Training Adaptations for Older Dinosaurs

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk iron.

1. My Basement Gym

In yesterday's email, I mentioned that I have
moved out of the gym I've been training at for
the past 8 or 9 months, and set up shop in
the basement of our new duplex.

Many of you wrote in to say: "Welcome
back to the Land of the Cellar Dwellers"
or something similar.

I won't be able to answer all the emails, but
I wanted top say THANK YOU for the kind
words and positive vibes.

I'll keep you posted as we move forward.

2. The Dinosaur Files

I just finished the January issue of The Dinosaur
Files and sent it to my layout and design guy.

We'll get it up and available as fast as we can.

In the meantime, if you missed the last issue,
here it is:

Nov - Dec Dino Files on Kindle

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

Nov - Dec Dino Files in PDF

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

As always, let me know how you like
this issue - and if you grab the Kindle
edition, be sure to post a review on our
Kindle page.

3. Training Adaptations for Older Dinosaurs

The vast majority of those who train when they
are in their teens and twenties stop training long
before they hit the Big 4-0.

Very few people train after age 50 -- and hardly
anyone trains after age 60.

That's a shame, because training should be a
part of your life for all of the days of your
journey. It's not just for the young -- it's
for everyone.

And if we're talking about quality of life, then
training is MORE IMPORTANT than ever as you
grow older.

But training often requires adaptations as we
pass the 40, 50 or 60 age mark.

We often need to change to new exercises to
work around age-related dings and dents.

For example . . .

I have shoulder problems that date back to
my high school wrestling days. They don't
keep me from training, but they make it
impossible to hold a bar on my upper back
for squats. It hurts my shoulders too much.

So I use the Dave Draper Top Squat device
for back squats -- or I do front squats.

Would I rather do regular back squats?

Yes.

Do I worry about it?

No.

Does it stop me from training -- and from
having fun when I train?

Not at all.

And even with shoulders that don't work as
well as they used to, I'm a heck of a lot
stronger and in 10 times better shape than
the average man my age. That's because I'm
still training.

Whatever your age, I want you to do the
same thing.

Keep on training.

Find the tools that allow you to keep on hitting
the iron.

If you need to make changes, make changes.

But keep on training. That's the important thing.
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. Many older Dinos get great results with
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

Other older Dinos get great results with
old-school dumbbell training:

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

And others prefer the workouts in Gray Hair
and Black Iron:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "There's no
road map for life. You need to figure it out
as you go." -- Brooks Kubik

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Yes, I'm a Garage Gorilla!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's one I wrote two years ago.
I'm sharing it again to celebrate a
big event.

I'm back in business with my home
gym.

You see, we sold the house and
moved to a two-bedroom apartment
last year - and I tried training at an
old, hole in the wall gym not far
away. Tried for nine long months.

Tried really hard.

But I'm a garage gorilla.

I do better when I train alone.

I can concentrate better. Focus better.
And I enjoy it much more.

So yesterday, I set up shop in the
basement.

Squat stands, barbell and plates.

The basics.

You can see what it looks like on
my Facebook and Instagram
pages.

In the meantime, here's more
detail about why home gym
training is the best.

Yes, I'm A Garage Gorilla!

Yes, I admit it. I'm a garage gorilla.
I often write about cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas -- meaning Dinos who
train in their home gyms. That includes
quite a few of you. And it includes me,
as well.

There are many reasons to train at
home.

Here are some of mine:

1. No distractions.

1A. Meaning no talk radio, no television,
no talking, no bros doing bro stuff, no
pumpers doing curls in the power rack,
no one chattering on their cell phone,
and no talking about bodybuilding, the
latest and greatest super supplement
or  the new super roidskie that can put
(they claim) 27 inches on your upper
arms in just two hours.

1B. "Distraction is a physical culturist's
worst enemy." Bradley J. Steiner

2. Better concentration.

2A. Intense, focused concentration is one
of the keys to strength training success.

