The World Record Workout

Setting any kind of record - from a personal record to a World record - requires hard work, hard training and a mountain of determination. And, of course, it also requires the right kind of training - which is what we're going to cover today.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I mentioned a famous old-timer
who went on a special training program to
increase his deadlift.

He trained once every six days.

That was it.

Nothing else.

Did it work?

Yeah, you could say that.

He gained 20 pounds of muscle and built
so much strength that he ended up setting
a World Record in the deadlift!

You can find the World Record program right
here in Chalk and Sweat - it's program
no. 49 - and it's pretty darn effective:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

Are You a Squatter or a Deadlifter?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the most popular questions
on the Internet is the ever popular
"which is better" question.

As in, "Which is better, squats or
deadlifts?"

It's a great way to drive traffic to
a forum or discussion board because
you get about a zillion answers.

Half of them are from guys who say
that squats are better -- and half of
them are from guys who say that
deadlifts are better.

And for some reason, people get all
worked up about this question. I've
actually seen people get mad at each
other because they disagree about it.
It's probably caused more flame
wars than the dragons on Game
of Thrones, and that's saying
a lot.

Anyhow, here's my answer to the
aforementioned Riddle of the Ages.
And I'll probably make everyone
mad by saying it. So bear with me
and read the answer AND the
explanation.

The answer:

"It depends on whether you're a
squatter or a deadlifter."

Whoa! Stop! Put back the knives.

Listen to me for a second. Remember
what I said about reading the
explanation.

The explanation:

People are built differently, and
that can make a big difference
in the exercises that work best
for them. What works best for
me may or may not work best
for you.

Some people are built for squatting.
The exercise feels natural to them,
and they're strong and powerful in
it. They lift with great confidence
when they do squats, they like the
feel of the movement, and it doesn't
cause any kind of problem for them.

In contrast, deadlifts may be a
much more difficult exercise for
them -- and may even be painful
or may cause nagging aches and
pains over time.

For these people -- people who are
squatters -- the squat is the better
exercise.

Many famous Iron Game champions
have been squatters -- and these men
used the squat much more than they
used the deadlift. Examples include
such legends as:

1. Reg Park

2. John Grimek (although he liked
doing stiff legged deadlifts)

3. Paul Anderson

4. Doug Hepburn

5. Peary Rader

Other people are built differently. The
squat doesn't seem as comfortable for
them. It's not a natural movement.
They don't enjoy it. It may even cause
knee, hip, back or shoulder pain.

In contrast, deadlifts feel like the
most comfortable thing in the world.
They LOVE deadlifting -- and they
feel confident and strong when they
do deadlifts -- and deadlifts don't
cause them any kind of pain.

These people are deadlifters -- and for
them, the deadlift is the better of the
two movements.

Bob Peoples is a great example of a
natural deadlifter. He pulled over 700
pounds back in the 1940s -- at a weight
of about 180 pounds.

John Terry, the York champion of the
1930's and early 1940's, was a deadlifter.
He pulled 600 pounds at a weight of 132
pounds.

Now, this is NOT to say that squatters
should not do deadlifts -- or that dead-
lifters should not do squats.

It just means that some people do better
on one of the two movements than on
the other -- and that's something you
need to take into account when you
ask the infamous "which is better"
question.

Of course, some people are extremely
strong in both exercises.

John Davis was a natural squatter, but he
could deadlift 700 pounds without any
training on the exercise.

Joe Hise and William Boone were famous for
their heavy, high rep squatting -- but each
man also deadlifted 700 pounds back in the
1940's.

So instead of asking, "Which is better?" ask
yourself, "Which am I -- a squatter or a
deadlifter?"

After all, what matters is the most is what
works best for YOU!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Whichever category you fall into, heavy
leg and back work is the Royal Road to Muscle
and Might. For some great strength and mass
workouts featuring leg and back work, grab
a copy of Chalk and Sweat:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "Hard work and
heavy iron is more than hard to beat -- it's
pretty much impossible to beat." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

Building the Muscles of Posture (Part 2)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Our Kindle E-Books.

We have over a dozen e-books available on
Amazon's Kindle site, and they're very popular.
Almost all of them have been in one or more
Top 10 Lists for Kindle books in their category,
and about half of them have been No. 1 in
their category.

