An Important Question to Ask Yourself!

 

Going strong at age 60 - after more than 50 years of strength training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a very good question to ask
yourself:

"Why did I start strength training?"

It's important, because the answer helps
you tap into the burning desire that got
you started.

At the beginning of every Iron Game success
story you find something that happened --
something that needed improvement -- a
problem of some sort -- something that led
to a lifelong passion for strength training.

For me, it was severe childhood asthma.

When I was a kid, I had terrible allergies,
and even worse asthma.

I remember the nights when I lay in bed
wheezing uncontrollably and gasping
desperately for breath.

I remember the family doctor telling my
parents that there was nothing he could
do to help me.

That I would always be weak and frail.

That I was too sick to play with the other
children.

That I would not be able to play sports or
outdoor games.

That I should stick to indoor hobbies like
reading, stamp collecting or building
model planes.

But at age nine, I read a book about Teddy
Roosevelt, and I learned -- to my great
astonishment -- that Teddy Roosevelt
had suffered from severe childhood
asthma that was very similar to mine.

But he licked it.

How?

His father set up a small home gym in
an extra bedroom -- and Teddy began
training with weights, pulleys, and
Indian clubs.

And over time, the exercise program
made him bigger, stronger and
healthier.

He ended up becoming an all-around
athlete and a rugged outdoorsman. He
boxed, rowed, canoed, sailed, rode
horses, camped, hunted and even
owned a cattle ranch. During the
Spanish-American War, he formed
the famous Rough Riders unit
that stormed up the steep slopes
of San Juan Hill to win a decisive
victory.

He went from invalid to hero -- and
it was exercise that did it for him.

That's what got me started -- and
even now, more than 50 years
later, I can remember the burning
desire to be healthy and strong --
and how it motivated me to start
training.

And just thinking about it keeps me
going -- and keeps me focused on
that early goal of building strength
and health.

So ask yourself the question:

"Why did I start strength training?"

It's an important question. The answer is
your personal key to strength training
success.

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 has helped tens of
thousands of trainees build more strength,
muscle and power than they ever imagined.
Go here to grab your copy of the little blue
book they call "the Bible of Strength
Training":

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The seed of
greatness lies deep in all of us. The trick
is to find it." -- Brooks Kubik

Sunday Catch Up for Dinos!

A birds-eye view of the Dinosaur Dungeon as the 60-year old Dino gets set to do some front squats. The towels on the bar are to hold on during the set - a good accommodation for older guys with tight shoulders.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Couple of quick things to catch you
up on all things Dino.

1. Photos of the Dino Dungeon

I'm posting lots of photos of the
Dino Dungeon on Facebook and
Instagram (and tweeting them,
as well.)

Friend me on Facebook and follow
me on Instagram and Twitter -
and be sure to hit the LIKE button
and leave comments and share
and all that good social media
stuff.

To make it easy, here's the link
for the Instagram photos:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/?hl=en

2. The January Dinosaur Files

In addition to offering the January
issue of the Dinosaur Files in PDF
and Kindle editions, we also offered
it in a special hard-copy (paper-back)
edition.

The hard-copy edition is printed by
Amazon, and shipped to you by
Amazon.

That means that if you're an Amazon
Prime customer, there is NO shipping
charge.

In other words, it's a hard-copy with
FREE SHIPPING.

And that's hard to beat.

Not only that, but readers tell me that
the printed edition looks great.

Go here to grab the January issue in
the format of your choice:

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017.html

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017kindle.html

Amazon hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017hardcopy.html

3. The February Dino Files

The February issue is available in PDF
right now, but we'll get the Kindle and
Amazon hard-copy versions up and
available as soon as we can. The PDF
version is right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

Of course, and as always, be sure to
let me know how you like the Dino
Files - and tell what you'd like to see
in future issues.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses -- including
links to 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/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train like
its the last workout you'll ever take,
because one day it will be." - Brooks
Kubik

Does Abbreviated Training Really Work?

An evening workout at Dino Headquarters.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I received an email from a reader
who asked whether abbreviated training really
works.

Apparently, he's been reading "stuff on the
internet" that tells him he has to follow long,
frequent workouts to make any sort of
meaningful progress.

So let me offer a counter view to the interweb
stuff.

I'll make it very simple. I'll give it you in six short
words -- and they even rhyme, so that will make
it very easy to remember.

If you over-train, you won't gain.

Period, end of story.

