Sets, Reps and Progression for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's a sets and reps question for
you.

How do you move from 5 x 2 to 5 x 3?

In other words, if you do a series of
progressively heavier warm-up sets,
followed by 5 sets of 2 reps with your
working weight, how do you progress to
5 working sets of 3 reps?

The best way to do it is the Doug
Hepburn way -- by adding one rep
per workout. That's best because
it's slow cooking -- and your body
can adapt to the new stress.

For example, you might do 1 x 3,
followed by 4 x 2.

In the next workout, you might do
2 x 3, followed by 3 x 2.

And so on, until you hit 5 x 3.

But you can change things up a bit
by adding that extra rep to your
final set. That makes it tougher,
because you're already tired from
the previous sets. So making that
extra rep becomes more of a
challenge. It makes you focus,
concentrate and dig deep into
your reserves.

Doing it that way, you would try
4 x 2, followed by 1 x 3.

In your next session, you would do
3 x 2, followed by 2 x 4.

And so on.

And then, there's another way --
one that I've never seen anyone do.
But it works well.

Add the extra rep to the middle
set!

In other words, do 2 x 2, followed
by 1 x 3, followed by 2 x 2.

In the next workout, do 2 x 2,
2 x 3 and 1 x 2.

After that, do 1 x 2, 3 x 3, and
1 x 2.

That's nice, because you tire
your muscles with the three rep set
and then the challenge is to do the
remaining 2 rep set(s) in perfect
form, with speed and aggression.

It gives you an idea of how much
variety you can work into a very
basic system of progression --
without doing crazy stuff and
without making radical changes.

And of course, you can do similar
things with different sets and reps.
The point is, think about where to
add weight -- or where to add a
rep -- or a set -- or to perform
a compound exercise -- or to adjust
the height of the pins in the power
rack.

Look for challenge points. They're
what transforms an ordinary workout
into an awesome one!

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 ways to challenge your
muscles, grab these:

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

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

P.S. 2. To learn more about Doug Hepburn
and his training methods, grab this:

http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.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: "Slow but
steady progress adds up to lifelong training
success." -- Brooks Kubik

Special Advice for an Older Dino!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got an email from an older Dino who, like
many older lifters, has sore shoulders that
make it tough to hold a barbell in position for
back squats.

Instead of squats, he's been doing Trap Bar
deadlifts, which is something that works very
well for many older lifters.

But he missed squatting, so he ordered the Top
Squat from Dave Draper. The Top Squat is a
nifty little beast that holds the bar on your
shoulders and has handles that project to the
front, so you can hold the bar with your hands
to the front and your shoulders and elbows in
a comfortable position. I have one, and I
really like it. Google for Dave's video where
he demonstrates how to use the Top Squat.

Anyhow, our reader -- 65 years old and a life-
long lifter -- is ready to start squatting
again.

He asked me what sort of sets and reps to do.

He said he liked doing sets of five reps, but
sometimes his hip feels a bit "iffy" on
heavy sets, so he wondered if he should do
eight reps sets instead of five rep sets.

And that brings me to the point of today's
discussion -- sensible sets and reps for
older trainees.

A lot of people believe that older trainees
should do high reps because "low reps are
dangerous."

I disagree.

What's dangerous is sloppy form. And your form
gets sloppy when you do too many reps. I prefer
doing low reps in perfect form.

But low reps does not mean you have to train
with super heavy weights. Especially if you're
doing an exercise you haven't done for awhile.
And double especially if you have a sore
hip -- or sore back, sore knees or sore
anything.

I suggested that our 65-year old lifter do this:

1. Use his former squatting weight and his current
Trap Bar deadlift to estimate a weight he could
handle for ten reps in the squat. Not a ten rep
maximum or a ten rep death set, but a weight that
made him work to get ten reps.

2. Use 50 percent of the ten rep weight as his top
weight at the beginning of the program.

2A. Not his warm-up weight -- but rather, the weight
he should use in his "work" sets. For example, if the
estimated ten rep weight is 200 pounds, he should use
100 pounds for his working sets. He might do 60 x 5,
80 x 5 and then three x 5 with 100 pounds.

2B. I KNOW that's not very heavy, and I KNOW he could
do more if he pushed himself -- but remember, this is
a 65-year old lifter who's starting to squat again
after a long period of no squats -- and he needs to
be careful not to aggravate that hip. So he needs to
start LIGHT!

2C. He should continue to do Trap Bar deadlifts. That
will serve as his heavy exercise until he builds his
squat back up.

3. Anyhow, he should do two or three sets of FIVE
reps with this weight. And he should use perfect form
on each and every rep.