3. Better bars.

3A. Most gyms have second or third rate
bars. Some are so bad that you really
don't want to use them -- and you
definitely don't want to load them
heavy.

4. Better equipment. Meaning better quality
equipment. Too many gyms spend big bucks
on the silly stuff that gets people in the door
(e.g., cardio theater), and then they don't
have money for the kind of heavy duty bars
and power racks a  Dino needs.

5. The EXACT equipment you need -- most
of which is not going to be found at a gym:

high quality Olympic bar

lifting platform

bumper plates

super-strong power rack

sandbags

thick bars

farmers' walk implements

rocks

barrels

grip tools

6. No drugs, no super supplements and
no bad advice.

7. No one will kick you out of the gym for
using chalk, grunting or doing heavy
deadlifts.

8. Music. I get to pick it. Or no music if
I prefer no music that day.

9. Better posters on the wall: John Grimek,
Steve Stanko, John Davis, Doug Hepburn,
Reg Park, etc.

9A. The posters we include with hard copy
orders for books and courses are pretty
good for your home gym.

10. I can do exactly what I want, how I
want, when I want. And at age 58, having
trained for almost 50 years, I'm entitled.

10a. Update: I'm 60 now, and that part
about doing what I want, when I want,
goes double now.

Of course, if you train at a gym you can
always make it work -- you just need to
work really hard to stay focused, and you
need to rev up your powers of concentration.

You also need to avoid the negative people,
the doubters, the naysayers, the talkers,
the whiners, the complainers, and the folks
who want to argue with you about everything
you do.

Anyhow, that's why I train at home.

Oh -- there's one more reason.

It's exactly 27 steps from the garage to the
back door -- and Trudi has dinner ready for
me after I train!

Update: The number of steps from the
basement to the upstairs apartment -
and the dining room table - is just about
the same as before. I guess some things
never change.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

1. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur
Bodyweight training are great additions to
your training program - and they work great
in home gyms:

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

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

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

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

3. Thought for the Day: "I train alone,
but I always train with the Dinos."
-- Brooks Kubik

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The "How Many Meals A Day?" Question

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm often asked, "How many meals a day do
you eat?"

And a lot of people don't believe the answer.
The answer is "three."

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now, for the record, that's what John Grimek
ate -- what Steve Stanko ate -- what John
Davis ate -- and what almost every strongman,
bodybuilder and weightlifter ate prior to 1950
or so.

Around 1950, the muscle mags started to push
six meals a day for weight gaining.

And ever since, trainees have been obsessed
with the idea of eating six meals a day (or
more) and gaining more muscle mass than
a herd of charging elephants.

But like many things, that turns out to be
good for some people - and not so good for
others.

Six meals a day may work for some very
skinny and underweight trainees during a
relatively short period when they're trying
to gain muscular bodyweight -- but it's not
necessary to do it forever.

For an older trainee who has gone through
the weight gaining phase and is already as
big as he wants to be, three meals a day
will work fine.

Of course, they need to be three big meals,
with plenty of high quality food.

And they should be easy to prepare, because
nothing beats home-cooked meals.

And they should be delicious -- because the
more you enjoy your meals, the better your
digestion will be.

And besides, after a hard, heavy workout,
you deserve a delicious meal.

I post photos of my meals on Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter. Friend and follow
me and take a look at exactly what I'm
talking about. You can find me at
#brooks kubik and #dinosaurtraining.

I cover diet and nutrition for strength training
in detail in Knife, Fork, Muscle. It gives you
everything you need to know about what to
eat for lifelong strength and health -- and
includes meal plans, daily menus, and even
some simple recipes and cooking tips direct
from Dino Headquarters.

By the way, did you know that John Grimek
believed that three meals a day were BETTER
than six?

He wrote several articles about this. He believed
that it was easier to digest and assimilate your
food if you gave your body more time between
meals.

