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
Showing posts with label introverts and extroverts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label introverts and extroverts. Show all posts
Two Types of Trainees -- Which Are You?
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Three quick notes, and then let's talk training.
1. I'm working at warp speed on the new John Grimek
course, and the little monster is on schedule to be
printed and mailed by the end of the month -- so if
you ordered a copy, it won't be long -- and if you
have NOT ordered a copy, there's still time to do
so:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
2. I had a KILLER interview on SuperHuman Radio
yesterday. We did an "Ask the Expert" show where
all I did was answer questions from listeners. We
covered a ton of great stuff. If you missed the
live show, catch the download. EVERYONE who reads
these emails will enjoy the show:
http://superhumanradio.com/
3. We didn't get to all of the questions that we
rec'd, so we're going to do another Ask the Expert
segment next week -- and we can always take more
questions -- so send them on in!
And now -- let's talk training!
Yesterday we talked about different set/rep systems,
and how there is no "best" system. Rather, there are
set/rep systems that work best for some lifters --
and different set/rep systems that work best for
other lifters. And to make things more complicated,
it can vary from one exercise to another even for
the same lifter -- and it can change over time as
the lifter becomes more advanced or grows older.
That's because everyone is different -- and you need
to find what works best for YOU!
There's another way that lifters are different. And
it's critical to your training success -- so pay
attention. This is going to sound a little bit like
a psychology class for a minute -- but bear with me,
because it's important.
Research tells us that one out of three -- or perhaps
one out of two -- people in Western countries are
introverts. The others are extroverts. (In Asian
cultures, the numbers may well be reversed.)
Of course, not everyone is 100% one or the other.
People tend to be more of one than the other, while
sharing some of the traits of the other personality
type. So you may have someone who is primarily an
introvert, but still has some extrovert
characteristics.
What's the difference between an introvert and an
extrovert?
Well, if we can generalize, here are some of them:
Introverts like solitude.
Extroverts like being around other people.
Introverts like quiet.
Extroverts like noise.
Introverts THINK.
Extroverts ACT.
Introverts often feel "overwhelmed" if they are in a
place or a situation where there is too much going
on -- too much happening -- too many things to stimulate
their senses.
Extroverts feel BORED unless they are in a place
or a situation where there is lots of action, lots
going on, and lots of things to stimulate their senses.
And get this -- in one study of patients in physical
rehabilitation, the introverts didn't respond well
if the therapist "pushed" them to do more and more in
their therapy sessions. Being pushed made them anxious --
and they "tightened up." Instead, they responded to
"gentle encouragement."
In contrast, the extroverts in physical therapy
responded better if they were "pushed" or "challenged"
by the therapist. If the therapist tried the "gentle
encouragement" approach that worked for the introverts,
the extroverts got bored and stopped trying.
That meant the therapists had to use one approach
for the introvereted patients -- and a different
approach for the extroverted patients.
So let me throw out a couple of questions for you:
1. Is it possible that training programs that work great
for an introvert might not work as well for an extrovert?
2. Is it possible that extroverts should find training
partners who will challenge them to do better?
3. Is it possible that introverts do best if they follow
the same workout for a long period of time -- and extroverts
do best if they change their program relatively often?
4. Is it possible that some trainees do better when they
train in a gym -- and others do better when they train in
the solitude of their garage or basement?
5. If you're a coach, a gym owner or a personal trainer,
should you change your style depending on the trainee's level
of introversion and extroversion?
6. Are there set/rep systems and progression systems that are
better for introverts than for extroverts -- and vice-versa?
7. When you think of people in the Iron Game whom you admire,
are they introverts or extroverts -- and which are you?
Interesting questions -- and they'll give you plenty of food
for thought. (And maybe give you some ideas about where and how
to train.)
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 again for the new John Grimek course --
and remember, if you reserve a copy during our big
pre-publication special, you'll get a bonus when we fill
your order at the end of the month:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses (and DVD's) are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Old-fashioned means it's
been working for a long, long time." -- Brooks Kubik
Three quick notes, and then let's talk training.
1. I'm working at warp speed on the new John Grimek
course, and the little monster is on schedule to be
printed and mailed by the end of the month -- so if
you ordered a copy, it won't be long -- and if you
have NOT ordered a copy, there's still time to do
so:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
2. I had a KILLER interview on SuperHuman Radio
yesterday. We did an "Ask the Expert" show where
all I did was answer questions from listeners. We
covered a ton of great stuff. If you missed the
live show, catch the download. EVERYONE who reads
these emails will enjoy the show:
http://superhumanradio.com/
3. We didn't get to all of the questions that we
rec'd, so we're going to do another Ask the Expert
segment next week -- and we can always take more
questions -- so send them on in!
And now -- let's talk training!
Yesterday we talked about different set/rep systems,
and how there is no "best" system. Rather, there are
set/rep systems that work best for some lifters --
and different set/rep systems that work best for
other lifters. And to make things more complicated,
it can vary from one exercise to another even for
the same lifter -- and it can change over time as
the lifter becomes more advanced or grows older.
That's because everyone is different -- and you need
to find what works best for YOU!
There's another way that lifters are different. And
it's critical to your training success -- so pay
attention. This is going to sound a little bit like
a psychology class for a minute -- but bear with me,
because it's important.
Research tells us that one out of three -- or perhaps
one out of two -- people in Western countries are
introverts. The others are extroverts. (In Asian
cultures, the numbers may well be reversed.)
Of course, not everyone is 100% one or the other.
People tend to be more of one than the other, while
sharing some of the traits of the other personality
type. So you may have someone who is primarily an
introvert, but still has some extrovert
characteristics.
What's the difference between an introvert and an
extrovert?
Well, if we can generalize, here are some of them:
Introverts like solitude.
Extroverts like being around other people.
Introverts like quiet.
Extroverts like noise.
Introverts THINK.
Extroverts ACT.
Introverts often feel "overwhelmed" if they are in a
place or a situation where there is too much going
on -- too much happening -- too many things to stimulate
their senses.
Extroverts feel BORED unless they are in a place
or a situation where there is lots of action, lots
going on, and lots of things to stimulate their senses.
And get this -- in one study of patients in physical
rehabilitation, the introverts didn't respond well
if the therapist "pushed" them to do more and more in
their therapy sessions. Being pushed made them anxious --
and they "tightened up." Instead, they responded to
"gentle encouragement."
In contrast, the extroverts in physical therapy
responded better if they were "pushed" or "challenged"
by the therapist. If the therapist tried the "gentle
encouragement" approach that worked for the introverts,
the extroverts got bored and stopped trying.
That meant the therapists had to use one approach
for the introvereted patients -- and a different
approach for the extroverted patients.
So let me throw out a couple of questions for you:
1. Is it possible that training programs that work great
for an introvert might not work as well for an extrovert?
2. Is it possible that extroverts should find training
partners who will challenge them to do better?
3. Is it possible that introverts do best if they follow
the same workout for a long period of time -- and extroverts
do best if they change their program relatively often?
4. Is it possible that some trainees do better when they
train in a gym -- and others do better when they train in
the solitude of their garage or basement?
5. If you're a coach, a gym owner or a personal trainer,
should you change your style depending on the trainee's level
of introversion and extroversion?
6. Are there set/rep systems and progression systems that are
better for introverts than for extroverts -- and vice-versa?
7. When you think of people in the Iron Game whom you admire,
are they introverts or extroverts -- and which are you?
Interesting questions -- and they'll give you plenty of food
for thought. (And maybe give you some ideas about where and how
to train.)
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 again for the new John Grimek course --
and remember, if you reserve a copy during our big
pre-publication special, you'll get a bonus when we fill
your order at the end of the month:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses (and DVD's) are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Old-fashioned means it's
been working for a long, long time." -- Brooks Kubik
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