Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There's a new year on the horizon, and
like all of you, I'm making plans for
it.
Of course, it's all lifting-related:
1. Get down to the 94 kilo (207 lb.)
weight class for Olympic weightlifting
comps.
a. Currently I weigh 215, so that means
I need to cut about 8 pounds.
b. Meat, eggs, fresh salads and fresh
veggies.
c. LOTS of meat - LOTS of eggs - LOTS of
fresh salads and veggies.
d. Did I mention that Trudi and I are very
popular customers at the local Farmer's
Market?
e. To drink: water, black coffee, and
herb tea.
2. Enter and compete in Masters weight-
lifting comps.
2a. The 2014 USA National Masters, the
2014 American Masters, and the 2014
Pan-American Masters.
2b. Should be lots and lots of fun.
3. Total at least 170 kilos in
competition.
a. Preferably 180 kilos.
b. 170 is the qualifying weight for the
Masters World Championships at my age and
weight, so it's a good goal to shoot for.
c. Especially for an old guy who trains
in his garage.
4. Qualify for and compete in the 2014
Pan-American Masters Weightlifting
Championships.
a. The qualifying total is 150 kilos for
my age and weight.
5. Train hard, but smart, and stay injury-
free.
a. Aches and pains, dings and dents, etc.
are not injuries, and at my age, they are
inevitable.
b. In 2013 I worked really hard on squat
snatches and my shoulders were sore all
year long. I've switched to split snatches
and my shoulders feel much better.
6. Write and publish at least one new book
for the Dino nation.
a. Heck, maybe two. You deserve it.
7. Teach the son and his wife how to do
Olympic lifting.
a. They're interested, so the time is
now.
8. Teach the granddaughters how to do
Olympic lifting.
a. That zero weight kiddie barbell will
see some fun workouts in 2014.
9. Keep on looking until I find a lifting
suit that fits right.
a. If they make such a critter. I sort of
doubt it.
10. Help make 2014 the best year ever for
the Dino Nation.
a. Of course, I'll need some help on this
one - as in, some help from each and every
one of you!
Anyhow, that's the plan for 2014. What does
YOUR plan look like?
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 older trainees, here's the book
that will make 2014 the best year ever:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's
are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Make a plan,
then make it happen." -- Brooks Kubik
A Barbell Christmas!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We had a barbell Christmas here
at Dino Headquarters.
My daughter - who's a heck of an
artist - gave me a drawing of Doug
Hepburn. It now hangs in the sun
room where I can see it every
morning when I eat breakfast.
Good inspiration for heavy
lifting.
Trudi gave me a couple of books
about training injuries, taping,
and trigger point therapy. Good
stuff to help keep an older Dino
in one piece.
She also gave me a book about the
evolution of the human body. It
should give some good insights
into optimum nutrition. And it
might help me understand how
Dinos - meaning you and me -
fit into the scheme of things.
I gave Trudi some new bumper plates
for her auxiliary gym in the
basement. She'll have lots of fun
with them.
One of the sons has set up a home
gym in his garage. We gave him and
his wife (who also trains) some
bumper plates and some rubber
matting. They'll put it to good
use.
But the best present of all was
an old - circa 1962 - kiddie barbell
and dumbbell set. It uses short
lengths of pipe for the bars, and
the plates are hollow plastic,
sized to be the same as old time
cast iron exercise plates. The
idea is to load them with water,
and later, with sand, as the kid
grows stronger. You can adjust them
from one pound to 22 pounds.
The barbell set went to the five year
old granddaughters, although we keep
it here so they can train in our
living room when they come to
see us.
And before anyone objects and says
that they're too young to lift weights,
please understand - they'll be using
nothing but the empty plates for a
long, long time. It's about the same
as lifting a large doll or a medium
sized teddy bear.
Now, here's the neat part.
I competed in a small, local weight-
lifting contest on December 15 - and
we brought the granddaughters and
let them watch the meet.
It was the first time they'd seen a
live contest. The only other lifting
they had seen was me in the garage
every once in awhile, and the U.S.
National Championships live-streamed
back in the summer.
