A Very Good Question!

Strength training is about basic principles - which you can adapt and apply to any kind of equipment - and to your own unique goals, interests and needs.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In response to yesterday's email about
Dinosaur Arm Training, I rec'd an
email from Jim DeSantis, an age 62
Dino who's been training for 30 years.

Jim had a very common question, so
I thought I'd cover it in this morning's
email message.

Jim wrote:

Hi Brooks,

I've been training for 30 years. I do
squats and deadlifts, but the rest are
mostly what I guess you'd consider to
be bodybuilding exercises.

I don't do snatches, cleans, jerks and
other Olympic lifting movements.

Does Dinosaur Arm Training involve
any Olympic lifting?

I know that a lot of the exercises you
advocate are Olympic lifting movements
and what I would consider to be "strong
man" lifts, but I think that at age 62 I'm
too old to start doing those types of
exercises.

Will your arm training course work for
me?

Jim DeSantis

That's a very good question - and a very

common one. For some reason, people

think I want everyone to do Olympic

lifting simply because that's what I like

to do - or to do "strong man" training

because that's what I did in my late 30's

and early 40's.

Over the years, I've done MANY different

types of training: powerlifting, all-dumbbell

workouts, bodyweight training, strong-man

training, Nautilus workouts, "power body-

building", heavy power rack training, and

total-body workouts three times a week the

way Bradley J. Steiner used to teach back in

the 1970's.

They're all good, and they all work.

Right now, at age 61, I prefer doing Olympic

lifting workouts - although (and this is very

important), I do them in a sensible and age-

appropriate fashion, and I follow the basic

principles of abbreviated training and relatively

short, low-volume workouts that I've written

about in virtually all of my books and courses.

But does that mean that YOU should do

Olympic lifting?

Or that you HAVE to do it?

No, not at all.

If you prefer doing squats, deadlifts, and other

basic, compound exercises, then by all means

do them.

The vast majority of older Dinosaurs do basic

compound exercises - or they make basic com-

pound exercises the mainstay of their training

program.

For this reason, my books and courses offer

universal training principles that can be applied

to any kind of workouts you like to do.

And it's why most of my suggested workouts

involve basic, compound exercises rather than

Olympic lifting movements.

Dinosaur Arm Training is a good example.

It includes several excellent total-body work-

outs - but no snatches or cleans other than

very light flip snatches and very light

power clean and press used solely and

exclusively as warm-up exercises.

If you prefer to do something else for a

warm-up, that's fine. A couple of sets of

hyperextensions and some quick push-

ups and deep knee bends (bodyweight

squats) will work just as well.

So, YES - Dinosaur Arm Training will

work great for you - and it doesn't include

any heavy Olympic lifting.

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur-arms-kindle.html

PDF

Go to our products page and look for the section
listing our PDF courses with immediate electronic
delivery. Dinosaur Arm Training is no. 14 on the
list.

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

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Do you have the March issue of the
Dinosaur Files newsletter? If not, go here
to grab it:

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

Also - if you missed the October, Nov, Dec
Jan or Feb issues, go here to grab them so
you have the complete set: 

Feb issue

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

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Focus on the basic principles of strength
training, and apply them to your own
particular goals and needs."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

My Top 10 Strength Training Mistakes

I made a ton of strength training mistakes when I was a kid - but that's okay, because making mistakes is how you learn what works and what doesn't work.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We all make mistakes, and I'm no
different than anyone else.

But there's a good side to making
mistakes. Hopefully, it teaches you
a better way of doing things.

And if you're really lucky, you can
learn from other people's mistakes.

That saves time, effort, wear
and tear.

So I thought I'd share The Top 10
Training Mistakes I Made When I
Was a Kid. Hopefully, this will help
you avoid making some of the
mistakes that I made.

Don't laugh too hard when you read
these. They were things I did in junior
high and high school -- a very long
time ago. And in my defense, we all
made these mistakes back then.

The Top 10 Training Mistakes I
Made When I Was a Kid

1.  I read the muscle magazines.

a. Worse, I believed them.