He also believed that overloading your digestive
system was a mistake -- especially for skinny
trainees. After all, one of the reasons they're
skinny is that they have trouble digesting and
assimilating their food! And giving someone a
belly ache doesn't build strength and muscle.
In any case, I get the question all the time --
and the answer always seems to shock people.
It's three. Three meals a day. That and hard
training are all you need for great 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. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle in
the hard-copy edition:

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

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in
a series of Kindle e-books. The first three
books in the e-book series are right here;
book 4 in the e-book series is coming soon:
Knife, Fork, Muscle, Kindle e-book 1
(covers protein for strength training -- how
much, the best sources of high-quality
protein, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Kindle e-book 2
(covers healthy and unhealthy carbs,
vegetables, starchy vegetables, grain
and gluten issues, organic foods, and
gardening)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html 

 Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3
(covers healthy and unhealthy fats,
food and chemical allergies, and the
importance of allergy-free diets)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.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: "Train hard and
eat well. It works every time." -- Brooks Kubik

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The Goal Directed Workout

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Training is important, but it's not enough
to just "train."

For real results, you need to train with a
purpose.

You need to have a goal.

You're not just training for the sake of
training. That's manual labor. You work
up a sweat, and you puff and pant, and
maybe you even feel sore the next day.

That's good, but it's just the beginning.

For real results, you need to do goal
directed training.

You need to train with a purpose.

Find something that you desperately
want to do or to achieve. That's your
goal.

It might be hitting a particular weight
in the squat, deadlift or bench press --
or in the standing press -- or in Olympic
lifting.

It might be hitting 300/400/500.

It might be building 17 inch upper arms.

It might be gaining 20 pounds of muscle.

It might be losing 50 pounds of flab.

It might be qualifying for and competing
in a particular contest or competition in
your chosen sport.

It might be setting a record -- winning a
state, regional or national championship --
or even a World championship.

It might relate to health. Getting your blood
pressure or your blood sugar where it needs
to be.

It might be beating a serious illness -- or
coming back after an injury.

The point is, it's YOUR goal -- and it means
something very important to YOU.

Your goal empowers you. It drives you to
train harder and harder. It's the most
demanding coach you could ever have.

Of course, your goal is a long term goal. You
won't achieve it overnight -- and you won't
achieve it easily. It will take a long time --
and plenty of chalk and sweat -- to get
there.

Your goal is the greatest motivator you
could ever find. It burns with a white hot
fire every second of every day.

And it will carry you to greatness.

So take a second, and think about it.

Why are you training?

What's your goal?

And what do you need to do to make it a
reality?

Answer those questions, and you've taken
an important first step on the road to
strength, muscle and might.

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 goal-directed training in
detail in Dinosaur Training and in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. Go
here to grab them:

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

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Set a
goal, make a plan, take action."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Where's the Best Place You Ever Trained?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
iron.

1. The Dino Files

The Nov - Dec issue of the Dinosaur
Files is available in your choice of PDF
or Kindle - and readers are loving it!

Go here to grab your copy:

Kindle edition

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

PDF edition

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

And yes, I'm working to finish the
January issue! We'll get it out as
soon as we can!

2. The Iron League.

John Wood is adding more and more
great stuff to the Iron League every
day. Go here to check it out:

http://www.ironleague.com/

I've let John post about 20 hours of
my old Dinosaur Training DVDs at
the Iron League - along with a bench
press course I wrote as an Iron
League special. That shows you
how much I like and support this
project.

3. Where's the Best Place You Ever
Trained?

I've trained lots of different places, and
most of them had their good and not so
good aspects.

But overall, most of them were pretty
good. And some of them were great.

That makes it hard to pick the best one.

Like many of you, I started training in my
bedroom at my parents' house. Flat bench,
110 pound barbell set, etc. You may have
done the same.

It was a good place to train -- and a very
good place to get started.

