Lessons from the Iron Mines

 

Everything worth knowing in life I learned from a barbell - or at least it seems that way.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I had a great workout the other day. At
age soon to be 61, the workouts seem to
be more fun all the time.

That got me thinking -- and I thought:

"Everything worth knowing in life I learned
from a barbell."

Or at least it seems that way.

So here are 10 lessons I learned in the
Iron Mines. See if you learned the same
lessons:

1. It's always best to start young, but
the important thing is to start -- whatever
your age.

2. If you fall off your bicycle, get right
back on it and start pedaling again.

3. The hardest exercises are the most
productive ones.

4. It's not easy, and that's okay. In fact,
it's a good thing.

5. Make a plan and stick to it. Don't second
guess yourself into inertia.

6. Life is movement -- and the better the
movement, the better your life.

7. You build strength and muscle by what
you do, not by what you think about doing.

a. That one's important. Go back and reread
it.

8. You can't buy strength and health. You
can only earn them.

a. That one's also important.

9. The barbell doesn't lift itself.

10. If you enjoy art, practice the art of
strength training. If you enjoy science,
practice the science of strength training.

a. The important thing is to practice
strength training.

And, for a special bonus, two more:

11. Squats are zen.

12. So are deadlifts, presses, pulls, and
every other exercise you do.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My LOST ARTICLES are back. Go here
to grab them:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.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: 

"When the iron speaks, a wise man
listens." 

-- 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 Old-School Champions Had Class!

Take a close look at the bottom photo on the cover of Black Iron: The John Davis Story - and you'll see World and Olympic Champion John Davis smiling as he gives free autographs to students at the Chinese School in Oakland. (And yes, the kids are smiling, too.) The old-school champions were great ambassadors of the Iron Game.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I sent a message about
Clarence "Clancy" Ross, the 1945
Mr. America.

In response, one of our longtime
Dinos shared an interesting story.

He found an original photo of Ross
and Bill Pearl, the winner of the Mr.
America contest in 1953 and a multi-
time winner of the Mr. Universe
contest.

He mailed the photo to Ross, with
a short letter asking him to sign it.

He enclosed a check for $50.00
because he assumed there would
be a charge for the autograph.

A week later, he received the signed
photo with a note from Ross, who
thanked him for the check and said
he had donated it to a local charity.

Our Dino thought that was pretty
decent.

He then sent the photo to Pearl,
and asked him to sign it.

He enclosed another $50.00 check
to cover any fee for the autograph.

Pearl returned the photo - signed -
and included a short note.

He also returned the check -
because there was no fee for
signing the photo.

That was what the old-school
champions were like.

Decent.

Hard-working.

Down to earth.

Men with class.

Men with character.

Men who believed that being a
Champion didn't mean you were
better than everyone else or that
it entitled you to charge money
for the simple act of signing your
name on a piece of paper.

Rather, it meant you had a unique
opportunity to motivate and inspire
others - and to help them achieve
their goals of strength, health,
muscle and might.

In short, the old-time champions
were ambassadors of the Iron
Game - and they accepted the
responsibility and the discipline
that the job demanded.

As always, we can learn from them.


Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The best way to learn about the
old school champions and how they
trained is in the old-school magazines.

I have many duplicates of Strength and
Health magazine from the 1940's, 1950's
and 1960's. I'm selling them because
Trudi and I are moving to the Pacific
Northwest soon. I won't be able to
take them with me, and I want to find
good homes for them.

We still have complete 12-issue sets
for many of the years from 1940 thru
1970.

Each 12-issue set runs $120.00 plus
shipping and handling.

If you're interested, shoot me an
email.

We also have several sets of six
issues from different years in the
1940's. Each six-issue set is $60.00
plus shipping and handling.

P.S. 2. We have 9 copies of Black
Iron: The John Davis Story left in
stock. 

I'm not going to do another printing,
so these are the last copes available.

If you're interested in grabbing one,
shoot me an email. The price is
$34.95 plus shipping and handling.


P.S. 3. Thought for the Day

"Being a champion is a 24/7 job -
and it means more than winning a
trophy or a medal."

- 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

10 More Things That Work!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought you'd enjoy reading about
more things that work. But be warned --
today's list is a little different.

And yes, like everything else in lifting,
these tips apply to life in general. That's
one of the beauties of the Iron Game. You
don't just build strength and muscle --
you build character.

So here, without further ado, is today's
list of 10 More Things that Work:

10. Making up your mind to start. And
then starting.

9. Finishing what you start.

8. Waking up every morning on a training
day and saying, "I'm going to have a GREAT
workout today!"

7. Talking to yourself.

7a. Listening.

6. Choosing worthy goals -- goals that set
you on fire to achieve them.

5. The sound of plates being loaded onto a
bar.

4. Training alone in cathedral silence.

4a. Note that cathedral silence can occur
anywhere you make it occur.

3. Concentration, focus and the inner
warrior.

2. Starting with small steps, and building
on small victories.

2a. Moving from small victories to great
ones.

1. Living (and lifting) in the NOW -- not
in the past, not in the present, and not
anywhere other than RIGHT NOW.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Father's day is right around the corner --
and Gray Hair and Black Iron makes a great gift
for Father's Day:

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

Here's another great gift for Father's Day --- or
for any day:

http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.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: "Don't sweat the small
stuff. That's what the big plates are for."
-- Brooks Kubik

Mike Rinaldi's Muscle Mobile

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about the
Food Mobile.

We also covered the Book Mobile.

Today, let's cover the Muscle
Mobile.

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

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

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

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

It was a good name.

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

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

But here's the great part.

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

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

You can just picture it.

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

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

BOOM>

Bar is overhead.

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

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

Crazy guy approaches the bar -- BOOM.

Does a perfect squat snatch.

It looks pretty cool.

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

"Snatches."

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

"How you do that?"

"Like this!"

BOOM!

"Show me!"

So he does.

The kid tries a snatch.

There's no BOOM.

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

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

BOOM.

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

He gets home a couple of hours later.

