Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I'm getting tons of questions about The
Dinosaur Files newsletter. So let me cover
them in one message.
1. My daily emails messages and Blog posts
are NOT The Dinosaur Files.
2. The Dinosaur Files is a hard-copy,
printed on paper, mailed to you in an
envelope publication. 20 pages per issue.
Monthly. 12 issues per year.
3. The Dinosaur Files is by subscription
only.
4. You can grab all 12 back issues from year
one (May 2010 thru April 2011) right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
5. You can grab a subscription to the current
year (May 2011 thru April 2012) right here --
and when you do, I'll send May 2011 thru
October 2011 in one package, and then send
the remaining issues month by month thru April
2012. That way, you'll have the complete set
for year 2:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
6. As far as content goes, recent issues have
covered:
Special workouts for hardgainers
Training programs for older lifters
How to keep your shoulders healthy
Tips for powerlifting competition
How to increase your deadlift
How to gain strength and muscle mass
Power rack training
Knee bands and Indian clubs
Overcoming injuries
Training tips for age 60 and beyond
Detailed advice on abbreviated workouts
Bench press tips
Staying motivated
John Grimek
A real-life comeback story
Cardio training for Dinosaurs
I write at least one article, as well as an editorial
and short pieces for the Jurassic Jottings section
of each issue. Readers provide the remaining
articles. That's great, because it continues the
time-honored tradition of trainees around the world
using a monthly magazine to share training ideas,
workouts, new exercises, etc. with their fellow
readers. That was how Bob Hoffman did it in the early
issues of Strength and Health -- how Peary Rader did
it in Iron Man -- and how Stuart McRobert did it in
Hardgainer. And in my opinion, it's the best way to
run a strength training magazine.
So that's what I mean when I talk about The Dinosaur
Files. And it's why I'm proud to offer The Dinosaur
Files, and why I believe it's the very best publication
for no-nonsense, real world strength training.
I hope that clears things up. If you have any other
questions about the Dinosaur Files, just holler.
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 are the links again:
To grab the 12 back issues for year 1 (May 2010 thru
April 2011), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
To subscribe to year 2 (May 2011 thru April 2012), go
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
P.S. 2. You can find my other books, courses and DVD's
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
If You train Today, Do This!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Regular readers know that I usually end
my email messages and Blog posts by
saying:
"As always, thanks for reading, and have
a great day. If you train today, make it
a good one!"
One of our regular readers -- a long time
lifter named Paul Murray -- takes me to
task on this, by suggesting I say:
"If you train today, make it FUN!"
I'm probably not going to change, but Paul
makes an excellent point.
To be effective, your training needs to be
FUN.
It needs to be something that you ENJOY.
It needs to be something you WANT to do.
It needs to be something that makes you feel
GOOD to be alive.
It needs to be the highlight of your day --
and one of the most important, most precious
activities you pursue.
That's how training ought to be -- and how it
is for me -- and if you're reading this, it's
probably how training is for you, as well.
Now, FUN training does not mean EASY training.
Far from it.
To be FUN, your training needs to be challenging.
It needs to be difficult. It needs to be tough.
It needs to call for the best you have.
And that's where different methods of training
come into play. Some people find one type of
training to be challenging (and thus, to be FUN),
while others find their challenges (and their FUN)
in distinctly different types of training.
Case in point: one Dino likes to train for power-
lifting. Another Dino likes to train for Olympic
weightlifting. A third likes to lift heavy dumb-
bells. A fourth prefers limited range movements
with ginormous poundages in the power rack. A
fifth enjoys high rep bodyweight training. A
sixth enjoys low rep bodyweight training (using
the most difficult variations of bodyweight
movements).
Another Dino lifts rocks. Another Dino is heavy
into grip training. Another trains on the old York
courses. Another combines strength work with high
intensity cardio training. And so it goes.
I teach lots of different ways to train. I don't
give you a one-size-fits-all way of doing things.
I mix it up. I offer different workouts and
different ways to train because I want each and
every one of you to find the most challenging --
and the most FUN -- way for YOU to train.
When you do that -- when you make your training a
challenge -- and when you make it enjoyable -- when
you make it FUN -- your success is guaranteed.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good -- oops, sorry --
make it a FUN one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For a brand new challenge, try Dinosaur Style
Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S 2. If bodyweight training isn't your thing, then
go here and take a look at everything we have to
to those you get their challenges -- and their
FUN -- from heavy iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Quote of the Day:
"Too many of us are indifferent about our own
best welfare. We are not willing to pay the price."
-- Dr. Frederick Tilney
Regular readers know that I usually end
my email messages and Blog posts by
saying:
"As always, thanks for reading, and have
a great day. If you train today, make it
a good one!"
