Just be You!

Hitting it hard at the outdoor training area here at Dino Headquarters. Yes, I'm doing front squats - with towels to hold the bar. You can try them if you like, but you don't have to do them. Your job, as always, is to find what works best for YOU.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a couple of emails from guys
who were hopping mad that I've
been following a vegetarian diet for
the past month or so.

"What do you want me to do?" one
asked. "Stop eating meat?"

No, not at all.

I want you to be YOU.

You don't have to do something
just because I'm doing it.

The vegetarian diet started when
Trudi asked me if I would join her
in a 30 Day Vegetarian Challenge.

She wanted to try new foods, new
meals, and new recipes - and she
thought that a 30 Day Vegetarian
Challenge would force us to try
new things.

She was right. We've cooked more
new meals in the past 30 days than
we've done over the past three
years before it. And we're enjoying
the new meals enormously.

So from that perspective, it's been
a big success.

But what about strength and health?

It's worked very well in that regard,
as well.

We both feel healthy and strong,
and we both have plenty of energy.

And my lifting has been going fine.

But now I'm curious.

I want to see what will happen to
my strength and my lifting if I
continue the plant-based diet
into 2018.

So I'm going to do that - as an
experiment - and then I'm going
to report on the results.

If I end up stronger at age 61 - on
 a plant-based diet - than I was at
age 60 eating lots of meat and eggs,
that's good information to have.

If it doesn't work - that's good
information, too.

It's the same as trying new work-
outs or new exercises. If something
works, it's good to know - and good
to share with you. If it doesn't work,
that's also good to know - and good
to share.

Meanwhile, if you enjoy eating
meat, keep on doing it.

This is an experiment, and you
should feel free to do what YOU
want to do - and feel free to be
YOU.

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 Dumbbell Training
and Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
both started out as experiments.

"How will they work?" I wondered.

Turned out they worked pretty darn
well - as many other Dinos have
learned.

You can grab either or both of the
little monsters right here - and see
for yourself:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training began as an experiment - and ended up working pretty darn well.

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

 

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training was another experiment - and it, too, worked pretty well.

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day

"Study and learn from others -
but above all else, learn what
works best for 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

Foraging for Breakfast at Dino Headquarters

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk healthy food
for dinos.

We ran a scratch and dent sale on Friday, and we
had a huge response. Other than a few CD's, all
of the scratch and dent items are gone.

However, if you're looking to save some clams on
an order, order several items together so we can
ship them in one box -- but email first and ask
for a shipping quote. Tell us what you want and
where you live, and we'll figure out the best
shipping option and get back to you.

We can save you some major clams on shipping
if we combine orders, especially if you live
outside the USA.

On the food front, if you've read Knife, Fork,
Muscle, you know I'm a big fan of healthy,
wholesome food, prepared in simple but
appetizing ways.

Healthy food is good for YOU, of course, but
it's also good for your children or grandchildren.
After all, kids model the behaviour of adults.
If kids see mom and dad eating healthy (or
grandma and grandpa eating healthy), it's
a very important lesson for them.

And youngsters are very impressionable --
so lessons learned when they are young may
last for an entire lifetime.

Case in point . . .

Our seven-year old granddaughters had a sleep
over at our house on Saturday night. So we
were playing their favorite games with them
after dinner.

One of them was building a zoo out of Lincoln
Logs and populating it with toy animals and
(of course) toy dinosaurs. That was in the
living room. Trudi was helping her.

Meanwhile, the other one wanted to play a
card game with me in the breakfast room. We
used some new cards that are marked like
regular playing cards, but have photos of wild
edible plants and flowers on the back -- and
on the other side, instructions on where to
find, and how to harvest and prepare each
wild plant.

So we played cards for awhile, and she won,
and that was good.

But even better -- she asked me to read the
names of the "pretty flowers" on the backs of
the cards.

So I read the first one, and explained that it
grew in the woods, and you could gather the
leaves and eat it as salad or cook it in soups
or stews -- or harvest the roots, and bake
them like potatoes.

She thought that was great -- and promptly
held up another card.

"What's this one?" she asked.

Anyhow, we went through the entire deck of 52
edible plant cards, and talked about all of them --
including the ones that are growing in our yard
and our garden. We have at least a dozen of
them somewherre in the yard.