They liked watching the Nationals -
especially when "the girls" (their term,
not mine) were lifting. They thought it
was cool to see the girls lift more
(as they saw it) than the boys. They
also liked the outfits and the shoes.
At the local contest, there were three
lifters in the women's division. The
granddaughters paid careful attention
to them.
So back to Christmas morning. The girls
tore into their presents, and jumped up
and down when they saw the barbell.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Trudi.
"A barbell!" they shouted.
"Go ahead and lift it," said Trudi.
So granddaughter no. 1 reaches down and
grabs the bar - wide grip - and power
snatches it - then does an overhead
squat - goes all the way down - goes
back up - holds it overhead - and then
drops it down and forward onto the
platform, a/k/a the living room rug.
Then her sister power cleans the bar
and presses it overhead - and then
drops it onto the platform.
I think that means they were paying
attention at the contest.
The next time they're over here, we'll
start teaching them how to squat snatch.
And then we'll teach them the clean and
jerk.
Again, with virtually no weight. Just to
practice the movement. Heck, they're
almost there already - and that's after
seeing one little lifting contest.
I'll keep you updated on what happens.
In the meantime, and 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. John Davis got started in lifting at
age 15 - and two years later he won the
World championship. Read about his life
and his lifting in Black Iron, The John
Davis Story:
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: "Start them
young, and give them the gift of lifelong
strength and health." - Brooks Kubik
We had a barbell Christmas here
at Dino Headquarters.
My daughter - who's a heck of an
artist - gave me a drawing of Doug
Hepburn. It now hangs in the sun
room where I can see it every
morning when I eat breakfast.
Good inspiration for heavy
lifting.
Trudi gave me a couple of books
about training injuries, taping,
and trigger point therapy. Good
stuff to help keep an older Dino
in one piece.
She also gave me a book about the
evolution of the human body. It
should give some good insights
into optimum nutrition. And it
might help me understand how
Dinos - meaning you and me -
fit into the scheme of things.
I gave Trudi some new bumper plates
for her auxiliary gym in the
basement. She'll have lots of fun
with them.
One of the sons has set up a home
gym in his garage. We gave him and
his wife (who also trains) some
bumper plates and some rubber
matting. They'll put it to good
use.
But the best present of all was
an old - circa 1962 - kiddie barbell
and dumbbell set. It uses short
lengths of pipe for the bars, and
the plates are hollow plastic,
sized to be the same as old time
cast iron exercise plates. The
idea is to load them with water,
and later, with sand, as the kid
grows stronger. You can adjust them
from one pound to 22 pounds.
The barbell set went to the five year
old granddaughters, although we keep
it here so they can train in our
living room when they come to
see us.
And before anyone objects and says
that they're too young to lift weights,
please understand - they'll be using
nothing but the empty plates for a
long, long time. It's about the same
as lifting a large doll or a medium
sized teddy bear.
Now, here's the neat part.
I competed in a small, local weight-
lifting contest on December 15 - and
we brought the granddaughters and
let them watch the meet.
It was the first time they'd seen a
live contest. The only other lifting
they had seen was me in the garage
every once in awhile, and the U.S.
National Championships live-streamed
back in the summer.
They liked watching the Nationals -
especially when "the girls" (their term,
not mine) were lifting. They thought it
was cool to see the girls lift more
(as they saw it) than the boys. They
also liked the outfits and the shoes.
At the local contest, there were three
lifters in the women's division. The
granddaughters paid careful attention
to them.
So back to Christmas morning. The girls
tore into their presents, and jumped up
and down when they saw the barbell.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Trudi.
"A barbell!" they shouted.
"Go ahead and lift it," said Trudi.
So granddaughter no. 1 reaches down and
grabs the bar - wide grip - and power
snatches it - then does an overhead
squat - goes all the way down - goes
back up - holds it overhead - and then
drops it down and forward onto the
platform, a/k/a the living room rug.
Then her sister power cleans the bar
and presses it overhead - and then
drops it onto the platform.
I think that means they were paying
attention at the contest.
The next time they're over here, we'll
start teaching them how to squat snatch.
