Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Seven quickies:
1. Follow us on Facebook:
facebook.com/dinosaur.training
2. The November Dino Files – are printed and will be mailed tomorrow. It’s another great issue. Be looking for it!
3. The feedback for my interview on Super Human Radio is off the charts: 113 reviews – 17 comments – and a solid five star (the highest) rating. If you missed it, you can listen to the entire interview right here:
http://www.superhumanradio.com/super-human-radio-show/605-dinosaur-training.html
4. Dinosaur Training Hoodies? Would you like them? Let me know!
5. Very important – we’re putting together a special mailing for folks who live in the USA or Canada and (and possibly other countries, depending on the cost of mailing) who purchased Dinosaur Training products from November 2005 to the present. If that includes you and you’ve moved during that time, please shoot me an email w/ your current mailing address. Thanks!
6. Would you like us to work up some new designs for Dinosaur Training t-shirts and sweatshirts? If you are -- shoot me an email and let me know!
7. Legacy of Iron 4 is being printed and should be ready to ship in about three weeks. I’ll put up a sales page and let you pre-order the little monster. I will warn you now that this one is probably the fastest movie and most exciting book in the series so far – and once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down.
That’s it for updates – thanks for reading!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
The Value of Irregular Training!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I’ve been getting a ton of emails from guys who are worried about taxing their CNS (Central Nervous System).
They all want to know how heavy to go, how often to go heavy, what lifts to train, when to max out, etc.
And they all mentioned that they had been reading stuff by some guy who warned about CNS fatigue – or worse, that they had been to some Internet discussion board and read a thread about CNS fatigue.
The acronym CNS kept popping up in so many emails that I decided to do some google searches on it.
“CNS and high intensity training” got 141,000 hits.
“CNS and maxing out” got 231,000 hits.
Then we started to get some really big numbers.
“CNS and heavy weights” had 504,000 hits.
“CNS and heavy singles” brought a whopping 757,000 hits.
But then I typed in “CNS and Dinosaur Training” – and that one broke the bank.
There were 1,430,000 hits for that one.
So I guess there’s quite a bit of stuff out there about CNS issues – and I guess it can probably get pretty confusing.
So let’s try to simplify things a little – and let’s use a little bit of good, old- fashioned common sense – and let’s talk about practical training issues for drug-free trainees who are trying to get bigger and stronger.
1. CNS fatigue is nothing more than a fancy term for being “over-trained.”
2. Avoiding the problem of over-training is something that lifters have struggled with for years. 100 years ago, the great Arthur Saxon wrote about the importance of avoiding “the bug-a-bear of overtraining.”
3. The original York Barbell Company training courses, which were written in the 1930’s, suggested a simple approach to avoiding overtraining. Bob Hoffman called it: “Irregular Training.” Later, Hoffman advocated “Light, Medium and Heavy Training,” which was really the same thing as Irregular Training.
4. Hoffman’s program of “Irregular Training” did not mean that you trained on some sort of irregular schedule. Instead, it meant that you varied the intensity of your effort from workout to workout over the course of the week. In simple terms, you trained with your top weights one day per week. This was your “Limit Day.”
5. Hoffman wrote: “Great demands must at times be made upon the body. This is done on the York heavy or ‘limit’ day. Moderate training must follow. This is why we advocate training every other day, with a rest day in between, and why the other training days are not as heavy as the ‘limit’ day.”
6. Hoffman also wrote, “Although you must constantly strive to handle more and more weight, you should not work on your nerve too often. Except on your limit day of training, you should train well within your capabilities, in other words, train, but do not strain.”
7. “There should always be some moderate days of training,” Hoffman continued. “Days on which the muscles are given a nice, comfortable, stimulating workout, a workout which tones the muscles, and prepares them for the harder training days to come.”
So here’s the bottom line. Train to your limit once per week – and go lighter on your other training days.
That’s pretty simple – but it’s also pretty effective.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information about productive and effective, common sense training programs for drug-free lifters, you're going to want to have a copy of my new book, Strength, Muscle and Power, on your bookshelf.
