12/15/2015 Dinosaur Training: dinosaur bodyweight training

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Dinosaur Training

What's Your Favorite Exercise -- and Why?

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I thought I'd start the day with a questionfor the Dinos.

Send in your answer, and I'll share the results with the Dino Nation.

Here's the question:

What's your favorite exercise -- and why?

And while you're thinking about it, I'llshare my answer.

1. My favorite exercise has changed over the years. Of course, that's to be expected, since I've been training for almost half acentury.

2. I've always enjoyed virtually every exercise I've ever done, so at any point in time I've had a number of favorite exercises.

3. In picking a favorite exercise, I lookat how much I enjoy performing the movement -- and also at how it makesme feel immediately after I finish -- aswell as how it makes me feel later inthe day and the next day.

4. And, of course, I look at the resultsthe exercise gives me.

5. It's hard to pick just ONE favorite exercise.

6. Past favorites have included bottom position squats and bottom position bench presses -- as well as seated presses on an 80 degree incline bench, which I also performed bottom posiiton style.

a. These were probably the best strengthand muscle mass movements I ever did.

7. One hand barbell snatches were a favorite once.

8. So was the barbell clean and press.

About Me

Brooks Kubik

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9. And the one-hand dumbbell swing.

10. Ditto for some of the advanced pull-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

11. Along with handstand push-ups and someof the other push-ups covered in DBT.

a. And the one-hand barbell deadlift.

b. The farmer's walk.

c. Sandbag and barrel lifting.

d. Heavy partials in the power rack.

e. The seated press behind neck.

f. Heavy barbell curls.

g. The Trap Bar deadlift.

g. And the list, as they say, goes on and on.

12. My current favorites are snatches, cleanand jerks, high pulls, and front squats.

a. I love the feel of these movements.

b. And I love how I feel when I finish ahard workout built around these exercises.

c. And I love the way they make me feel --as in, strong, healthy and energized.

And my favorite is -- I honestly don't know.Probably one of the four movements Icurrently do -- or all of them.

That's not a definitive answer, but it's the best I can do. And it may very well change over time.

But in any case, let me know what YOUR favorite exercise is. So give it some thought, and fire in an email.

As always, thanks for reading and havea great day. If you train today, make it agood one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You'll find some terrific exercises in Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and in DinosaurBodyweight Training. Who knows -- they might end up being your new favorites!

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are righthere at Dino Headquarters -- along with my

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Dinosaur Training DVD's and links to my e-books on Kindle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Exercises arelike friends -- you should choose them wisely."--Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:35 AMLabels: bodyweight exercises, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training,dinosaur exercises, dumbbell exercises, power rack training

"Whaddaya Think About It? He Asked

Double rope pull-ups - one of the many unique and effective exercises inDinosaur Bodyweight Training.

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

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then we'll talk training.

1. Something New Is Coming!

We have something new for you, andwe're trying to launch it today -- butwe're running into some technical snafus.

We're working at double warp speedto get everything ready to go -- but itmay take another 24 hours or so. Notsure.

Anyhow . . .

Be looking for the big announcement later today or tomorrow, as soon as we get everything sorted out. And asI mentioned before, I think you are

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REALLY going to like this.

2. Our Daily Emails

We're pruning our email list, and that may knock a couple longtime Dinos offthe list by accident. If you don't get anyof my daily emails tomorrow or Wednesday, shoot me an email and we'll double-checkto be sure you are on the list -- and if not, we'll put you back on.

3. The "Whaddaya Think About It?" Question

I get a lot of "whaddaya think about"questions.

"Whaddaya think about [fill in the box with the name of any book, course, training system, workout, supplement,trainer, coach, or piece of equipmentthat you can imagine]."

Whatever it is, someone wants to know"Whaddaya think about it?"

The answer is almost always the same.

Answer: "I don't. I think about old-fashioned, Dino style strength training.And you should do the same."

In other words, don't waste your timeand your energy reading and worryingabout the silly stuff. Keep your focus on what works.

Of course, sometimes the question isabout something that might actuallywork for someone. For example,"What do you think about doing squats one week and deadlifts the next week?"

Or, "What do you think about switchingfrom 5 x 5 to 10/8/6/4/2?"

Or, "What do you think about doingdeadlifts on a two-inch riser?"

Or, "What do you think about doing body rows instead of barbell bent-over rowing?"

Or perhaps, "What do you think about doing weight training once a week and bodyweight training twice aweek?"

The answer to THAT type of questionis something like this:

"I've never done that, but it's workedwell for other Dinos. Why don't youtry it and see what happens? Shoot

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me an email and let me know howit works for you."

Or:

"I tried it once and it worked well forme. Give it a try and see if it works for you. Keep me posted on yourresults."

Or:

"I tried that, and it didn't work verywell for me. But it's worked well forother Dinos. Give it a try and see if it works for you. Let me know whathappens."

Notice the pattern?

If something is worth trying, the answeris to DO IT and see what happens. If itworks for you, that's great. You've added another arrow to your quiver.

If it doesn't work for you, that's okay. Yougave it a try, you learned something about your body and how it responds to differentthings, and you can use that knowledge tomove forward and make progress.

Remember, the key is DOING something.Testing it. Giving it a try. And doing so withtotal concentration, full focus and intenseeffort.

As long as it's not goofball stuff (and most of the stuff out there is goofball stuff), feel free to give it a try and see what happens. That's the only way to know.

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. Dinosaur Training Secrets Vol 1 has been ahuge best-seller this year. If you don't have a copy, you're missing a great little book:

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and linksto my Dinosaur Training e-books on Kindle --are right here:

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

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P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "Keep an openmind, but don't fill it with useless stuff." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 11:46 AMLabels: back to the basics, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur news, dinosaurupdates, dinosaur workouts, old school training programs, trial and error

Yes, I'm a Garage Gorilla!

Rich Abbott pulls a heavy deadlift. Rich began his training career at theAmerican College of Modern Weightlifting -- a garage gym in Akron, Ohio

that produced World and Olympic Champion, Pete George.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yes, I admit it. I'm a garage gorilla.

I often write about celler dwellers and garage gorillas -- meaning Dinos who train in their home gyms. That includes quite a few of you. And it includes me, as well.

There are many reasons to train at home.Here are some of mine:

1. No distractions.

1A. Meaning no talk radio, no television, no talking, no bros doing bro stuff, nopumpers doing curls in the power rack, no one chattering on their cell phone, and no talking about bodybuilding, thelatest and greatest super supplementor the new super roidskie that can put(they claim) 27 inches on your upper arms in just two hours.

1B. "Distraction is a physical culturist'sworst enemy." Bradley J. Steiner

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2. Better concentration.

2A. Intense, focused concentration is oneof the keys to strength training success.

3. Better bars.

3A. Most gyms have second or third ratebars. Some are so bad that you reallydon't want to use them -- and you definitely don't want to load them heavy.