And then we'll teach them the clean and
jerk.
Again, with virtually no weight. Just to
practice the movement. Heck, they're
almost there already - and that's after
seeing one little lifting contest.
I'll keep you updated on what happens.
In the meantime, and 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. John Davis got started in lifting at
age 15 - and two years later he won the
World championship. Read about his life
and his lifting in Black Iron, The John
Davis Story:
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: "Start them
young, and give them the gift of lifelong
strength and health." - Brooks Kubik
Paper, Pencil and Iron!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
When you're serious about your
training, you're in it for the
long haul.
You're focused on life-long strength
and health.
Long term gains.
Long term progress.
You need to set high, demanding and
challenging goals for yourself --
and you need to work towards them
with relentless determination.
And your workouts should reflect that.
Every workout should be part of a long
chain of workouts, strung together by
your goals and your determination to
achieve them -- and every workout
should take you one step closer to
the achievement of your goals.
That's how champions train -- and that's
how to train like a champion.
And its how to achieve your true
potential in the Iron Game.
In fact, it's the only way to achieve
your true potential.
I call it championship thinking, and
it's one of the most important keys to
strength training success.
So try this.
Grab a paper and pencil. (You know, paper
and pencil. That old fashioned stuff your
grand-parents used.)
Sit down somewhere quiet, where you won't
be disturbed, and write down the five long
term goals that are most important to you.
Next, make a note of where you stand RIGHT
NOW on the road to each of your five long
term goals.
Simple example: long term goal to squat 500
pounds, and you currently squat 350 pounds.
You have 150 pounds to go.
Now create a series of realistic sub-goals
that will get you to your long-term goal.
Using the above example, your sub goals might
be a 400 pound squat, and then a 450 pound
squat.
Next, design a workout program that will lead
to the achievement of that first sub-goal.
Include light, heavy and medium workouts.
You don't need to go heavy all the time.
Remember, every workout is part of a chain
of workouts, leading TOGETHER to great
results.
Then implement your plan.
That's an example of long term program
planning -- and it's an example of
championship thinking.
And it's how to climb to the very top of
the Iron Mountain.
You do it with paper, pencil and iron.
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 cover the mental aspects of strength
training in detail in Dinosaur Training and
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.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: "Paper, pencil
and iron are all you need -- but you need all
three of them." -- Brooks Kubik
When you're serious about your
training, you're in it for the
long haul.
You're focused on life-long strength
and health.
Long term gains.
Long term progress.
You need to set high, demanding and
challenging goals for yourself --
and you need to work towards them
with relentless determination.
And your workouts should reflect that.
Every workout should be part of a long
chain of workouts, strung together by
your goals and your determination to
achieve them -- and every workout
should take you one step closer to
the achievement of your goals.
That's how champions train -- and that's
how to train like a champion.
And its how to achieve your true
potential in the Iron Game.
In fact, it's the only way to achieve
your true potential.
I call it championship thinking, and
it's one of the most important keys to
strength training success.
So try this.
Grab a paper and pencil. (You know, paper
and pencil. That old fashioned stuff your
grand-parents used.)
Sit down somewhere quiet, where you won't
be disturbed, and write down the five long
term goals that are most important to you.
Next, make a note of where you stand RIGHT
NOW on the road to each of your five long
term goals.
Simple example: long term goal to squat 500
pounds, and you currently squat 350 pounds.
You have 150 pounds to go.
Now create a series of realistic sub-goals
that will get you to your long-term goal.
Using the above example, your sub goals might
be a 400 pound squat, and then a 450 pound
squat.
Next, design a workout program that will lead
to the achievement of that first sub-goal.
Include light, heavy and medium workouts.
You don't need to go heavy all the time.
Remember, every workout is part of a chain
of workouts, leading TOGETHER to great
results.
Then implement your plan.
That's an example of long term program
planning -- and it's an example of
championship thinking.
And it's how to climb to the very top of
the Iron Mountain.
You do it with paper, pencil and iron.
