Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.
1. Legacy of Iron
First -- we just released Legacy of Iron as a
Kindle e-book. If you missed the hard-copy
edition, go here to grab it:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron01_kindle.html
By the way, I added a special introduction that
tells how the book got written -- or rather, how
it almost NEVER got written. That's available
as part of the free preview at the Kindle page,
so head on over and read it. It's pretty
interesting.
The preview gives you the first couple of
chapters. I defy you to read chapter one and
not want to keep on reading. Head on over and
see for yourself.
And please post a review after you read Legacy
of Iron -- or if you've already read it in the hard-
copy edition. The reviews really help us.
2. The Iron League
Second, John Wood's Iron League is smashing
it. Head on over and sign up now:
http://www.ironleague.com
We've been getting some great feedback from
Dinos who've joined the Iron League -- and
remember, right now, you're just seeing the
tip of the iceberg. It's an ongoing project with
great new material being added to the strength
archive all the time.
The Physical Culturist's No. 1 Enemy
On the training front, let's talk about the
physical culturist's no. 1 enemy.
What's the biggest problem most trainees face
in their workouts?
What's the most common cause of bad workouts,
slow progress or no progress?
If someone goes to the gym regularly, and does
the right exercises for the right sets and reps --
but DOESN"T make gains, what's the reason?
It's not the muscle magazine answer: "Take more
supplements."
It's not "Get on the juice."
For older trainees, it's not, "You need HRT."
It's not sets and reps, and it's not needing some
super program from Bulgaria, Russia or Outer
Congolia.
In almost all cases, it's a very simple thing --
and something that's very easy to fix.
The trainee is forgetting to CONCENTRATE
when he trains.
He's allowing himself to be distracted.
Distracted by mirrors, music, other trainees,
tv or radio shows, conversations, background
noise, or things in his life that he can't stop
think about.
Make no mistake about it: DISTRACTION is a
physical culturist's greatest enemy.
When you train, you need to give your training
total and complete attention. You need to focus
on every rep. You need to link your body and
your mind to the point where you feel each
individual muscle fiber contracting as you
squat, push and pull.
You need to shut out the rest of the world
and dive deep into what Bill Pearl aptly calls
"the inner universe."
Here's an example of what I mean.
I was training out in the garage yesterday. A
storm was coming in. I was training with the
garage door open, so I could see the sky and
the weather -- but I didn't really notice.
I was doing the clean and jerk, and I was filming
the workout so I could check my form after each
lift and make any necessary corrections.
On the next to last lift, the video camera jumped
up and down on its tripod and the lights flickered
and went out for a second right as I completed
the clean and prepared for the jerk.
Apparently, the storm had hit at that very
moment.
Here's the thing. I didn't notice it until I watched it
on the video. I was concentrating on my lifting, and
I never noticed the lights going out.
That's how you have to train -- by giving your
workout your complete, undivided focus.
By the way, I borrowed the title of this post from
Bradley J. Steiner. He said the very same thing
about 30 or 40 years ago. I was pretty young when
I read it, but it made an impression on me. It was
good advice then, and it's good advice now.
To summarize, if you want the secret of big
gains, here it is:
When you train, CONCENTRATE!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one.
And be sure to head over and read that Legacy
of Iron introduction on the Kindle page:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron01_kindle.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover concentartion and visualization drills
in Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including links
to my e-books on Kindle -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Mindpower builds
body power." -- Brooks Kubik
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