Dandelion leaves were her favorite, for some
reason. She loved the idea of eating dandelion
leaves.

That was smart, because dandelion salad was
one of Steve Stanko's favorite foods -- and it
has something like 8 times the antioxidants
in cultivated spinach -- along with twice the
calcium, three times the Vitamin A and five
times more vitamin K and vitamin E. (See
Jo Robinson's wonderful book, Eating on the
Wild Side. Great book, highly recommended.)

So I was delighted when she announced that
she wanted to eat "dandelions for breakfast".

She even left the card on the table so she would
remember the next morning.

Sunday morning rolled around, and the girls
were up early -- and the foraging began.

We went out in the yard and gathered blackberries,
raspberries and strawberries -- and dandelion
leaves -- and some spinach, mixed salad greens,
chard, arugula, kale and sorrel -- along with
some edible flowers. (Note: not all flowers are
edible -- many are not -- but we grow edible
flowers as a salad garnish in one of the garden
boxes.)

We took everything inside, washed it off, and
put together a combination fruit and vegetable
salad. I did a rough calculation of the nutrition
content, and it was "PDH" -- which is short for
Pretty Darn Healthy.

It was also "PDT" -- which is short for Pretty
Darn Tasty.

And I just learned that on the way to summer
school this morning, she told her dad that she
got to eat dandelion leaves for breakfast on
Sunday morning -- and it was the best
breakfast ever. Move over Mickey's D's --
we've got you beat.

Steve Stanko would have approved.

By the way, if you go foraging for dandelion
leaves, do NOT eat any leaves that have been
sprayed with any chemicals -- or that grow near
a busy road with lots of traffic and petroleum
fumes. We let them grow in our garden boxes,
so we have fresh and healthy dandelion greens,
and we know they are chemical free and safe
to eat.

And of course, if you want to try other wild
edible foods, get some expert guidance on
what is safe to eat. There are plenty of good
books and other resources available, and in
most places (here in Louisville, for example),
there are folks who teach classes on it. Be
smart and be safe!

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. Knife, Fork, Muscle covers healthy eating
for Dinos. You can get the hard-copy right
here:

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

We're also releasing the little monster as a series of
e-books. The first book in the series covers protein
requirements for Dinos -- and your best sources of
high quality protein. Go here to grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

E-book 2 in the series will be out soon. Be looking
for it!

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train right and eat
right. Right training and right eating brings
righteous results." -- Brooks Kubik

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

How Did the Old-timers Do It?

Note:

I posted this in February, 2015 and have updated
it  with links to our new e-books on Kindle. Note
that we are releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle as a
series of Kindle e-books. Book one in the series
covers your best sources of high-quality protein --
a critical issue for anyone interested in building
strength, muscle and power. Other books in the
series will be coming out shortly.

We also have a total of three books in the Dinosaur
Training Secrets series -- all of which are available
in your choice of hard-copy or Kindle e-book.

Original Post:

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our Canadian Dinos asked a question
about the old-time champions.

Actually, it was two questions.

"How did the old-timers get to be so strong?"

and

"How did the old-timers build such amazing
physiques?"

He noted that men like Sandow, Maxick, Bobby
Pandour, Otto Arco, Klein, etc. were incredibly hard
and muscular -- with muscular definition and
density that rivals any modern-day bodybuilder.

"What was their secret?" he asked.

Well, the first part of the answer is their training --
which I cover in all of my books and courses.

The old-timers trained for strength -- which is
how they got to be so strong AND how they
developed such impressive physiques.

But there's another piece to the puzzle.

The old-timers ate much diferently than we do
today.

And frankly, they ate much better than most of
us -- even those of us who try to be careful with
our diets.

One of the reasons why they ate better was that
they ate fresh, natural, chemical-free food.

Today, we would call it "organic" food.

Organic food is better for you because it contains
more nutrients than conventionally grown foods.

But just as importantly -- and perhaps more
importantly -- organic food is better for you
because of what it does NOT contain:

Organic food does NOT contain:

1. GMO's

2. Chemicals

3. Antibiotics

4. Anabolic steroids and other hormones
that have an estrogenic effect on the human
body (meaning that they reduce testosterone
levels and raise estrogen levels)

And here's the interesting thing.

