Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A quick note, and then some training
talk!
In response to 20 bajillion emails so
far -- YES, I will be doing seminars in
the USA this year!
Details being worked out.
If you own a gym (or know someone who
does), and you want to book me for a
seminar, shoot me an email!
If you are interested in seeing a state-
side seminar, shoot me an email and let me
know what topics you'd like me to cover,
where you live and where you could travel
easily to attend a Dino seminar!
And now -- let's talk training!
We're 9 days into the New Year, and I've
had some great workouts. I've already set
several new PR's -- and for a lifter, PR's
are the name of the game!
Let me explain how that happens.
I keep track of PR's on several different
levels:
1. All-time (lifetime) best at any bodyweight.
2. All-time (lifetime) best at a given
bodyweight.
3. Best ever at age 40 and above.
4. Best ever at age 50 and above.
5. Best ever at age 55 and above.
6. Best ever for age and bodyweight,
using the age-adjusted formula they use
in Master's weightlifting competition.
7. PR's for singles.
8. PR's for doubles.
9. PR's for three singles or three doubles.
10. PR's for five singles or five doubles.
11. Best for January, 2012.
12. Best for the year in 2012.
Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.
The point is, I keep meticulous records -- and
I've done so for along time -- and so I have a
very good idea of how TODAY's workout compares
to the same session last week -- or last year --
or five years ago. And that gives me all sorts
of different ways to compare how I'm doing today
to how I did in the past.
Some variation of this system -- keeping careful
records, charting your progress, and measuring
your current best against your previous best --
is CRITICAL. In fact, it's one of the most
important things you can do to get better
results from your training.
So to make 2012 the best year ever for strength
and muscle gains, do this:
1. Lift it.
2. Log it.
3. Beat it.
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. Get 2012 started off on the right foot with
some serious info on real world, no nonsense Dino-
style strength training and muscle building:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Make training a habit,
and stick to it as long as you live." -- Brooks Kubik
Big Breaking News -- A Dinosaur Training Seminar in London!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Big breaking news.
As in, HUGE breaking news.
If you live in the UK -- or anywhere
in Europe -- mark June 9 and 10 on
your calendar -- and get yourself to
London -- because I'm going to be
there for a big new seminar with
kettlebelll guru Mike Hahler and UK
strength coaches CJ Swaby and Sabina
Skala.
For details, head over to Mike Mahler's
website and read all about it -- and then
go ahead and sign up.
We're running all the sign-ups through
Mike's website, so don't look for a
sign-up page at my website --
look for it here, at Mike Mahler's
site:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
IMPORTANT!
The only way to make a seminar like this work
for everyone who attends is to limit the number
of attendees -- so that's what we're going to have
to do.
Mike has done seminars in the UK by himself, and
has filled them up VERY QUICKLY -- and with the
four of us working as a team, we expect the
seminar to fill up faster than you can say
goodbye to a banana tree when King Kong comes
walking by.
So if you want to get in the door, it's time
to take immediate action!
All the best, and I hope to see as many UK and
European Dinos as possible in June!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. North American readers are going to be
asking, "What about us?" Don't worry -- we'll
take care of you, too -- it's just a matter of
pinning down the details. But for tight now,
let's focus on London -- June 9 and 10. Be
there!
Big breaking news.
As in, HUGE breaking news.
If you live in the UK -- or anywhere
in Europe -- mark June 9 and 10 on
your calendar -- and get yourself to
London -- because I'm going to be
there for a big new seminar with
kettlebelll guru Mike Hahler and UK
strength coaches CJ Swaby and Sabina
Skala.
For details, head over to Mike Mahler's
website and read all about it -- and then
go ahead and sign up.
We're running all the sign-ups through
Mike's website, so don't look for a
sign-up page at my website --
look for it here, at Mike Mahler's
site:
http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html
IMPORTANT!
The only way to make a seminar like this work
for everyone who attends is to limit the number
of attendees -- so that's what we're going to have
to do.