4. Better equipment. Meaning better qualityequipment. Too many gyms spend big bucks on the silly stuff that gets people in the door(e.g., cardio theater), and then they don'thave money for the kind of heavy duty barsand power racks a Dino needs.

5. The EXACT equipment you need -- mostof which is not going to be found at a gym:

high quality Olympic bar

lifting platform

bumper plates

super-strong power rack

sandbags

thick bars

farmers' walk implements

rocks

barrels

grip tools

6. No drugs, no super supplements and no bad advice.

7. No one will kick you out of the gym for using chalk, grunting or doing heavy deadlifts.

8. Music. I get to pick it. Or no music ifI prefer no music that day.

9. Better posters on the wall: John Grimek,Steve Stanko, John Davis, Doug Hepburn,Reg park, etc.

A. The posters we include with hard copyorders for books and courses are prettygood for your home gym.

10. I can do exactly what I want, how Iwant, when I want. And at age 58, having trained for almost 50 years, I'm entitled.

Of course, if you train at a gym you can always make it work -- you just need to

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work really hard to stay focused, and you need to rev up your powers of concentration.

You also need to avoid the negative people,the doubters, the naysayers, the talkers, the whiners, the complainers, and the folks who want to argue with you about everything you do.

Anyhow, that's why I train at home.

Oh -- there's one more reason.

It's exactly 27 steps from the garage to theback door -- and Trudi has dinner ready for me after I train!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

1. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight training are great additions to your training program:

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

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

2. My other books and courses are righthere at Dino Headquarters -- along with links to all of my e-books on Kindle:

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

3. Thought for the Day: "I train alone, but I always train with the Dinos." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:33 AMLabels: cellar-dwellers and garage gorillas, concentration, dinosaur bodyweight training,dinosaur dumbbell training, focus, home gym equipment, home gym training, mentalaspects, real world training

A Very Good Reason to Keep On Training!

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Brooks Kubik hitting it hard -- with the famous Double Rope StaggeredGrip Pull-ups featured in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're my age or older, and you startedtraining in your teens, you probably knewplenty of people who told you not to do it.

Your doctor didn't want you to lift weights.

Your coaches didn't want you to lift weights.

Your parents didn't want you to lift weights.

They thought it was bad for you.

They believed that weight training wouldmake you slow, clumsy, stiff and muscle-bound.

It would ruin your joints, wreck your kneesand destroy your spine.

You would "pull" your muscles, develop a hernia, and ruin your chances for having children.

You would harm your heart, develop high blood pressure, and probably die of a heart attack at an early age.

That was the conventional wisdom of the time.

Those of us who ignored the advice to "STOP

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IT!" learned that weight training made us bigger, stronger, and -- somehow -- healthier.

If we kept training, we eventually realized that we were bigger, stronger, healthier and much younger looking than our peers. If you're age 50 or older and you've beentraining for your entire life and you go toa high school reunion you know exactlywhat I mean.

And now, somewhat late in the game, science is catching up to us.

There's a new report of a study of 8,677men, conducted over a period of morethan 20 years.

The researchers monitored the men's health,including their muscular strength.

The results turned the conventional wisdom right on its head.

Get this -- the men who did regular weight training and had the highest levels of muscular strength were between 30 and 40 percent lesslikely to die from cancer than their non-trainingpeers.

Now, that's pretty amazing. I don't know of anything, other than not smoking, that has that kind of protective effect.

So keep on doing what you love. Keep on hitting the iron -- and hit it hard, heavy andoften -- because you were right all along:

It really IS good for you!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Strength, Muscle and Power will teach you how to build exactly that -- along with lifelong health and fitness:

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

Gray Hair and Black Iron is the number onebook about successful strength trainlng forolder Dinos:

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

For the best in old-school bodyweight training --and how to combine it with barbell and dumbbelltraining -- grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and links

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to my Dinosaur Training e-books on Kindle -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's always best to start young, and keep at it. But whatever your age, start NOW if you need to start -- and keepat it!" -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:36 AMLabels: cellar-dwellers and garage gorillas, dinosaur bodyweight training, gray hair andblack iron, lifelong strength and health, real world training, strength muscle and power,training for older lifters

Answers to Your Training Questions

The Dinosaur Files Quarterly is a great resource for Dinosaurs. It'savailable in your choice of hard copy or Kindle e-book. It comes out

every three months.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've been getting a ton of questions fromDinos around the world, and thought I'dshare some of them with you -- alongwith my answers.

1. You're a former bench press championand record holder. Why don't you write acourse about bench pressing?

A. I just wrote a long course on the bench press. But I don't sell it. It's only available at The Iron League, which is a terrific newmember's only strength training archive

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developed by my good friend, John Wood.

I've also allowed John to upload five of myoriginal Dinosaur Training DVD's, as well as all seven of my Dinosaur Bodyweight Training DVD's. They're not all availableyet, but several are. And in the meantime,there's a ton of other great stuff at TheIron League:

http://www.ironleague.com/

As you can tell, I'm a very big supporter of what John is doing with the Iron League.It's a terrific resource for serious strengthtrainers and Iron Slingers. One fellow Dino has called it "The Library of Congress of Strength."

2. When you outline a program where thetrainee does 5 x 5 with one heavy set, whatweight do you use on the warm-up sets? Ifthe top set is 100%, what are the percentagesfor the warm-up sets?

A. Try 60/70/80/90/100 percent. If you aredoing an exercise like squats or deadlifts where you need to start lighter and do more warm-up sets, then try 30/40/50/60/70/80/90/100percent.

3. I dropped off your email list. What happened?

A. I don't know. People sometimes drop off thelist and we don't know why. It's either somethingto do with our email service or its something at your end. One reader changed mobile devicesrecently, and doesn't get the emails any more.

I send emails every day other than Sunday, soif you miss an email, there's a glitch somewhere.

Go to my website and sign back up -- and checkyour junk mail settings, because they changesometimes and you may need to put us on your white list.

As a back-up, I post every email I send at theDinosaur Training Blog. If you miss an email, goto the Blog to catch up. You can access the Blogfrom my website. Email me if you can't find the link.

I'm also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at "Brooks Kubik." I share links to my blog postson Facebook and Twitter, so those are great ways to stay in contact. Look for #brookskubikor #dinosaurtraining.

4. I'm a young woman. How should I get started in strength training?

A. Women can and should train exactly the same as men. See Chalk and Sweat, and Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1 and 3 for trainingprograms for beginners.

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5. Which is better for upper body muscle mass --the bench press or the push press?

A. The bench press will build more mass, but the push press will build more power and is abetter movement for athletes in most sports.That said, don't do one or the other. Do BOTH!

6. What do you weigh now? Are you trying togain or lose weight? What do you eat?

About 210. I am trying to get down to 206 pounds so I can compete in the 94 kilo class in Masters Weightlifting. At my age (58) it's important to train for strength and power, but it's just as important to keep your weight under control.

