Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several years ago I began doing something new and different – something that no one had ever done before. I began writing a series of novels about weightlifting and bodybuilding in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
The books focus on the York Barbell Company and the York champions of the 1930’s and 1940’s. They combine fictional characters with real people, such as Jihn Grimek, Steve Stanko, John Davis, Harry Paschall, Bob Hoffman, Sig Klein, Warren Lincoln Travis, John Terpak, Gord Venables and Gracie Bard. The characters attend actual lifting meets, bodybuilding competitions and exhibitions, so the books give you all of the history, color and drama of the era. So far, I’ve written and published four books in the series – and no. 5 will be coming out in about two weeks.
The first four books in the Legacy of Iron series are titled:
1. Legacy of Iron
2. Legacy of Iron 2 – Clouds of War
3. Legacy of Iron 3 -- The 1,000 Pound Total
4. Legacy of Iron 4 – York Goes to War!
“Legacy of Iron” is set in 1938 – 1940, and tells the story of Jim Miller, a young man who desperately needs to build some strength and muscle. A lifter named Jack Ryan takes him under his wing, trains him, and takes him to York where he meets all of the great champs of the era – Bob Hoffman, John Grimek, Steve Stanko, Gord Venables, Tony Terlazzo, John Davis, Harry Paschall, Gracie Bard and others. It’s a fast-paced, exciting story, and covers a number of actual lifting contests and exhibitions.
“Legacy of Iron 2 – Clouds of War” takes the action into the spring of 1940. It covers the six-week period from the 1940 Junior Nationals to the 1940 Senior Nationals and the Mr. America contest (won by John Grimek, who also lifted in the Senior Nationals and placed third in the Heavyweight class).
“Legacy of Iron 3 – The 1,000 Pound Total” continues the story. It covers the 1940 – 1941 period, and details the battle between Steve Stanko and John Davis to total 1,000 or more pounds in official competition. It’s one of the great stories in the history of the Iron Game, and I feel honored and humbled to be able to present it in narrative form.
“Legacy of Iron 4 – York Goes to War!” opens on a secluded beach in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941 (the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor). From there it blazes into action from York to Washington to Pearl Harbor to San Diego – covers the 1942 Senior Nationals and Mr. America contest -- and culminates in a life and death struggle on a remote island in the South Pacific. It’s fast-paced, exciting, non-stop action – and like all of the books in the series, it gives you a vivid sense of being there, right in the thick of the action.
“Legacy of Iron 5 – Barbells in the Pacific” will continue to cover the War years, and the struggle to preserve the entire Free World against the military dictatorships allied against them. It also covers the 1943 Senior Nationals and Mr. America contest.
In the Legacy of Iron series, I try to convey a sense of what the York Barbell Company, Strength and Health, and the York champions meant to young men and boys (and many girls and women) around the world in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s. They cover a time period when “the greatest generation” had some of the greatest bodybuilders and lifters we’ve ever seen. It’s a generation of men and women who deserve to be remembered forever.
I know that many readers are only interested in books and courses about “how to train” – and that’s fine – but even if you “don’t read novels,” you might want to give these very unique and very special books a chance. They’ll teach you plenty about Iron Game history – and about how the Golden Age champions trained, what they ate, how they thought and what they believed. They’re the closest thing to a time machine that can take you right back to 1939 and let you sit down and talk training with John Grimek and Steve Stanko – and that’s pretty hard to beat!
But more than that, these are novels that will motivate and inspire you – just the same as your favorite sports movies motivate and inspire you. Do you remember how you felt after watching Rocky, Chariots of Fire, The Natural, Rudy, or Cinderella Man? If you’re like me, you probably felt like hitting the iron and setting half a dozen personal records. That’s how you’ll feel after you read each book in the Legacy of Iron series.
As I’ve said before, I can’t make movies for you – but I can write books that are going to give you the very same sort of motivation and inspiration. And remember – once you learn how to train and get into the training habit, the most important thing to do is to stay motivated and inspired. It’s what keeps you going for the long haul.
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. To learn more about the Legacy of Iron series – or to order one or more of the books in the series – go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
