A Training Question from an Older Dino

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's cover the big news, and then talk
training.

1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly

If you missed the big news, yesterday we
put up an order page for Issue No. 4 of the
Dinosaur Files Quarterly -- along with the
complete Table of Contents for this issue.

You can find it right here:

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

This is a terrific issue, with tons of great
articles and photos -- and plenty of training
tips and workout advice. I think you're
really going to like it.

We're offering the little monster in both hard
copy and Kindle e-book. The hard-copy should
be printed and ready to mail by next Mon at
the latest -- and we'll send a link for the Kindle
e-book as soon as it's ready.

2. A Training Question from an Older Dino

I fired up the old email yesterday and found
this question waiting for me. It's a good one,
and probably applies to many Dinos, so I
thought I'd share it -- along with my answer:

"Hi Brooks,

75 year old Dino here. I have been squatting
3 x 1 in week 1, 3 x 2 in week 2, and 3 x 3
in week 3.

Then I add weight in week 4 and drop back
to 3 x 1.

When I get to 3 x 3 I am sloppy -- with bad
form and too much fatigue.

I was in a happier place when I did singles.

Am I answering my own question -- which is,
Do I lower the weight (which I hate doing)
or go back to singles and stick to 3 x 1?

Art C."

Art -- Thanks for your question. At age 75,
you're doing GREAT. Most people over age
50 or 60 can't do a squat with their own
bodyweight -- so for your age, you're at
the front of the pack.

I agree that you answered your own
question, but let me add two comments.

First, going from 3 x 1 to 3 x 2 really
means you are doubling your total
number of reps.

It would be better to use a one rep per
week progression.

Go from 3 x 1 to 1 x 2 plus 2 x 1.

The next week, go up to 2 x 2 plus
1 x 1.

The following week, do 3 x 2.

Use the same procedure when you go
up from 3 x 2 to 3 x 3.

Also, consider moving up every other
week rather than every week.

These are forms of slow cooking --
which means that you aim for slow
but steady progress.

Most trainees try to force their progress
by adding too much weight too fast -- or
by increasing the reps too fast -- and they
end up burning out, going stale, or hitting
a major sticking point.

See Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3 for
detailed advice on old-school progression
methods. It will help you enormously:

Hard-copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets3_kindle.html

Second point -- if you were happy when
you were doing singles, go back to doing
singles.

Always listen to your body -- it's much
better than your brain when it comes
to telling you what works.

And finally -- if your form breaks down
on squats, drop the weight or the reps
ASAP. You always want to use perfect
form in any exercise, and that goes
double times two for the big exercises.

So there's the question for the day -- and
the answer. I hope it helps!

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. Be sure to order your copy of Issue
No. 4 of the Dinosaur Files Quarterly:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links
to my other e-books on Kindle -- are right here:

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

If you want to order multiple products,
shoot me an email and ask for a shipping
quote. We can probably save you some
clams, especially if you live outside the
USA.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Slow and steady
wins the race. Crash and burn doesn't come
close." -- Brooks Kubik

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Issue No. 4 of the Dinosaur Files Quarterly

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's the complete Table of Contents
for Issue No. 4 of the Dinosaur Files
Quarterly:

Hail to the Dinosaurs!
            by Brooks Kubik

 Mesozoic Mail
            by the Dinosaurs

 Jurassic Jottings
            by Brooks Kubik

 Old-School Success Stories
            by Brooks Kubik

 Changes
            by Alan Roth

 My Favorite Exercises Over the Years
            by Brooks Kubik

 My Training Program for the Military Press
            by Patrick Larson

 The Strength and Health Picnic of 1940
            by Brooks Kubik

 Cracking the Code on Closing the No. 3 Gripper
            by Bobby Rich

 The Viking Stonelifting Tour of 2015
            by Peter Jensen

The Comeback – Part 1
            by Peter Yates

My Outdoor Gym
            by Brett Moore

 An Old-School Training Program
            by Brooks Kubik

 Answers to Your Training Questions
            by Brooks Kubik

 The Wrap-Up
            by Brooks Kubik

As you can see, it's a terrific issue.

It goes to the printer today, and should
be ready to mail no later than next Mon.

Go here to order your copy -- and to
grab copies of issues 1, 2 and 3 of the
Dinosaur Files Quarterly if you missed
them earlier:

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

If you're an overseas Dino and you want
two or more back issues, email me first.
We may be able to send you some clams
on shipping charges.

We're also going to be releasing an e-book
version of the DFQ on Kindle. I'll send an
email when it is available.

Holler if you have any questions.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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Building the Bones -- A True Story

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One quick update and then we'll talk training.