Here are two of our most popular Kindle e-books:

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

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

You can find links to the others at our products
page:

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

We'll continue to put more material up there on
Kindle throughout the year. Be looking for it!

Important -- note that you can download a free
app to read Kindle books on any device -- so
you can read our books even if you don't
have a Kindle device.

2.  Another great e-book!

My buddy John Wood has a terrific e-book on
Kindle -- a modern reprint of Sig Klein's very
rare hand-balancing course. Klein was one of
the best hand-balancers of all time, and it
contributed mightily to his world record in
the military press -- so this is a gold mine
mine for Dinos:

http://www.amazon.com/Try-Hand-Balancing-Updated-Annotated-Edition-ebook/dp/B00LYM5I6E

3. The July Dino Files.

Is available in PDF format right here:

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

We'll get the Kindle edition up  as soon as
we can. I'll send an email when it's ready.

4. Building the Muscles of Posture (Part 2).

On the training front, let's continue our
discussion of how to build the muscles of
posture.

The Hise shrug is excellent for the traps --
and for all of the muscles of posture.

You'll work up to heavy weights in this
one, but form is more important than
weight -- especially at the beginning!

Do it in a power rack.

Set the pins so you can dip down and get
under the bar in the quarter squat position.
Flat back is very important, of course.

Get set, and stand up with the bar high
on your shoulders -- as if you were going to
do high bar squats.

Stand straight. Don't round the shoulders.
Don't look down. Don't bend forward. All
of that defeats the entire purpose of the
exercise.

Now stand tall -- and take a huge, enormous,
rib-stretching breath -- and expand your lungs
to the utmost -- and as you do so, shrug your
shoulders as h-i-g-h as you can.

Try to touch your shoulders to your ears.
You won't be able to do it -- but try!

Pause in the top position with the lungs expanded
to the max and the shoulders as high as possible.

Slowly exhale, lowering the shoulders as you
do so.

Pause at the bottom -- and then repeat.

Make each rep a slow, deliberate, perfect
movement.

Try 5 x 5, 3 x 10 or 1 x 20. 10/8/6 also is
good.

If you want to do rest-pause reps, that's fine.

If you prefer to do singles, that's fine, too.

They all work -- and they're all good.

Do very light breathing pullovers after each
set (or series) of shrugs.

Joe Hise originated this neat little exercise.
He used it for chest expansion and gaining
weight -- but it's a terrific exercise for the
traps and other muscles of the upper back.
For some trainees, it's the best possible
exercise for the traps.

Start light and learn the movement -- add
weight slowly and sensibly -- gradually work
up to some serious iron.

Let me repeat that - START LIGHT! You
can work up to heavy iron in this exercise,
but do it gradually and progressively.

Have fun, and report on your results!

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. Any of the 20 leg and back specialization
programs in Chalk and Sweat would be great
for the muscles of posture:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
the Dinosaur Files quarterly -- and Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are available right here at Dino
Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train for latitude as
well as longitude." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Building the Muscles of Posture (Part 1)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Our Kindle e-books

Our e-books seem to be taking over the world.
We have over a dozen of them on Kindle now,
and most of them have been Kindle Best Sellers.
We've even had days where two or three of
them are in the Top 10 list. And many of them
have made it all the way to No. 1 in their
category at the Kindle bookstore.

That's amazing, because they deliver the same
sort of hard-nosed, tell it like is, straight from
the shoulder training advice that you find in our
hard-copy books and courses. And yet -- we're
beating the mainstream silly stuff.

It's both amazing and encouraging. Maybe there
are more Dinos out there than we knew.

Here are links to two of our most popular
Kindle e-books:

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

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

You can find links to the others at our products
page:

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

We'll continue to put more material up there on
Kindle throughout the year. Be looking for it!

2. The Dinosaur Files

The PDF version of the July Dino Files is
ready to go:

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

We'll put the Kindle edition up as soon
as we can. I'll send an email when it's
ready.

3. Building the Muscles of Posture (Part 1)

And now -- let's talk training.

Yesterday we were talking about the muscles
of posture -- the spinal erectors and the upper
back muscles -- including the traps.

Here's one of my favorites to work the heck
out of them. It's one of the best I ever did
for the traps.

