Friday Q and A for Dinos

It's Friday, it's sunny, and I'm looking forward to a great workout in the outdoor training area here at Dino Headquarters!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions from
Dinos around the world, and thought I'd
share some of them with you -- along
with my answers.

1. You're a former bench press champion
and record holder. Why don't you write a
course about bench pressing?

A. I just wrote a long course on the bench
press. But I don't sell it. It's only available
at The Iron League, which is a wonderful
member's only strength training archive
developed by my good friend, John Wood.

I've also allowed John to upload five of my
original Dinosaur Training DVD's, as well 
as all seven of my Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training DVD's. They're not all available
yet, but several are. And in the meantime,
there's a ton of other great stuff at The
Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

2. When you outline a program where the
trainee does 5 x 5 with one heavy set, what
weight do you use on the warm-up sets? If
the top set is 100%, what are the percentages
for the warm-up sets?

A. Try 60/70/80/90/100 percent. If you are
doing an exercise like squats or deadlifts where
you need to start lighter and do more warm-up
sets, then try 30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100
percent. I know that's 8 x 5, but the extra
warm-up sets are just that - warm-up sets -
and they won't tire you out or cut into your
recovery.

3. I dropped off your email list. What happened?

A. I don't know. People sometimes drop off the
list and we don't know why. It's either something
to do with our email service or its something at
your end. One reader changed mobile devices
recently, and doesn't get the emails any more.

I send emails every day other than Sunday, so
if you miss an email, there's a glitch somewhere.

Go to my website and sign back up -- and check
your junk mail settings, because they change
sometimes and you may need to put us on
your white list.

As a back-up, I post every email I send at the
Dinosaur Training Blog. If you miss an email, go
to the Blog to catch up. You can access the Blog
from my website. Email me if you can't find the
link.

I'm also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at
"Brooks Kubik." I share links to my blog posts
on Facebook and Twitter, so those are great
ways to stay in contact. Look for #brookskubik
or #dinosaurtraining.

Also . . .  join the new Strength Secrets Face-
book group - I post links to my Blog posts and
daily emails there:

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

4. I'm a young woman. How should I get started
in strength training?

A. Women can and should train exactly the same
as men. See Chalk and Sweat, and Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vols. 1 and 3 for training
programs for beginners.

5. Which is better for upper body muscle mass --
the bench press or the push press?

A. The bench press will build more mass, but
the push press will build more power and is a
better movement for athletes in most sports.

That said, don't do one or the other. Do BOTH!
6. I recall that Trudi challenged you to try a
vegetarian diet for 30 days - back in August
of last year. How did that go?

It worked very well. We learned to cook and
prepare tons of delicious new (to us) dishes.

So we stayed on the new diet.

We both lost weight - and we both feel great.

In fact, my goal for 2018 is to be stronger
at age 61 than I was in my early 50's - while
weighing less - and doing it on a whole food,
plant-based diet - just to prove that I can do
it.

For me, eye health is a priority because I
have glaucoma - and after as few months
on the diet, I had an eye exam and got the
best results in the past 15 or so years. One
of my primary tests came back as essentially
normal - which is a huge improvement. And
I think the new diet was responsible.

I'll be doing a more detailed report on the
experiment. I know many of you are very
interested in seeing what happened and
how we have been doing things.

In the meantime, check out my Facebook
and Instagram pages for photos of my
meals.

You'll see tons of delicious vegetarian
dishes.

7. Do you like body rows with rings?

A. Yes, and I cover them in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- along with tons of other great exercises
with rings (and with ropes, as well). Many Dinos
like body rows better than any other rowing
exercise.

There have been about a zillion other questions
this week, but we'll have to leave it at seven for
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.  Go here to grab Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, Knife Fork Muscle and my
new Dinosaur Training Secrets courses:

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

P.S. 2. Remember to check out The Iron
League -- it's really good:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"There's never one RIGHT way to do
something -- but there are plenty
of WRONG ways."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

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

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

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

25 Pounds in Two Weeks!

Throwback to 1997 - hitting a 435 pound partial push press in the power rack. That was part of a special training program I used to add 25 pounds to my push press in just two weeks.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two days ago I posted a photo on my
Instagram and Facebook pages.