Sore as hell.

Tired as hell.

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

Do it every weekend and it starts to
add up.

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

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

And that sure as heck ought to count
for something.

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

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

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

If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

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

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

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

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

Train Hard, Have Fun!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the secrets of successful
training is to work hard but to
have fun. That's why we call it
THE IRON GAME.

Note the use of the word: GAME.

A game is something you play to
have fun. To relax. To have a
good time.

Most people don't get that. And
that includes Dinos and non-Dinos,
alike.

The non-Dinos don't get the part
about working hard -- nor do they
get the part about having fun. They
tend to view exercise as drudgery.
They don't like to train. They
"work out" (interesting term)
solely to achieve a particular
result (usually, to lose weight).
But they don't enjoy the process.
And even though they always moan
about how hard it is, they don't
train hard.

Dinos understand the importance of
hard work -- and Dinos enjoy their
training.

The problem for some Dinos is that
they sabotage the HAVE FUN part of
the game by driving themselves crazy
about the minute details of their
training or their diet. They start
to worry themselves to death -- and
that takes all the fun out of things.

Usually, it's the result of spending
too much time reading about training
on the internet or on Facebook. Every-
one has an opinion, and all the opinions
are different, and before you know it,
you have no idea what to do, and you
end up dazed, confused and frantic --
and unhappy.

When that happens, you need to step
back, take a deep breath, and think
things through.

It's all pretty simple. Train hard
and train consistently. Don't skip
workouts. Make training a habit.

Train progressively. 

Use mind-power when you train. Use
the concentration and visualization
techniques in Dinosaur Training and
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

Train your legs, hips, back and
shoulder girdle extra hard. These
are the key muscle groups for
Herculean strength and
development.

Use abbreviated workouts.

Pay attention to rest, recovery and
recuperation.

Train with confidence. This stuff
works. It works for me, and it works
for tens of thousands of Dinosaurs
around the world, and it will work
for YOU.

Stay positive. Be cheerful. Cultivate a
happy mind. Don't let little things throw
you off track. And don't waste energy on
the small stuff.

Training should be the highpoint of your
day. Make it hard -- but make it fun!

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. Check out the cover of my new book,
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- and reserve
your copy today:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Note: The pre-publication special for
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training is coming to a
close very soon -- and we'll be shipping
the books very, very shortly!

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here -- check them out:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "A happy
lifter is a stronger lifter." -- Brooks
Kubik

The Man at the Typewriter

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A massive, thickly muscled man sat alone
in his office, pounding the keys of an
old-fashioned manual typewriter.

His thick fingers hit the keyboard so
hard it jumped and bounced.

He paused, collected his thoughts, and
continued.

A minute or two later, he nodded, pulled
the paper out of the machine, and gave
it a quick once over.

He stopped, shook his head, and reached
for a stubby no. 2 pencil. The point was
broken. He sharpened it with a small
pocketknife, turned back to the sheet
of paper, and made some rapid
corrections.

He signed his name with old cartridge
pen and threw the letter into a large
stack of other letters.

And that's how John Grimek -- the best
built man of his generation (and perhaps
of all time) spent many of his days.

Sitting in his office in the Strength and
Health building at 51 North Broad Street
in York, Pa. -- answering letters.

I've seen some of Grimek's letters, and
I'm struck by two things. One, he typed
them himself. No secretary. No dictation.
Just Grimek at the keyboard, pounding
away. You can tell because there are
typos everywhere. (Remember, there was
no spell check or correcting function
on those old-fashioned manual
typewriters.)

Second, he took the time to correct
them with pen or pencil.

Now, think about that for a minute.

John Grimek may have received more
letters than any other bodybuilding
or weightlifting champion in history.
He answered tens of thousands of them.
Maybe hundreds of thousands.

And yet, he always took the time to
read and correct his letters -- and
often, to add an extra hand-written
note or two.

That tells you something about John
Grimek -- and about what it takes to
be a true champion.

You always remember your roots. You
always go out of your way to help
others -- especially the beginners,
because beginners always need help.
You always give 100 percent. And when
you do something, you do it right --
even if that means taking a couple of
minutes to read and correct a type-
written letter.

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 John Grimek
and his training in this great course:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. John Grimek and the other York
champions are featured in my Legacy of
Iron books. They're the closest thing
to a Time Machine that will take you
back to the Golden Age of Muscle and
Might:

1. Legacy of Iron

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


2. Clouds of War

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


3. The 1000 Pound Total

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html


4. York Goes to War!

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

5. Barbells in the Pacific

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Old-school iron
builds old-school character." -- Brooks Kubik

You Spell It with a Capital "D"

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Artie Dreschler, the chair of USA Weightlifting's Board of Directors, the head weightlifting coach at New Yor's famed Lost Battalion Hall, and the author of The Weightlifting Encyclopedia. He also heads the Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen, a fantastic organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Iron Game. (They host a terrific oldtimer's dinner every year, with one or more guests of honor -- it's great fun for fans of the Iron Game and old-school strongmen. For more info, go to http://www.weightlifting.org/aobs.htm )

During our conversation, Artie shared a story about Frank Spellman and Bob Hoffman. Frank Spellman won the gold medal in weightlifting in the 165 pound class at the 1948 Olympics. He's still alive -- and still training! -- and he's the USA's oldest living Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting.

Bob Hoffman was the coach of the United States Weightlifting team, and the founder and coach of the York Barbell Club. He was the editor and publisher of Strength and Health magazine, and the owner of the York Barbell Company. Back then, Hoffman paid the cost of sending the USA weightlifters to the World Championships and the Olympic Games. If it hadn't been for his support, many of our World and Olympic champions might never have had a chance to compete on the international stage.

Now, you can imagine how hard-working and dedicated a man like Spellman was. You don't win an Olympic gold medal by playing around!

And similarly, you can imagine how dedicated Hoffman was to American weightlifting.

 Now, here's how dedicated to the sport of weightlifitng these men were.

