Quitters and Winners

My friend John Wood recently sent out
a powerful email message titled
"Letter from a Quitter."

It was about a guy in his 50's who quit
training because no matter what he did,
he couldn't match what he could do in
his 30's.

John contrasted THAT approach -- the
QUITTER'S approach -- with letters he
received from older trainees who were
hitting it hard and heavy and having
the time of their lives.

I thought that was a pretty good
approach -- because I get the same
sort of letters and emails.

Not too many of the "I QUIT!" letters
and emails -- although I do get one
or two of those every year.

The vast majority of feedback from
older trainees is about how GREAT
their training makes them feel --
how much it adds to their lives --
and how much they look forward to
each and every workout.

And most of them tell me how much
Dino-style abbreviated training has
helped them -- and in particular,
how much they like the abbreviated
workouts in GRAY HAIR AND
BLACK IRON.

And although they're older, they don't
worry about it -- and they don't lose
any sleep worrying about what they
could lift when they were 20, 30 or
40 years younger.

Nor do they worry about having to
adjust their workouts a bit.

They just do what needs to be done.
No big deal.

Remember, when you're in your 50's
or 60's (or even your 40's), you're
not a kid any more -- and you have
to adjust your training.

You have more dings and dents and
you don't recuperate as well.

So you train smarter. It's not
rocket science.

And no, it's not easy. Sometimes,
it's darn hard. Growing older is
NOT for sissies.

But whatever your age, if you're
reading this message, you're a
Dino -- and Dinos don't quit.

That's one of the things that makes
Dinos different -- and one of the
things that makes them winners --
and one of the things that makes
me so very proud of each and every
member of the Dino Nation.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab YOUR copy of
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: "Lifting is for
life." -- Brooks Kubik

A Muscle Building Diet for Dinos!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In past emails, I shared a special
weight gaining workout from an old
article -- circa 1970 -- by Bradley
J. Steiner.

Here's the diet that goes with it.

But please note -- this is a short
term diet for packing on the pounds.
Use it ONLY is you're young and
skinny. Older guys and guys who
are already pretty big should
follow the general principles of
diet (lots of good, wholesome
nutritious food) but reduce the
amount of food -- otherwise,
they'll end up with a bad case
of the Lard Lumps.

Breakfast

1 large glass of fruit juice
2 glasses of whole milk
3 or 4 eggs
5 strips of bacon or other meat
2 slices of whole wheat toast with
butter, honey or peanut butter

Lunch

2 thick meat and cheese sandwiches
on while wheat bread
2 glasses of whole milk
1 bowl of thick homemade soup
Fresh fruit for desert

Dinner

1 bowl of thick homemade soup
1 large serving of meat, fish,
turkey, chicken, etc.
2 glasses of whole milk
One baked potato with butter
or cheese
1 bowl of raw vegetable salad
Fresh fruit for desert

Yes, I KNOW that's  a lot of food --
but remember, this is a weight gaining
diet for the young and skinny guys.

And YES, it works. Thousands of trainees
have followed short, hard heavy programs
with lots of leg and back work -- aka
Dino-style abbreviated workouts -- and
followed similar meal plans, and they've
gained strength and muscle mass like a
herd of charging elephants.

And NO, you don't need food supplements.
Real food works far, far better.

I know, I know. It's old-fashioned and
basic.

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. Here are some old-school training courses
that will help you pack on plenty of strength
and muscle mass:

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

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

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

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it's worth
doing, it's worth doing all the way."
-- Brooks Kubik

A Super Program for Building Up!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Looking for a good routine?

As in, a good routine to pack on
plenty of muscle mass -- and do
something like double or triple
your strength?

Here's one from 1970 -- from
none other than the immortal
Bradley J. Steiner.

Train 3x per week on the following
program.

1. Warm-up -- prone hyper-extensions
1 - 2 x 10 - 15.

2. Heavy barbell curls -- 2 x 8 - 10

3. Alternate DB presses 3 x 8 - 10

4. Breathing squats 2 x 15

5. Light DB pullover -- 2 x 20

Note: Do one set of DB pullovers
after each set of squats.

6. Wide grip bench press, collar to
collar -- 3 x 10 - 12

7. One arm DB bent-over rowing --
3 x 10 - 12

8. Leg raises -- 2 x 25

Now, please note -- for older trainees,
or extreme hardgainers, that program
may very well be too much. If it is,
divide the program into two workouts:
Workout A and Workout B.

Do Workout A on Mon, Workout B on Wed
and Workout A on Fri.

The next Week, do Workout B on Mon and
Fri and do Workout A on Wed.

OR -- divide the program into TWO work-
outs, and train one on Mon and the other
on Thurs or Fri.

Tomorrow, I'll go over some of the finer
points in the schedule -- and after that,
I'll talk ab bit about the diet to follow
when you're on the program.

But today, I wanted to give you the
complete program.