My diet is meat, eggs, fish and veggies, including tons of fresh salads, and small amounts of fruit. We try to use local, in-season food from our favorite farmers market.

For details, see Knife, Fork, Muscle. For photos of my meals, see my Facebook and Instagrampages (at "Brooks Kubik" or #brookskubik or#dinosaurtraining. You'll see a lot of freshgreen stuff in these photos.

7. Do you like body rows with rings?

A. Yes, and I cover them in Dinosaur BodyweightTraining -- along with tons of other great exerciseswith rings (and with ropes, as well). Many Dinos like body rows better than any other rowing exercise.

There have been about a hundred more questions this week, but we'll have to leave it at seven for now.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Chalk and Sweat, DinosaurBodyweight Training, Knife Fork Muscle and mynew Dinosaur Training Secrets courses:

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

P.S. 2. Remember to check out The IronLeague -- it's really good:

http://www.ironleague.com/

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "There's never oneRIGHT way to do something -- but there are plentyof WRONG ways." -- Brooks Kubik

*********************************************************************************** Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:29 AMLabels: back to the basics, beginners, bench pressing, chalk and sweat, dinosaur

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bodyweight training, knife fork muscle, poundage progression, push presses, sets andreps, the iron league, warm-up sets, warming-up

Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Dumbbell presses were one of John Grimek's favorite exercises.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

1. The Dinosaur Training Strength Archive

We have a new e-book for you at our Amazon Kindle page:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

This is the e-book version of book 1in my new series, The Dinosaur TrainingStrength Archive, which collects the bestof my articles from the original Dinosaur Files monthly newsletter that I began publishing way back in 1997.

If you prefer hard-copy, go here tograb it:

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

2. Indian Clubs

We've been talking a bit about Indian Clubs,and many readers have asked where to getthem and what weight to use.

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Get the one pound clubs -- that's all youneed -- and get them from John Wood:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/classic-wooden-indian-clubs

3. Danger -- These Are Shoulder Wreckers!

Shoulder problems are very common amongtrainees of any age, and in particular, amongolder trainees.

Some of that is due to age-related wear andtear -- some to dings and dents going back to an old accident or injury -- and some to our modern lifestyle where we spend so much time hunched over a keyboard.

But some of it is the direct result of the exercises we do.

Like it or not, some exercises are very tough on our shoulders.

Here are the seven exercises that seem tocause or contribute to shoulder problems more often than any others:

1. The Pull-over Torso machine

The original version of the Nautilus pull-over torso machine had an enormous range of motion, and pulled your upperarm way back behind your head -- whichled to serious problems for many trainees.

You weren't stretching the muscles in that position. You were literally pulling the shoulder joint apart on every rep.

I believe that later models of the pull-overtorso machine use a reduced ROM -- but I think back to the problems the original machine caused for me, and I say, "Thanks,but no thanks."

2. Straight Arm Pull-overs

Same problem if you do these with heavyweight. If you do them with very light weightand use them solely as a chest expansion exercise after your squats, that's okay -- just don't go crazy with the stretch!

3. Bent Arm Pull-overs

Same problem. Skip them.

4. Parallel Bar Dips

Some trainees can do these with no problem,and others have hurt themselves badly bydoing dips. The problem seems to be whenyou go too low. That deep stretch position may feel like you're hitting the deep fibers of the chest, but you're over-stretchingyour shoulder joints every time you do it.

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If you MUST do dips, don't go too low -- anddon't drop and bounce!

5. The press behind neck

I used to love the press behind neck. It's agreat shoulder builder -- but it, too, can leadto shoulder problems. Skip it, and stick to military presses and dumbbell presses.

6. Behind the neck pull-downs

These were hugely popular when I was akid, but there's not much point in doing them.They're not a very good exercise, and they're very hard on the shoulders. Pull-downs and pull-ups to the chest are much safer and more effective.

7. McDonald Bar Bench Presses

The McDonald Bar is a special bench press barthat allows you to lower your elbows way fardown on each rep. The idea is that the increasedROM stimulates more muscle fibers. In fact, it over-stretches the shoulder joints.

There you have it. Seven shoulder wreckers.

Do yourself a big favor, and replace them withother, safer and more effective exercises.

And yes, dumbbell flies and pec dec squeezes almost made the list -- except I doubt that manyDinos ever do them.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Many Dinos have found that Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur Bodyweight Training is easier on their shoulders than anything else:

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, but train smart. You're in it for the long haul."-- Brooks Kubik

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*************************************************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:26 AMLabels: dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training, healthy joints, indianclubs, shoulder health, shoulder training, training for older lifters

10 Great Exercises for Dinos!

Sig Klein

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We'll talk iron in a minute, but let me begin with two quick updates.

1. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly, IssueNo. 4

Is available in hard copy or Kindle e-book, and it's been getting rave reviews:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurquarterly_04_kindle.html

2. The Revolution Continues!

That's the title of Book 1 in the new DinosaurStrength Training Archive series -- which collectsand updates the very best of my articles from theoriginal Dinosaur Files newsletter published backin 1997 thru 2002. Plus, it includes a brand new

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power rack training program.

It, too, has been getting great reviews:

Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurtrainingarchive_kindle01.html

3. Ten Great Exercises for Dinos

Here are ten great exercises for Dinos.

They're not new, but I bet many of youhave never done them -- or have not donethem for awhile.

1. The Farmer's walk

Train these heavy, and you'll hit everything from your toes to your eyeballs. And it's one of the best grip builders there is.

2. The One Arm Military Press

Do these with a dumbbell, not a barbell, anddo them strict. The one arm military press willbuild cannonball delts on a no. 2 pencil. (A line I borrowed from Bradley J. Steiner.)

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for tipson how to perform the exercise.

3. Pinch grip deadlifts

Use a homemade pinch grip block made out of a 2 x 8 inch board. This is one of the best exercises for your thumbs.

4. Weighted leg raises

A terrific gut-blaster. Start light, but plan to workup to 25 or more pounds. I've done them with 35 pounds extra weight, which is a bear.

5. Handstand push-ups

This was one of the secret weapons of many old-time strongmen and weightlifters. They used it to build their amazing strength in the military press.

Sig Klein (pictured above) was a master of the handstand push-up. He did them freestyle, i.e., a perfectly balanced handstand -- but it's alsookay to do them with y0our feet against thewall.

6. Crush style Grippers

I'm talking about heavy duty grippers, ofcourse. Train them hard and you'll build hand and grip strength that is downrightscary.

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7. One arm dumbbell shrugs

Train these heavy, and your traps will startgrowing like oak trees.

8. One arm dumbbell bench presses

Work up to heavy weights on these and you'llbuild some serious upper body strength -- with muscular development to match!

9. Double Towel Pull-Ups

I cover these and other great pull-up variationsin Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. They're one ofthe toughest and most effective upper body exercises.