Sometime in the 1950's, Spellman moved back to York and attempted a comeback. His goal was to make the USA weightlifitng team for the upcoming Olympic Games.To support himself, he got a job working at a local factory. Unfortunately, he was assigned to the night shift. That meant he couldn't train with the other members of the York barbell Club when they hit the iron at the end of their regular workday.

But that didn't stop Frank Spellman. He went to Bob Hoffman and asked for a key to the building so he could train on his own after work -- at 2:00 in the morning.

Hoffman nodded his head.

"Of course, Frank," he said.

And he handed him  a key.

It was a long work day for both men. Hoffman typically worked ten or twelve hours a day. He had to.  It was the only way he could stay on  top of his duties and responsibilities as the owner of the York Barbell Company and as editor and publisher of Strength and Health (for which he wrote many of the articles every month). And after work was over, he spent several hours in the gym, coaching the members of the York Barbell Team.

At 2:00 in the morning, Frank Spellman unlocked the back door to the building, stepped inside, and made his way to the York Barbell Club gym.

He opened the door and stepped inside -- and got the suprise of his life!

Bob Hoffman was sitting on a bench by the back wall.

"Bob! What are you doing here?" asked Frank.

"I thought you might like some company," said Hoffman. "No one deserves to train alone at 2:00 in the morning."

And for many months, the two men met in the gym at 2:00 in the morning. Spellman trained, and Hoffman coached him, helped him load the bar, and offered companionship, encouragement and support.

That was called dedication. You spell it with a capital "D" -- and it always come from deep in the heart. And all champions have 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. We're in the middle of the big pre-publication special for my new book, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training. Read about it right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. Save major clams on shipping and handling by ordering two or mote Dinosaur Training books and courses (or other Dino goodies) at the same time. You can find them right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "A champion is someone who finds the will to win and a way to do it." -- Brooks Kubik

The White Moment

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yuri Vlasov, the great Russian World
and Olympic Weightlifting Champion and
former Strongest Man in the World, put
it better than anyone else:

"There is no more precious moment in
life than this, the white moment, and
you will work very hard for years just
to taste it again."

He was talking about peak performance
in competition -- about those rare but
wonderful occasions when you mind and
body are in perfect harmony and you
achieve the seemingly impossible.

It happens to all champions in all
sports, but for some, the white moment
is literally that -- a split second of
perfection woven forever into the
tapestry of one's life.

I've experienced the "white moment" in
competition (first in wrestling, and
later, in lifting), and I know what it
feels like.

I've also experienced it in training.
There were lifts so perfect I still
remember them. Lifts I will always
remember.

If you've experienced the white moment,
then you, too, know it's magic, it's
mystery, and it's power.

If you haven't experienced it, then you
need to do so. You need to set a goal,
and work hard and diligently toward its
accomplishment. When you achieve your
goal, set another, higher goal -- and
start over again and work until you
accomplish it.

Do that over and over -- again and again --
and one day, perhaps sooner than you would
imagine, the fire of competition (even if
it's competition with yourself) will carry
you into the white moment.

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 Training, Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training, Chalk and Sweat, Gray Hair and
Black Iron, and Strength, Muscle and Power
will help guide you to maximum performance.
You can find them right here at Dino
Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "You may need
to run through a brick wall and walk through
fire to do it -- but do it anyway."
-- Brooks Kubik

An Amazing and Inspiring Dino Success Story!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm doing an audio seminar (i.e., a
live teleseminar) tomorrow evening at
7:00 EST. I'm going to cover the mental
aspects of strength training in a series
seminars, starting with one that will
teach you how to develop the power of
concentration and how to use it in
your training.

Carl Lanore, the host of SuperHuman
Radio, is handling all the tech stuff,
and is going to be on line with me during
the seminar, so head over to his site to
sign up:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/seminarbookings/index.php/component/content/article/4/11-seven-keys-to-concentration-dinosaur-mindpower

With the seminar tomorrow evening, the mental
aspects of strength training are much on my
mind -- so it was funny to get an email this
morning about that very topic. It comes from
Austin Voutour, a swim coach with an amazing
and inspiring Dino success story:

"Hi Brooks,

Firstly, I want to say that I'm looking forward
to the dumbbell book and the nutrition book (if
that is still in the making). I loved the Grimek
course, and the Military Press and Shoulder Power
course, as well.

[Note from Brooks -- the Dumbbell book will come
first -- and very soon -- and then I'll finish the
diet/nutrition book.]

However, the actual reason I'm contacting you is
to thank you for helping me to understand the
mental game much better. I am a swim coach here
in Gainesville, Florida. Our club, High Tide
Aquatics, is rather small with about 100 swimmers.
I work with the middle school and early high
school kids.

We have one girl, Jaide, who was born with no
muscle in her arms and sparse amounts in her
lower legs. She competes on the paralympic circuit
in the USA, and has been to a couple of national
level meets, and the PanAms.

Going into this season, about four months ago
we knew she had a chance to go to the paralympic
trials to compete in London -- but we knew it
would be close to get there.

Over the past four months, I had the opportunity
to work closely with her. Physically, she had the
ability to make the cuts. But two months ago, I
really started to work with her on the mental game,
deep breathing, visualization, positive self talk,
many of the things covered in Dinosaur Training.

Fast forward to this weekend. Jaide not only made
the paralympic team for her category, but took
first place and crushed her own American record,
shooting her to 7th in the world rankings.

I really think that her being able to tap into
the amazing power of the mind to sync with her
body helped her to make it this far.

I know she is not a lifting Dino, but she is
nonetheless a Dino! Thanks again!

Austin Voutour"

Austin -- Thanks for sharing that. Jaide is not
only a Dinosaur, she is a true champion. Talk
about being strong, and being tough -- WOW!
What a remarkable young woman. Tell her that
the entire Dino Nation will be cheering for her
in London!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover the mental aspects of strength
training and muscle building in detail in
Dinosaur Training, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
and Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including my
new John Grimek training course -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never give up. If
you just keep going, you WILL succeed." -- Brooks
Kubik

Get Strong, Stay Strong, Live Strong!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Well, it happened again.

