12/15/2015 Dinosaur Training: 20-rep squats

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Dinosaur Training

More Cardio Training Ideas for Dinos!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

First of all, I've been getting a ton of emails asking for links to my e-books on Kindle. Wehave 9 of them now -- with more coming. Thelinks are on our products page, and also hereat the Dinosaur Training Blog:

http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-complete-list-as-of-today.html

In other news, the June 2015 issue of theDinosaur Files Quarterly is finished, and the printer is doing the lay-out work for the littlemonster. We'll put up a link to place yourorder for the June issue very soon, and I'll send an email when it's ready.

The June issue of The Dinosaur Files Quarterlywill be avilable in both hard-copy and Kindlee-book. If you want to see what the DinosaurFiles Quarterly looks like on Kindle, go here totake a peek at the December 2014 issue:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_01_kindle.html

FEEDBACK FROM DINOS

On the training front, we got a ton of greatfeedback from Dinos in response to my emailabout Dino-style cardio. Here are some of yourresponses:

1. Try 20 Rep Squats and Deadlifts!

I added a set of 20 rep squats and deadliftsfor my cardio, and I feel super energized and my joints feel great.

Jeff Hackett

2. Loaded Carries Do the Trick!

My solution to the cardio issue at age 56 has been loaded carries.

Outdoors I will do 1 - 5 lifts, followed immediatelyby a 1 minute loaded carry that tracks the lift Iam doing: sandbag shouldering and carry, sandbagzercher squat and zercher carry, barbell muscle cleanor snatch and overhead carry, or deadlift and farmers walk.

I take a one minute timed rest between sets, and

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12/15/2015 Dinosaur Training: 20-rep squats

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repeat each lift and carry 4 - 10 times. I cover 60to 80 meters on each carry.

I am breathing like a locamotive at the end.In six months, I've dropped 5 percent fat whilemaintaining my weight at 200 pounds at 6 feet.And as you know, at this age it is a real accomplishment to gain a true one pound of muscle per month.

Add in a low volume of daily grip, gut and neckwork and I'm good to go.

Zail Khalsa

3. Hill Walks

Could not agree with you more. I take two 30minute walks a day in my hilly neighborhood. Igo faster up the hills and slow down on the flatsand the decline. My husky loves it, too.

Peter Yates

4. Try Cycling!

I would add cycling, too. It must be one of the most under-rated cardio exercises, not to talkof the potential of building strong legs. And it's easy on the lower back.

You also can get a lot of errands done on a bicyle!

Paul Soumendra

5. The Rowing Machine!

Add rowing on the rowing machine!

Jan Moerman

So there you have it. Five more ideas for Dino-stylecardio training.

For more, see Gray Hair and Black Iron andDinosaur Bodyweight Training:

Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My other books and courses are right hereat Dino Headquarters -- along with links to my Kindle e-books:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "It's amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of regulartraining and consistent effort." -- Brooks Kubik

*************************************** Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:00 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, cardio training for lifters, dino cardio, dinosaur files quarterly,dinosaur training e-books, finishers, training for older lifters, walking

Are 20 Rep Squats a Good Idea for Older Trainees-- The Dinos Weigh In!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of feedback to yesterday's emailabout 20 rep squats for older trainees -- but beforegetting to that, let me hit some quick updates andreminders:

1. Someone asked if Knife, Fork, Muscle would helpin maintaining strength and muscle mass while losingunwanted flab -- or whether it was just about eatingto gain muscle mass.

Answer -- it's about healthy eating for lifelong strengthand health -- and it contains advice on eating to gainmuscle mass -- and also contains advice about eatingto lose flab while maintaining strength and muscle mass. Hope that clarifies things!

You can grab your copy right here as we wind down thepre-publication special:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

2. If you subscribed to the Dinosaur Files newsletter,please send in a brief testimonial about why you likedit, how it helped you or motivated you, etc. I'm usingthem to put together an order page for the newquarterly Dinosaur Files. (And I'm shooting to get the order page up next week.)

3. Had a great interview with Carl Lanore on theSuperHuman Radio Show yesterday. The downloadis not up yet (as I type this) but it should be up latertoday:

http://superhumanradio.com/

On the training front, many of you responded to myemail about whether 20 rep squats were a good ideafor older trainees -- or whether lower reps would workbetter.

Here's a summary of what you said:

1. Almost all of the older Dinos said they do better withmultiple sets of low to medium reps, with many of youdoing 5 x 5 or similar set/rep systems.

