I Remember When . . .

I started training at home with a 110-pound barbell set more than 50 years ago - and today, at age 61, I'm still training that way: at home, with a barbell, keeping it spartan, simple, basic, effective and fun.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I remember when . . .

1. It was more important to have guts than
to have glutes.

2. You built your muscles with barbells and
dumbbells instead of syringes and needles.

3. It was a power rack, not a curl rack.

4. Plates were iron, platforms were homemade,
and you never dropped a barbell unless it was
the only way to keep from killing yourself.

5. The coaches didn't want us to lift weights -
but we lifted them anyway.

6. We all knew that the only way to build
serious strength and muscle was to train
hard and eat right.

7. Somehow or other we all learned how to
train - and how to do our exercises the right
way - without this mysterious thing they
call the Internet.

8. No one brought a water bottle to the gym
because everyone used the water fountain -
and if we HAD brought a water bottle to the
gym, we sure as heck wouldn't have left it
sitting in the power rack.

9. The sweat was real, not sprayed on from a
water bottle.

10. Training was about squats instead of photo
ops.

11. Gym time was for training, not for talking.

12. You either trained at home, which was spartan
and basic - or you trained in a school weight room
or a local gym that was spartan and basic - and
spartan and basic worked pretty darn well.

That's how remember the Iron Game when I got
started more than 50 years ago.

Do you remember it?

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you remember the way the Iron Game
used to be - or if you honor and respect the
old-school way of doing things, then you'll
love Dinosaur Training:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: 

"Live and lift in the present, but honor
the best of the past."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

Over 1000 Years of Training Experience!

 

I've been hitting it hard for a long time - and I've got 52 years of training experience and counting. How many years do you have?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A couple of hours ago I put up a short post
at the Dinosaur Training - Brooks Kubik
Facebook page - meaning the updated
page for the Dinosaur Training Facebook
Group (not my personal Facebook page).

I noted that I've been doing physical training
for 52 years - and I asked each of the other
members of the Group to reply by giving:

1. The number of years that she or he has
been training,

and

2. The running total for the number of years
that all of the members of the group have
been training.

The idea was to see how high of a combined
total we can reach.

As you might guess, we've had a number of
members reply - and right now the total is
over 1,000 years.

In fact, when I last checked it was all the way
up to 1439 years.

I want to see if we can get it even higher - so
if you have a minute, sprint on over to Facebook
and apply for membership in the Brooks Kubik - 
Dinosaur Training Facebook Group - and as
soon as you're in, find the post and and add your
number of years of training experience to the
combined total.

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to seeing you
in the Facebook group!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

UPDATE: We're closing in on 5,000 years of combined
training experience for the members of the Dinosaur
Training - Brooks Kubik Facebook page. If you haven't
already joined us, please do so - and add your number
of years of training to our grand total.

"You've Got No Guts, Kid!"

Get ready for a heck of a story - one that I think you're going to enjoy enormously - and one that has an important lesson for all of us.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Strength, Muscle and Power

We're getting very close to the end of the
line for Strength, Muscle and Power -
and I'm not going to do another printing any
time soon - perhaps not ever - so if you want
a copy, grab it now:

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

2. The March Dinosaur Files

Here's the link to grab the March issue of
The Dinosaur Files. It's a great issue,
and we've been getting some seriously
good feedback from Dinos around the
world.

Go here to grab the little monster:

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

Also - if you missed the October, Nov, Dec
Jan or Feb issues, go here to grab them so
you have the complete set:

Feb issue

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

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

And please let me know how you like
this month's issue. Your feedback is
very important to us.

3. "You've Got No Guts, Kid!"

He was the captain of the chess team and a
bit of a bookworm.

In addition to chess and books, he loved to
swim. So he went out for the swim team.

But he had trouble making proper turns in
the pool -- which is bad news for a kid who
wants to be a competitive swimmer. It's
sort of like wanting to play baseball and
not being able to hit a curve ball.

His swim coach was less than happy with
him.

One day, the coach uttered these fateful
words:

"Kid, forget it. You'll never be a swimmer.
You've got no intestinal fortitude. You know
what that means? You've got no guts."

Twelve years later, the kid represented the
United States in the 1948 Olympic Games
in London.

Not in swimming -- but in wrestling!

In the semi-final match, he suffered a
crippling injury -- a severe muscle and
tendon tear in his chest.

He won the match, but afterwards he could
barely move. Pain ripped through his body
with every breath.

His coach told him to forfeit the gold medal
match.

"No way," he replied.

He went into the final match bandaged like a
mummy -- and challenged one of the very
best wrestlers in the world.

He won the match -- and the Olympic gold
medal.