Back in December, Trudi caught an
elderly woman who suddenly lost her
balance and went crashing face-first
toward a concrete floor covered with
marble tile.

If Trudi had not been there -- and if
she had not caught the woman -- it
would not have been good.

And if Trudi didn't work out regularly
and if she hadn't been strong enough to
catch and hold the woman, it would not
have been good. So it's a good thing that
Trudi works out -- and that she's been
working out for pretty much her entire
adult life.

A month ago, Trudi and I were in the
park with our granddaughters, and I
caught a little girl who fell off a
piece of playground equipment. If I
hadn't caught her, it would have been
a five foot drop onto some hard-packed
dirt covered with gravel. Not good
for a 3 year old.

This morning, I helped lift an elderly
man with Parkinson's Disease off the
floor of his home and back into a
special recliner he uses.

He wasn't able to get up on his own, and
because he was a large man, his family
members weren't able to do it. They
probably would have had to call EMS
or the Fire department to help lift
him. Instead they asked me, and of
course I went over and helped out.

Catching the little girl as she fell
was easy -- she weighed a lot less
than anything I lift. And lifting the
elderly man was easy, too -- even though
he was a whole lot heavier.

The point is, Life throws these sort of
things in your path -- and you have to
be ready for them. Working out makes you
ready. Being strong makes you ready. And
staying strong keeps you ready.

So do the Dino thing. Get strong. Be strong.
Stay strong. And live strong.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My Dinosaur Training books and courses
will teach you how to build real-world, fully
functional strength -- and how to do it fast
and efficiently:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Strong people
make good neighbors." -- Brooks Kubik

Strength Training -- It's a Way of Life!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my older readers is an older gentleman
who started lifting in the late 40's or early
50's.

His timing was pretty good, because he saw many
of the great champs of the era.

For example -- he saw Doug Hepburn training when
Hepburn visited New York city. Hepburn finished
his workout by performing a one-arm handstand!

He trained at a gym where John Davis trained
near the end of his competitive career. Davis
would spot him in the bench press. That's not
bad for a young lifter -- to be spotted by a
six time World champion and two-time Olympic
gold medalist.

My reader later moved to Florida, and became
friends with Milo Steinborn -- the legendary
German strongman who came to the USA after
World War One and amazed the American lifting
fans with his lifting ability and his remarkable
strength in the squat.

Steinborn was the man who would stand a heavy
bar on one end and slowly wedge himself under
it until the bar tipped over and rested on his
shoulders while he was in a full squat. He'd
then stand up with it and perform his set --
and then reverse the process to get the bar
back on the platform.

Steinborn, you will recall, was a prisoner of
war during WWI. He kept in shape by training
with a homemade barbell fashioned from a long
steel bar and two enormous tree trunks. Talk
about a Dinosaur!

You may also recall that Steinborn once scared
the heck out of poor Sig Klein by going to his
gym, grabbing a 180 pound globe barbell, cleaning
it, and then holding it at his shoulders while
he performed a wild Cossack dance -- the one
where you start in a deep squat and jump up and
shoot your leg forward, first the right and then
the left -- as if you were doing a series of
bouncing one-legged squats.

Try it some time with no weight. It's not easy.
And then imagine the strength and power that
Steinborn possessed, to be able to perform
the feat with a 180 pound barbell!

Anyhow, my reader just ordered a copy of BLACK
IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. He mentioned that
they used to call him "Johnny D" -- the letter
"D" being short for "Davis" and short for "Deuce."
They called the champ Johnny Deuce because he
liked to do many, many sets of two reps in his
training.

He also shared a story about Milo Steinborn and
John Grimek. It's a pretty good story, so I
thought I'd share it with you.

My reader is talking with Milo Steinborn when
both Steinborn and Grimek are pretty well up
there in years.

He asks Steinborn if Grimek is still training.

Steinborn looks at him in surprise.

"Does a man give up his religion?" he asks.

To men like Milo Steinborn and John Grimek, that's
what training was all about. It was a way of life.
It was something you started as a young man and
continued to do until the end of your days.

I understand how they feel. I feel the very same
way. And if you're reading this, I bet you feel
the same!

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 Doug Hepburn, John
Davis and John Grimek right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:

1. To grab a copy of my Doug Hepburn training
course, go here:

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

2. To order BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY,
which includes details on John Davis' actual training
program from 1940 and 1941 (given to me by his
training partner), go here:

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

3. For my new course on John Grimek's life, lifting
and training, go here:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and my
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're not
training, start now. Once you start, never stop."
-- Brooks Kubik

Carry an Angel on Your Shoulder!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then let's talk about
training.

1. My new John Grimek course ships on Monday.
Today is the last day to grab the pre-
publication bonuses -- so if you want the
course and bonuses, act now:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. The March issue of the Dinosaur Files
newsletter will be mailed to subscribers on
Friday or early next week. It's a great issue,
with some killer articles, including a workout
of the month featuring heavy partials for
old-school strength and power. Good stuff!

On the training front . . .

Yesterday, I shared a story about Sig Klein
rescuing a woman from a burning building.

It's a dramatic story -- but in some respects,
it's not unique. Because somehow -- and I have
no idea how -- after you've built a fair amount
of strength and power, things happen to you.

The universe moves, and life flows forward --
and suddenly, unexpectedly, you need to use that
strength and power to help someone who needs help.

It happened to John Davis one day. The World and
Olympic weightlifting champion was working as a
mechanic in a garage in Brooklyn -- and a jack
broke -- and a 3,000 pound truck pinned a co-
worker beneath it.

Davis was there in a flash -- and all by himself,
lifted one end of the truck high enough that they
could pull the man to safety.

Other lifters have had similar things happen --
some as dramatic as Klein's rescue or Davis'
battle with the 3,000 pound truck -- and others
less dramatic, but no less important.

It's almost as if an angel rides on a weightlifter's
shoulder, steering his or her footsteps so they end
up in exactly the right place at exactly the right
time.

