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

Training the Power Zones

Philadelphia's Louis Abele built incredible strength and muscle mass by specializing on the Power Zones.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk
iron.

1. A Very Big Thank You!

Our t-shirt sale ended at midnight
last night, and it was quite a
success.

I want to thank everyone who
stepped up and took action. We
appreciate it.

We're talking with our printer
today to place the order for all
the different shirts, and we'll
keep you posted about when
they will be printed and shipped.

It should be 2 to 3 weeks, but it
will depend on how many other
jobs are in front of us.

Again, to everyone who ordered a
shirt - THANK YOU!

2. Training the Power Zones.

Yesterday we talked about the
Power Zones.

That was Brad Steiner's term for
what he regarded as the four
most important areas of the body.

The areas to train as hard and
heavy as possible - with the goal
of developing each of them to the
absolute maximum.

The Power Zones are:

1. The legs and hips

2. The back

3. The shoulder girdle

4. The chest area

Steiner's preferred exercises for
training the Power Zones were
as follows.

For the legs and hips, Steiner
preferred:

1. Squats - full or parallel

2. Front squats

For the back, Steiner liked:

1. Barbell bent-over rowing

2. Power cleans

3. Power snatches

4. Bent-legged deadlifts

5. Stiff-legged deadlifts

6. High pulls - using either a clean
grip or a snatch grip

For the shoulders, Steiner
recommended:

1. Military press

2. Press behind neck

Note; Perform these in a standing
position, not seated.

For the chest, Steiner advocated:

1. Barbell bench press

2. Incline dumbbell press

Of course, you wouldn't use all of
these in one workout - or even in
one program. You'd pick three to six
movements, train them hard for a
while, and then replace some or all
of them with different exercises.

We'll cover sets and reps tomorrow.
Be looking for it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For much more about training
the Power Zones - and about building
Herculean strength and muscle mass
from head to toe - grab Strength,
Muscle and Power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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. 2. Thought for the Day

"Train for strength. Everything else
will follow." 

- 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

All Out Exercises for Strength and Power!

Hitting it hard at age 60 - and having lots of fun doing it!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I hope you had a great weekend, and if
you trained, I hope it was a good one.

And I hope this is a great training week
for you.

Speaking of training, let's talk a bit more
about Bradley J. Steiner's "Essential
Exercises."

I covered this in an email last week.

If you missed it, go to the Dinosaur Training
Blog and read it there. By the way, I post all
of my emails on the Blog, so if you ever miss
an email, you can always find it at the Blog.

You can access the Blog from the drop down
bar at my website.

Or just follow this link:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2017/04/steiners-top-21-exercises-do-you-do-them.html

Anyhow, one of Steiner's essential exercises for
the back was the power clean.

I agree that the power clean belongs on the list,
but I'd go a bit further and add a number of
other weightlifting movements to the program.

Some people call these "All Out" exercises. That's
an excellent term for them.

And I'll tell you something else. I very much wish
that someone had taught me to focus on these
exercises when I was a kid. It would have been
the best thing ever for my wrestling. I was a
very good wrestler in high school -- I won a
state championship in Greco-Roman wrestling --
but I would have been twice as good if I had
trained with All Out exercises.

So here are some exercises that I consider to
be "Essential Exercises" for athletes -- and for
anyone who wants to increase their strength
and power enormously:

1. Power cleans

2. Clean grip high pulls

3. Power Snatches

4. Snatch grip high pulls

5. The power clean and press

6. The power clean and push press

7. The power clean and jerk

8. Push presses

9. Jerks

10. Snatch grip deadlifts

11. Clean grip deadlifts

12. Snatch grip or clean grip deadlifts
with a shrug at the top of the movement.

All of the exercises listed above provide a
number of very important benefits. They
simultaneously:

1. Build your strength and explosive power.

2. Improve your speed, balance, coordination,
timing and athleticism.

3. Train the heck out of your legs, back, hips
and shoulder girdle (which are the true keys
to Herculean super strength).

4. Build strong, thick bones.

5. Strengthen your nervous system, and help
maintain a strong mind-muscle link and
athletic movement patterns -- which makes
them very important for healthy aging.

For details on how to work these movements
into your training programs, see:

1. Chalk and Sweat (50 workouts from beginners
to advanced men, with many workouts featuring
weightlifting exercises):

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power (29 chapters covering
a huge variety of topics, including how to add Olympic
lifting to your programs):

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

3. The Doug Hepburn Training Course (how the 1953
World Weightlifting champion trained):

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

Note: also available in a Kindle edition - see
the Kindle link in the P.S. below.