I’ve been getting a ton of emails from guys who are worried about taxing their CNS (Central Nervous System).
They all want to know how heavy to go, how often to go heavy, what lifts to train, when to max out, etc.
And they all mentioned that they had been reading stuff by some guy who warned about CNS fatigue – or worse, that they had been to some Internet discussion board and read a thread about CNS fatigue.
The acronym CNS kept popping up in so many emails that I decided to do some google searches on it.
“CNS and high intensity training” got 141,000 hits.
“CNS and maxing out” got 231,000 hits.
Then we started to get some really big numbers.
“CNS and heavy weights” had 504,000 hits.
“CNS and heavy singles” brought a whopping 757,000 hits.
But then I typed in “CNS and Dinosaur Training” – and that one broke the bank.
There were 1,430,000 hits for that one.
So I guess there’s quite a bit of stuff out there about CNS issues – and I guess it can probably get pretty confusing.
So let’s try to simplify things a little – and let’s use a little bit of good, old- fashioned common sense – and let’s talk about practical training issues for drug-free trainees who are trying to get bigger and stronger.
1. CNS fatigue is nothing more than a fancy term for being “over-trained.”
2. Avoiding the problem of over-training is something that lifters have struggled with for years. 100 years ago, the great Arthur Saxon wrote about the importance of avoiding “the bug-a-bear of overtraining.”
3. The original York Barbell Company training courses, which were written in the 1930’s, suggested a simple approach to avoiding overtraining. Bob Hoffman called it: “Irregular Training.” Later, Hoffman advocated “Light, Medium and Heavy Training,” which was really the same thing as Irregular Training.
4. Hoffman’s program of “Irregular Training” did not mean that you trained on some sort of irregular schedule. Instead, it meant that you varied the intensity of your effort from workout to workout over the course of the week. In simple terms, you trained with your top weights one day per week. This was your “Limit Day.”
5. Hoffman wrote: “Great demands must at times be made upon the body. This is done on the York heavy or ‘limit’ day. Moderate training must follow. This is why we advocate training every other day, with a rest day in between, and why the other training days are not as heavy as the ‘limit’ day.”
6. Hoffman also wrote, “Although you must constantly strive to handle more and more weight, you should not work on your nerve too often. Except on your limit day of training, you should train well within your capabilities, in other words, train, but do not strain.”
7. “There should always be some moderate days of training,” Hoffman continued. “Days on which the muscles are given a nice, comfortable, stimulating workout, a workout which tones the muscles, and prepares them for the harder training days to come.”
So here’s the bottom line. Train to your limit once per week – and go lighter on your other training days.
That’s pretty simple – but it’s also pretty effective.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information about productive and effective, common sense training programs for drug-free lifters, you're going to want to have a copy of my new book, Strength, Muscle and Power, on your bookshelf.
Check Out My Super Human Radio Interview!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Last Wednesday, I was interviewed on the Super Human Radio program. The interview lasted almost an hour, and covered a wide array of topics: Dinosaur Training, strength training for older lifters, my current training program, Gray Hair and Black Iron, physical culture history, and the Legacy of Iron series. Good stuff!
You can listen to the interview at the Super Human Radio site – and after listening, you can rate the interview and provide comments and feedback that will be posted on the Super Human Radio site.
Right now, we have a five star rating (the top rating), 10 comments, and 55 listeners who reviewed the interview – which pretty much sets a new record for ratings, comments and reviews.
But I know that there are way more than 55 of you out there reading this – so do me a favor, and sometime in the next 24 hours, slide on over to the Super Human Radio site and listen to the interview – and then rate it – and leave a comment or two!
You can find the Super Human Radio site right here:
www.superhumanradio.com
As always, thanks for reading – and have a great day. And double thanks to everyone who has listened to the interview and given it a rating – or who does so in the next 24 hours!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. BREAKING NEWS! We are now at 100 reviews for my interview on Super Human Review. Thanks to everyone who listened to the interview and posted a review!
