A Very Good Question!

Strength training is about basic principles - which you can adapt and apply to any kind of equipment - and to your own unique goals, interests and needs.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In response to yesterday's email about
Dinosaur Arm Training, I rec'd an
email from Jim DeSantis, an age 62
Dino who's been training for 30 years.

Jim had a very common question, so
I thought I'd cover it in this morning's
email message.

Jim wrote:

Hi Brooks,

I've been training for 30 years. I do
squats and deadlifts, but the rest are
mostly what I guess you'd consider to
be bodybuilding exercises.

I don't do snatches, cleans, jerks and
other Olympic lifting movements.

Does Dinosaur Arm Training involve
any Olympic lifting?

I know that a lot of the exercises you
advocate are Olympic lifting movements
and what I would consider to be "strong
man" lifts, but I think that at age 62 I'm
too old to start doing those types of
exercises.

Will your arm training course work for
me?

Jim DeSantis

That's a very good question - and a very

common one. For some reason, people

think I want everyone to do Olympic

lifting simply because that's what I like

to do - or to do "strong man" training

because that's what I did in my late 30's

and early 40's.

Over the years, I've done MANY different

types of training: powerlifting, all-dumbbell

workouts, bodyweight training, strong-man

training, Nautilus workouts, "power body-

building", heavy power rack training, and

total-body workouts three times a week the

way Bradley J. Steiner used to teach back in

the 1970's.

They're all good, and they all work.

Right now, at age 61, I prefer doing Olympic

lifting workouts - although (and this is very

important), I do them in a sensible and age-

appropriate fashion, and I follow the basic

principles of abbreviated training and relatively

short, low-volume workouts that I've written

about in virtually all of my books and courses.

But does that mean that YOU should do

Olympic lifting?

Or that you HAVE to do it?

No, not at all.

If you prefer doing squats, deadlifts, and other

basic, compound exercises, then by all means

do them.

The vast majority of older Dinosaurs do basic

compound exercises - or they make basic com-

pound exercises the mainstay of their training

program.

For this reason, my books and courses offer

universal training principles that can be applied

to any kind of workouts you like to do.

And it's why most of my suggested workouts

involve basic, compound exercises rather than

Olympic lifting movements.

Dinosaur Arm Training is a good example.

It includes several excellent total-body work-

outs - but no snatches or cleans other than

very light flip snatches and very light

power clean and press used solely and

exclusively as warm-up exercises.

If you prefer to do something else for a

warm-up, that's fine. A couple of sets of

hyperextensions and some quick push-

ups and deep knee bends (bodyweight

squats) will work just as well.

So, YES - Dinosaur Arm Training will

work great for you - and it doesn't include

any heavy Olympic lifting.

Hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_armtraining.html

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-arms-kindle.html

PDF

Go to our products page and look for the section
listing our PDF courses with immediate electronic
delivery. Dinosaur Arm Training is no. 14 on the
list.

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

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. Do you have the March issue of the
Dinosaur Files newsletter? If not, go here
to grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-march2018pdf.html

Also - if you missed the October, Nov, Dec
Jan or Feb issues, go here to grab them so
you have the complete set: 

Feb issue

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-files-february2018pdf.html

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.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:

"Focus on the basic principles of strength
training, and apply them to your own
particular goals and needs."

-- 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:

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

Gray Hair and Fast Feet

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about about speed, and
about a  question I received from an older
Dino who said that he lost his speed -- not
his strength, but his speed -- sometime
around age 60.

He asked me if I had noticed the same thing.

The answer is -- not yet -- and I'm working
really hard to keep it that way.

In fact, my workouts focus as much on speed
as on strength development now -- although
many of the things that build one also
build the other.

Here are seven things I do in my workouts
that help keep me moving FAST. They'll do
the same for you.

1. Stand on Your Feet Training
with Barbells and Dumbbells

You build balance, coordination, strength,
power and speed by using good, old-
fashioned, stand on your feet training.

Standing presses.

Squats.

Front squats.

Deadlifts.

Trap Bar deadlifts.

Dumbbell cleans and swings. (Note - see
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for details on
how to perform them safely and effectively.)

Power cleans and power snatches (or
high pulls) if you know how to do them.

Stay away from lying and seated exercises,
and skip the machines. They do nothing for
your speed.

2. Perfect form.

Do all of your exercises in perfect form.
Perfect form promotes well-balanced
development -- and that helps your
speed of movement as you grow older.

It's also safer -- and avoiding injuries
is one of the most important things for
an older trainee to do. (See point 5,
below.)

3. No slow movements.

I don't do any slow, grinding movements in
my workouts.

Slow movements make you slow. You don't
need that.

That's not to say you use light weights and
fast, bouncy movements. Far from it. I train
heavy, and I do almost nothing but singles.

But there's a big difference between a slow,
grinding rep that takes forever to finish,
and a rep that's a little lighter but moves
twice as fast.

4. Keep your weight under control.

You can't move fast if you're carrying 20 or
more pounds of blubber. It's like running a
hundred yard dash while carrying  a heavy
sandbag on your back. The sandbag just
slows you down -- and so do the Lard
Lumps.

5. Don't get hurt.

This one is easier to say than to do. Older
bodies are easier to injure.

But do everything you can to avoid injuries.

The dings and dents really slow you down.
They tighten you up, reduce your range of
motion, and make you stiff.

Train smart, and keep your ego in check.

Don't baby yourself, but don't be stupid.

Find the balance between aggressive training
and reckless training.

6. Under-train.

I almost said "don't over-train," but for an
older trainee, over-training is so easy that
it's better to say: "Under-train."

If you make it a point to do a little bit less
than you feel like you could do, both in
terms of weight, effort and volume, you
may end up doing just about the right
intensity and amount of work.

Always leave something in the gas tank.
It helps your recovery enormously.

As an older trainee, you've paid your dues.
Right now, consistent, regular training is
what you want. There's no need to smash
yourself into a pulp every time you train --
and every reason NOT to do so.

7. Follow a healthy, anti-inflammatory
diet.

Inflammation is an older trainee's worst
enemy. It makes you stiff and sore and
inflexible -- tightens your muscles -- and
slows you down.

You don't need that.