One of our regular readers -- a long time
lifter named Paul Murray -- takes me to
task on this, by suggesting I say:
"If you train today, make it FUN!"
I'm probably not going to change, but Paul
makes an excellent point.
To be effective, your training needs to be
FUN.
It needs to be something that you ENJOY.
It needs to be something you WANT to do.
It needs to be something that makes you feel
GOOD to be alive.
It needs to be the highlight of your day --
and one of the most important, most precious
activities you pursue.
That's how training ought to be -- and how it
is for me -- and if you're reading this, it's
probably how training is for you, as well.
Now, FUN training does not mean EASY training.
Far from it.
To be FUN, your training needs to be challenging.
It needs to be difficult. It needs to be tough.
It needs to call for the best you have.
And that's where different methods of training
come into play. Some people find one type of
training to be challenging (and thus, to be FUN),
while others find their challenges (and their FUN)
in distinctly different types of training.
Case in point: one Dino likes to train for power-
lifting. Another Dino likes to train for Olympic
weightlifting. A third likes to lift heavy dumb-
bells. A fourth prefers limited range movements
with ginormous poundages in the power rack. A
fifth enjoys high rep bodyweight training. A
sixth enjoys low rep bodyweight training (using
the most difficult variations of bodyweight
movements).
Another Dino lifts rocks. Another Dino is heavy
into grip training. Another trains on the old York
courses. Another combines strength work with high
intensity cardio training. And so it goes.
I teach lots of different ways to train. I don't
give you a one-size-fits-all way of doing things.
I mix it up. I offer different workouts and
different ways to train because I want each and
every one of you to find the most challenging --
and the most FUN -- way for YOU to train.
When you do that -- when you make your training a
challenge -- and when you make it enjoyable -- when
you make it FUN -- your success is guaranteed.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good -- oops, sorry --
make it a FUN one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For a brand new challenge, try Dinosaur Style
Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S 2. If bodyweight training isn't your thing, then
go here and take a look at everything we have to
to those you get their challenges -- and their
FUN -- from heavy iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Quote of the Day:
"Too many of us are indifferent about our own
best welfare. We are not willing to pay the price."
-- Dr. Frederick Tilney
Some Very Important Training Advice
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
(NOTE: Today's email is addressed to older
trainees -- age 35 and up. If that's YOU,
be sure to read it. If it's NOT you, read
it and share it with anyone and everyone
you know who falls in the age 35 and up
group. You just might save someone's life
by doing that -- or help them add many
great years they otherwise would have
missed.)
If you're anywhere near my age (I'm 54),
or you know people my age, you know that
staying in good shape gets harder and
harder as you get older.
You also know that most folks just give up
and let it happen. They stop exercising,
they stop being active, they eat too much,
and they drink too much.
As a result, they lose strength, muscle and
power -- they lose their flexibility and
mobility -- they get stiff -- and they get
fat.
And after that, all kinds of bad things
start to happen.
But it doesn't have to be that way. With
the right kind of regular exercise, you
can smack Father Time right in the nose.
You may not stay young forever, but you
can look and feel a heck of a lot younger
than your age -- and a heck of a lot younger
than your peers.
To do it, you need to clean up your diet,
and you need to keep training -- but you
need to train in ways that work for an
older lifter.
I cover training (and diet) for older trainees
in detail in Gray Hair and Black Iron. If you
have a copy, go back and read it again. If you
don't, grab one triple double ASAP (which means
RIGHT NOW.)
The key to successful training for older lifters
is to train hard enough and heavy enough to
stimulate gains in strength and muscle mass
WITHOUT going so hard and heavy that you can't
recover from your workout or you end up so
stiff and sore that you can't move right for
a week.
In other words, it's a balancing act.
Some things that work for me -- and that will
work for YOU -- include the following:
1. As noted before -- clean up your diet. Strong
and lean keeps you young.
1A. After a certain age, the Get Big Drink just
doesn't do it any more. What really matters is
health and fitness and strength and looking and
feeling many years younger than your actual age.
1B. The above is a way of saying you need to
keep your weight -- and your gut -- under
control. And that requires a shift in priorities.
If you're over 35, gaining 30 pounds of muscle
in 6 weeks is NOT your number one priority.
2. Get enough sleep every night. Lack of sleep
will age you faster than a snowball melting in
the July sun.
3. Drink water. Stay hydrated. Staying hydrated
helps keep your joints lubricated.
4. Train regularly and consistently. Be obsessive
about making your scheduled workout. After a certain
point in your life, one missed workout leads to two,
and two leads to three, and suddenly you're a couch
potato like everyone else.
5. Use abbreviated training. It's the best thing
you can do to promote recovery and avoid
overtraining.
6. Use perfect form in all of your exercises. As an
older lifter, it's not enough just to lift a weight --
you need to lift it in perfect form.
