Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Well, it happened again.
Back in December, Trudi caught an
elderly woman who suddenly lost her
balance and went crashing face-first
toward a concrete floor covered with
marble tile.
If Trudi had not been there -- and if
she had not caught the woman -- it
would not have been good.
And if Trudi didn't work out regularly
and if she hadn't been strong enough to
catch and hold the woman, it would not
have been good. So it's a good thing that
Trudi works out -- and that she's been
working out for pretty much her entire
adult life.
A month ago, Trudi and I were in the
park with our granddaughters, and I
caught a little girl who fell off a
piece of playground equipment. If I
hadn't caught her, it would have been
a five foot drop onto some hard-packed
dirt covered with gravel. Not good
for a 3 year old.
This morning, I helped lift an elderly
man with Parkinson's Disease off the
floor of his home and back into a
special recliner he uses.
He wasn't able to get up on his own, and
because he was a large man, his family
members weren't able to do it. They
probably would have had to call EMS
or the Fire department to help lift
him. Instead they asked me, and of
course I went over and helped out.
Catching the little girl as she fell
was easy -- she weighed a lot less
than anything I lift. And lifting the
elderly man was easy, too -- even though
he was a whole lot heavier.
The point is, Life throws these sort of
things in your path -- and you have to
be ready for them. Working out makes you
ready. Being strong makes you ready. And
staying strong keeps you ready.
So do the Dino thing. Get strong. Be strong.
Stay strong. And live strong.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My Dinosaur Training books and courses
will teach you how to build real-world, fully
functional strength -- and how to do it fast
and efficiently:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Strong people
make good neighbors." -- Brooks Kubik
Showing posts with label what makes a dinosaur?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label what makes a dinosaur?. Show all posts
Strength Training -- It's a Way of Life!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of my older readers is an older gentleman
who started lifting in the late 40's or early
50's.
His timing was pretty good, because he saw many
of the great champs of the era.
For example -- he saw Doug Hepburn training when
Hepburn visited New York city. Hepburn finished
his workout by performing a one-arm handstand!
He trained at a gym where John Davis trained
near the end of his competitive career. Davis
would spot him in the bench press. That's not
bad for a young lifter -- to be spotted by a
six time World champion and two-time Olympic
gold medalist.
My reader later moved to Florida, and became
friends with Milo Steinborn -- the legendary
German strongman who came to the USA after
World War One and amazed the American lifting
fans with his lifting ability and his remarkable
strength in the squat.
Steinborn was the man who would stand a heavy
bar on one end and slowly wedge himself under
it until the bar tipped over and rested on his
shoulders while he was in a full squat. He'd
then stand up with it and perform his set --
and then reverse the process to get the bar
back on the platform.
Steinborn, you will recall, was a prisoner of
war during WWI. He kept in shape by training
with a homemade barbell fashioned from a long
steel bar and two enormous tree trunks. Talk
about a Dinosaur!
You may also recall that Steinborn once scared
the heck out of poor Sig Klein by going to his
gym, grabbing a 180 pound globe barbell, cleaning
it, and then holding it at his shoulders while
he performed a wild Cossack dance -- the one
where you start in a deep squat and jump up and
shoot your leg forward, first the right and then
the left -- as if you were doing a series of
bouncing one-legged squats.
Try it some time with no weight. It's not easy.
And then imagine the strength and power that
Steinborn possessed, to be able to perform
the feat with a 180 pound barbell!
Anyhow, my reader just ordered a copy of BLACK
IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. He mentioned that
they used to call him "Johnny D" -- the letter
"D" being short for "Davis" and short for "Deuce."
They called the champ Johnny Deuce because he
liked to do many, many sets of two reps in his
training.
He also shared a story about Milo Steinborn and
John Grimek. It's a pretty good story, so I
thought I'd share it with you.
My reader is talking with Milo Steinborn when
both Steinborn and Grimek are pretty well up
there in years.
He asks Steinborn if Grimek is still training.
Steinborn looks at him in surprise.
"Does a man give up his religion?" he asks.
To men like Milo Steinborn and John Grimek, that's
what training was all about. It was a way of life.
It was something you started as a young man and
continued to do until the end of your days.
I understand how they feel. I feel the very same
way. And if you're reading this, I bet you feel
the same!
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 can learn more about Doug Hepburn, John
Davis and John Grimek right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
1. To grab a copy of my Doug Hepburn training
course, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
2. To order BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY,
which includes details on John Davis' actual training
program from 1940 and 1941 (given to me by his
training partner), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
3. For my new course on John Grimek's life, lifting
and training, go here:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and my
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're not
training, start now. Once you start, never stop."
-- Brooks Kubik
One of my older readers is an older gentleman
who started lifting in the late 40's or early
50's.