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 cover the mental aspects of strength
training in detail in Dinosaur Training and
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.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: "Paper, pencil
and iron are all you need -- but you need all
three of them." -- Brooks Kubik
The Squatting Imperative!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
All Dinos know about the importance of
the squat. It's one of the very best
exercises you can do.
It builds strength, it builds power,
and it builds muscle mass throughout
the entire body.
It strengthens your spine -- including
the upper spine.
It's a terrific conditioner.
It teaches you to fight -- to focus --
and to pour every ounce of determination
you possess into your training.
It builds character.
It triggers enormous increases in
metabolism.
It improves glandular function. In
other words,when you do heavy squats,
you produce more testosterone --
which is a very good thing, especially
for older trainees.
In other words, if you're serious about
your training, you MUST do squats. No way
around it.
I call that The Squatting Imperative.
But some trainees can't do squats.
Their shoulders are too banged up, and
they can't hold onto a heavy squat bar.
Don't laugh. That's me. That's why I do
front squats.
Yes, that's right. I can't do regular
back squats because I can't hold onto the
bar.
BUT -- and this is huge -- I can still
do squats!
I use the Dave Draper Top Squat. It's a
nifty little device that fits onto your
squat bar. There are handles that go to
the front. When you squat, you hold onto
the handles in front of you.
I bought my Top Squat several years ago,
and I REALLY like it.
And one day, I was talking about it with
my buddy, John Wood -- and it turns out
John had the same problem -- and guess
what --
-- the Top Squat did the trick for him!
Fast forward to September 2013.
Guess where you can grab the Dave Draper
Top Squat?
No, it's not from me. I sell books, courses
and DVD's (and shirts).
It's from John Wood.
And you can read more about it right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1
Now, I don't endorse very man products.
And I don't send you to someone else's
website unless it's someone I know -- and
unless it's a product I really like. And I
don't do it for any kind of affiliate fee
or similar payment.
I'm doing this because I really like the
Dave Draper Top Squat -- and because I
know John Wood. So this is a five star
recommendation. And I'm talking gold
stars.
Also, please note:
If you have shoulder problems and you
can't do squats, I want you to start
squatting again. I want you to work
the heck out of your squats -- just
like you used to do.
Squatting makes the world a better
place -- and we all need to do our
part!
And that's why I endorse the Dave Draper
Top Squat.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link again:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1
P.S. 2. Older trainees should combine the
top squat with the workouts in Gray Hair
and Black Iron -- they make a heck of a
tag team:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Squats are life."
-- Brooks Kubik
All Dinos know about the importance of
the squat. It's one of the very best
exercises you can do.
It builds strength, it builds power,
and it builds muscle mass throughout
the entire body.
It strengthens your spine -- including
the upper spine.
It's a terrific conditioner.
It teaches you to fight -- to focus --
and to pour every ounce of determination
you possess into your training.
It builds character.
It triggers enormous increases in
metabolism.
It improves glandular function. In
other words,when you do heavy squats,
you produce more testosterone --
which is a very good thing, especially
for older trainees.
In other words, if you're serious about
your training, you MUST do squats. No way
around it.
I call that The Squatting Imperative.
But some trainees can't do squats.
Their shoulders are too banged up, and
they can't hold onto a heavy squat bar.
Don't laugh. That's me. That's why I do
front squats.
Yes, that's right. I can't do regular
back squats because I can't hold onto the
bar.
BUT -- and this is huge -- I can still
do squats!
I use the Dave Draper Top Squat. It's a
nifty little device that fits onto your
squat bar. There are handles that go to
the front. When you squat, you hold onto
the handles in front of you.
I bought my Top Squat several years ago,
and I REALLY like it.
And one day, I was talking about it with
my buddy, John Wood -- and it turns out
John had the same problem -- and guess
what --
-- the Top Squat did the trick for him!
Fast forward to September 2013.
Guess where you can grab the Dave Draper
Top Squat?
No, it's not from me. I sell books, courses
and DVD's (and shirts).
It's from John Wood.
And you can read more about it right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1
Now, I don't endorse very man products.
And I don't send you to someone else's
website unless it's someone I know -- and
unless it's a product I really like. And I
don't do it for any kind of affiliate fee
or similar payment.