4. Gray Hair and Black Iron (how older lifters can
train safely and effectively with Olympic lifting
movements):

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

5. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 (covers many
different training approaches for cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas, including some excellent weightlifting
workouts):

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Note: also available in Kindle and PDF
editions - see the links in the P.S. below.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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: "Build strength
and power with All Out exercises!" 
-- Brooks Kubik

If you enjoyed this Blog post, you'll love my Dinosaur Training books and courses. You can get them in PDF and hard-copy editions at my website or in Kindle editions at Amazon. Note that you do NOT need a Kindle device to read the Kindle books and courses - Amazon has a free app that you can download to read Kindle books on any device. For a complete list of my Kindle books, go here: http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

Steiner's Top 21 Exercises - Do You Do Them?

Hitting it hard at age 60 - and still using the kind of heavy, compound barbell exercises that Brad Steiner recommended 50 years ago.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, my favorite Iron Game
author was Bradley. J. Steiner.  His work
appeared regularly in Strength and Health,
Muscular Development and Iron Man.

One of Steiner's classic series of articles
was a four-part opus titled, "The Essential
Exercises." It ran in Iron Man way back in
1969 or 1970.

For those of you who missed these articles
the first time around, here are Bradley J.
Steiner's "Essential Exercises."

Note that  there aren't too many of them --
and that they don't require much in the
way of equipment -- and they can be
performed in most home gym settings.

Steiner was a home gym trainer, and
believed that it was best to train at
home whenever possible. (For the
record, I agree with him.)

At the time he wrote his four-part series,
he trained in an apartment in Brooklyn --
using thick rubber pads to keep from
disturbing the neighbors when he lowered
the bar to the floor!

By the way, here it is 50 years later, and
I'm using thick rubber mats to train outside
on the concrete driveway. Some things never
change!

Arms and shoulders

1. Barbell curls (strict)

2. Dumbbell curls (standing, seated or lying
back on an incline bench)

3. Press behind neck (standing or
seated)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite shoulder
exercise, by far.

4. Military press (strict)

Getting ready for a set of front squats. The towels help me hold onto the bar with my elbows raised high and the bar resting on my deltoids and wedged tight against my throat.  Note that the towels are for front squats only, not back squats. Use a Safety Squat Bar or Dave Draper's Top Squat device if you have tight shoulders and can't hold the bar for back squats.

5. Dumbbell presses (both arms together
or alternate arm style)

Note: Steiner did not believe in doing direct
exercises for the triceps, such as french presses
or triceps extensions. He believed they put too
much stress on the elbow joints. He also believed
(as did John Grimek) that overhead presses in
strict form were the very best exercise for the
triceps. Steiner also believed that bench
pressing was a great exercise for the triceps.

Chest

1. Light breathing pullovers with dumbbells
(performed after squats, with light weights,
and lots of deep breathing, solely as a way
to help expand the rib-cage)

2. Bench press (strict!)

3. Dumbbell incline press (strict and heavy)

Back

1. Power cleans

Note: Steiner also liked high pulls.

2. Stiff-legged deadlifts

Note: this was Steiner's favorite exercise
for the low back.

3. The good morning exercise

4. Barbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite
exercise for the upper back.

5. Dumbbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

6. Shoulder shrugs (barbell or
dumbbell)

7. Bridging (for neck development)

Note: This was the first time I ever saw
anyone recommend neck training in a
muscle magazine.

Finishing a snatch at the outdoor gym here at Dino Headquarters.The snatch wasn't on Steiner's list of the top 21 exercises, but it's certainly a good one. And he did like power cleans and high pulls.

Legs

1. Squats

Note: As you might imagine, Steiner believed
that squats were the single best exercise.

2. The straddle lift

Note: I think Steiner liked this exercise
because John Grimek did them. He was
a big Grimek fan.

3. Calf raises

Midsection

1. Leg raises -- preferably with iron boots

2. Dumbbell side-bends

3. Sit-ups with weight resistance -- preferably
on a sit-up board

And that was it. A total of 21 exercises. In Steiner's
opinion, the 21 BEST exercises. The "Essential
Exercises."

You may or may not agree with Steiner's choices,
although you probably agree with many of them.
But I like the idea of picking THE BEST exercises
and building your training programs around them.

There are literally thousands of exercises to do, but
you only have so much time and energy -- so why
not focus on the very best movements?

By the way, the fact that Steiner selected 21
"Essential exercises" did not mean you were
supposed to do all 21. You might use only five
or six in any one training program. But that's
a topic for another day.

