25 Things that Dinos Do!

John Grimek shows his form in the one-hand deadlift. Very few modern trainees have ever seen someone do a one-hand deadlift, let alone tried to do one!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll talk training.

1. My EBay Store

Since Trudi and I are planning to move to
the Pacific Northwest in the not-too-distant
future, I'm selling al of my duplicate copies
of Iron Game books and magazines.

I'm listing them on eBay now - and here are
the first three listings:

 Peary Rader's Iron Man Sept 1978

https://www.ebay.com/itm/232993590754

Peary Rader's Iron Man Jan. 1978

https://www.ebay.com/itm/232990689162

The Illustrated History of Physical
Culture

https://www.ebay.com/itm/232990985557

I also have tons of old issues of Strength
and Health magazine from the 40's, 50's
and 60's - shoot me an email if you're
interested in buying some for your
collection.

I have tons of old issues of Bob Hoffman's Strength and health for sale. Shoot me an email if you're interested.

 
2.  Great Things that Dinos Do!

When it comes to training, most people focus
on "the champions" and what the "champions"
are doing.

I tend to focus on the ordinary folks - people
like you and me who love to train - who stick
to it through thick and thin - and who end up
pretty darn strong and pretty darn impressive.

So I thought I'd make a list of some really
impressive things that Dinos do.

Here it is. See if you can spot yourself on the
list (and note that you may be there more than
once):

1. Lifting and carrying great big stones.

2. Giving a heavy sandbag the ride of its life.

3. Making great gains from your training even if
you only have time for one or two workouts a
week.

4. Doing squats -- and doing them hard and heavy.

5. Any of the advanced workouts in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training.

 

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

6. Heavy dumbbell training -- with the emphasis
on heavy. (See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
for details.)

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

7. Finishers.

8. Thick bar training.

9. Heavy partials in the power rack.

10. Keeping at it after age 40.

11. Keeping at it after age 50.

12. Keeping at it after age 60 and beyond.

13. Making a date with a special strength
stone somewhere in Scotland - or in Iceland.

14. Teaching your children how to train.

15. Teaching your grandchildren how to train.

16. Learning to do new stuff -- whatever your
age.

17. Using the same barbell at age 60 that you
used at age 12.

18. Growing as much of your own food as
possible.

19. Entering your first powerlifting, weightlifting
or strongman comp.

20. Saying "no" to roidskies.

21. Dropping 40 pounds and five inches off your
gut because you know it's good for your health --
and staying just as strong at your new bodyweight
as you were when you were heavier.

22. Focusing on lifelong strength and health.

23. Learning about the lives and lifting of the
great old-time champions -- and striving to
match their lifts in your own workouts.

24. Setting a good example for others.

25. Teaching someone else how to train Dino
style.

There are many more. Send in your ideas and
I'll share them with your fellow Dinos.

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. No. 26 on the list is having a well-read copy
of Dinosaur Training on your bookshelf or in
your gym bag:

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

P.S. 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:

"The only person you should be trying to
impress is YOU."

-- 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

How the Old-Timers Trained

Check out some of the great old-school equipment in Harry Shafran's gym - shown here in a great photo from John Wood's Oldtime Strongman site. For more great photos of old-time strongmen and equipment, visit: https://www.oldtimestrongman.com

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk iron.

1. John Grimek Shirts - and More!

John Wood's Magic Shirt Shop for Iron
Slingers (my name for it, not his) has
some great looking John Grimek shirts -
including the one shown above - and
lots of other fun swag for fans of
old-school strength training and
old-time strongmen.

Go here to check them out:

https://www.retrostrength.com/shop/

John also has a bunch of other great
shirts - and other fun stuff, including
hoodies, sweatshirts, coffee mugs and
posters. Sprint on over and take a
look.

2. Email Issues

Long story short, some tech company
mergers and related cyber stuff has
affected email deliverability.

So my daily emails may not always
get through to you.

For that reason - please do this as a
back-up.

Join the Strength Secrets Facebook
Group on Facebook - as well as the
Brooks Kubik - Dinosaur Training
Facebook Group:

Strength Secrets

https://www.facebook.com/groups/strengthsecrets/

Brooks Kubik - Dinosaur Training

https://www.facebook.com/groups/85968831897/

I post all of my daily emails at the
Dinosaur Training Blog - and then
link to them in posts in the Strength
Secrets Facebook Group and the
Dinosaur Training - Brooks Kubik
Facebook Group.

So this is a great way to stay up to
date with everything that's happening
at Dino Headquarters - and to make
sure you never miss a daily email
from me.

3. Training With Old Time Barbells

As I mentioned yesterday, old time barbells
were not mass produced.

They were one of a kind pieces made by
local foundries.

They came in all different shapes and
thicknesses.

Many of them were solid pieces of iron -
meaning that they were not adjustable.

So how do you train with that kind of
barbell?

I asked that question, and many of you
responded.

There were two primary suggestions.

A. Use chains to add weight.

That's a good idea, except the old time
barbells ended with a globe on each -
with no bar extending past the globe -
so there was no place to hang a chain
at each end.

So chains wouldn't have worked on
many older bells.

Plus, you couldn't use them for most
overhead lifts because the chains
would hit you in the face.

B. Increase Reps, Not Weight.

That's the obvious strategy - and it
works great if you have several fixed
weight barbells of reasonably close
weights.

And many old-timers did train this way -
by increasing reps gradually and slowly,
and tackling a heavier barbell after they
were handling the lighter one for 10, 20
or more reps.

But it doesn't work very well if you have
two or three barbells with big weight
jumps from one to the other.

If you have a 42 pound barbell, a 91
pound barbell and a 147 pound barbell,
it's going to be very tough to advance
from one to the other no matter how
many reps you do with the lighter
barbell. The jumps are just too big.

C. So what's the answer?

I think it's this:

You figure out everything you can do
with each different barbell or dumbbell
(or ring-weight or kettlebell or anything
else) that's available to you.

You include both two hand and single
hand exercises.

You do weightlifting movements with
one or two hands.

You use over grips, under grips and
reverse grips.

You do one legged and two legged
squats.

You do back squats, front squats,
overhead squats and hack squats.

You do flat-footed squats and squats
on your toes.

You do straddle lifts.

You do one arm overhead squats.

You do deadlifts and rowing.

You do presses, push presses and jerks.

You do curls and reverse curls.

And you also do leverage movements
such as the crucifix - the rectangular
fix - the barbell front raise - lateral
raises, and many more.

You do exercises where you carry the
weights - such as the farmer's walk.

You see how long you can hold the
weight in a given position.

You do exercises that allow you to use
two or more pieces of equipment at the
same time - such as a combination barbell
lift with one hand and dumbbell lift with
the other hand.

You supplement your barbell training
with bodyweight exercises, gymnastics,
handstands, handstand push-ups, chins,
pull-ups, dips, jumping and sprinting.

You use different rep counts for different
exercises - and do more reps for the easier
exercises and fewer reps for the harder
ones.

In other words, you become very, very
creative.

You learn many different lifts and many
different exercises.

You become good at heavy single rep
lifts - and you also become good at
doubles, triples, fives, sets of 10, and
sets of 20, 40 or 50 reps for leg work.

In short, you become a very well-rounded
strongman.

And frankly, that's a pretty good way to
train - and a pretty good result!

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 about old time strongmen
and how they trained, grab these books:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development

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

P.S. 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:

"Necessity is the mother of invention - and a
guide to many fun and effective exercises and
workouts."

- Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

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

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

How to Keep Your Shoulders Healthy and Strong!

 

John Grimek military pressed 285 pounds at a bodyweight of 183 pounds - way back in 1940.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a lot of questions
about shoulder problems - dings,
dents, tightness, exercises that help,
exercises that hurt, and possible
work -rounds for exercises that
you just can't do any more.

It seems that many trainees -
especially older trainees - have
shoulder problems that hold
them back - and that's a
shame.

So I thought I'd cover some of
the key points in today's email.
Hope it helps!

1. Use light Indian clubs every
day.

Five or ten minutes of LIGHT
Indian club work every day is
great for the shoulders.


Use 1, 1.5 or 2 pound Indian
clubs.


These are especially good if
you sit in front of a computer
all day.

I got this tip from Tommy Kono,
the great two-time Olympic gold
medal winner in weightlifting -
so I think of it as "gold medal"
training advice.

I use my Indian clubs every day,
and it really helps - as in, it keeps
me doing Olympic lifting at 60
years of age.

Get your clubs from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/classic-wooden-indian-clubs

2. Focus on overhead pressing.

Focus on overhead pressing rather
than bench pressing.

Bench pressing is much harder on
the shoulders.

Old-time lifters had fewer shoulder
problems than modern trainees, in
part because they did lots of over-
head work and little or no bench
pressing or similar movements.

If military presses hurt, try push
presses.

3. Avoid the "stretch."

If you do dumbbell bench presses,
dips or other movements where
you can go really low and "stretch"
your chest and shoulders, be VERY
careful.

Don't drop and bounce.

Don't go too low.

Don't pause in the low position.

It's better and safer to use a
limited range of movement,
especially on dips.

4. Skip those McDonald Bar
bench presses.

Bench press record holder Mike
McDonald used a special bench
press bar that allowed a much
greater range of movement,
with a very deep stretch at
the bottom.

My advice is to skip these. They
give you too much of a stretch,
and that can be a problem.

5. Stop doing the press behind
neck.

This is a tough one for many of us,
because we grew up reading about
Reg Park working out with 300
mind-boggling pounds in the
press behind neck - and we all
wanted to do the same!

The problem is, the press behind
neck leads to shoulder problems
for many of us.

Military presses, push presses, and
dumbbell presses are much easier
on the shoulders.

6. No pullover machines or
pec decs!

Pull-over machines and pec decs
are certified shoulder wreckers.

That's especially true if you "go
for the stretch" when you do
them.

7. No flies or pullovers.

Flies and pullovers can lead to
shoulder problems, especially if
(you guessed it) you do them
with a deep stretch at the
bottom.

They're not very good strength
and muscle builders anyway, so
why do them?

Note: I'm talking about heavy
pull-overs. Light breathing pull-
overs after a heavy set of
squats are okay because you
use a very light weight when
you do them.

So there you have it - seven
tips for shoulder health.

I hope they help - and I hope
you keep your shoulders strong
and healthy for a very long
time.

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. Gray Hair and Black Iron
covers safe and effective training
for older Dinos. If you're age 35
or older, you need this book. It
will help you enormously:

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

P.S. 2. Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training has some terrific
shoulder builders - and
remember, many trainees
find dumbbells to be much
more forgiving than barbells:

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

P.S. 3. 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/products.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day:
"Take care of your shoulders,
and they'll take care of you."
- Brooks Kubik

 

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are a couple of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

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

Your Favorite Training Equipment (Part 2)

Paul Anderson trained with the most basic equipment imaginable, and used it to become the strongest man in the world!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The responses are coming in
fast and furious!

What would you take with you
if you were going to a desert
island and could take just
THREE pieces of equipment?

Here are some of your
answers:

Already Training This Way!

I've already narrowed my needs
down to the bare minimum of
equipment. It's sort of like
training on a desert island.

I use kettlebells, a free-standing,
heavy duty pull-up bar, and I do
abbreviated training.

Along with fresh air, yard and
a garden, which my wife and I
enjoy doing together, this
Dinosaur is staying fit, and
able to absorb what life
throws at him.

Paul O.

Dumbbells!

If I had to have just one thing
on a remote island, it would be
my dumbbells. Or rather, one
of them.

I have several adjustable
Olympic dumbbell handles,
and lots of Olympic plates
to use with them.

I would take one handle, an
upgraded set of collars, and
enough weight to load it to
125 pounds.

Committed to memory are
the programs listed in my
dumbbell bible, Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training, so I
would use three programs
utilizing one dumbbell -
one program per workout,
three workouts per week.

By the time I was "rescued"
I wouldn't want to leave!

John G.

Those are good answers!

What about you - what would
YOU take?

Shoot me an email and let
me know.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. John mentioned the "dumbbell
training bible." You can find it right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Focus
on the essentials, and disregard the
non-essential." - Brooks Kubik

If you enjoyed this Blog post, you'll love my Dinosaur Training books and courses. You can get them in PDF and hard-copy editions at my website or in Kindle editions at Amazon. 

For a complete list of my Kindle books, go here: http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

An Important Iron League Update!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I wanted to put a quick note out to The Dino
Nation that there there will be a price increase
on John Wood's "Iron League" website effective
tomorrow (March 1st, 2017).

However, if you join today, you can lock in the
current rate for as long as you are a member.

In The Iron League, you'll find all FIVE of my
Dinosaur Training DVDs (which are no longer for
sale), issues of Peary Rader's classic Iron Man
magazine, Power Rack training, feats of strength,
sandbag lifting, thick bars, sledge hammer training,
rope climbing and pretty much any kind of training
a Dino could ask for.

There is also a large selection of books and courses
on wrestling, boxing, judo and jiu-jitsu which should
also be of tremendous interest to Dinos.

My advice is to join on immediately, and you can do
so right here:

http://www.ironleague.com

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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

The Squats on Rollerskates with Power Bands Thing

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As you might imagine, a lot of training
videos pop up in my Facebook feed --
and the other day I saw one that
featured a ton of cool looking and
exotic exercises for the lower body.

It looked like someone had combined
yoga moves, pilates, ice skating,
sprinting, high jumping, hurdling,
savate, and kung fu with barbells,
dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance
bands, wobble boards, stability
balls, tires, chains and Atlas
stones.

You moved forward, backward,
sideways, up and down.

You jumped, hopped, skipped,
and ran in place.

You did one-legged stuff and
two-legged stuff.

You twisted your body like a
contortionist.

You didn't do squats on roller skates
with chains and resistance bands,
but you came darn close to it.

I guess the idea was to keep from
missing anything important. You
know, the old "hit the muscles
from all angles thing."

But there was one problem.

One very good exercise was
missing.

There were no back squats.

Not squats on roller skates.

No regular squats. The "bar on the
upper back, feet on the floor, squat
down, drive back up and be ready
for plenty of puffing, panting and
perspiring" kind of squat. The kind
that Reg Park, John Grimek, Paul
Anderson, Tommy Kono, Norb
Schemansky, John Davis and
Doug Hepburn did.

I guess that's because squats are
old-fashioned.

They're too basic.

They're last year's news -- or
perhaps the last century's news.

Of course, you see lots of other
training videos.

Some feature the strongest men and
women on the planet. World and
Olympic champions, even.

And guess what?

They do squats.

In fact, the really strong men and
women stick to the basics. They
may play around with other stuff
(or they may skip it entirely), but
they put most of their time and
energy into the basics.

There's a reason for that.

The basic exercises have been
building strength and muscle for
a very long time -- and they'll be
building strength and muscle long
after this year's crop of funky new
exercises is long forgotten.

If you're looking for new and exotic
exercises, stop.

Stick to the basics. Train them hard.

Work up to some serious weight. And
give them your all.

You won't believe the results!

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. This has been one of our most popular
training courses ever since we released it
back in 2015 :

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1

This course covers exercises, sets, reps,
workouts, and training programs for
Dinosaurs. It's great for new Dinosaurs,
and it's an excellent refresher for longtime
Dinos.

It's available in hard-copy, Kindle
e-book or a PDF with immediate
electronic delivery.

Hard-copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

PDF with electronic delivery

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol1_digital.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and the
new MONTHLY Dinosaur Files newsletter -- are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Super glue and
duct tape are wonderful things, but if it ain't
broke, don't fix it." -- Brooks Kubik

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

10 Little Known Facts About Old Time Strongmen

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's start the day with 10 little known facts
about old time strongmen. I'm thinking of the
European strongmen during the period from
1890 to 1920 or so.

1. Many of them worked as butchers.

That gave them ready access to plenty of high
quality protein -- and make no mistake about
it, the old time strongmen were voracious
meat eaters.

Also, working as an old-time butcher was
tremendously hard and heavy work.

2. Many of them grew up on farms.

This meant that they did plenty of hard, heavy
work when they were children and young men.
It also meant that they grew up with plenty of
sunlight, fresh air and healthy, fresh food.

Plus, they came from a long line of strong
and powerful, hardworking farmers.

3. Many of them worked as blacksmiths
when they were young.

Which is a great way to develop plenty of hand
and grip strength.

4. Many of them were wrestlers.

In the old days, most of the famous weightlifters
also competed in wrestling competitions. In fact,
promoters would host weightlifting contests and
wrestling contests at the same time, since the
same men would compete in both.

Of course, wrestling requires a terrific combination
of strength, power and muscular endurance -- so
the old-timers obviously had all of these attributes
in abundance.

5. They ate enormous amounts of food.

Most of these men were true heavyweights, with
tremendous appetites. They didn't count their
calories or limit their food intake. Of course, they
also trained ferociously hard -- and burned off
plenty of calories in their workouts and in
their competitions and exhibitions.

6. They specialized in grip strength.

I've covered this in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power. The old-timers had
ferocious hand and grip power. When you look
at their photos, notice their forearm development.
It's almost freakish in many cases.

See Dinosaur Training and Strength, Muscle and
Power for specifics on how the old-timers trained
their forearms and grip.

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

7. They specialized in overhead lifting.

They did most of their training while standing on
their feet -- and much of it involved lifting heavy
stuff over their heads.

The military press was one of the most popular
lifts back then -- and the old-timers trained it
hard and heavy.

If you want to follow in their footsteps, grab
my Military Press course (available in your
choice of hard copy, Kindle e-book or PDF
edition).

Dinosaur Military Press Course

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

8. They lifted heavy, awkward objects.

Heavy sandbags and barrels were favorites. These
impressed an audience of working men as much or
more than lifting barbells and dumbbells.

Again, see Dinosaur Training and Strength,
Muscle and Power for details on exactly what
they did -- and how YOU can use heavy, awkward
objects in your own training.

9. They used dumbbells -- HEAVY dumbbells!

The old-timers were masters of heavy dumbbell
lifting. Sig Klein called the two dumbbell clean
and press "the secret exercise" of the old-time
strongmen.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for specific
exercises and workouts -- and for a detailed
review of how much the old-timers could handle
in their dumbbell exercises.

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

10. They were 100% natural.

As in, nothing artificial added. Just hard work,
heavy iron, and plenty of good food. No
super supplements, and no roidskies.

And one bonus fact:

11. Some of the old-timers died relatively young,
and others lived very long lives. The ones who
lived long lives tended to keep up with their
training even after they ended their professional
careers.

In other words, one of the keys to lifelong
strength and health is to KEEP ON TRAINING!

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. Go here to grab Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
and learn the favorite exercises of the old-time
strongmen:

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

P.S. 2. I mentioned the importance of keeping
up with your training. Gray Hair and Black Iron
will teach you how to do it -- it's the best book
ever written for older trainees:

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters -- including
links to my Kindle e-books and my PDF
courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "What is old
becomes new again -- you just need to
look for it." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Functional Exercise - What Is It?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The May-June Dinosaur Files

Here's the link to order the May-June issue of
the Dinosaur Files in your choice of PDF or
Kindle edition:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_mayjune2016.html

Many readers have said it's the best issue
we've ever done - so don't miss it!

2. My Definition of Functional Training

You see a lot of people talking about "functional
exercise."

It seems to mean different things to different
people.

There are lots of videos on Facebook and
YouTube that show "functional exercises"
on stability balls and wobble boards.

Many of the "functional exercise" movements
come to us from physical therapy and
rehabilitative medicine.

If that's your thing, then fine -- but my
definition of functional exercise is a bit
different.

To me, a functional exercise is one that
does the following:

1. Strengthens the muscles.

2. Strengthens the bones.

3. Strengthens the tendons and ligaments.

4. Improves balance and coordination.

5. Strengthens the neuro-muscular system.

6. Requires deep, focused, intense concentration.

7. Trains the entire body in free flowing and
athletic movements rather than focusing on
single bodyparts or isolated muscle groups.

8. Trains the heart and lungs and strengthens
the internal organs.

9. Teaches you to move like an athlete.

10. Builds the strongest possible mind-muscle
link.

11. Can be performed in a progressive fashion.

12. Can be performed by trainees of any age,
and is something that older trainees can do
and enjoy.

There's one kind of exercise that does all of
these things.

It's ground-based strength training with your
choice of barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells or
heavy awkward objects -- supplemented with
old-school bodyweight exercises if you enjoy
doing them.

In other words, the kind of training I cover in
all of my books and courses.

It's the most functional kind of training you
can do.

This kind of training doesn't come with fancy
names or fancy labels. In fact, it's pretty old-
fashioned. People have been doing it for a very
long time.

There's a reason for that.

It works.

It works better than anything else under the sun.

If you're already doing it, then keep on doing
what you're doing.

If you're NOT doing it, then start now.

The right kind of strength training is one of the
most important things you can do for yourself.

Make it a regular and integral part of your
life.

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 best book ever written about
functional training for trainees age 35 and older:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strength training
is functional. Full stop, period, end of
story." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Dino Feedback on the Best Measure of Strength and Power!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of great feedback in
response to yesterday's email asking
for feedback on the question:

"What is the best exercise or lift (or
feat of strength) to measure an athlete's
strength and power?"

Here are some of the first answers we
received:

1. Gotta Go with the Deadlift!

"Probably have to go with the deadlift.
It incorporates more muscles than the
squat, AND it is initiated from the start
position."

Jim S.

2.  A Vote for the Squat -- and Some
Great Tips for Older Trainees!

"Undoubtedly the squat or powerlifting
squat is the best developer going. But
I can't do them without seriously over-
loading my old shoulders, so I use the
Dave Draper Top Squat apparatus. These
are good, but I miss the drive out of the
hole you get with more back action.

Next is the deadlift. The same goes here,
too -- I need to use the Trap Bar, which
is very good and saves the back.

I can't do bench press anymore, so I do
the 80 degree incline press with barbell.
Not nearly the same degree of engagement,
but what can you do? Adapt and do what
you can.

The older I get, the more I realize how
much I took for granted as a young trainee.

Thanks for all your good advice."

James Mc.

3.  The King of Lifts!

"I think the single best measure of strength
and power would be the clean and jerk,
whether it be barbell, dumbbells or kettle-
bells. Taking heavy weights from the floor
to overhead uses all of the muscles in the
body. You need strength, speed, balance,
timing and coordination to lift big weights
overhead. That's my thought.

Always look forward to reading your
e-mails."

Bob B.

4. Floor to Overhead, However You Do It!

"Taking weight with one arm from floor to
above the head, and taking weight from
the floor to above the head with two hands.

However it's done, it's a great demonstration
of strength.

Floor to above head, arms straight at the
finish."

Matthew H.

Those are great responses, and although
there's no "right" answer here, it's hard
to argue with any of these Dinos.

So what do YOU think?

What's the single best measure of strength
and power?

Shoot me an email and let me know what
you think!

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. One and two dumbbell overhead lifts are
terrific strength and muscle builders -- and
tremendous tests of strength and power.
Here's how to do it:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training (hard-copy)

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

P.S. 2. To build rugged, stand on your feet
strength and power, nothing beats the
mighty military press -- and this course
will help you build some serious pressing
power:

The Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course

Hard copy edition:

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

Kindle e-book edition:

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "It ain't over until
the iron tells you it's over." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Best Measure of Strength and Power

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

What's the best measure of strength
and power?

Not the best exercise to BUILD strength
and power -- but rather, the single best
measure of an athlete's strength and
power. (Although the best measure of
strength and power might also be the
best strength and power BUILDER.)

Is it the squat?

If so, is it the high bar full squat (donkey
to heels) or the low bar parallel squat?

Or is it the deadlift?

Is it the bench press? (If not, why does
the NFL use the bench press for strength
testing?)

Is it the three lift total in the powerlifts?

If it's a powerlifting total, is it raw lifting
or lifts using support gear?

Or is it the two-lift total in the Olympic
lifts?

What about the clean and jerk?

Or the old-fashioned clean and military
press?

What about the bent press?

Or -- wait for it -- the old-fashioned two
hands anyhow?

Or the old-fashioned hip lift or back
lift -- where you could lift more total
weight than any other lifts?

Is it lifting massive nature stones --
or enormous sandbags -- or heavy
barrels?

There are plenty of people who can
(and do) argue in favor of each of the
lifts I just mentioned.

And, of course, the arguments have been
going on for a very long time. Arthur Saxon
claimed the title of World's Strongest Man
based on his bent press of 370 pounds
(some say 385 pounds). But Herman
Goerner scoffed at his claim, and said
the bent press was a "trick lift."  Goerner
believed the deadlift was the true test of
a man's strength and power.

The arguments go back and forth, and
they change over time as lifts come into
(or go out of) fashion.

Let me know what YOU think. We'll share
the results with your fellow Dinosaurs.

In the meantime, while we're talking about
how to measure your strength and power,
here's a great course that goes into detail
on how to do precisely that -- and how to
compare yourself to the great champions
of the past, and to other lifters of different
ages and different bodyweights:

Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2

It's available in your choice of hard copy,
Kindle edition, or PDF with immediate
electronic delivery:

Hard copy edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets_vol2_digital.html

I should also note that these are drug-free
strength and power standards -- and also,
that if you push to high rankings on all of
the different exercises and lifts that I cover,
you're pretty much guaranteed to build an
impressive and well-balanced physique.

That wraps it up for now -- but be sure to
let me know what you think about the best
measure of strength and power. It's a very
interesting question -- and one where there
are many answers, but no RIGHT answer.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "He who lifts,
lasts." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Did He Have the Strongest Grip in History?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

October 8 is a day when great things happen.

On October 8, 1480, the Grand Duke Ivan III
of Russia rallied his troops to make an historic
stand against the Great Horde of Akhmat Khan,
saving Russia from one of the most fearsome
armies in history.

October 8, 1871 was the day the Great Chicago
Fire burned the city to the ground.

On October 8, 1918, Corporal Alvin C. York
killed 28 German soldiers and captured 132
others in the dark and bloody Argonne
Forest.

On October 8, 1939, Germany annexed Western
Poland.

On this date in 1956, the New York Yankee's
Don Larson pitched the only perfect game in
World Series history.

And an equally remarkable feat of muscle and
might occurred on October 8, 1920.

It happened in Leipzig, Germany.

A ferociously powerful strongman named Herman
Goerner -- weighing a mere 220 pounds -- set a
World record in the one-hand deadlift.

His record still stands today.

Goerner deadlifted 727.5 pounds.

With one hand.

And in case you're wondering, the lift was performed
on a regulation barbell -- without hooks or straps --
in the classic, bar in front of the lifter style.

It was an amazing lift -- and one of the greatest
feats of strength in recorded history.

Did Herman Goerner have the strongest grip of
all time?

I don't know -- but he definitely has a rightful
claim to the title!

And it didn't happen by accident!

Goerner followed a unique training program to
build super strength into his hands and fingers.
I cover it in detail -- exercise by exercise -- in
Strength, Muscle and Power -- along with a
complete chapter on the one-arm deadlift.

If you already have the book, go back and re-
read those chapters. If you don't have it, go
here to grab 356 pages of strength training
dynamite:

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

You may not end up deadlifting 727 1/2
pounds -- but you'll definitely build a bone-
crusher of a grip!

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 other books and courses are right here
at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There is no
greater battle than the battle of man against
iron." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Build a Gorilla Grip with these Great Exercises!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday we talked about Bradley J. Steiner's
list of "the Essential exercises."

It was a pretty good list, but there are plenty
of other good exercises. So I'll go over some
other possible movements today and later in
the week.

In other words, we'll make this "The Week of
Good Exercises."

Today, let's cover forearm and grip exercises.

I often end a training program by saying:
"gut, grip and neck work." Readers often
ask what  they should do to train their
grip. Here's the answer.

Forearms and grip

1.Thick bar deadlifts with a double overhand
grip and timed holds with the thick bar (also
using a double overhand grip)

a. Okay, that's two exercises -- but they're
good ones. And you can always combine
them by finishing any set of thick bar
deadlifts with a timed hold.

b. Do these at the end of your workout, as
a grip exercise. If you do deadlifts to build
all-around body strength, then train them
earlier, with a regular bar.

c. See Strength, Muscle and Power and
Dinosaur Training for more about thick bar
training. They're the books that put it on
the map!

2. Thick bar pull-ups

a. Yes, you can do timed holds on a thick
handled pull-up bar.

b. See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for
some killer pull-up variations and grip
blasters.

3. The one-arm deadlift

a. Use a regular bar or a thick bar.

b. Use a dumbbell if you prefer.

c. See Strength, Muscle and Power for a
complete chapter on this terrific exercise
and how to use it.

4. The Farmer's Walk

a. These are one of the best all-around
exercises. They build strength, muscle
mass, conditioning, and a MONSTER
grip.

b. As in a "Frankenstein Meets the
Wolfman Meets King Kong Meets
Godzilla Grip."

5. Hand-grippers (Captains of Crush, etc.)

a. These are one of the best grip movements
you can do.

b. Get your grippers from John Wood at
Functional Hand Strength:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/captains_of_crush_grippers.html

6. Rope climbing

 a. This is one of the best upper body
exercises there is -- and it's a terrific
grip developer.

b. If you don't have room for a climbing
rope, use two short ropes for pull-ups, as
detailed in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

c. Grab your ropes here:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/climbing_ropes.html

7. Hammer curls (esp w/ thick handled dumbbells)

a. These work even better with thick handled
dumbbells.

8. The vertical bar lift

a. This is a very good, and greatly under-
rated movement.

9. Lever bar lifting

a. A classic old-time exercise.

b. Fun to do with sledge hammers.

10. Pinch grip lifting

a. Use plates, blobs, blocks with an attached
chain for extra weight -- they're all good.

11. Finger-tip pushups (with or without extra
weight)

a.  A favorite of many old-time boxers
and wrestlers.

12. Two finger deadlifts

a.  Use a regular bar for this.

b. You can use a reverse grip or a doublle
overhand grip.

c. Go light at first to build up the tendons
and ligaments.

So there you have it -- 12 great grip exercises.

Of course,  you're not going to use them all at
the same time or in the same training program.
The best thing to do is to pick two or three
different exercises, and train ONE of them at
the end of each workout. Rotate the exercises
from workout to workout.

For example, let's say you train 3x per week on
M/W/F.

For your grip work, do this:

M - Thick bar deadlifts

W - Pinch grip lifting

F - The vertical bar lift

After 6 to 8 weeks, pick three new movements and
train them for awhile. Over time, you'll get plenty of
variety, without ever overdoing things.

And who knows -- after a few years of serious, Dino-
style grip training, you may be able to make it into
the Gorilla Grip Hall of Fame!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S.  You can find Dinosaur Training, Strength, Muscle
and Power, Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training right here at Dino Headquarters.
They all have more great tips for building a Gorilla
Grip:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "A strong grip is the
mark of a strong man." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Old School Training with Reg Park

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my all-time favorite weight
training articles is John McCallum's
account of watching Reg Park train.

This was in Vancouver, British
Columbia, and it happened while
Park was on a big tour of North
America. He gave lifting and posing
exhibitions at various shows, and
trained at all of the famous gyms
across the USA and Canada.

He also met all the top bodybuilders
and lifters, and all the famous people
in the Iron Game -- and was invited
to a gazillion or so dinners featuring
all the steak or roast beef the Iron
Gamers wanted. I think it caused a
trans-continental beef shortage.

Now, if memory serves correctly, this
was back in 1957 or 58 -- a long time
ago, and a time when bodybuilders and
weightlifters had much more in common
than they do today.

There were bodybuilders who placed
high in weightlifting contests -- and there
were weightlifters who placed high in
bodybuilding shows.

And then there was Reg Park. At almost
250 pounds of solid muscle, Park was the
top bodybuilder in the world.

He also was one of the strongest men in
the world. He proved it many times, perhaps
most famously by becoming the second man
in history to bench press 500 pounds --
shortly after the Canadian Hercules, Doug
Hepburn, had broken the 500 pound barrier.

McCallum's account of Park's training was
great.

Get this -- the workout lasted just one
hour and five minutes!

But it was one hour and five minutes of
hard, heavy training -- focusing on the
BIG exercises.

It would have been great to have seen
it -- or to have trained with Reg Park.

But here's the next best thing.

Reg Park wrote a number of great training
courses back in the day. The originals are
very rare and almost impossible to find --
but my good friend, Bill Hinbern, has
reprinted SEVEN of them in high quality
modern editions -- including many new
photos, some you probably have never
seen.

They're the next best thing to training
shoulder to shoulder with Reg Park back
in that gym in Vancouver -- and you can
find them right here:

http://superstrengthtraining.com/reg-park

Note that Bill is offering a special deal if
you order all seven courses together.

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. After you grab those Reg Park courses
from Bill, jump over to The Dinosaur Training
site and grab Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1,
2 and 3. We offer them in hard-copy editions,
Kindle e-book editions, and e-books with
immediate electronic delivery:

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

We've added special sections to our products
page to make it easy to find the links to our
Kindle e-books and the links to the electronic
downloads. Of course, if you have any questions,
shoot me an email.

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard and
make it count!" -- Brooks Kubik

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

7 Exercises that Build Serious Strength and Muscle Mass!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's some BIG BREAKING NEWS -- and then
we'll talk training:

1. It's Here -- The Iron League!

John Wood's Iron League is now open -- and
you can head on over, grab a membership,
and dive headfirst into the amazing strength
archive right now:

http://www.ironleague.com

As I mentioned the other day, I've been a
beta-tester for the Iron League -- and I have
to tell you, I am AMAZED at how much great
material John has put into the strength
archive. And there's more of it -- lots more --
on the way!

Head on over -- and tell John I sent you!
And please -- share this post and spread the
word. We want all strength fans all around the
world to know about The Iron League.

And now . . . let's talk training.

7 Exercises that Build Serious Strength and
Muscle Mass

Here are some tips to help you build plenty
of rugged strength and Herculean muscle
mass.

These are seven of the most effective strength
and muscle building exercises that you can do.
And yes, they are all Dino-approved and Dino-
certified. They include some of my favorite
exercises.

1. Bottom Position Bench Presses

Do these in a power rack. Set the pins so you
can just barely squeeze under the bar. Start
each rep from the bottom and drive the bar
up to the lockout positiion. Lower slowly and
under control, pause, get set, and repeat.

If you prefer, do singles. That lets you get
set in the right position for each rep.

When I trained for powerlifting and bench
press competition, these were all I ever did.
I never used the regular bench press. The
only time I ever did it was in a contest.

It worked pretty well. I won five national
championships in the bench press and set
a ton of records -- lifting in the submaster's
division, 198 and then 220 pound weight
class, in drug-free competition.

2. The Negative Accentuated Push Press

This is a push press with a slow negative
on each rep. Drive the bar overhead with
a combination of leg, shoulder and arm
power -- lock it out -- and lower as slowly
as possible.

Pause, get set, and repeat.

Three reps will fry your shoulder girdle.
This was a favorite exercise of Dr. Ken Leistner,
and many old-time lifters used it to help train
the military press.

3. Doug Hepburn's Power Curls

Doug Hepburn used heavy-duty wooden
boxes to position a barbell so he could begin
his curls from a deadstop with the bar resting
on the boxes.

This forces you to curl in good form, and it
allows you to do each rep with a tight back
and flared lats -- so you can dig your elbows
into your lats as you curl.

Hepburn worked up to 260 pounds in the
strict curl, so that shows you that the
exercise works.

I worked up to 185 for 5 reps in the strict
curl. That's not Hepburn territory, but it's
not bad.

Curls don't get much respect these days, but
this is a great exercise for wrestlers, judoka,
martial artists, football players, and anyone
else who needs to pancake an opponent.

4. Pause-style Front Squats

Perform regular front squats (using strict form,
an upright stance, and going all the way down).
Pause for two seconds at the bottom, and then
drive back up to the finish position.

Wear Olympic lifting shoes with a heel when
you do these. They help you maintain the
proper upright position at the bottom.

5. The Two Dumbbell Clean and Press

Sig Klein called this movement "the secret
exercise" of the old-time European lifting
champions -- and taught it to all of his
gym members.

He also taught it to John Grimek -- and
that turned out pretty well.

Clean the dumbbells, press them, lower
them to your shoulders, and then lower them
to the hang. Clean them from the hang, press
them, and repeat for the desired number of
reps.

This is a great conditioner, as well as a
terrific strength builder.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for other
great old-school dumbbell body blasters.

6. Arched Back Pull-Ups

I teach these in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

I'm in good company, too, because Vince
Gironda taught them in his famous North
Hollywood Gym.

Do a regular pull-up, but arch your back and try
to pull your shoulders as far back as possible at
the finish of each rep.

And try to touch your lower pec to the bar
on each rep.

Pause and hold the contracted position briefly,
then lower and repeat.

These are tough, so you may need to start
by doing singles. Or you may need to jump
up to get into the contracted posiiton, hold
it, and lower slowly -- until you build the
strength to perform regular reps.

For my money, these are way better than
doing weighted pull-ups with a rounded
back or partial range of movement.

7. Handstand Push-Ups

Another exercise I teach in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- and a favorite of many old-school
champions. America's first gold medal winner in
weightlifting, Tony Terlazzo, did lots of these.

So did John Grimek, Sig Klein, Doug Hepburn
and Paul Anderson.

If you can do them free-standing, that's great.

If not, keep your feet against a wall for balance.

So there you have it. Seven great exercises for
serious strength and muscle mass.

And remember -- The Iron League is now open
for business. Head on over and join up:

http://www.ironleague.com

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 great exercises and unique ways
to perform them for maximum results, grab
these great books:

a. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

b. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

c. Strength, Muscle and Power (especially
the chapters on rack work and rest-pause
training)

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

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

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

P.S. 3. "It's the little things that make a huge
difference in strength training and muscle
building." -- Brooks Kubik

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