Another Dino Success Story

John Grimek is one of the greatest success stories in the history of the Iron Game - but we've had thousands of Dinosaurs with great success stories over the years. Here's one of the most recent ones.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. New Strength and Power Course!

I have a terrific new course - and I
think you're really going to like it -
especially if you're into:

Heavy iron.

Bone strength.

Tendon strength.

Ligament strength.

Maximum muscle mass.

Maximum muscular strength.

Hidden lat power.

Well. okay - maybe not hidden lat
power - but it covers the other stuff
in detail.

Go here to grab the little monster:

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


2. We Blew Up on Facebook.

I'm an admin at two Facebook Groups:

Strength Secrets

Dinosaur Training - Brooks Kubik

Over the weekend, we posted a ton of
stuff - and really got some discussion
and feedback going - and we kinda
blew it all up.

Feel free to join us - just head on over
and apply for membership - and be sure
to mention that you heard about it here.

I think you'll enjoy these communities
of like-minded Iron Slingers.

3. Another Dino Success Story

I wanted to share an email I received
the other day.

It's pretty darn good - and it's a great
reminder of what we can accomplish
with old-school, Dino style workouts:

Ten years ago, I trained heavy at least
three days a week. My occupation wasn't
physically demanding and I made great
progress.

Now I work building aircraft carriers and
my lifting has been hit and miss for long
periods of time.

Progress, then burnout and weakened
my immune system. Nagging injuries. 

And giving up.

Then I found your books and everything
changed!

Strength, Muscle and Power.

Dinosaur Training.

Knife Fork Muscle.

Gray Hair and Black Iron.

Now I'm making better, more consistent
progress in my late thirties than I did in
my early twenties!

And it's by training just once or twice
a week, using old-school progression
methods and cleaning up the way I eat.

I can't thank you enough for the knowledge
that has helped me keep doing what I love,
while getting older and working a physical
job. And I share what I've learned with
anyone that will listen!

Chris D.

Thanks for your feedback, Chris. It's good
to hear that Dino-style abbreviated training
has worked out so well for you - and that
you're doing so well on just one or two
workouts a week.

Keep it up - and keep me posted on your
progress.

To everyone else - 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. Chris mentioned four books that really
helped him. You can find them right here
at Dino headquarters:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Training

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

Knife Fork Muscle

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day:

"The answer is simple - which is why most
people never even try it."

- 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

A Dinosaur Training Success Story!

A classic photo of Philadelphia's Louis Abele - showing old-school strength and muscle from way back in the early 1940's.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A lot of people who train don't get very
much in the way of results.

That's because they train the wrong way.

If you train the Dino way - the way I
teach in all of my books and courses -
you can make great gains.

Many Dinos have proven that over the
years.

For example . . .

At age 61, I still train hard and heavy - doing plenty of presses, push presses and jerks. Old-school, stand on your feet strength training keeps you young!

Yesterday I shared the story of John Angel,
a hard-charging Dino who DOUBLED his
strength in the military press in a little
less than six short months.

He went from 65 pounds for five reps to
130 pounds for five reps.

And that's pretty good progress.

He did it by following the programs in
one of my favorite training courses -
The Dinosaur Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course, which you
can grab right here:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

Look for it here - in this listing of all of
my Kindle books:

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

PDF

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

Dino-style training also worked pretty
darn well for Travis Baker.

Travis is like many of us - he trains at home -
hits it hard and heavy - sticks to the basics -
and works really hard on military presses and
deadlifts.

Six-time World and two-time Olympic Weightlifting Champion John Davis was one of the greatest weightlifters who ever lived. His training programs included plenty of work on the military press.

Those are two of the best exercises for home
gym training. You can do them without a
spotter, and without a power rack or safety
bars - and there's no risk of getting pinned
under the weight, the way there is with bench
presses or even back squats.

Travis is a Dino Training 100-percenter. He's
read pretty much all of my books and training
courses - and The Dinosaur Files strength
training newsletter.

His workouts are short, hard and heavy.

And his progress has been terrific.

Over the past four years, Travis has increased
his military press by 110 pounds.

During the same period of time, Travis has
added 231 pounds to his deadlift.

And he's lost 22 pounds of unwanted fat.
That's pretty good progress - but that's
the kind of progress you make when you
train Dino-style.

