Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Very quickly -- my buddy John Wood has done a
HUGE upgrade to his Oldtime Strongman site. Be
sure to check it out:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com
And now -- it's time to talk training.
I often talk about motivation and how to maintain
it. Goal setting is one of the ways. Changing your
workout around is another way.
Sometimes, a simple change of pace is the very best
thing in the world for a lifter – especially if you
are over-training or you have been pushing really
hard and are working pretty close to your limit.
Of course, when you change things around, you don’t
switch from sensible, Dino-style training to an
all-day marathon workout, to muscle magazine bunny
blasting or to similar silliness.
Here are some specific change of pace ideas for
Dinosaurs. You’ll find plenty of others in Dinosaur
Training, Strength, Muscle and Power, Gray Hair
and Black Iron and Chalk and Sweat:
1. Keep doing strength training but add some lifter-
style cardio work.
The right kind of cardio training for lifters can be
fun and enjoyable – and very, very good for you. And
by cardio work, I’m not talking about endless hours
on a cardio machine. I’m talking about PHA programs,
repetition weightlifting, breathing squats, athletic-
type training and lugging and loading drills.
In Gray Hair and Black Iron, I detail many different
ways that lifters can combine strength training and
cardio training. Get a copy, study it, and try some
of the cardio ideas.
For example: lugging and loading drills with rocks,
sandbags, assorted pieces of iron and what-not --
performed non-stop for 30 minutes.
You see -- cardio doesn't have to be sissy stuff.
Nor does it have to be dull and boring.
2. Grab some fun new equipment.
If you’re in a rut, buy a Trap Bar – grab a new grip-
blaster – make some sandbags – but do something so that
you’re using at least one new piece of equipment.
Old iron is always good - but so is new iron.
3. Change your sets and reps.
Switch from 5 x 5 to 5/4/3/2/1 or 5 x 3 or 6x 6, or
5 x 2, or 10/8/6 or anything else that feels good.
Just keep it real. No 20 x 20, for gosh sakes!
4. Change your exercises.
Switch from back squats to front squats – from deadlifts
to trap bar deadlifts – from bench press to incline
dumbbell press.
NOTE: this does NOT mean to start using the pec dec and
the glute blaster!!!
5. Drop the weight and take a few easy workouts.
Sometimes, the best “change” is to drop weight from
the bar and take some easy workouts – and then add
weight back in a progressive fashion and work back
up to your top poundages.
Note: EASY is OK once in awhile. EASY means you can
recover and recuperate and come back stronger than
ever.
6. Change the order of your exercises.
Switch things around. Do squats at the beginning of
your workout instead of at the end. Mix it up. This
helps keep you fresh.
NOTE: Whoever said "Variety is the spice of life" was
really talking about strength training.
7. Put the weights away for a while.
Sometimes, the best thing in the world is to put your
barbell away and replace it with nothing but bodyweight
training -- or sandbag training – or cable (chest
expander training).
In regard to all of the above, let me note that World
and Olympic weightlifting champion and World and Olympic
record holder Tommy Kono used to take a rest from heavy
lifting every once in awhile and do nothing but
“bodybuilding” in order to give his mind and muscles
a break from heavy lifting. (Note: Tommy’s idea of
bodybuilding was basic, compound exercises for multiple
sets of medium reps – NOT high rep pumping. And he
trained 3x per week. Very much like what I keep telling
you to do!)
Tommy’s change of pace training kept him going for a long
and illustrious career – and he ended up being both a
World and Olympic weightlifting champions AND a Mr. World
and Mr. Universe winner.
In any event – the bottom line is this: if you’re in a rut,
make some changes!
As always, thanks for reading, and if you train today, make
it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For plenty of exciting, new and different training ideas,
grab any of our Dinosaur Training books and courses. You can
find them right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 Don't forget to check out the new and improved Oldtime
Strongman site. I GUARANTEE you'll find things there to bust
you right out of any rut!
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com