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. We have some great new books and
courses for you:

1. The Trap Bar Training Guide 

John Wood's The Trap Bar Training Guide
has been selling like hotcakes on Kindle.

Go here to grab a copy:

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

It's been getting great reviews and off
the charts ratings. Let me know how
you like it!

2.  The February Dinosaur Files

Is now available in your choice of Kindle
or PDF formats:

Go here for the Kindle edition:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_february2017kindle.html

Go here for the PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

If you get the Kindle edition, pls
leave a review. They really help us!

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: "For best
results, use the best exercises." 

-- Brooks Kubik

If you enjoyed this Blog post, you'll love my Dinosaur Training books and courses. You can get them in PDF and hard-copy editions at my website or in Kindle editions at Amazon. Note that you do NOT need a Kindle device to read the Kindle books and courses - Amazon has a free app that you can download to read Kindle books on any device. For a complete list of my Kindle books, go here: http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

What's Your Favorite Exercise?

We have 23 books in the Kindle bookstore. This the latest one. You can grab it right here: http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought I'd start the day with a question
for the Dinos.

Send in your answer, and I'll share the
results with the Dino Nation.

Here's the question:

What's your favorite exercise -- and why?

And while you're thinking about it, I'll
share my answer.

1. My favorite exercise has changed over
the years. Of course, that's to be expected,
since I've been training for over half a
century.

2. I've always enjoyed virtually every
exercise I've ever done, so at any point
in time I've had a number of favorite
exercises.

3. In picking a favorite exercise, I look
at how much I enjoy performing the
movement -- and also at how it makes
me feel immediately after I finish -- as
well as how it makes me feel later in
the day and the next day.

Old-school split snatches are fast, fun and effective.

4. And, of course, I look at the results
the exercise gives me.

5. It's hard to pick just ONE favorite
exercise!

6. Past favorites have included bottom
position squats and bottom position
bench presses  -- as well as seated
presses on an 80 degree incline
bench, which I also performed
bottom position style.

a. These were probably the best strength
and muscle mass movements I ever did.

7. One hand barbell snatches were a
favorite once.

8. So was the barbell clean and press.

9. And the one-hand dumbbell swing.

10. Ditto for some of the advanced pull-up
variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

11. Along with handstand push-ups and
some of the other push-ups covered in
DBT.

a. And the one-hand barbell deadlift.

b. The farmer's walk.

c. Sandbag and barrel lifting.


d. Heavy partials in the power rack.

e. The seated press behind neck.

f. Heavy barbell curls.

g. The Trap Bar deadlift.

g. And the list, as they say, goes on and
on.

Having fun with one of my favorite exercises.

12. My current favorites are snatches,
clean and jerks, high pulls, and front
squats.

a. I love the feel of these movements.

b. And I love how I feel when I finish a
hard workout built around these
exercises.

c. And I love the way they make me
feel -- as in, strong, healthy and energized.

And my favorite is -- I honestly don't
know.

Probably one of the four movements I
currently do -- or all of them.

That's not a definitive answer, but it's the
best I can do. And it may very well change
over time.

But in any case, let me know what YOUR
favorite exercise is. So give it some
thought, and fire in an email.

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. You'll find some terrific exercises in
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. Who
knows -- they might end up being your
new favorites!

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses --
including links to all of my e-books on
Kindle -- are right here at Dino
Headquarters:

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool_01-kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
like friends -- choose them wisely."
--Brooks Kubik

Whatever your favorite exercise, life is better when it includes regular workouts.

Exercise RX for Older Dinos

Hail to the Dinos!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. The Complete List.

We have 22 books in the Kindle bookstore
right now - with more coming all the time.

Here's the complete list, with links to all
of them:

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

Of course, we also offer our books and
courses in hard-copy editions -- and we
offer many of them in PDF editions, as
well.

2. We're on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram.

I may be a Dinosaur, but you can find me on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It's a great
way to keep in touch.

I've been posting photos from the new
Dino Dungeon. Check them out:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/?hl=en

3. Exercise RX for Mature Dinos.

We received a ton of questions and comments
in response to yesterday's email about the best
exercises for healthy aging.

We had great feedback from many older Dinos
who train on basic barbell and dumbbell exercises,
and who stand on their feet for most of their
training. They're loving it, and they're getting
great results. They look good, they feel good,
and they're way younger than their years.

We had other Dinos who were concerned that
power cleans or power snatches might be too
hard for older Dinos to learn -- or might be
dangerous for older Dinos.