Mike has done seminars in the UK by himself, and
has filled them up VERY QUICKLY -- and with the
four of us working as a team, we expect the
seminar to fill up faster than you can say
goodbye to a banana tree when King Kong comes
walking by.
So if you want to get in the door, it's time
to take immediate action!
All the best, and I hope to see as many UK and
European Dinos as possible in June!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. North American readers are going to be
asking, "What about us?" Don't worry -- we'll
take care of you, too -- it's just a matter of
pinning down the details. But for tight now,
let's focus on London -- June 9 and 10. Be
there!
Focus on the Important Things!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
When I was 11 years old, I joined
the Boy Scouts, and became a full-
fledged camping nut.
I used to get mail order catalogs
of camping gear -- such as the LL Bean
catalog, which was nothing but serious
camping, hiking, hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear back then -- and I
would go through them carefully and
make long lists of everything I wanted
to take on my next camping trip.
Pup tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth,
lantern, flashlight, survival kit with
waterproof matches, Hudson Bay style 3/4
axe, hatchet, pocket knife, hunting knife,
fishing knife, rope, fishing line, fish
hooks, mess kit, bow and arrows, targets,
canteen, folding wood saw, knapsack,
knapsack frame, tump-line, canoe paddles,
dehydrated rations, sterno, more matches,
beef jerky, pemmican, aluminum foil for
cooking, camp shovel, string -- it was a
pretty long list.
Of course, I could only afford a couple
of things, but I still jammed that knapsack
full of all kinds of important, necessary
and downright critical gear.
I put the thing on my back and almost fell
to the ground. It was HEAVY!
Needless to say, I only used about five
percent of the stuff I lugged around.
The Scoutmaster knew his stuff.
he didn't say anything to the new scouts,
but let us stagger off into the woods with
ten times more stuff than we needed.
Then he let us camp for the weekend, pack
up and stagger back home.
And then he told us the secret.
"When you get home, empty everything out of
your knapsack and make three piles," he said.
"The first pile is for the stuff you never
used at all. That will be the biggest pile."
We nodded. he was right.
"The second pile is for stuff you used once
during the entire weekend. That will be a
fairly big pile, as well."
Again, we nodded.
"The third pile is the stuff you used more
than once. It will be a pretty small pile."
Once again, he was right.
"The next time we go camping, just take the
stuff in pile no. 3. It's all you need."
So that's what we did -- and guess what? He
was right.
There's a parallel to strength training.
Like tenderfoot campers who always take too
much unnecessary gear and end up exhausting
themselves lugging it around, tenderfoot
exercisers always try to do too many
exercises and end up exhausting themselves.
If they're lucky, they finally learn the
secret:
1. You don't need very many different
exercises.
2. You don't need to perform endless sets
and reps.
3. You don't need to spend hours and hours
in the gym.
4. You don't need to train every day.
5. The important thing is QUALITY TRAINING --
which means working hard and heavy on the
important exercises and then stopping, going
home and getting rested for your next workout.
6. Less is more. Do less but do it better.
7. Use abbreviated training programs that allow
you to focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.
So if you want to make 2012 the best year ever
for building strength and muscle, focus on the
important stuff -- the exercises that count.
Drop everything else, and devote yourself to
QUALITY TRAINING -- and you won't believe the
results!
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's still time to order my new Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course and get the special
pre-publication bonus. You can find it right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Last week I mentioned that we have Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training DVD's. We don't have a sales
page for them yet -- but if you're interested,
shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to place
an order for them.
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wherever you train,
and whatever equipment is available, make the most
of it!" -- Brooks Kubik
When I was 11 years old, I joined
the Boy Scouts, and became a full-
fledged camping nut.
I used to get mail order catalogs
of camping gear -- such as the LL Bean
catalog, which was nothing but serious
camping, hiking, hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear back then -- and I
would go through them carefully and
make long lists of everything I wanted
to take on my next camping trip.