His name was Henry Wittenberg, and he was
one of the greatest wrestlers who ever lived.

"No guts?"

Not hardly.

I don't know the name of the high school swim
coach who told Henry Wittenberg he had "no
guts" -- but I do know this:

People remember Henry Wittenberg.

No one remembers the swim coach.

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. Henry Wittenberg built tremendous strength
with old-school, Dino-style barbell and dumbbell
training -- the kind I cover in Dinosaur Training:
Lost Secrets of Strength and Development:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: 

"Anyone who tells you that you can't
do it is wrong - dead wrong - totally,
absolutely and completely wrong."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

An Email from John Wood

If you're interested in building some serious pressing power, be sure to read this important email from John Wood.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're not on John Wood's email list, you
missed an important email the other day -
so I thought I'd share it with you.

Brooks,

Got a ton of stuff going on right now so I want
to keep this short.

We have had quite a few people write in to ask
whether the John Wood Report issue #2 is or
will be available on Kindle...

At the moment, the answer is no, you can only
get it in the PDF format although I think that is
a much better deal since a) the format is much
more pleasing and b)you can print it out on
your end.

Grab your copy of issue #2 right here:


https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/john-wood-report/

It's a PDF download so you could be reading this
latest issue only a few mouse clicks from now, no
shipping needed.

This issue has also increased to 19 pages including
a  bonus article by Jan Dellinger!

In this issue you'll find:

* Five ways that I stay motivated.  Almost everyone
lists " motivation" as their number one training
problem -- but not me.  There are reasons why this
is the case, and in this article, I provide several simple
methods that you can starting using ASAP.

* Some Q & A on workout design -- a few hows
and whys of how I put my workouts together, including
how I program in variety so my training is never boring.

* The MOST EFFECTIVE exercise that I have ever
found to build overhead pressing power.  I have never
seen any other article written on this technique
anywhere, but it works like magic.

* Sledge Hammer Training part I -- I am not aware of
any course ever written on sledge hammer levering,
this is the first lesson and in my opinion, one of the
top exercises you can do to build forearm power.

Our good friend Dave Marcus, Iron Leaguer, and
Strength Secrets FB group member had this to say:

"The Hammer Man's Challenge from Issue #2 of
John Wood's Report is worth the price of the whole
issue."

Here's that link one more time -- you can get both issues
at the following page:

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/john-wood-report/

Train Hard,

John Wood 

P.S. Already grabbed you copy?  Good move. Be sure to
send us a review or any questions you may have.

Some Thick Bar Safety Tips that Could Save Your Life!

Going strong at age 61 - after more than a half century of physical training - and I'm able to do it because I've avoided unnecessary injuries.  Here are some important safety tips for all Dinos to follow when they use thick-handled barbells and dumbbells. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk training -
as in, some very important thick bar safety
tips.

And pay attention, because these tips could
literally save your life.

1. Good Stuff for Dinos

We have some great new stuff for Dinos,
with more on the way soon.

The March Dino Files is right here:

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

Grab it and read it  because the April
issue will be ready before you know it.

The John Wood Report is getting great
reviews - and you can grab the first two
issues right here:

Issue No. 1

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-01.html

Issue No. 2

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-02.html

And yesterday John Wood released Steve
Pulcinella's Iron Sport Gym 16-Week Power
Program - which is pretty good - and it's
available right here:

http://www.ironsport.com/shop/pdf/ironsport-workout-001/

So get ready for some great reading this
weekend!

2. Our Facebook Groups

John Wood has set up a terrific Facebook Group
called Strength Secrets. You have to apply for
membership, but if you tell John I sent you,
you should get in pretty easily.

In addition, Bill Hinbern and I are running a
Facebook Group called Dinosaur Training -
Brooks Kubik. You have to apply for member-
ship in that one, as well - but say you heard
about it here, and you'll be fine.

These are CLOSED groups to keep out the
bots, the snake-oil salesmen, and the roiders,
so they're pretty good. My advice is to join
both of them.

3. Some Thick Bar Safety Tips

I wrote about thick bars earlier in the week,
and I wanted to follow up with some very
important thick bar safety tips.

Don't do thick bar squats.

It's too easy to have the bar roll down your
back, and that could cause a very bad injury.

Plus, there's no benefit to them compared to
using a regular bar.

Be careful with overhead work.

If you use a thick bar for overhead presses,
push presses or jerks, be very careful. You
don't want to drop the bar on your head,
neck or upper back.

The same goes for overhead carries with
a thick bar.

Now, you may think this is an unnecessary
caution - but not long ago some high school
athletes were carrying a heavy log as part
of their workout - and something happened,
and the log fell, and it killed one of the kids.