I'm doing this because I really like the
Dave Draper Top Squat -- and because I
know John Wood. So this is a five star
recommendation. And I'm talking gold
stars.
Also, please note:
If you have shoulder problems and you
can't do squats, I want you to start
squatting again. I want you to work
the heck out of your squats -- just
like you used to do.
Squatting makes the world a better
place -- and we all need to do our
part!
And that's why I endorse the Dave Draper
Top Squat.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link again:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1
P.S. 2. Older trainees should combine the
top squat with the workouts in Gray Hair
and Black Iron -- they make a heck of a
tag team:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Squats are life."
-- Brooks Kubik
Is this Overtraining?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A quick note before today's message:
I'll be on SuperHuman Radio today from
12:00 to 1:00 EST. Catch the show live
or listen to the download.
The SuperHuman Radio homepage is right
here:
http://superhumanradio.com/
Hope you can join us!
On the training front, here's an email
from Rob Richley with a training question.
"Hi Brooks,
I always train before wok at 6:30am and
as I am pressed for time I prefer a 4 day
routine with only a few movements per
session.
I`m currently doing this:
Mon - Incline DB press
Tue - Row or weighted pullup
Thursday - Press
Fri - Squat / Trap Bar Deadlift
Recently I`ve read this routine could
be bad for the shoulders because they
are actually being hit three times per
week on Mon, Tues and Thursday.
Is there any other way of structuring
it to keep it short and productive
without hitting the shoulders too
much?
Rob"
Rob -- Thanks for the email and the
question. It's similar to many emails
I get about workout frequency.
I do NOT think you're training your
shoulders too often!
The Mon and Tues workouts involve the
shoulders, but the only day where you
hit the shoulders hard with a direct
exercise is Thurs, when you do the
overhead press. That's not too much
work at all. Especially if you're
only doing one exercise per workout,
and using sensible sets and reps.
Now, if your shoulders are bothering
you, there's a problem and you need to
figure out what it is. It's not too
much training -- but it might be how
you perform your exercises, or you may
be going too heavy too often, or you may
need to change exercises a bit.
For example -- if you go heavy on the
DB incline press and lower the bells
too far to "get a stretch" - you can
hurt your shoulders. In fact, that's
not at all uncommon.
Or -- on weighted pull-ups, you might
drop too fast, twist as you pull your
body up, or stretch too much at the
bottom of the rep -- and hurt yourself.
Again, that's not uncommon.
Or -- you might find that barbell presses
are hard on your shoulders -- but push
presses are fine -- or dumbbell presses
are fine.
Anyhow, your program looks good. Don't
change it just because of something
you read on the interwebs. (Which is
a whole other discussion . . .you can't
imagine how many guys and gals get off
course because of stuff they read on
the interwebs. But we'll cover that
topic another day.)
To everyone -- 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 more advice about building
strong, powerful shoulders -- and about
avoiding shoulder problems -- grab this:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For more about shoulder wreckers
and other exercises to avoid, grab this:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "Do what works,
and pay no attention to anything else."
-- Brooks Kubik
A quick note before today's message:
I'll be on SuperHuman Radio today from
12:00 to 1:00 EST. Catch the show live
or listen to the download.
The SuperHuman Radio homepage is right
here:
http://superhumanradio.com/
Hope you can join us!
On the training front, here's an email
from Rob Richley with a training question.
"Hi Brooks,
I always train before wok at 6:30am and
as I am pressed for time I prefer a 4 day
routine with only a few movements per
session.
I`m currently doing this:
Mon - Incline DB press
Tue - Row or weighted pullup
Thursday - Press
Fri - Squat / Trap Bar Deadlift
Recently I`ve read this routine could
be bad for the shoulders because they
are actually being hit three times per
week on Mon, Tues and Thursday.
Is there any other way of structuring
it to keep it short and productive
without hitting the shoulders too
much?
Rob"
Rob -- Thanks for the email and the
question. It's similar to many emails
I get about workout frequency.
I do NOT think you're training your
shoulders too often!