1a. Many older Dinos noted that higher reps make themtoo stiff and too sore.

1b. In other words, the older Dinos have found that theyrecover better from lower rep workouts -- which is what

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I've been saying for years, and which is certainly truein my own case.

2. The older Dinos who prefer higher reps in their squats have been doing higher reps for many years, and arefully adapted to them.

2a. Several of these Dinos noted that even though they do 20 rep squats, they don't push the weight on themthe way a younger lifter would do. In other words, theyuse them more for conditioning work.

3. None of the older Dinos thought that switching fromlow reps to 20 rep sets would be a good idea for an older trainee -- the consensus was "Dance with who brung ya," i.e., keep on doing what you've been doing.

4. Several readers noted that Trap Bar deadlifts are avery good alternative to the squat for older trainees.I agree.

4a. For more information on the Trap Bar, go here:

http://www.trapbartraining.com/

5. Several of the older Dinos noted that they do low reps (singles, doubles, triples or 5 rep sets) becausethey can maintain good form on each rep -- whichhelps them train injury-free.

5a. This is a key point.

5b. Low reps sets do not mean you pile on so muchweight that you shake and wobble and the weight goesall over the place. It means that you train with perfectform -- and that you use weights that allow you to useperfect form.

5c. The pumpers and toners never seem to get this.They equate low reps with maximum effort, life or deathheravy lifts -- which is ridiculous.

6. Many of the older Dinos noted that they supplementtheir strength training with low-to-moderate intensityconditioning work.

6a. Many rely on walking for their conditioning work.

6b. Several older Dinos noted that swimming is good for conditioning work because it is easy on the joints.

6c. At least five older Dinos noted that the lugging and loading drills covered in Gray Hair and Black Ironare their preferred form of conditioning work.

7. One older Dino who is a medical doctor bluntlynoted that 20 rep squats can be dangerous for anolder trainee -- and can even trigger a heart attackif you over-estimate your level of conditioning andtry to go too hard or too heavy.

7a. In other words, don't try to do 225 for 20 repsjust because you used to do 300 for 20 reps 30 years ago and 225 for 20 "ought to be easy."

7b. "IUSETA" thinking -- as in, "I used to lift such andso, so I can surely do X now" will get an older trainee

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in trouble every single time.

7c. Every. Single. Time.

7d. I covered this in a recent podcast -- I think it wason Eric Fiorillo's Motivation and Muscle Podcast Show -- or perhaps it was an interview with Bill Kociaba --and I noted that there was a time when I could do aperfect belly to back suplex with an opponent in a wrestling match -- but that was 40 years ago, and that doesn't mean I can do a suplex today -- or thatI would ever try one.

I think that covers the feedback. Thanks to everyone who sent in a response. I appreciate it. And ditto for all of you who sent in a testimonial for The DinosaurFiles -- they really made my day.

If anyone has further thoughts on the 20 rep squat,send them in.

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 guidebook for older trainees:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including Knife,Fork, Muscle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "Don't worry about whatyou used to be able to do. Focus on what you can do NOW." -- Brooks Kubik

********************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 5:10 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, Dinosaur Files, gray hair and black iron, knife fork muscle, realworld training, sets and reps, training for older lifters

20 Rep Squats for Older Trainees -- Good Idea orBad Idea?Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes, then we'll talk about 20 repsquats for older trainees.

1. Go here to reserve your copy of Knife, Fork,Muscle as we wind down the pre-publicationspecial:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

1a. Researchers at UCLA just issued a break-throughpaper on Alzheimer's that follows the diet and nutrition advice in Knife, Fork, Muscle VERYclosely. In other words, Knife, Fork, Muscleis cutting-edge stuff -- even though it also includes many old-school ideas.

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2. If you are a former subscriber to the DinosaurFiles newsletter, shoot me an email with a brieftestimonial to help launch the sales page forthe new quarterly Dinosaur Files -- which will be going up sometime mext week!

2a. THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in atestimonial for the Dinosaur Files!

3. I'll be on Carl Lanore's SuperHuman Radio at 12:00 noon today -- listen live or catch the down-load later on.

And now . . . the question of the day.

Is the 20 rep squat a good idea or a bad idea forolder trainees?

