Some Thick Bar Safety Tips that Could Save Your Life!

Going strong at age 61 - after more than a half century of physical training - and I'm able to do it because I've avoided unnecessary injuries.  Here are some important safety tips for all Dinos to follow when they use thick-handled barbells and dumbbells. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk training -
as in, some very important thick bar safety
tips.

And pay attention, because these tips could
literally save your life.

1. Good Stuff for Dinos

We have some great new stuff for Dinos,
with more on the way soon.

The March Dino Files is right here:

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

Grab it and read it  because the April
issue will be ready before you know it.

The John Wood Report is getting great
reviews - and you can grab the first two
issues right here:

Issue No. 1

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-01.html

Issue No. 2

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport-02.html

And yesterday John Wood released Steve
Pulcinella's Iron Sport Gym 16-Week Power
Program - which is pretty good - and it's
available right here:

http://www.ironsport.com/shop/pdf/ironsport-workout-001/

So get ready for some great reading this
weekend!

2. Our Facebook Groups

John Wood has set up a terrific Facebook Group
called Strength Secrets. You have to apply for
membership, but if you tell John I sent you,
you should get in pretty easily.

In addition, Bill Hinbern and I are running a
Facebook Group called Dinosaur Training -
Brooks Kubik. You have to apply for member-
ship in that one, as well - but say you heard
about it here, and you'll be fine.

These are CLOSED groups to keep out the
bots, the snake-oil salesmen, and the roiders,
so they're pretty good. My advice is to join
both of them.

3. Some Thick Bar Safety Tips

I wrote about thick bars earlier in the week,
and I wanted to follow up with some very
important thick bar safety tips.

Don't do thick bar squats.

It's too easy to have the bar roll down your
back, and that could cause a very bad injury.

Plus, there's no benefit to them compared to
using a regular bar.

Be careful with overhead work.

If you use a thick bar for overhead presses,
push presses or jerks, be very careful. You
don't want to drop the bar on your head,
neck or upper back.

The same goes for overhead carries with
a thick bar.

Now, you may think this is an unnecessary
caution - but not long ago some high school
athletes were carrying a heavy log as part
of their workout - and something happened,
and the log fell, and it killed one of the kids.

Personally, I prefer to use thick bars for
deadlifts, curls, reverse curls and the
rectangular fix. I use a regular bar for
overhead work.

Use a power rack for thick bar bench
presses.

VERY IMPORTANT -- as in, life and death
important:

If you do thick bar bench presses, do them
in a power rack, with the pins set to catch the
bar if you drop it. A spotter won't be able to
catch a heavily loaded thick bar if it comes
crashing down suddenly.

And remember, I've seen experienced lifters
drop a regular bar on their chest - and that
was in a National Bench Press contest, with
two very experienced spotters - but it
happened so fast they couldn't catch the
bar.

So it can happen.

And do you remember the college football
player a few years ago - the one who dropped
a bar on his throat and almost died?

Not sure if that was a thick bar or not,
but again, it shows you what can happen.

Don't do thick bar dumbbell bench press
or incline press.

I would NOT do dumbbell bench press or
incline dumbbell bench press with thick-
handled dumbbells. Too easy to drop one,
and no way to catch it other than with your
teeth -- which would be bad.

And again, spotters may not be able to help.

Don't do double cleans or swings with
thick handled dumbbells.

If you do dumbbell cleans and swings with
a thick handled dumbbell, always use one
dumbbell at a time, so you can use your
non-lifting hand to help lower the
dumbbell.

It's very hard to hold onto a heavy
dumbbell when you lower it from above
your head or from your shoulder -- and
remember, your feet are directly beneath
the dumbbell. If you're holding a pair of
thick handled dumbbells, it is very
difficult to lower them safely.

I learned this when I cleaned a pair of
132 pound thick handled dumbbells. I'll
never forget the "What do I do now?"
thought that flashed through my mind
as I stood with the bells at my shoulders.

And that's it - unless you're thinking about
doing thick bar anything on roller-skates
or while standing on a Swiss ball - in which
case, you're on your own!