And that's what the Interweb whiz kids all forget.

It's not just how how hard you train. It's how you
recover from your training. No recovery means no
gains in strength and muscle mass.

Most trainees start off by making good gains, in
part because they're not strong enough to over-train.

But as they grow stronger and better conditioned,
they start to over-do things. And at that point, their
progress comes crashing to a halt.

Many trainees train for years without making any
progress because they over-do things in the gym
and they are barely able to stay even, much less
to make significant gains in strength and muscle
mass.

Go to any gym in the world, and you'll see this
happen over and over. It probably happens to
99% of the trainees at the typical gym.

And no one seems to be able to figure it out --
which is amazing, because the answer is very
simple and very obvious:

Train less, but train harder and heavier.

So when someone asks me, "Does abbreviated
training really work?" the answer is this:

1. Yes, it does.

and

2. Try it and see for yourself.

And remember , there's an entire army of Dinosaurs
around the world who've found that abbreviated
training brought them the best results of their
lives.

If it worked for them, it will work for you.

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 three Dinosaur Training Secrets courses
will get you on the right track for BIG GAINS
with sensible, abbreviated workouts. Grab them
in your choice of hard-copy, PDF or Kindle
e-book:

a. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1.
"Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs"

Kindle e-book:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

Hard-copy:

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

PDF - see the section for PDF courses on
our products page:

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

b. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,
"How Strong Are You?"

Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

Hard-copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

PDF - see the section for PDF courses on
our products page:

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

c. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"

Kindle e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html

Hard-copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_03.html

PDF - see the section for PDF courses on
our products page:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard
and heavy, and then rest and recover."-- Brooks Kubik

Squats and Vitamin D

 

Time for some squats and Vitamin D at Dino Headquarters!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It was a cold but sunny day, so I
decided to train outside.

Vitamin D is a good thing.

I bundled up. Three layers on top,
with the last layer being my York
Barbell Club hoodie (purchased
from John Wood). It's gray with
black letters (guy colors) and it's
nice and warm.

I went down to the basement,
opened the garage door, and set
up the rubber mats to make my
outdoor lifting area.

Then I moved the squat stands
and the the barbell outside.

The plates came next.

The drive-way was now a fully
equipped, fully functional old
school gym.

You can see photos of it on my
Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/

And you can read more about
it - and see some embedded
video - in the February issue
of the Dinosaur Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

I warmed up, got loose and ready
to go, and then I hit it.

Front squats, starting light and
working up to five heavy singles.

Finished up, put the squat stands
and the barbell back in the
basement, and put the rubber
mats back in the garage.

It was a simple drive-way once
more, instead of a world-class
gym.

I went upstairs to grab some
dinner.

I had earned it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about home gym training
(and tons of other stuff) see "An Island
Gym" and "In Praise of Cellar Dwellers"
in this book:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including
links to 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/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: : "Go out
and get it done, or stay inside and get
it done - but get it done." - Brooks
Kubik

Stretching - Friend or Foe?

 

It was cold but sunny, so I bundled up and moved the weights and the squat stands outside. Nothing beats squats and vitamin D.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, stretching became the
new craze in athletics training.

The coaches were told to have all of their
athletes do plenty of stretching drills before
and after every practice, and before and after
every competition.

Most of this was static stretching, where you
get into an extended position and hold it for
10 to 30 seconds -- or ballistic stretching,
where you would go close to the extended
position and then move back and forth or
up and down for 10 or 15 reps.

It was supposed to prevent injuries.

Did it work?

Darned if I know.

I remember talking to NFL Hall of Fame
coach Paul Brown one summer when I
worked a job selling popcorn and cokes
at the Cincinnati Bengals training
camp.

"I don't know about all this stretching,"
he said. "They say it's good for the players.
But I think about Jim Brown."

Jim Brown had played for Coach Brown
when he was the head coach of the
Cleveland Browns. He was the best
running back in football -- and he
finished his career with an all-time
rushing record that stood for many
years.

He also was one of the few football
players in history who ever played
his entire pro career without missing
a single game due to an injury.

He was both unstoppable and
indestructible.

"Jim Brown never did any stretching,"
said Coach Brown. "He was so tight he
couldn't put his hands any lower than
his knees when he bent over with his
legs straight."

That was interesting information -- and
it sure as heck got me thinking.

Here's something else to think about.

I've had shoulder problems since I was
in high school.

