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| In the old days, many trainees got started with a York Big 10 barbell set and the world-famous York training courses. That usually worked much better than the super programs most beginners try to follow nowadays. |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I sent an email last week about how
to get back into your training after a
long layoff, and it generated lots of
questions and feedback.
So I thought I'd talk about it a little
bit more today.
And what I'm going to say applies
to beginners, as well.
And it's also important information
for people who train them.
The vast majority of people who start
training - whether as legitimate first
time newbies or as guys who've
trained before but have been laying
off for a very long time - make the
same mistake.
They jump into a program that's
far too difficult and demanding for
them.
That's what I did when I was a kid.
I weighed all of 83 pounds soaking
wet, and I could barely handle 25
pounds in my curls and presses.
But I had a copy of that month's
muscle magazine - and the magazine
had Sergio Oliva's super secret Mr.
Olympia workout - and Sergio Oliva
was Mr. Olympia and the top body-
builder of the day - so naturally, I
decided to follow Sergio Oliva's
workout.
I mean, what else would an 11
year old kid do back then?
Especially if he was desperate to
build some much-needed strength
and muscle?
And if his only source of training
information was the muscle comic
that published Sergio's workout?
And if he BELIEVED what he read
in the magazine?
Anyhow, there I was - a fresh-faced
newbie, blasting and blitzing for
hours at a time on Mr. Olympia's
super schedule.
Of course, it didn't work.
It never works.
But I learned an important lesson
about trying to follow a Champion's
workout.
And an important lesson about
not believing everything you read.
I share this story because - silly as
I was at age 11 - almost everyone
who starts training does something
almost as silly.
Human beings seem to be hard-wired
with some sort of gene that compels
us to jump into programs that are
FAR too advanced for us.
It seems as if it's impossible to do
anything else.
Or perhaps the last 50 or 60 years of
muscle magazine silliness have shaped
our thinking.
I don't know.
But I do know this:
If you're getting back into your training
after a long lay-off - or if you're just
getting started - the best way to do it
is to start light and easy.
Use a short, fast, basic program.
Make it fun and easy.
Give your muscles time to adjust
to this new and demanding thing
you're doing to them.
Avoid crippling soreness and driving
yourself to exhaustion.
Ease into the training habit, and then
start to gradually and progressively
place greater demands on your
muscles.
You should finish each workout feeling
energized and exhilarated - NOT like
you've been ground into dog food.
As far as workouts go, the beginner
workouts in Chalk and Sweat would
be perfect for you:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
From there, you gradually progress
to more demanding programs - such
as the Intermediate programs in Chalk
and Sweat - and eventually, after you
lay the foundation for them, the
advanced programs in the book.
But you don't try to do it overnight.
You take it slow - and give your body
the time it needs to grow bigger and
stronger and better conditioned.
Oh, and one other thing - to the guy
that ghost-wrote the article about
Sergio Oliva's super-program that I
tried 59 years ago - THANKS FOR
THE LESSON!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link again for Chalk
and Sweat:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses
are right here at Dino Headquarters:
Hard-copy and PDF
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Kindle
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"You don't learn to swim by
jumping into the middle of
the ocean." - Brooks Kubik
We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle
bookstore - here are a couple of them - head on over and take a look at the others:
