Hail to the Dinosaurs!
When I was a kid, my favorite Iron Game
author was Bradley J. Steiner. His work
appeared regularly in Strength and Health,
Muscular Development, and Iron Man.
One of Steiner's classic series of articles
was a four part opus titled "The Essential
Exercises." It ran in Iron Man way back in
1969 and 1970 (if memory serves correctly).
For those of you who missed the article the
first time around, here at Bradley J. Steiner's
"Essential Exercises."
Arms and shoulders
1. Barbell curls
2. Dumbbell curls
3. Press behind neck
4. Military press
5. Dumbbell presses
Note: Steiner did not believe in doing direct
exercises for the triceps, such as french presses
or triceps extensions. He believed they put too
much stress on the elbow joints. He also believed --
as did John Grimek -- that the best triceps exercises
were overhead presses.
Chest
1. Light breathing pullovers with dumbbells
2. Bench press
3. Dumbbell incline press
Back
1. Power cleans
2. Stiff-legged deadlifts
3. The good morning exercise
4. Barbell bent-over rowing
5. Dumbbell bent-over rowing
6. Shoulder shrugs
7. Bridging (for neck development)
Legs
1. Squats
2. The straddle lift
3. Calf raises
Midsection
1. Leg raises -- preferably with iron boots
2. Dumbbell side-bends
3. Sit-ups with weight resistance -- preferably
on a sit-up board
And that was it. A total of only 21 exercises. In Steiner's
opinion the 21 best exercises. The "Essential Exercises."
You may or may not agree with Steiner's choices - but the
idea of picking a small number of basic exercises and working
them into the ground is the KEY to might and muscle.
So forget about trying to do every exercise under the sun.
Stick to the very best exercises -- and work them hard!
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. For more information about sane, sensible, no-nonsense
training programs -- workouts for working men -- and routines
that work for drug-free lifters -- grab any of the following
books or courses:
1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development
2. Gray Hair and Black Iron: Secrets of Successful Strength
Training for Older Lifters
3. Strength, Muscle and Power
4. The Doug Hepburn Training Course
5. Chalk and Sweat: Dinosaur training Workouts for Beginners,
Intermediates and Advanced Lifters
6. The John Davis Story (a 496 page biography of the legendary
lifting champion, with details on his actual training programs
and workouts)
You can find them all -- and much more -- at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