This happened to me on Sunday.

Trudi and I were watching the three-year old grand-
daughters while their parents were shopping at the
mall.

We made lunch for them, let them work in the garden,
read to them, let them water the garden, played some
games, and let them do some drawing and painting.
Then they decided they wanted to go play in the
park -- so we took them to the park.

They played on the swings for awhile, and then one
of them played kickball with Trudi and the other
one decided to play on the jungle gym. I went over
to keep an eye on her. She's old enough to play on
it, but just barely, and sometimes she needs help.

Anyhow, she climbs up one side and slides down the
other -- and then runs over to the other side and
goes up -- and then down -- and she's running back
and forth and all over the place, and I'm following,
and keeping an eye on her.

I turn and wave to Trudi. She and the other one are
far off in the distance, kicking a red rubber ball.

The granddaughter climbs up again, and this time she
goes across a sort of mini-suspension bridge that
leads to another slide.

The footing is a bit tricky because the thing sways
back and forth.

There is a sort of wire mesh suspended from the
handrails, to keep the kids from falling off, but for
some reason it doesn't go all the way down. A bad
design.

So she's walking across, and I'm standing close to
the bridge -- and suddenly another little girl comes
flying across the thing, running as fast as she can.

She's nimble as a deer, and twice as fast, and she
runs across and over to the slide, does a 180 and
starts to run back.

She's half way across when a big black horse-fly
buzzes right into her face. She jumps back in surprise,
falls on her back, bounces once, rolls over and falls
off the side of the bridge.

It's a five foot drop to hard ground below, and for
a three year old, that probably means a broken arm --
or worse if she lands on her neck or head.

But somehow, I happen to be in exactly the right place
at exactly the right time. And I've spent a lifetime
of heavy lifting, so catching a little person isn't
any problem at all.

I don't even have to move.

All I do is raise my left arm -- and she falls right
onto my upper arm and shoulder.

She looks at me with big brown eyes. She thinks she's
in trouble.

"I'm sorry!" she says.

"Don't worry, it's okay!"

I smile, and place her back on the bridge. She scrambles
to her feet and runs off.

And what might have been a tragedy -- wasn't.

That's the sort of thing that happens to weightlifters.
And that's why I say that we carry angels on our
shoulders.

And frankly, I'm glad that we do.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Remember, it's the last day of the pre-publication
special for the John Grimek course -- so if you've been
sitting on the fence, you need to move fast -- and
reserve your copy NOW:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train like the devil, but
live with the angels." -- Brooks Kubik

Strength Training and the Success Habit

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Couple of quick things, and then we'll
talk training.

1. The John Grimek Course

Will be mailed this week, not sure when.
Depends on how fast the printer can run
the copies. And yes, there's still time
to reserve your copy and grab the pre-
publication bonuses:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. My Dinosaur Training Seminar

My four-week audio seminar -- a/k/a distance
learning -- on Dinosaur Training starts this
coming Saturday. For details, and to reserve
your spot in the seminar, go here:

http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training

If you already signed up, please shoot me an
email and give me your name, age and training
experience, how you hears about the course,
what you'd like to get from the course, etc.

Right now we have s fairly small group, so it
will be a Masters Class for those who participate,
with more individual attention than if we had
a huge number of students.

And now -- as they say -- let's talk training.

Last week, we talked about boot camp. And I noted
that the boot camp model -- which relies on the
instructor yelling and shouting to "Run Faster!"
has a fatal flaw.

Namely, it doesn't teach you to be a self-motivator.
It teaches you to rely on external motivation.

That's fine for beginners, but a good coach -- a
good teacher -- a good instructor -- knows that
you need to learn how to self-motivate. And that
becomes part of the process.

Strength training is an interesting and unique
activity. You work incredibly hard -- and sometimes
you really have to push yourself -- and if you can't,
or won't, then you won't be very successful.

If you think about it, there are very few activities
where EFFORT is so directly related to success. You
can't sweet talk a barbell. You either lift it, or
you don't.

As a result, strength training has a unique ability
to increase your mental strength just as much as it
increases your physical strength. Do it right, and
you'll develop your power of concentration to a
degree far above that of the average person. Do it
right, and you'll increase your self-confidence,
your initiative, and your determination. Do
it right, and you'll increase your self-control.

Do your training the right way, by setting goals
and working inexorably toward their accomplishment.
When you do, you'll develop what I call The Success
Habit -- which is nothing more nor less than a
supreme belief in your ability to achieve your
goals.That's something that most people don't
have -- and it's one of the most important benefits
of your training.

So when you train, and it gets tough -- remember this:

Tough is good.

Tough is what you want.

Tough is what makes you strong.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for the John Grimek course:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. Here's the link for the Dinosaur Training
distance learning seminar:

http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training

P.S. 3. And here's the link to my other books, courses,
DVD's and Dinosaur Training goodies:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set a goal, achieve the
goal, and set another one. That's how it works." --
Brooks Kubik

DINOSAUR TRAINING VS. BOOT CAMP

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We live by a park, which is great -- except
when the 6:00 a.m. Boot Camp wakes us up
with the drill sergeant fitness pro yelling
and screaming to "Go faster!" and blowing
her whistle like she was signalling a
five-alarm fire.

Now, I have nothing against Boot Camps or
similar outdoor fitness programs, and I'm
sure they do lots of good for the people
who try them. But it's a much different
thing than what I like to do -- and it's
a much different thing than Dino style
strength training and muscle building.

And I'm not talking about the difference
between heavy iron and running laps in the
park. There's a much more fundamental
difference.

Dinosaurs are self-motivators.

They don't need someone shouting at them,
and they don't need someone blowing a
whistle.

In fact, that's the exact opposite of what
a Dinosaur needs.

One of the most important keys to successful
strength training is CONCENTRATION. That's
true whether you're doing powerlifting,
Olympic lifting, heavy barbell and dumbbell
work, grip work, Dino Style bodyweight
training, strongman training with heavy,
awkward objects or anything else where
the goal is to develop strength and power.

