Weight Training and Budo

Brand new from Dinosaur Training - with tons of great training tips - hard hitting workouts - and super-effective training programs. Good stuff for anyone interested in building real world strength and power.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, there were very
few sources of training advice - and
most of what you could find was the
standard bodybuilding stuff.

How to build 20" upper arms in record
time.

How to sculpt barn-door lats and build
gladiator pecs.

Horseshoe triceps.

Cannonball delts.

Baseball biceps.

Washboard abs.

Bombing, blasting and blitzing.

That kind of stuff.

But I was lucky enough to find the
better strength training and muscle
building magazines - Bob Hoffman's
Strength and Health and Muscular
Development - and Peary Rader's
wonderful Iron Man magazine.

And in them, I found articles by a
man named Bradley J. Steiner.

Steiner was a a martial arts teacher.

Or more accurately - he taught real
world, no BS self defense.

The kind of stuff that really works.

Not the fancy stuff.

The stuff that works.

He also taught real world strength
training and muscle building.

And he even wrote articles about
how to combine the two - in other
words, how to build rugged combat
strength and conditioning.

One of those articles appeared in Bob
Hoffman's Strength and Health.

If memory serves correctly, it was
titled Weight Training and Budo -
and it was a pretty good article.

It was also very unusual - because
back then (almost 50 years ago) -
very few martial artists did weight
training.

Heck, back then, very few athletes
did weight training.

Which was GREAT for those who
did. It was their secret weapon.

I should say OUR secret weapon -
because I used Steiner's training
ideas to make myself a better
wrestler.

It worked, too.

I won a state championship in
Greco-Roman wrestling - and
that's a pretty good testament
to the effectiveness of combining
the right kind of strength training
with your combat training.

Anyhow, it's many long years down
the Road of Life - and yesterday, I
released a new book that teaches
a lot of what I learned in those old
articles by Bradley J. Steiner.

How to train for combat sports.
It's a complete course - with real
world, no nonsense training advice -
and tons of great workouts and
training programs.

It's available in a Kindle edition -
and you can grab it right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/100-combat-tips.html

Sprint on over and grab a copy
right now - and have fun with
it - and with the workouts in it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Training Programs for Beginners - My Top Recommendations!

Chalk and Sweat ranks high on my list of recommended books for beginners.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A reader asked about the best
training books for his teenage
son to use to get started in the
Iron Game.

That's a great question, because
the kid needs some good advice.

Otherwise, he'll get buried in the
endless sea of training insanity
out there.

And he'll be a sucker for the super
supplements, the silly pumping
programs, the goofy YouTube
exercises (a/k/a "squats on roller-
skates"), and the steroids and
other drugs that infest the Iron
Game.

So let's help him avoid that stuff -
and try to get him training the
right way from the very beginning.

My advice would be to start with
the beginner's programs in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training. These will lay
the foundation for good results when
he moves on to barbell and dumbbell
training.

They also will teach him how to get
on a training schedule and stick to
it - as well as helping him develop
the Success Habit and start to under-
stand and use the mind-muscle
connection.

Next, he should use the beginner's
barbell and dumbbell programs in
Chalk and Sweat. Those would be
perfect for him at this stage of his
career.

I'd also suggest getting the Legacy
of Iron books, and letting him read
about Jim Miller and how he got
started in the Iron Game - and
how it worked for him.

There's nothing like a little bit of
motivation and inspiration, and
the Legacy of Iron books will
provide plenty of it.

They'll also help him learn about
the true champions of the Iron
Game - the men who did it without
drugs and super supplements. That's
very important for a young man to
know about.

Next, he should read my three-volume
series, Dinosaur Training Secrets I, II
and III. These will give him a terrific
overview of sane, sensible and effective
training - the old-school, all-natural,
drug-free way.

Another excellent book for younger
trainees and newbies is A Complete
Guide to Effective Barbell Training,
by Bradley J. Steiner. My buddy Bill
Hinbern has done a modern reprint
edition (with Steiner's express
permission). I recommend it highly.

The Complete Guide came out in the
early 1970's, but in my opinion it's
one of the very best training books
ever written.

Anyhow, those are my top recommend-
ations - and I wish the young man
the very best of success!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. With the exception of Brad Steiner's
Complete Guide, you can find all of the
books and courses I mentioned 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. Go here to grab Brad Steiner's
Complete Guide to Effective Barbell
Training - and tell Bill Hinbern I sent
you:

http://superstrengthtraining.com/complete-guide-effective-barbell-training-bradley-steiner

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day

"The most important thing is to
start training, but it's a good idea
to get started the right way."

-Brooks Kubik

Steiner's Sets and Reps for the Bench Press

 

You probably know that Reg Park was a 3-time Mr. Universe winner - but did you know he was the second man in history (after Doug Hepburn) to bench press 500 pounds?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

This will bring to a close our series
on Brad Steiner's old-school methods
for training THE POWER ZONES.

In previous installments we covered
Steiner's preferred exercises, sets
and reps for training the legs and
hops, back and shoulders.

Today we'll cover the chest.

Steiner liked two exercises to work
the chest muscles: bench presses and
dumbbell incline presses.