And there it is.

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. If you're a Steiner fan -- or if you
want to learn more about Steiner, go here:

http://www.superstrengthtraining.com/a_complete_guide.html

P.S. 2. Brad Steiner was all about hard work
and heavy iron -- and so am I. If that's YOU,
then take a look at what's available at
Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "No one said
it would be easy, but no one said it would
be impossible. And if they DID say, don't
listen to them." -- Brooks Kubik

"I Don't Like That!" He Said.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A guy sent asked me for a program
that would help him gain strength
and muscle mass.

So I gave him one.

He didn't like it.

"I don't like squats," he said.
"They're bad for your knees."

"Then do deadlifts," I told him.
"Or Trap Bar deadlifts."

"I don't like deadlifts," he said.
"They're bad for your back. And they
overstress your CNS."

"So do cleans, snatches and pulls," I
said.

"I don't like them," he said. "They're
ballistic movements, and that's
bad for you."

"Try the farmer's walk," I suggested.

"That's too old-fashioned."

"Try heavy partials," I said.

"They hurt too much. And they're
too old-fashioned."

"What about sandbags?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about,"
he said.

"Do you like the pec dec?" I asked,.

"Of course," he said.

"Lift the thing over your head a couple
 of times, then drag it outside the gym
and carry it around the block," I
suggested. "And then take a big sledge
hammer and smash it into a million
pieces."

There was a long pause.

"Is that for real?" he asked.

"Absolutely," I said.

Did he do it?

I don't know.

But if you see some guy lugging a chrome
plated pec dec around the block, you'll
know he took my advice -- and you'll know
there's hope for the human race -- and for
the current generation of bunny blasters.

And think about this. Maybe, just maybe,
that poor kid will drop the muscle mag
silliness and grab a copy of Dinosaur
Training  and read it from cover to
cover, and start doing some REAL
training.

One can only hope.

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. If you want no-nonsense, real world
strength training and muscle building,
then you want this:

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

P.S. 2. Already have a copy of DT? Then go here
for my other books and courses:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never underestimate
the power of Madison Avenue -- and never listen to
anything they ad-men tell you." -- Brooks Kubik

The Paschall Pause

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Thought you might appreciate a nifty
little progression scheme from way
back in 1948 -- from Harry Paschall,
one of my all-time favorite Iron Game
authors.

It's a way of adding weight to the
bar on a regular basis and making
steady progress without hitting
any sticking points and without
going stale or burning out.

And it's pretty darn simple.

Here's what you do:

1. Train for five weeks, adding 5
lbs. to the bar every week.

2. Rest in week six.

3. Do another five weeks of training,
but this time, start with the weight
you used in week two of the previous
program -- and finish five pounds
ahead of where you finished before.

4. Repeat several times and see what
happens!

Harry called the rest in week 6 the
Paschall Pause. One of my regular
readers calls it Harry's Hiatus.
They're both good names, but
whatever you call it, give it
a try.

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. Harry Paschall is one of the main
characters in my Legacy of Iron books.
You can find them right here:

1. Legacy of Iron

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

2. Legacy of Iron 2 -- Clouds of War

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

3. Legacy of Iron 3 -- The 10000 Pound
Total

http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html

4. Legacy of Iron 4 -- York Goes to
War

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html

5. Legacy of Iron 5 -- Barbells in the
Pacific

http://www.brookskubik.com/barbells_pacific.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: "Less is more,
but everyone needs to learn it on their own."
-- 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

Hold Onto the Magic!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I started training when I was 9 years
old.

I'm 56 now -- so that's a lot of years
of training.

And over the years, you tend to learn
a thing or two.

The best exercises, the best training
programs, the best sets and the best
reps.

The importance of concentration, focus,
visualization and all the other mental
aspects of the Iron Game.

But here's one that takes awhile to
figure out.

Keep it fresh. Keep it new. Keep
it fun. Keep it exciting. Hold onto
the magic.

Here's what I mean.

Do you remember the first time you saw
a barbell?

The first time you saw an Olympic
barbell with those enormous 45 pound
black iron plates on each end?

The first time you set foot in a school
weight room or a serious, old school,
heavy iron gym?

Your first power rack?

Your first lifting competition?

Those are important memories. They're
part of what got your started on the
road to might and muscle -- and they're
part of what keeps you at it, even if
it's (as in my case) nearly half a
century later.

Yes, you need to be serious when you
train.

Yes, you need to train hard.

Yes, you need to make it a regular part
of your life.

But most of all, you need to make it
fun -- and exciting -- and fresh -- and
new. You need to hold onto the magic.

You need to approach your workouts with
the same sense of wonder and the same
sense of awe you felt when you saw your
very first barbell.

Hold onto the magic.

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 one to help the older lifters
keep the magic -- and the muscle:

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Barbells are magic.
Grab one and see for yourself." -- Brooks Kubik