You need a body that doesn't suffer from
extreme inflammation.

You get there by under-training (see point
no. 6) -- and by following the right kind of
diet and nutrition plan.

The diet and nutrition program in Knife,
Fork, Muscle will work great. It's an anti-
inflammatory diet as well as a strength
and muscle-building diet -- and it will
help keep the excess pounds off, as
well.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

8. A Bonus Tip

Bonus tip. I said we'd have seven, but
here's one more. Work on stretching and
flexibility -- or as they now call it, mobility.

You want freedom of movement in all your
major joints.

Freedom of movement helps your speed
enormously. Stiff and tight joints slow you
down.

So work on staying loose and flexible and
supple.

There's one more tip -- and it's a big one.
We'll cover it tomorrow. But those seven --
sorry, EIGHT -- tips will really help. They
work great for me.

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. Here's the number one book about
effective training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. I mentioned Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training. Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
available right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Stay strong, stay
lean, stay loose, stay fast." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

The Secret of World Class Strength and Power

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Note: We have a nice little bonus for you
this week - see P.S. 2 below for details.
But first, read the email and learn one
of the most important secrets of strength
training.)

One of our longtime Dinos sent me some
incredibly rare copies of an old newsletter
from 1950. It includes the following note
from Tommy Kono. I think this was taken
from a letter that Tommy wrote to the
editor of the newsletter - or perhaps it
was from a conversation they had.

The interesting thing is that this was
written BEFORE Tommy has won a U.S.
Senior National title, a World weightlifting
championship or an Olympic Gold Medal -
so this is when he was standing on the
door to greatness.

And more than anything else, this gives
you an insight into what made him one
of the greatest weightlifters of all time:

I've learned that it isn't so much the
muscle size that makes a lifter a heavy-
weight, but how he thinks.

I could outpress [Mr. America and Mr.
Universe winner, Steve Reeves] even
when my arms measured more than
three full inches less than his.

Why can't I outpress [Russian champion
Grigori] Novak and all the rest?

Simply because I have not "talked" my
subconcsious mind into it.

For instance, if the World's record in
the Press for a light-weight was 500
lbs., I'm sure I would be pressing, and
for that matter practically everyone,
about 300 lbs. and not think much
about it.

It is only as one approaches the world's
record or some fabulously sounding
figures that they assume it is hard.
Naturally it is hard, but when you
think it is impossible to surpass the
record then you immediately set up
a barrier in your mind causing you to
hit a standstill.

This is one of my theories, and so far
it has worked fine.

Wow - powerful stuff, indeed!

And that's how the mind of a champion
works. And how you can program your
mind for championship performance.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover many more secrets of old-
school training and championship
mindpower in Dinosaur Training. If
you don't have a copy, grab it today:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 2. Since mindpower is on my mind
(no pun intended), I'm going to give you
a chance to grab a great little bonus.

Order a hard-copy edition of any book or
course from me this week, and in the
special instructions section of the on-line
order form, ask me to send you a free
mindpower CD.

The CD is titled"Unleash Your Inner
Strength: The Seven Keys to Concentration."

This offer is good this week only, and only
while supplies of the CD last - so step
up and take action.

You can find the hard-copy editions of
my books and courses right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

Remember, you have to order a hard-
copy book or course (or a DVD) to get
the bonus. It's not available with our
Kindle and PDF products.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strength
begins in your imagination and in your
mind." - Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

The Christmas Tree Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Eighteen or nineteen years ago, I did
something new and unusual.

I hired a video company to come over
to my original Dinosaur Dungeon --
the basement gym in my old house --
and film a series of 2 hour "how to do
it" training videos.

This was before cell-phones, before You-
Tube, and before DVD's so it was high-
tech stuff for its time -- even though
the technology is pretty ancient by
now.

We covered old-school dumbbell training,
heavy awkward objects, power rack
training, Olympic lifting basics, and
strength training basics.

I later remastered the videos to DVD,
and we've been selling them at the
Dinosaur Training site for years --
and they've always been very
popular.

The power rack DVD included a special
program that took my push press from
275 pounds to 300 pounds in just
two weeks -- which is pretty good.

I even made a new PR at the end of
the video. And it was such a fun looking
lift that we also included it at the end of
the video on Olympic lifting basics.

It was 302 pounds -- and I made it with
a Christmas Tree Barbell.

No, it wasn't a real Christmas Tree --
but that's the best name for it.

The ceiling in the basement was a little
too low to do overhead lifts with an
Olympic barbell loaded with 45 pound
plates, so I had to use 25's, 10's, and
5's. These were iron plates, not bumper
plates, so the lighter plates were smaller
in diameter. I could use them without
hitting the ceiling.

But I didn't have enough smaller plates
to get me up to 300 pounds.

I ended up adding some one pound
and 1/2 pound plates (the kind used for
micro-loading), and some short lengths
of chain rolled into a loop and then
wrapped with duct tape to keep them
from unrolling.

If memory serves correctly, I had to
tape the small plates and the chains to
the bar to keep them from sliding off.
So the barbell looked like a Christmas
Tree covered with odd-shaped and
mismatched ornaments.

A 302 pound Christmas tree.

It made for a heck of a lift -- and you can
see it right here at The Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

In fact, you can see all five of my old
Dinosaur Training videos at The Iron
League. That's roughly 10 hours of
"how to do it" instruction -- and some
very heavy lifting.

The Iron League is John Wood's new
members only site, and serves as
an on-line archive of terrific strength
training stuff -- and boxing, wrestling
and martial arts stuff -- including many
books, courses and magazines that
are virtually impossible to find any-
where else.

I have a pretty complete library of old
strength training books, magazines and
courses -- but John has things I never
saw before -- and some things I never
even knew existed.

He also has original material from Kim
Wood, Dennis Rogers and others -- and
a special bench press course that I
write for him. It's an Iron League
exclusive.

One of my friends and fellow Iron
Slingers called The Iron League the
"Library of Congress of Strength."
That's a pretty good name for it.

Anyhow, take a look at the video
clip and see what you think about
the Christmas Tree Barbell!

http://www.ironleague.com/

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Thought for the Day: "The more you
know, the more you can do." -- Brooks
Kubik

***********************************************************************************

How to Build a Lifting Platform

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Ever since I posted some photos of my
garage gym, I've been buried in emails
asking how I built my lifting platform.