2. I tried the Get Big Drink.

a. I did NOT get big. I got sick.

b. Very sick.

3. I used soy-based protein powder.

a. We all did. And it was terrible for
us.

b. Soy powder is indescribably nasty.

4. I didn't do Olympic lifting.

a. For some reason. Olympic lifting
all but disappeared in the USA in the
60's and 70's.

b. I really wish our coaches had trained
us in Olympic lifting. What a difference
it would have made!

c. Even teaching us power cleans, high
pulls and push presses would have been
a huge improvement.

5. I used machines instead of free
weights.

a. Including the Universal Gym.

b. Of course, all the pro athletes did
the same thing.

c. Related point: I should have used
heavy awkward objects.

d. I should have done old-school
dumbbell training (the kind I teach
in Dinosaur Dumbbell Training).

6. I did long, slow running instead of
sprints and other fast, short-burst cardio
work.

a. The long, slow stuff didn't have very
much carry-over to wrestling, which is
what I was training for in high school --
but it's what all of us did back then.

7. I used high-volume bodybuilding
programs.

a. The magazines said that was the
way to be a champion.

b. It wasn't.

c. And besides, why train like a body-
builder if you were a wrestler?

8. I didn't do anywhere near enough leg
and back work.

a. None of us did.

9. I didn't do anywhere near enough grip
work.

a. I don't think my high school even had
anything for the grip -- other than a wrist
roller thingie on the Universal Gym.

b. I wish I had done the farmer's walk
back then.

c. Or used thick handled barbells and
dumbbells.

10. I didn't do enough bodyweight training --
which would have been an excellent program
for a high school wrestler.

a. The muscle magazines never said anything
about bodyweight training.

So there you have it: 10 big mistakes that I
made almost 50 years ago.

And here's the thing -- many people are still
making one or more of those mistakes -- or
very similar mistakes -- and some people are
making ALL of them.

That's a shame. There's a much better way
of doing things. I teach it in all of my books
and courses, from Dinosaur Training to Chalk
and Sweat to Strength, Muscle and Power to
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

Don't make my mistakes. Train the right way.
Unlock your true potential.

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. Chalk and Sweat is a great book for
beginners, intermediates and advanced
trainees:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Those who ignore the lessons of the past
are doomed to repeat them -- and that
includes the lessons of the Iron Game."

 -- 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

12 Keys to Strength and Muscle Mass (Part 1)

Philadelphia's Louis Abele knew how to build plenty of strength and muscle mass - drug free and supplement free - with old school, Dino-style training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Files

The Oct and Nov issues of the Dinosaur
Files are available right here in a quick
and easy PDF format with immediate
electronic delivery:

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

The PDF is printable, so if you prefer a
hard-copy, order the PDF and print it --
and you'll have an instant hard-copy to
save in your collection.

If you don't have a printer, send me
an email and I'll tell you how to order
a hard-copy issue.

Also, if you prefer a one year,
12-issue subscription, shoot
me an email and we'll make
it happen.

Meanwhile, I'm hard at work on the
December issue - I'll send an email
as soon as the little monster is
available.

2. Twelve Keys to Strength and
Muscle Mass (Part 1)

I always get lots of questions about
building strength and muscle mass -
so I thought I'd cover the topic briefly
in a couple of emails. For more info,
see Strength, Muscle and Power -
Chalk and Sweat - and Dinosaur
Training. If you're over 35, be sure
to grab Gray Hair and Black Iron.

Anyhow, here are some of the key
points.

1. Basic, Compound Exercises
Squats, front squats, deadlifts, Trap
Bar deadlifts, presses, push presses,
pull-ups, shrugs, and bench presses
are your bread and butter exercises.

You can throw in some other stuff -
arm work, for example - or light
dumbbell work for shoulder health -
but devote the lion's share of your
time and energy to the BIG
exercises.

The basic, compound exercises
build your muscles, your tendons,
your ligaments, and your bones.
In other words, they build your
skeletal structure along with your
muscles - and that's hugely
important.

The more bone mass you build,
the more muscle mass you can
carry.

And did you know that recent
research links bone mass to
testosterone output - meaning
that increased bone masses
leads to increased testosterone?