You need to concentrate.

You need to focus.

You need to eliminate all distractions.

You need quiet, not noise -- or you need to
block out the noise.

That's why so many Dinos enjoy training at
home, in their garage, their basement or
their backyard. It's quiet. There are no
distractions. They can concentrate.

The Boot Camp environment is nothing but
noise -- and nothing but distraction. And
although the folks in the Boot Camp are
getting a good cardio workout, they're
not learning how to concentrate -- and
they're not developing the mind-muscle
link.

It would actually be better for them if
the instructor stopped shouting at them.
The park is pretty quiet at 6:00 in the
morning, and you can go very deep when
the only noise is the sun coming up over
the hill and the sound of your own
breathing.

In addition, if they had to push themselves
(instead of being pushed by the instructor),
they'd start to develop some very serious
levels of guts, grit and determination --
and guts, grit and determination are good
things.

Kim Wood used that sort of approach when he
was the Strength Coach for the Cincinnati
Bengals.

He didn't stand there and yell at the players
to "Get one more rep!"

That would be too easy for them.

He told them what to do, and then he let them
get there on their own.

And that was very important. After all, a
player is alone when he's on the field --
and he needs to know how to reach inside
himself and find that last little bit of
strength or speed or endurance.

So Boot Camp is fine -- but if they made it
a little more Dino, it would be a heck of a
lot better.

And besides, if that's how they ran the
Boot Camp, I could get an extra half hour
of sleep!

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. My four-week distance learning course
on Dinosaur Training begins on Saturday,
April 14. You can reserve your spot right
here:

http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training

P.S. 2. The new John Grimek course is at the
printer, and will be mailed next week -- and it's
looking great. You can reserve a copy right here --
and if you act now, you'll get the pre-publication
bonuses when we send you your course:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "A champion knows how
to dig deep. To be a champion, train to develop
that ability." -- Brooks Kubik

Einstein's No. One Rule for Effective Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I saw a great quote from Albert Einstein today:

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not
simpler."

That applies to strength training just as much
as it applies to quantum mechanics. Maybe even
more so.

So in the spirit of simplicity, let me offer
some simple suggestions to ramp up your strength
training for 2012:

1. Get double serious about leg and back training.

1A. Once you get past the intermediate stage, it's
time to specialize on your legs and back. See the
programs in Chalk and Sweat for details.

1B. Alternating leg specialization programs with
back specialization programs is a time tested way
to build as much strength and muscle mass as your
genetic potential allows -- and to get there as
fast as possible.

2. If what you are doing is working, STICK WITH
IT!

2A. You would not believe how many emails I get
from guys who say, "My current program is working
great and I'm making the best gains of my life --
but I thought I'd make some changes . . . "

3. If what you are doing is NOT working, then
don't be afraid to make rational changes. It takes
time and systematic experimentation to figure out
what works best for YOU.

3A. When you make a change, try to change only one
or two things at a time -- otherwise, you won't be
able to determine what works and what doesn't work.

4. If you are getting stronger, your training is
working.

5. To gain muscle, you MUST build strength.

5A. Add 100 pounds to your squat and deadlift and 50
pounds to all of your other exercises, and you'll
increase your muscle mass enormously.

6. Yes, you can gain strength and muscle AND build
good cardio condition -- and you should do so.

6A. There are some very strong, very well developed,
very muscular and very well-conditioned folks walking
around out there -- which PROVES that you can combine
strength, muscle, power AND good cardio condition.

6B. Did you ever stop and think about how many old
time lifting champions were also outstanding
wrestlers?

6C. Wrestling requires top-level conditioning -- so
the old time lifters who wrestled (and most of the
true old-timers did both) -- clearly combined great
strength and great muscular development with great
conditioning.

7. Most people who don't gain as much as they want or
as fast as they want are over-training.

8. Older lifters need to pay extra attention to
recovery and recuperation. See Gray hair and Black
iron for special advice for older lifters.

8A. Harry Paschall once noted that training three
times a week worked great for him -- until he reached
age 50 -- and then he found that training three
times every TWO weeks worked better!

9. Do NOT underestimate the power of bodyweight
training -- especially when combined with weight
training. The two make an unbeatable combination.
See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for more info.

10. Improving your concentration and focus is one of
the very best ways to improve the effectiveness of your
training. See Dinosaur Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
training for detailed instruction on how to do this.

11. Study the lives of great lifters. There's much more
to learn from them than sets and reps. Try to match their
spirit -- their determination -- their perseverance --
and their character.

12. Remember that E = MC2 -- and hard work, intelligently
applied, equals great gains.

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 find Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur Training,
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training and all of my other books
and courses -- including Black Iron: The John Davis Story
and the world-famous Legacy of Iron books -- right here
at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "Look strong, lift strong,
live strong." -- Brooks Kubik

Impressive Stuff that Dinos Do!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I read something ages ago about a top strength
coach. I think he coached an NFL team -- or
perhaps a top college team. As I said, it was
ages ago, and I just don't remember. Nor do
I remember his name.

But I remember someone noting that this man
not only knew his stuff, he still did it. He
still trained. And he was in his mid-50's.

And although he may not have been out-lifting
his 20-something athletes, he was doing
something pretty impressive.

He was doing full squat snatches.

And as anyone who's ever tried to do a squat
snatch can tell you, they require strength,
power, speed, timing, coordination, balance,
flexibility, mobility, and athleticism.

So when the 55 year old strength coach gets
out on the platform and hits some squat
snatches, that's impressive. It doesn't have
to be a World record weight. Just doing them
is impressive.

I've always remembered that. It's one of the
things I think about when I go out to the
garage and do my Olympic lifting workouts.

And it made me think about other things that
people do that come under the "It's Impressive!"
category.