His timing was pretty good, because he saw many
of the great champs of the era.
For example -- he saw Doug Hepburn training when
Hepburn visited New York city. Hepburn finished
his workout by performing a one-arm handstand!
He trained at a gym where John Davis trained
near the end of his competitive career. Davis
would spot him in the bench press. That's not
bad for a young lifter -- to be spotted by a
six time World champion and two-time Olympic
gold medalist.
My reader later moved to Florida, and became
friends with Milo Steinborn -- the legendary
German strongman who came to the USA after
World War One and amazed the American lifting
fans with his lifting ability and his remarkable
strength in the squat.
Steinborn was the man who would stand a heavy
bar on one end and slowly wedge himself under
it until the bar tipped over and rested on his
shoulders while he was in a full squat. He'd
then stand up with it and perform his set --
and then reverse the process to get the bar
back on the platform.
Steinborn, you will recall, was a prisoner of
war during WWI. He kept in shape by training
with a homemade barbell fashioned from a long
steel bar and two enormous tree trunks. Talk
about a Dinosaur!
You may also recall that Steinborn once scared
the heck out of poor Sig Klein by going to his
gym, grabbing a 180 pound globe barbell, cleaning
it, and then holding it at his shoulders while
he performed a wild Cossack dance -- the one
where you start in a deep squat and jump up and
shoot your leg forward, first the right and then
the left -- as if you were doing a series of
bouncing one-legged squats.
Try it some time with no weight. It's not easy.
And then imagine the strength and power that
Steinborn possessed, to be able to perform
the feat with a 180 pound barbell!
Anyhow, my reader just ordered a copy of BLACK
IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. He mentioned that
they used to call him "Johnny D" -- the letter
"D" being short for "Davis" and short for "Deuce."
They called the champ Johnny Deuce because he
liked to do many, many sets of two reps in his
training.
He also shared a story about Milo Steinborn and
John Grimek. It's a pretty good story, so I
thought I'd share it with you.
My reader is talking with Milo Steinborn when
both Steinborn and Grimek are pretty well up
there in years.
He asks Steinborn if Grimek is still training.
Steinborn looks at him in surprise.
"Does a man give up his religion?" he asks.
To men like Milo Steinborn and John Grimek, that's
what training was all about. It was a way of life.
It was something you started as a young man and
continued to do until the end of your days.
I understand how they feel. I feel the very same
way. And if you're reading this, I bet you feel
the same!
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 can learn more about Doug Hepburn, John
Davis and John Grimek right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
1. To grab a copy of my Doug Hepburn training
course, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
2. To order BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY,
which includes details on John Davis' actual training
program from 1940 and 1941 (given to me by his
training partner), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
3. For my new course on John Grimek's life, lifting
and training, go here:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and my
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're not
training, start now. Once you start, never stop."
-- Brooks Kubik
Strength Training and the Success Habit
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Couple of quick things, and then we'll
talk training.
1. The John Grimek Course
Will be mailed this week, not sure when.
Depends on how fast the printer can run
the copies. And yes, there's still time
to reserve your copy and grab the pre-
publication bonuses:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
2. My Dinosaur Training Seminar
My four-week audio seminar -- a/k/a distance
learning -- on Dinosaur Training starts this
coming Saturday. For details, and to reserve
your spot in the seminar, go here:
http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training
If you already signed up, please shoot me an
email and give me your name, age and training
experience, how you hears about the course,
what you'd like to get from the course, etc.
Right now we have s fairly small group, so it
will be a Masters Class for those who participate,
with more individual attention than if we had
a huge number of students.
And now -- as they say -- let's talk training.
Last week, we talked about boot camp. And I noted
that the boot camp model -- which relies on the
instructor yelling and shouting to "Run Faster!"
has a fatal flaw.
Namely, it doesn't teach you to be a self-motivator.
It teaches you to rely on external motivation.
That's fine for beginners, but a good coach -- a
good teacher -- a good instructor -- knows that
you need to learn how to self-motivate. And that
becomes part of the process.
Strength training is an interesting and unique
activity. You work incredibly hard -- and sometimes
you really have to push yourself -- and if you can't,
or won't, then you won't be very successful.
If you think about it, there are very few activities
where EFFORT is so directly related to success. You
can't sweet talk a barbell. You either lift it, or
you don't.
As a result, strength training has a unique ability
to increase your mental strength just as much as it
increases your physical strength. Do it right, and
you'll develop your power of concentration to a
degree far above that of the average person. Do it
right, and you'll increase your self-confidence,
your initiative, and your determination. Do
it right, and you'll increase your self-control.
Do your training the right way, by setting goals
and working inexorably toward their accomplishment.