So let me address the concerns.

1. If you don't want to do power cleans or
power snatches, then don't do them.

a. I like them, and I do them, but that
doesn't mean that YOU have to do them.

2. If you have never done power cleans
and power snatches before, then you need
to learn how to do them properly,
correctly and safely.

a. Most people don't take the time to learn
how to perform power cleans and power
snatches the right way. They end up doing
them wrong, and that can lead to injuries.

b. The best way to learn how to do power
cleans and power snatches is to get some
one on one coaching from an expert. As in,
a weightlifting coach. One or two sessions
can make all the difference in the world.

3. If you have dings and dents that make
any given exercise painful or difficult, then
do a different exercise.

a. Most older trainees have dings or dents
of one sort or another -- and that means
all of us need to choose exercises that
allow us to train pain-free.

4. You can get all of the benefits of cleans
and snatches by doing clean grip high pulls
and snatch grip high pulls.

a. High pulls are easier to learn and require
less flexibility -- but it's still a very good
idea to get some one on one coaching.

5. If you prefer dumbbells or kettlebells for
snatches and cleans, then use them.

a. Many mature Dinos find that dumbbells
are easier on their joints than barbells.

6. If you prefer to do deadlifts, squats and
presses or push presses, and skip the cleans
and snatches, that's fine, too.

a. The important thing is to do ground based
training -- and squats, deadlifts and presses
or push presses are terrific ground based
exercises.

7. If you're older and squats hurt your knees,
then do deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts.

a. I like the ORIGINAL Trap Bar - the Gerard
Trap Bar. Get it here:

http://www.trapbartraining.com/

b. If back squats are too hard on your lower
back (as they are for some older Dinos), then
try front squats.

The important thing is to do barbell and dumbbell
(or kettlebell) exercises rather than machine
exercises -- and to spend the majority of your
training time on ground-based exercises.

The more time you spend standing on your feet
and lifting stuff, the better.

Why?

Because that's what the human body is designed
to do.

Our entire muscular and neuromuscular system
goes into overdrive when we stand on our feet
and lift heavy stuff.

That's why it's so good for us -- and why it feels
so good -- and why it's so very important to do.

I hope that clarifies things. If you have questions
or comments, shoot me an email.

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. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training gives you a
wide variety of stand on your feet dumbbell
exercises for all-around strength and power.
They're fun to do -- and they're great for
Dinos of any age:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Whatever your
age, you're always the right age to train."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Clean and Press Questions

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Note: We've had massive thunder storms
all night in Louisville, so if this message
is dripping water or you find a large Ohio
River catfish in it, you'll know why.

In any case, here we go.

Two quick notes, and then we'll cover some
clean and press questions from Dinos in
response to yesterday's email.

1.The January Dino Files

Some of you missed it, so here are the links
again:

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017.html

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017kindle.html

Amazon hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017hardcopy.html

The Amazon hard-copy is something new,
so it's  a bit of an experiment. If you order
the hard-copy, let me know how you like
it.

2. The February Dino Files

Is out in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

The February issue comes with three
special bonus features. Let me know
how you like them!

We'll get the Kindle and hard-copy issues
up as soon as we can. I'll send the links
when they're ready.

3. Clean and Press Questions

We received a ton of emails in response to
yesterday's post about the clean and press.
Many of you had questions -- so I'll try to
answer the most common ones in this email.

Q. Do you do a full clean and a full press on
each rep?

A. Yes. That's why it's called the clean and
press. The clean works the legs, hips and
back. The press works the shoulders, triceps,
and traps. So you need to do both to make
it a total body exercise.

Of course, if you are doing a regular workout
with other exercises, you can do the cleans as
a separate exercise and the presses as an
exercise of their own -- i.e., one clean followed
by a set of multiple rep presses.

Q. Do you lower the bar to the platform for
each clean or can you do hang cleans?

If you're using a barbell, I prefer to do each
rep from the platform. Clean it, press it, lower
it to the platform, get set, and repeat.

Cleans from the platform are a much better
exercise than hang cleans.

Q. High reps in cleans hurt my elbows. What
should I do?

Stick to lower reps! In the example I gave
yesterday, the higher reps (8 and 10 rep
sets) were all progressively heavier
warm-up sets. The reps were 5 or less
for the heavy sets. Personally, I do all
lower reps -- often all singles -- in the
clean and press.

Also, if cleans hurt your elbows, you are
either doing them wrong or need to work
on your flexibility and rack position.