Congratulations to John - and to Travis -
for their hard work and great gains!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Chalk and Sweat is a great place to
find fun and effective workouts - in fact,
it has 50 of them - including programs
for beginners, intermediates and advanced
trainees - as well as specialization pro-
grams for maximum strength and muscle
mass.

Go here to grab the little monster:

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"Never underestimate the power of
old-school, back to basics strength
training combined with patience,
persistence and determination." 

- 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

He Gained 100 Pounds of Muscle!

Reg Park gained 80 or 100 pounds of muscle over the course of his training career - and ended up becoming one of the strongest and best developed men who ever lived!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The December Dinosaur Files

Go here to grab the December Dinosaur
Files in PDF format with immediate elec-
tronic delivery:

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

If you missed the October and November
issues of The Dinosaur Files, don't worry -
you can grab them at the very same link.

The PDF's are printable, so if you prefer
a hard-copy, all you need to do is print
them out.

If you don't have a printer, shoot me an
email and we'll see if we can work up a
special order and send you a hard-copy.

Also, if you prefer to grab a one-year,
12-issue subscription rather than order
each issue of The Dinosaur Files as it
comes out, that's fine - shoot me an
email and I'll tell you how to do it.

2. He Gained 100 Pounds of Muscle

A lot of people think it's impossible to
build very much in the way of strength
and muscle mass with old-fashioned,
Dino style workouts.

They think you need to do the latest
and greatest super-duper, Russian-
Bulgarian, maxi-mega muscle mass
monster-making workout.

And you have to do all sorts of new
exercises that no one ever heard of
before.

And bomb, blast and blitz like you
running a war somewhere.

And pump, pump, pump until your
muscles were bright red with all the
blood inside them.

And do 10 x 10 and 20 x 20 and
all the other high volume systems.

Heck, there are probably guys teaching
the 100 x 100 workout - you know, the
"ultimate program for big gains" or
some such marketing nonsense.

To which I say - tell it to all the guys
who have gotten great results from
old-school, Dino-style workouts.

I've been teaching people how to
build strength and muscle mass for
a very long time - like almost 30
years - and during that time we've
had quite a few success stories.

For example, I got one today.

One of our longtime Dinos ordered
a couple of books and courses.

He included a brief note that read:

Brooks,

Please sign my books. I've been
following you for over 20 years,
and I went from a 130-pound kid
back in the '90's to a 230-pound
ape today.

Shawn M.

If my math is right, that's a gain of
100 pounds with Dino-style training.

You know, the old-fashioned stuff
that doesn't work.

The low volume stuff.

Abbreviated workouts.

Ultra-abbreviated training.

No-nonsense, real world stuff that
doesn't require you to spend your
entire life in the gym.

Basic, compound exercises.

Hard work.

Progression.

Concentration and focus.

Like I said - the old-fashioned stuff that
the know-it-alls tell you doesn't work.

Doesn't work?

I guess someone forgot to tell Shawn -
how else would he have gained 100
pounds of muscle with Dino Training?

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Don't forget to grab The Dinosaur
Files:

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

And remember, if you want a one-year,
12-issue subscription, shoot me an email,
and I'll tell you how to make it happen.

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -
and links to all of my e-books on Kindle
- 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. 2. Thought for the Day:

"If someone says it doesn't work, nod
politely and keep on doing what you're
doing."

- 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

A Super-Inspiring Dinosaur Training Success Story!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note, and then we'll cover one of
the best success stories you'll ever see.

1. Grab the Dinosaur Files!

The Aug-Sept issue of the Dinosaur Files is
available in your choice of Kindle or PDF
format.

Go here to grab the little monster:

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016-kindle.html

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016.html

And, of course, be sure to send in an email
and let me know how you like this issue!

2. A Dinosaur Training Success Story

I rec'd the following email message last
night - and I knew at once that I wanted
to share it with you:

Hi Brooks,

I thought after all you have given me
through your writings and passion for
helping others, the least I can do is give
you the feedback you requested.

First, a bit about me. I am a veteran of
both Iraq and Afghanistan, and also a
heart attack survivor. I survived what is
known in some countries as a widow
maker, and I had to be re-started 12
times.

