Are Five Work Sets Too Much?

Having fun hitting some old-school split style snatches in the outdoor training area here at Dino Headquarters.After more than 50 years of training, each workout is still fun, fresh and enjoyable.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1.The John Wood Report, No. 5

Issue no. 5 of The John Wood Report
was released on Friday, and I understand
that it's been selling like hotcakes.

That's no surprise, because it's a great
issue - with an update on John's Bone
Strenth Project - and a detailed look at
one of Bruce Lee's favorite forearm and
wrist training tools and how to use it for
"Dragon-level" results.

Go here to grab it:

The John Wood Report No. 5 (PDF)

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/johnwoodreport05.html

2. The Sept-Oct Dinosaur Files

You'll also want to grab the Sept-Oct
issue of The Dinosaur Files newsletter.

It includes plenty of excellent articles,
including one that features a killer
training program using a. strongman
yoke for heavy singles, partials and
weighted carries - along with another
article on a unique and very effective
progression system for 20-rep breathing
squats.

Go here to grab it:

Sept-Oct Dino Files (PDF)

www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-sep-oct2018.html

3. "Are Five Work Sets Too Much?"

I just got an email from a reader who
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
several different factors - and it will
probably change for you over time.

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

These trainees do best on a 5 x 5 program
that includes four progressively heavier warm-
up sets followed by ONE work set with their
top weight for the day.

It's simple, effective, and it works great for
them.

Other trainees do well with TWO or even
THREE work sets. But three is the limit for
most trainees, unless they're doing very low
reps (singles, doubles or triples).

Your age is also an important factor.

As a general rule, older 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
than that?

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: 

"Three words: less is more."

 -- 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 Never Ending 5 x 5 Question

Three-time Mr. Universe Reg Park got great results with one variation of the 5 x 5 system - but there are many other ways to use the 5 x 5 system - and some of them work better than others. 

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
iron.

1.The July-August Dino Files


The July-August issue of The Dinosaur
Files strength training newsletter has
landed - and it's a good one!


This is a combined issue for July
and August - so it's a little bit
bigger than usual - and it's jam-
packed with great articles and
information.

And, as always, we have some
terrific training articles and work-
outs in this issue, including:

The "Hit By a Mack Truck"
Workout

A Hard and Heavy 35-Minute
Workout

Hill Sprints

Speaking of Leg Training

Your Best Weight

Stabilization and the Amazing
Shoulder Rehab

Two Real-Life Barbell Robinson
Crusoes (Note - you won't be-
lieve this one - it brings the
idea of desert island training
to a whole new level.)

Remembering Capt. Jack
Erickson

and

A Super Effective 30-Minute
Workout

Here's the link to grab the little
monster:

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

As always, be sure to shoot me
an email and let me know how
you like this issue!

2. John Wood's Strength Training
Shorts

John Wood is doing some great short
videos on his YouTube Channel. He
also posts them at his Oldtime
Strongman site.

They're 60 seconds long - and
each of them covers a fascinating
piece of Iron Game history.

For example, check this out:

Episode 1

https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/60-second-strength-history/

John's YouTube channel is right
here - you can sign up if you like
what you see there:

https://www.youtube.com/OldtimeStrongman

3. The Never-Ending 5 x 5 Question

I wrote an email about 5 x 5 and sent
it out to the Dino Nation a few days
ago - and of course, I got a ton of
emails asking "What's the RIGHT
way to do 5 x 5?"

Do you do four progressively heavier
warm-up sets and ONE work set?

Three progressively heavier warm-up
sets and TWO work sets?

Two progressively heavier warm-up
sets and THREE work sets?

Or does 5 x 5 refer to your work sets -
meaning, you do FIVE work sets?

And which method is BEST?

The answer is - there is no "right"
way to do 5 x 5.

And no one way of doing it works
best.

Different ways work better for different
people - and different ways work best
for different exercises - and what works
best for you usually changes over time.

So let me offer some general guide-
lines:

1. If you handle really heavy weights in
your work sets, you need more warm-up
sets. (It takes more jumps to go from 135
x 5 to 405 x 5 than to go from 60 x 5 to
100 x 5.)

So four warm-up sets and one work set
might be best for the really strong Dinos.

2. Older trainees have trouble recovering
from their workouts.

So, for them, four warm-up sets and one
work set might be best.

3. Squats and deadlifts are much more
demanding and more tiring than curls or
presses.

So you might do two warm-up sets and
three work sets on curls and presses -
but do four warm-up sets and one work
set on squats and deadlifts.

4. If you do an assistance exercise after
a primary exercise for a given muscle
group, you may not need as many
warm-up sets.

For example, you might do four warm-
up sets of bench presses and one work
set - followed by two warm-up sets and
three work sets on close grip benches.

5. You might follow a progression system
where you add work sets - and then add
weight and drop the number of sets and
work back up. (I cover this in Dinosaur
Training Secrets, Vol. 3, my course on
old-school progression methods.)

If you add work sets, you're going to
progress from 5 x 5 to 6 x 5 - or even
7 x 5.

That's okay - there's no magic to 5 x 5.

6 x 5 and 7 x 5 work just as well.

6. I know that many people advocate
doing five work sets of five reps. This
training method has been around since
at least the 1930's. Bob Hoffman even
wrote about it back in the 30's.

Bit I'm not a fan.

I think most trainees would burn out if
they tried to do five work sets - especially
on squats and deadlifts.

However, there are always exceptions.

For example . . .

If you follow an ultra-abbreviated
or one-exercise specialization pro-
gram you might be able to do five
work sets just fine.

Or it might work for you for awhile -
and then you might need to scale back.

And in that regard . . .

7. Nothing works forever - so whatever
type of 5 x 5 workout you do probably
needs to change over time.

The bottom line is this:

There's no one way to do 5 x 5.