I trained in different junior high, high school,
college and YMCA weight rooms. Those were
good, too.

I've trained in fancy, well-equipped gyms, and
basic, black iron gyms. The basic, black iron
gyms were much better.

You can tell a good gym by looking at things
like squat racks, power racks, lifting platforms,
barbells and dumbbells. If everything is heavy,
strong, sturdy and functional, that's a good
sign.

It's also a good sign if there's plenty of old
iron in the gym. If you're serious about this
stuff, you know that a barbell plate or a
set of dumbbells weighs the same whether
it's brand new or 50 years old.

My favorite places to train have always been
home gyms.

Some of them include:

1. A simple gym I set up in my parents' garage.
It featured homemade squat stands and some
gigantic 75 pound plates I made from concrete.

The first time I ever benched 300 pounds was
with those plates.

2. The basement gym in my old house. Power
rack and all. You can see it in my old Dinosaur
Training DVD's. I hit my first 300 pound push
press in that gym.

3. The garage gym in the house where Trudi
and I lived for 15 years - which we just sold
last year.

That one was the best ever, I think. Lifting
platform, barbell, squat stands -- everything
I needed for some great workouts.

It felt like a little piece of Heaven.

If you train at home, you probably feel the
same way about your gym.

4. The Island Gym I set up in a corner of a
sandy parking lot on Ocracoke Island in North
Carolina. It featured old York squat stands, a
300 pound barbell set, and nothing else. It
was great!

I feature this one in the chapter titled "An
Island Gym" in my book, Strength, Muscle
and Power:

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

5. Mike Thompson's gym in his fifth floor
flat in a London apartment building. Power
rack, barbells, and lots of iron. Mike had
hauled everything up the steps by himself,
which must have been a heck of a workout.

It was one of the best home gyms ever --
and I really enjoyed training there on a
vacation 25 years ago.

So those five are probably my favorite places
to train over the years.

What about you?

Where's the best place you ever trained?

Let me know, and I'll share the answers
with the Dinos!

In the meantime, be sure to grab the Nov -
Dec issue of The Dinosaur Files - and let me
know how you like it -- and what you'd like
us to cover in future issues!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Training helped start a revolution
in serious home gym training:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including
links to my Kindle and PDF books and courses --
are right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Some old iron
and a place to lift it can make a pretty good
gym." -- Brooks Kubik

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If It's Working, Keep On Doing It!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk
training.

1. The Dinosaur Files

The Nov-Dec issue of the Dinosaur Files
strength training journal is available in
your choice of Kindle of PDF formats:

Kindle edition

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

PDF edition

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

I hope you enjoy this issue. Shoot me an
email and let me know how you like it!
If you grab the Kindle edition, be sure to
post a review. The reviews really help us.

2. If It's Working, Keep on Doing It!

At least once a week I get an email from a
reader who's doing something that's working
well for him -- meaning that he's making good
gains in strength and muscle, recovering from
his workouts and enjoying his training -- but
then he sees something on the Interwebs
and it makes him think he should change
his program and do something different.

It's usually one of two things:

1. Something new and different that might
be better than what he's doing now -- often
being the workout of a current champion --
or a workout authored by the champion's
ghost writer.

2. A blog post, article or forum discussion
telling him that what he's doing "doesn't
work."

Most of the time it's number two -- which
is surprising, because the immediate
response should be, "It may not work
for YOU, but it works for ME!"

But written words are powerful, and so
they often make us second-guess
ourselves.

So our trainee -- the one who is making
good gains and having lots of fun in his
workouts -- starts to second-guess
himself.

And he sends me an email and asks what
he should do.

As I said, this happens at least once a
week. Luckily, as questions go, it's an
easy one.

The answer is always the same:

"If it's working, keep on doing it. If your
gains slow down or stop, then and only
then try something different."