Pup tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth,
lantern, flashlight, survival kit with
waterproof matches, Hudson Bay style 3/4
axe, hatchet, pocket knife, hunting knife,
fishing knife, rope, fishing line, fish
hooks, mess kit, bow and arrows, targets,
canteen, folding wood saw, knapsack,
knapsack frame, tump-line, canoe paddles,
dehydrated rations, sterno, more matches,
beef jerky, pemmican, aluminum foil for
cooking, camp shovel, string -- it was a
pretty long list.
Of course, I could only afford a couple
of things, but I still jammed that knapsack
full of all kinds of important, necessary
and downright critical gear.
I put the thing on my back and almost fell
to the ground. It was HEAVY!
Needless to say, I only used about five
percent of the stuff I lugged around.
The Scoutmaster knew his stuff.
he didn't say anything to the new scouts,
but let us stagger off into the woods with
ten times more stuff than we needed.
Then he let us camp for the weekend, pack
up and stagger back home.
And then he told us the secret.
"When you get home, empty everything out of
your knapsack and make three piles," he said.
"The first pile is for the stuff you never
used at all. That will be the biggest pile."
We nodded. he was right.
"The second pile is for stuff you used once
during the entire weekend. That will be a
fairly big pile, as well."
Again, we nodded.
"The third pile is the stuff you used more
than once. It will be a pretty small pile."
Once again, he was right.
"The next time we go camping, just take the
stuff in pile no. 3. It's all you need."
So that's what we did -- and guess what? He
was right.
There's a parallel to strength training.
Like tenderfoot campers who always take too
much unnecessary gear and end up exhausting
themselves lugging it around, tenderfoot
exercisers always try to do too many
exercises and end up exhausting themselves.
If they're lucky, they finally learn the
secret:
1. You don't need very many different
exercises.
2. You don't need to perform endless sets
and reps.
3. You don't need to spend hours and hours
in the gym.
4. You don't need to train every day.
5. The important thing is QUALITY TRAINING --
which means working hard and heavy on the
important exercises and then stopping, going
home and getting rested for your next workout.
6. Less is more. Do less but do it better.
7. Use abbreviated training programs that allow
you to focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.
So if you want to make 2012 the best year ever
for building strength and muscle, focus on the
important stuff -- the exercises that count.
Drop everything else, and devote yourself to
QUALITY TRAINING -- and you won't believe the
results!
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's still time to order my new Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course and get the special
pre-publication bonus. You can find it right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Last week I mentioned that we have Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training DVD's. We don't have a sales
page for them yet -- but if you're interested,
shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to place
an order for them.
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wherever you train,
and whatever equipment is available, make the most
of it!" -- Brooks Kubik
Gold Medal Training Advice for Dinosaurs!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Yesterday I mentioned that I found
some new information about John Grimek's
secret exercise for military pressing --
and that I've worked it into my new
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.
I also wanted to let you know that the
course contains some Gold Medal training
advice -- because I've interviewed some
Olympic Gold medal winners and former
Olympic and World record holders -- and
I've gotten the inside information
on how they trained the press and how
they believe YOU should be training
the press!
And you can't do better than that --
actual training advice and tips on how
to build pressing power from men who
were the BEST IN THE WORLD.
If that doesn't take your pressing
power to the next level, then I don't
know what will.
Adding the additional material has
slowed things down a bit, and the
course won't be shipping until (most
likely) late next week -- but when it
ships, it's going to be as detailed,
as complete and as helpful as I can
make it.
Working on the course has me so excited
that I've been burning things up out in
the garage during my workouts -- and I
think you're going to have the same
reaction when you read it.
I also think the course is going to help
usher in a new era of lifting -- a return
to those old-school workouts where a
lifter stepped up to the bar -- cleaned
it -- stood tall -- and pressed it
overhead.
Good old-fashioned, stand on your feet,
ground-based strength training.
You gotta love it -- and you gotta do
it. And the new course is going to teach
you how to do it like the champions.
Anyhow, if you've not yet reserved your
copy of the new course, do it now during
our pre-publication special. That way,
you get a special bonus when we fill the
orders.
In the meantime -- hit it hard when you
train, and plan to make 2012 your very
best year ever for building some serious
strength, muscle and power!
