages titled “Didjya Know” – and
they’re always fun. So, with a tip of the hat
to Bill Hinbern, and a suggestion that you head
over to his website and check out what he has
to offer, let’s try a little “Didjya Know?”

(Note: I'm having trouble getting a live link here,
Bill Hinbern is at www.superstrengthtraining.com --
head on over and take  a look at his great books
and courses.)

Didjya know:

1. That John Davis military pressed 170 pounds
the first time he ever touched a barbell?

2. That Reg Park hated to train in a gym with
mirrors on the wall, and would actually cover
the mirrors with towels or sheets when he trained?

3. That weight training actually makes you SMARTER?
(Several teams of scientists just published some
research studies on this one. Of course, those of
us who are smart enough to lift weights already
KNEW it – right?)

4. That the Russian strongman, Alexander Zass, who
toured Europe as “The Amazing Sampson,” was a spy
for the British government? His strongman act
provided the perfect cover for a secret agent.

5. That Chinese villagers trained with homemade
barbells fashioned of stone disks. Photos appear
in George Jowett’s classic book, The Key to Might
and Muscle.

6. That Herman Goerner picked up four kettlebells,
two in each hand, for a total weight of 441
pounds – and then sprinted around the training
hall in Leipzig -- a distance of 78 feet? Performed
on August 5, 1934.

7. That the famous old-time bare-knuckle boxer,
John L. Sullivan, was a close friend of the
French-Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr?

8. That Bob Hoffman wrote “How to be Strong,
Healthy and Happy” in exactly ten days? (Or
did he – it’s 494 pages, and that’s awfully
fast typing!)

9. That Iron Game author Harry Paschall set
an American record in the snatch -- bowled a
perfect 300 -- and made a hole in one playing
golf! (But not all in the same day.)  

10. That the great Jack LaLanne, champion of
endurance feats, was a sickly youth with severe
asthma? Physical training and a proper diet made
him a superman!

That’s all for now – let me know if you enjoyed
these, and if so, we’ll do more of them from
time to 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. Here's another Didjya Know -- Didjya know
that BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY covers
the life and lifting of the six-time World
Champion and two-time Olympic gold medal
winner in detail? It's over 450 pages, with
photos -- including some photos that have
never been published before -- and it's a
great tribute to a great lifter:

http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.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: "Knowledge is power --
but only if you add some good, old-fashioned hard
work to the equation." -- Brooks Kubik

The Growing Machine!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the ways to kick your training
into maximum overdrive is to try something
new.

And one of the best things to try is a
Dino-style power rack training program.
If you use it the right way, the power
rack is a growing machine!

I should know -- because power rack training
made me grow like nothing I'd ever tried.

In my late 20's, I weighed 180 pounds,
and was able to do a touch and go bench
press with 355 pounds any day of the week.
My best in competition (at a local meet
where they let us do a touch and go rather
than a paused lift), I did 365. That was
my best back then.

I did 315 x 5 in the squat. I don't recall
if I ever did singles in the squat back then.
I don't think. If I did, my top squat was about
the same as my bench press.

Try as I might, I could not increase any of
my lifts. The bench stayed the same for years --
and so did the squat -- and so did my bodyweight.

At about that point in time, the owner of the gym
asked a retired steel worker named Carl Flannigan
to build an extra big, extra heavy duty power rack
for the gym.

Carl, by the way, was nicknamed "Big Carl," and he
deserved the nickname. He was a mountain of a man,
and even in his late 60's he was handling huge
weights in partial movements on the leg press
machine and in quarter squats. And when he shook
hands with you, it felt like you were shaking hands
with a gorilla.

Anyhow, Carl built a MONSTER power rack -- and it
stood there unused by anyone other than Carl for
a very long long time.

And then one day i read an article about power rack
training, and decided to give it a try -- and so
I started to experiment with different ways of using
the power rack.

I soon discovered that much of what was written about
power rack training didn't work very well. But I also
discovered some unique twists on rack training that
worked GREAT.

And suddenly, I started to grow bigger and stronger.

My weight climbed up to 188 -- and then 193 -- and
then 198 -- 202 -- 207 -- 210 -- 220 and up to 225.

My bench shot up to a 400 pound touch and go lift --
and then a paused bench in competition with 396 --
which I later increased to 407 (in competition).

I started doing bottom position bench presses (starting
from a dead stop with the bar positioned on pins set
so it was just brushing my chest when I wedged myself
underneath it -- and worked up to 435 pounds using a
3" thick barbell.

And my squat increased way more than my bench press.
It went all the way up to 605 pounds for a single.

And it was all the result of heavy rack work -- or
rather, the result of heavy DINO-STYLE rack work.

I detail my favorite systems of power rack training
in two books:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

If strength and power is your thing -- or if you're
looking to build some serious muscle mass in 2012 --
then give Dino-style power rack training a try. You
may find (as I did), that it works better than anything
else you've ever tried!

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, courses, DVD's -- and sweatshirts
and hoodies (which are great for cold weather training --
are right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a reason why they
call it the power rack." -- Brooks Kubik