Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The military press is a majestic lift.
The lifter tightens his belt, chalks his hand and
approaches the bar.
He stands over it, eyes closed, concentrating
fiercely.
He opens his eyes, gets into position, sets
himself, and cleans the bar to his chest.
He stands tall and straight -- and then drives
the bar off his shoulders. There's no leg kick,
no hip thrust, no body drive and no back bend.
It's nothing but arm and shoulder power.
He hits the sticking point and drives twice as
hard as before. It's man against iron, and for
a second, no one knows who will win.
He pushes through -- and suddenly, the bar is
up and over his head. He holds it high, arms
locked, every muscle straining, as the crowd
goes wild.
Good lift!
And it's not just a magnificent lift. It's a
terrific muscle builder.
Back in the day, John Grimek was the best built
man in the entire world -- and one of the best
pressers in the world. He owed much of his upper
body, arm and shoulder development to the
military press. He set American and unofficial
World records in the press -- and you can see
why when you look at his photos. He had
cannonballs on top of his shoulders.
He also had triceps that looked like they
were carved from solid marble -- or that
he had borrowed them from a bronze
statue.
Grimek had a favorite assistance exercise for the
military press. So did most other lifters. Here are
the seven top assistance exercises for the press:
1. The Seated Military Press
A favorite exercise of John Grimek. Nuff said.
Do them strict. That's the whole point of the
seated press.
2. The Two Dumbbell Press
All of the York lifters liked heavy dumbbell pressing.
Frank Spellman thought dumbbell presses were
the best way to bring up the press. He won the
Olympic gold medal in 1948, so that's gold medal
advice.
See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and my Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training DVD for detailed instruction and
tons of useful training tips on dumbbell work:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
3. The Incline press
This came into vogue in the 50's, and helped many
top lifters improve their press.
I used to do lots of pressing on an 80 degree
incline, and built some serious shoulder strength
doing it. I did the exercise in the power rack, and
set the pins so I could start from the bottom
position. I worked up to 320 pounds, which is
a lot of iron.
4. The Two Dumbbell Alternate Press
Also known as the see-saw press. Another John
Grimek favorite. He learned the exercise from
Sig Klein.
5. Handstand pushups
A favorite of many top pressers, including Sig
Klein, who set a professional World record in
the press, and Tony Terlazzo, who won the
Olympic gold medal in 1936. Even the big
men did them -- Paul Anderson and Doug
Hepburn both did plenty of handstand
pushups.
See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for tips
and progressions on handstand pushups:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
6. Overhead lockouts in the power rack
The secret weapon of the York champions,
including John Grimek and John Davis. The
latter won six World championships and two
Olympic gold medals. See my power rack
training DVD for more ideas about how to
do heavy rack work for pressing power.
7. The bench press
John Davis, Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson
all used the bench press to build strength and
power for the military press. Once again, nuff
said.
Of course, you have to do strict benches to
have any carry-over to the military press. No
bench bounces!
You now have seven terrific assistance exercises
to help build a world class military press. Have
fun with them -- and set some PR's in the press!
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 more information about building a world
class military press, see The Dinosaur Training
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course. It's
available in your choice of hard-copy, PDF or
Kindle e-book:
Hard-copy
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html
PDF edition
See the section for PDF courses at our
products page:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links
to all of our Kindle e-books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train,
train like a champion. Give every workout
everything you have." -- Brooks Kubik
**********************************************************************************
Showing posts with label handstand pushups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handstand pushups. Show all posts
10 Great Exercises for Dinos!
 |
| Sig Klein |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We'll talk iron in a minute, but let me
begin with two quick updates.
1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, Issue
No. 4
Is available in hard copy or Kindle e-book,
and it's been getting rave reviews:
Hard copy
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterlyorder.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_04_kindle.html
2. The Revolution Continues!
That's the title of Book 1 in the new Dinosaur
Strength Training Archive series -- which collects
and updates the very best of my articles from the
original Dinosaur Files newsletter published back
in 1997 thru 2002. Plus, it includes a brand new
power rack training program.
It, too, has been getting great reviews:
Hard copy
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtraining_archive.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html
3. Ten Great Exercises for Dinos
Here are ten great exercises for Dinos.
They're not new, but I bet many of you
have never done them -- or have not done
them for awhile.
1. The Farmer's walk
Train these heavy, and you'll hit everything
from your toes to your eyeballs. And it's one
of the best grip builders there is.
2. The One Arm Military Press
Do these with a dumbbell, not a barbell, and
do them strict. The one arm military press will
build cannonball delts on a no. 2 pencil. (A line
I borrowed from Bradley J. Steiner.)
See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for tips
on how to perform the exercise.
3. Pinch grip deadlifts
Use a homemade pinch grip block made out
of a 2 x 8 inch board. This is one of the best
exercises for your thumbs.
4. Weighted leg raises
A terrific gut-blaster. Start light, but plan to work
up to 25 or more pounds. I've done them with 35
pounds extra weight, which is a bear.
5. Handstand push-ups
This was one of the secret weapons of many
old-time strongmen and weightlifters. They
used it to build their amazing strength in the
military press.
Sig Klein (pictured above) was a master of the
handstand push-up. He did them freestyle, i.e.,
a perfectly balanced handstand -- but it's also
okay to do them with y0our feet against the
wall.
6. Crush style Grippers
I'm talking about heavy duty grippers, of
course. Train them hard and you'll build
hand and grip strength that is downright
scary.
7. One arm dumbbell shrugs
Train these heavy, and your traps will start
growing like oak trees.
8. One arm dumbbell bench presses
Work up to heavy weights on these and you'll
build some serious upper body strength -- with
muscular development to match!
9. Double Towel Pull-Ups
I cover these and other great pull-up variations
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. They're one of
the toughest and most effective upper body
exercises.
10. Front squat partials
Many dinos like heavy quarter squats to build
bone, tendon and ligament strength -- but did
you ever try 1/4 squats with the bar in the front
squat position? It's a bear . . . Of course, you
need to do them in a power rack with the pins
set to catch the bar.
So there you have it -- 10 great exercises for
Dinos! Give them a try, and let me know how
you like them.
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 have some unusual and
highly effective exercises:
Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to all of my Kindle e-books -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard and heavy,
and have fun." -- Brooks Kubik
************************************************************************************
Dinosaur Style Hand Balancing
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I cover hand-stand pushups in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training and in the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course.
And I describe John Grimek's off the chart
hand-stand pushup and tiger-bend workouts
in my John Grimek training course.
So it's probably not surprising that many
readers have asked me to do a book or
on Dino-style handstand training or
Dinosaur hand balancing.
For example, this was in the e-mail box
last night:
I cover hand-stand pushups in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training and in the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course.
And I describe John Grimek's off the chart
hand-stand pushup and tiger-bend workouts
in my John Grimek training course.
So it's probably not surprising that many
readers have asked me to do a book or
on Dino-style handstand training or
Dinosaur hand balancing.
For example, this was in the e-mail box
last night:
"Hey Brooks,
I absolutely love the John Grimek course.
Read through it four or five times the
first go around, and pick it up every
few months.
Read through it four or five times the
first go around, and pick it up every
few months.
Grimek is one of my personal 'iron
heroes' and you did a spectacular
job on it.
heroes' and you did a spectacular
job on it.
If you were to do a strictly hand balancing
course I, along with many others probably,
would buy it in a heartbeat.
course I, along with many others probably,
would buy it in a heartbeat.
Thank you, and keep up the good work.
Blake"
And that's a typical email. I get this every
request every week or two.
request every week or two.
But here's the problem.
I'm not a hand balancer. Never have been.
When I did handstand pushups by the bushel
basket, I did them with my feet touching the
wall, not the free-standing kind.
And I can't learn hand-balancing now
because I have glaucoma or pre-glaucoma
(the doc isn't sure which), and upside down
training is on the "don't do" list.
basket, I did them with my feet touching the
wall, not the free-standing kind.
And I can't learn hand-balancing now
because I have glaucoma or pre-glaucoma
(the doc isn't sure which), and upside down
training is on the "don't do" list.
So I'm not going to do a hand-balancing
course.
course.
But that's okay, because two of my good
friends have excellent hand-balancing courses
available.
friends have excellent hand-balancing courses
available.
Bill Hinbern has a killer course on hand balancing.
It's a hard-copy course, and it's off the charts
good.
good.
You can grab it right here:
In addition, John Wood has released a terrific
modern reprint (with his own commentary) of
a very rare hand balancing course written by
Sig Klein -- who may have been one of the
greatest hand balancers of all time.
modern reprint (with his own commentary) of
a very rare hand balancing course written by
Sig Klein -- who may have been one of the
greatest hand balancers of all time.
It's available in e-book on Kindle, and you can
find it right here:
find it right here:
Both of these courses are old-school, both of
them are very well done, and both of them
are Dino-approved.
them are very well done, and both of them
are Dino-approved.
So if you want to give upside down training
a try, grab both of them -- and learn hand
balancing from the masters!
a try, grab both of them -- and learn hand
balancing from the masters!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
************************************************
Learn Hand-Balancing with One of the All-Time Masters!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In my new training course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, I talk about famous old-time
strongmen.
One of the men I mention is Sig Klein,
the long-time gym owner in New York
city.
Klein was a truly remarkable man. Harry
Paschall called him "The Old Maestro" --
and it was a good name. Sig Klein was
a master of old-school physical culture.
In fact, he was what we would now call
a Triple Threat:
1. He was a weightlifting champion.
2. He was a bodybuilding champion.
3. He was one of the greatest hand-balancers
of all time.
And if you think about it, all three of
those things go together pretty darn well.
The combination of weight training and
hand-balancing may be the ideal way to
build strength, muscle and power -- and
to develop a perfect physique.
That's what Sig Klein believed -- and it's
one of the reasons he wrote a complete
course in hand-balancing.
That old course is incredibly rare. I've
seen almost all of the old-time books and
courses, but I've never seen this one. In
fact, I've never even seen a photo of the
cover.
But now -- after more than half a century --
Sig Klein's long-lost hand-balancing course
is available once again.
My friend John Wood has prepared a
great looking modern reprint edition
of the course, complete with John's
detailed commentary and guidance
to supplement the original course.
It's an outstanding course -- and it's
available right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/klein_handbalancing.html
So run on over and grab the little
monster -- and add some serious
hand-balancing to your training
program TODAY!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you like the course -- and I
know you will -- please post a review
on John's Kindle page. Help him get
the word out!
P.S. 2. If you don't have Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, go here to grab a copy:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
And please post a review -- they really
do help!
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you want to
learn hand-balancing, learn from a master."
-- Brooks Kubik
************************************************
In my new training course, Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, I talk about famous old-time
strongmen.
One of the men I mention is Sig Klein,
the long-time gym owner in New York
city.
Klein was a truly remarkable man. Harry
Paschall called him "The Old Maestro" --
and it was a good name. Sig Klein was
a master of old-school physical culture.
In fact, he was what we would now call
a Triple Threat:
1. He was a weightlifting champion.
2. He was a bodybuilding champion.
3. He was one of the greatest hand-balancers
of all time.
And if you think about it, all three of
those things go together pretty darn well.
The combination of weight training and
hand-balancing may be the ideal way to
build strength, muscle and power -- and
to develop a perfect physique.
That's what Sig Klein believed -- and it's
one of the reasons he wrote a complete
course in hand-balancing.
That old course is incredibly rare. I've
seen almost all of the old-time books and
courses, but I've never seen this one. In
fact, I've never even seen a photo of the
cover.
But now -- after more than half a century --
Sig Klein's long-lost hand-balancing course
is available once again.
My friend John Wood has prepared a
great looking modern reprint edition
of the course, complete with John's
detailed commentary and guidance
to supplement the original course.
It's an outstanding course -- and it's
available right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/klein_handbalancing.html
So run on over and grab the little
monster -- and add some serious
hand-balancing to your training
program TODAY!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you like the course -- and I
know you will -- please post a review
on John's Kindle page. Help him get
the word out!
P.S. 2. If you don't have Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 1, go here to grab a copy:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html
And please post a review -- they really
do help!
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you want to
learn hand-balancing, learn from a master."
-- Brooks Kubik
************************************************
Important News and Updates for Dinos!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I'm going to cover a couple of
quick updates in this post. So
I may bounce around a little,
sort of like Paul Anderson
repping some fast squats with
800 pounds.
1. Yesterday's Email Message
I received a ton of great feedback
to yesterday's email. Thanks very
much to everyone who sent a reply.
Several of you noted that you have
been diagnosed with glaucoma or
pre-glaucoma, and you appreciated
my comments about finding exercises
that won't generate potentially
harmful internal pressure for
your eyes.
Others said you were going to get an
eye exam and glaucoma screen -- which
is a good idea, and one of the reasons
why I sent the email.
And one reader unsubscribed. I was
sorry to see that, but hey, it happens.
2. The Diet and Nutrition Book
I've been working full-time seven days
a week on this one, and really putting
a lot of effort and energy into it.
The goal is to get it finished and out
the door to readers as soon as possible.
I'll keep you posted, but rest assured --
it won't be long now.
Also note -- this is "not just a diet
book." It's a book about making smart
choices that will help you build and
maintain life-long strength and health.
It's geared to strength athletes, of
course, and it covers trainees of all
ages.
We'll talk about protein, carbs, fats,
how and where to get the healthiest
and most nutritious foods, my take on
supplements, gaining weight, losing
weight, special advice for older
trainees, and how to sort through
all the diet and nutrition mumbo-
jumbo and peudo-science out there.
And it will NOT be a one-size fits all
book.
Far from it.
One of the things we'll cover is how to
develop an individualized diet and
nutrition plan that's best and most
effective for YOU.
Anyhow, I'm very excited about how it is
coming together, and I'm really looking
forward to the day we launch the big
pre-publication special.
3. Other Dino Projects
As soon as the diet and nutrition book
is finished, I'm going to work on some
more training courses -- and launch the
Dinosaur Files newsletter in expanded,
bigger than ever quarterly format. The
goal is to get two issues out the door
in 2014 and 4 issues out the door in
2015.
On the courses front, we'll probably start
with volume 3 in the History's Strongest
Men series. I have someone in mind, and
I think you're going to agree that he
deserves a course of his own!
4. Questions from Readers
The bad part about being so busy with
Dino projects is that I can't keep up
with the emails I receive from readers.
So if you send an email and I don't
get back to you right away, that's why.
There just aren't enough hours in the
day.
I will try to answer all questions --
but understand that I receive MANY of
them every day, and it is impossible to
get back to all of them right away.
5. Something Terrific for Hand-balancing
Fans!
Finally, if you haven't already seen it,
here's something new and terrific for
hand-balancing fans -- a very rare
hand-balancing course authored by
none other than the Maestro himself,
Sig Klein. My buddy John Wood has
done a reprint edition of the course,
and it is getting rave reviews.
John is doing a hard-copy version
and a Kindle version of the course.
I understand the hard-copy version
is not yet ready, but you can grab
the Kindle version right now -- by
going right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/klein_handbalancing.html
I understand the server crashed 2x
yesterday after John launched this
little baby, so it looks like it's
an official best seller.
6. The Wrap-Up
That's it for now. I have to get back to
the diet and nutrition book!
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. Did you know that John Grimek was
a master hand-balancer? I cover some of
his hand-balancing feats in my John
Grimek training course:
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: "The only
two directions are forward and back.
Forward is the best choice."
-- Brooks Kubik
I'm going to cover a couple of
quick updates in this post. So
I may bounce around a little,
sort of like Paul Anderson
repping some fast squats with
800 pounds.
1. Yesterday's Email Message
I received a ton of great feedback
to yesterday's email. Thanks very
much to everyone who sent a reply.
Several of you noted that you have
been diagnosed with glaucoma or
pre-glaucoma, and you appreciated
my comments about finding exercises
that won't generate potentially
harmful internal pressure for
your eyes.
Others said you were going to get an
eye exam and glaucoma screen -- which
is a good idea, and one of the reasons
why I sent the email.
And one reader unsubscribed. I was
sorry to see that, but hey, it happens.
2. The Diet and Nutrition Book
I've been working full-time seven days
a week on this one, and really putting
a lot of effort and energy into it.
The goal is to get it finished and out
the door to readers as soon as possible.
I'll keep you posted, but rest assured --
it won't be long now.
Also note -- this is "not just a diet
book." It's a book about making smart
choices that will help you build and
maintain life-long strength and health.
It's geared to strength athletes, of
course, and it covers trainees of all
ages.
We'll talk about protein, carbs, fats,
how and where to get the healthiest
and most nutritious foods, my take on
supplements, gaining weight, losing
weight, special advice for older
trainees, and how to sort through
all the diet and nutrition mumbo-
jumbo and peudo-science out there.
And it will NOT be a one-size fits all
book.
Far from it.
One of the things we'll cover is how to
develop an individualized diet and
nutrition plan that's best and most
effective for YOU.
Anyhow, I'm very excited about how it is
coming together, and I'm really looking
forward to the day we launch the big
pre-publication special.
3. Other Dino Projects
As soon as the diet and nutrition book
is finished, I'm going to work on some
more training courses -- and launch the
Dinosaur Files newsletter in expanded,
bigger than ever quarterly format. The
goal is to get two issues out the door
in 2014 and 4 issues out the door in
2015.
On the courses front, we'll probably start
with volume 3 in the History's Strongest
Men series. I have someone in mind, and
I think you're going to agree that he
deserves a course of his own!
4. Questions from Readers
The bad part about being so busy with
Dino projects is that I can't keep up
with the emails I receive from readers.
So if you send an email and I don't
get back to you right away, that's why.
There just aren't enough hours in the
day.
I will try to answer all questions --
but understand that I receive MANY of
them every day, and it is impossible to
get back to all of them right away.
5. Something Terrific for Hand-balancing
Fans!
Finally, if you haven't already seen it,
here's something new and terrific for
hand-balancing fans -- a very rare
hand-balancing course authored by
none other than the Maestro himself,
Sig Klein. My buddy John Wood has
done a reprint edition of the course,
and it is getting rave reviews.
John is doing a hard-copy version
and a Kindle version of the course.
I understand the hard-copy version
is not yet ready, but you can grab
the Kindle version right now -- by
going right here:
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/klein_handbalancing.html
I understand the server crashed 2x
yesterday after John launched this
little baby, so it looks like it's
an official best seller.
6. The Wrap-Up
That's it for now. I have to get back to
the diet and nutrition book!
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. Did you know that John Grimek was
a master hand-balancer? I cover some of
his hand-balancing feats in my John
Grimek training course:
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: "The only
two directions are forward and back.
Forward is the best choice."
-- Brooks Kubik
Gray Hair, Black Iron and Handstand Pushups!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Here's an email with a training update
and several questions from Mike Alexander,
a hard-training, hard-charging Dino who's
keeping it real at age 52. Several of you
had similar questions, so I thought this
would be good to share with the Dino
Nation:
"Hey Brooks,
I hope you are well. I love overhead pressing
and benching. However, as 52 year old retired
army officer, I get some serious pain from
time to time when I press. So, when it hurts
I stop weight lifting and do some body weight
work.
I bought the "Dinosaur Bodyweight Training"
book, and Bill Hinbern's "Hand-Balancing for
Muscular Development." So, from those I went
back to the roots, so to speak, from my Army
days, knocking out those good old push-ups.
I use a variety of push-ups from Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, including Incline
Pushups, Jowett Pushups, Gorilla Pushups,
and my favorite, Handstand pushups.
I am currently at 2 x 8 on the Handstand
Pushup, and I weigh 220 so I think I am
doing well.
I have a few questions:
- When I do my regular workout I use push-ups
and pull-ups along with some dumbbell squats
and deadlifts. it feels great, do you think
this a good combination?
- I know that lifting my bodyweight isn't
the gold standard, but if I got to, say,
2 x 15 on the handstand would that be
comparable?
Let me know what you think. I also walk
three miles on my non-lifting days. (I
read about that in your "Gray Hair Black
Iron" Book.) Good stuff, my old knees are
shot from jumping off tanks when I was in
the army, but I love the fast walking!
You take care, and thanks for the great
books.
Mike Alexander"
Hi Mike -- Thanks for the workout report.
It sounds like you're doing a great job,
and in particular, that you're changing
things up to work around the dings and
dents -- which is critical for any older
Dino.
2 x 8 in the Handstand Pushup is very
good -- especially for a 52-year old Dino
who weighs in at 220 pounds.
With regard to your questions, a workout
based on pushups, pull-ups, dumbbell squats
and deadlifts would be excellent. All four
are good exercises, and they are perfect
(and safe) for home gym training.
I can't recall, but I think I included a
very similar workout in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training.
Anyhow, it's a good program, and will work
well for you.
Re your second question -- if you can do
2 x 15 in the handstand pushup, that's
pretty good. The York lifters used to do
lots of handstand pushups, and most of
them did sets of 10 to 20 reps. These
were lighter lifters, so it was easier
than moving 220 pounds up and down.
Whether the 2 x 15 is equal to a gold
medal press is an open question. It
depends in part on how far down you go.
If you touch the top of your head to
the floor, that's a limited range
Handstand Pushup. If you go lower,
it's a full range movement and much
closer to a press.
If you're doing 2 x 15 in full range
Handstand Pushups, that's definitely
equal to the gold medal standard.
Thanks for sharing this. It's a good
workout, and good info for lifters of
all ages.
To everyone else -- Mike has shown good
resourcefulness in working around sore
knees and shoulders. That's how you do
it. Remember, where there's a will,
there's a way!
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'll find great exercises, great
workouts and great training advice in the
books Mike used to build his current
training program:
1. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
2. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
3. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Available from Bill Hinbern -- Hand Balancing
for Muscular Development
http://www.superstrengthtraining.com/hand_balancing.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: "Everyone has dings
and dents, but Dinosaurs work around them."
-- Brooks Kubik
Here's an email with a training update
and several questions from Mike Alexander,
a hard-training, hard-charging Dino who's
keeping it real at age 52. Several of you
had similar questions, so I thought this
would be good to share with the Dino
Nation:
"Hey Brooks,
I hope you are well. I love overhead pressing
and benching. However, as 52 year old retired
army officer, I get some serious pain from
time to time when I press. So, when it hurts
I stop weight lifting and do some body weight
work.
I bought the "Dinosaur Bodyweight Training"
book, and Bill Hinbern's "Hand-Balancing for
Muscular Development." So, from those I went
back to the roots, so to speak, from my Army
days, knocking out those good old push-ups.
I use a variety of push-ups from Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, including Incline
Pushups, Jowett Pushups, Gorilla Pushups,
and my favorite, Handstand pushups.
I am currently at 2 x 8 on the Handstand
Pushup, and I weigh 220 so I think I am
doing well.
I have a few questions:
- When I do my regular workout I use push-ups
and pull-ups along with some dumbbell squats
and deadlifts. it feels great, do you think
this a good combination?
- I know that lifting my bodyweight isn't
the gold standard, but if I got to, say,
2 x 15 on the handstand would that be
comparable?
Let me know what you think. I also walk
three miles on my non-lifting days. (I
read about that in your "Gray Hair Black
Iron" Book.) Good stuff, my old knees are
shot from jumping off tanks when I was in
the army, but I love the fast walking!
You take care, and thanks for the great
books.
Mike Alexander"
Hi Mike -- Thanks for the workout report.
It sounds like you're doing a great job,
and in particular, that you're changing
things up to work around the dings and
dents -- which is critical for any older
Dino.
2 x 8 in the Handstand Pushup is very
good -- especially for a 52-year old Dino
who weighs in at 220 pounds.
With regard to your questions, a workout
based on pushups, pull-ups, dumbbell squats
and deadlifts would be excellent. All four
are good exercises, and they are perfect
(and safe) for home gym training.
I can't recall, but I think I included a
very similar workout in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training.
Anyhow, it's a good program, and will work
well for you.
Re your second question -- if you can do
2 x 15 in the handstand pushup, that's
pretty good. The York lifters used to do
lots of handstand pushups, and most of
them did sets of 10 to 20 reps. These
were lighter lifters, so it was easier
than moving 220 pounds up and down.
Whether the 2 x 15 is equal to a gold
medal press is an open question. It
depends in part on how far down you go.
If you touch the top of your head to
the floor, that's a limited range
Handstand Pushup. If you go lower,
it's a full range movement and much
closer to a press.
If you're doing 2 x 15 in full range
Handstand Pushups, that's definitely
equal to the gold medal standard.
Thanks for sharing this. It's a good
workout, and good info for lifters of
all ages.
To everyone else -- Mike has shown good
resourcefulness in working around sore
knees and shoulders. That's how you do
it. Remember, where there's a will,
there's a way!
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'll find great exercises, great
workouts and great training advice in the
books Mike used to build his current
training program:
1. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
2. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
3. Gray Hair and Black Iron
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
4. Available from Bill Hinbern -- Hand Balancing
for Muscular Development
http://www.superstrengthtraining.com/hand_balancing.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: "Everyone has dings
and dents, but Dinosaurs work around them."
-- Brooks Kubik
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