The platform looks like this:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/09/take-peek-at-dino-headquarters.html

Here's a shot from a different angle:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/09/another-photo-of-dinosaur-dungeon.html

It was easy to build, but it's strong and
sturdy, and it gets the job done. It's also
lasted for over 12 years. Of course, I'm
pretty much the only person who uses
it, and I only use bumper plates on the
bar, and I try to lower the bar rather
than dropping it. But even so, 12 years
is a long time.

And -- good news -- it doesn't cost much
to make.

The platform is made with 3/4 inch sheets
of plywood. The plywood will come pre-
cut in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets. This is the
perfect size to make an 8 foot x 8 foot
platform.

I used six sheets of plywood to make a
platform that was three sheets thick. That
was probably more than is necessary. You
could get it done with four sheets and a
total thickness of two sheets.

I built the platform on top of some heavy
duty, 3/4 inch rubber mats. I used hard,
dense rubber -- not something soft or
spongy. This is probably over-kill, but
I was new to the game and did not want
to take any chances on cracking the
concrete floor of the garage.

To build the platform, lay two sheets of
plywood next to each other. The edges
should be touching as close as possible.

Then lay two more sheets on top of the
first two sheets and screw them the top
sheets to the bottom sheets.

And here are three tips to make it all
work:

1. The bottom layer of plywood sheets
should be lengthwise from left to right,
and the top sheets should be the reverse,
i.e., lengthwise from front to back.

In other words, if you are facing north
when you train, the bottom sheets a
run lengthwise east and west -- and the
top sheets run lengthwise north and
south.

2. The seam between the two sheets of
plywood on top of the platform should
run between your feet when you stand
on the platform.

In other words, if you stand on the
platform and face north when you lift,
the seam between the top sheets of
plywood should run north and south.

One foot will go to the left of the
seam -- and the other will go to
the right of the seam.

The barbell will run east and west --
so the plates will be to the left and
the right of the seam, not on top of
it.

The seam is the weak point in the
platform, and if you stand on it or
drop the bar on it, the platform will
not hold up for long.

3. All screws should be drilled just
below the top of the surface so you
don't catch your foot on a protruding
screw.

Note: Some people use wood glue to
attach the plywood sheets together.
That should work fine if you prefer to
do it that way.

I finished things off by laying two sheets
of two foot wide 3/4 inch rubber mat on
each side of the platform -- right where
the plates are. Again, this is probably
overkill, but who knows -- perhaps it
helped the platform last for as long
as it has.

There are plenty of other ways to make
a good platform, but that's how I did it.
And, as I said, it works pretty well.

One quick note: your platform is for
barbell training only. Dumbbell or
kettlebell training will break the
wood pretty quickly. Use 3/4 inch
rubber mats for dumbbell and
kettlebell work.

For some great stand-on-your feet
barbell workouts, try the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html

Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses -- and my Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are right here -- along with links
to all of my e-books on Kindle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's something
special about standing on a wooden lifting platform
when you train." -- Brooks Kubik



***********************************************************************************

How I Plan to Celebrate My Birthday

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's a big day here at Dino Headquarters.

It's my birthday today.

I am now officially age 58 in civilian years. In
weightlifting years I have been age 58 since
Jan 1, and I will be age 59 on Jan 1, 2016.
It's a little confusing.

In any event, I plan to celebrate by having a
great workout and a great dinner.

If memory serves correctly, I got my first barbell
set on my birthday in 1968, so that makes 47
years of iron slinging -- although that one was
a set from Sears with gold vinyl plates filled
with concrete.

So make it 47 years of iron, vinyl and concrete
slinging.

The funny thing is, the older I get, the more I
enjoy my training. I'm not sure why that is, but
it is definitely the case.

It may be as simple as knowing that I have more
years  of training behind me that before me -- or
it may simply be that as I get older, training makes
me feel so much better than I would feel if I didn't
train.

If you're an older trainee and you have thoughts
on that, I'd love to hear from you. Is training
more fun for you than ever before? Let me
know.

Anyhow, let's get back to tonight's workout.

My workout will focus on the split style snatch. If
you've been paying attention over the past few
years, you know I've gone back and forth between
the squat snatch and the split snatch. The split
style is easier on my shoulders -- the squat style
is easier on my knees.

In the end, the shoulders have won out -- at
least for now.

And besides -- the split snatch is a lot of fun --
fast, fluid and athletic -- and it's a good test
of balance and athleticism.

I've also been doing the split style clean. That,
too, challenges your balance and athleticism.

And things that challenge your balance and
athleticism are good to do -- especially if
you are an older Dino.

Many of you have asked for more detailed
instruction on weightlifting for older Dinos
(and for garage gorillas and celler dwellers
of any age).

As in, how to perform the lifts and the related
exercises -- including the split style lifts --
and how to set up a sensible program that
doesn't require you to train "Bulgarian style"
and do nothing but train five or six hours
a day every day of the week.

If that sounds like something you'd like to see
in a course or a DVD, let me know. We can
definitely make it happen.

In the meantime, you can catch a training
session at Dino Headquarters in my birthday
DVD from four years ago:

Going Strong at 54

I filmed two back to back workouts and did a
quick demo of about two dozen different
lifting exercises in that little monster, so it
has a ton of good info -- and a lot of good
lifting. If you missed it the first time around,
grab it now.

So that's the plan: a hard workout focusing
on split style snatches, followed by a terrific
dinner.

And that's the report from Dino Headquarters --
where we still have more iron on the bar than
candles on the birthday cake!

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. Go here to grab Going Strong at 54:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 2. My other books and DVD's -- and
links to my e-books on Kindle -- are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Your body is
like your barbell -- if you don't use it, it
rusts." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

One Dinosaur and One Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout last night,
and I thought I'd tell you about
it.

It was one of those old school
workouts you see so often here
at Dino Headquarters.

I started with 10 minutes of
stretching and loosening up drills.
These include things like overhead
squats with a broomstick, shoulder
dislocates, and even some slow speed
squat snatches.

Next, I did squat snatches, starting
with the empty bar and working up to
my training weights.