6A. When you're age 50 or older, you don't have as
many reps left in your training career as you did
when you were age 20 -- so make them count!
7. If an exercise hurts, don't do it. Period. Find
a different exercise that doesn't hurt.
8. Dumbbells, dumbbells, dumbbells. They're much
more forgiving on your joints.
8A. That goes double or even triple for bodyweight
exercises. (Which is one of the reasons I wrote
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.)
9. Do cardio training in addition to your strength
training -- but do the RIGHT kind of cardio training.
See Gray Hair and Black Iron for details about how
older strength athletes can use barbells, sandbags,
rocks, and other heavy stuff for cardio training
that you'll enjoy a heck of a lot more than doing
an hour on a treadmill or a step machine.
10. Do things that you enjoy. If you like what you're
doing, you'll stick with it. If you don't, you won't.
The bottom line is this -- the Iron Mines are the
Fountain of Youth. Be sure to keep working in them!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are some great resources for older trainees:
1. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
2. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
3. For older beginners -- see the programs for
beginners in Chalk and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
4. My new dvd, Going Strong at 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
5. The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- which is loaded
with articles by, for and about older trainees and
what REALLY works for them. Note that you can order
all 12 issues from year no. 1 of the Dinosaur
Files here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
And you can order a subscription for year no. 2
of the Dinosaur Files here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
P.S. 2. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If you
train today, make it a good one!
(NOTE: Today's email is addressed to older
trainees -- age 35 and up. If that's YOU,
be sure to read it. If it's NOT you, read
it and share it with anyone and everyone
you know who falls in the age 35 and up
group. You just might save someone's life
by doing that -- or help them add many
great years they otherwise would have
missed.)
If you're anywhere near my age (I'm 54),
or you know people my age, you know that
staying in good shape gets harder and
harder as you get older.
You also know that most folks just give up
and let it happen. They stop exercising,
they stop being active, they eat too much,
and they drink too much.
As a result, they lose strength, muscle and
power -- they lose their flexibility and
mobility -- they get stiff -- and they get
fat.
And after that, all kinds of bad things
start to happen.
But it doesn't have to be that way. With
the right kind of regular exercise, you
can smack Father Time right in the nose.
You may not stay young forever, but you
can look and feel a heck of a lot younger
than your age -- and a heck of a lot younger
than your peers.
To do it, you need to clean up your diet,
and you need to keep training -- but you
need to train in ways that work for an
older lifter.
I cover training (and diet) for older trainees
in detail in Gray Hair and Black Iron. If you
have a copy, go back and read it again. If you
don't, grab one triple double ASAP (which means
RIGHT NOW.)
The key to successful training for older lifters
is to train hard enough and heavy enough to
stimulate gains in strength and muscle mass
WITHOUT going so hard and heavy that you can't
recover from your workout or you end up so
stiff and sore that you can't move right for
a week.
In other words, it's a balancing act.
Some things that work for me -- and that will
work for YOU -- include the following:
1. As noted before -- clean up your diet. Strong
and lean keeps you young.
1A. After a certain age, the Get Big Drink just
doesn't do it any more. What really matters is
health and fitness and strength and looking and
feeling many years younger than your actual age.
1B. The above is a way of saying you need to
keep your weight -- and your gut -- under
control. And that requires a shift in priorities.
If you're over 35, gaining 30 pounds of muscle
in 6 weeks is NOT your number one priority.
2. Get enough sleep every night. Lack of sleep
will age you faster than a snowball melting in
the July sun.
3. Drink water. Stay hydrated. Staying hydrated
helps keep your joints lubricated.
4. Train regularly and consistently. Be obsessive
about making your scheduled workout. After a certain
point in your life, one missed workout leads to two,
and two leads to three, and suddenly you're a couch
potato like everyone else.
5. Use abbreviated training. It's the best thing
you can do to promote recovery and avoid
overtraining.
6. Use perfect form in all of your exercises. As an
older lifter, it's not enough just to lift a weight --
you need to lift it in perfect form.
6A. When you're age 50 or older, you don't have as
many reps left in your training career as you did
when you were age 20 -- so make them count!
7. If an exercise hurts, don't do it. Period. Find
a different exercise that doesn't hurt.
8. Dumbbells, dumbbells, dumbbells. They're much
more forgiving on your joints.
8A. That goes double or even triple for bodyweight
exercises. (Which is one of the reasons I wrote
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.)
9. Do cardio training in addition to your strength
training -- but do the RIGHT kind of cardio training.
See Gray Hair and Black Iron for details about how
older strength athletes can use barbells, sandbags,
rocks, and other heavy stuff for cardio training
that you'll enjoy a heck of a lot more than doing
an hour on a treadmill or a step machine.
10. Do things that you enjoy. If you like what you're
doing, you'll stick with it. If you don't, you won't.
