Look What Just Landed!

The December issue of The Dinosaur Files strength training newsletter has landed - and it's another good one!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The December issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter just
landed - and it's a good one.

Go here to grab the little monster
in a downloadable and printable
PDF format - with immediate
electronic delivery:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-december2018.html

This month's issue has four feature
articles (all written by yours truly).

1. My Amazing Uncle and the
Pendulum of Death

2. How to Build Strength and
Muscle with Abbreviated Training
Programs

3. How William Boone Trained to
Set a World Record in the Jerk

4. Build Strength and Muscle the
Dino Way!

Good stuff - with rock solid training
advice - and several brand new and
very effective workouts.

Here's the link again - sprint on
over and grab it:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-december2018.html

Happy reading!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Dull and Boring Is Fun and Exciting!

I don't do Funky Monkeys, Himalayan Curls, Pogo Stick Presses or One-Legged Ball Bounces - but I still have fun when I train.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Are your workouts dull and boring?

Or are they fun and exciting?

I was thinking about my own work-
outs the other day.

They don't make very good social
media posts because it's pretty much
the same thing in every workout.

I have two workouts - Workout A
and Workout B - but every Workout
A looks like the previous Workout A -
and every Workout B looks like the
previous Workout B.

In other words, I stick to the same
exercises, the same sets and the
same reps.

I don't mix things up, and I don't
change things around, and I don't
add new stuff very often.

For many people, a program like
that would be dull and boring.

They couldn't stand it.

But for me, it's the reverse.

My workouts are fun and exciting.

I enjoy the challenge of working on
a small number of movements and
trying to master them - and on trying
to do them better every time I train.

I don't think either approach is wrong,
as long as you don't change things up
too often. You need to stick to a given
program long enough to let it work
for you. Many people change programs
far too often, and that usually doesn't
work very well.

Of course, there comes a time when
changing to a new workout or a new
program can be the best thing in the
world for you.

You just have to know when to do it -
which is largely a matter of training
long enough to understand both your
body and your mind, and to learn
what works best for you.

Anyhow, I'll be training today, and it
will be dull and boring - pretty much
the same thing as always - but it will
be fun and exciting for me.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's something different that's
also fun and effective:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:

"The iron doesn't get bored,
and neither should you."

Brooks Kubik

Before You Leave - Check These Out! 

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

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

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

The World Record Workout

Setting any kind of record - from a personal record to a World record - requires hard work, hard training and a mountain of determination. And, of course, it also requires the right kind of training - which is what we're going to cover today.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I mentioned a famous old-timer
who went on a special training program to
increase his deadlift.

He trained once every six days.

That was it.

Nothing else.

Did it work?

Yeah, you could say that.

He gained 20 pounds of muscle and built
so much strength that he ended up setting
a World Record in the deadlift!

You can find the World Record program right
here in Chalk and Sweat - it's program
no. 49 - and it's pretty darn effective:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik's Kindle Books

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

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

 
For even more Kindle books by Brooks Kubik, visit:

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

The No Time to Train Workout

Even when you're super-busy and Life is hitting you hard and heavy from all directions, there's always time for a fast, fun, effective workout!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

There's a time in your life when you
have all the time in the world for
training.

You go to the gym and hit the iron
for hours - and then you go back
and do it again the next day.

That's usually when you're in your
teens (remember those days?) or
twenties.

It may or may not work - for most
trainees, it doesn't work very well -
but my point is about having the
time for those long and frequent
workouts. Not about whether it's
a good idea - but whether you
have the time.

When you're young, you have the
time.

But then something called LIFE
jumps up and smacks you right
alongside the face like a wet
catfish.

You grow a little older - and things
change.

Everything changes.

You're married - working - maybe
working two jobs - or three jobs -
and possibly going to school on
top of it - and then the kids come -
and somehow, the time you have
for training dwindles down to
almost nothing at all.

If you're lucky, you can fit in two
or three abbreviated workouts
each week - but sometimes, you
don't even have time for that.

So having a couple of "go to"
workouts for days (or weeks)
when you're super-crunched for
time is a very good idea.

With that in mind, I included not
one but TWO "no time to train"
workouts in the July-August issue
of The Dinosaur Files.

One of them is from one of our
longtime Dinos. It's on pages 2
and 3.

It takes 35 minutes.

The second is one that I wrote up
just for this issue of The Files.

It's on pages 13 and 14.

It takes just 30 minutes.

Both workouts are great for home
gym training - they don't require
tons of equipment - and they build
an excellent balance of strength,
muscle and fitness.

And they only take 30 to 35 min-
utes.

No time to train?

I don't think so.

You have all the time you need!

Here's the link to the July-August
issue of The Dinosaur Files:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-julyaugust2018.html

Go ahead and grab it - and try those
short, fast, and surprisingly effective
workouts!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Try My Super-Secret 25 Second Workout!

Hitting it hard here in the outdoor training area at Dino Headquarters - and having tons of fun doing it.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then I'll share
my super-secret 25-second workout.

1. Strength Muscle and Power

We're down to the last box of Strength,
Muscle and Power, and I'm not going
to print any more any time soon - and
perhaps not ever - so if you want a copy,
grab it now - while it's still available:

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

2. The Dinosaur Files

We're going to release a combined July-
Aug issue of the Dinosaur Files news-
letter.

Hopefully, it will be available later this
week.

I'll send an email when it's ready.

In the meantime, if you don't have
it, grab the May-June combined issue
here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-mayjune2018.html

3. My Super-Secret 25 Second
Workout

(Note: Here's an email from several
years ago. I'm re-sending it because
it's got a pretty important message.