The Mon and Tues workouts involve the
shoulders, but the only day where you
hit the shoulders hard with a direct
exercise is Thurs, when you do the
overhead press. That's not too much
work at all. Especially if you're
only doing one exercise per workout,
and using sensible sets and reps.
Now, if your shoulders are bothering
you, there's a problem and you need to
figure out what it is. It's not too
much training -- but it might be how
you perform your exercises, or you may
be going too heavy too often, or you may
need to change exercises a bit.
For example -- if you go heavy on the
DB incline press and lower the bells
too far to "get a stretch" - you can
hurt your shoulders. In fact, that's
not at all uncommon.
Or -- on weighted pull-ups, you might
drop too fast, twist as you pull your
body up, or stretch too much at the
bottom of the rep -- and hurt yourself.
Again, that's not uncommon.
Or -- you might find that barbell presses
are hard on your shoulders -- but push
presses are fine -- or dumbbell presses
are fine.
Anyhow, your program looks good. Don't
change it just because of something
you read on the interwebs. (Which is
a whole other discussion . . .you can't
imagine how many guys and gals get off
course because of stuff they read on
the interwebs. But we'll cover that
topic another day.)
To everyone -- 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 more advice about building
strong, powerful shoulders -- and about
avoiding shoulder problems -- grab this:
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For more about shoulder wreckers
and other exercises to avoid, grab this:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "Do what works,
and pay no attention to anything else."
-- Brooks Kubik
The Key to Sustained Progress!
Hail to the dinosaurs!
Here's a question from Keith
Jacobson that highlights an
important issue -- several of
them, in fact.
Keith wrote:
"I've been using power rack
training to increase my bench
press.
For the last month I've been
setting a PR in bottom position
bench every workout for a triple,
double and single, working the
movement twice a week.
Recently, I hit a 260 lb bottom
bench and since then I've had
two bench workouts where I
couldn't hit 265 and one where
I couldn't hit 260. (The 260 was
a maximal effort when I did get
it).
I have two questions:
1. I was thinking of hitting singles
with 250 and adding a set or two
every workout, and once I got to
five singles, adding weight and
starting over. What do you think
about this?
2. Have you ever experienced a point
where you had to start making much
slower progress on a lift?
If you think this is the right
decision let me know.
Thanks in advance,
Keith Jacobson"
Keith -- Congrats on your progress --
you've done great on your power rack
program.
Your progress follows the pattern of
many trainees when they switch to a
new workout, a new training method
or even a new exercise. They gain
in leaps and bounds at first --
and everything is GREAT -- but
then they start to slow down --
and often, those great gains turn
into very, very slow gains -- or
no more gains at all.
It happens to everyone -- and yes,
it's happened to me. Still does.
And always will. It's part of the
Iron Game.
What happens is this: you make great
progress at first because you're
doing something new and different,
and part of the progress is learning
how to do the exercise effectively.
A bottom position bench press, for
example, feels much different than
a standard bench press -- and it will
take some time to learn how to perform
it properly. During that "learning
period," the gains will be fast and
steady.
After the learning period, you need
to settle into some hard work and
extra effort to keep the gains
coming -- and you need to use a
"slow cooking" progression system.
The system you are thinking about
will work fine -- esp on bottom
position bench presses, which lend
themselves well to heavy singles.
Start with 250 x 1.
In the next workout, do 250 x 2 x 1.
In the next workout, 250 x 3 x 1.
And so on, until you are doing 250
x 5 x 1 -- and after that, add five
pounds to the bar and do 255 x 1 --
and repeat the process.
You also can use two different
progression paths. One week, do
singles. The next week, do sets of
5 -- or do 5/3/1 for your working
sets.
This is a good reason why no one
training program -- no single set/
rep system -- and no one progression
system -- will work for everyone --
or even work all the time for any
one person.
Our bodies are different, our
responses to exercise are different,
and our bodies and our responses to
exercise change over time -- so we
always have to be tinkering with
the dials to keep on going forward.