The bottom line is this -- the Iron Mines are the
Fountain of Youth. Be sure to keep working in them!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are some great resources for older trainees:
1. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
2. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
3. For older beginners -- see the programs for
beginners in Chalk and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
4. My new dvd, Going Strong at 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
5. The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- which is loaded
with articles by, for and about older trainees and
what REALLY works for them. Note that you can order
all 12 issues from year no. 1 of the Dinosaur
Files here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
And you can order a subscription for year no. 2
of the Dinosaur Files here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
P.S. 2. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If you
train today, make it a good one!
How to Set Up a Home Gym
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several readers have asked about putting
together a home gym.
It's pretty simple, but it varies depending
on your primary training method.
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
You need a place to do floor exercises (buy
half of an old wrestling mat).
You need a pull-up bar.
Add ropes and rings if possible, to do the
rope and ring exercises in DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING. I bought my ropes from John Wood --
in fact, I think I was his very first customer
for climbing ropes:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/rope_training_dinosaur_style.html
Push-up handles are a good tool.
A flat bench helps.
A hyperextension bench is an excellent tool
for bodyweight training.
BODYWEIGHT AND BARBELL WORK
Here's a thought -- buy a Trap Bar and plates
and do Trap Bar deadlifts for your legs, hips
and lower back.
Hit your upper body with bodyweight
exercises.
That gives you a great one-two punch for some
serious muscle growth without breaking the bank.
If you decide to go with a Trap Bar, go
with the original Gerard Trap Bar. You can
find them here:
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
BARBELL TRAINING
You need a good, high quality barbell and
enough plates to train heavy. You do NOT need
rubber bumper plates unless you are going to
do Olympic lifting.
You need squat stands -- or better yet, a
power rack.
You need a flat bench.
If you don't have a power rack and you plan
to do barbell bench presses, you need some
sort of safety catch racks to catch the bar
at the bottom if you get stuck.
Stay away from the adjustable flat bench/
incline bench combos -- they're just not
strong enough.
A Trap Bar is a great addition to your home
gym. So is a pull-up bar. And those ropes and
rings I mentioned are worth their weight in
gold.
If you don't have squat stands or a power rack,
use a Trap Bar for leg, hip and lower back
training. It's a very effective alternative
to the squat.
Over time, add thick bars, grippers and other
grip blasters, Indian clubs, cables, a good
headstrap for neck work, and anything else
that sounds like fun. You can find lots
of fun stuff at John Wood's Functional
Hand Strength site:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/
If you want to try heavy awkward objects, go
for them. Sandbags, barrels, lifting logs,
pulling sleds, tires -- the sky's the limit.
See DINOSAUR TRAINING and STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER for ideas.
Special plate loading bars for doing the
farmer's walk (a/k/a "farmer's) are great
for home gyms. Nothing freaks the neighbors
like a nice, heavy walk around the block
with some serious iron.
Dumbbells are a great addition to a home gym.
The best ones for home gym use are adjustable
plate loading dumbbells (the kind that take
exercise plates, not Olympic plates). Use the
Bulldog collars that IronMind sells. Don't
skimp here -- cheap dumbbells and cheap
collars can cause big problems when the plates
slide off.
And, of course, there are kettlebells -- which
are a favorite tool of many trainees the world
over.
NOTE: Dumbbells or kettlebells work great with
Trap Bar deadlifts. Ditto with squats and front
squats.
As far as where to buy stuff, you need to shop
around. Go for heavy duty equipment. You want
your bench, squat stands and power rack to be
(1) heavy, and (2) strong. And you really, really
REALLY want to get a good, high quality bar. The
majority of bars on the market today are worthless
junk.
OLYMPIC LIFTING
You need a platform -- which is easy to make out
of plywood.
You need a good high quality Olympic lifting bar.
You need rubber bumper plates.
You need lifting shoes.
You need squat stands that you can move on and off
the platform.
Pretty much what you see me using in my new dvd,
GOING STRONG AT 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
FINAL THOUGHTS
One thing to keep in mind is this -- you can always
start small and build from there. No one says you
have to start out with a fully equipped home gym.
Build it up over time.
And remember this -- the hours you spend in your
home gym are going to be some of the very best
hours of your entire life. So be ready for some
really good times -- and for some great workouts!
I hope that helps, and if it does, be sure to send
photos of your home gym.
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. Be sure to reserve your copy of DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING during our big pre-publication
special:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. You can grab my other books, courses and
DVD's right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Several readers have asked about putting
together a home gym.
It's pretty simple, but it varies depending
on your primary training method.
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
You need a place to do floor exercises (buy
half of an old wrestling mat).
You need a pull-up bar.