Several readers asked this question in response to yesterday's email about the 100,000 Squats Club.One reader in his late 40's noted that he had a badshoulder and was going to focus on squats and deadlifts while it healed up. He said he had been surfing the Interwebs (oh-oh) and found an article by a guy in his 20's talking about the 20 rep squatprogram -- and was thinking about trying it.

And he asked if I thought that was a good idea.

Frankly, I don't .

I know that many younger trainees have done verywell with the 20 rep squat. But it's a very difficultand demanding program -- and it's hard to recoverfrom your workouts -- and it requires you to whipyourself into a frenzy before your 20 rep DeathSet -- and push yourself into the ground, so youfinish the set and lie on the floor for 10 or 15minutes before you can move.

That's one thing for guys in their teens or 20's.

It's another thing entirely for an older trainee.

John Davis did 15 and 20 rep squats when he was building himself from a 181 pound lifter to a full-fledged Heavyweight. But then he switched to 5 x 5.

In one of his books, Tommy Kono talks about doing 20 rep squats when he was younger. A few years later, while still in his 20's or 30's, he tried them again but switched back to lower reps. He just didn't have the drive to do them any more. AndI think that's probably true of most older trainees.You work hard, and that's great -- but you don'tneed or want to do those 20 rep Death Sets.

There's also the shoulder issue. Most older traineeshave some degree of shoulder problems. That makes high rep squatting difficult.

Heck, it makes any kind of squatting difficult.

Which reminds me -- if you have bad shoulders,this little device will save your squat workouts:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dave-drapers-top-squat-1

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There's also the recovery issue. Younger trainees can recover from 20 rep squats. Older trainees may not beable to do so.

And then there's the issue of form. Older trainees should ALWAYS perform every rep of every set of every exercisein perfect form. Younger trainees can sometimes get away with sloppy reps, but they often lead to injuryfor an older trainee.

Lower reps allow you to perform your exercises instrict form. But doing 20 reps in the squat makes it very difficult to maintain good form for the entire set.Finally, I will note that most Masters weightlifters dolow reps in squats or front squats -- and the older they are, the fewer reps they do. They find that too many reps make their knees sore.

Of course, if you have been doing 20 rep squats yourentire life, and you enjoy doing them, then keep ondoing what you're doing. But if you're thinking about"giving them a try" at age 50 or 60 -- that's probablynot a good idea. It's better to dance with who brungya.

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

And remember to send in those testimonials for theDinosaur Files!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more training advice for older Dinos, grabthis:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- including Knife,Fork, Muscle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never try to changehorses in mid-stream -- or mid-workout." -- Brooks Kubik

************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 5:56 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, Dinosaur Files, gray hair and black iron, knife fork muscle, realworld training, superhuman radio, training for older lifters

Can You Combine 1 x 20 and 5 x 5?Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of our readers asked the followingquestion:

"I like the idea of mixing up set/repschemes in alternating workouts, but5 x 5 and 5/3/1 are both low-rep powersystems.

What do you think of using very different

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set/rep schemes, say 5 x 5 alternatedwith 1 x 20?"

I assume he means using 1 x 20 for squatsor possibly deadlifts, as those are thestandard exercises for 1 x 20. So youwould do 5 x 5 in squat in one workout,and 5 x 5 in squat in your next squatworkout. Or the same in the deadlift --1 x 20 in one deadlift workout and 5 x 5the next time you do them.

Here's my take on it.

I think 5 x 5 requires one particularmental approach to training -- and Ithink that 1 x 20 requires a differentmental approach.

I also think they stress the body in significantly different ways.

So I prefer a program where you focuson multiple sets of low reps by doing 5 x 5 or 5/3/1 or 5/4/3/2/1 for yourworking sets -- and if you want to try1 x 20 in squats or deadlifts, do them in a different training cycle.

In other words, focus on one thing ata time -- EITHER multiple sets of lowreps OR 1 x 20.

Now, some people are different. They like more variety -- and they may do fine ona program that mixes up the sets and repsmore than I like to do.

But here's another very important pointto consider.

1 x 20 in the squat on deadlift puts someserious stress on your legs and lower back.

That means that recovery time is veryimportant.

If you train 1 x 20 in the squat, and youare not fully recovered the next time you train, you're going to adversely affectevery exercise that involves the legs andlower back.

That would include any type of Olympiclifting or related pulls.

Bent-over rowing.

Presses (because the lower back stabilizesyour torso when you press).

And even heavy barbell curls (for the samereason as presses).