P.S. 2. UPDATE! As of November 6, 2010, we have an amazing 138 reviews, a solid 5 star rating (the highest rating), 21 comments and are in the top 8 most listened-to shows on Super Human Radio -- and that's out of 610 shows! Thanks to everyone who made this happen!
Last Wednesday, I was interviewed on the Super Human Radio program. The interview lasted almost an hour, and covered a wide array of topics: Dinosaur Training, strength training for older lifters, my current training program, Gray Hair and Black Iron, physical culture history, and the Legacy of Iron series. Good stuff!
You can listen to the interview at the Super Human Radio site – and after listening, you can rate the interview and provide comments and feedback that will be posted on the Super Human Radio site.
Right now, we have a five star rating (the top rating), 10 comments, and 55 listeners who reviewed the interview – which pretty much sets a new record for ratings, comments and reviews.
But I know that there are way more than 55 of you out there reading this – so do me a favor, and sometime in the next 24 hours, slide on over to the Super Human Radio site and listen to the interview – and then rate it – and leave a comment or two!
You can find the Super Human Radio site right here:
www.superhumanradio.com
As always, thanks for reading – and have a great day. And double thanks to everyone who has listened to the interview and given it a rating – or who does so in the next 24 hours!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. BREAKING NEWS! We are now at 100 reviews for my interview on Super Human Review. Thanks to everyone who listened to the interview and posted a review!
P.S. 2. UPDATE! As of November 6, 2010, we have an amazing 138 reviews, a solid 5 star rating (the highest rating), 21 comments and are in the top 8 most listened-to shows on Super Human Radio -- and that's out of 610 shows! Thanks to everyone who made this happen!
The November Dinosaur Files!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The November issue of The Dinosaur Files newsletter is being printed today and will be mailed on Wednesday. (There’s no mail tomorrow because of Election Day.)
We have the following articles in this month’s issue:
Hail to The Dinosaurs!
By Brooks Kubik
Jurassic Jottings
By Brooks Kubik
Mesozoic Mail
By The Dinosaurs
Workout Of The Month
By Brooks Kubik
An Experiment With Training Frequency
By Michael Dumas
Develop An Eagle’s Grip!
By Mark Lario
Knee Rehab: “Balancing” On The Brink Of Recovery
By Randy Long
Hard Work And Regular Training
By Jim Duggan
Showing The Guys How To Do It!
By Leeann Adkins
George Ray Hudson: A Louisville Strength Hero (Part 1)
By Robert Drucker
Dinosaur Classifieds
The Wrap Up
By Brooks Kubik
Dinos Around The World
All in all, it’s another great issue – with lots of Dino-riffic training advice, feedback from your fellow Dinosaurs and tons of photos.
If you subscribe to The Dinosaur Files (and if you don’t, please consider doing so), you’re in for a real treat!
Not the Halloween kind of treat – the Dino kind!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you’re serious about your training (and everyone who reads The Dinosaur Training Blog is serious about their training), you owe it to yourself to grab a subscription to The Dinosaur Files newsletter – for the very best in monthly strength training, Iron Game history and old-school physical culture!
The November issue of The Dinosaur Files newsletter is being printed today and will be mailed on Wednesday. (There’s no mail tomorrow because of Election Day.)
We have the following articles in this month’s issue:
Hail to The Dinosaurs!
By Brooks Kubik
Jurassic Jottings
By Brooks Kubik
Mesozoic Mail
By The Dinosaurs
Workout Of The Month
By Brooks Kubik
An Experiment With Training Frequency
By Michael Dumas
Develop An Eagle’s Grip!
By Mark Lario
Knee Rehab: “Balancing” On The Brink Of Recovery
By Randy Long
Hard Work And Regular Training
By Jim Duggan
Showing The Guys How To Do It!
By Leeann Adkins
George Ray Hudson: A Louisville Strength Hero (Part 1)
By Robert Drucker
Dinosaur Classifieds
The Wrap Up
By Brooks Kubik
Dinos Around The World
All in all, it’s another great issue – with lots of Dino-riffic training advice, feedback from your fellow Dinosaurs and tons of photos.