10. Front squat partials

Many dinos like heavy quarter squats to buildbone, tendon and ligament strength -- but didyou ever try 1/4 squats with the bar in the frontsquat position? It's a bear . . . Of course, you need to do them in a power rack with the pins set to catch the bar.

So there you have it -- 10 great exercises forDinos! Give them a try, and let me know howyou like them.

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. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and DinosaurBodyweight Training have some unusual and highly effective exercises:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and linksto all of my Kindle e-books -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard and heavy,and have fun." -- Brooks Kubik

************************************************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 4:21 AMLabels: dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training, dinosaur exercises,farmer's walk, grip exercises, handstand pushups

What Is the Best Kind of Strength Training?Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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What is the best kind of strength training?

Is it powerlifting?

Strongman training?

Dumbbell training?

Kettlebell training?

Power bodybuilding?

Power rack training?

Olympic weightlifting?

Bodyweight training?

High Intensity Training?

The old-school barbell and dumbbell workoutsin the York Courses?

Muscle control?

Cables?

Or something else?

Should you follow Doug Hepburn's program, or Paul Anderson's program, or Reg Park's program,or Tommy Kono's program or Arthur Saxon's program or Herman Goerner's program or George Hackenschmidt's program?

Should you train like the Chinese or the Germansor the Bulgarians or the Cubans or the Greeks orthe Russians or the Polish or the Hungarians or the York lifters from the 1940's?

Should you do 20 rep breathing squats or 5 x 5or triples, doubles or singles?

If you do 5 x 5, how many work sets should youdo?

I could go on for a very long time -- because thereare literally thousands of different ways to train,different exercises and different set/rep systems.

So which one is THE BEST?

Here's the answer.

The BEST way to train is the way that you enjoythe most -- because you'll train harder and moreeffectively if you do something you enjoy doing.

That's particularly true if you're an older trainee who's been doing this for a long time. After 30,40 or 50 years of training, you deserve to dothings you enjoy doing.

In simple terms, that means this:

If you prefer powerlifting style workouts, then do

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powerlifting style workouts.

If you prefer strongman training, then do strong-man training.

If you prefer Olympic lifting, then do Olympic lifting.

If you prefer to use dumbbells or kettlebells orbodyweight exercises, then that's what you should use.

If you love power rack training, then dothat.

If you prefer to mix things up (as many do), then that's what you should do.

And if you like to train one way for awhile and then switch to another style of training, that's fine, too.

As long as you train regularly and progressively,you'll do fine.

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 new Dinosaur Training Secrets series isperfect for trainees of all ages and all levels ofexperience, from beginner to advanced. Each book in the series is available in hard copy orKindle e-book. If you prefer hard copy and liveoverseas, email me for shipping charges for two or more books or courses:

1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1."Exercises, Workouts and TrainingPrograms"

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

Kindle e-book

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaursecrets01_kindle.html

2. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 2,"How Strong Are You?"

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_02.html

Kindle e-book

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets2_kindle.html

3. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 3,"How to Use Old-School ProgressionMethods for Fast and Steady Gains in Strength, Muscle and Power"

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Hard copy

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

Kindle e-book

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The best day totrain is today." -- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:30 AMLabels: dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training, dinosaur exercises,dinosaur training e-books, dinosaur workouts, old school training programs, Olympicweightlifting, power rack training

The Best Kind of Strength TrainingHail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then we'll talk training:

1. Physical Culture Radio.

It's Thursday, and that means I'll be on Physical Culture Radio with Carl Lanore -- live at 12:00EST today.

If you miss the live show, listen to the downloadat your convenience.

Physical Culture Radio is part of the SuperHuman Radio Network:

http://superhumanradio.com/

2. The LOST Articles.

From 1997 through 2002 I did a hard covermonthly newsletter -- really a small magazine --called The Dinosaur Files. It has some of my bestarticles -- but they've been out of print -- andLOST -- for a long time.

Now, I'm bringing them back in a new seriesof books.

This is a great chance for anyone who missed them the first time around.

Go here for details or to order the hard copyof book 1 in the new series:

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

We'll be releasing the new series in both hardcopy and Kindle e-book format. I'll send the link to the Kindle e-book as soon as it's availableon Kindle -- which will be very soon.

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3. The Best Kind of Strength Training.

In the past week, I've received emails fromDinos around the world who were havinggreat workouts and getting terrific resultsfrom their training.

And here's the interesting thing.

They were all doing different types of training.

One was doing heavy partials in the power rack.

Another was training for a powerlifting contest.

One was doing strongman style training, and looking to enter a strongmen contestin the near future.

One was doing Olympic weightlifting.

Another was doing an all-bodyweight program.

Still another was doing a combination of barbell, dumbbell and bodyweight work.

One was specializing in kettlebell training --another was doing barbells, kettlebells and cables -- and yet another was combining weight training and yoga.

One Dino was doing muscle control (using the old Maxick course), dumbbells andcables -- along with some bodyweight work.

And one of the older Dinos was hitting it in his garage gym, using an old York barbell,and following the same York training courseshe used more than 50 years ago when he firstbegan to train.

Some were doing 5 x 5, some were doingsingles, and some did pyramids.

Some trained three times per week, sometwo, and one trained once every three to fivedays.

Some did strength work and cardio, othersdid strength work only, and some did bothbut on different days.

Who was getting the best workout?

I don't know. They were all having great fun, and they all reported great results.

Whose training program was best?

Once again, I don't know. It seems as if allof the programs were pretty good.

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I think that's the answer to the question.

What's the best kind of strength training?

There isn't one.

There are many.

Pick what you enjoy the most -- and workon it hard -- and stick to your program likegorilla glue -- and you'll do just fine!

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. Old-school dumbbell training and old-school bodyweight training can give you aterrific workout all by themselves -- or youcan combine them with other training toolsfor a super-effective head to toe workout:

Dinosaur Dumbbell Training (book)

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

The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training (DVD)

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are righthere at Dino Headquarters -- along with linksto all of my e-books on Kindle:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "It's what you do,but it's also how you do it, that counts." -- BrooksKubik

***********************************************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:03 AMLabels: bodyweight exercises, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training,dinosaur exercises, dinosaur strength training archive, dinosaur workouts

The 7 Best Assistance Exercises for the PressHail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes, and then we'll cover assistance exercises for the military press.

1. Legacy of Iron

Is available as a Kindle e-book. The e-bookedition has a new introduction that tells thestory of how the book got written -- and how

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it almost NEVER got written. It's available aspart of the free on-line preview, so be sureto check it out:

http://www.brookskubik.com/legacyofiron01_kindle.html

If you're an Amazon customer, and you readLegacy of Iron in the hard copy edition, please post a review. They really help us.

2. Physical Culture Radio

I'll be on Physical Culture Radio at 12:00 noontomorrow. We're going to announce somethingnew and exciting, so be sure to be listening forit:

http://superhumanradio.com/

3. The Iron League

I'm getting great reports from Dinos who have joined John Wood's Iron League. They're lovingthe strength archive -- which is crammed full of great material, with more being added all the time. Go here to join the Iron League:

http://www.ironleague.com

And now, let's talk training!