It also means that the deadlift will affectthe squat and vice-versa -- which makes itvery hard to do 1 x 20 on both movements

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in one program.

This is one of the reasons why the classic1 x 20 breathing squat system has you gohard and heavy on squats, and do just acouple of other auxiliary movements whereyou go lighter and easier.

The recovery issue is particularly importantfor older trainees, where recovery and recuperation are always critical.

If you DO try 1 x 20 alternated with 5 x 5,do it with squats only -- and do squats once a week -- and do 5 x 5 one week and 1 x 20 thenext.

And for gosh sake, break into 1 x 20 smartand slow. Don't make your first workout adeath march. Start light and build up. You need time and practice for your body toadjust to the higher reps.

So I hope that answers the question!

As always, thanks for reading and have agreat day. If you train today, make it agood one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's a great course for buildingstrength and muscle mass the old-schoolway:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses areright here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Focus on one thing at a time. Master it, and thenmove on to the next challenge." -- BrooksKubik

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:58 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, 5 x 5 training, breathing squats, dinosaur workouts, real worldtraining, sets and reps

A Training Tip from Big Joe Hise!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We were talking about Joe Hise last week,and that reminded me of a very usefultip that he came up with about 80 yearsago.

This was back when the 20-rep breathingsquat was just getting off the ground.

Hise, William Boone and other young menhad made spectacular gains with the 20-rep

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breathing squat and an abbreviated exerciseprogram to go with it -- and Mark Berrywas writing about it constantly -- andguys around the world were giving it atry.

But some of the guys who tried it had aproblem.

The 20-rep squat was too hard on their lower backs.

Their legs could take it -- but their backs weren't up to the challenge.

They wrote in to Berry and asked what todo.

And Joe Hise had a suggestion.

"Tell them to try a specialization programfor the low back BEFORE they try the 20-repsquat program," he said. (Or words to thateffect.)

"Once their lower back is strong and fit,they can start on the squat program."

That was good thinking, and it was a goodidea.

It also teaches us a broader principle -- that you always need to lay the proper foundation for any type of advanced or specialized training that you planto do.

Sounds simple, but you'd be astonished to see how many trainees forget about this basic rule -- and jump into anadvanced program or a specializationworkout that's far too much for them.

It's one of the greatest causes offailure in the Iron Game -- and it'ssad, because it's the result of beinggung-ho and enthusiastic.

That's one reason why I always urge youto start light and easy on a new program or a new exercise. Learn the new workout(or the new exercise) and get comfortablewith it before you start to pack on the weight and go balls to the wall.

I KNOW it's tempting to jump right in andgo as hard and heavy as you can from dayone.

Trust me, I've been there -- and done that. We all have.

But there's a better way to do it -- and the better way is to start easy, play it smart, and build up to thebig weights and the high intensity.

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In the meantime, if you're thinking about doing the 20-rep breathing squat program, be sure your lower back is upto the task. If not, you might want tospend the next couple of months on alow back specialization program BEFOREyou try the breathing squat program.

And that's the tip of the day -- a tipthat's over 80 years old, and that comes from one of the pioneers of the IronGame.

As always, thanks for reading and have agreat day. If you train today, make it agood one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover leg and back specialization programs for maximum strength and muscle mass in CHALK AND SWEAT -- along withprograms for beginners, intermediates and advanced trainees. Go here to graba copy:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses areright here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Never stoplearning, never stop seeking and neverstop growing." -- Brooks KubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 6:03 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, chalk and sweat, joe hise, leg and back training, old schoolstrongmen, old-school training, the hise squat

Squats on Roller Skates (Part 1)Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Someone asked me what I thought about doing squats on roller skates.

At first I thought he was kidding.

Turns out he was serious.

He'd read about it on the internet.

Apparently, it was the most effectiveway to do squats. Triples your resultsin half the time.

And apparently there are studies fromleading universities that prove it.

I mean, it's 100% bona fide.

Pure science.

Irrefutable logic.

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With lots of big words, even.

"It's all about muscle memory," he said."If the muscles have never been there,they don't remember it. So if yourmuscles don't remember how to squat on roller skates, they may start toatrophy instead of hypertrophy. Whichmeans the more you train, and the moreweight you put on the bar, the worseit is for you. It's worse than bio-enervation of the remedial tediums!Or molecular disgruntlement of theanterior whazzit widget!"

I nodded gravely. I didn't know what tosay. I mean, I've seen and heard a lot of goofy training stuff in my time, but this took the cake.

