Train for Strength, Eat for Health!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One very important note, and then we'll talk
about strength and health.

1. The Dino Files - on Kindle!

We just released the Kindle edition of the
Nov-Dec issue of The Dinosaur Files. I know
that many of you have been waiting for the
Kindle edition - so wait no longer, and grab
the little monster right now:

Nov - Dec Dino Files on Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-novemberdecember2016-kindle.html

If you prefer PDF, go here to grab
the PDF edition:

Nov - Dec Dino Files in PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

2. Train for Strength, Eat for Health

Did you know that the first 18 winners of
the AAU Mr. America title were some of
the healthiest men who ever lived?

Yes, I said healthiest.

Not just strongest, best developed, and
most muscular.

Healthiest.

And their longevity proves it.

The first 18 winners of the Mr. America
contest included 8 men who lived into
their 80's.

The average age at death for all 18 men
was 82.6 years.

And by all accounts, these men were strong,
active, vigorous and fit even at an advanced
age. And that didn't happen by accident. It
was the direct result of how they lived. These
men always took good care of themselves.

They exercised, watched what they ate,
and kept their weight under control.

They followed what Bob Hoffman called the
"Strength and Health Lifestyle."

They didn't smoke.

They either didn't drink, or didn't drink to
excess.

They exercised -- primarily or exclusively
with weight training workouts.

They followed a simple, healthy diet based on
plenty of home-cooked meals featuring foods
that were high in protein, vitamins and
minerals.

Their daily diet included meat, fish, eggs,
butter, milk or cheese if desired, fresh
vegetables, and fresh fruit.

They didn't eat sweets.

They didn't guzzle milk like it was going out
of style, didn't drink foul-tasting blender
bombers and protein shakes, and didn't
follow fad diets, crash diets, or the 20,000
calorie a day thing that so many people do
nowadays.

Some of them never used any protein powder
or other supplements during their competitive
years -- and some of them never used the
stuff or used it only rarely. They certainly
never tried to live on supplements, as so
many trainees do today.

They ate simple foods, simply prepared, and
they always enjoyed their meals.

They trained for strength and ate for health --
and it worked!

When they were younger men, people called
them "health nuts."

When they were older, people called them
"good examples."

We can learn much from them.

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover healthy eating, diet and nutrition
in Knife, Fork, Muscle. Go here to grab it:

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

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle on
Kindle in a series of shorter books. Same
content, just broken into shorter books. You
can find the links for the first 3 volumes in
the series under the section for Kindle books
and courses on the products page at my
website.

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Heavy iron
and healthy eating are hard to beat."
-- Brooks Kubik

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The Dinosaur Files - On Kindle!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We just released the Nov - Dec issue
of The Dinosaur Files on Kindle.

Here's the link:

Nov - Dec Dino Files on Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-novemberdecember2016-kindle.html

Let me know how you like the
little monster!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you prefer PDF, go here
to grab the PDF edition:

Nov - Dec Dino Files in PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

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Attn Dinos - What Do You Want to See?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

On the weather front, things are a giant
ice-box throughout much of the USA - so
I hope you're staying warm and dry and
comfortable.

Be sure to bundle up - and remember,
layers are your friend!

On the Dino front, I'm working on the Jan
issue of The Dino Files - and as soon as I'm
finished, I'll start on the Feb issue.

Which brings me to an important question.

What would you like to see in the next issue of
The Dinosaur Files -- or in my next Dinosaur
Training course?

Are there any famous strongmen, weightlifters
or bodybuilders of the past that you'd like me
to cover?

Is there something training-related that you've
been wondering about?

A particular training method?

A particular tool or piece of equipment?

Are you looking for something on diet
and nutrition?

Would you like to know what the old-time
champions ate?

Do you want to see something for older
Dinos -- or for younger Dinos?

For beginners -- intermediates -- or advanced
trainees?

What about specialization programs?

Gaining weight -- losing weight -- building
strength -- increasing a given lift -- or just
building some serious muscle mass?

Are you interested in something that's
related to health and longevity?

Or does some Dinosaur mindpower sound
good to you?

I have some ideas on things to cover, but I
always like to hear from the Dinos. So if there's
something you'd like to see, shoot me an email
and let me know.

I'm also looking for training reports and similar
updates to run in the Mesozolc Mail and Jurassic
Jottings sections of the February Dinosaur Files.
So don't be shy -- send in a report and let your
fellow Dinos know what you're doing!

I'm also interested in how you like the format
for the new monthly Dinosaur Files, and the
digital delivery feature. Let me know how it's
working for you!

Otherwise, have a great day -- and if it's a
training day, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you're snow-bound and looking for some
good reading, check out our PDF books and
courses - and our Kindle books and courses.
There are a ton to choose from now.

You can find all of our books and courses,
including hard-copy, Kindle and PDF,
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. The Nov-Dec issue of the Dinosaur
Files is right here in PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

We're still working on the Kindle edition. I'll
send the link as soon as it's ready.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Every hour
of your life has 60 priceless minutes of
opportunity. Make the most of each and
every one of them." -- Brooks Kubik

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Make 2017 Your Best Year Ever!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The New Year is here, and it's time
to start working on it.