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. Go here to reserve your copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For other Dinosaur training books,
courses and DVD's, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good.
Stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik
Yesterday I mentioned that I found
some new information about John Grimek's
secret exercise for military pressing --
and that I've worked it into my new
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.
I also wanted to let you know that the
course contains some Gold Medal training
advice -- because I've interviewed some
Olympic Gold medal winners and former
Olympic and World record holders -- and
I've gotten the inside information
on how they trained the press and how
they believe YOU should be training
the press!
And you can't do better than that --
actual training advice and tips on how
to build pressing power from men who
were the BEST IN THE WORLD.
If that doesn't take your pressing
power to the next level, then I don't
know what will.
Adding the additional material has
slowed things down a bit, and the
course won't be shipping until (most
likely) late next week -- but when it
ships, it's going to be as detailed,
as complete and as helpful as I can
make it.
Working on the course has me so excited
that I've been burning things up out in
the garage during my workouts -- and I
think you're going to have the same
reaction when you read it.
I also think the course is going to help
usher in a new era of lifting -- a return
to those old-school workouts where a
lifter stepped up to the bar -- cleaned
it -- stood tall -- and pressed it
overhead.
Good old-fashioned, stand on your feet,
ground-based strength training.
You gotta love it -- and you gotta do
it. And the new course is going to teach
you how to do it like the champions.
Anyhow, if you've not yet reserved your
copy of the new course, do it now during
our pre-publication special. That way,
you get a special bonus when we fill the
orders.
In the meantime -- hit it hard when you
train, and plan to make 2012 your very
best year ever for building some serious
strength, muscle and power!
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. Go here to reserve your copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 2. For other Dinosaur training books,
courses and DVD's, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good.
Stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik
John Grimek's Secret Exercise
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Over the past 45 years -- and wow, that's
nearly half a century -- I've read an awful
lot about building strength and muscle.
But two weeks ago I read something new --
and I learned something I'd never known
before.
John Grimek had a secret exercise to build
pressing power.
He divulged the secret in 1950 or 51 --
and an Iron Game author wrote it down and
reported it in an obscure little publication
which hardly anyone read -- and it wasn't
reported anywhere else (or rather, the
exercise was described here and here,
but NOT the fact that Grimek found it to
be so remarkably effective.
"I could have pressed 400 pounds," said
Grimek.
Now, to give you some perspective, when
Grimek was lifting (the mid-1930's to 1940
or 1941), the World record in the Heavyweight
class in the military press was somewhere
around 320 pounds.
Paul Anderson was the first man to press 400
pounds -- and he did it in the mid 1950's.
But here was Grimek, calmly reporting that
he could have gotten his press to 400 pounds --
at a bodyweight of around 200 pounds -- way
back in the Thirties.
His problem, he explained, was the clean. He
could press more than he could clean. And he
knew he could never get his clean to 400
pounds.
So he lost interest in his pressing program
and his secret exercise, and focused on other
things.
When I read this, I went back and worked
Grimek's secret exercise into my new Military
Press course. That and some other additions
(and more photos) made everything run a little
longer than planned, and so it won't be printed
and shipped until sometime next week -- probably
near the end of the week. But it's going to be
BETTER than I thought it would be -- and it's
going to give you John Grimek's secret exercise
for the press.
So if you already reserved your copy of the
Military Press course, you're in for a real
treat -- and if you didn't already reserve it,
sign up now and be sure to get the
pre-publication bonus when we ship your
order:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
In the meantime, I'm back to work on about thirty
dozen different things -- but every once in a
while I stop and think: "I wonder what would have
happened if Grimek had kept up with that special
pressing program?"
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here. Remember, you can save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Look back for knowledge,
and look forward for results." -- Brooks Kubik
Over the past 45 years -- and wow, that's
nearly half a century -- I've read an awful
lot about building strength and muscle.
But two weeks ago I read something new --
and I learned something I'd never known
before.
John Grimek had a secret exercise to build
pressing power.