There was even a documented case historythat explained the whole thing. He toldme all about it.

Good thing, too, because I would neverhave figured this out on my own.

"See, there was this guy who trained old-fashioned," he continued. "Worked up to400 pounds for three sets of five reps inthe squat - and 450 pounds for a single. Maybe even more than that! But he didn'tdo them on roller skates."

"What happened to him?" I asked.

He looked at me like I had asked if2 plus two equals ten.

"His muscles atrophied," he squeaked."Big time! He ended up weighing 111 pounds with 10 inch thighs! And they'll shrink down to nine inches if he keepsit up."

"That'll teach him!" I noted.

"Right!" he replied. "He even fits intothose hipster style skinny jeans. It'sreally embarrassing for a guy who squats 400 for 5 reps."

I nodded. He was right. Skinny jeans aretruly embarrassing.

I decided to change the subject.

"So what are YOU squatting these days?"I asked.

"95 pounds on my my heavy day!" he said,with more than a whiff of self-satisfiedsmugness. "But those aren't on rollerskates."

I was surprised. I'd pegged him as a "75

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pounds on my heavy day" sort of guy.

"But I only go heavy every three months,"he added. "I don't want to fry my CNS!"

"No, you wouldn't want to do that."

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Squats on roller-skates! Should I do power squats, donkey to grass, front squats or overhead squats?"

"On roller skates?"

"Right! Or maybe I should do those 20 rep breathing squat thingies. I heard thosewere pretty good."

"Guy named McCallum thought so," I said.

"Did he do them on roller skates?"

I shook my head.

"I don't think so."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Then he didn't do 'em right," he pronounced.

He turned back to me.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you don't like the idea of squatson roller skates, try the leg and backprograms in CHALK AND SWEAT -- and buildsome serious strength and muscle mass:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses areright here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Simple worksfine, but most people prefer silly. That'swhy they stay small and weak." -- BrooksKubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 5:43 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, basic exercises, dinosaur exercises, real world training, squats

Heavy Squatting, Scottish Style!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

They say that where there's a will, there's

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a way.

Kevin Halligan has proved it.

Kevin is one of our many Scottish Dinosaurs.

He couldn't find a gym with the right sortof vibe -- an all-Dino vibe -- so he setup shop at home.

Not in his basement.

Not in his garage.

In his backyard.

He has the basics. Barbell, plates and aheavy0duty power rack.

And he trains outside all year round.

Even in the winter.

I got a note from Kevin earlier today.

He's planning to do one of my favoriteworkouts -- Nothing But Squats.

You warm up, get loose, and get the bloodflowing.

Then you do a warm-up set of squats.

Any style. Back squats, front squats, bottom position squats, whatever.

Add weight and gradually work up tosomething heavy.

Sets and reps are up to you.

And that's your whole workout -- NothingBut Squats.

The beauty is that it allows you to focus on one thing, and work it into the ground.And squats are a good thing to focus on.

Now that you know about the Nothing ButSquats workout, let's go back to Kevin.

He's standing outside next to his power rack.

The bar is loaded for bottom position squats.

And it's cold. There are gale force windsin Scotland today. And it's snowing.

And there's our Dinosaur -- bundled up in several layers -- squatting hard andheavy in his backyard power rack.

I may have to change the name of the workout.

We'll call it the Nothing But Squats, Gale

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Force Winds and a Scottish Winter Workout.

Anyhow, Kevin hit it Dino style -- hard andheavy -- and he had a great one.

If you train today, do the very same thing.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can see other leg specializationprograms in Chalk and Sweat -- including JohnGrimek's squat routine. Extra good for packingon serious muscle mass:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are righthere:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Focus on onething at a time and and do it perfectly."-- Brooks KubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 3:49 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, building strength and muscle, cellar-dwellers and garage gorillas,dinosaur mindpower, home gym training, nothing but squats, outdoor training, real worldtraining, the iron will to succeed

The T Thing -- And What to Do About It!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I get a lot of questions from olderDinos (and some not so old) about the T thing.

As in, they saw something that madethem think they have low T -- sothey want to know what to do aboutit.

Well, I'm not a doctor, and thisisn't medical advice -- but if youstudy old-school physical training,you see lots of references to exercises and training methods thathelp were supposed to help normalizeglandular function and increase your body's natural production of malehormones.

