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| Whenever possible, I train outside - but due to the unusually cold weather this winter, that's not been possible for the past couple of weeks. So I've been hitting it hard down in the basement - and it's been great fun! |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
My daughter lives in LA. She went to the
beach yesterday, and was kind enough to
send some photos and video so Trudi and
I could see what it was like.
Beautiful beach - beautiful blue sky - bright
sun - crashing waves - sapphire blue water -
golden sunshine - children running on the
sand, chasing the seagulls (who appeared
to love playing the "Just Try to Catch Me!"
game with them.
It was pretty great.
But it's not like that here in Louisville.
And it may not be like that where you live.
It's cold here - bitterly cold - with plenty of
ice and snow.
And it's been like that for the past couple of
weeks.
So I've been training down in the basement.
The outside training area here at Dino Head-
quarters will just have to wait until it's a bit
warmer.
Correction - a lot warmer.
The basement has a very low ceiling, and the
workout area is pretty small. It's just a set of
squat stands on some rubber mats - along
with my barbell, my Trap Bar, a heavy-duty
curling bar sized for Olympic plates, Trudi's
hyperextension bench, and plenty of plates.
And yes, I bought a power rack 10 days ago -
but that's too big for the basement, so I'm
going to set it up outside and use it outdoors -
after things warm up a little.
Anyhow, my workouts have been pretty basic -
but they've been lots of fun.
I've been doing one or two primary exercises in
each workout, along with gut, grip or neck work
to finish things off.
The basic exercises in the program are:
1. Back squats with the Dave Draper Top
Squat
I had been doing front squats for a long time,
but decided to try some back squats for a change
of pace.
2. Trap Bar deadlifts
I've been doing full-range movements. but I may
set up lifting blocks and do some partials, as well.
3. Trap Bar shrugs
These are a great exercise - more people should do
them.
4. Barbell curls
I haven't done curls in years, so these are fun.
5. Close grip floor presses
Another fun movement I haven't done in a very
long time.
6. Bent-over rowing
A third old-favorite - one I have not done for many
years.
7. Snatch grip high pulls
Can't do snatches, so these will have to do.
8. Clean grip high pulls
I could probably do power cleans, but the space
is small, and the pulls work better.
9. Standing press partials
I do these because I can't do a full
range movement due to the low ceiling.
10. Seated presses
I much prefer standing presses, but again,
I have to work around the low ceiling.
Of course, I don't do all of these in one
workout. I usually do one or two primary
exercises plus gut, grip or neck work, and
rotate through them.
When things warm up, I'll go back outside and
hit some overhead stuff - snatches, clean and
press, and clean and jerk - and I'll set up the
rack and and have fun with heavy partials and
some of the exercises from John Wood's Bone
Strength Project.
But for now, I'm having a lot of fun down in the
basement.
Heck, I may even film a workout and send it
out to the daughter - just to show her that we
know how to have fun here in our winter wonder-
land - even if we don't get to go to the beach!
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. Strength, Muscle and Power is a great book
for anyone interested in old-school, no-nonsense
strength training and muscle building - and for
anyone who, like me, trains at home in the back
yard, basement or garage:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
For details on The Bone Strength Project, grab
issue no. 4 of The Train Hard Bulletin from
John Wood. It lays out the complete program
in detail:
https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bone-strength-projectPDF.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/kindle.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"Three words: barbell, basement, lifter."
- Brooks Kubik
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