It's a still shot from my old Power Rack
Training Video that I shot back in 1997.

It shows me doing a partial push press
in the power rack with 435 pounds.

Or maybe it was 440 or 445 - it's been
a long time and I don't remember. Any-
how, it was a lot of weight.

And that was at age 40 - lifetime drug
free - and a bodyweight of about 225.


Anyhow, a lot of people wanted to know
how I trained my partial push presses.

Here's the answer.

I decided to do a two week specialization
program to show just how effective heavy
partials can be.

My goal was to add 25 pounds to my
push press - going from 275 pounds
to 300 pounds.

I trained heavy partial push presses
three times a week for two weeks.

Heavy singles, starting light, and working
up to some really heavy iron.

Then I tested my push press - and made
a 302 pound lift.

After that, I went back to my regular
program, but still did the heavy partial
push presses once a week.

A couple of weeks later, I got it up to
320 pounds in the partial push press.

For more details on old-school, Dino-
style power rack training and heavy
partials, see Chapters 2 and 3 in my
book, Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

It's not as trendy as squats on
stability balls or one-legged pogo
stick jumping, but it's a heck of
a lot better for building real world
strength and muscle.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I also cover heavy partials -
and other very effective ways to
increase your pressing power -
in The Dinosaur Military Press
and Shoulder Power Course.

You can grab it in your choice of hard-
copy, Kindle edition or PDF with
immediate electronic delivery:

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

"Hard work and heavy iron have been
building supermen for many, many
years."

-- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

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

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

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

My Old-School Training DVD's

 

A 302 pound push press with a Christmas tree barbell - featured in my Power Rack Training DVD. Note the chains at the end of the bar to get us up over 300 pounds. This was shot 20 years ago at the original Dinosaur Dungeon. There's another two hours of action on the DVD.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I sent this email recently, but ever
since I began posting videos of my
workouts here at Dino Headquarters
I've been getting questions about
my old Dino DVD's and where to
get them.

"Where are they?"people ask. "I
can't find them on your website."

So I thought I should cover it again.

Back in the late 1990s, I made five
Dinosaur Training videos:

1. The Lost Art of Heavy Dumbbell
Training

2. Bags, Barrels and Beyond

3. Power Rack Training

4. Olympic Lift Basics

5. Strength Training Basics

We didn't have I-phones back then,
so I had to do things the old-fashioned
way.

I hired a professional camera-man,
and shot each of them in the original
Dinosaur Dungeon.

Each of them is about 2 hours long,
and each of them has a ton of lifting,
non-stop action, and plenty of chalk
and sweat.

The camera-man loved the assignment.

He was used to filming wedding videos.
This was a *little bit* more exciting.

I sold them in VHS format for a long
time, and then we remastered them
to DVD.

But I don't carry them today.

I've licensed them to John Wood so
that he can feature them at the Iron
League member site.

So that's the place to go if you want
to see them.

And frankly, it's a great deal - because
the cost of a one year's membership is
less than the cost of all five DVDs. And
you get to see a ton of other great Iron
Game stuff, as well.

So if you missed them the first time
around, or if you didn't see all of them -
or if you bought the DVDs but can't
find them after your last move or the
last big flood - then sprint on over and
join the Iron League:

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

T

How to Keep Your Shoulders Healthy and Strong

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a lot of questions about
shoulder issues -- dings, dents, exercises
that help, exercises that hurt, and possible
work-arounds.

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.

Light Indian clubs -- not heavy ones! Five or
ten minutes of light club work is great for
shoulder health -- especially if you work at
a computer or keyboard all day long.

I got this tip directly from Tommy Kono, 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 close to 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 lifters, in part because
they did lots of overhead work and very little
bench pressing or similar movements.

If overhead presses hurt, then try push
presses or use dumbbells - or kettlebells.

3. Avoid the "stretch."

If you do dumbbell bench presses, dips or
other movements where you can go really
low and "stretch" the chest and shoulders,
be very careful -- and DON"T over-do the
stretch. That's where many shoulder injuries
happen.