The 7 Best Assistance Exercises for the MilitaryPress

The military press is a majestic lift.

The lifter tightens his belt, chalks his hand andapproaches the bar.

He stands over it, eyes closed, concentratingfiercely.

He opens his eyes, gets into position, sets himself, and cleans the bar to his chest.

He stands tall and straight -- and then drivesthe bar off his shoulders. There's no leg kick,no hip thrust, no body drive and no back bend.It's nothing but arm and shoulder power.

He hits the sticking point and drives twice ashard as before. It's man against iron, and for a second, no one knows who will win.

He pushes through -- and suddenly, the bar isup and over his head. He holds it high, arms locked, every muscle straining, as the crowdgoes wild.

Good lift!

And it's not just a magnificent lift. It's a terrific muscle builder.

Back in the day, John Grimek was the best builtman in the entire world -- and one of the best pressers in the world. He owed much of his upper

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body, arm and shoulder development to the military press. He set American and unofficialWorld records in the press -- and you can seewhy when you look at his photos. He had cannonballs on top of his shoulders.

He also had triceps that looked like theywere carved from solid marble -- or thathe had borrowed them from a bronzestatue.

Grimek had a favorite assistance exercise for the military press. So did most other lifters. Here arethe seven top assistance exercises for the press:

1. The Seated Military Press

A favorite exercise of John Grimek. Nuff said.

Do them strict. That's the whole point of the seated press.

2. The Two Dumbbell Press

All of the York lifters liked heavy dumbbell pressing.Frank Spellman thought dummbbell presses were the best way to bring up the press. He won the Olympic gold medal in 1948, so that's gold medaladvice.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and my DinosaurDumbbell Training DVD for detailed instruction andtons of useful training tips on dumbbell work:

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

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

3. The Incline press

This came into vogue in the 50's, and helped manytop lifters improve their press.

I used to do lots of pressing on an 80 degree incline, and built some serious shoulder strengthdoing it. I did the exercise in the power rack, andset the pins so I could start from the bottomposition. I worked up to 320 pounds, which isa lot of iron.

4. The Two Dumbbell Alternate Press

Also known as the see-saw press. Another JohnGrimek favorite. He learned the exercise from Sig Klein.

5. Handstand pushups

A favorite of many top pressers, including Sig Klein, who set a professional World record inthe press, and Tony Terlazzo, who won theOlympic gold medal in 1936. Even the bigmen did them -- Paul Anderson and DougHepburn both did plenty of handstand pushups.

See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for tips

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and progressions on handstand pushups:

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

6. Overhead lockouts in the power rack

The secret weapon of the York champions, including John Grimek and John Davis. Thelatter won six World championships and two Olympic gold medals. See my power racktraining DVD for more ideas about how to do heavy rack work for pressing power.

7. The bench press

John Davis, Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson all used the bench press to build strength and power for the military press. Once again, nuffsaid.

Of course, you have to do strict benches tohave any carry-over to the military press. Nobench bounces!

You now have seven terrific assistance exercisesto help build a world class military press. Havefun with them -- and set some PR's in the press!

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. For more information about building a worldclass military press, see The Dinosaur TrainingMilitary Press and Shoulder Power Course. It'savailable in your choice of hard-copy or e-book:

Hard-copy:

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

Kindle e-book

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

P.S. My other books and courses are right here at Dino Headquarters -- along with links to all of our Kindle e-books:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When you train,train like a champion. Give every workout your very best." -- Brooks Kubik

**************************************** Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:23 AMLabels: dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training, dinosaur exercises,iron league, john grimek, Legacy of Iron, military press course, military pressing, yorktraining methods

7 Exercises that Build Serious Strength andMuscle Mass!

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Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's some BIG BREAKING NEWS -- and thenwe'll talk training:

1. It's Here -- The Iron League!

John Wood's Iron League is now open -- andyou can head on over, grab a membership, and dive headfirst into the amazing strengtharchive right now:

http://www.ironleague.com

As I mentioned the other day, I've been abeta-tester for the Iron League -- and I haveto tell you, I am AMAZED at how much greatmaterial John has put into the strengtharchive. And there's more of it -- lots more --on the way!

Head on over -- and tell John I sent you!And please -- share this post and spread the word. We want all strength fans all around the world to know about The Iron League.

And now . . . let's talk training.

7 Exercises that Build Serious Strength andMuscle Mass

Here are some tips to help you build plentyof rugged strength and Herculean musclemass.

These are seven of the most effective strengthand muscle building exercises that you can do.And yes, they are all Dino-approved and Dino-certified. They include some of my favorite exercises.

1. Bottom Position Bench Presses

Do these in a power rack. Set the pins so you can just barely squeeze under the bar. Starteach rep from the bottom and drive the barup to the lockout positiion. Lower slowly andunder control, pause, get set, and repeat.

If you prefer, do singles. That lets you get set in the right position for each rep.

When I trained for powerlifting and bench press competition, these were all I ever did.I never used the regular bench press. Theonly time I ever did it was in a contest.

It worked pretty well. I won five nationalchampionships in the bench press and seta ton of records -- lifting in the submaster's division, 198 and then 220 pound weight class, in drug-free competition.

2. The Negative Accentuated Push Press

This is a push press with a slow negative on each rep. Drive the bar overhead with

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a combination of leg, shoulder and arm power -- lock it out -- and lower as slowlyas possible.

Pause, get set, and repeat.

Three reps will fry your shoulder girdle.This was a favorite exercise of Dr. Ken Leistner,and many old-time lifters used it to help trainthe military press.

3. Doug Hepburn's Power Curls

Doug Hepburn used heavy-duty wooden boxes to position a barbell so he could beginhis curls from a deadstop with the bar restingon the boxes.

This forces you to curl in good form, and itallows you to do each rep with a tight backand flared lats -- so you can dig your elbowsinto your lats as you curl.

Hepburn worked up to 260 pounds in the strict curl, so that shows you that theexercise works.

I worked up to 185 for 5 reps in the strictcurl. That's not Hepburn territory, but it's not bad.

Curls don't get much respect these days, but this is a great exercise for wrestlers, judoka,martial artists, football players, and anyoneelse who needs to pancake an opponent.

4. Pause-style Front Squats

Perform regular front squats (using strict form,an upright stance, and going all the way down).Pause for two seconds at the bottom, and then drive back up to the finish position.

Wear Olympic lifting shoes with a heel whenyou do these. They help you maintain the proper upright position at the bottom.

5. The Two Dumbbell Clean and Press

Sig Klein called this movement "the secretexercise" of the old-time European liftingchampions -- and taught it to all of hisgym members.

He also taught it to John Grimek -- andthat turned out pretty well.