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're getting very close to the end of
the line for Strength, Muscle and Power -
and I'm not going to do another printing any
time soon - perhaps not ever - so if you want
a copy, grab it now:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Train hard, but train smart - and try
to avoid unnecessary injuries." 

-- 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

Are We Hard-Wired for Crazy Training?

Hard and heavy training is good - but hard, heavy and smart training is better. Sounds simple, but it's hard to "get" - and the reason may be that we're hard-wired for crazy training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll talk training in just a second - and cover
the question in the title of today's email - but
first let me cover some important updates.

1. Those Cool Shirts

John Wood has opened a t-shirt shop with all
kinds of terrific old-time strongman designs -
including shirts featuring John Grimek, the
Mighty Atom, Louis Cyr, old-time kettlebells
and kettlebell lifters, the Farmer Burns School
of Wrestling, the Great Gama, Eugene Sandow,
bare-knuckle boxing, grippers, Bosco, Joe
Kinney's No. 4 griper close, and much more.

It's called the Retro-Strength shop - and the
name pretty much says it all.

Right now, there are 31 designs - t- shirts,
coffee mugs, posters and more - and John
is adding more great swag all the time.
So check it out - and bookmark it - and
check it again every couple of days. You
never know what you'll find there:



https://www.retrostrength.com/shop/

John has been bringing great products to
serious Iron Slingers for over ten years -
and the Retro-strength shop is another
home run.

2. The February Dino Files

The little monster is right here - hot off the
presses, if I can use that term for a PDF
newsletter:

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

3. Four Left!

We're down to the last four copies of
Strength. Muscle and Power - and
we're not doing a reprint any time soon -
and perhaps not ever - so if you want a
copy, grab it now:

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

4. Are We hard-Wired to Train on
Reckless and Crazy Workouts?

In yesterday's email I talked about The
First Rule - which is part of the Hippocratic
Oath that all doctors swear to follow.

The First Rule is "Do No Harm."

I noted that no similar rule applies to the
crazy exercise stuff that people post on
social media.

The more dangerous - the more reckless -
the greater the risk of a career-ending
(or even life-ending) injury, the better.

At least for clicks and looks and likes and
shares and building a big army of followers.

And many trainees - even the ones who
are old enough to know better - do a lot
of dangerous, reckless and risky stuff in
their workouts.

Stuff that isn't even very productive or
effective - and that certainly isn't worth
the risk of injury.

I posted the email at the Dinosaur Training
Blog (where I post all of my daily emails),
and then put up a link at the Strength
Secrets Facebook Group (which all of
you should join - I'll give the link at the
end of today's email).

And one of our longtime Dinos asked a
very good question:

"Why do we have to learn this the hard
way - why do all of us do the crazy stuff
when we're young - and why do so many
of us keep on doing the crazy stuff even 
when it's obvious it's no good for our
bodies?"

Well, that's a good question.

I think the answer is that we're hard-wired
to do crazy and aggressive, high-adrenaline
activities. Especially men.

It's in our genes.

And there was a time when it was a good
thing for the survival of the human species.

It's what made a cave-man go charging up
against a giant cave-bear or a saber-tooth
tiger armed with nothing more than a
pointed stick.

And that was very good for the human
race.

Without it, we probably would have died
off long ago.

But that urge to charge right in, no matter
how dangerous the foe, isn't as helpful in
the modern world - and in particular, when
it comes to strength training.

Instead, it makes us fascinated with high-
risk exercises - and high-risk ways of
training.

And all too often, that can have serious
consequences.

Now, I'm NOT saying to take it easy when
you train - or to stick to the soft and gentle
stuff - or to baby yourself.

But I am saying that you should consider
the risk-benefit ratio of anything you do
when you train - and let your brain, rather
than a primal drive for high-adrenaline
adventures - dictate what you do and
how you do it.

I know that's hard, especially when so
much social media is showing the high-
octane, high-adrenaline stuff.

But you can be smarter than that - and
being smarter means you can keep on
training for a long, long time.

If you need some specific training ideas
and some detailed workouts for safe,
fun, and effective training, grab a copy
of Gray Hair and Black Iron:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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. Remember to grab the February issue
of The Dinosaur Files - and to check out
the Retro-Strength store!

