Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A quick announcement and then we'll
talk training.
My second interview on Eric Fiorillo's
Motivation and Muscle Podcast Show
is right here -- and it's a good one:
http://www.fiorillobarbellco.com/category/podcast/
Eric is a longtime Dino and is working
very hard to build his podcast show --
so run on over and check it out. And
hit the like buttons, leave comments,
and share the heck out of the thing.
Make it go viral.
And now, on the training front . . .
I've been getting lots of questions about
lifting belts lately.
Do I need one?
When should I wear one?
What kind is best?
What color is best?
(COLOR? Since when did I become a
fashion consultant? This is Dinosaur Training,
not GQ! The best color is the one that lets
you lift the most weight!)
Will my toes fall off and my ears turn green
if I lift heavy without a belt?
If I use a belt, will my core muscles grow so
weak and frail that I'll need to rehab them
with a Crunch-O-Matic machine?
So here are some thoughts.
Beginners don't need lifting belts. Wait
until you're an intermediate before you
even think about them.
Once you are an intermediate, you can use
a belt -- or not -- as you prefer.
If you use a belt, only use it on your heavier
exercises -- and not on the warmup sets.
Do NOT suck in your gut and cinch the belt
as tight as possible. That's not how to use
it. It's a lifting belt, not a corset.
TIGHTEN the stomach muscles -- including
the obliques -- and the back -- and then
pull the belt tight.
The idea is to be pushing against the belt
in all directions. This is what provides the
support.
If you are doing powerlifting or strongman
training, a powerlifting belt is best. These
are thick, double-ply, two-prong monsters.
For Olympic lifting (or for power cleans, power
snatches, high pulls, etc.) you'll need a thinner
belt. Leather belts are fine. So are the Valeo
velcro fastening belts.
Do core training -- a/k/a gut work -- regardless
of whether you use or do not use a lifting
belt.
If you have an injury -- or a ding or dent --
fix it. Do not try to train through an injury
by wearing a belt. It's a training tool, not a
medical device.
Finally, do not ever hang your belt near a
Smith machine. Lifting belts are allergic to
them.
Hope that helps with the questions. Now it's
time to get back to work on the new diet and
nutrition book -- which should be ready to
launch with a pre-publication special in about
the middle of September!
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 just got a big shipment of Gray Hair and
Black Iron from our printer -- so if you've been
thinking about grabbing a copy of the little
monster, now would be an excellent time to
do it:
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: "Keep it simple, and
if possible, keep it even simpler than that."
Brooks Kubik
Showing posts with label gut work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gut work. Show all posts
Dinosaur Style Gut Training
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I've been getting quite a few questions
asking about gut, grip and neck training.
I suppoose that's only natural, since I so
often note that you should finish your
workout with gut, grip and neck work.
So let's talk about gut, grip and neck
training. We'll cover gut work today,
and grip and neck work later in the week.
DINO STYLE GUT TRAINING
If you're training hard and heavy on the
basic compound exercises (squats, deadlifts,
presses, etc.), you're already working the
muscles of your midsection pretty hard.
If you do Olympic lifting exercises, you're
working them VERY hard with front squats,
overhead squats, snatches, and jerks.
If you're doing one arm overhead exercises,
such as DB or KB presses or swings, you're
working your midsection VERY hard.
Which means, you don't need to do very much
in the way of specialized gut work to build
or maintain strong abs and obliques.
All you need are two or three sets of 8 to
15 reps at the end of your workout.
Your best exercises are:
1. Bent-legged sit-ups, preferably on a sit-up
board. As you get stronger, hold a barbell plate
on your forehead when you do them.
2. Leg raises, which can range from lying leg
raises to leg raises while lying with your head
at the high end of an incline board to hanging
leg raises.
3. Side bends holding a dumbbell in one hand.
My personal favorite is the leg raise and the
hanging leg raise. Sometimes I do the hanging
leg raise with a side to side motion or a
rotation ("window-washers").