Clean the dumbbells, press them, lowerthem to your shoulders, and then lower themto the hang. Clean them from the hang, pressthem, and repeat for the desired number of reps.

This is a great conditioner, as well as aterrific strength builder.

See Dinosaur Dumbbell Training for other

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great old-school dumbbell body blasters.

6. Arched Back Pull-Ups

I teach these in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

I'm in good company, too, because Vince Gironda taught them in his famous NorthHollywood Gym.

Do a regular pull-up, but arch your back and tryto pull your shoulders as far back as possible atthe finish of each rep.

And try to touch your lower pec to the baron each rep.

Pause and hold the contracted position briefly,then lower and repeat.

These are tough, so you may need to startby doing singles. Or you may need to jumpup to get into the contracted posiiton, hold it, and lower slowly -- until you build thestrength to perform regular reps.

For my money, these are way better than doing weighted pull-ups with a rounded back or partial range of movement.

7. Handstand Push-Ups

Another exercise I teach in Dinosaur BodyweightTraining -- and a favorite of many old-schoolchampions. America's first gold medal winner inweightlifting, Tony Terlazzo, did lots of these.

So did John Grimek, Sig Klein, Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson.

If you can do them free-standing, that's great.

If not, keep your feet against a wall for balance.

So there you have it. Seven great exercises for serious strength and muscle mass.

And remember -- The Iron League is now open for business. Head on over and join up:

http://www.ironleague.com

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more great exercises and unique waysto perform them for maximum results, grabthese great books:

a. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

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b. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

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

c. Strength, Muscle and Power (especiallythe chapters on rack work and rest-pause training)

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

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

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

P.S. 3. "It's the little things that make a hugedifference in strength training and muscle building." -- Brooks Kubik

*************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:25 AMLabels: building strength and muscle, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbelltraining, dinosaur exercises, iron league, john wood, old-school exercises, strengtharchive

Cardio Training for Dinosaurs!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, all the coachesused cardio training as a form ofpunishment.

They called it "running laps." Whena coach was mad at you, you ran laps.

If he was real mad, you ran manylaps.

The freshman football coach was the worst. If the team lost a game, he made all the players permanent members of theThousand Yard Club.

The Thousand Yard Club was twenty50 yard sprints in full footballgear, with hardly any rest between sprints. It was brutal. They neededto keep plenty of puke buckets handyon the day we did it.

If you lost another game, the coachadded two additional 50 yard sprints.

The freshman team was TERRIBLE myyear. We lost 8 games and tied one.

By the end of the season the ThousandYard Club had morphed into the 1800Yard Club.

The whole thing was self-defeating,because that many sprints wore ourlegs out, and we were stiff and sore

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and tired and slow on game day. Itwould have been a lot better to have made us run some sprints, and thenstopped and called it a day. Our recovery would have been better,and we would have played better.

And that's the problem with cardio training for Iron Heads. You need to do enough cardio -- but not toomuch. And you need to do the rightkind of cardio.

Stuff that beats you up, makes you sore and stiff, and eats up all of yourrecovery doesn't do much good.

In fact, it's BAD for you, because itwears you down and sets you up forinjury.

So here are some ideas:

1. Dumbbell swings, cleans and snatches, as described in DinosaurDumbbell Training. Sets of five willget your heart and lungs working bigtime.

2. Lugging and loading drills, asdescribed in Gray Hair and BlackIron. These are great -- they're lots of fun, and they involve lugging, lifting, loading andcarrying heavy stuff -- which is PERFECT for Dinos. Kudos toDr. Ken for this idea.

3.The kind of finishers I cover in Strength, Muscle and Power.These are like no. 2, but you goharder and heavier.

4. PHA training, where you combine five or six different exercises fordifferent parts of the body and perform one set of each back toback with no rest. Let's you usebasic barbell and dumbbell (orkettlebell or sandbag) exercises for a great cardio workout. SeeGray Hair and Black Iron fordetails and for routines.

5. Bodyweight training where youdo medium to high reps and focuson conditioning. Or -- one of mypersonal favorites -- supersettingtwo advanced bodyweight exercisesfor low to medium reps and doingfive to ten sets of each. Buildsstrength, builds muscle and givesyou a great cardio workout all inone.

6. Death sets, as described in Dinosaur Training. Those 20 rep

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sets of squats and deadlifts willwork your heart and lungs likeyou won't believe.

As with anything else, you start easy and build up gradually andmore progressively to hardertraining. Do NOT go out and jumpinto full bore cardio training.(That's especially important forolder trainees and for heavier trainees.)

Or -- you could go run laps or signup for the Thousand Yard Club. Buttrust me, that's not nearly as muchfun!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find the various booksmentioned in this email right hereat Dino Headquarters:

1. Dinosaur Dumbbell Training

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

2. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

3. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

4. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

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

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The air we breathe is life itself, and so is the iron welift." -- Brooks Kubik

*************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 6:37 AMLabels: cardio training for lifters, dino cardio, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaurdumbbell training, finishers, gray hair and black iron, real world training, training forolder lifters

More Tips on Shoulder Health for Dinos!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We received a ton of emails from the DinoNation in response to yesterday's email

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about shoulder health.

I'm going to share a few because they includesome more great tips for keeping your shouldershealthy and strong.

1. Overhead Presses and DB Benches Work!

"Great advice! I had stiff shoulders for over ayear. Three months ago, I injured my right pecbending 5/8" rebar and stopped doing benchpresses due to the injury. During that time,I kept doing overhead presses, and my shoulders feel MUCH better.

I also emphasized back strength, and havebegun doing dumbbell bench press instead of barbell bench press, which seems to bemuch easier on my shoulders and my injury. I am already back to the 100's for 8 reps.

Dustin Jones"

Dustin -- Sorry to hear about the injury, but it sounds like it taught you some important things -- and that you're coming back strongerthan ever! Thanks for sharing your findings.

2. When Lowering the Bar Is the Problem

"I agree wholeheartedly with all of your tipsre: shoulder health. In addition, in my case,I can press overhead without pain as longas I stay in the proper groove.

However, I cannot find a way to lower thebar from overhead without pain to my rightshoulder (which gets worse if I try to fightthrough it) -- so I have solved the issue bydropping every press from overhead.

Brian DeLong

Brian -- That's not so unusual for older Dinos.Thank goodness for bumper plates!

In my own case, I do singles, and lower myoverhead lifts to the shoulders, bending my legs at the knees a bit to help catch the weight.

From there, I lower the bar to my upperthighs -- and then to the platform, as if I were lowering the bar after a deadlift. It's a three step process. Easier on the bar and onthe platform. And also easy on my body.

If that's not clear, shoot me an email andI'll try to explain it in more detail.

3. A Tip for Narrow Grip Benches

"I feel you should add that full range narrowgrip benches are no different than a deep dip.I coach narrow grip benches for everyone but limit the range to a three board. I'm not a hugeboard guy, but they serve a great purpose here.