1. The September 2015 Dinosaur Files
Quarterly

The September 2015 issue of the Dinosaur
Files Quarterly goes to the printer today,
and it should be printed and ready to ship
by next Monday at the latest.

Go here to take a look at the table of
contents for this issue, and to order
the little monster in hard copy format:

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

I'll send a link with the Kindle e-book
edition as soon as the Kindle edition is
ready.

It's another great issue, with some terrific
articles, and I know you're going to like
it.

2. Building the Bones -- A True Story

There's a lot of talk about whether it's
possible to build your bones -- as in,
whether an adult can make his or
her bones thicker, denser and
stronger through weight training.

Some people flat out say it can't be
done.

They're wrong.

Maybe it can't be done with light weight
bunny style training -- but it definitely can
be done with Dino style training.

I know it can be done because I increased
my wrist size by over half an inch when I
was close to 30 years old -- and I did it
with a special program of heavy power
rack training and thick bar exercises.

My friend John Wood is in his 30's, and he's
following a special bone-building program --
and he's having regular bone density tests
to see what happens -- and the tests prove
the his training program has increased his
bone density and his bone mass.

And if you don't believe Brooks and John, or
you think we're some sort of genetic freaks,
then consider this.

It's a true story.

It's not from the weight training world, but
it speaks volumes.

It comes from a book titled "Wilderness
Wife" -- an autobiography of a remarkable
couple.

In 1911, Kathrene and Robert Pinkerton
were married. Kathrene was 24. Robert
was 29.

Robert was a newspaper reporter -- but not
long after their marriage, his health broke
down from the city living, stress and long
hours, and his doctor told him he had to
find some sort of quiet job where he would
get plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

The newlyweds decided to make their
living as writers -- and to do it on the
cheap by building a log cabin in the
North Woods.

They packed their meager belongings and
headed up to Ontario -- to a small village
called Atikokan.

When they got to the village, they stopped
at the general store and made arrangements
to store their city clothes and purchase some
clothes better suited to their new lifestyle.

Then they got into their newly purchased
canoe, and paddled off to find a suitable
place to build their cabin.

They found a perfect site eight miles away
from the village, and it was there that they
built their cabin.

Just the two of them. No one else. They cut
the wood, dragged it to the site, and did it
all by themselves.

They travelled by foot, by canoe and by
dog-sled in the winter.

They hunted, fished, picked wild berries and
grew a small garden.

It was hard, demanding, exhausting work
at first -- particularly for Kathrene -- but
as they toughened up, they grew to love
it.

After several years, they headed back to
town because Kathrene was pregnant.

They went to the general store and the
store-keeper pulled their city clothes out
of storage.

They tried them on.

Nothing fit. Robert had gained far too much
muscle to fit into his old clothes.

Kathrene discovered that her beautiful
leather city gloves no longer fit.

The storekeeper measured her hands.

Her hands were a full size larger.

It wasn't the pregnancy, in case that's
what you're thinking. It was permanent
growth.

The paddling, digging, lifting, chopping,
cutting, sawing and carrying had made
her hands far larger and thicker than
ever before.

And because the hands are mostly bone,
that meant she must have added plenty
of bone mass and bone density.

Wilderness living had built her bones --
in her mid 20's -- without even trying.

With that in mind, think what heavy
training can do for your bones --
especially if you are TRYING to
make them stronger, denser and
thicker!

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

And remember to grab your copy of the
September issue of the Dinosaur Files
Quarterly!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover bone-building workouts in many
of my books and courses, including these:

a. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength
and Development

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

b. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

c. The Dinosaur Strength Training Archive,
Book 1

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- the
Dinosaur Files Quarterly -- and links to my
e-books on Kindle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The people who
say it can't be done are almost always the ones
who never tried." -- Brooks Kubik

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10 Little Known Facts About Oldtime Strongmen

An old ad for Arthur Saxon's legendary book, "Development of Physical Power."

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's start the day with 10 little known facts
about old time strongmen. I'm thinking of the
European strongmen during the period from
1890 to 1920 or so.

1. Many of them worked as butchers.

That gave them ready access to plenty of high
quality protein -- and make no mistake about
it, the old time strongmen were voracious
meat eaters.

2. Many of them grew up on farms.

This meant that they did plenty of hard, heavy
work when they were children and young men.
It also meant that they grew up with plenty of
sunlight, fresh air and healthy, fresh food.

3. Many of them worked as blacksmiths when
they were young.

Which is a great way to devleop plenty of hand
and grip strength.

4. Many of them were wrestlers.

In the old days, most of the famous weightlifters
also competed in wrestling competitions. In fact,
promoters would host weightlifting contests and
wrestling contests at the same time, since the
same men would compete in both.

