Have a Great Weekend, Everyone!

Wherever you are, I hope you've been having a great weekend full of sun, fresh air, good fun, great company and some terrific workouts! 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I hope everyone is having a very happy
Memorial Day weekend here in the USA -
and a very happy weekend wherever you
may be as you read this.

I also hope you're getting some sun and
fresh air, eating plenty of good food, and
doing some hard and fun training.

Here at Dino Headquarters, we've been
having a lot of fun - working on a big
project - working on the May issue of
The Dinosaur Files strength training
newsletter - and having some great
workouts with a pair of terrific dumb-
bells that a friend put together for me.

He has a lot of old York equipment,
including lots of collars, and he used
them to put together the best set of
adjustable dumbbell handles I've ever
seen.

My new dumbbells look just like the ones in this advertisement for a York Big 10 Special - and they feel great - perfect balance - solid, rugged and totally old-school.

They look just like the old dumbbells
that Bob Hoffman used to sell - the
ones that John Grimek is using in all
the photos you see in the old issues of
Strength and Health.

They're a link to the past - and they
work great - and feel perfect for any
exercise i do with them.

So I've been having a very, very good
time in my workouts.

Lots of sweat and lots of fun.

Anyhow, as I said, I hope YOU have
been having a great weekend - and
I hope that today is another good
one for you.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

A Training Tip from 1932

Here's a great little training tip from way back in 1932. Try it and see how it works for you.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about ways to ease
into your workout - or substitute a faster,
lighter workout - on those low energy
days when you just can't seem to get
going.

Here's a training tip from way back in
1932.

It offers a similar strategy to get into
your workouts.

It comes from the old York Barbell
training courses.

Begin your workout with a very light
warm-up.

Do one set of 8 to 15 flip snatches
(power snatches) or clean and press.

This is really light. You just want to
get your blood flowing and accelerate
your breathing. Nothing heavy.

If for any reason you feel like you
need to do a second set, that's fine -
do it.

Then get to the serious stuff.

Start with one set of curls.

Then do one set of presses.

Then move into your heavier leg and
back exercises.

This pattern makes it much easier to
get into the swing of things than if you
tried to start out with heavy squats or
deadlifts.

Try it and see!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik


P.S. Speaking of training, here are some
great books that give you plenty of hard-
hitting, result-producing and effective
workouts.

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Power

The little blue book they call "The Bible
of Strength Training."

Tons of great training ideas - thick bars,
sandbags, heavy awkward objects, death
sets, single rep training, abbreviated work-
outs, power rack training, and some very
important chapters on the all-important
mental aspects of strength training.

Includes some of my favorite workouts.

A best-seller since 1996.

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

Tons of old-school dumbbell exercises -
and over 50 complete workouts.

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

A complete course in old-school body-
weight training - with plenty of killer
exercises - and more than 50 workouts.

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

Power rack training, isometronics, rest
pause training, mind power, finishers,
grip work, sandbags, barrels, one-hand
deadlifts, tendon and ligament strength,
home gym training, specialization, some
of my favorite abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts - and much more!

Includes so many workouts I can't count
them all.

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

Devoted to the special needs of older
trainees - with a systematic, detailed
approach to training in middle age and
beyond - and over 50 great workouts.

A game-changer for anyone who wants
to keep on going no matter how many
candles are on the birthday cake!

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

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/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day


"Start light and easy, and work up
from there."

-- Brooks Kubik

- 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

I Thought My Fingers Would Explode!

It's been over 20 years since I published the first edition of Dinosaur Training - and the little monster has been going strong ever since.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Earlier today, John Wood shared a photo
of copy no. 14 of Dinosaur Training -
signed by yours truly.

We know it's copy number 14, because I
signed and numbered every single copy of
Dinosaur Training back in 1996 when I
first released the little monster.

There were supposed to be 3,000 copies
in the first printing, but the printer ran
over - so we ended up with 3300 or so.

As I said, I signed and numbered every
single one of them - and yes, I thought
my fingers were going to explode.

I still sign books - but you have to ask
for a signature when you place your
order.

Let me know who you want me to sign
the book to - James or Jim - Will, William
or Bill - or whatever.

Of course, if it's a gift for someone else,
and you'd like me to sign it, let me know
the lucky recipient's name.

There's no charge for a signature. It's an
honor to be asked for one.

I'll sign any of my hard-copy books for
you - including these little monsters:

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Power

The little blue book they call "The Bible
of Strength Training."

Tons of great training ideas - thick bars,
sandbags, heavy awkward objects, death
sets, single rep training, abbreviated work-
outs, power rack training, and some very
important chapters on the all-important
mental aspects of strength training.

Includes some of my favorite workouts.

A best-seller since 1996.

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

Tons of old-school dumbbell exercises -
and over 50 complete workouts.

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

A complete course in old-school body-
weight training - with plenty of killer
exercises - and more than 50 workouts.

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

Power rack training, isometronics, rest
pause training, mind power, finishers,
grip work, sandbags, barrels, one hand
deadlifts, tendon and ligament strength,
home gym training, specialization, some
of my favorite abbreviated and ultra-
abbreviated workouts - and much more!

Includes so many workouts I can't count
them all.

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

Devoted to the special needs of older
trainees - with a systematic, detailed
approach to training in middle age and
beyond - and over 50 great workouts.

A game-changer for anyone who wants
to keep on going no matter how many
candles are on the birthday cake!

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

Chalk and Sweat

50 Dinosaur workouts - 10 for beginners,
10 for intermediates, 10 for advanced
trainees, and 20 leg and back programs
to build maximum strength and muscle
mass.