If you subscribe to The Dinosaur Files (and if you don’t, please consider doing so), you’re in for a real treat!
Not the Halloween kind of treat – the Dino kind!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you’re serious about your training (and everyone who reads The Dinosaur Training Blog is serious about their training), you owe it to yourself to grab a subscription to The Dinosaur Files newsletter – for the very best in monthly strength training, Iron Game history and old-school physical culture!
Gray Hair, Black Iron and Mike Rinaldi
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
If you’ve been thinking about ordering Gray Hair and Black iron, today’s a good day to do so.
And I’ll tell you why.
Today is November 1. A friend and fellow lifter named Mike Rinaldi was born on this day – back in 1947.
Mike was a lifelong weightlifter and lifting fan – and one of the original Dinosaurs. You may remember him from old posts on the training forum I had with my very first Dinosaur Training website (back in 1996) – and you may remember his articles and letters in the original Dinosaur Files newsletter which ran from August 1997 through August, 2002) – from his letters and articles in Milo magazine – and from his hilarious and often wonderfully wicked posts on the Go Heavy Olympic Weightlifting forum.
Like Harry Paschall before him, Mike Rinaldi was an aficionado of the Olympic lift we call the snatch – and this led him to adopt the internet moniker of Mr. Snatchural.
Mike was active in Masters weightlifting, and one of his dreams was to be a USA Master’s champion. He placed high on several occasions, but he never won that elusive national championship.
I never met Mike in person, but we corresponded by email for many years. We talked a lot about weightlifting and strength training for older lifters, since that describes both of us. And we talked a lot about how to keep training and how to stay at it as you move up in years.
And then, as they say, Life happened. I was terribly busy at work and had little time for anything – I was newly remarried and had suddenly acquired three stepchildren, two cats and a mother-in-law who lived with us – and I didn’t do as much as I should have done to stay in touch with Mike and other email buddies.
And then I started working on a book about strength training for older lifters—and it turned out to take a really long time to write. I started and stopped and struggled so many times. I would get 50 or 100 pages into the manuscript and then realize that it just wasn’t working – that somehow, it just wasn’t RIGHT. So I’d tear it up and start all over again.
I used the MIKE TEST.
Would Mike like it?
If the answer was NO – then I’d start all over again.
Several years passed, and I still was nowhere near finishing the book.
So one Holiday weekend, when Trudi and the kids were out of town and I had no work at the office e and perfect freedom to chain myself to the keyboard and write – I started all over, doing something new and different – and the words poured out, and everything flowed, and it all worked very well.
I kept at it, working nights and weekends and early in the morning – and after several months of hard work, I had a new manuscript.
I applied the MIKE TEST.
And passed with flying colors.
Yes, this was definitely a book that Mike Rinaldi would like.
There was only one problem.
Mike had passed away the previous summer. We lost him on June 22, 2008.
If you have a copy of Gray hair and Black Iron, turn to the dedication page at the front of the book.
You’ll see that it’s dedicated to Mike Rinaldi. And now, you know why.
I’ll always regret not having finished Gray Hair and Black Iron while Mike was still with us – because I know he would have enjoyed the little monster – and I really wanted to send it to him, and get a great big “WELL DONE!” email from my friend in New Jersey, the one and only – Mr. Snatchural.
As always, thanks for reading, have a great day – and if you train today, make it an extra good one in honor of our lifting buddy, Mike Rinaldi.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
If you’ve been thinking about ordering Gray Hair and Black iron, today’s a good day to do so.
And I’ll tell you why.
Today is November 1. A friend and fellow lifter named Mike Rinaldi was born on this day – back in 1947.
Mike was a lifelong weightlifter and lifting fan – and one of the original Dinosaurs. You may remember him from old posts on the training forum I had with my very first Dinosaur Training website (back in 1996) – and you may remember his articles and letters in the original Dinosaur Files newsletter which ran from August 1997 through August, 2002) – from his letters and articles in Milo magazine – and from his hilarious and often wonderfully wicked posts on the Go Heavy Olympic Weightlifting forum.