For sets and reps in both of these
exercises, he liked:

Beginners -

2 or 3 x 8 to 12 reps

Advanced trainees -

3 or 4 x 6 reps

or

4 x 8 reps

or

1 x 8

1 x 8

1 x 6

1 x 6

(Add weight after each set.)

or

5 x 5

I should also note that Steiner cautioned
against going "bench press crazy," as so
many trainees tend to do. He thought
that bench work was important, but
always encouraged his readers to do
plenty of overhead pressing and plenty
of back work to balance things out.

So there you have it - over the past week
we've given you a complete mini-course
in old school strength and power training -
featuring the training advice of one of the
top Iron Game authors of the 70's and 80's.

I hope you enjoyed it - and if you train
today (as I will), I hope you make it a
good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more tips on real world, no-
nonsense strength training and muscle-
building, grab Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1.

Here's the link for the hard-copy and
Kindle editions:

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

For the PDF edition, go here and scroll
down to see all of our PDF courses:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day

"There's the selfie generation, and
there's the Iron generation. Which
are you?"

- 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

Sets and Reps for Back Training (Part 2)

Rich Abbott hitting a Master's record in the deadlift. This is what a lifetime of hard, regular, consistent training can do for you.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's continue with my series of
training tips based on Bradley J.
Steiner's preferred exercises, sets
and reps for what he called THE
POWER ZONES.

We covered sets and reps for
pressing, squatting, power cleans,
power snatches and barbell bent-
over rowing last week. Now let's
continue with deadlifting and
high pulls.

Bent-legged Deadlifts

4 x 6

or

5 x 5

or

4 x 5

For working up to a max
single:

1 x 6

1 x 5

1 x 3

1 x 2

1 x 1

1 x 1

Stiff legged deadlifts

2 x 10 - 12

or

3 x 8

or

1 x 8, 1 x 6, 1 x 5 (add weight on
each set)

Note: Steiner did not believe it was
necessary to do limit singles in the
stiff legged deadlift - and I agree.

Steiner also thought it was easy to
overtrain the low back by training
exclusively with bent-legged dead-
lifts. he preferred to mix things up,
which is why he suggested doing
power cleans, power snatches,
high pulls, and stiff legged
deadlifts,

Of course, you wouldn't do all of
these in one workout - or even
in the same program.

The point was, don't rely exclusively
on the bent-legged deadlift for
building back power.

High pulls

Note that you can do high pulls with
a clean grip or a snatch grip, which-
ever you prefer. Of course, it's best
to do both - clean grip in one work-
out, and snatch grip in the next.

Beginners -

3 x 6

Advanced trainees -

1 x 6

1 x 4

1 x 3

1 x 3

1 x 2

(Add weight on each set.)

That finishes up the advice on sets
and reps for back exercises. We'll
talk about Steiner's advice on sets
and reps for bench pressing in
another email. Be looking for it!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Another terrific option for
training the back is old-school
dumbbell training - the kind I
teach in this little monster:

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

"No one ever said it was easy, and
if they did, they lied."

- 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

Effective Sets and Reps for Training the Back (Part 1)

Weightlifter Bernie Barron shows the look of power as he completes a heavy jerk. This photo is from 1940, and shows the kind of all-natural, drug-free strength and development the old-timers built with basic barbell and dumbbell training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

My emails about Brad Steiner's old-

school ideas for training the Power

Zones are starting to turn into a

little book for you - and I hope

you're enjoying it!

Here are Steiner's thoughts on

the most effective set/rep systems

for his favorite back exercises for

strength and power training.

Note that he gave two different

options - one for what he called

"general development" (meaning

a high level of strength, muscular

development and conditioning) -

and the other for what he called

"power bodybuilding" (meaning

maximum strength and muscular

development).

Also note that Steiner recommended

different sets and reps for different

exercises - something that was quite

common in old-school workouts, but

which trainees seem to have

forgotten today.

People tend to think there is ONE

system of sets and reps that works

best for ALL exercises - and that's

just not true.

1. Power cleans

For general development -

2 x 10

For power bodybuilding -

5 x 5 or 4 x 6

For working up to a max

single -

1 x 6

1 x 6

1 x 4

1 x 3

1 x 2

1 x 1

1 x 1

2. Barbell bent-over rowing

For general development -

2 or 3 x 8-10

For power bodybuilding -

5 x5 or 5 x 6

or

1 x 8, 1 x 6, and 3 x 5

Steiner did not believe there was

value in doing singles in the bent-

over row. (I agree.)

3. Power snatches

For a basic, heavy workout:

1 or 2 x 6 (warm-up)

1 x 6

1 x 5

1 x 3

1 x 1

For advanced power training:

5 x 5

We'll cover Steiner's remaining back

exercises in my a follow-up email.

Be looking for it.

In the meantime, here's a great

little book that gives you tons of

information about old-school

training - and gives you 50

different workouts:

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

Yours in strength,

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

Sets and Reps for Power Zone Training

 

Paul Anderson finishing a heavy press. Anderson was a World and Olympic champion, and World record holder. In his prime, he was widely regarded as the strongest man in the world. Like all champions, Anderson specialized in training the Power Zones.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We've been talking about Brad
Steiner's approach to training the
Power Zones - and I promised to
cover his ideas about sets and
reps for Power Zone Training.