Of course, wrestling required a terrific combination
of strength, power and muscular endurance -- so
the oldtimers obviously had all of these attributes
in abundance.

5. They ate enormous amounts of food.

Most of these men were true heavyweights, with
tremendous appetites. They didn't count their
calories or limit their food intake. Of course, they
also trained ferociously hard -- and burned off
plenty of calories in their workouts and in
their competitions and exhibitions.

6. They specialized in grip strength.

I've covered this in Dinosaur Training and in
Strength, Muscle and Power. The oldtimers had
ferocious hand and grip power. When you look
at their photos, notice their forearm development.
It's almost freakish in many cases.

See Dinosaur Training and Strength, Muscle and
Power for specifics on how the old-timers trained
their forearms and grip.

7. They specialized in overhead lifting.

They did most of their training while standing on
their feet -- and much of it involved lifting heavy
stuff over their heads.

8. They lifted heavy, awkward objects.

Heavy sandbags and barrels were favorites. These
impressed an audience of working men as much or
more than lifting barbells and dumbbells.

9. They used dumbbells -- HEAVY dumbbells!

The oldtimers were masters of heavy dumbbell
lifting. Sig Klein called the two dumbbell clean
and press "the secret exercise" of the oldtime
strongmen.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for specific
exercises and workouts -- and for a detailed
review of how much the old-timers could handle
in their dumbbell exercises.

10. They were 100% natural.

As in, nothing artifical added. Just hard work,
heavy iron, and plenty of good food.

And one bonus fact:

11. Some of the oldtimers died relatively young,
and others lived very long lives. The ones who
lived long lives tended to keep up with their
training even after they ended their professional
careers.

In other words, one of the keys to lifelong
strength and health is to KEEP ON TRAINING!

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 Dinosaur Dumbbell Training
and learn the favorite exercises of the old-time
strongmen:

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

If you want to see the exercises on DVD,
grab The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "What is old
becomes new again -- you just need to
look for it." -- Brooks Kubik

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How I Set a New PR on My Birthday

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes, and then we'll talk training.

1. Thank You!

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. It made
my day to hear from so many Dinos around the
world.

2. A SuperHuman Contest -- and a Big Prize!

Carl Lanore is running a special "secret word"
contest on SuperHuman Radio. The prize is a
complete set of all five of my Legacy of Iron
books -- autographed by yours truly.

There will be one winner, and it might be you
if you listen to the show and enter the contest.

Tune into today's episode of Physical Culture
Radio at 12:00 EST for details:

http://superhumanradio.com/

If you miss the live show, download the podcast
later on. It's always agreat show, and I'm really
looking forward to today's episode.

3. Bodyweight Training DVD's

We found some of my Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
DVD's on a back shelf the other day -- there are 2
complete sets of all 7. If you're interested, email
me for details and price.

We also found some mindpower CD's, some
Seven Keys to Concentration CD's, and some
Iron Will CD's.  Again, shoot me an email
if you're interested.

4. How I Set a New PR on my Birthday.

I celebrated my birthday last night by hitting a
hard workout.

It was pretty good, because I hit a PR for 2015
in the split style snatch. In fact, it was the most
I had lifted in the split style snatch for the past
two years.

So that was a birthday present to myself.

I got there by using a simple variation of the old
Light, Medium and Heavy system.

It's a three week mini-cycle.

I use singles in all of my exercises, but it works
fine for sets of multiple reps, as well. Once you
understand the system, you can apply it to many
different kinds of workouts.

Here's how it goes:

Week 1 -- Light

I work up to 5 singles with my working weight.

I use a relatively light weight -- 70 to 75% of my
max.

Week 2 -- Medium

I work up to 2 or 3 singles with my working weight.

I go heavier this week, but not too heavy -- 80 to
85% of my max.

Week 3 -- Heavy

I work up to one single with my working weight.

This is my heavy week. I go as heavy as I can. If
I feel good, I try to lift my max or to set a new
max. However, I usually work up to 90 or 95%
of my max. As an older lifter, I can train heavy
but I can't push for a new max too often.

Week 4

Start the mini-cycle all over again.

And there you have it.

As I said, it's a simple system -- but it's been
very effective. It keeps me strong, helps me
improve my speed, form and technique, and
best of all, helps me avoid overtraining.

And so far (knock on wood), it's helped me
avoid dings and dents.

Give it a try and see how you like it -- and
shoot me an email with your results.