I have trained most of my life, and I had
made great gains from following the
routines in Dinosaur Training.

After my heart attack at the ripe old age
of 37 (it was a bit of an anomaly, and also,
I had a heart murmur which may or may
not have been a contributing factor), I
lost a lot of confidence in pushing it to
the limit. I still trained, but with the
brakes on.

When my son was less than one year old,
I bought him a copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training, which you kindly autographed for
him and wrote some encouraging words,
which I will always be grateful for. Thank
you.

I decided that for my son to believe and
learn from this stuff early on, I would have
to be the kind of man, a Dinosaur, who
leads by example, and follow these
programs myself.

So I started with the basic bodyweight program
in your book, and decided to do it for at least
50 sessions. I did, and my strength and my
confidence grew by leaps and bounds.

After that, I went on another program from
the same book for 50 sessions, and then I did
another program from your book, Chalk and
Sweat.

The lessons I learned, and to be honest, the
fun I had from getting back into my training,
was a true gift.

Old injuries have eased up. I can play easily
with a near three-year old bruiser and a
fesity five-year old princess. I have gained
from 195 pounds to a trim 210 pounds.

You have had such a positive effect on my
life, and led me to be stronger so that I may
have a more positive effect on my children,
and teach them the lessons you have given
your life to teaching. Please accept my sincere
gratitude for all that you have done for me.

Yours in iron,

Cam B.

Cam - Thank you for your very moving and
inspiring report. I am very glad to have been
a part of your success story - and to see that
you are working so hard and so well to pass
the message along to your children and
others.

We have many different kinds of Dino success
stories. Some Dinos have become champions
in their chosen sport - we've even had some
National and World champions. Others have
gained tons of muscular bodyweight and
increased their strength enormously. Some
have lost many pounds of flab.

Others, like yourself, have used Dino-style
strength training to come back from an
illness or serious injury. That's not easy
to do - but it's possible - and it's one of
the most inspiring success stories there
can be.

Thanks again for sharing this, and best
wishes for your continued success.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training is a great
way to make a come-back - or to get started -
or to build some old-school strength and
muscle:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's never easy,
but it's always possible." - Brooks Kubik

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

Why Feedback from Your Fellow Dinos Is So Important for You

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick note and then we'll talk iron.

1. Top 10 Again!

The Kindle edition of the Aug-Sept issue
of The Dinosaur Files did something pretty
awesome yesterday.

The little monster shot up into THREE top
10 lists in the Kindle bookstore.

At one point, it was no. 2 on one list, no.
5 on another and no. 9 on a third.

That's pretty good when you consider all
the titles available on Kindle - and the fact
that we're talking about a strength training
journal that focuses 100% on old-school,
no-nonsense, no-bull training.

A big thank you to everyone who made it
happen!

If you haven't grabbed the little monster
yet, here are the links:

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016-kindle.html

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016.html

If you order the Kindle edition, please give
us a rating (hopefully 5 stars), and leave a
brief review on our Kindle page. They really
help.

And as always, shoot me an email and let
me know how you like this issue.

2. Reader Feedback and Why It's So
Important for You.

I've been running a lot of emails with
feedback from other Dinos, and they've
been a big hit.

For example, here's an email that just
landed in the Dino mail-box:

Brooks,

Just wanted to let you know I loved the
emails regardiing other Dinos who wrote
about their workouts (e.g., Mr. Alcorn).

For some reason, they were very motivating
in me switching from a split routine to a
Dino routine.

I have your book, Gray Hair and Black Iron,
which I love.

I've always been afraid to switch, thinking
I'm not doing enough.

I'm 56, and I'm convinced that shorter,
abbreviated routines will be much more
beneficial to my health.

Thanks plenty.

Glenn M.

Thanks for your email, Glenn. I've rec'd a number
of similar emails over the past week.

Feedback from other trainees is CRITICAL to your
training success.

There are several reasons for this, including:

1. It's much more inspiring to get feedback from a
real person than to get a ghost-written article or ad
copy about some supposed "Champion" and how he
(supposedly) trains.

a. The "Champion" has genetic advantages that the
rest of us don't.

b. The "Champion" often uses drugs, and we don't.

c. If we're an older trainee, we need to know what
older trainees are doing, not what the young bucks
are doing.

2. We need to hear what works in the real world - for
trainees who (like us) work for a living, go to school
(or both), and have to balance their training with many
other responsibilities.

3. There is no one way to train - and the more we read
about sensible and intelligent variations of Dino-style,
old-school training, the better and more effective our
own training will be.

4. Reports from other Dinos make us think, "If he can
do it, SO CAN I!"

a. That kind of thinking is incredibly powerful.

5. If we read about our fellow Dinos, we focus on
sane, sensible, effective, progressive strength
training - and not on the silly stuff.

a. There's a lot of silly stuff out there, and it's
important to fill your mind with strong counter-
measures.

6. Your fellow Dinos know what they're doing -
and they have great workouts and terrific
training tips to share with you.

a. Including advice you won't find anywhere
else.

7. Your fellow Dinosaurs are your friends -
and it's good to know what your friends are
doing.

Anyhow, I'm glad you've switched over to
abbreviated workouts. Keep me - and your
fellow Dinos - posted on your progress.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. One of the reasons I publish the Dinosaur
Files is to have a forum to share longer and
more detailed training reports, workouts and
feedback from your fellow Dinosaurs. That's
part of what makes the Dino Files so special -
and so valuable. Be sure to read them:

Kindle edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016-kindle.html

PDF edition

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_augustseptember2016.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Every Dino is
an inspiration to someone." - Brooks Kubik

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

This Made My Day - Read It and See Why!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I found this waiting for me in the in-box
yesterday morning.

It made my day.

Read it, and you'll see why:

"I just got done re-reading your Legacy of
Iron, Vol. 1. I got to thinking about when I
first started lifting weights.

I just wanted to let you know all the stuff you
wrote in Dinosaur Training and in your other
books has served me well over the years.

I've been training for 11 years now. You gave
a skinny 130 pound 16-year old teenager
something to latch onto during his parents'
divorce. I was able to develop a lot of strength
for my size. I used that strength to do a lot of
service on my LDS mission, hoisting boxes,
beds, garden tools, sledgehammers, mauls,
and axes, and lifting and moving heavy
railroad ties several times.

I got into health and fitness in large part
because of your efforts. I can't count the
number of times I've run across someone
moving in and I was able to help them
because I had the strength to do it.

I haven't been in any life or death situations,
thankfully, but I really would like you to
know you have had an impact on my life.

I finished college last July and I'm working
on my personal trainer certification from
ACSM. I have high hopes to take the test
at the end of this month.

I'm sure you have had your fair share of
haters for what you preach or for other
things. But you got the ball rolling for
me - and I've been training ever since.

So if you ever wonder if your writing made
a difference, you know you did in my case -
and I'm sure I'm not the only person to send
an email like this.

I'm not much of a touchy-feely type person,
but you really did something good for me.

You got me into the Iron Game, and I'm
grateful from the bottom of my heart.

Anyhow, hang in there. I'm glad to have
your products and glad you chose to do
what you have done.

God bless you, sir.

A.S."

Well, as I said, that message really made
my day.

And here's the best part about it.
 Our young Dino is going to become a
personal trainer - and he's going to help
hundreds or perhaps thousands of people
achieve their dream of lifelong strength
and health.

So the lessons I wrote about in Dinosaur
Training didn't just help one young
man - he's going to use them to help
many, many others.

That's part of the magic of the Iron Game.

You never help just one person.

You help one person help many more.

And each person you help will help others -
and on and on it goes.

I'm smiling right now - and I hope you are,
too. I hope everyone is smiling. Because
we're making a difference - a huge
difference!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the little blue book that started it
all:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You change the
world one lifter at a time." - Brooks Kubik

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

The No. 1 Rule for Successful Training!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I started the day with an email from one
of our longtime Dinosaurs.

Today is his birthday. He's turning 59.

He's done various types of training over
the years, including Olympic lifting. Now
he's training for Crossfit. He wants to
compete in the Crossfit Masters'
division.

Yesterday I received an email from a
Dino who is training to compete in
Masters' powerlifting -- in the Raw
Division (no support gear other than
a lifting belt). He'll be 50 in a few
months.

Other Dinos compete in Masters'
weightlifting -- including one Dino in
his 60's who won a National Masters
championship this year.