Add ropes and rings if possible, to do the
rope and ring exercises in DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING. I bought my ropes from John Wood --
in fact, I think I was his very first customer
for climbing ropes:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/rope_training_dinosaur_style.html
Push-up handles are a good tool.
A flat bench helps.
A hyperextension bench is an excellent tool
for bodyweight training.
BODYWEIGHT AND BARBELL WORK
Here's a thought -- buy a Trap Bar and plates
and do Trap Bar deadlifts for your legs, hips
and lower back.
Hit your upper body with bodyweight
exercises.
That gives you a great one-two punch for some
serious muscle growth without breaking the bank.
If you decide to go with a Trap Bar, go
with the original Gerard Trap Bar. You can
find them here:
http://www.trapbartraining.com/
BARBELL TRAINING
You need a good, high quality barbell and
enough plates to train heavy. You do NOT need
rubber bumper plates unless you are going to
do Olympic lifting.
You need squat stands -- or better yet, a
power rack.
You need a flat bench.
If you don't have a power rack and you plan
to do barbell bench presses, you need some
sort of safety catch racks to catch the bar
at the bottom if you get stuck.
Stay away from the adjustable flat bench/
incline bench combos -- they're just not
strong enough.
A Trap Bar is a great addition to your home
gym. So is a pull-up bar. And those ropes and
rings I mentioned are worth their weight in
gold.
If you don't have squat stands or a power rack,
use a Trap Bar for leg, hip and lower back
training. It's a very effective alternative
to the squat.
Over time, add thick bars, grippers and other
grip blasters, Indian clubs, cables, a good
headstrap for neck work, and anything else
that sounds like fun. You can find lots
of fun stuff at John Wood's Functional
Hand Strength site:
http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/
If you want to try heavy awkward objects, go
for them. Sandbags, barrels, lifting logs,
pulling sleds, tires -- the sky's the limit.
See DINOSAUR TRAINING and STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER for ideas.
Special plate loading bars for doing the
farmer's walk (a/k/a "farmer's) are great
for home gyms. Nothing freaks the neighbors
like a nice, heavy walk around the block
with some serious iron.
Dumbbells are a great addition to a home gym.
The best ones for home gym use are adjustable
plate loading dumbbells (the kind that take
exercise plates, not Olympic plates). Use the
Bulldog collars that IronMind sells. Don't
skimp here -- cheap dumbbells and cheap
collars can cause big problems when the plates
slide off.
And, of course, there are kettlebells -- which
are a favorite tool of many trainees the world
over.
NOTE: Dumbbells or kettlebells work great with
Trap Bar deadlifts. Ditto with squats and front
squats.
As far as where to buy stuff, you need to shop
around. Go for heavy duty equipment. You want
your bench, squat stands and power rack to be
(1) heavy, and (2) strong. And you really, really
REALLY want to get a good, high quality bar. The
majority of bars on the market today are worthless
junk.
OLYMPIC LIFTING
You need a platform -- which is easy to make out
of plywood.
You need a good high quality Olympic lifting bar.
You need rubber bumper plates.
You need lifting shoes.
You need squat stands that you can move on and off
the platform.
Pretty much what you see me using in my new dvd,
GOING STRONG AT 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
FINAL THOUGHTS
One thing to keep in mind is this -- you can always
start small and build from there. No one says you
have to start out with a fully equipped home gym.
Build it up over time.
And remember this -- the hours you spend in your
home gym are going to be some of the very best
hours of your entire life. So be ready for some
really good times -- and for some great workouts!
I hope that helps, and if it does, be sure to send
photos of your home gym.
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. Be sure to reserve your copy of DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING during our big pre-publication
special:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. You can grab my other books, courses and
DVD's right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Monday Morning Updates for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We have a ton of things going on, so let
me give you some updates and ask some questions.
Your thoughts and feedback are very important to
us.
1. The October Dino Files
was mailed last week. If you subscribe to the
Dino Files newsletter, shoot me an email when
you get your issue, and let me know the answer
to the question posed in Jurassic Jottings about
the possibility of offering your choice of hard
copy or electronic delivery for The Files when
we begin year 3 of publication.
2. Dino Files subscriptions
I still get questions about the Dinosaur Files,
so let me answer the biggest one right now.
Yes, you can order all of the back issues for
year 1 of The Files. Do it here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Yes, you can order a subscription for year 2,
and I'll send the back issues for May 2011 to
October 2011 to get you started -- and then send
each monthly issue so you end up with the complete
12 issue set. For a current subscription, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
3. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
goes to the printer today, so we're right on schedule.
To reserve your copy during the pre-publication
special, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
4. E-Books
If you plan to order Dinosaur Bodyweight Training when
it comes out in e-book form, pls shoot me an email and
let me know. Thanks!