The Dinosaur Files

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

The Retro-Strength Store


https://www.retrostrength.com/shop/

P.S. 2. Here's the link for the Strength
Secrets Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/strengthsecrets/

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Training should be challenging and
demanding - but not dangerous. Never
dangerous."

- 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

Train for the Game of Life!

There's a reason why I do everything standing on my feet now - and why I train for a combination of strength, balance, coordination and athletic movement.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll talk iron.

1. Two days Left!

Our big sale for Dinosaur Training t-shirts
ends at midnight on Tuesday - meaning,
tomorrow night.

In other words less than 48 hours.

Also referred to as: VERY SOON.

If you want to order one of our sharp-
looking new t-shirts, do it now. They
won't be available after the sale ends
tomorrow evening.

Go here to place your order:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-tshirt.html

If you have any questions, or you have
any trouble placing your order, shoot
me an email.

2. Training for the Game of Life

Here are some stats from the National
Council on Aging - taken from the U.S.
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention:

a. Every year, one out of four Americans
over the age of 65 suffers a slip and fall.

b. Every 11 seconds, an older adult is
treated in a hospital room for a slip
and fall; every 19 minutes, an older
adult dies from a fall.

c. Falls are the leading cause of non-
fatal injury among older adults.

d. Falls are the most common cause of
non-fatal, trauma-related hospital
admissions among older adults.

e. Every year, falls result in more than
2.8 million injuries treated in emergency
rooms - and of these, more than 800,000
require hospitalization - and 27,000
result in death.

f. In 2013, the total cost of fall-related
injuries was $34 billion.

g. As the population ages, the financial
toll for falls by older adults is expected
to reach $67.7 billion by 2020.

Many of us are either approaching or
past age 65 - and we need to start
thinking about how to avoid being
yet another statistic in the great slip
and fall epidemic.

The answer, of course, is pretty simple:

1. Do old-school, stand on your feet
strength training.

2. Train your legs, hips and back
extra hard.

3. In addition to your strength training,
do exercises that train balance and
stability.

4. Get out and walk - every single
day.

5. Don't do dumb stuff that leads to
injuries - because injuries affect your
balance and coordination - and that
causes falls.

6. Keep your weight under control.

7. If possible, learn to fall without
hurting yourself - and learn how to
get back up if you do fall.

Those are pretty simple, and you're
probably already doing some or all
of them.

But work them into your program.

Train for the game of life - because,
after all, we're talking about YOUR
life.

As always, thanks for reading. If you
train today, make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the no. 1 book on effective
strength training for older Dinos:

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

"The goal is strong, active and as
athletic as possible - at any age."

- 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

Train Hard, But Train Smart!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

American weightlifters have won a total of
15 Olympic gold medals.

It might have been 17, but two freak accidents
derailed two of our greatest lifters in their final
Olympics.

In 1956, Pete George was training in the York
Barbell Club gym -- one of the most famous
gyms in the world at the time. George had
won the World championship in 1947, 1951,
1953, 1954, and 1955 -- the silver medal at
the 1948 Olympics -- and the gold medal at
the 1952 Olympics. So a second gold medal
in 1956 was a very real possibility.

He hit a heavy lift in practice -- and the lifting
platform split apart under him as he hit the
squat position.

And with a heavy weight at your chest, that's
not good.

And that was a freak accident, if there ever was
one. The York Barbell Club was the last place
where you expected to see a World and Olympic
champion get hurt because of a bad lifting
platform.

So Pete George went to his last Olympics with a
pair of banged up legs from the freak accident --
and took second to a Russian lifter in a hard
fought contest.

In 1959, Tommy Kono was giving a lifting exhibition
to a group of Boy Scouts. He had won the Olympic
gold medal in 1952 and 1956, and was gunning for
a third gold medal in 1960.

Kono used the squat snatch in competition, but
decided to show the Boy Scouts the split snatch.

He used a mere 135 pounds -- well under his
World record of 294.5.