Other Dinos compete in strongman
comps, track and field, judo, wrestling,
boxing, karate, ju-jitsu, and triathalons.

Some Dinos compete in bodybuilding
contests.

They all have different interests and
different goals -- but they all are doing
something they like, and they're all
training hard and in the final analysis,
that's the important thing.

Others don't compete in anything -- but
they train, and they train hard. And they
keep at it as the years go by.

They keep at it because they like the
results -- but more importantly, they
train because they enjoy their training.

And that's one of the secrets.

In fact, it's one of the BIG secrets --
and it's particularly important for older
trainees.

You have to find something you enjoy
doing. If you enjoy it, you'll stick with
it. If you don't enjoy it, sooner or later
you'll stop training.

That's one of the reasons I never say,
"You MUST do this -- and you MUST do
that."

Life doesn't work that way. I can offer
tips and suggestions to guide your
journey, but YOU are the one who
needs to decide where you want to
go.

Anyhow, we have Dinos all around the
world who are hitting it hard. They may
train differently, they may use different
tools, and they may pursue different
goals -- but they're all Dinos, and they're
all training, and it's all good.

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

Yours in strength,

P.S. Gray Hair and Black Iron is the number
one book for older Dinos -- and everyone over
age 35 should have a copy:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to my Dinosaur Training e-books -- are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Find your passion,
live your dream, love your life." -- Brooks Kubik

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

25 Impressive Things that Dinos Do!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me begin by saying THANK YOU to
everyone who has ordered my new course,
Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1, in either
hard-copy or Kindle format.

And DOUBLE THANKS to everyone who
posted a review on the Kindle site.

We moved all the way up to no. 5 in our
category on Amazon's Top 10 List. Right
now, we're holding steady at no. 7. So
the little monster is mighty popular out
there in e-book land.

If you don't already have the little monster,
do not walk, but RUN, right on over and
grab it:

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

On the training front, 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 and who stick
to it through thick and thin, and who end up
pretty darn strong and pretty darn impressive.

For example, I read something years ago about
a top NFL strength coach who was in his mid-50's.
Someone saw him training one day.

He was doing squat snatches.

To me, that's impressive. He may not have been
setting a world record, and he may not have been
outlifting the much younger NFL players -- but he
was doing something very impressive.

As anyone who's ever tried to do a squat snatch
will tell you, the lift requires strength, power, speed,
timing, coordination, balance, flexibility, mobility
and athleticism. So when a 50-something year
old coach steps onto the platform and hits some
squat snatches in perfect form, that's impressive.

I got to thinking about it, and I started a list of
Impressive Things that Dinos do. Here it is. See
if you can spot yourself on the list:

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.

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

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 Iceland -- or in Scotland.

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. Having the greatest workout of your entire life
and NOT posting about it on Facebook.

There are many more. Send in your ideas and I'll
post the best ones!

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 again for the new course:

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

P.S. 2. Diet and nutrition is one of the keys to
lifelong strength and health -- and Knife, Fork,
Muscle covers everything you need to know about
healthy eating:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "The only person you
should be trying to impress is YOU." -- Brooks
Kubik

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

Old School Training, Old School Progress!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the maddening aspects of modern strength
training is the idea that you can't build strength and
muscle without modern supplements, roidskies, or
whatever else someone is trying to sell you.

There was a time when things were different.

Much different.

Back in the day, a young man bought a barbell
set, read the instruction booklet that came with it,
and started training.

He followed a basic training program built around
exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, curls,
rowing, shrugs, etc.

He probably followed the double progression
system, where he started with a light weight
and an easy number of reps, gradually upped
the reps, then added weight and dropped back
to the original rep count -- and repeated the
process over and over. It was a very simple
formula.

It was also very effective.

Just how effective?

Well, consider this.

There's a letter to the editor published in the
Success Stories section of the April 1943 issue
of Strength and Health.

It's from a young man named Byron Green, of
Glendale, California.

He started training with a 100 pound barbell set
and an 80 pound dumbbell set. After training for
a month or so, he found the 100 pound barbell
set was too light, so he machined down a pair of
flywheels to fit the barbell. That added 125 pounds
to the bar.

After five months of training, he had doubled all
of the weights used in his different exercises. He
had added ten pounds of muscle, and weighed 175
pounds -- and he could clean and jerk 200 pounds.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty
good progress for a young man who has been training
for just five months. I sure as heck couldn't clean and
jerk 200 pounds after my first five months of training.
Neither could most modern trainees.

And as Byron explained in his letter, it was all very simple
and very basic. He trained five days per week: 1 heavy
barbell day, 2 light barbell days, and 2 DB days. The
classic York program.

It was old-school all the way -- and it was very, very
effective.

And that's what we teach here at Dino Headquarters.
Old school training. It's not fancy, but it works.

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. 1. Here's a great course that covers one of the
most popular exercises among old-school lifters --
the military press:

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

P.S. 2. Hard training requires top quality nutrition.
I cover diet and nutrition for Dinos in Knife, Fork,
Muscle:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "Never under estimate
the power of old-school training." -- Brooks Kubik

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

Success Story No. 1 for 2014!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I have a friend who followed a strict
lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for most of
his adult life.

Lacto-ovo meaning he would eat plenty
of milk and dairy products - and an
occasional egg or two.

The dairy products were his primary
protein source, and he packed them
away like they were going out of
style. Lots of milk - and lots of
cheese.

He ate lots of bread and lots of
pizza. He once said that pizza was
one of the five basic food groups.

He trained his whole life, and he
was way stronger and in better shape
than most people his age (about 50).

But all the bread and pizza was a
problem for him - and it got worse
over the years.

For one thing, he was packing way
too many Lard Lumps - and Lard Lumps
aren't good for you.

His blood sugar was high and getting
higher.

His cholesterol numbers were not
good, and getting worse by the day.

His doctor wanted to put him on
statins.

He refused.

They argued.

The doctor sent him to a specialist.

A specialist who combined a medical
degree with a world class background
in nutrition.

The specialist reviewed his history,
looked at his diet, and told him he
had to make some big changes.

As in, "RIGHT NOW!"

The specialist made my friend change
his diet completely.

He went from a carb-addict to low
carb overnight.

And he started eating meat again.

For breakfast, he had meat and
eggs. Usually bacon and eggs.

For lunch, he had a big salad and
some sort of meat.

For dinner, salad or cooked green
veggies and meat or fish.

In other words, he followed
something pretty close to the Atkins
diet. No more pizza-terian.

I saw him the other day for the
first time in months. I almost
didn't recognize him. He'd lost
over 30 pounds in just over three
months. Most of it off of his gut.

He looks great - and he told me
that he's as strong as ever. In
fact, he's stronger on some of
his exercises than he was at his
heavier weight.

I'm counting that one as the first
Dino success story of the year -
even if it started a few months
ago.

Over the coming months, many of
you will share similar success
stories. Some of you will lose
weight. Others will pack on some
major muscle mass. And others will
make big gains in strength and
power. There will be tons and tons
of PR's.

In short, 2014 is going to be a great
year for the 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. John Grimek, Steve Stanko and the
rest of the York gang had a pretty good
diet for whacking the Lard Lumps while
maintaining strength and muscle mass. I
cover it in Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Whatever
the problem, think it through, make a plan,
and take action." -- Brooks Kubik

For Great Gains, Do This!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're wondering whether Dino-style
abbreviated training works, consider
the case of Ralph Bristow. I spotted
this in an old magazine from the
1940's.

He was thin and sickly. At age 20,
tried a program of walking and
swimming. It made him a little
stronger, but he was still a bag
of bones.

Tried more swimming, canoeing and
free hand exercises. Got little or
no results.

Tried chest expanders. Built a
little bit of muscle.

Swam, canoed, joined a gym, used
chest expanders and did gymnastics
on the parallel bars and horizontal
bars. Built his arms all the way up
a mighty 12 1/2 inches.

Got his first barbell, found he was
able to press 92 pounds, and gradually
increased his press to 118 pounds.

Hit a sticking point and could not
gain at all for one year. His press
dropped to 110 pounds, although he
learned how to do the clean and jerk
and was able to handle 150 pounds.

(Here comes the important part -- pay
attention!)

He wrote:

"I went on program after program of
about a dozen exercises from three to
five times per week, using all the
weight I could handle for between 8
and 12 repetitions, but without any
results whatsoever."