Like Harry Paschall before him, Mike Rinaldi was an aficionado of the Olympic lift we call the snatch – and this led him to adopt the internet moniker of Mr. Snatchural.
Mike was active in Masters weightlifting, and one of his dreams was to be a USA Master’s champion. He placed high on several occasions, but he never won that elusive national championship.
I never met Mike in person, but we corresponded by email for many years. We talked a lot about weightlifting and strength training for older lifters, since that describes both of us. And we talked a lot about how to keep training and how to stay at it as you move up in years.
And then, as they say, Life happened. I was terribly busy at work and had little time for anything – I was newly remarried and had suddenly acquired three stepchildren, two cats and a mother-in-law who lived with us – and I didn’t do as much as I should have done to stay in touch with Mike and other email buddies.
And then I started working on a book about strength training for older lifters—and it turned out to take a really long time to write. I started and stopped and struggled so many times. I would get 50 or 100 pages into the manuscript and then realize that it just wasn’t working – that somehow, it just wasn’t RIGHT. So I’d tear it up and start all over again.
I used the MIKE TEST.
Would Mike like it?
If the answer was NO – then I’d start all over again.
Several years passed, and I still was nowhere near finishing the book.
So one Holiday weekend, when Trudi and the kids were out of town and I had no work at the office e and perfect freedom to chain myself to the keyboard and write – I started all over, doing something new and different – and the words poured out, and everything flowed, and it all worked very well.
I kept at it, working nights and weekends and early in the morning – and after several months of hard work, I had a new manuscript.
I applied the MIKE TEST.
And passed with flying colors.
Yes, this was definitely a book that Mike Rinaldi would like.
There was only one problem.
Mike had passed away the previous summer. We lost him on June 22, 2008.
If you have a copy of Gray hair and Black Iron, turn to the dedication page at the front of the book.
You’ll see that it’s dedicated to Mike Rinaldi. And now, you know why.
I’ll always regret not having finished Gray Hair and Black Iron while Mike was still with us – because I know he would have enjoyed the little monster – and I really wanted to send it to him, and get a great big “WELL DONE!” email from my friend in New Jersey, the one and only – Mr. Snatchural.
As always, thanks for reading, have a great day – and if you train today, make it an extra good one in honor of our lifting buddy, Mike Rinaldi.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
The Spookiest Testimonial of All Time!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In honor of Halloween, I’m going to share with you the “Spookiest” testimonial of all time.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, you saw ads for Hoffman’s Hi-Proteen powder and Hi-Proteen tablets in every issue of Strength and Health. Many of the ads featured eye-catching photos of a heavily muscled John Grimek – which was interesting, because Grimek retired from competition long before Hi-Proteen hit the market.
In fact, the big four-pound box of Hi-Proteen powder – which was one of the ones I bought (coconut flavor, thank you) – featured John Grimek, the 1940 and 1941 Mr. America – Jules Bacon, the 1943 Mr. America – and Steve Stanko, the 1944 Mr. America. All of whom built their muscles long before Hi-Proteen made its appearance.
But we all ignored minor details like that – and we read the ads over and over until we memorized them – and we read the testimonials – and we thrilled to the exploits of Spooky the Wonder Dog.
Yes, there was a testimonial from a dog named Spooky. Or at least, he was mentioned in his owner’s testimonial.
It went like this:
“Please send a Mr. America box of 2,000 tablets as soon as possible. The last order was just great. I gained 12 pounds of solid muscle and my police dog ‘Spooky’ gained 7 pounds. He barks every time he sees me eat some. Smart dog. We both love those tablets.
Sincerely,
Jim Sherwood”
I have to admit it. Spooky was one heck of a dog. So in honor of Spooky – and Hi-Proteen tablets – make your next workout an especially good one!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Spooky would have enjoyed Dinosaur Training – especially the chapter on training with heavy awkward objects. If you don’t already have a copy, check it on the Dinosaur Training website and see what you’re missing!