Ever since we began mass-producing our food
and including all of the things in the above list
in what we put on our plates and into our bodies,
we've been growing bigger and fatter -- to the
point where obesity is almost the new norm.

The old-timers never put a plateload of
chemicals on their dinner-table -- and they
tended to be smaller, leaner, much more
muscular and much stronger pound for
pound than modern trainees.

I think that's one reason why Sandow,
Maxick, Pandour, Arco and Klein were so
incredibly strong -- and so well-developed.

They grew up eating chemical-free food.

Their bodies never had to battle the
estrogenizing effect of the modern diet.

I cover this issue in detail in Knife, Fork,
Muscle -- along with plenty of other critical
issues about diet and nutrition for building
strength and muscle -- for staying lean and
muscular -- and for promoting life-long
good health.

It's a terrific book. Many readers have said
it's the best book they ever read about diet
and nutrition.

Go here to grab a copy -- and treat yourself
to something very special and very
empowering:


http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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. My new training course -- part one in a series
of courses that we'll be releasing this year and next --
is available in your choice of hard-copy or Kindle
e-book:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.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: "Read, study, think,
and take action. That's the recipe for success."

-- Brooks Kubik

UPDATED LIST OF E-BOOKS:


We're up to NINE Dinosaur Training
e-books in the Amazon Kindle store,
and readers keep asking me for a
complete list with all the links.

So here you go:

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1.
"Exercises, Workouts and Training
Programs"

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

2. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,
"How Strong Are You?"

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,
"How to Use Old-School Progression
Methods for Fast and Steady Gains in
Strength, Muscle and Power"

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html

4. The Training Secrets of John Grimek

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

5. The Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course

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

6. The Doug Hepburn Strength and Muscle Building
System

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

7. Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1
(covers protein for strength training -- how much,
the best sources of hiqh quality protein, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

8. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, Vol. 1
(December, 2014)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_01_kindle.html

9. Legacy of Iron

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron01_kindle.html

We'll be adding more soon, and I'll update the list
when we do! In the meantime, you've got plenty of
great reading. Hope you enjoy the e-books!

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

Nutritional Insanity in the Iron Game

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I answered a reader's question asking
if it was necessary to eat liver in order to build
strength and muscle.

Short answer: It's not.

That prompted a response by a Dino who's about
my age.

He remembered that "back in the day" he read that
a top bodybuilder was using a protein shake made
from raw liver and grape juice.

He ran to the store, bought some raw liver and grape
juice, took it home, mixed it up in the blender, and
poured himself a big glass of might and muscle.

Closed his eyes and thought how great it would be to
be strutting his stuff on the silver sand of fabled Muscle
Beach.

Repping out with Arnold at Gold's Gym.

Copping the big titles. Mr. A, Mr. U, Mr. O,
Mr. Everything.

Getting the big paychecks for the endorsements from
the supplement companies.

And the girls.

Ah, yes.

The girls.

We all knew they loved guys with big muscles. John
McCallum told us so. Just look at Uncle Harry. He
couldn't even walk down the beach without creating
a riot.

But back to our young lifter. He hasn't made it to
Muscle Beach. He's still in his parent's kitchen.

He closed his eyes and dreamed -- then opened them
and took his first big swig of the Mighty Muscle Potion.
He chugged about half a big glass of the stuff.

Seconds later, he was puking his guts out.

Yes, that's a true story -- and yes, that's how it
happened.

And it happened to more than one poor kid.

Another top bodybuilder had a protein drink that
featured tuna fish, water and -- I forget what else.
It may have been tuna and water and nothing else,
or he may have added some dessicated liver and
perhaps some brewer's yeast.

In any case, it was pretty nasty.

I never tried it.

But I knew a guy who did.

He had the same reaction I just described -- one
big swig and he was barfing.

Then there was John Grimek.

He ate real food.

No protein shakes.

No blender bombers.

Nothing nasty.

Grimek enjoyed his meals. He liked steaks, chops and
roast chicken.

"Meat is my baby," he once said.

And he wasn't talking about raw liver mixed with grape
juice.

But amazingly, he did pretty darn well.