That's because I hurt my right shoulder
doing pullovers on a Nautilus Pullover
Torso machine.

Back in those days, the Pullover Torso
machine had an enormous range of
motion. Your elbows would go way
back behind your head on every rep.

They said it was good for you -- that
it would strengthen the shoulders
and help make them injury-proof.

In my case, the reverse happened.

Many trainees have similar problems
with exercises that over-stretch the
shoulder joint -- including the press
behind neck, behind the neck pull-
downs, straight arm barbell pull-
overs, flies, and bench presses with
a McDonald bench press bar.

The same thing can happen with dips.
If you go too low, you're just asking
for trouble. especially with a ton of
extra weight -- or if you bounce.

But back to the original question.

Is stretching your friend or your foe?

I'll give you my answer later in the
week.

But in the meantime, let me hear from
YOU! Shoot me an email and tell me
what you think.

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 tells you how to
train for lifelong strength and health -- and how
to preserve and protect your joints:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including
links to 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/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Start young and
keep going for the rest of your life. If you're
not young, start NOW and keep going for the
rest of your life." -- Brooks Kubik

The One Million Squats Rule

Even after more than 50 years of training, every workout is more fun than the one before it.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll talk training.

1. We're All Out of Black Iron

We are now completely and officially all
out of Black iron: The John Davis
Story.

If you want a copy, I think Bill Hinbern
and John Wood may have some - but
I don't.

Check with Bill at:

http://superstrengthtraining.com/contact

And check with John at:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/contact/

If they DO have any left, they don't
have many - so act fast and if one of
them has a copy, grab it.

A very big THANK YOU to everyone
who ordered a copy of the book!

2. The 1,000 Squats Rule

World and Olympic weightlifting champion
Tommy Kono used to say that we all have
a certain number of squats in us, and when
we use them up, that's it.

He didn't mean we're programed to do a
certain number of squats and then our
knees suddenly stop bending and we're
left standing there like the Tin Man in
the Wizard of Oz movie.

No, he meant that we need to take care
of our bodies and not do crazy stuff that
does more harm than good -- and not
waste our reps on things that don't
directly contribute to our  strength
and health goals.

For example, you see a lot of stuff out
there about squatting every day.

Why?

If you can build just as much strength (or
more) on less frequent squat workouts, then
why hit them every day and run the risk of
jacking up your knees, hips or lower back?

Why not allow time for adequate recovery?
It not only helps your training, it helps
preserve and protect your joints.

Or you see guys doing leg workouts where
they do hundreds of reps of different
exercises. 5 x 10 on this, 10 x 10 on
that, 5 x 12 on something else -- and
on and on. Some guys might do 500 or
more reps in a single leg training session.

Why do that if you can get bigger and
stronger with 5 sets of 5 reps or 5/4/3/2/1
or 5 sets of 3 in the squat or front squat?

The lower volume builds more strength and
more muscle -- and imposes much less wear
and tear on your body.

So why do the high volume thing?

Lower reps also allow you to train with greater
focus and much more precision.

You concentrate on each rep. You perform it in
perfect form. You become the rep.

In contrast, high volume workouts are almost
always a series of fast, choppy, sloppy reps
performed with little focus and no attention
to the mind-muscle link. Your brain does
nothing more than count the reps.

But there's a better way to do it. A much
better way.

I've been training for more than 50 years now,
and I plan to keep on training for a long time.

I have no idea how many more squats I have
in me, so I'm playing it safe. I keep the volume
low, and I make every rep count. I train with
total and complete focus, and I do everything
possible to maximize the mind-muscle link.

Tommy Kono called it "Quality Training." You
focus on quality, not quantity -- on perfect
lifting rather than on volume.

It makes a BIG difference -- and it helps keep
you from using up those squats too early in
your career!

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 a great book about Quality Training
for older Dinos -- as in, anyone age 35 and up:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links
to all of my e-books on Kindle:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strength training
is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Make the most of the opportunity." -- Brooks
Kubik

They're Gone!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As of about 15 minutes ago, we're
all out of Black Iron: The John Davis
Story.

If you want one, I think Bill Hinbern
and John Wood may have some - but
I don't.

Check with Bill at:

http://superstrengthtraining.com/contact

And check with John at:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/contact/

If they DO have any left, they don't
have many - so act fast and if one of
them has a copy, grab it.

A very big thank you to everyone
who ordered a copy of the book while
we had it available for you. It was a
good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik