The "What Would Happen?" Question

John Davis was the youngest man in history to win the World Championship in Weightlifting - and went on to win a total of six World Championships and two Olympic Gold medals.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll talk
training.

1. The March Dinosaur Files

The March Dinosaur Files is out, and
the little monster is getting great reviews.

Go here to grab your copy:

March 2019 Dinosaur Files
(PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-march2019.html

If you missed the January and
February issues, do not despair -
you can grab them here:

Feb 2019 Dinosaur Files (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-feb2019.html

Jan 2019 Dinosaur Files (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-jan2019.html

As always - pls shoot me an email
and let me know how you like this
issue - and what you'd like us to
cover in future issues.

2. The "What Would Happen?"
Question

On the training front, here's an interesting
question I received a while back from one
of our longtime Dinos. It's a question I get
fairly often.

This time it came from Chris Califano. He
wrote:

"Here is an interesting question: What would
the result/benefits be if a younger trainee
followed the exact same advice that older
trainees should employ regarding "making
every rep count" and "every exercise and
every set count"?

The mere fact that a younger dedicated lifter
can put more hours into his or her training
should not be a "license to waste energy."

Just that we COULD do it when we were
younger does not mean that we SHOULD
have.

In fact, I am sure that if I had applied the
same methods for Progression with
Recuperation when I was in my teens,
twenties and thirties, I would have
gotten further faster. And with less
if any injuries, nagging or small!

And I would have had more balanced
development, plus better health and
more free time, to boot!

Chris"

Chris -- Thanks for your email. The question
you pose is a good one. Most trainees follow
the over-the-top high volume workouts when
they are young -- and they end up wasting
what should have been the very best years
of their training careers.

It's a crying shame -- especially when it leads
them to quit training -- or to turn to steroids
and other drugs.

If everyone started training the right way from
Day 1 of their career, we'd see many more
trainees achieve great success -- and we'd
see many more trainees stick to their program
for their entire lives.

In terms of concrete results, let's look at
some real-life examples of young men who
started out training the right way from Day
One:

John Davis started training at age 15 -- and
won the World weightlifting championship --
beating not one but two former Olympic gold
medal winners -- at age 17.

John Grimek went from 120 lbs. to 178 lbs.
in his his first three years of training -- and
went from a clean and jerk of 95 lbs. to a
clean and jerk with 247 1/2 lbs.

Steve Stanko gained 80 pounds of muscle in
his first 2 years of training -- and won his first
United States Senior National title later in the
same year.

Frank Spellman worked up to a 240 lb.
military press at a bodyweight of 156 lbs
after just 1 1/2 years of training. He went
on to win an Olympic gold medal in 1948.

Tommy Kono entered his first weightlifting
contest in 1948. He improved his 3-lift total
(press, snatch and clean and jerk) by 195
lbs. over the next 2 years. He won his first
Olympic gold medal in 1952.

Obviously, not everyone is going to become
a World or Olympic Champion, or a Mr.
America.

But if more young guys trained the way
that Davis, Grimek, Stanko, Spellman
and Kono trained, they'd make much
greater progress than they're making
on the modern-day super programs
and typical bomb, blast and blitz
workouts.

That's why I continue to bang the drum.
It's an important message -- and so
many guys and gals need to hear it!

As always, thanks for reading and have
a great day. If you train today (as I will),
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Be sure to grab the March issue of
The Dinosaur Files - it's a good one!

March 2019 Dinosaur Files
(PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-march2019.html

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"If you don't like the old-fashioned
stuff, try building a house without a
hammer and nails."

-- Brooks Kubik

Before You Go . . . . Take a Look at These:

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

How Long Should a Workout Take?

John Grimek always recommended the kind of workouts we teach here at Dino Headquarters - and you can't argue with his results!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Files

The March issue of the world-famous
Dinosaur Files strength training news-
letter will be coming out sometime
very soon - probably later today -
and it's another great issue.

One of the feature articles covers Sig
Klein's training philosophy for older
men - and includes a terrific workout
that Klein followed back in the day.

I'll send an email as soon as we get
the links up. Be looking for it!

In the meantime, if you missed the
Jan and Feb issues, go here to grab
them:

Feb 2019 Dinosaur Files (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-feb2019.html

Jan 2019 Dinosaur Files (PDF)

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-jan2019.html

2.  Something for Older Dinos

Several years ago we did a great mini-course
on effective training for older Dinos --
with a brand new workout. It's available
in PDF with immediate electronic delivery:

Mini-Course for Older Trainees (PDF) 

http://www.brookskubik.com/minicourse_01.html

Many of you already have this little
gem, but if you don't, grab it now. I
Know you'll like it.

3. Dino Files Subscriptions

I forgot to mention - if you want to grab
a one year, 12-issue subscription to the
Dinosaur Files, we can make it happen.

Shoot me an email for details.

4. How Long Should a Workout Take?

I get tons of emails from readers who want
to know how long a workout should take.

They've read about two, three, four and
even five hour workouts -- and about
'"champions" who supposedly train all
day long -- and they wonder how they
can fit all that training into their schedules.

Some trainees even give up and QUIT
because they think they have to train for
several hours in every workout, and they
don't know how they can do it.

It's frustrating, because trainees have been
facing this issue for over 50 years -- and
the answer has been out there for just as
long -- but most trainees still don't get
it.

That's because the good information gets
lost in a sea of bad advice. Or nowadays,
in a cyber-sea of bad advice.

And that's why we all need to keep beating
the drum for sane, sensible, effective and
productive strength training and muscle
building.

So let me do exactly that.

Fifty years ago, Bradley J. Steiner, Peary
Rader, Arthur Jones, and a small handful
of other writers told their readers:

1. Long workouts are not necessary.

2. Most trainees actually do better on
shorter workouts.

3. You can get a terrific, result producing
workout in just 45 to 60 minutes.

a. You even can do it in 30 minutes.

b. Or 20 minutes.

4. Of course, you need to make every
minute count.

a. You need to focus on QUALITY in your
training.

b. Focus on the best exercises -- and follow
the best set/rep systems.

c. Train with concentration and focus.

5. Train for strength. Always try to get
stronger. Always work on improving your
performance from workout to workout.

My own workouts usually take 50 to 75
minutes. Most of them clock in at right
around one hour.

That's one hour, three times a week.

And it works great.

Give it a try, and see what happens!

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

And be looking for that soon-to-arrive
email with the link to the March Dino
Files . . . . you're gonna like it.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Chalk and Sweat has 50 terrific
workouts for trainees of all experience
levels, and none of them require you
to spend your life in the gym:

Chalk and Sweat

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"It's not how LONG you train, it's HOW
you train that counts."

-- Brooks Kubik

Before You Go . . . . Take a Look at These:

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

Brooks Kubik's Strength Training Collection - List No. 2 - Iron Man's Lifting News

Peary Rader's wonderful Lifting News magazine is almost impossible to find at any price - but here's a very special chance to grab some vintage copies of this excellent old-school strength and power publication at a rock-bottom, bargain basement !

Brooks Kubik's  Strength Training Collection

List No. 2 – Iron Man Lifting News

I'm selling 32 issues of Iron Man’s Lifting News, published by Peary Rader back in the 1960's. These are great magazines that focused on strength and power training, weightlifting and powerlifting. With articles by and about top lifters and their training, these magazines are a goldmine of old-school strength and power training.

Peary Rader was the founder of Iron Man magazine, which he edited and published for 50 years before he retired and sold the magazine.You've probably seen old issues of Peary Rader's Iron Man magazine. But you may not have ever seen any old issues of Lifting News - because not many issues were published, and they're very rare and hard to find. So this is a BIG opportunity to grab some magazines you might not ever find again.

This cover photo shows Don Cundy pulling a World Record deadlift. Lifting News covered many of the pioneers of powerlifting, as well as Olympic weightlifting champions.

The price is just $20.00 per issue plus shipping and handling. And if you order 10 or more issues, I'll give you a 10 percent discount.

All orders will be shipped by USPS Priority Mail. Please note that in filling orders we are limited to what we can fit into a USPS Priority Mail shipping box.

Everything listed below is first come, first served, and I only have one of each set, so if you want something, order it ASAP by emailing me at:

info@brookskubik.com  

When you email, please give me your shipping address and preferred payment method. PayPal, credit card and check are fine for anyone living in the USA. However, we can only accept PayPal and credit card for orders outside the USA.

Note: if you prefer to pay by credit card, do NOT send your cc info by email. When I respond to you, I'll let you know how to place a secure cc order.

Because these are one of a kind items, we cannot replace them or refund the purchase price, so please give me a secure shipping address, preferably where someone will be there to sign for the package when it is delivered.

We reserve the right to decline any order based on the cost of shipping, delivery issues/concerns in a given country or any other reason.

Shoot me an email if you have any questions!

Here’s a list of the available magazines and the cover-man on each issue:

Lifting News was one of the best old-school training magazines - and it focused entirely on weightlifting, powerlifting and strength and power training.

1961    September     Newspaper format - no cover photo

            November     Yuri Vlasov and other lifters from 1961 World Championships

1963    May                Weightlifters and powerlifters from 1963 Jr. Nationals

1964    June                 Norb Schemansky

1965    January           Isaac Berger

            April               Kids weightlifting

            July                 Bob Bartholomew

            August             Tony Garcy

            September       Gerry Ferrelli

            October           Hans Zdrazila

            November       James Roberson

1966    January           Gary Gubner

            February         Leonid Zabotinsky

            March             Bob Bednarski

            April               Paul Anderson

            June                 Frank Holton  

            July                 Pat Casey

            August             Russ Knipp

            September       Phil Grippaldi

            October           Robert Weaver

            December        Waldemar Baszanowski

1967    April               Gary Gubner

            June                 Bob Bednarski

            July                 Philip Grippaldi

            August            Bob Hise

            October           Pan Am games photos

            November       Sr. National Power Lifting photos

            December        Donald Cundy, Jr.

1968    January           Joe Dube

            February         Bob Bednarski

            May                George Pickett

            October           Mel Hennessy

Lifting News - an outstanding publication for anyone interested in old-school strength and power training, Olympic weightlifiting, and powerlifting.

One of My Favorite Workouts

Having fun in the outdoor training section here at Dino Headquarters. My workouts look a lot like the one I'm describing in today's Blog post. The weights are lighter, of course, because I'm 20 years older - but everything else is pretty much the same.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my favorite workouts is also -
can you believe it? - one of the simplest.

It's an ultra-abbreviated workout that
features a single exercise: the clean and
press.

I used to do it down in the basement of
the original Dinosaur Dungeon.

I used an old-fashioned, "exercise" style
barbell with iron plates.

An "exercise" barbell being the kind that
the York Barbell Co. sold for so many grand
and glorious years - a 1 1/16 inch thick bar
and iron plates sized to fit the bar.

The bar was six feet long.

In other words, NOT an Olympic barbell.

And i really had no choice in the matter.

The ceiling was so low that I couldn't do
an overhead lift with an Olympic barbell
loaded with 45 pound plates.

So I used the exercise barbell and the
smaller iron plates - and loaded it with
25s, 10s, 5s and 2 1/2s.

And for the record, it wasn't even a
real barbell. It was a six-foot length
of cold-rolled steel that I bought from
a local steel supply company.

I used some heavy duty dumbbell collars
from IronMind to make inside and outside
collars to hold the plates on the bar.

It was the same barbell I described in
chapter 25 ("An Island Gym") in
Strength, Muscle and Power.

I used two short lengths of 2 x 8 inch
board to position the barbell for lift-off.

That raised the bar to the same height
as if I had been using 45 pound plates.

The boards also helped protect the
concrete floor.

Of course, I always lowered the bar -
I never dropped it. Dropping iron plates
on a concrete floor is not a good idea.

That sounds too old-fashioned to work -
but remember, John Davis trained with
an exercise barbell in the basement of a
church in Brooklyn - back when he was
winning World and Olympic championships.

And Clyde Emrich trained with an exercise
barbell in his parents' basement - and
ended up setting a World record in the
clean and jerk.

So there's good precedent for basic and
simple - although, of course, if you have
an Olympic barbell, that's fine, too.

Anyhow, I did the following workout:

Clean and Press

120 x 1

140 x 1

160 x 1

180 x 1

200 x 1

220 x 1

240 x 1

250 x 1

260 x 1

270 x 1

And on a good day, I added:

275 x 1

That was in my early 40's - at a bodyweight
of 225 pounds - so I thought the program
worked pretty well.

It was actually a pretty complete workout -
but I alternated the clean and press work-
out with a workout where I did nothing but
bottom position squats - once again starting
light and working my way up to my top
weight for the day.

I trained three days per week, going back
and forth between the two workouts.

That's about as simple as it gets - but it
worked great.

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. A couple of years ago I wrote a complete
guide to the military press - with a detailed
series of progressive workouts that will help
you build some serious pressing power.

You can grab it right here in your choice of
hard-copy, Kindle or PDF editions:

Hard-copy

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

PDF

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

Kindle

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"It's amazing what you can do with an
old-fashioned barbell and plenty of
sweat." 

- 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