Even without drinking the nasty stuff.

Grimek believed that food was somehting to be enjoyed.
Not a form of torture. Not a test to see how "tough" you
were.

He didn't even approve of over-doing it with milk -- or
with stuffing yourself -- or force-feeding. He didn't think
that sort of thing did anything other than give you a
belly-ache -- and it's hard to train with a belly-ache.

He thought it was much better to combine regular
hard training with three delicious meals every day --
featuring good, healthy foods, and lots of protein.

I don't know about you, but I think the Grimek way of
doing things makes a lot of sense.

A lot more sense than raw liver and grape juice.

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're interested in real world, no-nonsense diet
and nutrition, reserve your copy of KNIFE, FORK,
MUSCLE:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. For the inside story on how John Grimek trained,
grab this big course -- and learn the training secrets of
the fabled Monarch of Muscledom:

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: "Eating to build strength
and muscle should be a pleasure, not a form of
self-inflicted torture." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Success Story No. 1 for 2014!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I have a friend who followed a strict
lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for most of
his adult life.

Lacto-ovo meaning he would eat plenty
of milk and dairy products - and an
occasional egg or two.

The dairy products were his primary
protein source, and he packed them
away like they were going out of
style. Lots of milk - and lots of
cheese.

He ate lots of bread and lots of
pizza. He once said that pizza was
one of the five basic food groups.

He trained his whole life, and he
was way stronger and in better shape
than most people his age (about 50).

But all the bread and pizza was a
problem for him - and it got worse
over the years.

For one thing, he was packing way
too many Lard Lumps - and Lard Lumps
aren't good for you.

His blood sugar was high and getting
higher.

His cholesterol numbers were not
good, and getting worse by the day.

His doctor wanted to put him on
statins.

He refused.

They argued.

The doctor sent him to a specialist.

A specialist who combined a medical
degree with a world class background
in nutrition.

The specialist reviewed his history,
looked at his diet, and told him he
had to make some big changes.

As in, "RIGHT NOW!"

The specialist made my friend change
his diet completely.

He went from a carb-addict to low
carb overnight.

And he started eating meat again.

For breakfast, he had meat and
eggs. Usually bacon and eggs.

For lunch, he had a big salad and
some sort of meat.

For dinner, salad or cooked green
veggies and meat or fish.

In other words, he followed
something pretty close to the Atkins
diet. No more pizza-terian.

I saw him the other day for the
first time in months. I almost
didn't recognize him. He'd lost
over 30 pounds in just over three
months. Most of it off of his gut.

He looks great - and he told me
that he's as strong as ever. In
fact, he's stronger on some of
his exercises than he was at his
heavier weight.

I'm counting that one as the first
Dino success story of the year -
even if it started a few months
ago.

Over the coming months, many of
you will share similar success
stories. Some of you will lose
weight. Others will pack on some
major muscle mass. And others will
make big gains in strength and
power. There will be tons and tons
of PR's.

In short, 2014 is going to be a great
year for the Dinos!

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 Grimek, Steve Stanko and the
rest of the York gang had a pretty good
diet for whacking the Lard Lumps while
maintaining strength and muscle mass. I
cover it in Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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: "Whatever
the problem, think it through, make a plan,
and take action." -- Brooks Kubik

The Steak Tree

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

So some food scientists have developed
an test-tube hamburgers -- hamburger
meat grown from stem cells.

Everyone's talking about it.

Some people think it's the greatest
thing since sliced bread. Others think
it's ridiculous. And some think it will
be how we feed the world in the not too
distant future -- assuming the soylent
green thing doesn't work.

Personally, I don't know and I don't
care.

I grow my own steaks in the back yard
garden.

Not test-tube hamburgers. Real steaks.
Grass fed beef. The best in town.

Now, before you think I've flipped my
lid --- or that I've started cattle
ranching (or rustling), let me explain.

A couple of years ago, Trudi planted a
fig tree by the side of the house.

The darn thing grew, and now it's a
real fig tree, and it grows figs.

Fresh figs are delicious and wonderful
and awesome and an incredible treat.

They're also 100% carbs (i.e, sugar)
and we don't eat them.

And yet -- we have a fig tree with a
bunch of fresh figs.

What to do?