So I started a list of Impressive Stuff that
Dinos Do. Here it is. See if you spot yourself
on it:

1. Squats. (Heavy. Sets and reps of your choice.)

2. Deadlifts. (Heavy. Sets and reps of your choice.)

3. The clean and press. (barbell, dumbbells, sandbags,
barrels or whatever.)

4. Arms-only rope climbing.

5. Any of the advanced workouts in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training.

6. Heavy dumbbell training. (Emphasis on heavy.)

7. Thick bar training.

8. The farmer's walk.

9. Finishers.

10. Keeping at it after age 40 -- or 50 -- or
60.

11. Teaching your children how to train.

12. Teaching your grandchildren how to train.

13. Learning new stuff to do -- whatever your age.

14. Using the same barbell at age 60 that you used
at age 12.

15. Entering your first powerlifting, weightlifting
or strongman comp.

16. Saying "no" to the roidskies.

17. Dropping 30 pounds and four inches off your gut
because you know it's good for your health.

18. Doing weight work AND some kind of conditioning
work because you know they BOTH do good things for
you.

19. Growing as much of your own food as possible.

20. Having the greatest workout of your entire life
and NOT posting about it on Facebook.

There are many more -- send in your ideas and I'll
post the best ones!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want to move into the "It's Impressive"
category, start with the books, courses and DVD's
at the Dinosaur Training site. They'll get you there
faster than anything else:

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

P.S. 2. I love the Post Office, but there's no sense
in paying extra clams for s&h. Order two or three
books or courses (or DVD's) at one time, and save
some serious wampum.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If people spent more
time making an effort, they'd spend less time making
excuses." -- Brooks Kubik

Real Life Heroes!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As I type these words, there's a man
sitting on a bench, concentrating
fiercely. He's getting ready to attack
his final set of deadlifts.

He's using a Trap Bar loaded so heavy
that you wonder how the bar can hold
the weight.

And one more thing. He's blind.

Doesn't matter. He still trains. Hard
and heavy. Dino style.

There's another man who's training hard
in his home gym. He lost a leg. But once
again, it doesn't matter. He still trains.

There's another man who trains in his home
gym. He's been doing it for something like
15 years -- ever since he read Dinosaur
Training back in 1996 when the little
monster was first published.

He's battling back from cancer. We almost
lost him a few months ago. He's lost a ton
of weight, and lots of strength. But he's
still training. And he plans to get right
back to where he used to be.

There are older guys coming back from knee
operations -- shoulder operations -- hip
replacements -- and heart attacks. But
they're still training.

There's a fireman in New York City who straps
into a heavy weight vest, throws some extra
chains over his shoulders, grabs some dumbbells
and goes out for a long walk. He calls it cardio.
He does it because in his business, that's the
kind of thing that can save lives.

There are men who train in war zones -- sometimes
doing deadlifts with bombs falling.

There are law enforcement officers who need real
world strength and condition to do their job --
and who believe that building strength, muscle
and power is a part of their job. So they work
at it -- HARD!

There are beginners of all ages who started
with weights so light they'd be embarrassed to
tell you about them -- and now they're into
300/400/500 territory.

There's a father who's teaching his son to
train. It may be the most important thing he
ever teaches the boy.

There's a grandfather who's training with his
two 13 year grandsons. he's giving them a life
lesson that they'll remember forever.

These are all real people. I know each of them.
Some of them I've known for many years. Some
are more recent friends. But they're all real.
They really do exist, and they really are out
there, battling the iron and stubbornly
refusing to let anything -- and I mean
ANYTHING -- stop them.

Readers often write and tell me how much
they've learned from my books, courses and
DVD's. I believe them -- because I sure as
heck have learned a lot from my readers.

And one of the most important things I've
learned is this:

The world's full of heroes -- and if you're
lucky, you get to know some of them.

I'm lucky. I know some heroes. And if you're
reading this, you know them, too.

As always, thanks for reading -- and thanks
for everything you do. If you train today,
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's a book about another hero -- a man
who started life with NOTHING -- and who became
the strongest man in the world, and the greatest
weightlifter of his era:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's --
and the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone is a hero.
Some people just don't know it yet." -- Brooks Kubik

If You train Today, Do This!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Regular readers know that I usually end
my email messages and Blog posts by
saying:

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

One of our regular readers -- a long time
lifter named Paul Murray -- takes me to
task on this, by suggesting I say:

"If you train today, make it FUN!"

I'm probably not going to change, but Paul
makes an excellent point.

To be effective, your training needs to be
FUN.

It needs to be something that you ENJOY.

It needs to be something you WANT to do.

It needs to be something that makes you feel
GOOD to be alive.

It needs to be the highlight of your day --
and one of the most important, most precious
activities you pursue.

That's how training ought to be -- and how it
is for me -- and if you're reading this, it's
probably how training is for you, as well.

Now, FUN training does not mean EASY training.

Far from it.

To be FUN, your training needs to be challenging.
It needs to be difficult. It needs to be tough.
It needs to call for the best you have.

And that's where different methods of training
come into play. Some people find one type of
training to be challenging (and thus, to be FUN),
while others find their challenges (and their FUN)
in distinctly different types of training.

Case in point: one Dino likes to train for power-
lifting. Another Dino likes to train for Olympic
weightlifting. A third likes to lift heavy dumb-
bells. A fourth prefers limited range movements
with ginormous poundages in the power rack. A
fifth enjoys high rep bodyweight training. A
sixth enjoys low rep bodyweight training (using
the most difficult variations of bodyweight
movements).

Another Dino lifts rocks. Another Dino is heavy
into grip training. Another trains on the old York
courses. Another combines strength work with high
intensity cardio training. And so it goes.

I teach lots of different ways to train. I don't
give you a one-size-fits-all way of doing things.
I mix it up. I offer different workouts and
different ways to train because I want each and
every one of you to find the most challenging --
and the most FUN -- way for YOU to train.