Time to make 2017 the best year
ever for strength and health.

Here's how to do it:

1. Start training. If you're already training,
then keep it up.

a. Use barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells,
bodyweight training, sandbags or other
heavy awkward objects, or a combination
of these tools.

2. Make your training progressive.

a. In other words, start light and easy and
gradually increase the difficulty of your
workouts.

b. Don't try to do it overnight. Rome wasn't
built in a day. Building serious levels of
strength and muscle mass takes time.

3. Make haste slowly.

a. Don't try to make 20 or 30 pound jumps
in your lifts. Aim for small but regular
increases. Do it one rep at a time --
or one pound at a time.

b. Over time, small but steady increases
add up to big gains. Imagine what would
happen if you added one pound per week
to every exercise you do -- and you did that
for an entire year!

c. See Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3, for
the very best in old-school progression
programs:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol3_digital.html

4. Set long term goals and work toward them
with unflagging determination.

a. Make them high and challenging -- but
achievable.

b. Poundage and performance goals are best.
They are easy to measure.

c. For a detailed list of real-world strength
goals for drug-free trainees and how to
adapt them to your age and weight, see
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol2_digital.html

5. Break your long term goals into short term
goals.

a. Give yourself the satisfaction of hitting your
short term goals on a regular basis. It helps
keep you motivated to work toward your long
term goal.

b. See 4b.

6. Make a plan, put it into action, and make
adjustments as you move forward.

a. You won't get it perfect, and you'll need to
make changes and modifications as you move
forward. That's fine. It's part of the Iron Game
and it's something that every champion has had
to do.

7. When in doubt, do less.

a. The vast majority of trainees limit their gains
by over-training.

b. Monitor your progress carefully. Keep a detailed
training journal. If you are making good progress,
then keep on doing what you are doing. If not,
make adjustments -- and that usually means,
DO LESS, NOT MORE!

So there you have it. Seven keys for success
in 2017. Use them wisely -- and best wishes for
great gains in 2017!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses are right here
at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Day by day,
and step by step, move forward to achieve
your goals and dreams." -- Brooks Kubik

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How the Strongest Man in the World Trains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Dr. Ken Leistner has a great line that
goes something like this:

"The strongest man in the world trains
in a garage in Cleveland and no one
knows who he is."

That's not an exact quote, but it's
pretty close.

Now, you can argue that the strongest
man in the world is this year's top super-
heavyweight champion in weightlifting,
powerlifting or strongman comps -- or
the man who holds the all-time world
records in weightlifting, powerlifting or
strongman comps -- and therefore, "We
all know who he is and he doesn't live in
Cleveland."

But that's missing the point.

I think Dr. Ken is telling us that there are
MANY really strong men (and women) all
around the world, who train very hard with
very heavy weights, and who may or may
not compete -- and we may very well not
have any idea who they are.

We also may have no idea how they train.

Consider this. There may be someone who
really does train in a garage in Cleveland,
and he may be pushing and pulling some
really heavy iron -- and he may be doing
something that's way different than what
the rest of us do -- and it might be his
secret to world class strength and power.

That's one of the reasons why I always
encourage feedback from Dinosaurs
around the world. Dinosaurs tend to be
pretty darn strong -- and many of them
do things in their workouts that are
MUCH different and MUCH more
effective than what most people do.
And those things are well-worth
knowing -- and well worth sharing.

I publish the monthly Dinosaur Files 
newsletter (really, it's a full-size, info
dense magazine) for the same reason.

It gives me the opportunity to share
real world training advice and
workout reports from Dinos
around the world.

So don't be shy. Send me an email and
let me know what you're doing. Tell me
what's been working for you -- and, just
as importantly, what has NOT worked for
you. This kind of information is solid gold
for your fellow Dinosaurs.

And that goes double if you train in a
garage in Cleveland and you're moving
some world class iron. We need to tell
Dr. Ken he was right!

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. Back issues of The Dinosaur Files
never go out of date. So if you missed
an issue the first time around, go ahead
and grab it now. For example, here are
the December 2015 and January 2016
issues from one year ago. The workouts,
training advice and tips from your
fellow Dinos are still worth their
weight in gold:

January 2016

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_januaryr2016.html

December 2015

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_december2015.html

Our most recent issue is the Nov - Dec issue
from 2016. You can find it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never stop
learning, never stop lifting, never stop
growing." -- Brooks Kubik

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Cold Weather Training Tips for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I trained last night, and the gym was hot
as heck.

Everything was hot as heck - because it
was almost 60 degrees outside. Crazy
weather for January!

I had planned to wear a long sleeve shirt
for my training, which is what I usually
wear in the winter - but I started melting
during my warmups, so switched to a
standard issue cotton t-shirt. Good thing
I had the extra shirt in my gym bag.