There are multiple ways to do it.

They all have their uses - and they all
build some serious muscle.

I hope that helps clear things up.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I mentioned Dinosaur Training
Secrets, Vol. 3, my course on old-
school, drug-free progression methods.

It's a great course, with a number of
very effective progression systems -
and you can grab the little monster
right here:

Hard-copy and Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_03.html

PDF

See the special section for our PDF
courses at our Products page:

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

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

Sets, Reps and Warm-Ups

Having fun in the outdoor training area here at Dino Headquarters.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk
sets, reps and warming up.

1. The Dino Files

We did a combined May-June issue of
the Dinosaur Files and it was a big
hit.

So we're going to do a combined
July-Aug issue this time.

We're looking to finish it up and
shoot it out the door in the next
couple of days.

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

In the meantime, if you missed the
April issue - or the May-June issue -
go here to grab them:

May-June Dino Files

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

April Dino Files

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-april2018.html

2. Heavy Partials Rock!

My new course on heavy partials
has been getting great reviews
from readers - and that's not a
surprise - because heavy partials
rock!

You can grab the little monster
right here:

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

3. Sets, Reps and Warming Up

I get a ton of questions about sets,
reps and warming up.

The other day, someone asked about
the proper percentages for warm-up
sets.

For example, if you are doing 5 x
5, with one working set, where do
start and how do you progress
from set to set?

What percentage do you use for
your first warm-up set?

What do you use for your second
warm-up set?

And so on?

That's a good question - I get it all
the time - so here's the answer.

Percentages are guidelines, not some-
thing that is carved in stone.

The purpose of warm-up sets is to
prepare you for your working set(s).

As long as you get to the working
set(s) well warmed up, loose, limber,
mobile and strong, everything is fine.

And if it takes 7 sets of 5 to get there,
that's fine.

There's nothing magic about 5 x 5.

If you need to do more warm-up sets,
then do them.

Also, use progressions that make it
fast and easy to change the weight
ion the bar.

If I stuck to a certain percentage and
was using 137, 157 and 169 on my
warm-up sets, I'd spend all day
trying to figure out how to load the
bar to get there on each set.

It's much better to do 135, 155 and
either 165 or 170.

Or, if you're using a kilo bar and kilo
plates, 60 k (132 lbs.), 70 k (154
lbs.), and 75 k (165 lbs.).

The point is - make the loading (and
the math) fast and easy.

For example . . .

I once trained with a barbell that
weighed 20 pounds with the collars
on it.

It was an exercise bar, with exercise
plates calibrated in pounds.

So for clean and press, I would start
with 120 pounds and make 20 pound
jumps - all the way from 120 to 250
pounds, which was my working weight
for 10 singles.

I did that because the 20 pound jumps
were fast and easy. Throw a 10 pound
plate on each side, tighten the collars,
and lift.

Fast and easy - no wasted time.

Of course, that also let me make a
smaller jump from my last warm-up
set of 240 pounds to my first working
set with 250 pounds - which is often
a very good idea.

It makes the working set feel lighter
and easier if you make a short jump
to get there.

At that time, I also trained with a York
Olympic barbell and pound plates - and
did bottom position squats with it.

I started with 135 and made 90 pound
jumps until I got up to 405 pounds -
then did a 30 pound jump to 435 - and
then 15 pounds to get to 450 - where I
did 10 singles.

Again, note that the last jumps were
smaller - because I was getting close
to that 450 pound working weight.

Two other quick notes:

1. Always begin with a good total body
warm-up - make it 10 or 15 mins - and
focus on the joints and muscle groups
you will be training that day!

2. If you're an older trainee, you need
more warm-up time than when you
were younger - and the more candles
on your birthday cake, the more time
you need for an effective warm-up.

a. Go back and re-read that.

b. Then go back and re-read it again.

c. And a third time. It's very important.

Anyhow, I hope that helps!

As always, thanks for reading and have
a great day. If you train today, make it a
good one - and be sure to grab the Dino
Files if you missed it - and ditto for the
new course on heavy partials!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more real-world, no-nonsense
strength training advice, grab these:

Strength, Muscle and Power

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

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Power

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day

"If your fortune cookie says that
today is a training day, pay close
attention to 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

10 Things Dinosaurs Never Say!

 

There are some things that Dinosaurs never say - here are 10 of them!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Top 10 lists are always a favorite on a
rainy Friday morning - and it's definitely
a rainy Friday morning here in Louisville.

So let's cover 10 Things that Dinosaurs
Never Say.

10 Things that Dinosaurs Never Say!

10. "Let's skip the squats - my legs are
too sore from spin class."

9. "Been doing the same thing for almost
a week now - it's probably time to switch
to a new routine."

8. "I don't know what that does, but it will
look cool in my Instagram feed!"

7. "I saw a guy doing it on YouTube, so I
decided to give it a try."

6. "Weekends begin on Wednesday and I
never train on weekends."

5. "Let's just order pizza."

4. "Warm-ups? I don't have time for
warm-ups!"

3. "No need to train heavy - I'm strong
enough already."

2. "I want to look like the guy in the
advertisement, so I decided to buy
the stuff."

And finally - drum roll - no. 1!

1. "What do you think about [fill in the
blank with anything from the muscle
mags or the muscle blogs]? Asking for a
friend."

Do any of those sound familiar? If they
do, you must have been talking to some-
one who needs to drop the silly stuff and
start training Dino style!

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. Do you have my first book - the one
that started the Dinosaur revolution?

If not, you need a copy of Dinosaur
Training - and you can get it right here:

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

3. Thought for the Day: 

"Let the rest of the world talk about why
it can't be done. Your job is to go ahead
and do 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