Last weekend, I went to the Farmer's
market and bought some grass fed beef
and pastured pork from one of the
farmers. By "some" I mean LOTS. It
takes plenty of high quality protein
to feed a Dinosaur.

The guy I buy the meat from is named
Stan. His wife, Leila, is a gourmet
chef and caterer. She sells spectacular
homemade soups, stews, quiches and other
goodies at the Market. We always buy
somethign from her, just because it
looks so darn good.

So there I was, buying a couple hundred
pounds of beef and pork from Stan
Well, not that much, but it was more
than the non-lifters -- a/k/a the
skinny people) were buying.

Leila's booth is right next to Stan's
booth. Stan was rummaging in his ice
boxes for a pork roast for me, and
Leila was enjoying a free moment
with no customers srtanding in line.

So I popped the question.

"Leila -- do you like figs?"

That brought an unexpected response.

"Like them? I LOVE them! I grew up
eating fresh figs from my grandmother's
fig tree."

"Well, we have a fig tree where
they'r ejust about ripe -- and we
don't eat them -- and we we're
wondering if -- "

"I'll take them!" she said.

So she gave me her number and told me
to call her when the figs were ripe.

So last night, I finished a killer
workout out in the Dino Dungeon (a/k/a
the garage), and when I walked back 
to the house I swung over and checked
out the fig tree.

Ripe -- ripe and ready to pick.

So I grabbed a basket and picked a
big mess of them.

This afternoon, Trudi called Leila and
told her to come over and pick up her
figs.

When Leila came over, she brought three
thick, beautiful, steaks -- all of them
from Stan's wonderful grass-fed beef.

So Leila got the figs -- and Trudi got
the steaks -- and they're cooking right
now (or rather, one of them is) -- and
when I sign off I'm going to go devour
the thing. Every last bit of it.

And that's why I can say, "To heck with
the test-tube hamburgers -- I'm growing
steaks in the backyard!"

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. Steaks are good, squats are good, and
here's something else that's good --
especially for the home gym Dinos:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

P.S. 2. These are good, too:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.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: "Steak always tastes
better if you earn it --- and that means heavy
training." -- Brooks Kubik

The Food Mobile

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy in Louisville has opened
some old-fashioned corner grocery
stores featuring nothing but fresh,
locally grown vegetables, fruits,
and eggs -- and some locally raised
free range beef and pork, and locally
sourced cheese and honey. It's sort
of like going to the local Farmer's
Market.

He's calls the stores The Root
Cellar.

There's Root Cellar No. 1 and Root
Cellar No. 2. Trudi goes to them
once or twice a week, grabbing
extra green stuff to supplement
what we buy at the Farmer's Market
or grow in the back yard.

Now he's taking the thing one
step further.

He's buying a big bus, and he's
going to make it into a Food
Mobile.

Sort of like a Book Mobile, for
those of you old enough to
remember the Book Mobile. (The
book mobile was  a bus or van
that brought library books to
parts of town far away from the
library. Neat concept. Books
are good, reading is good,
libraries are good and Book
Mobiles are good.)

But back to the Food Mobile.

He'll use it to bring fresh,
healthy food to people living
in the parts of town we call
Food Deserts -- the parts
of Louisville where all you
can buy is fast food, junk
food and processed junk from
the gas station or
convenience mart.

These are parts of town where
there's no local grocery store,
and where fresh vegetables are
virtually unknown. And you can
imagine the health impact of
living on chips and cheese
crackers.

He's raising funding for the
project on Kickstarter. Trudi
and I are supporting him. It
seems like a good thing to do.

You can read more about it
right here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1679419829/the-root-mobile-a-locally-grown-farm-fresh-mobile

I think it's a pretty good
idea -- and it's something we
might be seeing in lots of places
around the world in the not too
distant future.

Anyhow, that's the Food Mobile.

Be looking for a post tomorrow
about a somewhat similar idea
that one of the original Dinos
came up with about 10 years ago.
I call it The Muscle Mobile --
and you'll want to be sure to
read about 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. For strength and health, eat
your veggies and hit the iron --
Dino Style. My books and courses
tell you how to do it:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Iron
plus effort plus healthy eating
equals great results." -- Brooks Kubik