Personally, I prefer to use thick bars for
deadlifts, curls, reverse curls and the
rectangular fix. I use a regular bar for
overhead work.

Use a power rack for thick bar bench
presses.

VERY IMPORTANT -- as in, life and death
important:

If you do thick bar bench presses, do them
in a power rack, with the pins set to catch the
bar if you drop it. A spotter won't be able to
catch a heavily loaded thick bar if it comes
crashing down suddenly.

And remember, I've seen experienced lifters
drop a regular bar on their chest - and that
was in a National Bench Press contest, with
two very experienced spotters - but it
happened so fast they couldn't catch the
bar.

So it can happen.

And do you remember the college football
player a few years ago - the one who dropped
a bar on his throat and almost died?

Not sure if that was a thick bar or not,
but again, it shows you what can happen.

Don't do thick bar dumbbell bench press
or incline press.

I would NOT do dumbbell bench press or
incline dumbbell bench press with thick-
handled dumbbells. Too easy to drop one,
and no way to catch it other than with your
teeth -- which would be bad.

And again, spotters may not be able to help.

Don't do double cleans or swings with
thick handled dumbbells.

If you do dumbbell cleans and swings with
a thick handled dumbbell, always use one
dumbbell at a time, so you can use your
non-lifting hand to help lower the
dumbbell.

It's very hard to hold onto a heavy
dumbbell when you lower it from above
your head or from your shoulder -- and
remember, your feet are directly beneath
the dumbbell. If you're holding a pair of
thick handled dumbbells, it is very
difficult to lower them safely.

I learned this when I cleaned a pair of
132 pound thick handled dumbbells. I'll
never forget the "What do I do now?"
thought that flashed through my mind
as I stood with the bells at my shoulders.

And that's it - unless you're thinking about
doing thick bar anything on roller-skates
or while standing on a Swiss ball - in which
case, you're on your own!

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. We're getting very close to the end of
the line for Strength, Muscle and Power -
and I'm not going to do another printing any
time soon - perhaps not ever - so if you want
a copy, grab it now:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Train hard, but train smart - and try
to avoid unnecessary injuries." 

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

The Super Pressing Routine that Failed

Old-school weightlifters like Bernie Baron trained hard, heavy and progressively - and they did great - without using anything remotely like the modern-day super programs.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I often get questions from readers who ask
about the latest super program.

Usually it's a high volume workout -- and
often it involves daily training.

"Will it work?" they ask.

In response, let me share a story about a
good friend who used to do a super pressing
program many years ago.

He was a thick-boned mesomorph. What you
would call an easy gainer. And he had been
training for many years, and was very
experienced. If the program worked
for anyone, it should have worked for
him.

He got it directly from a leading expert. It
was a personalized training program. So he
thought it would be pretty good.

It was a special "Bulgarian style" pressing
program where you did a different pressing
movement every single day.

Leave aside the fact that the press was no
longer a part of Olympic weightlifting at this
point in time -- and the Bulgarian weightlifting
team didn't do daily pressing at that point in
time (if they had ever done it).

And forget about the number of Bulgarian
lifters who have been poped for PEDs.

The fans of "Bulgarian" training always
gloss over that.

But, anyhow . . . back to the story.

The super program went like this:

1. You trained six days a week.

2. You did military press in one workout --
incline press in another -- partial presses
in a third workout -- bench press in another
one -- and so on. You did multiple sets of
low to medium reps in all of your exercises.

3. You were supposed to be very sore at
first, but you were told to tough it out and
keep going -- and you were assured that
your muscles would "adapt" to the daily
training very quickly.

The idea was to hit the pressing muscles
from as many different angles as possible.

It was supposed to translate into big gains
in all of the different exercises -- including
the bench press, which was what my friend
was most interested in increasing.

My friend tried it, and got great results --
for a couple of weeks. I remember how he
raved about it. He felt like he had finally
found the answer to big gains.

Then he crashed and burned.

He got so stale he had to take a layoff --
and he ended up WEAKER than when he
started the program.

Amazingly, he tried it again a year later.

Same program.

Same result. Crash and burn and weaker
than when he started.

But a year later, he tried it again - for a
third time!

And the same thing happened.

And that's the problem with the super
programs.

My friend would have done MUCH BETTER
on a "slow-cooking" program that featured
abbreviated workouts and a slow but steady
progression system.

The workouts and progression systems in
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
would have been ideal for him.

They're not the latest thing, they're not
from Bulgaria, and they're not super duper.

Heck, they're not even super.

But they work.

And that's what counts.

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 Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 3, in your choice of hard-copy,
Kindle or PDF:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

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

PDF

See the list of PDF courses on our Products
Page (link below in PS 2).

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"If a training program sounds too
good to be true, it usually is." 

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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