4. Skip those McDonald Bar bench presses.

Bench press superstar Mike McDonald used a
special bench press bar in training. It allowed
a greater range of movement, i.e, a deep
stretch at the bottom. Don't do these --
they can hurt you. See point no. 3 above.

5. Stop doing the press behind neck.

This is a tough one for many of us, because
we grew up reading about Reg Park ramming
300 pounds overhead in the press behind neck.

The problem is, for many of us, the press behind
neck leads to shoulder problems. Military presses,
push presses and dumbbell presses are much
easier on the shoulders.

6. No machines!

Pullover machines and pec decs are certified
shoulder destroyers. This is especially true if
you "go for the stretch" when you do them.

7. No flies or pullovers.

Flies or pullovers can also lead to shoulder
problems. They're not very effective muscle
builders in any event, so why do them?

Note: I am referring to heavy pullovers.
Light, breathing pullovers after a 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 healthy and strong for a very,
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 training for
older Dinos -- and if you're age 40 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 much easier and more
forgiving than barbells:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Shoulders are like
knees. You only have two of them, so take care
of them." -- Brooks Kubik

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

The Best Measure of Strength -- More Reader Responses!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here are more responses from your fellow
Dinos about the best measure of strength
and power:

1. A Clean and Press Vote.

"I say the clean and press. It has both a
strength component, taking a weight from
the ground to overhead, working the entire
body, and it has a cardio and endurance
component.

Thus, it measures most attributes of an
athlete, specifically strength and strength
endurance." 

John G.

 2. A Vote for the Clean and Push Press.

"Personally, I lean toward the clean and
push press. It allows a heavier weight
than the strict press, and uses more
muscles in the pressing part of the
movement. And the heavier weight
makes the clean much harder.

The Olympic lifts are so technique
dependent that they demonstrate
more than pure strength.

The three lift powerlifting total is a
close second in my opinion, despite
the lack of an overhead lift.

But, as you say, there is no "right"
answer.

Had you asked which single lift was the
best measure of athleticism, the quick
and simple answer would be either
Olympic lift!"

Bill T.

3. A Five In One Answer!

 "The best measure of strength and power
is obviously the five lift total of the three
power lifts and the two Olympic lifts.

Power (the measure of strength times
speed) is best measured by the Olympic
lifts. Speed is critical in the snatch and
the clean and jerk.

The best measure of strength is the power
lift total. Using the total as a measurement
helps balance out the mechanical advantages
a lifter may have in any one lift.

Isn't it funny that powerlifting measures
strength and Olympic lifting measures
power?"

Jim D.

4. How About Manhood Stones?

"Clean and press along with dead lift seem like
the obvious answer. But I think strongman gets
it right when all is said and done. Yokes and
farmer's walks, dragging, pushing and carrying.

The learning curve is very nominal. It's how we
all get around. Who can move around with the
greatest burden?

We also can look a little further in our collective
past and notice how many cultures utilized heavy
stones to test their male population. They weren't
called manhood stones for nothing!"

Ray J.

Those are all good answers. We'll cover more
later in the week!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover a wide range of strength and power
building methods in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power. Go here to grab
them:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses, DVDs, links to
my PDF products, links to my Kindle e-books, and
the monthly Dinosaur Files newsletter, are right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Life is movement,
and stronger movement makes a better life."
-- Brooks Kubik

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

Answers to Your Training Questions

The Dinosaur Files Quarterly is a great resource for Dinosaurs. It's available in your choice of hard copy or Kindle e-book.  It comes out every three months.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions from
Dinos around the world, and thought I'd
share some of them with you -- along
with my answers.

1. You're a former bench press champion
and record holder. Why don't you write a
course about bench pressing?

A. I just wrote a long course on the bench
press. But I don't sell it. It's only available
at The Iron League, which is a terrific new
member's only strength training archive
developed by my good friend, John Wood.

I've also allowed John to upload five of my
original Dinosaur Training DVD's, as well 
as all seven of my Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training DVD's. They're not all available
yet, but several are. And in the meantime,
there's a ton of other great stuff at The
Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

As you can tell, I'm a very big supporter
of what John is doing with the Iron League.
It's a terrific resource for serious strength
trainers and Iron Slingers.  One fellow
Dino has called it "The Library of
Congress of Strength."