4. Gradually, slowly, and sensibly increase the
weight. It may take a year or more to get up to
a reasonably heavy poundage -- but your goal is
to get there, and to do it without hurting your
hip, so give the process plenty of time. Older
lifters are always too eager to pile on the
weight, and they often end up hurting themselves
by doing too much too soon. (I know, I've done it
many times -- all of us over a certain age have
done it.)

5. Continue to do five rep sets -- but don't try
to go up to a gut-busting set with every last ounce
of weight that you could handle for five reps. At
age 65, you don't need to do that -- and you really
shouldn't. Instead, your top weight for five reps
should be a weight you can handle for eight reps.

6. This is the "leave something in the tank" theory
of lifting -- and it works great for older lifters.

Now, please note -- I'm talking about older lifters
today. This is 55-year old Brooks talking to a 65-
year old Dino who hasn't been squatting for awhile.
The younger Dinos can train harder and heavier.
That's one of the privileges of youth -- so use it
wisely.

So that's what I want our 65-year old Dino to do.
And I also want him to send some progress reports.
I bet he surprises us a year from now!

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 information about sensible training for
older lifters, grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. I filmed a heavy workout on my 54th b'day. So
if you want to see what works for an older Dino, grab
a copy of Going Strong at 54:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "The most important thing
is to keep on training." -- Brooks Kubik

Strength Training and the Success Habit

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Couple of quick things, and then we'll
talk training.

1. The John Grimek Course

Will be mailed this week, not sure when.
Depends on how fast the printer can run
the copies. And yes, there's still time
to reserve your copy and grab the pre-
publication bonuses:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. My Dinosaur Training Seminar

My four-week audio seminar -- a/k/a distance
learning -- on Dinosaur Training starts this
coming Saturday. For details, and to reserve
your spot in the seminar, go here:

http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training

If you already signed up, please shoot me an
email and give me your name, age and training
experience, how you hears about the course,
what you'd like to get from the course, etc.

Right now we have s fairly small group, so it
will be a Masters Class for those who participate,
with more individual attention than if we had
a huge number of students.

And now -- as they say -- let's talk training.

Last week, we talked about boot camp. And I noted
that the boot camp model -- which relies on the
instructor yelling and shouting to "Run Faster!"
has a fatal flaw.

Namely, it doesn't teach you to be a self-motivator.
It teaches you to rely on external motivation.

That's fine for beginners, but a good coach -- a
good teacher -- a good instructor -- knows that
you need to learn how to self-motivate. And that
becomes part of the process.

Strength training is an interesting and unique
activity. You work incredibly hard -- and sometimes
you really have to push yourself -- and if you can't,
or won't, then you won't be very successful.

If you think about it, there are very few activities
where EFFORT is so directly related to success. You
can't sweet talk a barbell. You either lift it, or
you don't.

As a result, strength training has a unique ability
to increase your mental strength just as much as it
increases your physical strength. Do it right, and
you'll develop your power of concentration to a
degree far above that of the average person. Do it
right, and you'll increase your self-confidence,
your initiative, and your determination. Do
it right, and you'll increase your self-control.

Do your training the right way, by setting goals
and working inexorably toward their accomplishment.
When you do, you'll develop what I call The Success
Habit -- which is nothing more nor less than a
supreme belief in your ability to achieve your
goals.That's something that most people don't
have -- and it's one of the most important benefits
of your training.

So when you train, and it gets tough -- remember this:

Tough is good.

Tough is what you want.

Tough is what makes you strong.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link for the John Grimek course:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

P.S. 2. Here's the link for the Dinosaur Training
distance learning seminar:

http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training

P.S. 3. And here's the link to my other books, courses,
DVD's and Dinosaur Training goodies:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set a goal, achieve the
goal, and set another one. That's how it works." --
Brooks Kubik

File This Under "Does It Work?"

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

File this one under the "Does it work?"
category -- and cross-reference it under
the "Here's a good workout to try!"
category.

You might also cross-reference it under
"Good programs for older lifters" -- and
if that sort of thing interests you, be
sure to grab a copy of Gray Hair and
Black Iron! It covers effective training
for older lifters in detail.

Back to the "Does it work?" category --
strap in tight -- and here we go!

On January 2, I sent out an email titled
"The Success habit." It covered sensible
progression systems. You can find it right
here at the Dinosaur Training Blog:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2012/01/success-habit.html

Two days ago I received an email from
Rene Ordogne, a hard-charging 60-year old
Dino who's been hitting the iron since he
was 15 years old. As you can see, he read
the January 2 email and started to follow
the progression system I outlined in it --
and he's been doing GREAT on it!

Here's his progress report:

"Brooks, I know you get a lot of emails,
but I felt compelled to share with you the
success I have had with the set and rep
progression you outlined in your Jan. 2
email message to the Dinos.

I have been following this approach, using
two work sets on the following routine,
which was suggested by John Christy in an
issue of Hardgainer magazine. This routine
has given me the specific structure for
volume and progression that I have been
looking for:

Monday
1. Crunches
2. Squats
3. Bench press
4. Lat pulldowns
5. Grip work

Thursday
1. Side bends
2. Deadlifts
3. Barbell press
4. Curls
5. Calf raises

Aerobic work on off days two or three times
per week.

By the way, I am 60 years old, have been
working out since I was 15. I look athletic,
but not heavily developed, but most people
believe I look at least 10 years younger
than I am. I have never really been sick
or injured in my life. Not a bad return
for the effort.

I look forward to staying on this routine
for the rest of the year. I'll let you know
how it goes. Keep up the excellent work.

Rene Ordogne"

Rene -- Thanks for your kind words and your
progress report. Your program looks great,
and with the progression system I outlined,
I'm sure you'll continue to make great gains
throughout the year. Keep us posted!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. In other Dino news, I'm buzzing along on
the new John Grimek course. Be sure to look for
the special email with the link to the sales
page for it -- once I send it, you'll have 24
hours to reserve your copy of the course AND
get the TRIPLE BONUS when we fill the orders.

P.S. 2. In the meantime, all of my books and
courses -- and Dinosaur training DVD's -- are
sitting quietly in boxes and on bookshelves
here at Dino HQ -- patiently waiting for
a new home with a hard-charging Dino who
wants the very best in old-school strength
training and muscle building:

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

P.S. 3. I mentioned Gray Hair and Black Iron
in today's post. You can grab the little
monster right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Muscles are not
made by wishing." -- Bob Hoffman

Heavy Iron

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've always been fascinated by big weights.
Big plates. The LOOK of heavy iron.

When I started training, I had one of those
110 pound barbells with concrete plates covered
with gold plastic. That was great, but I always
liked the look of iron plates better.

My dad had a 110 pound barbell with iron plates,
and I started to mix the plastic plates and the
iron plates.

My goal back then was to work up to the BIGGEST
plates in the house -- a pair of black iron 25
pound plates my dad had bought a few years
earlier.

I thought they were the biggest darn things in
the world -- and I was wild to lift them.

I remember how hard I worked to get to the point
where I could bench press 65 pounds -- meaning I
could use 15 pounds of bar and collars, loaded
with one of those great big, menacing, enormous
black iron plates.

When I started training at the high school weight
room, I saw my first York Olympic barbell -- and
my first 45 pound plates -- and immediately, I
wanted to be able to lift 135 pounds (the 45
pound bar plus a 45 pound plate on each side).

From there, I set goals of lifting 225 pounds
(which was the bar and TWO 45's on each side) --
and then 315 pounds (the bar and THREE 45's on each
side) -- 405 pounds (the bar and FOUR 45's on each
side) -- and more.

That probably explains why I write about different
ways to get stronger -- and different ways to add
weight to the bar.

In STRENGTH, MUSCLE and POWER, I cover some of the
very best ways to build strength:

Power Rack Training

Rest Pause Training

Special programs to strengthen
the tendons and ligaments

Leg and back specialization

Powerlifting

Power bodybuilding

Olympic lifting

Training with heavy, awkward objects

Special grip training exercises

And more . . .

It has 29 chapters and 354 pages of hard-hitting,
no nonsense, real world strength training -- and
if you're looking for something that will help you
add MORE WEIGHT to the bar, STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND
POWER is a pretty good place to start:

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

And remember, if you'd like an autographed copy, all
you need to do is ask. There's no charge for
autographs.

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, courses and DVD's are right here --
along with the world famous Dinosaur Files newsletter:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "When you look at the iron,
the iron looks back at you." -- Brooks Kubik

The Name of the Game

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just got a phone call from the trucking
company. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training has
arrived in Louisville -- and is scheduled
for delivery sometime tomorrow.

So I'm sitting here on pins and needles,
waiting for the shipment to arrive.

We have the shipping envelopes all ready to
go, and the labels are printed, and the bonus
for folks who order during the pre-publication
special is already printed and stuffed inside
the envelopes. It's a 5 page special report
on how to combine weight training and body-
weight training, and it includes several sample
training programs with various options on how to
do it. One of them covers the really ambitious
guys who want to combine weight training, body-
weight training and martial arts -- or who
want to combine weight training, bodyweight
training, and some hard-core cardio training.

So we're already to go -- we're just waiting
for the books to get here.

While we're waiting, let me cover something
important.

On any given day of the year, hundreds of
thousands of people go to the gym and train --
and they really don't show very much in the
way of results, and they really don't get
very much benefit out of it.

Of course, they also don't train very hard --
and they don't do the BIG exercises that Dinos
do -- and they don't train progressively.

In contrast to the average gym member, Dinos
get great workouts -- they train hard -- and
above all, they train progressively.