5. The Dinosaur Training Blog
If you're anew reader, be sure to browse the Dinosaur
Training Blog. There are tons of great posts with lots
and lots of information for Dinos.
I post each daily email on the Blog, so it's a good
way to stay posted on things if the email doesn't get
to you for any reason. But pls do NOT unsubscribe from
the emails and rely on reading the Blog. Use BOTH of
them as a way of staying in touch.
I had some tech issues with the Blog in September, and
wasn't able to post all the emails, so folks who were
relying on the Blog only didn't see everything.
So use BOTH methods to stay in touch.
6. Legacy of Iron 6
Many of you have asked about Legacy of Iron 6. It will
be coming out early next year.
7. Feedback, please!
I would appreciate feedback on any and all products,
including (in particular) the October issue of THE
DINOSAUR FILES, DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING, and GOING
STRONG AT 54.
8. A Dinosaur Seminar
I've been asked to speak at a seminar next year --
with a four hour slot to cover anything you'd like
me to cover.
Yes, that's four hours of up close and personal
Dinosaur Training.
I haven't selected a topic yet -- so let me know
what you'd like to see!
9. Dinosaur Training on Facebook.
I'm on Facebook now -- under Brooks Kubik -- so if
you use Facebook be sure to shoot me a friend request.
That's another way to stay in touch and keep up to
date on what we're doing at Dino HQ.
10. Dinosaur DVD's.
GOING STRONG AT 54 has been a big hit, and I'm going
to be shooting another DVD pretty soon. What would you
like me to cover in a DVD?
That covers the biggies for the day. 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 mentioned GOING STRONG AT 54 -- DINOSAUR ARM
TRAINING -- LEGACY OF IRON -- and DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING. You can find them right here:
a. GOING STRONG AT 54
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
b. DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
c. LEGACY OF IRON
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
d. DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. You can find all of my other Dinosaur Training
products right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
We have a ton of things going on, so let
me give you some updates and ask some questions.
Your thoughts and feedback are very important to
us.
1. The October Dino Files
was mailed last week. If you subscribe to the
Dino Files newsletter, shoot me an email when
you get your issue, and let me know the answer
to the question posed in Jurassic Jottings about
the possibility of offering your choice of hard
copy or electronic delivery for The Files when
we begin year 3 of publication.
2. Dino Files subscriptions
I still get questions about the Dinosaur Files,
so let me answer the biggest one right now.
Yes, you can order all of the back issues for
year 1 of The Files. Do it here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html
Yes, you can order a subscription for year 2,
and I'll send the back issues for May 2011 to
October 2011 to get you started -- and then send
each monthly issue so you end up with the complete
12 issue set. For a current subscription, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_renewalpage.html
3. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
goes to the printer today, so we're right on schedule.
To reserve your copy during the pre-publication
special, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
4. E-Books
If you plan to order Dinosaur Bodyweight Training when
it comes out in e-book form, pls shoot me an email and
let me know. Thanks!
5. The Dinosaur Training Blog
If you're anew reader, be sure to browse the Dinosaur
Training Blog. There are tons of great posts with lots
and lots of information for Dinos.
I post each daily email on the Blog, so it's a good
way to stay posted on things if the email doesn't get
to you for any reason. But pls do NOT unsubscribe from
the emails and rely on reading the Blog. Use BOTH of
them as a way of staying in touch.
I had some tech issues with the Blog in September, and
wasn't able to post all the emails, so folks who were
relying on the Blog only didn't see everything.
So use BOTH methods to stay in touch.
6. Legacy of Iron 6
Many of you have asked about Legacy of Iron 6. It will
be coming out early next year.
7. Feedback, please!
I would appreciate feedback on any and all products,
including (in particular) the October issue of THE
DINOSAUR FILES, DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING, and GOING
STRONG AT 54.
8. A Dinosaur Seminar
I've been asked to speak at a seminar next year --
with a four hour slot to cover anything you'd like
me to cover.
Yes, that's four hours of up close and personal
Dinosaur Training.
I haven't selected a topic yet -- so let me know
what you'd like to see!
9. Dinosaur Training on Facebook.
I'm on Facebook now -- under Brooks Kubik -- so if
you use Facebook be sure to shoot me a friend request.
That's another way to stay in touch and keep up to
date on what we're doing at Dino HQ.
10. Dinosaur DVD's.
GOING STRONG AT 54 has been a big hit, and I'm going
to be shooting another DVD pretty soon. What would you
like me to cover in a DVD?
That covers the biggies for the day. 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 mentioned GOING STRONG AT 54 -- DINOSAUR ARM
TRAINING -- LEGACY OF IRON -- and DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING. You can find them right here:
a. GOING STRONG AT 54
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
b. DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
c. LEGACY OF IRON
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
d. DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. You can find all of my other Dinosaur Training
products right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Big News from Dinosaur Training!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I have some exciting news for you.