It's the partial deadlift from blocks or in the
power rack.

But here's the kicker.

Finish the exercise by shrugging as high as
you can -- which might not be very high at
all -- in fact, the bar might not even move.

With a truly heavy weight, you might pull
the bar up and try as hard as you can to
shrug it even higher -- and the bar might
move half an inch -- or a quarter of an inch --
or not at all -- or it might press down on
you as if it were the weight of the earth,
and you might actually feel that it's starting
to slip down even as you try to shrug it up.

But shrug upward with all your might -- and
hold that shrug position (whatever it is) for
the count.

Lower slowly and under control, get set, and
repeat.

How long do you hold the *top* position?

At least two seconds -- and five seconds is
better.

Or do 5/4/3/2/1 -- five seconds on the first
rep, and one second less on each of the
following reps.

Start light, add weight on each set, and work
up to one to three to five sets with your top
weight for the day.

Don't go too heavy the first time or you'll
end up so sore you won't be able to move
very well for a few days.

But after a month or so of break-in training,
you can start going heavier -- and you can
work up to some BIG weights.

Grip is a challenge on this exercise. Use a
reverse grip and alternate your hands from
set to set.  If you prefer straps and an over-
hand grip, that's okay, too.

And yes, it works with your choice of a
regular bar or a Trap Bar. If you use a
Trap Bar, use blocks to position the weight
where you want it.

The only draw-back is this -- after a few
months of working this exercise hard, you'll
probably need a new wardrobe. But
that's part of the game, isn't it?

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 one-hand deadlift is another good
exercise for the muscles of posture. I cover
it in detail -- along with lots of other great
exercises and workout ideas -- in 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:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stand tall and
lift heavy." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Exercises for Great Backs -- And Some Advice that Helped Save My Life!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The July 1970 issue of Peary Rader's IronMan
magazine had a ton of great articles --
including "Exercises for Great Backs" by
Bradley J. Steiner.

It was part of Steiner's famous four-part
series on "The Essential Exercises" -- and
it was a real eye-opener for a 12-year old
kid named Brooks Kubik.

Steiner was 100% old-school in his exercise
choices -- and his recomendations were VERY
different than what most people were doing
or advocating.

But, of course, his ideas worked. In fact,
they worked GREAT!

I read that article over and over until I
almost memorized it. To this day, 45 years
later, I can still tell you every exercise that
Steiner suggested -- and I can tell you some
exercises that he decided were only second-
best -- and some of the exercises on the "do"
and "don't do" list will surprise you.

In addition, Steiner suggested one exercise
that just might save your life someday. It's
an exercise for the neck -- and back then,
very few Iron Game authors bothered to
mention neck training, much less teach
their readers how to do it safely and
effectively.

In fact, many authors of the day told
their readers NOT to train the neck --
because a small neck would make their
arms and shoulders look bigger!!!

I thought it over and decided that the
"small neck is good" argument was a
very large barrel of hog-wash. So I
ignored it.

I followed Steiner's advice, and I trained
my neck hard. And seven years later, I
was in a horrendous auto accident -- a
head on collision with me driving a
Pinto station wagon and the other guy
driving a Thunderbird.

For the record, a Pinto station wagon
was a very bad vehicle to be driving
if you get into a high speed head on
collision.

Especially if the other guy is driving one
of those old model T-birds. Those things
were built like tanks.

He fell asleep at the wheel right as we
both went into a curve on a country
road in southwestern Ohio late at
night.

I was going about 60 miles an hour. He
was probably doing the same.

He moved right into my lane at exactly
the moment that our cars were about
to pass each other -- and pieces of my
little Pinto ended up scattered through
the corn fields on both sides of the
road.

To say it was totalled would be an
understatement. It was hard to tell
it had been a car. It looked like a
tin can that had been smashed with
a heavy hammer a couple of times.

The steering wheel was bent to a
90 degree angle -- and one of the
tires ended up a couple of hundred
feet down the road.

But I lived through it. In fact, I walked
away from the accident.

All I had were cuts and scratches from
the broken glass.

No broken bones. No soft tissue injuries.
No whiplash. No concussion.

And that was due in part to reading
Steiner's article in that old issue of
IronMan -- and doing a lot of serious
neck training because Steiner said to
do it.