When you do, you'll develop what I call The Success
Habit -- which is nothing more nor less than a
supreme belief in your ability to achieve your
goals.That's something that most people don't
have -- and it's one of the most important benefits
of your training.
So when you train, and it gets tough -- remember this:
Tough is good.
Tough is what you want.
Tough is what makes you strong.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link for the John Grimek course:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. Here's the link for the Dinosaur Training
distance learning seminar:
http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training
P.S. 3. And here's the link to my other books, courses,
DVD's and Dinosaur Training goodies:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set a goal, achieve the
goal, and set another one. That's how it works." --
Brooks Kubik
Couple of quick things, and then we'll
talk training.
1. The John Grimek Course
Will be mailed this week, not sure when.
Depends on how fast the printer can run
the copies. And yes, there's still time
to reserve your copy and grab the pre-
publication bonuses:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
2. My Dinosaur Training Seminar
My four-week audio seminar -- a/k/a distance
learning -- on Dinosaur Training starts this
coming Saturday. For details, and to reserve
your spot in the seminar, go here:
http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training
If you already signed up, please shoot me an
email and give me your name, age and training
experience, how you hears about the course,
what you'd like to get from the course, etc.
Right now we have s fairly small group, so it
will be a Masters Class for those who participate,
with more individual attention than if we had
a huge number of students.
And now -- as they say -- let's talk training.
Last week, we talked about boot camp. And I noted
that the boot camp model -- which relies on the
instructor yelling and shouting to "Run Faster!"
has a fatal flaw.
Namely, it doesn't teach you to be a self-motivator.
It teaches you to rely on external motivation.
That's fine for beginners, but a good coach -- a
good teacher -- a good instructor -- knows that
you need to learn how to self-motivate. And that
becomes part of the process.
Strength training is an interesting and unique
activity. You work incredibly hard -- and sometimes
you really have to push yourself -- and if you can't,
or won't, then you won't be very successful.
If you think about it, there are very few activities
where EFFORT is so directly related to success. You
can't sweet talk a barbell. You either lift it, or
you don't.
As a result, strength training has a unique ability
to increase your mental strength just as much as it
increases your physical strength. Do it right, and
you'll develop your power of concentration to a
degree far above that of the average person. Do it
right, and you'll increase your self-confidence,
your initiative, and your determination. Do
it right, and you'll increase your self-control.
Do your training the right way, by setting goals
and working inexorably toward their accomplishment.
When you do, you'll develop what I call The Success
Habit -- which is nothing more nor less than a
supreme belief in your ability to achieve your
goals.That's something that most people don't
have -- and it's one of the most important benefits
of your training.
So when you train, and it gets tough -- remember this:
Tough is good.
Tough is what you want.
Tough is what makes you strong.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Here's the link for the John Grimek course:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. Here's the link for the Dinosaur Training
distance learning seminar:
http://www.entheosacademy.com/courses/Dinosaur-Training
P.S. 3. And here's the link to my other books, courses,
DVD's and Dinosaur Training goodies:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Set a goal, achieve the
goal, and set another one. That's how it works." --
Brooks Kubik
The Royal Road to Muscle and Might!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
On a wooden lifting platform, a lifter
chalks his hands, steps to the bar --
crouches down -- gets set -- and performs
a perfect squat snatch.
Elsewhere -- a kettlebell lifter finishes
a hard set of swings with a menacing,
monster-sized black bell.
In a different gym -- another lifter swings
a heavy kettlebell. When she finishes, she
hits some heavy squats and deadlifts -- and
them grinds out three sets of hanging leg
raises -- for 15 reps per set. One of the
guys at the gym shakes his head in disbelief
as he watches her.
And elsewhere -- a thickly muscled man in
heavy sweats heaves a 150 pound sandbag to
his shoulder, drops it down, and heaves it
back up again.
In a different gym -- a lifter grinds his
way through a heavy set of squats. After
the squats, he does heavy quarter squats
in the power rack.
In yet another gym -- a lifter performs the
two dumbbell clean and press -- working up
to sets of five with a pair of 80 pounders.
And in another gym -- a training stands with
a heavy barbell on his shoulders, panting like
a racehorse as he finishes a heavy set of 20
rep breathing squats.
Meanwhile, in a garage -- a man finishes a
set of 50 perfect pushups, jumps up, grabs
a pull-up bar, and begins performing a set
of 20 perfect pull-ups.
In another garage -- a man hangs from a 2"
thick pull-up bar, with 40 pounds of heavy
log chain wrapped around his body -- and
performs a set of 5 perfect pull-ups.
And in a different garage -- a man approaches
a heavy block of iron -- and lifts it off
the ground with a powerful pinch grip.
Meanwhile -- a young athlete sprints up a steep
hill. It's the first of five 50 yard sprints
for him.