In honor of Halloween, I’m going to share with you the “Spookiest” testimonial of all time.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, you saw ads for Hoffman’s Hi-Proteen powder and Hi-Proteen tablets in every issue of Strength and Health. Many of the ads featured eye-catching photos of a heavily muscled John Grimek – which was interesting, because Grimek retired from competition long before Hi-Proteen hit the market.
In fact, the big four-pound box of Hi-Proteen powder – which was one of the ones I bought (coconut flavor, thank you) – featured John Grimek, the 1940 and 1941 Mr. America – Jules Bacon, the 1943 Mr. America – and Steve Stanko, the 1944 Mr. America. All of whom built their muscles long before Hi-Proteen made its appearance.
But we all ignored minor details like that – and we read the ads over and over until we memorized them – and we read the testimonials – and we thrilled to the exploits of Spooky the Wonder Dog.
Yes, there was a testimonial from a dog named Spooky. Or at least, he was mentioned in his owner’s testimonial.
It went like this:
“Please send a Mr. America box of 2,000 tablets as soon as possible. The last order was just great. I gained 12 pounds of solid muscle and my police dog ‘Spooky’ gained 7 pounds. He barks every time he sees me eat some. Smart dog. We both love those tablets.
Sincerely,
Jim Sherwood”
I have to admit it. Spooky was one heck of a dog. So in honor of Spooky – and Hi-Proteen tablets – make your next workout an especially good one!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Spooky would have enjoyed Dinosaur Training – especially the chapter on training with heavy awkward objects. If you don’t already have a copy, check it on the Dinosaur Training website and see what you’re missing!
Reader Feedback on How to Do 20-Rep Breathing Squats
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Quick note, and then some reader feedback on yesterday’s email message about getting started the right way on 20-rep breathing squats.
LEGACY OF IRON 4
Volume 4 in the popular Legacy of Iron series is due out in mid-November. I’ll put up an order page for it next week. So if you’re a Legacy of Iron fan, then be on the lookout. Volume 4 is on the way – and it’s non-stop action from start to finish.
READER FEEDBACK
Here’s what you had to say about yesterday’s email message on 20-rep squats. If you missed it, you can read it on the Dinosaur Training Blog -- it was posted yesterday.
“Thank you for this email. Its great to hear such practical advice about the 20-rep system. I've been wondering about this for awhile and now feel I can add it to my program.” -- Matt McKinney
“What a great news entry! It really clarified the right way to perform the 20-rep breathing squat for me. I've never done them, but planned to, and now I feel I will be starting off exactly the right way from the very beginning. Your emphasis on perfect form really hit home too. I've always made it a priority to perform each rep as perfectly as possible, and avoid the temptation to handle more weight by 'relaxing' my form a little -- but even so, I periodically check my form by lowering my weights and really emphasize absolute perfect form and a very controlled deliberate motion. Handling considerably more weight by deviating from this exact performance is a very seductive proposition, and while I can't say that I have always been immune to it in every instance, I am very conscious of the need to stay on track. Your piece for today was just the right thing to shore up my resolve to re-check and re-set for optimum form. Thanks!” – Michael Dumas
“Great much needed advice. I will put it into action today.” – Jay Mims
“Good topic for the e-mail! I am getting ready to re-start the 20 rep squat work out, I have done it twice before for about 6 weeks each time. I usually start at 135 pounds. That’s very light but I like to break in and work my way up. Better safe than sorry. Keep bringing us the great e-mails, and I cant wait to get the new Dino Files soon!” – Jim Sparlin
“Amen on the 20 rep squat methodology. The take your 10 rep max and do 20 is ludicrous.” -- Frank Tirelli