Q. Is the power clean a functional
movement?

A. It's as functional as they come. Power
cleans (and power snatches) build strength,
power, balance, coordination, timing and
athleticism. These are the qualities that
make an athlete -- or that let you move
like an athlete.

Moreover -- and pay attention, because this
is important -- the high speed of these
movements and the need for deep, intense
concentration and split-second timing may
strengthen the neurological system very
profoundly.

Some researchers even believe that these
exercises may help keep your brain healthy
and young as you grow older. In other
words, "athletic exercises" such as cleans
and snatches promote healthy brain function
and healthy aging.

Also, many older people have great difficulty
just walking around. Cleans and snatches
help keep you walking.

From a "function" point of view, that's hard
to beat.

Q. Do you lower the bar to the platform or
drop it?

A. If you train on a lifting platform and use
rubber bumper plates, you can drop the bar.

If you don't have a lifting platform or you
use iron plates, you need to lower the bar.

Note that "back in the day" everyone used
iron plates, so they all lowered the bar. It's
easy to do: you lower the bar to the shoulders,
then to the upper thighs, and then to the
floor or platform. Pause at each step of the
process.

Twenty years ago, I trained with an old
barbell and iron plates, lifting on a concrete
floor in my basement. I worked up to
275 in the clean and press -- and I
never dropped the bar. It can be done.

That should answer most of the questions
we received. If you have more, the answer
is probably going to be in The Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
course. Go here to grab a copy:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

PDF copy

See the links to all of our PDF books and
courses at our Products page (below).

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. I almost forgot! Several of you asked
about the dumbbell clean and press and how
to perform it. Grab this:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training (book)

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Old school
training works -- and it's been working
for a very long time." -- Brooks Kubik

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

John Grimek's No. 1 Exercise!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk
training.

1. The Dinosaur Files.

Here's the link to the January issue of the
Dinosaur Files in PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-february2017.html

We'll get the Kindle edition up as soon
as we can, since so many of you are
Kindle fans.

This issue comes with three bonus
features. Let me know how you like
them.

2. 22 and Counting!

Speaking of Kindle, we offer 22 Kindle
books and courses. Here's the complete
list:

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

3. John Grimek's No. 1 Exercise!

And now, let's talk training.

For some reason, the most common question
on Internet strength training forums is this:

"If you could do just ONE exercise, what would
it be, and why?"

The most common answers are:

1. Squats -- because "they're the best exercise
for all-around strength and muscle mass."

2. Deadlifts -- because "they're even better than
squats and you can do them even if you don't
have squat stands or a power rack."

3. Trap Bar deadlifts -- because "they're a cross
between a deadlift and a squat."

4. The pec deck -- because -- sorry, just kidding,
no one actually says this.

a. Thank goodness.

b. Although some people probably think it.

5. The clean and press -- because "it works all
of the muscles."

Those are all good answers (other than no. 4).
But what would John Grimek have said?

We actually KNOW what he would have said
because he once wrote an article about it.

Grimek was hands-down a fan of the clean and
press.

In Grimek's opinion, if you could only do one
exercise, you should do the clean and press.

He believed the clean and press would give
you a great total body workout.

Grimek followed his usual pattern of suggesting
that you start light, add weight from set to set,
and drop the reps as you added weight.

Thus, you might do something like this:

50 x 10 (light warm-up)

100 x 10

120 x 8

130 x 8

140 x 7

150 x 6

160 x 5

170 x 3

180 x 2

190 x 1

200 x 1 (if you're feeling strong that day)

If you want to focus more on strength and
power do lower reps -- something like
5/4/3/2/1 or 5 x 3 or 8 x 2 -- or singles.

Anyhow, that was John Grimek's answer --
and I tend to agree with him!

What do YOU think? Shoot me an email and
let me know.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover the military press in 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

PDF

See the links to our PDF courses:

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

P.S. 2.  You'll also enjoy the Training Secrets of
John Grimek:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Load the bar, lift the
bar, and repeat. It's not rocket science."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

What's Your Favorite Exercise?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk
iron.

1. The Dinosaur Files

We have a combined November -
December issue of the Dinosaur
Files that's just about ready to
launch in PDF format. It should
be ready today or tomorrow. Be
looking for the link.

2. Christmas Orders

It's getting close to Christmas - so
get those orders in so we can get
your books and courses shipped to
you. We want to be sure they get
there in time for the big day!

3. What's Your Favorite Exercise?

I thought I'd start the day with a
question for the Dinos.

What's your favorite exercise -- and
why?

And while you're thinking about it, I'll
share my answer.

1. My favorite exercise has changed over
the years. Of course, that's to be expected,
since I've been training for over half a
century.