In this regard, note that some coaches
like to switch things up every three
or four weeks. Not huge changes --
you don't go from a Dino-style heavy
iron abbreviated workout to a bunny
blaster high rep low weight program
(not if you want to keep making
progress) --- but the kind of
changes we covered in this email.
Remember, when I talk about changes,
I mean sensible modifications within
the parameters of hard, heavy
training on the basic exercises.
I'm not giving you a license for
idiocy -- and if that sounds harsh,
it has to be. There is too much
idiocy out there -- and it's very
easy to fall prey to it.
Wow -- that turned out to be a long
email. But as I said at the beginning,
Keith's questions raised lots of
important issues.
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 more detail on progression
systems, specialization workouts,
power rack training, increasing your
bench press and tons of other topics,
grab a copy of Strength, Muscle and
Power:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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: "Life's not
linear, but don't let it become circular."
-- Brooks Kubik
Answers to Your Training Questions!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Let's pull out the Dinosaur Mail bag and
answer some questions from Dinos.
Q. Can I combine barbell training with
kettlebell exercises?
A. Of course. Just be careful not to
overdo things.
For example . . .
Barbell training 3x per week and 2 or 3
days of kettlebell work on your "off"
days would be overdoing for most people.
Some of the young Dinos out there might
get away with it for awhile -- but for
most readers, it would be way too much
work.
A better approach is to follow a 3
day per week program using Dino-style
abbreviated workouts, and replacing some
barbell exercises with kettlebell
exercises.
Q. Can I do deadlifts one week and barbell
bent-over rowing the next week?
A. Sure. Several top powerlifters have
followed similar programs in the past. It
gives your back extra time to recover from
those heavy deadlift sessions.
Q. I've heard you can only digest about 30
grams of protein at any one meal, so you
should space things out and eat six or
seven meals a day. Is that true?
A. The human body didn't evolve to eat that
way. Our ancestors ate until they were full
whenever food was available. So the human
body can certainly handle big meals.
Also, if you're training hard -- meaning
lots of stand on your feet training, with
plenty of squatting, pushing and pulling --
then you'll need lots of protein AND you'll
digest it just fine.
So three meals a day will work fine.
Of course, some people prefer to eat
smaller meals more frequently -- if you
fall into that group, then go for it.
Those are just some of the many questions
that came in during the past couple of
days. I'll cover more questions from
readers in future emails. Be looking
for them!
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. Lots of readers ask about old-school
dumbbell training. Here's something to
answer your questions:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Begin with the
question, not the answer." -- Brooks Kubik
Let's pull out the Dinosaur Mail bag and
answer some questions from Dinos.
Q. Can I combine barbell training with
kettlebell exercises?
A. Of course. Just be careful not to
overdo things.
For example . . .
Barbell training 3x per week and 2 or 3
days of kettlebell work on your "off"
days would be overdoing for most people.
Some of the young Dinos out there might
get away with it for awhile -- but for
most readers, it would be way too much
work.
A better approach is to follow a 3
day per week program using Dino-style
abbreviated workouts, and replacing some
barbell exercises with kettlebell
exercises.
Q. Can I do deadlifts one week and barbell
bent-over rowing the next week?
A. Sure. Several top powerlifters have
followed similar programs in the past. It
gives your back extra time to recover from
those heavy deadlift sessions.
Q. I've heard you can only digest about 30
grams of protein at any one meal, so you
should space things out and eat six or
seven meals a day. Is that true?
A. The human body didn't evolve to eat that
way. Our ancestors ate until they were full
whenever food was available. So the human
body can certainly handle big meals.
Also, if you're training hard -- meaning
lots of stand on your feet training, with
plenty of squatting, pushing and pulling --
then you'll need lots of protein AND you'll
digest it just fine.
So three meals a day will work fine.
Of course, some people prefer to eat
smaller meals more frequently -- if you
fall into that group, then go for it.
Those are just some of the many questions
that came in during the past couple of
days. I'll cover more questions from
readers in future emails. Be looking
for them!
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. Lots of readers ask about old-school
dumbbell training. Here's something to
answer your questions:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Begin with the
question, not the answer." -- Brooks Kubik
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