I did doubles and triples with my
working weight, and they kicked my
you know what.

Next, I did snatch grip high pulls.

After that, I did front squats.

And that was it.

The entire workout took about one hour
and five minutes.

Today's a rest day, and the day after
that will be another training day. I'll
do a different workout, with different
exercises, but it will be pretty similar.

That's the way it is at Dino Headquarters:
basic OL training 3x per week. In other
words, me and the barbell -- some chalk
and sweat -- and not much else.

I'm sure your workout is different -- but
in many ways, it's quite similar. That's
because Dinos focus on the important things.
They focus on the iron. And they focus on
getting it done.

That's what I did last night. I got it
done. Went out to the garage, chalked my
hands, grabbed the bar and had a great
workout. And that's what Dinos do.

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. Here's an entire book of old-school,
Dino-style workouts -- from beginner to
intermediate to advanced -- along with
20 special workouts for maximum muscle
mass:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here -- including links to all of my
new Dinosaur Training e-books:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It starts
and ends with you and the bar."
-- Brooks Kubik

***************************************

Gray Hair and Fast Feet!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about about speed, and
a question I received from an older Dino who
said that he lost his speed -- not his strength,
but his speed -- sometime around age 60.

He asked me if I had noticed the same thing.

The answer is -- not yet -- and I'm working
really hard to keep it that way. In fact, my
workouts focus as much on speed as on
strength development now -- although
many of the things that build one also
build the other.

Here are seven things I do in my workouts
that help keep me moving FAST.

1. Olympic lifting.

It's the best thing there is to keep you
moving FAST.

Of course, you need to know how to
perform the lifts properly. So you need
to do whatever is necessary to learn how
to perform the lifts properly. For most of
us, that means finding a good coach.

2. Perfect form.

Speed is the result of repeating a given
movement over and over until you can
perform it perfectly.

Perfect form makes for efficient lifting.

Efficient lifting lets you develop maximum
speed of movement.

So you need to drill, drill, and drill to get
your form down.

Over and over -- again and again. And you
need to try to make each lift better than the
previous lift.

3. No slow movements.

I don't do any slow, grinding movements in
my workouts.

Slow movements make you slow. You don't
need that.

That's not to say you use light weights and
fast, bouncy movements. Far from it. I train
heavy, and I do almost nothing but singles.
But there's a big difference between a slow,
grinding rep that takes forever to finish,
and a rep that's a little lighter but moves
twice as fast.

4. Keep your weight under control.

You can't move fast if you're carrying 20 or
more pounds of blubber. It's like running a
hundred yard dash while carrying  a heavy
sandbag on your back. The sandbag just
slows you down -- and so do the Lard
Lumps.

5. Don't get hurt.

This one is easier to say than to do. Older
bodies are easier to injure.

But do everything you can to avoid injuries.

The dings and dents really slow you down.
They tighten you up, reduce your range of
motion, and make you stiff.

Train smart, and keep your ego in check.

Don't baby yourself, but don't be stupid.

Find the balance between aggressive training
and reckless training.

6. Under-train.

I almost said "don't over-train," but for an
older trainee, over-training is so easy that
it's better to say: "Under-train."

If you make it a point to do a little bit less
than you feel like you could do, both in
terms of weight, effort and volume, you
may end up doing just about the right
intensity and amount of work.

Always leave something in the gas tank.
It helps your recovery enormously.

7. Follow a healthy, anti-inflammatory
diet.

Inflammation is an older trainee's worst
enemy. It makes you stiff and sore and
inflexible -- tightens your muscles -- and
slows you down.

You don't need that.

You need a body that doesn't suffer from
extreme inflammation.

You get there by under-training (see point
no. 6) -- and by following the right kind of
diet and nutrition plan.

The diet and nutrition program in Knife,
Fork, Muscle will work great. It's an anti-
inflammatory diet as well as a strength
and muscle-building diet -- and it will
help keep the excess pounds off, as well.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

Bonus tip. I said we'd have seven, but
here's one more. Work on stretching and
flexibility -- or as they now call it, mobility.

You want freedom of movement in all the
major joints.

Freedom of movement helps your speed
enormously. Stiff and tight joints slow you
down. It's like try to move fast while
wearing a strait-jacket. It doesn't happen.

So work on staying loose and flexible and
supple.

There's one more tip -- and it's a big one.
We'll cover it tomorrow. But those seven --
sorry, EIGHT -- tips will really help. They
work great for me.

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. Here's the number one book about
effective training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
available right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html


P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stay strong, stay
lean, stay loose, stay fast." -- Brooks Kubik

****************************************

Weightlifting for the Brain

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

**********************************************

"I Don't Think You Should Do That!" He Said.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A quick reminder -- we're in the middle of
our pre-publication special for my new book
on diet and nutrition for Dinos.

The title is KNIFE, FORK, MUSCLE.

Read about it here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

The response has been off the charts so far --
so let me add a great big THANK YOU to
everyone who has stepped up and taken
action.

On the training front . . .

I got an email from a guy who said -- and I
quote:

"I don't think you should do Olympic lifting
any more. I don't think anyone in their 50's
should do snatches and cleans. They're not
safe. You should stick to bodybuilding now."

Okay, so let's talk about that.

First of all, I'm 57, and I'm a father x 3 and a
grandfather x 2, and it's my garage and my
weights and I can do what I want to do when
I train.

Second, I do Olympic lifting in part because I
enjoy the athleticism of the lifts. Simply put,
they are FUN to do. They FEEL good.

Go back and reread yesterday's email about
doing things that you like to do.  That's very
important if you plan to keep training from
now until the end of your days.

Third, Olympic lifting does a lot of very good
things for me:

1. It builds muscle.

2. It works my legs, hips and back really hard.

3. It requires balance, coordination and mobility.

4. It requires fast footwork.

5. It requires flexibility.

6. It requires deep concentration and focus
while moving at a fast speed.

6a. Think what that does to integrate and link
your mind and your muscles.

6b. And your neurological system.

6c. Note that throughout this list the word
requires" really means "both requires and
develops or maintains."

7. It builds bone density and bone strength.

Is it dangerous?

No more so than anything else -- and probably
much less than most things.

Remember three things.

First, I know how to do the lifts and I drill all the
time to work my form and technique. Obviously,
if you don't know how to do the lifts, you start
by finding a qualified coach and getting some
instruction.

Second, I train heavy but I never sacrifice good
form and technique to lift more weight. In other
words, I train heavy but not too heavy -- and I
always try to train smart.

Third, Olympic lifting is controlled and precise
lifting. It is a form of gymnastics with a barbell.
Unless you perform the lifts properly -- which
means UNDER CONTROL -- you can't lift very
much.

Many people confuse speed with loss of control.
They assume you need to move slowly in order
to control the weight.

That may be true when applied to curls, but it's
not at all true as applied to a snatch or a clean
and jerk.

And that takes us back to point no. 6, above. When
you do Olympic lifting, you move at a fast speed,
but you move like an athlete, and you CONTROL
the weight perfectly through the entire movement.
That means your concentration and focus is
100% all the way from start to finish. And
that's what makes the lifts feel so good --
and what makes them so very valuable.

So, here's the question:

Am I going to listen to Mr. KnowItAll BusyBody and
stop doing Olympic lifting just because I'm in my
50's?

Answer:

No, and heck no!

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. Here's the link again for KNIFE, FORK, MUSCLE:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Do your training for
YOU, not for anyone else." - Brooks Kubik

Set Your Watches, Mark Your Calendars!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I wanted to let you be the first to know about
something very exciting.

We're going to launch the new diet and nutrition
book on Mon Sept. 15.

As always, we're going to do a pre-publication
special. That lets us know how many books to
print, so it's a big help.

When we fill the orders in October, everyone
who ordered during the pre-publication special
will get a bonus item -- or possibly two of them.

Yeah, I definitely think we'll go with two bonuses
for this one. It's a heck of a book, and it deserves
a double bonus for everyone who steps up and
takes action.

Anyhow, it's been several years of hard work to
pull this little monster together - so, yes, I'm
pretty excited about it. And I hope you are, as
well.

On the training front, I've been having some
great workouts.

And here's the funny thing.

My main focus has been the diet and nutrition
book, and getting it finished. I've been working
long hours 7 days a week to do so. I've not had
a day off since July 1.

When I am focused on a project, I put a lot of
mental energy into it -- which means that no matter
what I do, there's not as much energy for aggressive
training.

So I cut back a bit, worked on my form and my
technique, and decided to take things a little
easier than normal.

The results were surprising.

No dings and dents.

No sore shoulders or knees.

No leg cramps from sore muscles.

My form is getting better and better.

My speed under the bar has improved enormously.

And I'm lifting very close to my previous top weights,
and the lifting seems almost effortless.

I'm also sleeping better.

And I'm down about 10 or 12 pounds, and the weight
came off easily -- while eating three big Dino-sized
meals a day. Right now I'm right where I want to be,
at 94 kilos (207 pounds).

So it's been very interesting to see how easing up
on the gas pedal has been working.

I guess that line about old dogs and new tricks really
means something.

Anyhow, and 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. Here's one of our most popular training courses:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never stop lifting, and
never stop learning." -- Brooks Kubik

Train Hard But Train Smart!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Many of you have asked for an update
on my current workouts -- so here you
go.

I'm back to three times per week. I
had tried a one exercise per day
program as an experiment, and although
it worked okay, I prefer 3x per week.
That also leaves more time for writing,
and that's important -- I am writing up
a storm for you. (The current project
is finishing my book on diet and
nutrition for Dinos, which I've been
researching and working on for several
years - and which is going to be ready
soon, and which I think you're really
going to enjoy. After that is done, I'm
going to move on to Project No. 2 --
which is a secret for now.)

But on to the workout. I like to think
of it as a way to train hard but smart.
At age 57, I need to do both.

I am following two different programs,
Workout A and Workout B. I alternate them.
As noted, I train 3x per week.

Now remember, I'm doing all Olympic
lifting now, so everything you see is
Olympic lifting stuff -- and it's
Olympic lifting stuff for an older
lifter. For that reason, there's not
too many different exercises, and
there's not much volume. I have to
stick to what gives me the most bang
for the buck.

In Workout A, I begin with 10 or 15 mins
of stretching and loosening up, and then
do split style snatches for about 30 to
45 minutes.

Then I do some snatch grip high pulls,
followed by some front or back squats.

In workout B I do 10 or 15 mins of
stretching and loosening up, followed
by 30 to 45 mins of squat style cleans
and split jerks. After that, I do some
clean grip high pulls and some front
or back squats.

I did squat snatches for the past couple
of years, but they are too hard on my
shoulders, so I have switched to split
snatches, which are much easier on an
older trainee's shoulders.

I am still doing squat cleans, at least
for now. I'll keep you posted on that.

I do split style jerks.

I do all single reps. I do singles because
I am always working on my form, and singles
are the best way to perform precise, correct,
fast, explosive movements.

It's as if I were training for the shot put
or the discus throw. You don't do reps when
you put the shot or throw the discus in
training. You do singles.

Also, remember that I am 57, and I either
have glaucoma or pre-glaucoma (they're not
sure which), and too much internal eye
pressure in training is not a good idea --
and singles produce much less internal
eye pressure than sets of multiple reps.

But note -- I don't do 100%, as heavy as
possible, life or death, do or die singles,
and I don't try to set a PR every time I
train. I train heavy, but not to my
maximum.

Many readers equate heavy singles with
100% maximum lifts and always trying for
a new PR, and that's not correct. I TRAIN
with singles. I don't always go for a new
max. They're two entirely different things.

I video all my lifts, including warm-ups,
and check my form in-between the sets.

On lighter weights, I rest only long enough
to check my form on video, and load the bar
for the next set. On my heavy sets, I rest
two or three minutes between sets.

Depending on how I feel, I do either one
heavy single -- close to max, but not my
100% max -- or I do 5 singles with a weight
that is heavy but not quite as heavy as the
one rep weight.

Sometimes I will do 5 singles with a heavy
but not max weight, then add some more weight
and do 5 singles with a heavier (but not max)
weight -- making 10 heavy (but not max)
singles for the working sets.

On occasion, I'll go up to the 5 singles
working weight and do 5 progressively
heavier singles where I add 5 pounds to
the bar on each lift. 

On pulls, I do 3 to 5 singles with a weight
a little heavier (usually about 10 kilos or
22 pounds) over my top snatch or clean and
jerk for the day.

On squats, I do 5 to 7 progressively heavier
singles, followed by anywhere form 1 to 5
singles with my top weight for the day.
Again, these are NOT limit lifts.

Everything takes about 90 mins -- and that's
in hot summer weather. Winter workouts will
go a bit faster.

The whole workout looks like this:

Workout A

1. 10 - 15 mins warm-ups

2. Split snatch -- many progressively
heavier singles

3. Snatch grip high pull -- 5 x 1 with
working weight

4. Front squat or back squat -- 5 - 7
x 1 progressively heavier sets, and 1 - 5
x 1 working sets

Workout B

1. 10 - 15 mins warm-ups

2. Split snatch -- many progressively
heavier singles

3. Snatch grip high pull -- 5 x 1 with
working weight (10 kilos over top snatch
for the day)

4. Front squat or back squat -- 5 - 7 x 1
progressively heavier sets, and 1 - 5
x 1 working sets

Workout B

1. 10 - 15 mins warm-ups

2. Squat clean and split jerk -- many
progressively heavier singles

3. Clean grip high pull -- 5 x 1 with
working weight (10 kilos over top clean
and jerk for the day)

4. Front squat or back squat -- 5 - 7
x 1 progressively heavier sets, and 1 - 5
x 1 working sets

So that's the workout. I hope you enjoyed
reading about it, and I hope it gives you
some good ideas for your own training.

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. If you want to see what those split
style snatches and the other lifts look
like, grab Going Strong at 54 -- and for
more info about productive training for
older Dinos (whether you do OL work or
otherwise), grab Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

a. Going Strong at 54

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

b. Gray Hair and Black Iron

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard,
but train smart. The older you are, the
smarter you need to train." -- Brooks Kubik

Another Reason Why I Do Olympic Lifting

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I was talking about my
current training, and why I prefer
to do Olympic weightlifting at this
stage of my career.

I gave you seven reasons.

But I omitted one, and it's a biggie.

Olympic weightlifting is easier on my
eyes.

Yes, you heard that correctly.

My eyes.

Here's the deal. 

My father has glaucoma. My brother has
glaucoma. All of my paternal uncles
had glaucoma. Every man in the family
has it.

Glaucoma is a degenerative eye disease
caused by unusually high inter-ocular
(inside the eyeball) pressure. It's
sort of like having high blood
pressure in your eyes.

It causes the death of nerve cells in
the eyes -- and if untreated, it can
lead to progressively greater and
greater vision loss -- and even to
blindness.

It's an hereditary condition -- which
is why all the men in the family have
it.

We're not sure if I have it or not.
Because of the family history, I get
checked every three months. I'm right
on the edge. I've been told, "Yes, you
have it" -- and I've been told "You
know, I think it's close -- but I
don't think you have it." Three
different opthamologists have said
"Yes, you have it " -- and then
changed their minds in later exams,
and a fourth flat out said he just
wasn't sure.

Anyhow, we watch it very closely, and
I take the same eye-drops I would take
if I were diagnosed as having glaucoma.
The drops reduce the inter-ocular
pressure.

Now, as you might imagine, my opthamologist
and I have had a number of conversations
about my weight training.

He wants me to stay away from any slow,
grinding movements where my blood pressure
goes sky high and my face looks like it's
going to explode.

But he's okay with snatches, cleans and
jerks -- because they're much faster and
you don't hold your breath for as long --
and thus, there's much less internal
pressure, even if you do a heavy lift.

Now, please note -- I am NOT a medical
doctor, and I'm NOT an optthamologist,
so if you have glaucoma or are at risk
for glaucoma, talk with your doctor
and work up an appropriate plan,
including the right kind of exercise
program for YOU.

All I'm saying is that in MY case,
based on my current eye condition
and overall health, I've been cleared
to do snatches, cleans and jerks.

Kettlebells would also be okay,
as would most of the exercises
in the Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training course. (I'm supposed
to stay away from any inverted
exercises, such as handstand
pushups, because the blood runs
to the head -- which increases
the pressure on my eyes.)

I'm sharing this because it's an
example of how things change as
you grow older -- and an example
of how important it is to find the
right kind of exercise -- and how
the right kind of exercise might
change for you over time.

Anyhow, my eye pressure and visual
field test was fine at my last exam,
and hopefully it will stay that
way.

In the meantime, I'm having fun out
in the garage, and my lifting platform,
Olympic bar and plates are getting lots
of use.

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron is a must
read for older trainees:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. If you're looking for something
fun, different and effective, try Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training or Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.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: "Train hard,
but train smart. You last longer that way."
-- Brooks Kubik

The "Why Do You Do It?" Question

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A couple of days ago I posted my
current training program, which
is built around Olympic weight-
lifting movements.

In response, I received a number
of questions from Dinos. One of
the most common was, "Why do you
do Olympic lifting now?"

Well there are a couple of reasons.

1. I enjoy it. There's a remarkable,
almost gymnastic sense to doing the
Olympic lifts.

1a. I'm almost 60, and I'm a grand-
father, and it's my garage and my
weights, so I get to do what I
enjoy the most.

1b. Luckily, Trudi is okay with
this, although she thinks split
style snatches are better and safer
for me than squat style snatches.

1c. She's probably right.

2. The lifts are challenging and
demanding.

2a. They require strength, speed,
power, flexibility and athleticism --
and the highest order of technical
skill.

3. There are established competitions
in the USA and all other countries,
with official records by age-group
and weight class, so I can see how
I compare to other lifters of my age
and weight.

4. It's perfectly safe to train the
Olympic lifts alone, without a
spotter.

5. The lifts require deep concentration
and intense focus -- so much so that
they almost amount to a form of moving
meditation -- much like traditional
martial arts training.

5a. This makes the workouts very
relaxing even though they're very
challenging.

6. There are established formulas to
calculate the relative performance of
different lifters based on their age
and bodyweight.

6a. I use these to compare my current
performance at age 57 and 215 pounds
to my performance at, for example, age
40 and 225 pounds -- or age 19 and 165
pounds -- or other ages over the course
of my career.

6b. This allows me to focus on improving
my relative ability on a pound for pound
and year for year basis -- and to set
myself the goal of trying to get better
and better on a relative ME to ME basis.

7. Did I mention that I really enjoy the
feel of the Olympic lifts? That they're
fun to do? That they remind me of the throws
I used to do in Greco-Roman and free-style
wrestling matches 40 years ago when I
wrestled in high school?

7a. That they're a FUN way to train?

7b. That it's my garage and my weights,
and -- oh, yeah -- I said that. I'm
repeating myself. Sorry about that.

But you get the message.

It's fun. I enjoy it. And it's in my
blood.

You may train exactly the same -- or you
may train differently -- but I'm going to
venture a guess and say that you, too,
have found something that you really
love doing -- and you really enjoy
your training -- and although it's
darn hard work, it's also downright
fun.

And that's the important thing.

As always, thanks for reading and
have a great day. If you train today,
make it a good one -- and have FUN!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's a great book for fun and
effective training for older Dinos:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Life is too
short not to do the things you like to do
in the gym." -- Brooks Kubik

How a 56 Year Old Dino Trains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

My training world is an 8 x 8 wooden
lifting platform out in the garage.

I do my every workout on that platform.
It's all I need for a great workout.

I use an Olympic bar and rubber bumper
plates.

I do an Olympic lifting workout with
volume and intensity suited for an
older lifter (which is me, at age 56).

You reach an age where you can't train
like you did when you were younger,
but you still train. That's the
important thing.

I focus on a small number of exercises,
and work them hard.

I do squat style snatches and the squat
style clean. I do split style jerks and
power jerks. I do push presses, snatch
grip high pulls, clean grip high pulls,
snatch grip deadlift and shrug, clean
grip ditto, back squats and front squats.
Not all in one workout, of course. I
usually do one to three exercises in
any given workout.

Sometimes I lift from the hang. Usually I
lift from the platform. I'm going to build
some lifting blocks and do some of my
snatches and cleans from blocks, just
to see what it does.

I like Olympic lifting because it's a
very demanding, very athletic form of
training. It works your legs, hips and
back extremely hard, and that kind of
training keeps you young. Remember what
they say: "You're as old as your legs."

If I didn't do Olympic lifting, I'd still
train in the garage, and I'd still do
everything on that 8 x 8 platform. I'd
do basic, stand on your feet exercises:
squats, front squats, presses, push
presses, bent-over rowing, deadlifts
and Trap Bar deadlifts. Those are
exercises that make you strong
and keep you young.

If you're reading these words, you're a
Dinosaur, and that means you have your
own special training place. Maybe it's
in your basement or garage, or maybe
it's your favorite platform, favorite
power rack or favorite corner of the
gym.

The point is, it's YOUR kingdom. Your
lifting place. The place where you go
to get strong.

I'll be hitting it hard at about 6:45
today. I can't wait. It will be a good
one.

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 gives
you plenty of great workouts and plenty
of great training advice -- and so does
Gray Hair and Black Iron:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Don't just do
it, do it right." -- Brooks Kubik

The Top 10 Ways to Tell You're in a Great Gym!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought you'd enjoy another top
10 list. This one is The Top 10 Ways
to Tell You're in a Great Gym:

10. It's not an earthquake -- it's
heavy deadlifts.

9. And heavy olympic lifting.

8. They can't find Jimmy Hoffa, and
they can't find the last guy who did
curls in the power rack.

7. Chalk is mandatory.

6. Serious is mandatory.

5. No one says "Spot me, bro."

4. No one does yoga on the lifting
platform. 

3. You train your core with squats,
deadlifts and heavy overhead lifting.

2. No one does peak contraction
anything.

1. The owner had a dog-eared copy of
Dinosaur Training on the bookshelf in
his office.

So -- would you train in a gym like
that? I would!

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. Go here to grab YOUR copy of Dinosaur
Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Don't live
to lift -- lift to live." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinosaur and the Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout last night,
and I thought I'd tell you about
it.

It was one of those old school
workouts you see so often here
at Dino Headquarters.

I started with 10 minutes of
stretching and loosening up drills.
These include things like overhead
squats with a broomstick, shoulder
dislocates, and even some slow speed
squat snatches.

Next, I did squat snatches, starting
with the empty bar and working up to
my training weights.

I did doubles and triples with my
working weight, and they kicked my
you know what.

Next, I did snatch grip high pulls.

After that, I did front squats.

And that was it.

The entire workout took about one hour
and five minutes.

Today's a rest day, and the day after
that will be another training day. I'll
do a different workout, with different
exercises, but it will be pretty similar.

That's the way it is at Dino Headquarters:
basic OL training 3x per week. In other
words, me and the barbell -- some chalk
and sweat -- and not much else.

I'm sure your workout is different -- but
in many ways, it's quite similar. That's
because Dinos focus on the important things.
They focus on the iron. And they focus on
getting it done.

That's what i did last night. I got it
done. Went out to the garage, chalked my
hands, grabbed the bar and had a great
workout. And that's what Dinos do.

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. Here's an entire book of old-school,
Dino-style workouts -- from beginner to
intermediate to advanced -- along with
20 special workouts for maximum muscle
mass:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It starts
and ends with you and the bar."
-- Brooks Kubik

Combo Exercises for Strength and Development

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout last night.

The problem is, I can't figure out
if it was a one exercise or a two
exercise workout.

You see, I did squat snatches and
overhead squats.

One snatch followed by three over-
head squats on each set.

I'm not sure if that's a one
exercise combination -- which
would make it a one exercise
workout -- or a two exercise
workout.

Frankly, it doesn't matter.

It was fast, fun and challenging.
And it worked everything from my
toes to the top of my head.

Combination exercises are a great
change of pace -- and they're
lots of fun -- and they're a
great way to train.

There are plenty of good two
and three exercise combinations
you can try:

1. Power clean and press -- a
favorite of John Grimek. He once
wrote an article where he said it
was the single best exercise you
could do.

2. The one dumbbell clean and press.

3. The two dumbbell clean and press.

4. Any of the above, but do a push
press or a jerk to finish the
combination.

5. The squat and press behind neck --
which was Bob Hoffman's favorite
exercises.

6. The two dumbbell curl and press --
a favorite of John Grimek and Steve
Stanko, who used to go up and down
the dumbbell rack at the old York
Barbell Club gym.

7. The power clean, front squat and
press (or push press or jerk).

8. The front squat and press -- or
push press or jerk.

9. The power clean from the hang,
followed by a power clean from the
floor.

10. The power snatch from the hang
followed by the power snatch from
the floor.

Good stuff -- and very, very
effective!

As always, thanks for reading and
have a great day. If you train today,
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

1. For more ideas, see Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training. I cover a ton of terrific
two and three exercise combination
movements:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

3. Thought for the Day: "Focus, passion,
intensity and zeal." -- Brooks Kubik

Mike Rinaldi's Muscle Mobile

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about the
Food Mobile.

We also covered the Book Mobile.

Today, let's cover the Muscle
Mobile.

And pay attention -- because this
is a true story -- about one of
the original Dinosaurs.

There was a gray-haired, grizzled,
Olympic lifter named Mike Rinaldi.

He bought a copy of Dinosaur
Training way back in 1996, when
the little monster first hit an
unsuspecting world. I know, because
he sent me tons of letters and
emails telling me about his
training.

Mike was  a regular at the Go Heavy
Olympic Weightlifting Forum. He
posted under several names, one of
which was Mr. Snatchural.

It was a good name.

That was his favorite lift. The
squat snatch. And yes, he
enjoyed the work of Robert Crumb.
He even had a little cartoon
that showed Mr. Natural, barbell
in hand, performing as Mr.
Snatchural.

And don't think he was all goofs
and giggles. He took 4th place in
the American Masters Weightlifting
Championships on year. That was in
Vineland, New Jersey in 2000. He
snatched 70 kilos, clean and jerked
90 kilos, and totaled a very
respectable 160 pounds in the
94 kilo class -- at 53 years
of age. That's pretty good.
Many years, he would have won
with that total.

But here's the great part.

Mike used to throw his bar and
his bumper plates in to the back
of his truck -- and throw in a
sheet of 4 x 8 plywood -- and
drive into the bad part of town.

He'd park the truck, set the
plywood down on the sidewalk,
load up the bar and start doing
squat snatches.

You can just picture it.

Mike walks up to the bar, bends
over and BOOM -- hits a perfect
squat snatch.

Stands up, holds the weight over
his head, lowers it back to the
"platform" -- and does another
onew.

BOOM>

Bar is overhead.

He lowers the bar, gets set, and does
another one.

And of course, he draws a crowd. Crazy
people always do.

Crazy guy approaches the bar -- BOOM.

Does a perfect squat snatch.

It looks pretty cool.

And one of the kids says, "What you
doing?"

"Snatches."

That draws a big laugh and  a lot of
unprintable comments.

"How you do that?"

"Like this!"

BOOM!

"Show me!"

So he does.

The kid tries a snatch.

There's no BOOM.

There's only a lurch-slide-stagger-
sprawl-wiggle-wave-fall on  your face.

"No," says Mike. "Not like that. Like
this,."

BOOM.

Before you know it, he's teaching the
entire neighborhood how to do squat
snatches.

He gets home a couple of hours later.

Sore as hell.

Tired as hell.

But he's taught 20 or 30 kids how to
squat snatch.

Do it every weekend and it starts to
add up.

Heck, he might have started some kid
on the road to the Olympic Gold Medal.

And he might have started several
hundred of them on the road to life
long strength and health.

And that sure as heck ought to count
for something.

We lost Mike on June 22, 2008. He was
60 years old.

But when you do something like Mike's
Muscle Mobile, the years don't matter.
You end up living forever.

As always, thanks for reading -- and I
hope this one really resonates.

If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. In 2009 I dedicated a new book to
Mike Rinaldi. That was my way of saying
GOOD JOB to Mr. Snatchural. You can
probably guess what it was:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the day. "Live your
life as each every workout might be your
last one. Some day it will be."
-- Brooks Kubik

The Favorite Old-School Exercise for Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in the day, there was one
way and only one way to prove
you were strong.

You stood on your feet and lifted
a heavy barbell over your head.

It didn't matter what you could do
on other lifts. Other lifts were
great, and so were strongman stunts
like bending horseshoes, breaking
chains, ripping phone books in
half, and so on -- but to be a
strongman, you had to be able to
lift heavy iron over your head.

That's why the Military Press was
a part of Olympic Weightlifting
contests, and it's why the Military
Press was the most popular of the
three lifts for many years.

Many modern trainees don't do any
overhead pressing -- or don't do
enough of it -- or don't do it very
well. We've forgotten how to press,
and we've forgotten how to train the
press to build maximum strength and
power.

Last year, I tried to help fix that
by writing The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course. It's a good course, and
many Dinos have read and enjoyed
it -- and gotten excellent results
from it.

But here's some seriously good
results from the course.

Chris Carle sent me the following
email about the Military Press
Course, which he ordered in
December, 2011:

"I ordered your Military Press course
last year, and I've improved my Press
in that time from 155 lbs. to 200
lbs. strict style military press
at a bodyweight of 205 lbs.

Before this, my shoulders were worn
out from bench pressing. Now they are
totally pain free.

I use the percentage program from the
course and train presses twice a week."

Now that's pretty good! A gain of 33%
in the press in just ten months of
training -- along with going from
"Ouch, my shoulders hurt!" to "Hey,
my shoulders feel fine!"

And (as you probably noted), Chris
is just 5 lbs. shy of hitting one of
those Magic Numbers in the press --
he weighs 205 lbs. and he's pressing
200 lbs. -- so he's going to hit a
bodyweight press any day now. And
that's pretty darn good!

Chris -- good job, and thanks for the
update and the progress report. Let me
know when you hit that 205 lb. press!

To everyone else -- until next time,
train  hard, train heavy and keep it
Dino!

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. Go here to grab a copy of The
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:

http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by ordering
two or more books and courses at one time.
You can find all of my books and courses
right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Forget what
they say in the history books. The Iron Age
didn't begin until men began lifting heavy
barbells over their heads." -- Brooks Kubik