2. I've always enjoyed virtually every
exercise I've ever done, so at any point
in time I've had a number of favorite
exercises.

3. In picking a favorite exercise, I look
at how much I enjoy performing the
movement -- and also at how it makes
me feel immediately after I finish -- as
well as how it makes me feel later in
the day and the next day.

4. And, of course, I look at the results
the exercise gives me.

5. It's hard to pick just ONE favorite
exercise.

6. Past favorites have included bottom
position squats and bottom position
bench presses  -- as well as seated
presses on an 80 degree incline
bench, which I also performed
bottom position style.

a. These were probably the best strength
and muscle mass movements I ever did.

7. One hand barbell snatches were a
favorite once.

8. So was the barbell clean and press.

9. And the one-hand dumbbell swing.

10. Ditto for some of the advanced pull-up
variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

11. Along with handstand push-ups and some
of the other push-ups covered in DBT.

a. And the one-hand barbell deadlift.

b. The farmer's walk.

c. Sandbag and barrel lifting.

d. Heavy partials in the power rack.

e. The seated press behind neck.

Note: Loved these when I was young -
but don't go near them now. They're
too hard on the shoulder joints.

f. Heavy barbell curls.

g. The Trap Bar deadlift.

g. And the list, as they say, goes on
and on.

12. My current favorites are snatches,
clean and jerks, high pulls, and front
squats.

a. I love the feel of these movements.

b. And I love how I feel when I finish a
hard workout built around these exercises.
c. I also love the way they make me feel --
as in, strong, healthy and energized.

And my current no. 1 favorite of them all
is -- I honestly don't know.

Probably one of the four movements I
currently do -- or all of them.

That's not a definitive answer, but it's the
best I can do. And it may very well change
over time.

But in any case, let me know what YOUR
favorite exercise is. So give it some
thought, and fire in an email. I'll share
the best responses or a summary of
them -- unless the consensus is lateral
raises, pec dec pumpers and concentration
curls -- although that doesn't seem likely.
After all, if you're reading this, you're a
Dinosaur!

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. You'll find some terrific exercises in
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training. Who knows -- they
might end up being your new favorites!

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links
to my PDF courses and e-books on Kindle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
like friends -- you should choose them wisely."
--Brooks Kubik

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

All Out Exercises for Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

On the training front, let's talk a bit more
about Bradley J. Steiner's "Essential Exercises."

I covered them in an email several days ago.

If you missed it, go to the Dinosaur Training
Blog and read it there. By the way, I post all
of my emails on the Blog, so if you ever miss
an email, you can always find it at the Blog.

You can access the Blog from the drop down
bar at my website.

Or, just follow this link:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2016/12/steiners-top-21-exercises-do-you-do-them.html

Anyhow, one of Steiner's essential exercises for
the back was the power clean.

I agree that the power clean belongs on the list,
but I'd go a bit further and add a number of
other weightlifting movements to the program.

Some people call these "All Out" exercises. That's
an excellent term for them.

And I'll tell you something else. I very much wish
that someone had taught me to focus on these
exercises when I was a kid. It would have been
the best thing ever for my wrestling. I was a
very good wrestler in high school -- I won a
state championship in Greco-Roman wrestling --
but I would have been twice as good if I had
trained with All Out exercises.

So here are some exercises that I consider to
be "Essential Exercises" for athletes -- and for
anyone who wants to increase their strength
and power enormously:

1. Power cleans

Note: If you know how to do them, you can
use squat cleans instead. Or train both
movements.

2. Clean grip high pulls

3. Power Snatches

Note: If you know how to do them, you can
train split snatches or squat snatches. Or
train power snatches and your choice of
split or squat snatches.

4. Snatch grip high pulls

5. The power clean and press

Note: You can squat clean and press if you
prefer squat cleans. Ditto for the next two
movements.

6 . The power clean and push press

7. The power clean and jerk

8. Push presses

9. Jerks

Note: These can be power jerks or split
jerks.

10. Snatch grip deadlifts

11. Clean grip deadlifts

12. Snatch grip or clean grip deadlifts
with a shrug at the top of the movement

All of the exercises listed above provide
multiple benefits. They simultaneously:

1. Build your strength and explosive power.

2. Improve your speed, balance, coordination,
timing and athleticism.

3. Train the heck out of your legs, back, hips
and shoulder girdle (which are the true keys
to Herculean super strength).

4. Build strong, thick bones.

5. Strengthen your nervous system, and help
maintain a strong mind-muscle link and
athletic movement patterns -- which makes
them very important for healthy aging.

