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| Old-school champs like Bernie Baron used a variety of sets and reps in their workouts - but over time, each of them learned what worked best. |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Two quick notes and then we'll talk training.
1. The Dino Files
The April issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter
has arrived!
It's another 12-page issue - loaded
with great articles - and you can
grab it right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html
Be sure to let me know how you like this
month's issue. Your feedback is very
important to us!
2. The First Man to Clean and Jerk
400 Pounds
The first man in history to clean and
jerk 400 pounds was a ferociously
powerful and and amazingly fast
French weightlifter named Charles
Rigoulet.
Check out the great poster of him at
the RetroStrength Shop:
https://www.retrostrength.com/product/charles-rigolot-1924-miroir-des-sports-poster/
If you want genuine "old school" on the
wall of your home gym, this poster will
do the trick.
3. The Best System of Sets and Reps
I get tons of questions about sets and reps.
Most of them are from someone asking me to
give him "the best" system of sets and reps.
But I can't do that.
No one can.
That's because there is no "best" system of
sets and reps.
When you talk about sets and reps, you need
to consider all of the following factors:
1. The "best' sets and reps vary from person to
person. What works best for ME may or may not
work best for YOU.
 |
| Reg Park thrived on 5 x 5. |
a. Reg Park did great with with 5 x 5. Three Mr.
Universe wins. 500 pound bench press. One of
the best bodybuilders of all time.
b. Tony Terlazzo used 5 x 5 -- and did okay, but
then switched to 5/4/3/2/1, sets of 3 and sets of
2 -- and became an Olympic champion, and the
best lifter of his era.
 |
| John Davis did great on 8 x 2. |
c. John Davis did great with 8 x 2. Six World
championships and two Olympic gold medals.
d. Tommy Kono liked heavy triples. It worked
pretty darn well for him. Six World champion-
ships, two Olympic gold medals, and one
Olympic silver medal.
 |
| Heavy singles worked great for Doug Hepburn. |
e. Doug Hepburn thrived on heavy singles. He
won the World weightlifting championship with
them.
f. Peary Rader gained almost 100 pounds of
muscle with 20 rep breathing squats. In terms
of over-all gains, that's hard to beat.
2. The "best" sets and reps will vary from one
exercise to another. What works best for curls
may or may not work best for presses -- and
what works best for presses may or may not
work best for squats and deadlifts.
2a. As a general rule, you should use lower
reps on exercises that involve a high level
of skill and technique, such as Olympic
weightlifting. Most weightlifters use singles,
doubles and triples.
2b. If you go over three reps on a skill lift,
you will begin to compromise your form.
3. The "best" sets and reps will change for
anyone based on their level of experience.
3a. What works best for a beginner is different
than what works best for an intermediate
or advanced trainee.
4. What works "best' depends on what your
goals are. The best set/rep system for building
strength is much different than the best set/rep
system for building endurance or "condition."
4a. Adding cardio work or upping your cardio
may change what sets and reps are best for
you in your strength training.
5. The "best' sets and reps will change as you
grow older. What works best for you at age 15 --
or age 25 -- or even age 35 -- will probably be
different than what works best for you at age
45, 55 or 65.
5a. General rule: as you grow older, drop the
volume. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for tips
on age-appropriate workouts for older Dinos.
6. The "best' sets and reps allow full recovery
from one workout to another. What allows full
recovery will change as you grow stronger. The
stronger you are, the less training you need --
or can stand.
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| Heavy singles helped me work up to 151 pounds in the one-hand dumbbell swing. |
6a. For example -- a beginner who does 1 x 12
in the squat with 55 pounds on the bar is going
to have a much different effect on his body than
an advanced trainee who does 3 x 5 with 350
or 400 pounds. The beginner's efforts are a mild
stimulus for growth -- the advanced trainee's
workout hits his body like a freight train.
7. The "best" sets and reps are usually far less
than what you think they are. It's always easier
to write down a workout than to do it -- or to
recover from it.
7a. The vast majority of trainees at all levels
of development fail to achieve their full potential
because they over-train -- meaning that they do
too many exercises, too many reps and too many
sets.
And finally, as a corollary to all of the above --
the "best' sets and reps are almost NEVER
what you see in the muscle comics.
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 sets and reps -- and
about productive, effective, real world
strength training and muscle building,
grab Strength, Muscle and Power:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. Older trainees should also grab
Gray Hair and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
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. 4. Thought for the Day:
"Think, but don't over-think. Train,
but don't over-train."
-- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle
bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:
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