Back in 2005 I wrote a detailed
course on Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training. Many Dinos grabbed a copy,
and it was a very popular course --
and many readers reported that they
got GREAT RESULTS with it.
The GREAT RESULTS part was no surprise --
because this was DINO style bodyweight
training -- meaning that it was hard,
demanding, take no prisoners stuff.
Bodyweight it was -- EASY it was NOT.
It's been out of print for several
years -- and during that time I've
received many, many requests for
the little monster. But I was always
busy working on other books and courses,
so I never got around to it.
But the requests kept pouring in --
and for some reason, there were more
of them this year than ever before.
Now, when you ask for something, we
try really hard to make it happen.
And so -- I've prepared a revised, second
edition of DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING.
It's going to be reprinted as a 200
page, 8 1/2 x 11 perfect bound book --
with tons of photos -- including classic
photos of Golden Age champions, many of
whom used bodyweight training as a
regular part of their programs.
The little monster will go to the printer
this week and should be ready to ship to
you on or before November 15.
As we always do, we're offering the book
before it is printed as part of a pre-
publication special -- meaning that you
can order now, and when the when the
book is printed, we'll fill all orders
in the order in which we receive them --
and we'll include something extra for
everyone who orders during the pre-
publication special.
This helps us enormously, because we know
how many books to print. No sense printing
too many and having boxes of books piled
up all over the house.
IN ADDITION -- some readers have requested
e-books. That includes overseas readers,
several readers who are blind, readers who
are in the military and can't carry books
when they go overseas, and readers who
travel a lot and can't carry books.
Personally, I'm a hard-copy guy -- I want
to hold a book in my hands, turn the pages,
and put it on my bookshelf after i read it.
But I understand that the e-book option
works better for some of you.
So I'm going to use this book as a TEST to
see how the whole e-book thing works. I'm
going to make DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
available in hard copy -- or in e-book form.
The e-book form will not be available until
AFTER the hard copy version is printed, so
you can't order it now. But if you prefer
e-books, be aware that an e-book edition
will be coming later in the year.
As always, I would be happy to autograph
your book for you (hard copy only, I can't
autograph e-books), so if you want an
autographed copy, include a note in the
special instructions section of the
on-line order form.
That brings you up to date on today's BIG
NEWS. 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. To reserve your copy of DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING -- and your pre-publication
extra -- go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
I have some exciting news for you.
Back in 2005 I wrote a detailed
course on Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training. Many Dinos grabbed a copy,
and it was a very popular course --
and many readers reported that they
got GREAT RESULTS with it.
The GREAT RESULTS part was no surprise --
because this was DINO style bodyweight
training -- meaning that it was hard,
demanding, take no prisoners stuff.
Bodyweight it was -- EASY it was NOT.
It's been out of print for several
years -- and during that time I've
received many, many requests for
the little monster. But I was always
busy working on other books and courses,
so I never got around to it.
But the requests kept pouring in --
and for some reason, there were more
of them this year than ever before.
Now, when you ask for something, we
try really hard to make it happen.
And so -- I've prepared a revised, second
edition of DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING.
It's going to be reprinted as a 200
page, 8 1/2 x 11 perfect bound book --
with tons of photos -- including classic
photos of Golden Age champions, many of
whom used bodyweight training as a
regular part of their programs.
The little monster will go to the printer
this week and should be ready to ship to
you on or before November 15.
As we always do, we're offering the book
before it is printed as part of a pre-
publication special -- meaning that you
can order now, and when the when the
book is printed, we'll fill all orders
in the order in which we receive them --
and we'll include something extra for
everyone who orders during the pre-
publication special.
This helps us enormously, because we know
how many books to print. No sense printing
too many and having boxes of books piled
up all over the house.
IN ADDITION -- some readers have requested
e-books. That includes overseas readers,
several readers who are blind, readers who
are in the military and can't carry books
when they go overseas, and readers who
travel a lot and can't carry books.
Personally, I'm a hard-copy guy -- I want
to hold a book in my hands, turn the pages,
and put it on my bookshelf after i read it.
But I understand that the e-book option
works better for some of you.
So I'm going to use this book as a TEST to
see how the whole e-book thing works. I'm
going to make DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
available in hard copy -- or in e-book form.
The e-book form will not be available until
AFTER the hard copy version is printed, so
you can't order it now. But if you prefer
e-books, be aware that an e-book edition
will be coming later in the year.
As always, I would be happy to autograph
your book for you (hard copy only, I can't
autograph e-books), so if you want an
autographed copy, include a note in the
special instructions section of the
on-line order form.