For details on how to work these movements
into your training programs, see:

1. Chalk and Sweat (50 workouts for anyone from
beginners to advanced trainees, with many workouts
featuring weightlifting exercises):

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power (29 chapters covering
a huge variety of topics, including how to add Olympic
lifting to your programs):

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

3. Black Iron: The John Davis Story (reveals World
and Olympic champion John Davis' actual training
programs):

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

4. The Doug Hepburn Training Course (how the 1953
World Weightlifting champion trained):

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

Note: This one is also available in Kindle and PDF
editions -- see the links at our Products page,
which is right here:

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

5. Gray Hair and Black Iron (how older lifters can
train safely and effectively with Olympic lifting
movements):

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

6. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 (covers many
different training approaches for cellar dwellers and
garage gorillas, including some excellent weightlifting
workouts):

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Note: This also is available in Kindle and PDF editions.
See the links at our Products page.

7. If you need help on how to perform the movements,
see my Going Strong at 54 DVD:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.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. Thought for the Day: "You're never too
old to learn something new, and you're never
too old to lift!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Essential Exercises - Do You Do Them?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, my favorite Iron Game
author was Bradley. J. Steiner.  His work
appeared regularly in Strength and Health,
Muscular Development and Iron Man.

One of Steiner's classic series of articles
was a four-part opus titled, "The Essential
Exercises." It ran in Iron Man way back in
1969 or 1970.

For those of you who missed these articles
the first time around, here are Bradley J.
Steiner's "Essential Exercises." Note that
there aren't too many of them -- and that
they don't require much in the way of
equipment -- and they can be performed
in most home gym settings. Steiner was
a home gym trainer, and believed that
it was best to train at home whenever
possible. At the time he wrote his four-
part series, he trained in an apartment
in Brooklyn -- using thick rubber pads
to keep from disturbing the neighbors
when he lowered the bar to the floor!

Arms and shoulders

1. Barbell curls (strict)

2. Dumbbell curls (standing, seated or lying
back on an incline bench)

3. Press behind neck (standing or
seated)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite shoulder
exercise, by far.

4. Military press (strict)

5. Dumbbell presses (both arms together
or alternate arm style)

Note: Steiner did not believe in doing direct
exercises for the triceps, such as french presses
or triceps extensions. He believed they put too
much stress on the elbow joints. He also believed
(as did John Grimek) that overhead presses in
strict form were the very best exercise for the
triceps. Steiner also believed that bench pressing
was a great exercise for the triceps.

Chest

1. Light breathing pullovers with dumbbells
(performed after squats, with light weights
and lots of deep breathing, solely as a way
to help expand the rib-cage)

2. Bench press (strict!)

3. Dumbbell incline press (strict and heavy)

Back

1. Power cleans

Note: Steiner also liked high pulls.

2. Stiff-legged deadlifts

Note: this was Steiner's favorite exercise
for the low back.

3. The good morning exercise

4. Barbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

Note: This was Steiner's favorite
exercise for the upper back.

5. Dumbbell bent-over rowing (strict!)

6. Shoulder shrugs (barbell or
dumbbell)

7. Bridging (for neck development)

Note: This was the first time I ever saw
anyone recommend neck training in a
muscle magazine.

Legs

1. Squats

Note: As you might imagine, Steiner believed
that squats were the single best exercise.

2. The straddle lift

Note: I think Steiner liked this exercise
because John Grimek did them. He was
a big Grimek fan.

3. Calf raises

Midsection

1. Leg raises -- preferably with iron boots

2. Dumbbell side-bends

3. Sit-ups with weight resistance -- preferably
on a sit-up board

And that was it. A total of 21 exercises. In Steiner's
opinion, the 21 BEST exercises. The "Essential
Exercises."

You may or may not agree with Steiner's choices,
although you probably agree with many of them.
But I like the idea of picking THE BEST exercises
and building your training programs around them.
There are literally thousands of exercises to do, but
you only have so much time and energy -- so why
not focus on the very best movements?

By the way, the fact that Steiner selected 21
"Essential exercises" did not mean you were
supposed to do all 21. You might use only five
or six in any one training program. But that's
a topic for another day.

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. The July issue of the Dinosaur Files is
getting rave reviews from Dinos around the
world.

Here's the link to grab the July issue
of the Dinosaur Files in Kindle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016-kindle.html

If you prefer PDF format, go here
to grab the July Dinosaur Files in
PDF:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_july2016.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "For best results,
focus your effort on the best exercises."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Favorite Exercises of the Dinosaurs (Part 1)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We've received some great feedback in
response to my email about my favorite
exercises.