Leg and back work -- and exercises that get you breathing hard and heavy -- asin, puffing like a steam engine -- arethe ones that work.

For example:

1. Squats

The classic 20 rep squat -- the breathing squat -- sets of 10 -- sets of five -- orGrimek's classic 20/18/15/12/10/8/6 program.

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For details on Grimek's program:

http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html

2. Deadlifts

Same as squats. Note that you can do them with a regular bar or a Trap Bar.

3. Snatches

Sets of five will get your heart and lungsworking like a steam engine. triples aregood, too.

4. The clean and jerk

Sets of five -- or triples -- or do themrest-pause style and make one set of 20,with plenty of deep breathing between each rep.

For details on rest-pause training, graba copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

5. The clean and press

Same as the clean and jerk.

6. The two dumbbell clean and press

Same as the clean and jerk. Note also that sets of ten are pretty darn tough.

Start working some of those babies intoyour program and you can stop worrying about the low T thing.

7. Pretty much any of the exercises inDinosaur Dumbbell Training -- especially if you combine them with squats or deadliftsor Trap Bar deadlifts.

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

Oh, and while we're talking about it:

1. Meat, fish, eggs, and veggies. Watchyour carbs. Try cutting out all grainprods and see what happens. And ofcourse, cut the junk food.

2. No beer.

2a. Sorry guys.

2b. Seriously.

3. If you're carrying too much excessweight -- as in, Lard Lumps -- loseit. Lard lumps lower T. Lean and meanups it.

3a. The diet in Gray Hair and Black Iron

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will work pretty well for you.

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

4. Get enough sleep every night. Not sleeping increases your stress hormonesand decreases everything else.

5. Buy flowers for your lady once in awhile.

5a. Seriously.

And that's how to turn low T into T Rex.

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. The leg and back specialization programsin Chalk and Sweat would be pretty darn good as T boosters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.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: "There's more tolife than training, but training is what putsmore in your life." -- Brooks KubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 3:17 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, cellar-dwellers and garage gorillas, dinosaur exercises, gray hairand black iron, leg and back training, leg specialization, real world training, training forolder lifters

The Squat Rack GuyHail to the Dinosaurs!

I rec'd a ton of feedback in response toyesterday's post about bench press safety,and thought I'd share some of it with you.

First of all -- half a dozen Dinos admittedthat they had gotten stuck under the barwhile benching alone at some time in their career. Most of them were using abar without plates, so they tipped it andlet the plates slide off.

So, yes, this really does happen!

Second -- Dustin Winnekens sent in a winnerof an email. Check this out:

"I sold fitness equipment for five years, and would routinely get the father and son looking at weights. Often it was benches. "Gotta get ready for football, gotta bulkup, etc."

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Based on that, I would show them a squatrack. They would repeat that they wanteda bench, and I would explain the benefitsof squats.

I would tell the boy, "Drink a lot of milkand squat. You will grow."

I would demonstrate the wide variety ofexercises they could do on the rack. ThenI would get serious about safety. I wouldshow them how to set the safety bars. Theracks had numbers on them, and I wouldwrite them on the back of my card fortheir reference.

Withe the sale closed, I had one last demonstration -- because it is generallythe last thing you do that sticks with them. I would load the bar withoutcollars. I would lie on the bench and act like I was struggling with theweight on my chest. Then I would rollto one side, and the weights would falloff, and the bar would fly off my chest.

I would point to the son and say, "That is how you will save your life."

Some people would say that the plateswould slide off if you lifted without collars. I would tell them, "After eachset, look at the plates. That will tellyou where to work with auxiliaryexercises -- and it will tellyou how to improve your form."

I sold a lot of squat racks in my time.People would come in and say, "I'mlooking for the squat rack guy."

Dustin"

Thanks for sharing that, Dustin! Sounds like you steered plenty of kids in the right direction -- and maybe you evensaved some kid's life!

By the way, I have a feeling that Dustinis not the only Dino who's helped steernewbies in the right direction -- straightto the squat rack!

As always, thanks for reading and have agreat day. If you train today, make it agood one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The top sellers this month are DinosaurBodyweight Training, Dinosaur Training, GrayHair and Black Iron and my new John GrimekTraining course. You can find them right here, along with my other books, courses andDVD's:

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

P.S. 2. For more detail on power rack training,grab a copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone wants tobench, but everyone needs to squat." --Brooks Kubik

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 8:01 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, beginners, building strength and muscle, cellar-dwellers andgarage gorillas, safety tips, strength and bulk training, strength training for teenagers

Another Great Workout for Dinos!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several days ago I shared a workout used bya 60-year old Dino -- and it was a good one!

In response, a number of older trainees have sent in their workouts, and I'm going to sharesome of them with you over the next few days.

Here's one from Gordon Blake, a 54 year old Dinowho is a retired Sgt. in the NYPD. Gordon hitsthis workout twice a week on Tuesday and Friday,and in the next week, follows a different programwith lower reps. In other words, he alternates high rep weeks with low rep weeks:

1. Warm-up on stationary bicycle -- 10 mins

2. Squat 1 x 20

3. Light breathing pullover w/ 25 lb. DB 1 x 20

4. Bench press 2 x 10

5. Trap Bar deadlift 2 x 10

6. Weighted dips 2 x 10

7. T-bar rowing 2 x 10

8. Gut work

9. Captains of Crush grippers

That's a good, rugged program, and it's interesting to alternate weeks of high rep workouts with weeks of lowrep workouts. That's a good way to vary your workouts,and cover all the bases as far as strength, musclemass and conditioning.

Other things to note:

1. Twice a week works great for older lifters.

2. Basic, compound exercises give the most bang for thebuck.

3. Do a good general warm-up before hitting the heavy

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stuff!

4. Leg and back training keeps you young!

5. Don't forget about the gut work!

6. Do things you enjoy doing. If you enjoy your training, you're much more likely to stay with it.

7. Keep it simple.

As I noted, I'll share more workouts from older Dinos. Ifyou qualify as such, send an email outlining your currentprogram.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more training tips for older lifters -- and over 50workouts especially designed for older trainees -- grab a 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 -- includingDinosaur Arm Training, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training and BlackIron: The John Davis Story:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Nothing ages a man faster than theday he stops training." -- Brooks KubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 5:47 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, abbreviated training, abbreviated workouts, back to the basics,gray hair and black iron, real world training, training for older lifters

The 99.99 Percent and the .01 Percent!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

There's a lot of talk nowadays about the 99% and the 1%.

But what about the 99.99% and the.01%?

When I was a kid, Peary Rader wrotean article in his wonderful magazine,Iron Man, in which he stated that formost people, two workouts a week was the best program for building strengthand muscle.

Peary noted that he had tried 3x perweek workouts, and 2x per week workouts,and he found -- much to his surprise --that he actually did better on 2x per week.

And these were NOT long, time-consumingworkouts. They were actually pretty shortprograms. What I refer to in my booksand courses as "abbreviated training."

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For example:

1. Bench press 3 x 10 -12

2. Barbell bent-over rowing 3 x 10 -12

3. Breathing squat 1 x 20

4. Very light breathing pullovers 1 x 20

Or this program:

1. Military press 3 x 10 - 12

2. Barbell curl 3 x 10 - 12

3. Breathing squat 1 x 20

4. Very light breathing pullover 1 x 20

Or this one:

1. Parallel dips or weighted pushups3 x 10 - 12

2. Pull-ups 3 x 10 - 12

3. Squats, front squats or Trap Bardeadlifts 5 x 5

The reaction was EXACTLY what you would expect.Everyone thought that Peary was crazy -- and99.99% of the guys who read the article shooktheir heads, rolled their eyes and ignored it.They stuck to their four day, five day and six day per week split routines -- their two hour, three hour and four hour workouts -- and their endless sets of endless reps of every exercise under the sun.

And most of them didn't gain much of anythingat all.

Then there was the .01% of readers who actuallygave Peary's advice a try. They put together alimited exercise program (which is what Pearycalled abbreviated training) - and they trained2x a week (some of them only once a week) -- andlo and behold, they grew like weeds and ended up20, 30, 40 or even 50 pounds of muscle heavier,and two, three or four times stronger than ever before.

The funny thing is, it's more than 40 years later,and we still see 99.99% of the folks who traindoing too many exercises, too many sets, too manyreps, training too often, and not getting very muchin the way of results.

But we also have that .01% that trains the RIGHTway -- on brief, infrequent, abbreviated programs --and they're doing great.

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So take a second, look at your training program,and look at your results. Are you in the 99.99% --or in the .01%?

If you are NOT in the .01%, you CAN be -- all youneed to do is to start training short, hard, heavy and serious. No, it's not easy -- but easy neverbuilt an ounce of muscle.