But somehow, he hurt his knee on that lift. Not
bad, but bad enough. It got worse and worse,
and was a real problem at the 1959 World
Championships. By the time of the 1960
Olympics, it was even worse. And Tommy
Kono ended up taking second place.

Now, please note -- I am NOT in any way
being critical of these great lifters. Their
accidents were freak events. Extreme
cases of bizarre bad luck.

But there's an important lesson for all of us:
Always do everything possible to avoid training
accidents.

Check your platform or training area before
lifting.

Be sure there's nothing (and no one) in your
way. Nothing to trip on, slip on, or stumble
over.

If you train outside, check for slick spots.

Wear good, high quality lifting shoes. Keep the
soles clean. When they wear out, buy new ones.

Check your bars, benches, racks, squat stands
and dumbbells before using them.

Make sure your bar is loaded correctly before
each set.

If you try a new exercise -- or an old exercise
that you haven't done for a while -- be very
smart, and go very light and easy. Take some
time to relearn the movement and to work on
the flexibility the movement requires.

Do NOT emulate the Facebook heroes and
YouTube warriors who try to set a new PR in
something they haven't done for a couple of
months (or a couple of years). (For some
reason, we see this all the time in the
deadlift -- which is truly a bad exercise
to max out on if you haven't been doing
it for a while.)

Don't go for a new PR 20 pounds over your
current best. Break it into smaller increments
and get there in 2.5 or 5 pound jumps.

Use a power rack or safety bars for squats
and bench presses -- with the bottom pins
set to catch the bar if you miss.

Make perfect form a priority on every rep and
every set.

Give yourself time for a good warm-up.

If you don't feel good, or you can't get loose
for some reason, make it a light day, and save
the heavy stuff for another time.

And don't even get me started about doing
barbell squats on a stability ball.

Despite your best efforts, a freak accident can
always happen. So do your very best to avoid
the accidents that are avoidable.

It might not mean the difference between an
Olympic gold medal and a silver medal -- but
it might mean the difference between a long
and healthy training career and getting
sidelined by an unnecessary injury.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Older Dinos need to give extra attention
to smart training, rest, recovery, recuperation,
and avoiding unnecessary wear and tear on
their bodies. Gray hair and Black Iron gives you
detailed advice on how to train and gain as an
older Dino:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "Train hard, but train
smart. As you get older, train smarter." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

A Word of Warning from Doug Hepburn!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I was looking at a copy of Hepburn's Law
the other day. It's an old training course
that we offered in our Big Book Sale here
at Dino Headquarters.

There was a chapter about injuries and how
to prevent them.

And Doug Hepburn gave this advice:

"Don't do dangerous and foolish lifts."

A line drawing on the opposite page shows
a trainee doing a heavy deadlift while standing
on a low platform or riser so the lift begins with
the bar almost touching the toes.

Now, some people swear by riser deadlifts.
They used to be part of the Swedish Deadlifting
Program back in the late 60s and early 70s -
and they worked great for some people.

And long before that, John Grimek did heavy
stiff legged deadlifts while standing on a box
or bench so he could lower the bar all the way
down to his toes.

And today, riser snatch pulls and clean pulls
are popular among many Olympic weightlifters.

So don't send me hate mail about riser dead-
lifts. That's not the point - although if you ever
DO try riser deadlifts, be sure you have the
flexibility and proportions to do them with a
flat back. They work for some people but
not for others.

Instead, focus on Hepburn's basic message.

Far too many trainees hurt themselves by
doing dangerous and foolish lifts. It's so
common now that it's a Facebook meme.
I often joke about it by referring to "squats
on roller skates."

But you really do see people doing squats
on stability balls - with a barbell on their
shoulders.

Which is something that looks impressive
(or perhaps insane), and thus, garners a
lot of traffic on social media.

But remember, all it takes is one slight
twist and you can blow out a knee or an
ankle - and that can make effective training
impossible for a very long time. Perhaps
forever.

So why do it?

Why even try it?

Why not knuckle down to some serious back
squats or front squats - performed in perfect
form - with a good series of progressively
heavier warm-up sets before your work set
or work sets?

It's not as cool looking as squats on a stability
ball, and it won't get you a million likes on
Facebook, but it will build strength and muscle
as fast, effectively and as safely as possible.

