Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Before we get to today's training topic, let
me share a link to my most recent interview
on Eric Fiorillo's Motivation and Muscle Podcast
Show. Eric and I talk sets, reps and real world
training:
http://www.fiorillobarbellco.com/podcast-motivation-muscle-podcast-show-welcomes-brooks-kubik-broadcast-2/
Good stuff -- I think you'll enjoy it.
On the training front, there have been some
interesting studies showing that exercise is
of enormous benefit for the brain and the
nervous system as well as the muscles.
Which is something that I've been saying for
many years -- and something that the founding
fathers of physical culture all knew and
understood. George F. Jowett, for example,
often wrote about this phenomenon.
Some of the recent research shows that
regular exercise may help reduce the risk
of developing Alzheimer's. In other words,
exercise keeps your mind sharp as you grow
older.
That's true for many reasons, and one of them
involves the mind-muscle link.
When you train with deep concentration and
intense focus, you link your muscles and your
brain -- which means you are using and
strengthening your nervous system. The
nervous system is the link between your
mind and your muscles.
Training with that kind of mental focus is the
very best way to build strength and muscle.
But it's also a very good way -- perhaps the
best way -- to keep your brain and your
nervous system healthy and strong.
And remember, the studies that show a
beneficial effect on brain health from physical
training usually involve very simple forms of
training -- often with exercise machines and
very modest resistance -- and often with
previously untrained or minimally skilled
subjects.
Imagine the results of a study that looked at
brain health for older trainees who train Dino
style -- using basic, compound exercises, and
the kind of set/rep schemes I detail in Gray Hair
and Black Iron or my other books and courses.
Or imagine a study looking at brain health for
Masters' level weightlifters or powerlifters --
or any Master's age athlete.
This is one of the reasons I do so much weightlifting
now. The snatch and the clean and jerk require
tremendous focus and concentration. They are
athletic movements -- more like gymnastics with
a barbell than anything else.
And remember, when you perform a squat or
split style snatch or clean, you pull the bar UP
in a very precise and controlled movement
that involves split-second timing, total
body coordination and shifting but always
perfect balance.
And then you reverse direction -- and as the bar
continues to go UP, you pull your body DOWN
and under it.
You literally jump under the upward moving
bar -- pulling yourself DOWN by pulling on
the bar.
That's a very unusual movement. I can't think
of anything in sports where you exert maximum
force UP and then move DOWN to catch the
implement you are handling. You don't throw
and catch a shot -- or a discus -- or a hammer --
but you throw and catch a barbell.
And because it's such an unusual and complex
movement -- and happens so fast --I believe it
trains the heck out of the nervous system, the
motor pathways, and the brain -- as well as the
muscles.
I can't cite you to any research on the effect
of Olympic lifting on an older trainee's brain and
nervous system, but I have to believe it's pretty
darn good.
Of course, you do NOT need to do snatches and
cleans to help exercise and strengthen your
brain and your nervous system. Any type of
Dino-style training will help.
The point is, make your training an important part
of your life -- starting now -- and keep it up for as
long as you live. It's the best thing in the world for
your body -- and the best thing in the world for
your brain.
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 about how to train for lifelong
strength and health, grab a copy of Gray Hair
and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. A healthy diet is another key factor in
lifelong strength and health -- and I cover the
topic in detail in Knife, Fork, Muscle:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Your mind and your body
are one. Strengthen one, and you strengthen the
other." -- Brooks Kubik
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