To make them more challenging, try wearing
iron boots. If you don't have iron boots, you
can wrap some heavy log chain around each leg
(at the ankle) and secure it with a clip. Be
sure it's tight so it doesn't fall off.
Many years ago I took a length of rope and ran
through a 25 lb. Iron Grip plate and knotted it
over and over so it was extra-secure, and did lying
leg raises with the plate attached to my feet. As
I got stronger, I moved up to a 35 lb. plate.
It worked great.
If you try it, though, be sure you use a strong
rope and make it very secure. Use Boy Scout knots
or sailor knots. If you don't know Boy Scout knots,
find someone who does. You don't want the thing
falling apart on you.
As I mentioned, do a couple of sets of 8 to 15 reps.
The midsection muscles are like any other muscles. You
don't need to train them with endless sets and endless
reps.
If you need to lose some excess weight from the
midsection, follow the diet in Gray Hair and Black Iron.
It's simple, easy and effective.
Gray Hair and Black Iron also has some good ideas for
cardio training for lifters, and if you need to trim a
few pounds, the cardio work outlined in the book will work
well for you --- without affecting your strength training.
So there it is -- Dino Style Gut Training.
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. Go here to grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron. And
yes, I wrote it for older lifters, but the diet, the cardio
work and the training programs will work for any lifter of
any age:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
I've been getting quite a few questions
asking about gut, grip and neck training.
I suppoose that's only natural, since I so
often note that you should finish your
workout with gut, grip and neck work.
So let's talk about gut, grip and neck
training. We'll cover gut work today,
and grip and neck work later in the week.
DINO STYLE GUT TRAINING
If you're training hard and heavy on the
basic compound exercises (squats, deadlifts,
presses, etc.), you're already working the
muscles of your midsection pretty hard.
If you do Olympic lifting exercises, you're
working them VERY hard with front squats,
overhead squats, snatches, and jerks.
If you're doing one arm overhead exercises,
such as DB or KB presses or swings, you're
working your midsection VERY hard.
Which means, you don't need to do very much
in the way of specialized gut work to build
or maintain strong abs and obliques.
All you need are two or three sets of 8 to
15 reps at the end of your workout.
Your best exercises are:
1. Bent-legged sit-ups, preferably on a sit-up
board. As you get stronger, hold a barbell plate
on your forehead when you do them.
2. Leg raises, which can range from lying leg
raises to leg raises while lying with your head
at the high end of an incline board to hanging
leg raises.
3. Side bends holding a dumbbell in one hand.
My personal favorite is the leg raise and the
hanging leg raise. Sometimes I do the hanging
leg raise with a side to side motion or a
rotation ("window-washers").
To make them more challenging, try wearing
iron boots. If you don't have iron boots, you
can wrap some heavy log chain around each leg
(at the ankle) and secure it with a clip. Be
sure it's tight so it doesn't fall off.
Many years ago I took a length of rope and ran
through a 25 lb. Iron Grip plate and knotted it
over and over so it was extra-secure, and did lying
leg raises with the plate attached to my feet. As
I got stronger, I moved up to a 35 lb. plate.
It worked great.
If you try it, though, be sure you use a strong
rope and make it very secure. Use Boy Scout knots
or sailor knots. If you don't know Boy Scout knots,
find someone who does. You don't want the thing
falling apart on you.
As I mentioned, do a couple of sets of 8 to 15 reps.
The midsection muscles are like any other muscles. You
don't need to train them with endless sets and endless
reps.
If you need to lose some excess weight from the
midsection, follow the diet in Gray Hair and Black Iron.
It's simple, easy and effective.
Gray Hair and Black Iron also has some good ideas for
cardio training for lifters, and if you need to trim a
few pounds, the cardio work outlined in the book will work
well for you --- without affecting your strength training.
So there it is -- Dino Style Gut Training.
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. Go here to grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron. And
yes, I wrote it for older lifters, but the diet, the cardio
work and the training programs will work for any lifter of
any age:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
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