He divulged the secret in 1950 or 51 --
and an Iron Game author wrote it down and
reported it in an obscure little publication
which hardly anyone read -- and it wasn't
reported anywhere else (or rather, the
exercise was described here and here,
but NOT the fact that Grimek found it to
be so remarkably effective.
"I could have pressed 400 pounds," said
Grimek.
Now, to give you some perspective, when
Grimek was lifting (the mid-1930's to 1940
or 1941), the World record in the Heavyweight
class in the military press was somewhere
around 320 pounds.
Paul Anderson was the first man to press 400
pounds -- and he did it in the mid 1950's.
But here was Grimek, calmly reporting that
he could have gotten his press to 400 pounds --
at a bodyweight of around 200 pounds -- way
back in the Thirties.
His problem, he explained, was the clean. He
could press more than he could clean. And he
knew he could never get his clean to 400
pounds.
So he lost interest in his pressing program
and his secret exercise, and focused on other
things.
When I read this, I went back and worked
Grimek's secret exercise into my new Military
Press course. That and some other additions
(and more photos) made everything run a little
longer than planned, and so it won't be printed
and shipped until sometime next week -- probably
near the end of the week. But it's going to be
BETTER than I thought it would be -- and it's
going to give you John Grimek's secret exercise
for the press.
So if you already reserved your copy of the
Military Press course, you're in for a real
treat -- and if you didn't already reserve it,
sign up now and be sure to get the
pre-publication bonus when we ship your
order:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
In the meantime, I'm back to work on about thirty
dozen different things -- but every once in a
while I stop and think: "I wonder what would have
happened if Grimek had kept up with that special
pressing program?"
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here. Remember, you can save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Look back for knowledge,
and look forward for results." -- Brooks Kubik
10 Tips for Building Strength and Muscle!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Let me share 10 tips for building strength
and muscle. Some of them may be familiar to
you, and some may be new -- but they're all
good to keep "top of the mind" as you go
into the new year:
1. To Gain Mass, Build Strength.
If you want to get bigger, add weight to the
bar. If you get stronger -- and I mean MUCH
STRONGER -- you'll increase your muscle mass.
2. Concentrate on Leg and Back Training.
Leg and back training stimulates gains in
strength and muscle throughout the entire body.
You don't get big by doing endless sets of arm
exercises!
3. Maximize Your Recovery!
Your muscles don't gain strength and mass during
a workout. The purpose of a workout is stimulate
gains in strength and muscle mass. After that
happens, you need to REST -- meaning that you
don't train for at least 48 hours. During the
rest period, your body recovers form the workout
and over-compensates by growing a little bit
bigger and stronger.
4. Don't Skip Your Warmups!
A good 10 or 15 minute warmup will get you ready
for a great workout. Get into the warmup habit
NOW! (Note: This is especially important for
older lifters.)
5. Stand on Your Feet!
The best and most effective exercises are ones
where you stand on your feet and lift. (Squats,
front squats, deadlifts, Trap Bar deadlifts,
presses, etc.) 90% of your training should be
"ground-based" training (meaning, you should be
standing on your feet, not sitting down or lying
on a bench).
6. Thick Bars!
Use thick bars to build ferocious gripping power!
7. Sandbags, Etc!
Heavy awkward objects -- sandbags, barrels, kegs,
rocks, logs, etc. -- give your muscles a unique
challenge. Work them into your program from time
to time.
8. Expect to Succeed!
Your mind controls what happens to your body -- and
if you go into your workouts expecting great results,
it will happen.
9. Concentrate!
When you train, you must give every rep of every
exercise your total, complete, absolute, undivided
attention. Block out everything else. Focus ONLY on
the rep. The gym could catch on fire and you wouldn't
know it until your set was over!
10. Perfect Form!
Exercises are designed to be done one particular way --
the right way! Anything less than perfect form will
reduce your results. Always aim for perfection on
every single rep -- even your warmups!
So there you are -- 10 tips for strength training and
muscle building. Keep them top of mind for 2012 --
and make this year the very best training year ever!