Compare that to last year. That was before
we sold the house, and I was training out
in the garage - aka The Dino Dungeon.

It was the middle of a cold spell, and the
place was an icebox. It was a real three-
layer workout - meaning, I wore three
layers of sweat clothes to stay warm.

I know many of you are dealing with
cold weather training - so let's talk
about it.

If it's cold where you are, do what I
did a year ago. Bundle up and stay
warm! Layers are your friend.

And that brings me to a cold weather
training tip.

I usually do the following exercises in
the following sequence:

1. Snatches or clean and jerks

2. High pulls

3. Squats or front squats

But when it's unusually cold, I often
reverse the order and start with squats.

Why?

Because it's hard to get warmed up for
snatches and cleans when it's really cold,
and doing the squats first helps assure
that my knees, hips and lower back are
warmed up and ready to go before I
do my snatches or cleans.

And if it's ice-box cold, I sometimes skip
the snatches and cleans entirely, and just
do squats, high pulls and push presses.

These movements don't require nearly
as much flexibility and mobility to
perform, so if it's hard to warm-up
and get loose, they work a lot better.

They're also easier to perform when
you're wearing extra layers to stay
warm. Snatches are hard to do when
it's a three layer workout.

I also don't try to handle maximum
weights when the weather is really
cold. It's much easier to pull a muscle
or tweak an old injury or sore spot
when it's cold, so why take chances?

You can apply a similar approach to
any type of training program, workouts
or equipment. The idea is to adjust what
you do (and perhaps change the order
of your exercises) based on how cold it
is and how difficult it is to get warmed
up.

For example, you might do something
as simple as including extra warm-up
sets when it's cold.

Or you might start things out with some
cardio training just to get warmed up.

Or you might do sets of five instead of
heavy singles.

Or skip the heavy stuff entirely and do
bodyweight training.

I could give many more examples, but
you get the idea.

Your training program has to be flexible.

Give yourself the freedom to make cold
weather adjustments. It can make all
the difference in the world.

Of course, if you train at a commercial
gym that's the same temperature all
year round, the outside temperature
doesn't matter as much.

But for garage gorillas, it makes a very
big difference. And that goes double for
older Dinos.

What about you?

Do you have any cold weather training
tips to share with your fellow Dinos?

If you do, shoot me an email and let me
know how you deal with three-layer
workouts.

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. Have you seen the Nov - Dec issue of
The Dinosaur Files strength training journal?
Go here to grab it in PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_novemberdecember2016.html

We also release the little monster in a
Kindle edition. We're working to get that
finished and released as soon as possible.
I'll send a link when it's ready.

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When it's
cold, bundle up and do squats!"
-- Brooks Kubik

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Going Strong at 60 and Beyond!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Today's my first workout at age 60,
and I'm looking forward to it.

Now, don't be confused. Longtime
readers know that my birthday is
in September. That's when I'll turn
60 in civilian years.

But in Masters Weightlifting, your
age for the entire year is figured
as of January 1 - so whatever age
you will turn later in the year is
your weightlifting age for the
entire year.

Which makes me 60 in weightlifting
years.

Later in the day I'll be out on the
lifting platform, hitting a ton of
split snatches, followed by snatch
pulls and front squats.

I do old-school split snatches because
they're easier on my shoulders. Squat
snatches are about impossible now.

And that's true not only for me, but
for most older lifters. So you end up
doing power snatches or split
snatches.

It's called "adapt and keep going." No
big deal.

But back to the workout.

It will be all singles on everything.

It will last about 90 minutes, including
a 15 minute warm-up.

And it will be tons of fun.

Weight-wise, I don't go as heavy as I
went when I was in my 30's or 40's -
but I go heavy enough to make things
interesting.

In my last workout - my last workout at
age 59 - I did a light session of clean and
jerk (doing squat cleans and split jerks).
It was one of the 70 percent workouts I
wrote about last week - a form and
technique session. Everything was fast
and easy.

Trudi stopped by the gym on her way,
said she was picking up dinner at a
favorite restaurant, and asked if I'd
like anything.

So I gave her my dinner order, she left,
and I kept on training.

One of the younger guys finished his
workout and left the gym - and he and
his girlfriend bumped into Trudi at the
same restaurant.

"Hey, I was just watching your husband
at the gym," he said. "He's STRONG!"

Trudi thought that was worth passing
along - and she didn't even know that
it was a 70 percent workout.

Anyhow, that made my day, and now
I'm psyched up for a good workout to
start 2017 - and a good workout to say
hello to age 60!

As always, thanks for reading and have
a great day. If you train today, make it
a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the best book ever written
about effective strength training for
those of us age 40 and beyond:

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

P.S. 2. Each issue of The Dinosaur Files
strength training journal has tons of
great info for older Dinos - and for
younger Dinos, as well. You can grab
back issues in PDF format or Kindle.
Look for the special sections  for PDF
and Kindle books and courses at our
Products Page:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Whatever
your age, hit the iron and have fun!"
- Brooks Kubik

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