Spartan Is Best

World and Olympic champion John Davis spent much of his career training alone in the basement of a neighborhood church in Brooklyn - but he became one of the greatest lifters of all time!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. Old Strength Magazines for
Sale

I'm selling tons of old strength magazines,
including the vintage magazines on these
two lists:

Strength and Health Mags

https://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2018/12/brooks-kubiks-iron-game-collection-list.html

Lifting News

https://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2018/12/brooks-kubiks-strength-training.html

These are great mags, with tons of photos
of old-time champions - and articles on how
they trained. Good stuff, and darn near
impossible to find anywhere else.

2. The November Dino Files

Is available right here in PDF format:

Nov. Dino Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-nov2018.html

It's a great issue - with an excellent
article by one of our long time Dinos,
detailing a new workout he used to
gain (get this) 25 pounds of muscle
in just a couple of months.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing up the
December issue - and it's looking
like another good one! Be looking
for it soon.

3. Spartan Is Best!

On the training front, let's talk about true
Spartan training -- and I don't mean the
so-called "300 workout" they did for the
movie.

There's a great book by Daniel Coyle called
"The Little Book of Talent." It contains 52
rules for improving your performance in
sports, business, job, school, or anything
else.

Coyle studied top performers in a wide
range of disciplines, and found a number
of similarities between the top performers.

They tended to do certain things in the
same ways.

One thing he noted about many highly
skilled, top performers was that they
trained in spartan quarters -- particularly
when they were climbing the ladder.

For example, a top tennis school might
have the future stars of the sport playing
on courts with cracks in them and grass
or weeds pushing up here and there.

A top ski school might look like a 1950s era
scout camp, with the future greats living in
very simple, almost primitive log cabins.

A top high school might have the smartest
kids on the planet studying in what looks
more or less like an old army barracks.

And I'm not making these up. They're real
life examples from Coyle's book.

In contrast, many "fancy" facilities didn't
have a very good track record when it
came to creating successful performers.

The parallel to effective strength training is
obvious. The so-called "fitness" industry
pushes high-tech training in opulent "gyms"
featuring lots of chrome, mirrors, fancy lighting,
air conditioning, aromatherapy, piped in music,
cardio theater, big screen plasma tv's, espresso
bars, donuts, pizza delivery, and row after row
of plushly padded machines.

Soft and gentle is the mantra of the day.

Spartan it is not.

It's the furthest thing in the world from
Spartan.

And that's one of the big reasons why the
Chrome and Fern Pleasure Palace Gyms
don't deliver.

They're too fancy. Too nice. Too pretty.

And fancy, nice and pretty don't work in the
Iron Game.

They never have - and they never will.

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 Training started a back to
basics, strength training revolution when
I published it back in 1996 - and it's
been going strong ever since:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.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: 

"The best leaders live simple lives. So
do the best lifters." 

-- Brooks Kubik

Before You Leave - Check These Out! 

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

We have over 25 books and courses in the Kindle store - including these little monsters:

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

The Power of Positive Thinking (Part 1)

Like all great champions, John Davis learned what worked best for him - and then trained with total and complete confidence to achieve his goals.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Earlier this year - about six or seven months
ago - a longtime Dino here in Louisville
decided to go on a special training program
to build strength and muscle mass.

So he sat down with some of my books and
courses - and back issues of The Dinosaur
Files - and read through them very carefully.

He made careful notes, and started to put
together a list of things to try.

He also reviewed his training journals to
see what had worked best for him in the
past.

And he studied everything he could find
about Doug Hepburn, reasoning that if
anyone knew how to build strength and
muscle mass, it was Doug Hepburn.

He ended up putting together a very good
program.

It features four different workouts spread
over a period of 9 to 10 days - which gives
your body plenty of time to recover from
each session.

It includes plenty of things I teach in my
various books and courses - lots of tips
from Doug Hepburn - things he knew
from experience worked well for him -
and things that had worked well for
other Dinos.

So he figured that the program would
work.

In fact, he KNEW it would work.

So instead of wasting time searching
the Interwebs and looking for some-
thing better - and without posting it
in a forum or discussion group and
asking other people if they thought
it would work, he just knuckled down
and started doing it.

That's an example of positive thinking.
You study, plan, work things out - and
then you go for it - confident that it
will work for you.

And work it did.

Four months later he had gained 25
pounds of solid muscle.

Today, six or seven months later, he's
added another 5 pounds of muscle. So
he's gained a total of 30 pounds in
just about six or seven months.

I asked him to write up his workout to
share with other Dinos.

He did, and you can find it right here in
the November issue of The Dinosaur
Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-nov2018.html

Be sure to grab this issue - and check
out the program. It's a really good
strength and muscle builder.

And, as always, let me have your
thoughts and feedback about this
month's issue - and any updates on
your own training that you'd like to
share with the Dino Nation.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Let the Magic Happen!

There's a special kind of magic that comes with old-school, drug-free progressive strength training - and I sincerely hope that everyone reading this Blog Post has a chance to experience that magic!

 
Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk iron - and talk
about magic, as well - a very special kind of magic.

1. Bosco Is Back!


John Wood has designed some brand new Bosco
t-shirts and hoodies - and they look pretty sharp.

Go here to check them out:

Bosco T-Shirts

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bosco-tshirt.html

Bosco Hoodies (Black)

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/boscohoodie-black.html

Bosco Hoodies (Gray)

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/boscohoodie-grey.html

2. The Dino Files

Do you have the most recent issues of The
Dinosaur Files newsletter?

If not, you're missing a terrific strength
training resource - so go here to grab
them in a downloadable and printable
PDF format:

July-August Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-julyaugust2018.html

May-June Dinosaur Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-mayjune2018.html

3. Let the Magic Happen!

In the Middle Ages, alchemists tried to
find a way to change iron to gold.

Some men spent their entire lives in a
fruitless search for the magic formula
that would change ordinary iron into
beautiful, shining gold -- gold that
would make them wealthier and more
powerful than the richest of kings.

They never succeeded.

Iron was iron, and gold was gold.

But hundreds of years later, other men
made a remarkable discovery.

They learned how to unleash the magic of
iron.

These were men like Alan Calvert, Mark
Berry, Harry Paschall, George F. Jowett,
Sig Klein, Bob Hoffman and Peary Rader.
The men who put barbells and dumbbells --
and the secret of how to use them --
into the hands of thousands of eager
trainees around the world.

And make no mistake about it. Barbells and
dumbbells are quite literally miracle tools.

Properly used, they can transform your
physique, adding many pounds of muscle,
and building enormous strength and power.

With the right kind of training, you can double
or even triple your starting levels of strength
and development. And some trainees do even
better than that.

To me, that's magic. Far more magic than
turning iron to gold.

But it doesn't stop there.

Barbell and dumbbell training works because it
is a form of progressive resistance training. You
start by handling weights that are manageable but
challenging -- and you gradually increase your
reps in each exercise -- and then you add weight
to the bar, drop back on the number of reps, and
build back up again.

And you repeat the process over and over.
It's a series of small steps -- but every step is a
step forward. With every step, you move forward
toward more strength, more muscle and more
power. Every step is a victory.

You end up transforming your body -- but more
than that, you end up transforming your mind,
your heart and your entire being.

You learn some of the most important lessons
a person can learn.

You learn that hard work leads to great results.
That success occurs step by step.

That whatever you can conceive and believe, you
can achieve.

That nothing can stop you.

And that you and you alone control your destiny
and your future.

Now, that's REAL magic.

If you train, you know what I'm talking about. If
you don't train, or if you stopped training, now's
the time to start (or start again) -- and to grab
some of that magic.

Do it now.

Let the magic happen!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. These books have been working their magic
for trainees around the world. Which do you need
to complete your collection?

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Chalk and Sweat

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength

and Development

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Strength and Power - Course No. 2 - Heavy Partials (PDF Course)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters - head on over and
check them out!

Hard-copy and PDF Books and Courses

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

Kindle Books and Courses

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"If you're looking for magic, look no
further than the nearest barbell."

-- Brooks Kubik

Before you leave, be sure to check out our Kindle books - we have over 25 now - with more on the way!

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

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

One Thing at a Time Strength Training

Like all great champions, Reg Park always trained with intense mental concentration and total, complete and unwavering focus.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk iron -
as in, one thing at a time strength training.

1. The July-August Dinosaur Files

It's a great issue - and you can grab it
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-julyaugust2018.html

The 30 and 35 minute workouts for
those of you who are pressed for time
are well worth reading - and so is the
article about the old-school, "break all
the rules" training program that helped
one young lifter gain 35 pounds of
muscle - drug-free and supplement-
free.

By the way - if you missed the May-June
issue, you missed another good one -
but you can still grab it - right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-mayjune2018.html

This one includes, among other things, Bob
Hoffman's favorite workout - which I think
you'll find very interesting. But be warned:

it's tougher than it looks!

2. Heavy Partials

My new course on heavy Partials is getting
great reviews from Dinos around the world.

Many have reported new PR's after being on
the program for a short period of time -
including one Dino who set a new PR in the
bench press in just two weeks!

Go here to grab the little monster:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html

3. The One Thing at a Time Workout

One of the keys to success in your training
is to focus on one thing at a time.

By that, I don't mean to do one-exercise
workouts, although those can be very
effective.

I'm talking about your mindset when you
train.

Serious strength training is a very unusual
and unique activity. It requires a special
mindset -- a mindset that is much different
than the mindset most people employ
throughout the day.

Most people go though the day in an endless
series of frantic multi-tasking, plate-spinning
and juggling.

They're doing one thing on one side of the
computer screen, another thing on the other
side, and third thing on their nearby laptop --
and they're answering email while they do it
all -- and they're on their I-phone -- and
they're having three different conversations
with three different people -- and they're
doing this all day long.

They never focus on one thing. They just
juggle and jiggle and jump from one thing
to another.

That's life in the modern world, but it's not
what you do when you train.

Training requires a much different approach.

When you train, you need to focus on one
thing at a time.

You begin by focusing on each rep.

You take your reps one by one.

You don't worry about the next rep -- or the
next set -- or the next exercise.

You turn your focus inward, and dive deep
into the rep.

You live the rep.

You become the rep.

And then you do the next rep.

When you finish your set, you take a rest and
focus on the next set -- and when you do the
next set, you do it rep by rep.

And that's how you do your entire workout:
rep by rep, and set by set, with total and
complete concentration.

In short, when you train, you focus on the
here and now.

And this is a very good thing for you -
not just for your training, but for YOU.

It's actually what our brains were wired to
do.

Not multi-tasking -- but rather, pinpoint
concentration.

It's good for them -- and it's important to use
them this way -- and that's actually one of the
most important benefits of serious strength
training. It helps wire your brain the way
it's supposed to be wired.

I trained last night, and for 63 minutes I was
deep in the zone. Total concentration. Maximum
focus. Pushing, pulling and squatting in the here
and now.

And it felt pretty darn good.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, take it rep by
rep and set by set -- and make it a good
one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. 1. I teach you how to concentrate and
how to focus on your workouts in Dinosaur
Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training:

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength

and Development

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters - and the
list includes these great books and courses:

Brooks Kubik's Hard-Copy and PDF Books and Courses

Brooks Kubik's Hard-Copy and PDF books and courses

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

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"When you ride on the back of a tiger,
focus on the tiger." 

-- Brooks Kubik