After more than one year of no gains,
he went on the following program:

1. Press 3 x 5

2. Deep knee bend 3 x 5

3. Rowing exercise 3 x 5

4. Press on back 3 x 5

In just one month, he gained one inch on
each arm and three inches on his chest --
and his press went up to 135 pounds --
and his clean and jerk went up to 150
pounds. That's  again of 25 pounds on
his press and 50 pounds on his clean
and jerk -- in one month of abbreviated
training.

How about YOU?

Are you gaining -- or standing still --
or perhaps even going backward?

Maybe it's time to do what Ralph Bristow
did.

Maybe it's time to shorten your program,
cut back to the basics -- and GAIN!

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. I cover abbreviated training in all of
my books and courses, including:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

2. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

3. Chalk and Sweat

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

4. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

5. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Stick to the basics,
but master them!" -- Brooks Kubik

An Amazing Dino Success Story!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's an email I received
the other day. This is why
I do what I do -- for readers
like Justin:

"Dear Brooks,

I want to say thank you for
your training info and what
it has done for me.

Here is a little background
on myself. Four years ago I
was involved in a motorcycle
accident. I broke C6 & C7
vertebrae, Suffered minor
head injury, ruptured my
spleen, and clinically died
a few times while in surgery.

I was unable to do much of
anything during my recovery.
While recovering from my
injury I found your site
online.

You inspired me to lift big
and train in the ways of the
old time strong men. I read
everything that I could find
from you online. I could not
afford to purchase your books
at that time (Lost my business
due to being unable to work).

When I was able to start lifting
I used the basic lifts. Deadlifts,
Squats, Bench press, Rows, and
Standing press. I wasn't able to
lift much at weight at first due
to the year of being chair bound,
but I was determined. I worked
on my form to make sure it was
the best form possible. I
purchased CHALK AND SWEAT and
started following the workouts.

I have since that time developed
a lifting plan that works for me
using the "major lifts" and the
progression that you have outlined.

I do heavy (85-90%) triples 3 days
a week. All push, pull and squat
with clean and press 5x5 1 day a
week.

My goal when I started was 300,
400, and 500. I am less than 50
lbs away from reaching my goal
weight on each lift. 265 bench,
360 squat, & 450 deadlift.

I feel better than I have ever
felt in my life. I am inspired
with lifting.

Brooks, I just wanted to say
thank you for helping inspire
me to be healthy and strong.

I will be 39 in April so I'm not
sure if I'd be considered a
Dinosaur but I feel as strong
as one when I lift.

Thank you once again.

Lift Big & Be Strong,

Justin" 
   
Justin -- Thanks for sharing your
story. What a great success story --
and what a comeback!

I'm sure your story will inspire
others to come back from injury
or illness -- and to push and pull
(and squat) themselves to strength
and health!

To everyone -- 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. CHALK AND SWEAT gives you 50
different workouts, from beginner to
advanced to ultimate muscle mass and
Herculean super strength:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Nothing
can stop heavy iron, guts, determination
and courage." -- Brooks Kubik


        

The Jack LaLanne Birthday Workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

You can get older, which happens to
everyone, or you can focus on getting
better and better from year to year --
which is what a Dinosaur does!

Back in the day, Jack LaLanne used to
celebrate his birthday by doing an
incredible feat of strength and
endurance -- like swimming from
Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf
in San Francisco -- while handcuffed --
pulling a 1,000 pound boat behind him.
(He did that one on his 60th birthday!)

So imagine how curious I was when I
received an email with the subject line:
"The Jack LaLanne Birthday Workout."

It came from Jacob Derksen, and this is
what it said:

"Hi, Brooks,

As you're one of the handful of people
whose daily emails (and your Dinosaur
Training book) have been a huge source
of inspiration to me, I thought I'd send
a quick email detailing my JACK LALANNE
BIRTHDAY WORKOUT.

I usually follow a 5 x 5 program but, as
it was my 48th birthday, after warming up
I did 48 squats (6 x 8, with one minute
rest between sets) with a barbell equal
to my own bodyweight (170 pounds).

Then I did 48 shrugs (6 x 8, with 30
seconds rest between sets) with 85
pound dumbbells.