How about that for a strength
and muscle building bonus?

2. Train the Power Zones.

Focus on your legs and hips, your
back, and your shoulder girdle.

If you build your legs and hips,
your back, and your shoulder
girdle, you'll get bigger and
stronger everywhere else -
including your arms.

On the other hand, if you do
nothing but arm work - as
many misguided trainees do -
you usually end up with nothing
at all - including little or no gains
in arm size.

In other words, concentrate on
squats, deadlifts, presses and -
oops, I already said that.

3. Train progressively.

Always try to improve your per-
formance.

Do one more rep.

Or one more set.

Or add weight to the bar.

Or do your exercises in better,
tighter form - with better and
deeper concentration and focus.

If you train the right way, you
should see progress in every
single workout.

Ideally, you should use slow cooking
progression programs - the kind I
detail in Dinosaur Training Secrets,
Vol. 3.

You make small but steady gains -
and over time, the little gains add
up into BIG gains in strength and
muscle mass.

Don't try to do it overnight - or in
21 days - or 30 days - or six weeks -
or whatever. Plan on doing the work
and putting in the time that it takes
for serious results.

More tomorrow  . . . . be looking for
it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Strength, Muscle
and Power:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"I doesn't happen overnight - but if
you train the right way, it always
happens sooner or later."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

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

Are Deadlifts Extinct?

 

Rich Abbott pulls some heavy iron - and proves that the deadlift isn't extinct. But many trainees have never performed a heavy deadlift - or any other heavy exercise. What does that tell us about the future of the Iron Game?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
iron.

1. Dinosaur T-shirts

We have a couple of XL blue shirts
with white letters, and a couple of
2XL gray with black letters - and
that's it until the next time we do
any shirts.

If you want one, grab it now - by
shooting me an email.

They're $19.95 plus s&h.

First come, first served, so
if you want one, move fast.

2. Black Iron: The John Davis
Story

We have 10 copies left, and I'm
not going to reprint the book, so
this is it. If you want one, shoot
me an email.

They are $34.95 plus s&h.

3. Are Deadlifts Extinct?
One of our older Dinos - a man in
his 50's - was talking to a young
strength coach the other day.

The older Dino mentioned that his
training had changed as he had
grown older, but that he was still
doing deadlifts and still pulling a
good weight.

The young guy was astonished.

"Are you still doing deadlifts?" he
asked. "Nobody does those any
more!"

And then it was our older Dino's
turn to be astonished.

He shared the story with me, and
frankly, I'm kind of astonished,
too.

It made me wonder what the Iron
Game is going to look like in 10 or
20 years.

Will anyone still do deadlifts?

Or squats?

Or overhead lifting?

The farmer's walk?

Heavy awkward objects?

Trap Bar deadlifts?

Bench presses?

Power rack training?

Heavy partials?

Heavy support lifts?

Shrugs?

Heavy dumbbell training?

Thick bar training?

I don't know. I hope that these
exercises are around for a long,
long time - but maybe they won't
be.

Look at the bent press.

The bent press was a hugely
popular lift back in the 1890's
through 1910 or the 1920's.

Then it gradually began to fade
into obscurity.

In the 1930's, 40's and 50's, a
few men still knew how to do it -
and a small handful of men were
really good at it - but most trainees
never tried it and had no idea how
to do it.

In the 60's, 70's and 80's it was
almost extinct. Certainly it was on
the Endangered Exercises List.

When kettlebells became popular,
the bent press once again became
popular - but performed with kettle-
bells, not with barbells or dumbbells
(the way almost all of the old-timers
did the lift).

So exercises do come and go - and
they sometimes disappear almost
completely. In other words, they
become extinct.

Will the deadlift become extinct?

I don't know - but if anyone helps
to keep it alive, it will be Dinosaurs
like you and me.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover deadlift tips and much
more in my Old-School Strength
Q and A.

It's available in your choice of hard-
copy, Kindle or PDF.

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool-qanda.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

"Exercises come and go - but
Dinosaurs keep right on doing
the important ones."

- 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