And not far away -- older trainee finishes
his Trap Bar deadlifts, and cools down with 20
minutes on a step machine at an easy pace.
Tomorrow he'll take things easy, and go for
a 3 mile walk.
In another city -- a man works on a one arm
pull-up. He can't do one yet -- but he's
working to get there!
Elsewhere -- in a different city -- an athlete
drives a barbell overhead in a letter-perfect
clean and jerk. Her first lifting contest is
in two weeks, and she plans to be ready for it!
In another gym -- a trainee finishes a heavy set
of barbell curls with more weight than many
trainees use for squats or deadlifts (assuming
they even perform squats or deadlifts).
They all train differently. But they all train
the same.
They train with strength, power and passion.
They train progressively. Whatever they do, they're
always trying to improve their performance.
They train regularly and consistently. They don't
miss workouts and they don't make excuses.
They train to get stronger -- faster -- more
powerful -- healthier -- and better conditioned.
They follow different paths, but all of them are
headed in the same direction. They're all on the
Royal Road to Muscle and Might.
All of them are Dinosaurs -- and I'm incredibly
proud of each and every one of them.
If you're reading this, you're a Dinosaur as well.
You train YOUR way -- but you train the Dino Way!
For that I salute you -- and I THANK YOU!
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. Wherever you train, and whatever your favorite
style of training, we've got you covered with Dinosaur
Training books, courses and DVD's -- and with the world
famous Dinosaur Files (hardcopy) newsletter. You can
finds them right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Dinos are all different,
but Dinos are all the same." -- Brooks Kubik
On a wooden lifting platform, a lifter
chalks his hands, steps to the bar --
crouches down -- gets set -- and performs
a perfect squat snatch.
Elsewhere -- a kettlebell lifter finishes
a hard set of swings with a menacing,
monster-sized black bell.
In a different gym -- another lifter swings
a heavy kettlebell. When she finishes, she
hits some heavy squats and deadlifts -- and
them grinds out three sets of hanging leg
raises -- for 15 reps per set. One of the
guys at the gym shakes his head in disbelief
as he watches her.
And elsewhere -- a thickly muscled man in
heavy sweats heaves a 150 pound sandbag to
his shoulder, drops it down, and heaves it
back up again.
In a different gym -- a lifter grinds his
way through a heavy set of squats. After
the squats, he does heavy quarter squats
in the power rack.
In yet another gym -- a lifter performs the
two dumbbell clean and press -- working up
to sets of five with a pair of 80 pounders.
And in another gym -- a training stands with
a heavy barbell on his shoulders, panting like
a racehorse as he finishes a heavy set of 20
rep breathing squats.
Meanwhile, in a garage -- a man finishes a
set of 50 perfect pushups, jumps up, grabs
a pull-up bar, and begins performing a set
of 20 perfect pull-ups.
In another garage -- a man hangs from a 2"
thick pull-up bar, with 40 pounds of heavy
log chain wrapped around his body -- and
performs a set of 5 perfect pull-ups.
And in a different garage -- a man approaches
a heavy block of iron -- and lifts it off
the ground with a powerful pinch grip.
Meanwhile -- a young athlete sprints up a steep
hill. It's the first of five 50 yard sprints
for him.
And not far away -- older trainee finishes
his Trap Bar deadlifts, and cools down with 20
minutes on a step machine at an easy pace.
Tomorrow he'll take things easy, and go for
a 3 mile walk.
In another city -- a man works on a one arm
pull-up. He can't do one yet -- but he's
working to get there!
Elsewhere -- in a different city -- an athlete
drives a barbell overhead in a letter-perfect
clean and jerk. Her first lifting contest is
in two weeks, and she plans to be ready for it!
In another gym -- a trainee finishes a heavy set
of barbell curls with more weight than many
trainees use for squats or deadlifts (assuming
they even perform squats or deadlifts).
They all train differently. But they all train
the same.
They train with strength, power and passion.
They train progressively. Whatever they do, they're
always trying to improve their performance.
They train regularly and consistently. They don't
miss workouts and they don't make excuses.
They train to get stronger -- faster -- more
powerful -- healthier -- and better conditioned.
They follow different paths, but all of them are
headed in the same direction. They're all on the
Royal Road to Muscle and Might.
All of them are Dinosaurs -- and I'm incredibly
proud of each and every one of them.
If you're reading this, you're a Dinosaur as well.
You train YOUR way -- but you train the Dino Way!
For that I salute you -- and I THANK YOU!
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. Wherever you train, and whatever your favorite
style of training, we've got you covered with Dinosaur
Training books, courses and DVD's -- and with the world
famous Dinosaur Files (hardcopy) newsletter. You can
finds them right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Dinos are all different,
but Dinos are all the same." -- Brooks Kubik
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