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

And, of course, there are even more
than that - go here to check them
out:

Dinosaur Training Books and Courses

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

How to Deal With Low Energy Days

Everyone has days when it's hard to get started and hard to get going - but there are ways to deal with it. Here's one of them.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's important to get your head into
your training - and to perform your
workouts with total concentration
and deep focus.

But sometimes it's hard to do that.

There are days when you feel tired,
stressed, or rushed - and you're just
not ready to flip the switch and hit
the iron.

What do you do?

One of our longtime Dinos sent me an
email that addresses this very point.

It's pretty good, so I thought I would
share it with you:

I agree 100 percent with your recent
emails on keeping things simple, and
focusing on your workouts. A lot of
people over-think training and
exercise.

But sometimes you can begin your
training not fully focused, and then,
as you start to do more, you begin
to get "into" the workout.

Example - some days I'm a bit more
tired than other days when training
time rolls around.

So I say to myself, "I'm not going to
hit the weights today - but I will do
one set of push-ups."

So I do one set of 15 to 20 push-ups,
and I try to concentrate and focus and
make it a good set.

The next thing you know, I've done 3 or
4 sets each of push-ups, bodyweight
squats, and ab wheel roll-outs. Then
I go outside and do 3-4 sets of chin-ups.

It may take 15 to 20 minutes, but I get
a good workout in.

Jim F.

Thanks, Jim - that's a good suggestion.

Remember, a fast, light, easy workout
is always better than no workout at all.

And if you have to coax yourself into a
workout, that's fine, too.

It's very easy to talk yourself into doing
"just one set of push-ups" - and it's
even easier to talk yourself into doing
a second set - and then a third set -
and then some other fun exercises.

It's a good trick - one that all of us can
use from time to time.

Thanks for sharing it!

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. There are over 50 great workouts
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -
so it's easy to find one that fits your
mood and your energy level on any
given day.

And frankly, the exercises and the
workouts are so much fun that you'll
never even think about skipping a
workout.

You can grab the little monster right
here:

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

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/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Make it fun, and make it happen!"

-- 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 Red Wagon Gym

John Grimek started his career training at home with a basic barbell set - and so did almost all of the old-time champions. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk iron.

1. The Dinosaur Files

I'm working away on the May issue
The Dinosaur Files - but in the meantime,
if you don't already have the April issue, go
here to grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

Also - if you missed the Oct, Nov, Dec,
Jan, Feb or March issues. you can grab
them here:

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

Feb issue

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

March issue

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

The Dinosaur Files comes in a down-
loadable PDF with immediate electronic
delivery. Once you have it, you can save
it on your PC or print it out (or do both).

If you'd prefer to purchase a one year,
12-issue subscription, shoot me an email -
we can make that happen.

2. The John Wood Report, Issue 3

It's a great issue - with some really
interesting exercises and workouts -
and you can get it right here:

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport03.html

My favorite in this issue of The JohnWood Report is the article on the
special grip, wrist and forearm exercise
from the Shao Lin Monastery. I think
you'll like it, too.

3. The Red Wagon Gym

When I was a kid, I got a bodybuilding
course written by Bruno Sammartino, the
famous professional wrestling champion.

It was for home gym trainees - for guys
who were just getting started - and it
included some simple plans for building
a wooden weight bench and a set of
wooden squat stands.

Bruno said that all you needed for a great
gym was a barbell, a weight bench and a
set of squat stands.

I wasn't much of a carpenter, and neither
was my dad, so I never tried building the
bench.

But I did build a set of wooden squat
stands when I was 18 or 19.

They worked pretty well - I used them
for squats in the 300 to 350 pound range.

Anyhow, with that background, picture the
following.

It was 20 or 25 years ago.

Early evening on what had been a pleasant,
sunny day.

I was taking my dog for a walk.

And we see the strangest looking thing
coming toward us.

It's one of those little red wagons that
we all had when we were kids.

And perched precariously on top of the
wagon is a wooden weight bench - and a
set of wooden squat stands!

Just like the ones in the Bruno course!

A man was pulling the wagon down the
street.

A young boy was walking beside the wagon,
one hand braced against the weight bench
to keep it from tipping over.

Father and son, obviously.

The kid had the biggest smile you ever
saw.

He obviously knew he had found a real
treasure.

I called over to them.

"Wow - those look familiar!"

The man looked at me in surprise -
and with a bit of concern.

"Are these yours?" he asked.

"No - but I used to have a set of squat
stands like that - and I always wanted a
bench like that. Where'd you find them?"

"A couple of blocks back. Someone put
them out for the trash. I'm taking them
home for my boy."

I looked at the kid.

He was perhaps 11 or 12 years old - dark
hair - skinny as a rail - thick glasses.

Me when I was his age.

"You've got yourself a great gym there,"
I told him. "Get yourself a barbell, train
hard and you'll get really big and strong."

He nodded his head up and down.

You could see the determination in his
face.

"I will," he said.

They kept on going, turned the corner,
and I never saw them again.

Sometimes I wonder how the kid did - and
how much strength and muscle he built with
that wooden weight bench and those wooden
squat stands.

I'm betting it was a lot.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Strength, Muscle and Power has a
great chapter on home gym equipment and
home gym training - along with plenty of
great workouts.

We're down to the last box - and I'm not 
going to do another printing any time soon -
so if you want a copy, grab it now:

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

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/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day

"The best place to start is at the
beginning - and in strength training,
it doesn't take much equipment to
get started."

- 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