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 other simple but very effective
cycling sytems in Gray Hair and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- Legacy of Iron
books -- and links to all of my e-books on
Kindle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "First, last and
foremost -- TRAIN!" -- Brooks Kubik

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Four Left -- and Going Fast!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's my birthday, so I was going to
take the rest of the day off, but I
need to give you two quick updates:

1. Hoodies, Sweatshirts, T-shirts and
Muscle Shirts.

We're clearing out all of our current
inventory of sweatshirts, t-shirts,
muscle shirts, and hoodies, and
we're almost completely out of
stock.

We're not going to re-stock for
awhile, so if you want something,
you need to act now.

For example, we have just 4 Gray Hair
and Black Iron sweatshirts -- one XL
and three 3XL. That's it. No other
sizes.

We have very limited numbers of other
items -- and we're out of many sizes
and colors in them.

If you'd like something, send me an
email and ask if we have it in stock
before placing your order.

2. A Chance to Win 5 Free Books!

Carl Lanore, is running a special
contest on SuperHuman Radio this
week and next.

Here's how to enter the contest:

When you listen to SuperHuman Radio,
pay careful attention at the commercial
breaks.

During one of the commercial breaks
in each hour of the show, Carl will
announce the secret word.

He'll do this on each show.

When you hear it, you send Carl an email
identifying the secret word -- and that
enters you in the contest.

Note: Do NOT send me an email with the
secret word. Send it to Carl. He'll give you
the email address on air.

Carl will draw the winner's name at the
end of next week.

There will be one winner and one winner
only -- and the prize will be pretty darn
good.

How good?

Get this . . .

The prize is an autographed set of all
five of my Legacy of Iron books, starting
with this little monster:

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

With shipping and handling, that has a
retail value of something like 150 clams.
Plus, they're darn good books. Readers
love them.

I'll be on Physical Culture Radio at
12:00 noon EST tomorrow, so you
can listen to the show and learn
the secret word then:

http://superhumanradio.com/

Thanks for reading, and remember -- if
you want a shirt, hoodie or sweatshirt,
send an email asap and see if we have
your size in stock.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

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How I Plan to Celebrate My Birthday

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's a big day here at Dino Headquarters.

It's my birthday today.

I am now officially age 58 in civilian years. In
weightlifting years I have been age 58 since
Jan 1, and I will be age 59 on Jan 1, 2016.
It's a little confusing.

In any event, I plan to celebrate by having a
great workout and a great dinner.

If memory serves correctly, I got my first barbell
set on my birthday in 1968, so that makes 47
years of iron slinging -- although that one was
a set from Sears with gold vinyl plates filled
with concrete.

So make it 47 years of iron, vinyl and concrete
slinging.

The funny thing is, the older I get, the more I
enjoy my training. I'm not sure why that is, but
it is definitely the case.

It may be as simple as knowing that I have more
years  of training behind me that before me -- or
it may simply be that as I get older, training makes
me feel so much better than I would feel if I didn't
train.

If you're an older trainee and you have thoughts
on that, I'd love to hear from you. Is training
more fun for you than ever before? Let me
know.

Anyhow, let's get back to tonight's workout.

My workout will focus on the split style snatch. If
you've been paying attention over the past few
years, you know I've gone back and forth between
the squat snatch and the split snatch. The split
style is easier on my shoulders -- the squat style
is easier on my knees.

In the end, the shoulders have won out -- at
least for now.

And besides -- the split snatch is a lot of fun --
fast, fluid and athletic -- and it's a good test
of balance and athleticism.

I've also been doing the split style clean. That,
too, challenges your balance and athleticism.

And things that challenge your balance and
athleticism are good to do -- especially if
you are an older Dino.

Many of you have asked for more detailed
instruction on weightlifting for older Dinos
(and for garage gorillas and celler dwellers
of any age).

As in, how to perform the lifts and the related
exercises -- including the split style lifts --
and how to set up a sensible program that
doesn't require you to train "Bulgarian style"
and do nothing but train five or six hours
a day every day of the week.

If that sounds like something you'd like to see
in a course or a DVD, let me know. We can
definitely make it happen.

In the meantime, you can catch a training
session at Dino Headquarters in my birthday
DVD from four years ago:

Going Strong at 54

I filmed two back to back workouts and did a
quick demo of about two dozen different
lifting exercises in that little monster, so it
has a ton of good info -- and a lot of good
lifting. If you missed it the first time around,
grab it now.

So that's the plan: a hard workout focusing
on split style snatches, followed by a terrific
dinner.

And that's the report from Dino Headquarters --
where we still have more iron on the bar than
candles on the birthday cake!

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 Going Strong at 54:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 2. My other books and DVD's -- and
links to my e-books on Kindle -- are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Your body is
like your barbell -- if you don't use it, it
rusts." -- Brooks Kubik

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