Progression is really important -- and most
people ignore it. Which is why most people
don't get very much benefit from their
training.

Progression means that you are competing against
yourself. Every time you train, your goal is to
perform better than the last time you took the
same workout or performed the same exercises.

Performing "better" means:

1. You add weight to the bar.

2. You perform more reps with the same weight.

3. You perform and additional set with your
working weight.

4. You use better form.

5. You train with greater focus and more intense
concentration.

6. You switch to a more challenging, more demanding
exercise.

7. Any combination of the above.

You do NOT always have to add weight, reps or sets
to progress. I like to alternate between heavy workouts
and lighter workouts. I compare my heavier workouts to
the most recent heavier workout -- and I compare the
lighter workouts to the most recent lighter workout.

If I can, I use more weight in my heavier workout. If
not, I try to do an additional set with my working
weight. And gradually, over time, I move up in weight.

For my lighter workouts, I sometimes try to add weight
or add sets -- but sometimes I perform the very same
workout and try to do every rep in better form than
ever before -- and I work very hard on improving my
concentration and focus.

I don't always add weight, and I don't always add reps,
but I always try to improve on my previous performance.
That's what makes my training progressive -- and it's
what will make YOUR training progressive.

Progression. In strength training, it's the name of
the game.

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. Once the shipment of books gets here, the pre-
publication special for Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
will end -- so if you want the book AND the special
bonus, act now:

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

P.S. Save on s&h by ordering two or more books and
courses at the same time -- or grabbing one or more
Dinosaur training DVD's with a book or course -- or
by adding back issues or a current subscription to
the Dinosaur Files newsletter. We have tons of great
products -- hit your refresh button when you get to
the website and take a look at everything:

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

P.S. 3. Quote of the Day: "When you are FIT, you are
EFFICIENT -- that's the purpose of our training and
teaching -- to give you increased energy, determination,
courage, alertness, and co-ordination between mind and
muscle." --Ed Theriault

A Simple System that Builds Strength and Muscle Mass

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's talk some more about sets and reps --
and about sensible poundage progression.

We all know (or at least, I HOPE we all know)
that to get bigger and stronger you need to
do three things:

1. Train hard enough to break down muscle fibers,
so they grow back a little bit bigger and
stronger.

2. Train progressively so you continue to tear
down muscle fibers in your workouts.

3. Use training programs that help you avoid
over-training, and that give you enough time for
recovery and recuperation between workouts.

Here's an example of a set/rep/progression system
that helps you achieve all three goals.

I'll use a single exercise -- the Trap Bar
deadlift -- to illustrate the system. Of course,
you would not limit your program to Trap Bar
deadlifts. You would do other exercises, as well.
But let's focus on the one exercise so we can
discuss sets, reps and progression.

Train your Trap Bar deadlift once per week.

In week 1, do 5 sets of 5 reps, starting with
a light weight and adding weight on each set.

Work up to a top weight that makes you work
hard but is not an all-out, maximum effort.
Thus, you will do 4 progressively heavier
warm-up sets and ONE "working" set.

In week 2, do 6 sets of 5 reps. Use the same
weights you used in week one for sets 1 - 5,
and then do a second set with your top weight.
In other words, do four x 5 progressively
heavier warm-up sets, and 2 x 5 working sets.

In week 3, do 7 x 5. In other words -- 4 x 5
progressively heavier warm-up sets and 3 x 5
working sets.

In week 4, add 5 or 10 pounds to the bar for
each set (including your warm-up sets), and
drop back to the week 1 schedule where you do
5 x 5 with only a single working set.

In week 5, do 6 x 5 -- with 2 working sets.

In week 6, do 7 x 5 -- with three working sets.

In week 7, add another 5 or 10 pounds, and drop
back to 5 x 5 with one working set.

And continue from there.

If you start with a sensible weight in week
no. 1 -- meaning a weight that makes you work, but
not a limit weight for 5 reps -- you'll be able to
continue the progression for several months. And
at the end of that time, you'll be much bigger and
much stronger than you are now.

Yeah, I know it sounds too simple to work.

But it does.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

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 specific training programs, suggested exercises,
and for other effective ways to build strength and muscle
Dino-style abbreviated workouts, try these resources:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development -- the book they call "the bible of strength
training":

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

2. Strength, Muscle and Power -- 29 chapters and over
350 pages of strength training dynamite:

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

3. The Doug Hepburn Training Course --- learn how one
of the strongest and most massively muscular men of all
time built his incredible power:

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

4. Gray Hair and Black Iron -- must reading for any
serious lifter over the age of 35:

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

5. Chalk and Sweat -- 30 training programs running the
range from beginners to intermediates to advanced men --
plus 20 programs for maximum muscle mass:

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

P.S. 2 Be sure to visit the Dinosaur Training website to sign up for my daily email updates and training tips!