And here's a related point. When you do
try something different, it should probably
be something similar, not a radical change
in approach. In other words, if 5 x 5 has
worked well for you, you might try 5 x 6,
6 x 6, or 5 x 5 followed by 1 x 3 and 1 x 1.

But don't change from 5 x 5 to 10 x 10,
or 50 rep death sets, or a three hour
pumping program.

Also, the best way to change things up is
often to use a new exercise, while keeping
the sets and reps the same. For example,
switch from back squats to front squats,
or from straight bar deadlifts to Trap Bar
deadlifts.

And remember this -- when you switch to
a new exercise or a new program, start
light and easy, and gradually add weight
to the bar. Make it progressive. Don't try
to max out and set new PR's the first day
in the saddle. See Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3, for detailed advice on how to use old-
school progression systems for steady gains
without going stale or burning out.

Anyhow, that's the answer to a very common
question -- one that's become all the more
common because of the often overwhelming
amount and diversity of information on the
Interwebs.

Remember, if it's working for you, keep on
doing it -- and if it ain't broke, don't try to
fix 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. I mentioned Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3. Go here to grab the little monster in
your choice of three formats:

Hard-copy edition

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

Kindle edition

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

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol3_digital.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: "Train with
confidence. Avoid doubters and naysayers.
Be resolute, and do what you need to do."
-- Brooks Kubik

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A Question from a New Reader

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A couple of new readers have
asked me about The Dinosaur
Files.

As in, "What is it?"

One of them said, "I signed up
for your daily emails. Isn't that
the same as the Dinosaur Files?"

The answer is - "No, the Dinosaur
Files is different."

The Dinosaur Files is a monthly
strength training journal. Each issue
includes original articles and material
of my own, as well as articles, letters
and feedback from your fellow Dinos.

The Dinosaur Files is available in your
choice of Kindle or PDF editions. We
do it both ways because some of you
prefer pone, and some of you prefer
the other.

The most recent issue is the Nov-Dec
issue. We combined two months
because we ran late in getting the
Nov issue out the door.

Here's a look at the table of contents:

November – December 2016
Dinosaur Files

Table of Contents

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Mesozoic Mail

Greetings from Italy – My Favorite
Article  - How a 56-Year Old Dino
Trains – Pushing Toward a 100-Kilo
Military Press - More Dino Files
Feedback – Feedback from
Scotland – Thanks for the
Bench Press Advice - Viking
Feedback – A Training Update

 Jurassic Jottings

From Beef to Burgers – Feeling
a Little Needled – Speaking of the
Gym – Squat and Split Snatches –
Head Over Tea Kettle – An Important
Safety Note – Moving Targets at the
Gym – Lying and Seated Targets at
the Gym – An Old School Gym –
Some Impressive Lifting from
1953 – Meanwhile, Back in
Belgium – This Is Some Serious
Curling Power – Don’t Arm
Wrestle this Guy – Iron
League Update – New from
Bill Hinbern

Answers to Your Training
Questions

Combining 20-Rep Squats and
Deadlifts – Adding Weight When
Using the Light, Medium, Heavy
System – A Question About Specialty
Squat Bars for Lifters with Shoulder
Problems – A Tonnage Question

A Different Twist on Rest-Pause
Training

My Singles Experiment

An Update on My Training Program

Try this Two-Week Divided Workout
Program!

The 2016 Stonelifting Tour (Part 2)

A Result-Producing and Effective
Workout

Build Strength and Muscle Mass
with Reg Park!

An Older Dino’s Training Program

The Wrap-Up 

As you can see, this issue - like all
issues of The Dinosaur Files - is a
goldmine of training advice for
Dinos.

The kind of no-nonsense, real world
Training advice you won't find
anywhere else.

Which is not surprising - because
the Dino Files is a strength training
journal by and for people like you
and me - people who call themselves
Dinosaurs!

Go here to grab the November-
December issue of the Dinosaur
Files:

Kindle edition

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

PDF edition

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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