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 details on effective strength training
and muscle building, grab any of my books and courses --
or my DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. If you've not already done so, be sure to reserve
your copy of the new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If at first you do succeed,
harder work is what you need." -- Bob Hoffman
Let me share 10 tips for building strength
and muscle. Some of them may be familiar to
you, and some may be new -- but they're all
good to keep "top of the mind" as you go
into the new year:
1. To Gain Mass, Build Strength.
If you want to get bigger, add weight to the
bar. If you get stronger -- and I mean MUCH
STRONGER -- you'll increase your muscle mass.
2. Concentrate on Leg and Back Training.
Leg and back training stimulates gains in
strength and muscle throughout the entire body.
You don't get big by doing endless sets of arm
exercises!
3. Maximize Your Recovery!
Your muscles don't gain strength and mass during
a workout. The purpose of a workout is stimulate
gains in strength and muscle mass. After that
happens, you need to REST -- meaning that you
don't train for at least 48 hours. During the
rest period, your body recovers form the workout
and over-compensates by growing a little bit
bigger and stronger.
4. Don't Skip Your Warmups!
A good 10 or 15 minute warmup will get you ready
for a great workout. Get into the warmup habit
NOW! (Note: This is especially important for
older lifters.)
5. Stand on Your Feet!
The best and most effective exercises are ones
where you stand on your feet and lift. (Squats,
front squats, deadlifts, Trap Bar deadlifts,
presses, etc.) 90% of your training should be
"ground-based" training (meaning, you should be
standing on your feet, not sitting down or lying
on a bench).
6. Thick Bars!
Use thick bars to build ferocious gripping power!
7. Sandbags, Etc!
Heavy awkward objects -- sandbags, barrels, kegs,
rocks, logs, etc. -- give your muscles a unique
challenge. Work them into your program from time
to time.
8. Expect to Succeed!
Your mind controls what happens to your body -- and
if you go into your workouts expecting great results,
it will happen.
9. Concentrate!
When you train, you must give every rep of every
exercise your total, complete, absolute, undivided
attention. Block out everything else. Focus ONLY on
the rep. The gym could catch on fire and you wouldn't
know it until your set was over!
10. Perfect Form!
Exercises are designed to be done one particular way --
the right way! Anything less than perfect form will
reduce your results. Always aim for perfection on
every single rep -- even your warmups!
So there you are -- 10 tips for strength training and
muscle building. Keep them top of mind for 2012 --
and make this year the very best training year ever!
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 details on effective strength training
and muscle building, grab any of my books and courses --
or my DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. If you've not already done so, be sure to reserve
your copy of the new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If at first you do succeed,
harder work is what you need." -- Bob Hoffman
The Success Habit!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We're starting a New Year, and everyone
is thinking about how to make it the very
best year ever.
In strength training, one of the keys to
a great year -- a year full of great gains
in strength, muscle and power -- is to get
into the Success Habit.
But instead -- most people jump right into
the Failure Habit -- and as a result, they
sabotage their training for the rest of
the year.
Here's what I mean.
To get into the Success Habit:
1. Outline a simple, abbreviated workout.
2. Start with relatively light weights so
you can easily make every rep of every set
in PERFECT form.
3. Follow a progression system where you
gradually train harder and heavier -- but
you do it at a slow, steady rate that allows
you to continue to do every rep of every set
in PERFECT form -- with NO misses!
3A. For example: start by doing 4 x 5
progressively heavier warm-ups and 3 x 5 work
sets. Add ONE rep per workout to each work set
until you are doing 3 x 7 or 3 x 8. The add 5
pounds to the bar, drop back to 3 x 5 working
sets, and build back up by adding ONE rep per
workout.
When you train this way, you make every
workout a successful workout. You never miss.
You never have a "bad" workout.
As a result, you start to expect to make every
workout a success. In other words, you have
developed the Success Habit.
But what do most people do?
They outline an impossibly long and difficult
workout -- and they start with the heaviest
weights they can handle -- and they drive
themselves to utter exhaustion -- and they
burn out in a week or two -- and they start
to miss reps -- or they have to cheat to get
their reps -- and then they miss even when
they're cheating -- and WHAM -- they're
trapped in the Failure habit and we're not
even out of January!