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Chris Clark"

Chris -- That's a good tip for anyone with atraining partner who can help with the board. In most cases, it's the last bit of ROM that can cause problems in any exercise. Thanks forthe idea.

4. Try Bodyweight Training

Tons of readers emailed to note that they got great results from the push-up and hand-stand push-up variations in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and that they helped balance theirupper body development with the pull-upvariations in the book. They're right -- thosecan really help.

5. Dumbbells, Dumbbells, Dumbbells!

We also had MANY Dinos report that their shoulders improved when they switched from barbell presses to dumbbell presses. That's always been one of the benefits of dumbbellwork, and it's one of the reasons so many of the old-timers (such as John Grimek) useddumbbell presses almost exclusively as theygrew older.

So there you go -- more tips for protecting,preserving and strengthening your shoulders!As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If you train today, make it a goodone!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Trainingand Dinosaur Dumbbell Training:

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

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, buttrain smart. You're in it for the long haul."-- Brooks Kubik

*******************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 9:09 AMLabels: dings and dents, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training,military pressing, shoulder health, shoulder training, training for older lifters

What It Means to Look Like a Greek Statue!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

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

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1. Dinosaur Training Secrets, Vol. 1

Continues to be a top 10 best-seller in itscategory at the Amazon Kindle site -- and continues to get rave reviews.

If you don't have the little monster, sprinton over and grab it now:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

And please be sure to give us a review!They really help us -- and we reallyappreciate them.

BTW, this is the first in a continuing series --all of which will be avsilable in your choice ofhard-copy or Kindle e-book. Be looking fornumber 2 in the series in the very near future -- and for other e-books from me in the Kindle bookstore. We're going tobring you tons of great training informationin 2015.

2. The Dinosaur Files Quarterly Journal

Issue no. 2 is just about ready to go. We'll put up an order button later today. It will include the table of contents with all the different articles for the issue. Be lookingfor an update later on when the order buttonis ready to go.

On the training front, I was a guest on CarlLanore's SuperHuman Radio Show yesterday,and for the second week in a row we talkeda bit about famous classical statues -- suchas the statue of the Farnese Hercules. If you missed the show and would like to hearit, here's the link -- it's episode 1578:

http://superhumanradio.com/

The statues came up last week, when Carl noted that the ancient Greeks and Romans built someremarkable physiques without any roidskies andwithout any supplements. They did it with hardtraining and a diet of all natural foods.

And they ended up looking like the very best of today's bodybuilders and weightlifters.

You can see it in those marvellous old statues.Put one of them on the stage at any bodybuildingshow, and he just might walk away with firstplace.

Yesterday, I noted that those old statues werenot merely the result of the sculptor's imagination.No one thought, "I'm going to sculpt a statue ofa warrior and make him look the way I think athletes might look 500 years from now."

Nor did they say, "I'm going to sculpt a man whonever lived -- who doesn't exist -- and who never will exist -- and make it up as I go along."

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No, they did what artists have always done --they used actual models.

The models they used were champion athletes and seasoned warriors.

And you can see this in the resulting sculptures.The sculptures show thick, heavy abdominaland oblique development.

Why?

Because back then, men trained with many different twisting and turning movements -- which you would use in throwing a javelin or a spear, swinging an axe or a sword, throwinga discus, or in throwing an opponent in a wrestling match.

The models had powerful, corded forearms andthick, powerful hands.

Why?

Because they did so much work with heavy weapons. It must have built a ferocious gripover the years.

In short, the men who were used as models forstatues such as the Farnese Hercules were menwho trained to be the best athletes and the mostpowerful warriors of their era.

They weren't imaginary. They were real.

And they did it Dino-style -- with hard work and healthy food. They probably did lots of old-schoolbodyweight exercises, as well as dumbbell training.So their workouts may have been very similar to those in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training.

And they quite likely did some stone lifting. Menhave been lifting stones for thousands of years.And as I noted, they ran, wrestled, swung heavyweapons and threw things.

And that was all they needed.

I don't know about you, but I find that to be veryencouraging. It shows us what we can do -- andwhat we can achieve.

And it reminds us that it doesn't take very muchin the way of equipment to get a great workout.

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. Here's the link again for Dinosaur Training Secrets,Vol. 1:

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http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_secrets_01.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- includingDinosaur Bodyweight Training and Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- are available right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Learn from the past,live in the present, lift for the future." Brooks Kubik

******************************************** Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:47 AMLabels: dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbell training, dinosaur training e-book, old-school exercises, old-school training, real world training, superhuman radio

"Amazingly Effective for Strength and MuscleMass!"Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Breaking news -- I'll be on Carl Lanore's SuperHuman Radio Show at 12:00 EST today.

Catch it live or listen to the download later on.

On the training front . . .

Last week a reader asked me about bodyweighttraining, and whether you could use it to buildstrength and muscle mass.

My answer probably surprised him.

"Bodyweight training is amazingly effective forbuilding strength and muscle mass."

And yes, those were my exact words -- and Idon't use "amazingly" very often. When I do, I mean it.

But -- and this is important -- it has to be the right kind of bodyweight training.

Here's an example -- and it's something I foundin the yellowed pages of a very old magazine,buried far at the back, where it was easy tomiss.

A reader asked John Grimek about handstandpushups.

Grimek told him they were pretty good -- andnoted that at one period of his life, when he wastraveling and working as an artists's model, hefound it very difficult to do any weight training for about two years.

What did he do instead?

Handstand pushups and tiger bends.

Freestanding. Not balanced with the feet againstthe wall.

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For many, many sets.

A total of 200 reps per day of each exercise.

Grimek didn't mention any pull-ups, but I bethe was doing plenty of pull-ups at the sametime. Remember, this was the man with the original baseball biceps.

And quite likely, he some deep knee bends towork his legs. Grimek liked leg work, and it'shard to imagine him not doing something towork his lower body.

Grimek's experience is hardly unusual. Back inthe day, quite a few bodybuilding and liftingchampions got started with handbalancing,gymnastics, and bodyweight training. Andmany of them continued to include theirfavorite bodyweight exercises -- such aspushups, pull-ups, handstand pushups ortiger bends -- for their entire career.

I've done it myself, and I know it works.

I had a stretch of about four years where Idid nothing but bodyweight training. Lotsof advanced pushup variations -- lots of advanced pull-up variations -- and tonsof handstand pushups.

Plus various types of deep knee bends and hyperextensions -- and bridging and gutwork.

How did it work?

Pretty darn well.

In my late 40's, I was bigger, thicker and moremuscular than I was when I was doing heavypowerlifting in my 30's.

Of course, you don't have to use bodyweight training exclusively. You can combine it withbarbell and dumbbell training, and have the best of both worlds.

And it's easy to learn how to do it -- and howto put it together into effective, result-producingworkouts.

I offer a complete course in old-school body-weight training -- along with 50 differentworkouts -- in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

And I'll also include a special bulletin thattells you how to combine bodyweight training with barbell and dumbbell work.