That brings you up to date on today's BIG
NEWS. 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. To reserve your copy of DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING -- and your pre-publication
extra -- go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
How I Train -- And Why
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
My daughter hates -- no, that's not the
right word -- LOATHES -- no, that's not
right either -- DESPISES -- that's it --
DESPISES the soundtrack to ROCKY BALBOA.
All because I play the soundtrack out in
the garage when I train -- and if the door
is open, you can hear it in the house --
and so she's heard it hundreds and hundreds
of times.
"Why don't you play something else?" she
asked me.
Well, there's a reason.
I'm a creature of habit.
When I train, I use the same exercises, and
I perform them in exactly the same manner.
I use the same bar.
I wear the same workout clothes, and the same
lifting shoes.
I use the same stainless steel water bottle.
I train at the same time and on the same days
(Tues, Thurs and Sun).
I dry my hands and face with the same towel,
and I sit in the same chair when I rest between
sets.
And I listen to the same music.
I also do the same exercises. There's my snatch
workout where I do warm-ups and then hit split
style snatches -- and there's my clean and jerk
workout where I do warm-up and then hit the clean
and jerk.
In the past, on other programs, I trained
different exercises (e.g., bottom position squat,
bottom position bench press, deadlifts or Trap
Bar deadlifts, etc.), but the exercises were
always the same for long periods of time. And
the idea was always the same -- strive for
improvement from workout to workout.
I try to make all the different variables THE
SAME -- except for one variable.
In every workout, I try to do BETTER than I did
in the previous workout.
Better form. Faster and smoother lifting. Deeper
and deeper concentration and focus. More weight.
More reps. More sets.
Of course, you can't add weight every time you
train (if you are an advanced lifter). But
somehow or other, you can make each workout
BETTER than the one before.
Even a lighter workout can be BETTER than the
last light workout. The weight on the bar may
be the same, but your form and focus can (and
should) be better.
In contrast to my approach, many guys always do
something different every time they train. Some
guys never train the same in any two workouts.
It's always different.
That may work better for some. For me, it works
better to keep all the variables the same -- but
try to make each workout BETTER.
That's the inside story on my workout music --
and the inside story on how I train.
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 watch one of my workouts (two of
them, in fact) on DVD. I filmed it on my 54th
b'day, and it's a big hit with Dinos. The name
says it all -- GOING STRONG AT 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
P.S 2. DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING is getting rave reviews.
You can grab your copy right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- the Dinosaur
Files newsletter -- and Dinosaur Training t-shirts,
muscle shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies -- are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
My daughter hates -- no, that's not the
right word -- LOATHES -- no, that's not
right either -- DESPISES -- that's it --
DESPISES the soundtrack to ROCKY BALBOA.
All because I play the soundtrack out in
the garage when I train -- and if the door
is open, you can hear it in the house --
and so she's heard it hundreds and hundreds
of times.
"Why don't you play something else?" she
asked me.
Well, there's a reason.
I'm a creature of habit.
When I train, I use the same exercises, and
I perform them in exactly the same manner.
I use the same bar.
I wear the same workout clothes, and the same
lifting shoes.
I use the same stainless steel water bottle.
I train at the same time and on the same days
(Tues, Thurs and Sun).
I dry my hands and face with the same towel,
and I sit in the same chair when I rest between
sets.
And I listen to the same music.
I also do the same exercises. There's my snatch
workout where I do warm-ups and then hit split
style snatches -- and there's my clean and jerk
workout where I do warm-up and then hit the clean
and jerk.
In the past, on other programs, I trained
different exercises (e.g., bottom position squat,
bottom position bench press, deadlifts or Trap
Bar deadlifts, etc.), but the exercises were
always the same for long periods of time. And
the idea was always the same -- strive for
improvement from workout to workout.
I try to make all the different variables THE
SAME -- except for one variable.
In every workout, I try to do BETTER than I did
in the previous workout.
Better form. Faster and smoother lifting. Deeper
and deeper concentration and focus. More weight.
More reps. More sets.
Of course, you can't add weight every time you
train (if you are an advanced lifter). But
somehow or other, you can make each workout
BETTER than the one before.
Even a lighter workout can be BETTER than the
last light workout. The weight on the bar may
be the same, but your form and focus can (and
should) be better.
In contrast to my approach, many guys always do
something different every time they train. Some
guys never train the same in any two workouts.
It's always different.
That may work better for some. For me, it works
better to keep all the variables the same -- but
try to make each workout BETTER.
That's the inside story on my workout music --
and the inside story on how I train.
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 watch one of my workouts (two of
them, in fact) on DVD. I filmed it on my 54th
b'day, and it's a big hit with Dinos. The name
says it all -- GOING STRONG AT 54:
http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html
P.S 2. DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING is getting rave reviews.
You can grab your copy right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- the Dinosaur
Files newsletter -- and Dinosaur Training t-shirts,
muscle shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies -- are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
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