My warm-up was the primary focus of my
b'day workout, and included 24 consecutive
pullups and 48 consecutive dips. (A few
days later I tried the dips again and
made my goal of 48 consecutive reps.)

I'll add that these were respectable
reps, too, not the half reps you see some
of the young guys doing. My squats were
full squats, too.

None of this qualifies me as an Olympic
athlete or anything, but for a guy who
was born with a ventricular septal defect
(i.e., a hole in the heart), I like to
think it's reasonably respectable.

Moreover, armed with Dinosaur Training,
I know I'll surpass that birthday workout
next year.

BTW, look for my order in the near future.
I'm going to get Gray Hair and Black Iron.

As always, thanks for the inspirational
emails.

Best regards,

Jacob"

Thanks for sharing that, Jacob! I think it's
the email of the day.

The idea of a birthday workout is GREAT! I
always try to do a special workout on my
birthday. One year, i did a squat workout
and went for a new PR of 500 pounds (which
is a magic number, for sure) -- and I GOT IT!

A PR on your birthday is a great present --
and so is a super tough and extra-challenging
workout.

Last year, I took an extra-heavy Olympic
lifting workout on my birthday, and tried
for lifts that would meet or exceed the
qualifying standards for the Master's World
Championships in my age group and weight
class. And guess what? I made it! That was
another special b'day workout. (We filmed
it, and it's available on CD -- I call it
GOING STRONG AT 54!)

Anyhow, the idea of a JACK LALANNE BIRTHDAY
WORKOUT is a pretty good one -- so file it
away for future reference, and roll it out
the next time your birthday comes around!

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. You'll find plenty of ideas for extra-
challenging workouts in any of my books and
courses, including these:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

2. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

3. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

4. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

5. Chalk and Sweat

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

P.S. 2. You can grab a copy of GOING STRONG AT
54! right here at Dino Headquarters:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Older is one thing.
Older and better is an entirely different animal."
-- Brooks Kubik

A 76-Year Old Superman and How He Trains!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm sorry for the late email today. Trudi
is under the weather, and I've been taking
care of her. So I took her to the doctor's
office this morning, and then headed over
to the pharmacy to grab some meds.

BTW, Trudi is one tough lady, and it's
highly unusual for her to take the day off
and go to the doctor. She's given birth to
three children, and the last one was a home
birth (right in the room we now use for my
office) -- and she was up and hanging shower
curtains in the bathroom just two hours later. 

I just fixed her lunch (homemade chicken
salad and some fresh veggies from the
garden -- along with some fresh black-
berries from one of our berry bushes),
and now she's under orders to get to
bed and take a nap. So I think she'll
be doing fine pretty soon. In fact, I'll
probably have to keep an eye on her and
make sure she doesn't try hanging any
shower curtains!

On the training front, I wanted to share a
note from Morgan Davoren, a 76 year old Dino
who's been hitting the iron for something
like 60 years.

Morgan said:

"I am still working out. Clean and press,
squats and power cleans. Not breaking any
records, but at 76 I can do anything I want
to!"

Now, I don't know about you, but I think
that's pretty darn impressive. And it's a
heck of a testimonial to the effectiveness
of life-long strength training.

"At 76 I can do anything I want to!"

How many people at age 60 can say that?

How many at age 50?

How many at 40?

Heck, most men in the 20's or 30's can't say
that.

But Morgan isn't your average man. He's your
average Dino. He's been training  at home with
a York barbell set for six decades. He began
with the old York courses, and he moved on to
weightlifting workouts, and he's done plenty
of bodyweight work, as well (he's a big fan
of Dinosaur Bodyweight Training). And today,
at age 76, he's still doing his favorite
old-school exercises: the clean and press,
the squat, and the power clean.

Here's the bottom line. If they ever make a
new Superman movie and they decide to show
Superman as an older man -- say, a 76 year
old Superman -- then they need to cast Morgan
for the title role.

So hats off to Morgan Davoren -- and hats off
to every older Dino who's still hitting those
old-school workouts!

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 number one book about serious
strength training for older lifters:

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

P.S. 2. Many older trainees like to do bodyweight
training -- or to combine bodyweight exercises
with barbell and dumbbell training. Here's a great
resource for you:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.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: "Superheroes are
great, but Dinos are even better." -- Brooks Kubik