2. When you outline a program where the
trainee does 5 x 5 with one heavy set, what
weight do you use on the warm-up sets? If
the top set is 100%, what are the percentages
for the warm-up sets?

A. Try 60/70/80/90/100 percent. If you are
doing an exercise like squats or deadlifts where
you need to start lighter and do more warm-up
sets, then try 30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100
percent.

3. I dropped off your email list. What happened?

A. I don't know. People sometimes drop off the
list and we don't know why. It's either something
to do with our email service or its something at
your end. One reader changed mobile devices
recently, and doesn't get the emails any more.

I send emails every day other than Sunday, so
if you miss an email, there's a glitch somewhere.

Go to my website and sign back up -- and check
your junk mail settings, because they change
sometimes and you may need to put us on
your white list.

As a back-up, I post every email I send at the
Dinosaur Training Blog. If you miss an email, go
to the Blog to catch up. You can access the Blog
from my website. Email me if you can't find the
link.

I'm also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at
"Brooks Kubik." I share links to my blog posts
on Facebook and Twitter, so those are great
ways to stay in contact. Look for #brookskubik
or #dinosaurtraining.

4. I'm a young woman. How should I get started
in strength training?

A. Women can and should train exactly the same
as men. See Chalk and Sweat, and Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1 and 3 for training
programs for beginners.

5. Which is better for upper body muscle mass --
the bench press or the push press?

A. The bench press will build more mass, but
the push press will build more power and is a
better movement for athletes in most sports.
That said, don't do one or the other. Do BOTH!


6. What do you weigh now? Are you trying to
gain or lose weight? What do you eat?

About 210. I am trying to get down to 206 pounds
so I can compete in the 94 kilo class in Masters
Weightlifting.  At my age (58) it's important to
train for strength and power, but it's just as
important to keep your weight under control.

My diet is meat, eggs, fish and veggies, including
tons of fresh salads, and small amounts of fruit.
We try to use local, in-season food from our
favorite farmers market.

For details, see Knife, Fork, Muscle. For photos
of my meals, see my Facebook and Instagram
pages (at "Brooks Kubik" or #brookskubik or
#dinosaurtraining. You'll see a lot of fresh
green stuff in these photos.

7. Do you like body rows with rings?

A. Yes, and I cover them in Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training -- along with tons of other great exercises
with rings (and with ropes, as well). Many Dinos
like body rows better than any other rowing
exercise.

There have been about a hundred more
questions this week, but we'll have to leave it
at seven for 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.  Go here to grab Chalk and Sweat, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, Knife Fork Muscle and my
new Dinosaur Training Secrets courses:

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

P.S. 2. Remember to check out The Iron
League -- it's really good:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "There's never one
RIGHT way to do something -- but there are plenty
of WRONG ways." -- Brooks Kubik

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

302 Pounds of Iron

302-pound push press

I thought you might enjoy a peek at my old training quarters -- a/k/a the basement gym in my old house.

That's a 302-pound push press, using a Christmas Tree Barbell.  I had to load the bar with small plates because the ceiling was too low to use 45 pound plates. I ran out of plates and finished loading the bar by using small lengths of chain rolled into a circle and wrapped with duct tape.

I made this lift after a special two-week power rack training program that took my push press from 275 pounds to 300 pounds.

I cover this program -- and much more -- in my Power Rack Training DVD:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

I also give you a brand new power rack training program in Book 1 in the new Dinosaur Training Strength Archive series:

Hard Copy

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

Kindle E-Book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html


If you want to build some serious strength, old-school power rack training will get you there.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The Christmas Tree Barbell

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Eighteen or nineteen years ago, I did
something new and unusual.

I hired a video company to come over
to my original Dinosaur Dungeon --
the basement gym in my old house --
and film a series of 2 hour "how to do
it" training videos.

This was before cell-phones, before You-
Tube, and before DVD's so it was high-
tech stuff for its time -- even though
the technology is pretty ancient by
now.