“Great advice and timely as the 20 rep squat seems to be going through a revival and as you say the info on how to do it is abysmal. I never liked doing high reps but when I started at the gym as a kid I was made to do a lot of reps before I was allowed to touch weights. E.g. 30 pushups and 100 squats. The way Maurice, my mentor, started me on 20-rep squats was to find a weight I could just manage 12 reps in good form, then try to add 1 or 2 reps at every workout until I got 20. Then stay at 20 while slowly adding weight. I actually started to like high rep squats. Always felt a sense of achievement afterward. Have a great day.” – Peter Yates
“Thank you for providing SENSIBLE information on the 20-rep squat routine.” – Rick Helley
“Common sense should dictate, if you use your 10 rep MAX, you should not be able to perform much more than 10 reps and definitely not 20 reps (unless the muscle comics and I have different definitions of what MAX means, which is quite possible).” -- Mikkel Stargaard
“Brooks, another way to go is to start at 10 reps and work up to 20, which I think is what Peary Rader originally advised, the idea being distilled down to "get 20 reps with a 10-rep weight". Obviously to do that, you have to stretch out the set, which is where the breathing comes in. ALL of this comes under the header of REST-PAUSE (aka split-set). Works really well in clean and press. Obviously, you can do more weight in the clean and press with a 10-second pause between reps than you can doing 10 consecutive reps. Not rocket science but gets results. Best always.” -- Paul Murray
QUESTIONS FROM READERS
Q. “One simple question. Am I supposed to do 20 straight reps with the breaths or is it more like 20 sets of 1 rep (meaning squat, rack, breathe, squat, rack, breathe, etc.)? Thanks.” -- Lorne Sturdivant
A. The preferred method is to do 20 reps, with 3 -5 deep breaths in-between each rep. So the bar is on your shoulders the whole time – which means you have to work hard on each breath to raise your chest and shoulders high enough to fill your lungs to the maximum.
Q. You forgot to mention remembering how to accurately count your reps. I know it sounds stupid but how often did you forget how many reps you have done. Can you cover this?” – Dennis Smith
A. This is where deep focus and deep concentration comes into play. It’s something you have to practice. Again, that’s why I like to start light and learn how to do your 20-rep squats perfectly before you start to pile weight on the bar.
Of course, if you have a training partner who can count the reps, that is ideal.
Q. “Have U heard of the Hise Squat? I'm sure U have.” – Larry Albritton
A. Of course – I cover the Hise squat in Strength, Muscle and Power. It’s a heavy support lift with deep breathing. You put a heavy weight on the bar and do the breathing part of the breathing squat for 20 or 30 reps. No squats --- just breathing. Developed by Joseph C. Hise – hence the name. Also referred to as “dinky squats” by Harry Paschall. If you do these, do them in a power rack! You’ll be using way too much weight to do them safely outside of a power rack.
THE WRAP UP
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I’m glad you enjoyed the topic. We’ll keep them going for you.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on gaining weight, building muscle and developing maximum strength and power, grab a copy of:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development
2. Strength, Muscle and Power, and
3. For older lifters -- Gray Hair and Black Iron
You can find them at the Dinosaur Training website -- www.brookskubik.com
Quick note, and then some reader feedback on yesterday’s email message about getting started the right way on 20-rep breathing squats.
LEGACY OF IRON 4
Volume 4 in the popular Legacy of Iron series is due out in mid-November. I’ll put up an order page for it next week. So if you’re a Legacy of Iron fan, then be on the lookout. Volume 4 is on the way – and it’s non-stop action from start to finish.
READER FEEDBACK
Here’s what you had to say about yesterday’s email message on 20-rep squats. If you missed it, you can read it on the Dinosaur Training Blog -- it was posted yesterday.