So let's roll up our sleeves and
do it.

If you missed my previous emails,
Steiner defined the Power Zones
as:

1. The legs and hips

2. The back

3. The shoulder girdle

4. The chest area

For the legs and hips, Steiner
preferred:

1. Squats - full or parallel

2. Front squats

For sets and reps he liked the
following for both squats and
front squats:

For beginners - 1 or 2 x 12-15 or
a basic breathing squat program
consisting of 1 x 20 (for gaining
weight)

For intermediates - 2 or 3 x 10-12

For advanced trainees - 4 x 6 or
3 x 8 or 5 x 5

For working up to a maximum
single in the squat, Steiner liked:

Note - add weight on every set.

1 x 12

1 x 8

1 x 6

1 x 3

1 x 2

1 x 2

1 x 1

1 x 1

For the shoulders, Steiner liked the
standing press and the standing
press behind neck.

For sets and reps on pressing exercises,
he preferred:

For beginners - 2 or 3 x 8-10

For intermediates - 10/8/6, adding
weight on each set

For advanced trainees:

2 x 6

add weight and do 1 x 3

add weight and do 1 x 2-3

add weight and do 1 x 2

For working up to a maximum
single in the press, Steiner liked:

Note - add weight on every set.

1 x 6

1 x 5

1 x 3

1 x 2

1 x 2

1 x 1

1 x 1

1 x 1

We'll cover Steiner's suggested sets and
reps for chest and back training in
future emails - we're about out of space
in this one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about sets, reps, and
exercises for building strength and
muscle, grab Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, 2 and 3.

They're available in your choice of hard-
copy, Kindle and PDF.

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day

"Hard work, heavy iron and old-
school training programs will do
it every time."

- 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

The Power Zones

 

Reg Park built tremendous strength and enormous muscle mass by specializing on the Power Zones.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

Today is the last day of our big t-shirt sale - so if you want one, place your order right now!

1. Last Chance for T-Shirts!

The big sale for our new Dinosaur
Training t-shirts ends today - and
we won't take any more shirt
orders after the sale is over.

So if you want one, go here and
grab it now:

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

If you have any questions, or
if you want the best rate for
shipping on an international
order, shoot me an email.

John Grimek in his greatest pose. At the time he won the Mr. America contest, and for a number of years before, Grimek trained exclusively on old-school weightlifting NOT on bodybuilding workouts.

2. The Power Zones

Brad Steiner was one of the most
popular Iron Game authors of the
1960's, 1970's and 1980's.

He wrote about basic exercises,
and old-school strength training.

He advocated hard work on the
BIG exercises, three times a week,
for about an hour a workout.

Steiner emphasized training the
Power Zones.

He said that by specializing on the
Power Zones, you could transform
yourself into a human Hercules.

What were the Power Zones?

Steiner described them as follows:

1. The legs and hips

2. The back

3. The shoulder girdle

4. The chest area

Steiner always taught his readers
to focus on these four areas.

To train them hard and heavy.

To train them progressively.

To aim for maximum development
in these four areas.

Tomorrow I'll talk a bit about how
Steiner trained these four areas. Be
looking for it.

In the meantime, don't forge to
grab yourself a couple of our new
Dinosaur Training t-shirts - and
remember, today's the last
day to place your order:

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

Yours in strength,

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

How to Build Herculean Super Strength

 

Paul Anderson epitomized Herculean super strength. He won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympics.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

45 years ago, Bradley J. Steiner wrote
a great little book with one of the best
titles in the history of the world:

"Powerlifting and the Development of
Herculean Super-Strength."

Good title, huh?

England's Reg Park was one of the best built men in the world - and one of the strongest men in the world.

In the book, Steiner focused on building
four key areas:

1. Legs

2. Back

3. Shoulder girdle

4. Chest

The theory was, if you built plenty of
strength and muscle mass in those four
key areas, you'd end up with plenty of
strength and muscle mass from head
to toe.

And it's a valid theory. It works. By
focusing on these four critical areas,
you build maximum strength and
muscle throughout your entire body.

In his prime, Brooklyn's John Davis was hailed as the Strongest Man in the World. He won six World weightlifting championships and two Olympic gold medals.

And here's another tip. Or rather, three
of them. These come from me, but I
think Steiner would approve of them:

1. Power rack training

2. Rest-pause training

3. Heavy singles

Why do these help build Herculean
super-strength?

Because they let you train with HEAVY
WEIGHTS.

And make no mistake about it -- heavy
weights are what it takes to build
Herculean super-strength.

That was true 45 years ago - and it's
still true today.

And it will always be true.

Today, tomorrow, and forever.

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 learn more about rest pause
training, power rack training and heavy
singles in STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND
POWER:

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

P.S. 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: "You
build strength, muscle and power
rep by rep, set by set, pound by
pound and workout by workout."
-- Brooks Kubik

We have more than 25 Dinosaur training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - head on over and take a look:

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