I was thinking about this today because
that old issue of IronMan is now available
at The Iron League member site.

And not just Steiner's article.

The whole issue.

Along with a a ton of other great old-time
books, courses and magazines.

And more is being added all the time.
Go ahead and scoot on over and take a
look at what's available. I guarantee you
will see things you've never seen before --
and things you're going to want to read:

http://www.ironleague.com/

One of our fellow Dinosaurs has called
The Iron League the "Library of Congress
of Strength." That's a good name for it.

And who knows -- some 12 year old kid
might join The Iron League and read that
old article by Brad Steiner -- and he might
start training his neck -- and it just might
save his life someday.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Training the Muscles of Posture (Part 2)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Our New E-Books

We have two e-books available on Amazon's
Kindle site, and they're getting great reviews.

Both are certified top 10 best-sellers in their
category at the Amazon site, which is more
than a little amazing. Go here to grab the
little monsters -- and please post a review:

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

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

Important -- note that you can download a free
app to read Kindle books on any device -- so
you can read our courses even if you don't
have a Kindle device.

2. Dinosaur Podcast Today!

I'll be a guest on Ken O'Neill's Trans-Evolutionary
Fitness Radio today. Listen live at 12:00 EST, or
catch the download later on:

http://superhumanradio.com/

3. Another great e-book

My buddy John Wood has a terrific e-book on
Kindle -- a modern reprint of Sig Klein's very
rare hand-balancing course. Klein was one of
the best hand-balancers of all time, and it
contributed mightily to his world record in
the military press -- so this is a gold mine
mine for Dinos:

http://www.amazon.com/Try-Hand-Balancing-Updated-Annotated-Edition-ebook/dp/B00LYM5I6E

On the training front, let's continue our
discussion of how to build the muscles of
posture.

The Hise shrug is excellent for the traps --
and for all of the muscles of posture.

You'll work up to heavy weights in this
one, but form is more important than
weight -- especially at the beginning!

Do it in a power rack.

Set the pins so you can dip down and get
under the bar in the quarter squat position.

Flat back is very important, of course.

Get set, and stand up with the bar high
on your shoulders -- as if you were going to
do high bar squats.

Stand straight. Don't round the shoulders.
Don't look down. Don't bend forward. All
of that defeats the entire purpose of the
exercise.

Now stand tall -- and take a huge, enormous,
rib-stretching breath -- and expand your lungs
to the utmost -- and as you do so, shrug your
shoulders as h-i-g-h as you can.

Try to touch your shoulders to your ears.

You won't be able to do it -- but try!

Pause in the top position with the lungs expanded
to the max and the shoulders as high as possible.

Slowly exhale, lowering the shoulders as you
do so.

Pause at the bottom -- and then repeat.

Make each rep a slow, deliberate, perfect
movement.

Try 5 x 5, 3 x 10 or 1 x 20. 10/8/6 also is
good.

If you want to do rest-pause reps, that's fine.
If you prefer to do singles, that's fine, too.

They all work -- and they're all good.

Do very light breathing pullovers after each
set (or series) of shrugs.

Joe Hise originated this neat little exercise.
He used it for chest expansion and gaining
weight -- but it's a terrific exercise for the
traps and other muscles of the upper back.

For some trainees, it's the best possible
exercise for the traps.

Start light and learn the movement -- add
weight slowly and sensibly -- gradually work
up to some serious iron.

Have fun, and report on your results!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Any of the 20 leg and back specialization
programs in Chalk and Sweat would be great
for the muscles of posture:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
the Dinosaur Files quarterly -- and Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- and shirts and sweatshirts
and hoodies -- are available right here at Dino
Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train for lattitude as
well as longitude." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Building the Muscles of Posture (Part One)

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. Our e-books

Our e-books seem to be taking over the world.

We had two e-books in the Amazon top 10 list
in our category yesterday -- and one of them
(our Military Press course in kindle format)
made it all the way up to number 2!

That's amazing, because they deliver the same
sort of hard-nosed, tell it like is, straight from
the shoulder training advice that you find in our
hard-copy books and courses. And yet -- we're
beating the mainstream silly stuff.

It's both amazing and encouraging. Maybe there
are more Dinos out there than we knew.