Here are some of the favorite exercises
of your fellow Dinosaurs:

Three Good Ones!

Hi Brooks,

Three favorite exercises come to mind:

1. Farmer's carry with two 100 lb. sandbags

2. Overhead press with a 2" bar. Can't beat it!

3. Heavy pause front squats. Brutal!

All the best!

Rich Madigan

An Old School Favorite!

Handstand Pushups!  Very, very few people
can do them and they really make you feel
strong in the arms and shoulders.  These
really separate the men from the boys and
they can be trained progressively.

Charles Mitchell

Four Favorites - Including a Dr. Ken Special

Hi Brooks!

These are my favorite exercises.  Not in any
order, just the ones I like the best.

1. Push Press

2. Pulls

3. Front Squat

4. Stiff Leg Dead Lift on a block (knees are
slightly bent)  1x12 warm-up slow, then one
all out set 1 x 6  per Dr Ken.

Take care -  Rich Frisk

A Walk-Around Work-Around

Ordinarily, I would say that the deadlift is my
favorite exercise. However, I have recently
been battling with Patellofemoral syndrome
and so anything that really involves bending
of my knees causes pretty intense pain/swelling.

As a result, I have been searching for a good
multi-joint, compound move that could take
place of the deadlift temporarily. So, right
now, Farmers Walk has been my go to
exercise!

It allows me to not have to bend my knees
much, so no pain, and it also allows me to
handle some respectable weight, so I still
get good indirect impact on the rest of my
body and metabolism.

Dustin Jones

Those are good choices! We have more emails
from the Dinos, and we'll share them soon. In
the meantime, don't be shy - shoot me an email
and let me know YOUR favorite exercises!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for the May-June
issue of The Dinosaur Files - be sure
to check out the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_mayjune2016.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises are
the tools of the trade for a strongman. Use
the very best ones." - Brooks Kubik

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

What's Your Favorite Exercise?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk training.

1. The June-July Dinosaur Files

Do you have your copy yet?

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_mayjune2016.html

Kindle edition

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_mayjune2016-kindle.html

And now -- let's talk training.

2. What's Your favorite Exercise?

Do you have a favorite exercise? If so, what is it? And
why?

I've had different favorite exercises over the years. It
varies depending on my workout and my current
training goals.

My favorite exercise is usually one that I'm good at --
and one that feels good to perform, even when you're
hitting it as hard as you can. It's always an exercise
that requires some real effort -- and one where I
leave lots of sweat behind after every workout.

Some of my past favorites have been:

1. Bottom position squats in the power rack

2. Bottom position bench presses in the power rack
with a regular bar or a thick bar

3. The power clean and military press or push press

4. The one-arm dumbbell swing

5. Different variations of Dinosaur pull-ups, as
detailed in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training --
especially double rope pull-ups.

6. Handstand pushups

7. Very heavy but strict barbell curls, which I
always thought of as "power curls" because
that's what they were.

Trap Bar deadlifts have been very close to favorite
exercise status -- and maybe they were at one time,
but seven is a good number for a list, so I'll stop
there.

Ditto for presses and push presses from the rack --
and ditto for barrel lifting -- and sandbag lifting --
and anvil lifting -- and one-arm deadlifts -- and
80 degree incline presses in the power rack,
starting with the bar on pins at the chest --
and the farmer's walk --  and, heck, I could
go on and on.

I love my training. Almost every exercise is my
favorite exercise.

And I guess that's a good thing.

My current training focuses on weightlifting, so I
mostly do split style snatches, squat style cleans
and split style jerks. Not much else, other than
front squats or back squats with the Dave Draper
Top Squat.

I like them all, but my favorite is a toss-up between
split style snatches and squat cleans. I enjoy them
because they're challenging, and because I enjoy
the feel of the fast, athletic movements. It's a
different sort of feeling than a slower exercise
such as a deadlift, press or curl. I suppose I like
them because I didn't do them when I was
younger, and so they are a new exercise for
me.

So those are some of MY favorite exercises.
What are yours? Drop a line and let me know!

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. Doug Hepburn's favorite exercises were probably
the bench press, the press from squat stands or the
push press from squat stands. You can read about his
life and lifting in this great course:

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

It's also available in PDF or Kindle - follow the
below link to our products page and look for
the sections of PDF and Kindle products:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Training is fun, and
hitting your favorite exercises hard and heavy is
the most fun of all." -- Brooks Kubik

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