A Power Rack Training Tip

Going hard and having fun after more than 50 years of old-school strength training.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In response to my recent email on
isometric and isometronic training,
one of our readers sent in this
email:

Hi Brooks,

I'm new to your email list. I have
enjoyed the daily topics. The
information is encouraging.

My reply is in regards to isometric
and isometronic training.

In the mid 80's, I was a student at
Oregon State University, working on
my BS in Health and Human
Performance.

My favorite instructor was J.P. O'Shea.
Dr. O'Shea was a very accomplished
Pan American weightlifter in the 50's,
and the author of many books on
strength development.

He did research on "functional
isometrics." This was barbell
training in a power rack, where
near maximal loads were lifted
from a lower pin and held against
an upper pin for approximately
five seconds. 

The range of motion was only a
couple of inches. 

The position trained was usually
in the range of the least mechanical
advantage of the lift.

I had the privilege of training with
Dr. O'Shea for a 10-12 week cycle
of functional isometric squat training.

I would have to say this was some
of the most mentally challenging
training I have ever done.

I believe I still have a research
paper he wrote on the subject.

I will attempt to locate and pass
on to you if I find it.

Dan Morgan

Thanks for your feedback, Dan. That
method of training is a very good one.


I consider it to be isometronics rather
than isometrics, but the label doesn't
matter.

What matters is that it's a very good
way to build some serious strength
and muscle.

I cover this type of rack work - and
many other types of rack work in
Strength, Muscle and Power.

These methods are some of the toughest
and most effective training methods out
there - and for serious trainees, they're
hard to beat.

If you find that research paper, send it on
in - I'd love to see it! I have an autographed
copy of Dr. O'Shea's popular book, Quantum
Strength Fitness II, and I really enjoy it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

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

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. 4. Thought for the Day:

"Old gold still spends, and old iron still
builds plenty of strength and muscle."

- 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

Isometrics - Fact or Fiction?

If you're my age (I'm 61) or older, you probably remember the great isometrics craze of the 1960's. But do isometrics really work - and if so, how do you do them for best results?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our longtime readers asked me

about isometrics and whether they work.

He also asked if I had ever done them,

and if so, whether I still do them.

Those questions brought back some

interesting memories - so I thought

I'd share them with you.

I was a little young for the beginning of

the isometrics fad of the early 60's, but

there was still lots of fanfare and hoopla

about it in the late 60's, when I started

training.

Isometrics promised super strength in 60

seconds a day -- consisting of a series of

6 second isometric exercises.

That was irresistible. What could be better

than super strength in 60 seconds a day?

So, of course, I tried the isometric system.

I began with the simple stuff. Put your hands

together and push with one and resist with

other.

Stand sideways in a doorway and push

against the side of the door frame with

one foot.

Use a doorway chinning bar to practice

the overhead press lockout.

Later, one of the junior high school coaches

let me borrow an "Exergenie" device and a

discus for the summer, so I could do isometrics

with the discus after attaching the Exergenie

to my doorway chinning bar. (Yes, I threw the

discus in junior high school, before I decided

to stick to wrestling as my only sport.)

And I also bought a portable isometric device

from Peary Rader's Body Culture Equipment

Company. It was made from heavy pipe and

two lengths of log chain. It came with a

wooden base to stand on. It looked really

cool.

I pulled and pushed against those pipes and

chains all winter one year.

But none of it worked.

It was fun, but it didn't deliver any sort of

results.

When I was in high school, we had a York

power rack, so we could do isometric stuff

in the power rack. But I never did. By age

14, I was done with isometrics.

Later, I learned that some of the original

research behind isometrics was wrong.

It was the result of a misplaced decimal

point.

The trainees tested at a world-famous

research lab in Germany had NOT been

making strength gains of 2% per week,

as had been reported.

It was more like .2% per week --

meaning just two tenths of one percent.

Oops.

And then there was the question about

roid use by some of the "pioneers" of

isometric training -- which raises the

question, "IF it worked, was it
the drugs or the isometrics?"

So, as you can probably see, I'm not a

big fan of isometrics.

Now, there was a slightly different variation

called isometronics. That involved short

range movements in the power rack with

heavy weights. That was REAL training.

I've used isometronics with great results.

You can build some serious strength with

isometronics.

But it's not 60 seconds a day. It's pretty

much the same as regular barbell training --

which may be one reason why it works so

well.

I cover isometronic training in Strength,
Muscle and Power. It won't give you super

strength in 60 seconds a day, but it WILL

make you very, very strong - and it works

pretty darn fast.

Go here to grab the little monster:

Strength, Muscle and Power

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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 the little monster:

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:

Feb issue

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

Oct, Nov, Dec and Jan issues

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_files.html

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: 

"Would you rather build strength in
60 seconds or build strength for 60
or more years?"

-- 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

A Shout Out and a Thank You!

John Wood's new book raced up to THREE No. 1 spots in the Kindle bookstore - and that's pretty darn amazing.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I want to give a shout out
to my buddy, John Wood.
Two days ago, John released
a great little book on Kindle:

John Wood's Old-School
Strength Articles, Vol. 1.

This morning, I checked the
Kindle rankings and the new
book was ranked No. 1 in
three different categories!

That's pretty darn impressive,
but the book's pretty darn
good.

It covers tons of stuff: power
rack training, isometrics, mind
power for weightlifting and
training tips on Olympic
weightlifting from an old-
timer named Doug Hepburn
who just happens to be a
(get this) self-taught, self-
coached WORLD
CHAMPION.

Anyhow, three no. 1 rankings
is pretty amazing.

I also wanted to say THANK
YOU to everyone who stepped
up and grabbed a copy.

I know John appreciates it,
and so do I.

If you missed the news earlier,
you can go ahead and grab the
little monster right now:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/oldschoolarticles001.html

And, of course, please post a
review after you read the book.
The reviews really help.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Look What Raced Up to No. 1!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you missed the BIG
NEWS, John Wood's
new book raced up to
No. 1 in its category in
the Kindle bookstore -
in less than 24 hours!

It's also in the no. 3 spot
on two other top 10 lists.

So I guess old-school
training is alive and well -
which is a very good thing.

It's called OLD-SCHOOL
STRENGTH ARTICLES,
VOL. I.

Go here to grab the little
monster - and be sure to
post a review after you
read it:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/oldschoolarticles001.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

John Wood's Old School Strength Articles, Vol. 1

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

About one year ago, my buddy John Wood a terrific little book
on Kindle - and it zoomed right up to the No. 1 spot on a
number of different Kindle Top 10 Lists.

In other words, it was an overnight best seller.

And that means a ton of people grabbed it and read it -- and
liked it -- and that's no surprise, because it's very, very good. 

It's called OLD-SCHOOL STRENGTH ARTICLES,
VOL. I.

It includes FIVE great articles from Peary Rader's
old Iron Man magazine:

1. Part 1 of an article by Tony Ditillo
on power rack training.

2. Part 2 of Tony Ditillo's article on
power rack training. 

3. A special "field report" on isometric
training.

4. A very interesting article on mind
power for lifters.

and (get this):

5. An article by Doug Hepburn about
training for the Olympic lifts.

So that's five killer articles, together in one little book --
with a knock-out cover - and that's  a pretty good
deal.

Go here to grab the little monster - and be sure to post
a review after you read it:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/oldschoolarticles001.html

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

A Quick Tip on Power Rack Training

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In response to my recent email on
isometric and isometronic training,
one of our readers sent in this
email:

Hi Brooks,

I'm new to your email list. I have
enjoyed the daily topics. The
information is encouraging.

My reply is in regards to isometric
and isometronic training.

In the mid 80's, I was a student at
Oregon State University, working on
my BS in Health and Human
Performance.

My favorite instructor was J.P. O'Shea.

Dr. O'Shea was a very accomplished
Pan American weightlifter in the 50's,
and the author of many books on
strength development.

He did research on "functional
isometrics." This was barbell
training in a power rack, where
near maximal loads were lifted
from a lower pin and held against
an upper pin for approximately
five seconds. 

The range of motion was only a
couple of inches. 

The position trained was usually
in the range of the least mechanical
advantage of the lift.

I had the privilege of training with
Dr. O'Shea for a 10-12 week cycle
of functional isometric squat training.
I would have to say this was some
of the most mentally challenging
training I have ever done.

I believe I still have a research
paper he wrote on the subject.
 
I will attempt to locate and pass
on to you if I find it.

Dan Morgan

Thanks for your feedback, Dan. That
method of training is a very good one.
I consider it to be isometronics rather
than isometrics, but the label doesn't
matter.

What matters is that it's a very good
way to build some serious strength
and muscle.

I cover this type of rack work - and
many other types of rack work in
Strength, Muscle and Power.

These methods are some of the toughest
and most effective training methods out
there - and for serious trainees, they're
hard to beat.

If you find that research paper, send it on
in - I'd love to see it! I have an autographed
copy of Dr. O'Shea's book, Quantum Strength
Fitness II, and I really enjoy 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. Remember to grab the January issue
of The Dinosaur Fules:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses - and
links to all of my PDF and Kindle books and
courses - are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Old gold still
spends, and old iron still builds strength
and muscle." - Brooks Kubik

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

Super Strength In 60 Seconds - Or Not!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our longtime readers asked me
about isometrics and whether they work.

He also asked if I had ever done them,
and if so, whther I still do them.

Those questions brought back some
interesting memories - so I thought
I'd share them with you.

I was a little young for the beginning of the
isometrics fad of the early 60's, but there
was still lots of fanfare and hoopla about
it in the late 60's, when I started training.

Isometrics promised super strength in 60
seconds a day -- consisting of a series of
6 second isometric exercises.

That was irresistable. What could be better
than super strength in 60 seconds a day?

So, of course, I tried the isometric system.

I began with the simple stuff. Put your hands
together and push with one and resist with
other.

Stand sideways in a doorway and push against
the side of the door frame with one foot.

Use a doorway chinning bar to practice the
overhead press lockout.

Later, one of the junior high school coaches
let me borrow an "Exergenie" device and a
discus for the summer, so I could do isometrics
with the discus after attaching the Exergenie
to my doorway chinning bar. (Yes, I threw the
discus in junior high school, before I decided
to stick to wrestling as my only sport.)

And I also bought a portable isometric device
from Peary Rader's Body Culture Equipment
Company. It was made from heavy pipe and
two lengths of log chain. It came with a wooden
base to stand on. It looked really cool.

I pulled and pushed against those pipes and
chains all winter one year.

But none of it worked.

It was fun, but it didn't deliver any sort of
results.

When I was in high school, we had a York
power rack, so we could do isometric stuff in
the power rack. But I never did. By age 14,
I was done with isometrics.

Later, I learned that some of the initial research
research behind isometrics was wrong. Something
about a misplaced decimal point.

The trainees tested at a world famous research
lab had NOT been making gains of 2% per week.

It was more like .2% per week -- meaning two
tenths of one percent.

Oops.

And then there was the querstion about roid use
by some of the "pioneers" of isometric training --
which raises the question, "IF it worked, was it the
drugs or the isometrics?"

So, as you can see, I'm not a big fan of isometrics.

Now, there was a slightly different variation
called isometronics. That involved short
range movements in the power rack with
heavy weights. That was REAL training.

I've used isometronics with great results. You
really can build super strength with isometronics.
But it's not 60 seconds a day. It's pretty much
the same as regular barbell training -- which
may be one reason why it works so well.

I cover isometronic training in Strength, Muscle
and Power. It won't give you super strength in
60 seconds a day, but it will MAKE you seriously
strong:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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. Be sure to grab the January issue of The
Dinosaur Files in PDF format:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-january2017.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to my Kindle and PDF courses -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The real secret is
hard work, regular training and a healthy diet."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Super Strength in 60 Seconds a Day -- Or Not!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me start with some big breaking news
for Dinos.

As you probably know, I released Knife, Fork
Muscle as a hard copy book in December 2014.

Several months ago, we began releasing the
same book in a four part series in e-book
format on Kindle.  We're doing that because
the hard copy book is so long and contains
so much information that it's just too much
for one Kindle e-book.

So here's the news -- book 3 in the e-book
series is now available on Amazon:

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html


Head on over and read the introduction for
a complete description of what it covers. In
my opinion, it's probably the most important
book in the series so far, especially for older
Dinos. The information on food and chemical
allergies and how to avoid them is extremely
important -- and it's something other books
in the field pretty much ignore.

So if Knife, Fork, Muscle is not on your book
shelf, put it on your Kindle and start reading
the best book ever written about diet and
nutrition for strength and muscle building.

SUPER STRENGTH IN 60 SECONDS
 A DAY

On the training front, several readers noted
the reference to isometrics in yesterday's
email, and asked if they worked.

Now, that's a question that brings back
some memories!

I was a little young for the beginning of the
isometrics fad of the early 60's, but there
was still lots of fanfare and hoopla about
it in the late 60's, when I started training.
Isometrics promised super strength in 60
seconds a day -- consisting of a series of
6 second isometric exercises.

That was irresistable. What could be better
than super strength in 60 seconds a day?

So, of course, I tried the isometric system.

I began with the simple stuff. Put your hands
together and push with one and resist with
other.

Stand sideways in a doorway and push against
the side of the door frame with one foot.

Use a doorway chinning bar to practice the
overhead press lockout.

Later, one of the junior high school coaches
let me borrow an "Exergenie" device and a discus
for the summer, so I could do isometric stuff
with the discus after attaching the Exergenie
to my doorway chinning bar. (Yes, I threw the
discus in junior high school, before I decided
to stick to wrestling as my only sport.)

And I also bought a portable isometric device
from Peary Rader's Body Culture Equipment
Company. It was made from heavy pipe and
two lengths of log chain. It came with a wooden
base to stand on. It looked really cool.

I pulled and pushed against those pipes and
chains all winter one year.

But none of it worked.

It was fun, but it didn't deliver any sort of
results.

When I was in high school, we had a York
power rack, so we could do isometric stuff in
the power rack. But I never did. By age 14,
I was done with isometrics.

Later, I learned that some of the initial research
research behind isometrics was wrong. Something
about a misplaced decimal point. Oops.

And then there was the question about roid use
by some of the "pioneers" of isometric training --
which raises the question, "IF it worked, was it the
drugs or the isometrics?"

So, as you can see, I'm not a big fan of isometrics.

Now, there was a slightly different variation
called isometronics. That involved short
range movements in the power rack with
heavy weights. That was REAL training.

I've used isometronics with great results. You
really can build super strength with isometronics.
But it's not 60 seconds a day. It's pretty much
the same as regular barbell training -- which
may be one reason why it works so well.

I cover isometronic training in Strength, Muscle
and Power. It won't give you super strength in
60 seconds a day, but it will MAKE you seriously
strong:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.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. Here are the links for the Knife, Fork, Muscle
series on Kindle e-book:

1. 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

2.  Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 2
(covers healthy and unhealthy carbs, vegetables,
starchy vegetables,grains and gluten issues,
oranic vs. conventional foods, gardening,
growing your own vegetables, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html 

3. Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3
(covers healthy and unhealthy fats, and
food and chemical allergies -- and how
they can sabotage your strength training
and muscle building)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html


P.S. 2. Note: If you prefer hard copy books, go
here to grab the complete hard copy edition
of Knife, Fork, Muscle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The real secret is
hard work, regular training and a healthy diet."
-- Brooks Kubik

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