And remember this - if Doug Hepburn saw
you training your squats (or any other basic
exercise) that way, he'd give you a big
thumbs up!

And a thumbs up from Doug Hepburn is
worth a thousand likes on Facebook.

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 covers common
sense strength training and muscle building
for older Dinos - and teaches you how to
build your body up rather than tearing it
down:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "Train for
results, not for social media." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

Train Hard, but Train Smart!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

American weightlifters have won a total of
15 Olympic gold medals.

It might have been 17, but two freak accidents
derailed two of our greatest lifters in their final
Olympics.

In 1956, Pete George was training in the York
Barbell Club gym -- one of the most famous
gyms in the world at the time. George had
won the World championship in 1947, 1951,
1953, 1954, and 1955 -- the silver medal at
the 1948 Olympics -- and the gold medal at
the 1952 Olympics. So a second gold medal
in 1956 was a very real possibility.

He hit a heavy lift in practice -- and the lifting
platform split apart under him as he hit the
squat position.

And with a heavy weight at your chest, that's
not good.

And that was a freak accident, if there ever was
one. The York Barbell Club was the last place
where you expected to see a World and Olympic
champion get hurt because of a bad lifting
platform.

So Pete George went to his last Olympics with a
pair of banged up legs from the freak accident --
and took second to a Russian lifter in a hard
fought contest.

In 1959, Tommy Kono was giving a lifting exhibition
to a group of Boy Scouts. He had won the Olympic
gold medal in 1952 and 1956, and was gunning for
a third gold medal in 1960.

Kono used the squat snatch in competition, but
decided to show the Boy Scouts the split snatch.
He used a mere 135 pounds -- well under his
World record of 294.5.

But somehow, he hurt his knee on that lift. Not
bad, but bad enough. It got worse and worse,
and was a real problem at the 1959 World
Championships. By the time of the 1960
Olympics, it was even worse. And Tommy
Kono ended up taking second place.

Now, please note -- I am NOT in any way
being critical of these great lifters. Their
accidents were freak events. Extreme
cases of bizarre bad luck.

But there's an important lesson for all of us.

Always do everything possible to avoid training
accidents.

Check your platform or training area before
lifting.

Be sure there's nothing (and no one) in your
way. Nothing to trip on, slip on, or stumble
over.

If you train outside, check for slick spots.

Wear good, high quality lifting shoes. Keep the
soles clean. When they wear out, buy new ones.

Check your bars, benches, racks, squat stands
and dumbbells before using them.

Make sure your bar is loaded correctly before
each set.

If you try a new exercise -- or an old exercise
that you haven't done for a while -- be very
smart, and go very light and easy. Take some
time to relearn the movement and to work on
the flexibility the movement requires.

Do NOT emulate the Facebook heroes and
YouTube warriors who try to set a new PR in
something they haven't done for a couple of
months (or a couple of years). (For some
reason, we see this all the time in the
deadlift -- which is truly a bad exercise
to max out on if you haven't been doing
it for a while.)

Don't go for a new PR 20 pounds over your
current best. Break it into smaller increments
and get there in 2.5 or 5 pound jumps.

Use a power rack or safety bars for squats
and bench presses -- with the bottom pins
set to catch the bar if you miss.

Make perfect form a priority on every rep and
every set.

Give yourself time for a good warm-up.

If you don't feel good, or you can't get loose
for some reason, make it a light day, and save
the heavy stuff for another time.

And don't even get me started about doing
barbell squats on a stability ball.

Despite your best efforts, a freak accident can
always happen. So do your very best to avoid
the accidents that are avoidable.

It might not mean the difference between an
Olympic gold medal and a silver medal -- but
it might mean the difference between a long
and healthy training career and getting
sidelined by an unncessary injury.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Older Dinos need to give extra attention
to smart training, rest, recovery, recuperation,
and avoiding unnecessary waer and tear on
their bodies. Gray hair and Black Iron gives you
detailed advice on how to train and gain as an
older Dino:

http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.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: "Train hard, but train
smart. As you get older, train smarter." -- Brooks
Kubik

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