You can grab our e-books right here:

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

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

We'll continue to put more material up there on
Kindle throughout the year. Be looking for it!

2. The Dinosaur Files quarterly

Issue no. 2 of the Dinosaur Files quarterly
looks GREAT -- go here to grab a copy of the
best strength training and muscle building
journal anywhere:

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

And now -- let's talk training.

Yesterday we were talking about the muscles
of posture -- the spinal erectors and the upper
back muscles -- including the traps.

Here's one of my favorites to work the heck
out of them. It's one of the best I ever did
for the traps.

It's the partial deadlift from blocks or in the
power rack.

But here's the kicker.

Finish the exercise by shrugging as high as
you can -- which might not be very high at
all -- in fact, the bar might not even move.

With a truly heavy weight, you might pull
the bar up and try as hard as you can to
shrug it even higher -- and the bar might
move half an inch -- or a quarter of an inch --
or not at all -- or it might press down on
you as if it were the weight of the earth,
and you might actually feel that it's starting
to slip down even as you try to shrug it up.

But shrug upward with all your might -- and
hold that shrug position (whatever it is) for
the count.

Lower slowly and under control, get set, and
repeat.

How long do you hold the *top* position?

At least two seconds -- and five seconds is
better.

Or do 5/4/3/2/1 -- five seconds on the first
rep, and one second less on each of the
following reps.

Start light, add weight on each set, and work
up to one to three sets with your top weight
for the day.

Don't go too heavy the first time or you'll
end up so sore you won't be able to move
very well for a few days.

But after a month or so of break-in training,
you can start going heavier -- and you can
work up to some BIG weights.

Grip is a challenge on this exercise. Use a
reverse grip and alternate your hands from
set to set.  If you prefer straps and an over-
hand grip, that's okay, too.

And yes, it works with your choice of a
regular bar or a Trap Bar. If you use a
Trap Bar, use blocks to position the weight
where you want it.

The only draw-back is this -- after a few
months of working this exercise hard, you'll
probably need new a new wardrobe. But
that's part of the game, isn't it?

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 one-hand deadlift is another good
exercise for the muscles of posture. I cover
it in detail -- along with lots of other great
exercises and workout ideas -- in 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:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stand tall and
lift heavy." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Deadlifting Q and A for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A reader asked me if he needed to do
any back exercises other than the
deadlift.

So here's the answer.

Yes, you do -- and here's why.

If you want to build maximum muscle
mass from head to toe, the deadlift
is definitely one of the exercises
you should include in your program --
but you also should include barbell
or dumbbell bent-over rowing, pull-ups
or pull-downs, and shoulder shrugs.

You need those exercises because you
need to develop the upper back to the
maximum -- and deadlifts alone won't
do the trick.

Rowing and pull-ups (or pull-downs)
are also important because they help
to work the shoulder girdle from a
variety of different angles -- and
that helps to keep your shoulders
healthy and strong.

If you did nothing but deadlifts and
bench presses, for example -- as some
powerlifters will do -- you often
start to run into shoulder problems
caused by unbalanced shoulder
development.

That's not to say that deadlifts are
not important. They are. It's just
that you should include other basic
back-building exercises, as well.

Of course, there are exceptions to
the rule.

One of them is a deadlift specialization
program. I outline this kind of program
on Chalk and Sweat. It's an advanced
program for advanced trainees, and it's
a SPECIALIZATION program -- which means
you use it for a limited period of time
(usually six weeks to three months) --
and then you go back to a balanced
workout program.

Back in the day, a top strongman went
on a specialized deadlift-only program,
and in a short period of time, gained
something like 20 pounds of muscle and
increased his deadlift to the point
where he was able to set a world record
in the lift.

But he didn't stay on the deadlift program
forever -- he used it for a brief period of
super-intense, focused specialization.

And then he took the strength and muscle
mass he built on the deadlift program,
and used it to build all of his lifts
when he went back to more balanced
workouts.

That's an old-school way of doing things --
and it's a good way of training for strength,
muscle and power.

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 can read more about deadlift
specialization in Chalk and Sweat --
along with plenty of other result-
producing workouts to build 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: "There is a
time and a place for everything under the
sun -- including a time in your training
career to do some serious specialization
on the deadlift." -- Brooks Kubik