As always, thanks for reading, and feel free toshare this message. If you train today, make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's something that combines serious armtraining with abbreviated strength training -- and will build arms bulging with strength and power:

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

P.S. 2. For more about abbreviated a strength training,see Dinosaur Training, Chalk and Sweat, Gray Hair andBlack Iron and Strength, Muscle and Power. You can findthem here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You only have one chanceto make your next workout a great one. Make the most ofit." -- Brooks KubikPosted by Brooks Kubik at 9:27 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, abbreviated training, abbreviated workouts, breathing squats,building strength and muscle, dinosaur training programs, dinosaur workouts, PearyRader

The 20-Rep Squat QuestionHail to the dinosaurs!

Training questions are like bananas – they come in batches. One of thecommon questions over the past few weeks involves the 20-rep breathingsquat. Folks want to know how much weight to handle when they begin toperform 20-rep squats.

So let’s talk about that today. And pay attention, because this is one ofthose topics where there is some very seriously BAD advice carved ingranite tablets and presented to the world as Training Gospel.

The BAD advice on 20-rep breathing squats is as follows:

“Take your absolute top, maximum weight for TEN reps – and then performTWENTY reps with it!”

That’s the time-honored formula, and it’s been repeated over and over againso many times that it’s probably one of the best known “rules” out there.

It gets repeated because it’s dramatic and it’s impressive and it gets youfired up and rarin’ to go out and do some heavy squats. And it makes animportant point about 20-rep breathing squats – which is, you really need towork hard on them.

But you DON”T do it by charging off and doing 20 reps with your 10-repmaximum the very first time you do breathing squats.

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Instead, you do it this way – slowly, progressively and intelligently:

1. Take 50% of your 10-rep max and do 20 reps.

2. Perform each rep in letter- perfect form.

3. Concentrate on your breathing.

4. Work to make this the bets set of squats you have ever done.

5. Immediately after the squats, perform 20 reps of the breathing pulloverwith very light dumbbells (no more than 15 pounds) or a 15 to 25 poundbarbell. Do NOT go heavy on the pullovers. They are supposed to be verylight, because all you are trying to do is to expand your ribcage throughdeep breathing and stretching.

In your next squat workout, add five or ten pounds to the bar and performanother PERFECT set of 20 reps.

Continue in this fashion, slowly and steadily, until you are handling yourmaximum possible weight for 20 reps.

At that point, try to add weight when ever possible.

By starting with an EASY weight at the beginning, you develop good habitsfor your breathing squats. You learn to perform each rep in absolutelyperfect form. And you learn how to focus for the full 20-rep set.

If you start too heavy – which is what most guys do – you almost alwaysbegin to perform your reps in lousy form. You round your back. You cutyour depth. You drop and bounce. You don’ t raise your chest andshoulders as high as possible when you breath between reps. You start tolean over and look down at the floor in-between reps.

That’s not good. It makes the exercise far less productive – and muchmore dangerous.

In addition, if you start light and build up, you develop a success-orientedmentality and approach each workout with plenty of confidence. In contrast,if you start too heavy, you quickly fall into the “Can I do it?” mentality – andpretty soon, you don’t get your full 20 reps – and then everything starts tofall apart and your progress comes to a crashing halt and you burn out bigtime.

I know. I’ve been there. I’ve made the very same mistake I’m telling you allabout. And I’ve seen plenty of other people make the very same mistake.

You may very well get to the point where you are handling your former topweight for 10-reps for a full 20-reps in the breathing squat – but don’t try toSTART there. Start light, and work your way up.

The above advice also applies to 20-rep deadlifts or any other high rep“death set” or “death march” exercise. YES, you are going to work themhard. Very hard. But NO, you are not going to go full-bore the very first timeyou try them.

So if you’re thinking about doing 20-rep squats or deadlifts, keep the abovepoints in mind. And look forward to some good old-fashioned hard work –and some GREAT GAINS!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

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Older Posts

P.S. For more information about 20-rep squats and deadlifts, weight gainingprograms and heavy-duty, high-octane muscle-building workouts, grab acopy of Dinosaur Training and a copy of Strength, Muscle and Power:

1. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development:

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

2. Strength, Muscle and power:

http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.htmlPosted by Brooks Kubik at 7:49 AMLabels: 20-rep squats, breathing squats, Brooks Kubik, Dinosaur Training, dinosaurworkouts

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