So there's two ways to do it:
1. You can train progressively, with slow but
steady gains and consciously cultivate the
Success Habit.
OR
2. You can jump right into the hardest, heaviest,
most difficult, most demanding workout imaginable,
feel like a hero for a day or two and then go into
Crash and Burn Mode.
It's your choice -- but I've done both, and I know
which one I'm going to choose for 2012!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are seven keys to staying on course --
and making each and very workout in 2012 a real
success:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development (the book that started the Dinosaur
Revolution):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron (mandatory reading for
anyone over the age of 35 -- and pretty darn good for
younger lifters, as well):
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Strength, Muscle and Power (abbreviated training,
program design, specialization programs, ultra-
abbreviated workouts, power rack training, rest
pause training, lugging and loading, thick bars,
mind-power, Iron Game history, grip blasters and
more):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (50 detailed training programs
for lifters of all levels):
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training (for the best in
no-nonsense bodyweight workouts):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
6. Dinosaur Training DVD's (grab the whole set --
and get ready for some serious lifting and some
serious training instruction):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
7. Dinosaur Training Courses (Doug Hepburn's Training,
Dinosaur Arm Training and the Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course):
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
We're starting a New Year, and everyone
is thinking about how to make it the very
best year ever.
In strength training, one of the keys to
a great year -- a year full of great gains
in strength, muscle and power -- is to get
into the Success Habit.
But instead -- most people jump right into
the Failure Habit -- and as a result, they
sabotage their training for the rest of
the year.
Here's what I mean.
To get into the Success Habit:
1. Outline a simple, abbreviated workout.
2. Start with relatively light weights so
you can easily make every rep of every set
in PERFECT form.
3. Follow a progression system where you
gradually train harder and heavier -- but
you do it at a slow, steady rate that allows
you to continue to do every rep of every set
in PERFECT form -- with NO misses!
3A. For example: start by doing 4 x 5
progressively heavier warm-ups and 3 x 5 work
sets. Add ONE rep per workout to each work set
until you are doing 3 x 7 or 3 x 8. The add 5
pounds to the bar, drop back to 3 x 5 working
sets, and build back up by adding ONE rep per
workout.
When you train this way, you make every
workout a successful workout. You never miss.
You never have a "bad" workout.
As a result, you start to expect to make every
workout a success. In other words, you have
developed the Success Habit.
But what do most people do?
They outline an impossibly long and difficult
workout -- and they start with the heaviest
weights they can handle -- and they drive
themselves to utter exhaustion -- and they
burn out in a week or two -- and they start
to miss reps -- or they have to cheat to get
their reps -- and then they miss even when
they're cheating -- and WHAM -- they're
trapped in the Failure habit and we're not
even out of January!
So there's two ways to do it:
1. You can train progressively, with slow but
steady gains and consciously cultivate the
Success Habit.
OR
2. You can jump right into the hardest, heaviest,
most difficult, most demanding workout imaginable,
feel like a hero for a day or two and then go into
Crash and Burn Mode.
It's your choice -- but I've done both, and I know
which one I'm going to choose for 2012!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here are seven keys to staying on course --
and making each and very workout in 2012 a real
success:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development (the book that started the Dinosaur
Revolution):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron (mandatory reading for
anyone over the age of 35 -- and pretty darn good for
younger lifters, as well):
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
3. Strength, Muscle and Power (abbreviated training,
program design, specialization programs, ultra-
abbreviated workouts, power rack training, rest
pause training, lugging and loading, thick bars,
mind-power, Iron Game history, grip blasters and
more):
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
4. Chalk and Sweat (50 detailed training programs
for lifters of all levels):
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training (for the best in
no-nonsense bodyweight workouts):
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
6. Dinosaur Training DVD's (grab the whole set --
and get ready for some serious lifting and some
serious training instruction):
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
7. Dinosaur Training Courses (Doug Hepburn's Training,
Dinosaur Arm Training and the Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course):
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html
http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
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