Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There’s a great letter to the editor featured (if memory serves me correctly) in an old copy of Strength magazine. It’s from a farm kid in one of the southern states, who got bit by the physical culture bug and turned one corner of the family farm into a training area.
He cobbled together some homemade barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells – put up a chinning bar, a climbing rope and some rings – and got some heavy sledge hammers to use for extra arm, shoulder and grip training.
Then he goes out and starts training, working on the best sort of schedule he can figure out from what he’s read in the magazine.
Now remember – back then, hardly anyone owned a barbell (and most people had never even seen one and had no idea what it was for or how to use it). So the odds are good that he was the only guy in the entire country who was doing any sort of systematic strength training and muscle building program.
He had no training partners, no coaches, no teachers, and no helpful gym owner to help out. And yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but he didn’t have a personal trainer.
Time passed, and the kid kept training, and he got stronger and stronger – and developed an outstanding, very muscular, well-defined physique.
So he sends a letter to the editor, along with a photo where he’s doing one of his favorite exercises, and asks, “Is it good?”
You see, since he trained alone, he really didn’t know how he was doing compared to other trainees. He had no basis for comparison.
The editor of the magazine got the letter, read it, took one look at the photo – and fell right out of his chair.
The photo showed the kid doing a one-arm pull-up – while holding a heavy sledgehammer in his other hand!
“Is this good?” the kid asked.
Yeah – I would say so.
In fact, I would say it was great.
Now, a couple of things have always impressed me about this:
1. The kid trained all alone -- in a small outdoor gym crammed with homemade equipment – and he made great gains.
2. The kid learned everything he needed to know from reading the few books and magazines available to him back then. Whatever else he needed to know, he figured out for himself.
3. Because he had little or no conception of just how difficult it is to perform a one-hand pull-up, he went ahead and taught himself to do it. The feat presented no sort of mental barrier to his young mind.
And for the record – with minor variations, this is the story of almost every kid who grew up to become a famous lifting or bodybuilding champion back in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. The details vary – sometimes the kid uses a York barbell and the York training courses – sometimes he has a training a partner or two – and sometimes he trains at one of those old-fashioned hole in the wall black iron gyms or YMCA weight rooms – but the guts of the story is always the same.
Kid wants to get bigger and stronger – kid starts to train – kid works hard on the basic stuff – and kid gets great results.
And hard work on the basics is what does the job for him. It doesn’t take anything fancy, and it doesn’t take anything high tech.
That’s the tradition I work to keep alive here at Dinosaur Headquarters – and it’s the tradition that each and every one of you honors and supports whenever you train.
And for that, I thank you. Keep up the good work! You are helping to continue a great tradition.
As always, have a great day -- thanks for reading -- and if you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. We’re filling Holiday orders fast and furious. Take a look at what we have for you – and grab those goodies now. The Christmas Rush is in full swing, and the sooner we get your order, the sooner we can get it to you – and that’s important this time of year:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