So don't get confused - we moved in
2015 and there's no garage to train
in at the new place - so I train in the
basement and out in the drive-way -
and I do split snatches now, not
squat snatches - they're easier on the
shoulders - and I'm 61 in Sept, so
add a few years to my age when
you read the reference to being
almost 60. I was a youngster back
then!

But otherwise, things are pretty
much the same then as now.

Tons of iron - plenty of chalk - and
gallons of sweat.)

I had a great workout in the garage
last night.

I did 10 minutes of stretching and
loosening up exercises, including
overhead squats and snatch drills
with my trusty broomstick.

Then I began doing a series of squat
snatches.

I started light, and worked up slowly
but steadily to my top weight for the
day -- and did five singles with it.

I filmed each lift, and checked my
form on the replay after each lift -
and did some more stretching in-
between each lift.

At close to age 60, the stretching
gets to be more and more important
for me. I need to do it in order to
hit the bottom position in a squat
snatch.

So the pattern was:

1. Lift

2. Review lift on video and focus
on what to do to make the next lift
better.

3. Add weight to the bar if the next
set calls for more weight.

4. Stretch.

5. Repeat 1 - 4.

I did a total of 25 singles.

I started at 6:12 and finished at 7:00
on the nose.

So the workout took a total of 48
minutes.

Or did it?

If you just count the time it took for
each lift -- the actual lifting time --
it was more like 25 seconds -- because
each snatch takes about one second
from start to finish.

Now, that doesn't sound like much --
and it's not. But remember, each snatch
was a fast, fluid, total body effort -- and
each lift literally worked everything from
my toes to my eyeballs.

In other workouts I focus on the squat
style clean and jerk. I follow the same
sort of progression. I lift for about an
hour, and I do nothing but singles --
and I get a terrific workout.

You can do the same thing -- and you
don't have to do Olympic lifting.

Nor do you have to do singles --
although you're welcome to do them
if they work for you.

The key point for all of us is this:

1. Focus on quality, not quantity.

2. It's not how long you train that
matters -- it's HOW you train.

3. Stay 100% focused from start
to finish.

4. Concentrate on every rep --
including the warm-up sets.

5. Strive for perfect form on every
rep.

6. Block out all forms of distraction
when you train.

a. Anything that interferes with your
concentration interferes with your
training.

7. Keep detailed records of what you
do, and always strive to improve your
performance from one workout to
another.

8. Find what works best for you and
stick to it.

9. Use basic, compound exercises
and total body movements to do the
most work in the minimum amount
of time.

10. For older trainees, and those of
you who are pressed for time, give
one and two exercise workouts a
try -- they really deliver.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more about effective training
with abbreviated and ultra-abbreviated
workouts, grab any or all of these
great books and courses:

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets
of Strength and Development

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

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

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: 

"It doesn't take much time, but it
does take effort." 

-- 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

Going - Going - Almost Gone!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We're down to the very last box of 
Strength, Muscle and Power -
and I'm not going to do another
printing anytime soon - perhaps
not ever -so if you want a copy,
grab it now.

It's a great training book, with
tons of workouts - and chapters
on:

Abbreviated Training

Ultra-Abbreviated Training

Grip Training

Sandbag Training

Barrel Lifting

Power Rack Training

Specialization Programs

Powerlifting Workouts

Rest Pause Training

Home Gym Training

Finishers

Thick Bars and How to Use
Them

A Special program for Tendon
and Ligament Strength

And much more.

29 chapters - 356 pages - and so
many hard-hitting workouts I can't
count them.

If you want me to sign your book
for you, just ask for a signature.

There's no charge for an autograph -
it's an honor to be asked for one.

But, as I said, we don't have many
copies left, and when they're gone,
that's it - so if you want one, grab it
now.

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

Are Five Work Sets Too Many?

Hitting it hard at Dino Headquarters. The older I get, the more fun my workouts are - but I have to pay careful attention to the workload and make sure I'm not over-doing things.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Facebook Group

If you use Facebook, be sure to join
your fellow Dinosaurs at The Dinosaur
Training Facebook Group.

It's under: "Dinosaur Training - Brooks
Kubik."

You need to apply for membership -
but if you note that you read about
it here, you should get in with no
trouble.

John Wood's Strength Secrets Face-
book Group is also a great place to
go - so be sure to join that one, as
well.


2.The Dinosaur Strength Training
Notebook, Vol. 1

This little monster is our newest edition
to the Kindle bookstore, and it's been
selling like crazy. Go here to grab a copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurnotebook001.html

3. "Are Five Work Sets Too Much?"

I just got an email from a reader who
says he does 5 x 5, using five work sets
for each exercise.

He wondered if that was too much.

Short answer: Yes, it's probably too
much work -- but, like anything else,
it depends on many different factors.

And to add an extra level of complexity,
it will probably change for you over time.

Many trainees get very good results
from ONE work set. They find that
they over-train if they perform more
than one work set -- especially in
exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Other trainees do well with TWO
or even THREE work sets.

But three work sets is the limit for
most trainees, unless they're doing
very low reps (singles, doubles or
triples).

As a general rule, older trainees do
better with fewer work sets -- and
stronger, more advanced trainees
do better with fewer work sets. So
what works best for you may change
over time.

If you do five work sets, you need to
follow an ultra-abbreviated training
program. Limit yourself to one or two
exercises per workout. You won't be
able to do justice to more than that.

And here's a thought:

If one, two or three work sets do the
job for you, why do more?

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 straight talk on sets,
reps and real world, no-nonsense
strength training, grab Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 1:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

PDF

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

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

Hard-copy and PDF

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

Kindle

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: 

"Why do MORE when LESS works just
as well -- or maybe even better?"

-- 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