We covered old-school dumbbell training,
heavy awkward objects, power rack
training, Olympic lifting basics, and
strength training basics.

I later remastered the videos to DVD,
and we've been selling them at the
Dinosaur Training site for years --
and they've always been very
popular.

The power rack DVD included a special
program that took my push press from
275 pounds to 300 pounds in just
two weeks -- which is pretty good.

I even made a new PR at the end of
the video. And it was such a fun looking
lift that we also included it at the end of
the video on Olympic lifting basics.

It was 302 pounds -- and I made it with
a Christmas Tree Barbell.

No, it wasn't a real Christmas Tree --
but that's the best name for it.

The ceiling in the basement was a little
too low to do overhead lifts with an
Olympic barbell loaded with 45 pound
plates, so I had to use 25's, 10's, and
5's. These were iron plates, not bumper
plates, so the lighter plates were smaller
in diameter. I could use them without
hitting the ceiling.

But I didn't have enough smaller plates
to get me up to 300 pounds.

I ended up adding some one pound
and 1/2 pound plates (the kind used for
micro-loading), and some short lengths
of chain rolled into a loop and then
wrapped with duct tape to keep them
from unrolling.

If memory serves correctly, I had to
tape the small plates and the chains to
the bar to keep them from sliding off.
So the barbell looked like a Christmas
Tree covered with odd-shaped and
mismatched ornaments.

A 302 pound Christmas tree.

It made for a heck of a lift -- and you can
see it right here at The Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

In fact, you can see all five of my old
Dinosaur Training videos at The Iron
League. That's roughly 10 hours of
"how to do it" instruction -- and some
very heavy lifting.

The Iron League is John Wood's new
members only site, and serves as
an on-line archive of terrific strength
training stuff -- and boxing, wrestling
and martial arts stuff -- including many
books, courses and magazines that
are virtually impossible to find any-
where else.

I have a pretty complete library of old
strength training books, magazines and
courses -- but John has things I never
saw before -- and some things I never
even knew existed.

He also has original material from Kim
Wood, Dennis Rogers and others -- and
a special bench press course that I
write for him. It's an Iron League
exclusive.

One of my friends and fellow Iron
Slingers called The Iron League the
"Library of Congress of Strength."
That's a pretty good name for it.

Anyhow, take a look at the video
clip and see what you think about
the Christmas Tree Barbell!

http://www.ironleague.com/

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Thought for the Day: "The more you
know, the more you can do." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

Poundage Goals for the Push Press!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Last week I sent you several posts
about poundage goals for the military
press (performed for one rep) and the
alternate press with two dumbbells
(performed for five reps with each
hand, i.e., ten reps total). If you
missed them, you can find them at
the Dinosaur Training Blog -- just scroll
on down after you read this post.

In response to these posts, I've
rec'd tons of questions about poundage
goals in other lifts. I'll try to answer
some of those questions this
week.

One of the most common questions involved
the push press. A number of Dinos wanted
to know how the push press compared with
the military press.

Bob Hoffman doesn't help us with the push
press, because he didn't give poundage
goals for it. Back then, trainees didn't
use the exercise that much. They stuck to
strict military presses and jerks.

But here's something that may help you.

My all-time best in two hands clean and
military press with barbell was 275 pounds.

My all-time best in the two-hands push
press (taking the bar from squat stands)
was 320 pounds.

So my top push press was 16 percent higher
than my top military press.

So if we use that number as a rule of
thumb, you can take Hoffman's Gold, Silver
and Bronze standards in the military press
and add 15 percent -- and that would give
you Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for
the push press.

By the way, that 320 pound push press came
after a concentrated program of power
rack training, as detailed in my video
on Power Rack Training. The little monster
has been remastered to DVD, and it shows
my first ever push press with 300 pounds.
You can find it right here, along with my
other Dinosaur Training DVD's:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

Anyhow, I know that many of you enjoy the
push press. Now you know what to shoot for
when you hit it!

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. Strength, Muscle and Power is another
good resource on power rack training:

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

P.S. 2. My other Dinosaur Training books
and courses are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strength
training is like tiddly-winks. People
have forgotten how to do it." -- Brooks
Kubik