When you do that -- when you make your training a
challenge -- and when you make it enjoyable -- when
you make it FUN -- your success is guaranteed.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For a brand new challenge, try Dinosaur Style
Bodyweight Training:

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

P.S 2. If bodyweight training isn't your thing, then
go here and take a look at everything we have to
to those you get their challenges -- and their
FUN -- from heavy iron:

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


P.S. 3. Quote of the Day:

"Too many of us are indifferent about our own
best welfare. We are not willing to pay the price."
-- Dr. Frederick Tilney

Championship Thinking

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I hope you had a great weekend. We
have plenty of things happening here
at Dino Headquarters, and I'll try to
cover them all in emails this week.
And I'll bring you more in the series
of mini-articles I'm doing on "Strength
Training Secrets."

But right now, let's talk a little about
an element of strength training that most
people don't talk about -- or write
about -- or think about. But it's one
the most important elements of strength
training success.

In fact, it's one of the most important
elements of success in anything you choose
to do.

It's called "Turning negatives into positives."

You could also call it, "Championship Thinking."

I'll give you a couple of examples of what I
mean.

1. The Kid with No Squat Stands

A kid named John Grimek trains at home. He has
no squat stands. To work his legs, he has to do
HIGH REP squats with plenty of puffing and
panting. The high rep squats boost his metabolism,
he starts to grow like a weed, and before you
know it, he's one of the best built men in the
world.

He went on to win the Mr. America and Mr. Universe
titles, and to retire from bodybuilding competition
unbeaten -- and rated by many as the greatest
natural bodybuilder of all time.

2. The Punching Bag

A kid named Tommy Kono trains for Olympic
weightlifting in a YMCA where the weight room
is in a recessed area in a room where they train
for boxing. The lifting platform and squat stands
are right next to the speed bag, so all you hear
when you lift is the rat-tat-tat of the boxers
hitting the speed bag. It made it almost
impossible to concentrate when you were
lifting.

What does the kid do?

He uses it as away of developing his powers
of concentration to the point where he could
block out any distraction.

And he went on to be a six-time World champion
and two-time Olympic champion.

3. The Broken Wrist

A young kid named Paul Anderson gets into lifting
and starts to get really big and really strong.
But then he breaks his wrist. That means that
virtually all of his pushing and pulling exercises
are out the door.

So he specializes on squats -- and he ends up
bigger and stronger than ever -- and when his
wrist is healed, he comes back twice as good as
before -- and he wins an Olympic gold medal.

It's an incredibly common story. You see it time
and time again in the lives of the men who became
legends of the Iron Game.

And it's something that YOU can do -- something that
YOU can apply in your own training.

When you encounter an obstacle, don't view it as a
negative. See it for what it truly is -- an
opportunity.

With that mind set -- the same mind set shared by
John Grimek, Tommy Kono and Paul Anderson -- you
can accomplish anything.

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. John Davis was another man who overcame seemingly
impossible odds to become the greatest weightlifter
of his generation -- a six time World champion and
two-time Olympic champion. You can read about John
Davis, his life and his lifting -- and how he
trained -- in my new book, BLACK IRON -- THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY:

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

P.S. 2 -- You can find my other books and courses
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

Championship Character

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In Dinosaur Training, I wrote, "A dinosaur is a man
with character." Let me give you an example of what
I mean.

At the World weightlifting Championships of 1950,
John Davis, the defending World and Olympic Champion,
was in a ferocious battle with the Russian heavyweight,
Jakov Kutsenko.

Davis was leading after the first lift, the press,
but it was very close as they went into the second
lift, the snatch.

Now, for those readers who aren't familiar with
Olympic weightlifting, the snatch is a non-stop
lift where the athlete powers the bar from the
platform to arms length overhead in a single
movement. It happens so fast you can barely see
it. Less than one second. Boom! Just like that.
And with incredible weight on the bar.

Scientists have run tests, and Olympic weight-
lifters performing the snatch are the fastest of
all athletes.

Nowadays, a lifter will drop down into a squat
as he pulls the bar. This is called, naturally
enough, the squat snatch.

But back in John's day, most lifters performed
the split style snatch. To do this, they pulled
the bar up and dove under it, splitting their
legs so one foot was forward and one foot was
far behind them.

The split style was the style that John Davis
used.

Now, the key to success in the split style of
snatching is to drop as low as possible under the
bar. Sometimes, a lifter would go so low that the
knee on his trailing leg would touch the platform.
If that happened, the lift was no good. Touching
your knee to the platform was a disqualification.

So here's John Davis, neck and neck with the big
Russian -- and on his second attempt in the snatch,
John calls for 325 pounds. If he makes the lift, he
is virtually assured of winning the
World championship.

John chalks his hands -- steps onto the platform --
approaches the bar -- gets set -- and pulls high and
hard.

The bar shoots upward, and John drops under it like
a flash, his legs scissoring into the split position.

He makes the lift, the officials give him three white
lights, and the crowd roars in approval.

But wait -- something's wrong!

John walks over to one of the officials, and speaks to
him quietly but earnestly.

The other officials join them.

They almost seem to be arguing.

Then they walk over to the scoring table.

John tells the scorer that the lift was no good. His
knee touched the platform. It happened so fast the
officials didn't even see it. They counted the lift
as good. But John knew the truth. And he refused
to take credit for a bad lift.

"Nobody had seen it," he said later. "But I didn't
want to go around with a weight on my mind."

When the crowd learned what had happened, they cheered
louder than when they thought he had made the lift.

On his third attempt, John once again threw the bar
overhead -- and this time, it was a perfect lift.

And John went on to beat his Russian rival handily --
and to retain his World championship.

It was a remarkable example of CHARACTER -- and it
gives you a deep insight into one of the most important
aspects of championship performance in weightlifting
or any other sport.

Go back and reread John's explanation for why he did
what he did.

"I didn't want to go around with a weight on my
mind."

Neither do I. And neither do you. The bar is heavy
enough. You don't ever need any additional weight on
your mind.

And that's a secret to gold-medal performance.

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 grab a copy of Dinosaur Training at the
Dinosaur Bookstore -- and you can learn quite a bit
about John Davis in it. You also can learn more about
John Davis and other lifters of his era in the Legacy
of Iron books:

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