“Thank you for this email. Its great to hear such practical advice about the 20-rep system. I've been wondering about this for awhile and now feel I can add it to my program.” -- Matt McKinney
“What a great news entry! It really clarified the right way to perform the 20-rep breathing squat for me. I've never done them, but planned to, and now I feel I will be starting off exactly the right way from the very beginning. Your emphasis on perfect form really hit home too. I've always made it a priority to perform each rep as perfectly as possible, and avoid the temptation to handle more weight by 'relaxing' my form a little -- but even so, I periodically check my form by lowering my weights and really emphasize absolute perfect form and a very controlled deliberate motion. Handling considerably more weight by deviating from this exact performance is a very seductive proposition, and while I can't say that I have always been immune to it in every instance, I am very conscious of the need to stay on track. Your piece for today was just the right thing to shore up my resolve to re-check and re-set for optimum form. Thanks!” – Michael Dumas
“Great much needed advice. I will put it into action today.” – Jay Mims
“Good topic for the e-mail! I am getting ready to re-start the 20 rep squat work out, I have done it twice before for about 6 weeks each time. I usually start at 135 pounds. That’s very light but I like to break in and work my way up. Better safe than sorry. Keep bringing us the great e-mails, and I cant wait to get the new Dino Files soon!” – Jim Sparlin
“Amen on the 20 rep squat methodology. The take your 10 rep max and do 20 is ludicrous.” -- Frank Tirelli
“Great advice and timely as the 20 rep squat seems to be going through a revival and as you say the info on how to do it is abysmal. I never liked doing high reps but when I started at the gym as a kid I was made to do a lot of reps before I was allowed to touch weights. E.g. 30 pushups and 100 squats. The way Maurice, my mentor, started me on 20-rep squats was to find a weight I could just manage 12 reps in good form, then try to add 1 or 2 reps at every workout until I got 20. Then stay at 20 while slowly adding weight. I actually started to like high rep squats. Always felt a sense of achievement afterward. Have a great day.” – Peter Yates
“Thank you for providing SENSIBLE information on the 20-rep squat routine.” – Rick Helley
“Common sense should dictate, if you use your 10 rep MAX, you should not be able to perform much more than 10 reps and definitely not 20 reps (unless the muscle comics and I have different definitions of what MAX means, which is quite possible).” -- Mikkel Stargaard
“Brooks, another way to go is to start at 10 reps and work up to 20, which I think is what Peary Rader originally advised, the idea being distilled down to "get 20 reps with a 10-rep weight". Obviously to do that, you have to stretch out the set, which is where the breathing comes in. ALL of this comes under the header of REST-PAUSE (aka split-set). Works really well in clean and press. Obviously, you can do more weight in the clean and press with a 10-second pause between reps than you can doing 10 consecutive reps. Not rocket science but gets results. Best always.” -- Paul Murray
QUESTIONS FROM READERS
Q. “One simple question. Am I supposed to do 20 straight reps with the breaths or is it more like 20 sets of 1 rep (meaning squat, rack, breathe, squat, rack, breathe, etc.)? Thanks.” -- Lorne Sturdivant
A. The preferred method is to do 20 reps, with 3 -5 deep breaths in-between each rep. So the bar is on your shoulders the whole time – which means you have to work hard on each breath to raise your chest and shoulders high enough to fill your lungs to the maximum.
Q. You forgot to mention remembering how to accurately count your reps. I know it sounds stupid but how often did you forget how many reps you have done. Can you cover this?” – Dennis Smith
A. This is where deep focus and deep concentration comes into play. It’s something you have to practice. Again, that’s why I like to start light and learn how to do your 20-rep squats perfectly before you start to pile weight on the bar.
Of course, if you have a training partner who can count the reps, that is ideal.
Q. “Have U heard of the Hise Squat? I'm sure U have.” – Larry Albritton
A. Of course – I cover the Hise squat in Strength, Muscle and Power. It’s a heavy support lift with deep breathing. You put a heavy weight on the bar and do the breathing part of the breathing squat for 20 or 30 reps. No squats --- just breathing. Developed by Joseph C. Hise – hence the name. Also referred to as “dinky squats” by Harry Paschall. If you do these, do them in a power rack! You’ll be using way too much weight to do them safely outside of a power rack.
THE WRAP UP
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I’m glad you enjoyed the topic. We’ll keep them going for you.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more information on gaining weight, building muscle and developing maximum strength and power, grab a copy of:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development
2. Strength, Muscle and Power, and
3. For older lifters -- Gray Hair and Black Iron
You can find them at the Dinosaur Training website -- www.brookskubik.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)