It's good stuff.

In fact, it's amazingly good stuff.

And remember -- I don't use that word veryoften.

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Go here to grab a copy:

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

As always, thanks for reading and have agreat day. If you train today, make it a goodone.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- includingKnife, Fork, Muscle and the new quarterly DinosaurFiles -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Simple and effectivebeats complicated and useless every time."-- Brooks Kubik

*************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 7:33 AMLabels: bodyweight training, building muscle mass, building strength and muscle, carllanore, dinosaur bodyweight training, john grimek, superhuman radio

The 8-Week Rule!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'm going to keep this short, because we'rein the middle of a book signing, packing andshipping frenzy here at Dino Headquarters.

We've been working steadily since Tuesdayto sign, pack and ship Knife, Fork, Muscleto everyone who reserved a copy.

Yesterday was a 12 hour work day -- noturkey dinner -- although Trudi did cooka nice pot roast and let me have some for dinner at about 8:00 or 8:30 --after we had met the day's quota fororders. It was pretty good, and I was pretty darn hungry by then.

We're also filling orders for other products,of course, including the first issue of the newquarterly Dinosaur Files -- so feel free to skip the Black Friday madness and do your shoppingright here at Dino Headquarters.

Anyhow, let's talk about the 8-week rule.

I'm reading a great book by Daniel Coyle:

The Little Book of Talent.

It's about how to develop or teach top-level performance.

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One of the points that Coyle makes is that it takes at least 8 weeks of practice before youbegin to master a new skill.

For example, if you're trying to learn the dumbbell exercises in Dinosaur Dumbbell Training -- or the bodyweight exercises inDinosaur Bodyweight Training -- or if you'retrying to learn any new exercise -- you'llneed a minimum of 8 weeks before you get good at it.

Of course, many people change their routinemore often than they change their socks.And that makes it awfully hard to develop ahigh level of skill in any particular exerciseor lift.

So give yourself enough time to master anynew exercise or lift -- or any new program.And yes, I did say new program. I view anynew training program as a new skill. Even if you use exercises you've done in the past, you're doing them for different sets or reps, and in combination with different exercises.

So take some time and learn how to performthe new workout efficiently and effectively.And then -- after you're familiar with the newprogram -- start to push and to add weight tothe bar.

That's how the magic happens.

You start slow -- build the skill -- and then youuse it to trigger big gains in strength and muscle.

And speaking of magic -- I need to make anotherbig bunch of orders disappear out the door. So I need to sign off now. More to follow tomorrow.

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. Go here to grab the first issue of the newquarterly Dinosaur Files -- which has been gettingrave reviews:

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

P.S. Go here to grab a copy of Knife, Fork, Muscle -- which is in stock and shipping rightnow:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the day: "Effective strengthtraining is an acquired skill. Give it the time

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it requires. Don't try to rush things."-- Brooks Kubik

************************************************ Posted by Brooks Kubik at 8:11 AMLabels: Basic Training, beginners, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaur dumbbelltraining, dinosaur exercises, Dinosaur Files, knife fork muscle, real world training

The Top Training Program of 1969!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in 1969, I devised what was probably thebest training program of the year.

That was pretty good, considering that I was barely 12 years old, and had NO IDEA what Iwas doing.

Here's the exact program I was following. Itwas designed to build strength and endurancefor wrestling, and to increase my weight. Ithink I weighed around 101 or 102 poundsback then.

By this point in time, I had been reading the muscle comics for more than a year, so I waspretty much of an expert when it came to training. I knew all about supersets, tri-sets,burns, pumping, bombing, blasting, andblitzing -- as well as cheating, forced reps,muscle priority, muscle confusion and abunch of other stuff that I (thankfully) forgot about long ago. So prepare to besuper-impressed with my "state of the art"workout.

Daily Training

Jog 1/4 mile three times per day. Increase to 1/2 to 1 mile.

(Not sure when I was going to do all this jogging, andwhether I actually did it.)

Leg raises 2 x 12

Chin-ups 1 x 6

Pull-ups 1 x 6

1 arm side pushups 1 x 3 per side, with feet elevated(I learned these from an old book about trainingfor wrestling. They were tough.)

3x per Week Weight Training Workout

1. Squats 3 x 15/15/8 (add 25 lbs before the third set)

(Not sure why I added so much weight for the final set. I was probably using 50 or 60 pounds for the first twosets, so it was a big jump.)

2. Military press 1 x 8

(I must not have been a military press fan if I onlydid one set. Not sure why.)

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3. Bench press 3 x 6/4/6 with burns after each set

(The guys at Muscle Beach all did burns, so I knewthey were good. Not sure why I didn't do them on everything.)

4. Barbell curls 2 x 6

(Can't believe I only did two sets. Most beginners do 20 or 30 sets of curls.)

5. Flat arm dumbbell curls (like a preacher bench dumbbellcurl, but with the arm on a flat bench) -- 2 x 6 per arm

(I learned these from a muscular pro-wrestler namedMr. Kleen -- who looked like the character who sold Mr. Clean dish detergent. He wrestled in the oldChicago AWA territory for awhile and demonstrated exercises for us on television. He said these were the best for big arms. Duly noted.)

6. Upright rowing 2 x 6 -- holding the bar for a countof two at the top of each rep

(These came right out of the Bruno Sammartino Bodybuilding Course.)

7. Single arm triceps extensions or triceps kick-backswith dumbbell -- 2 x 6

(On the triceps kickbacks, I would hold the lockout position for a count of two on each rep. This was theWeider Peak Contraction principle. It was almost asgood as burns. All the Muscle Beach guys did them.)

8. Leg extensions 3 x 9

(I was going to do these after I got a pair of Iron Boots.When I finally did, I found that they kept falling off myfeet, so I don't think I did many leg extensions. And why I did 3 x 9 is anybody's guess.)

9. Leg curls 3 x 6

(Again, I was waiting on the Iron Boots.)

10. Bridging 3 x 10 with 5 lbs. on my chest

(For some reason, I erased this exercise after writing itinto the program. I probably discovered that bridgingdoesn't work very well if you train in a room with a linoleum tile floor.)

11. Dumbbell wrist curls 3 x 10 each arm

(Not sure why I didn't do barbell wrist curls. Someone atMuscle Beach must have said to use dumbbells.)

12. Mr. Kleen Dips (a/k/a handstand pushups) 2 x 6

(Again, I learned about these when Mr. Kleen demonstrated them on the AWA wrestling show.)

Now, there were some good parts of that workout,but there were some dumb parts, as well -- and Idoubt if it worked very well for me. But it was the

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best program I could concoct based on the infothat was available to me.

In that regard, I was like most young guys. I wasdesperate to build strength and muscles -- and had no idea how to do it. All I knew was what the musclemagazines said to do -- and that didn't do the job.

Eventually, I learned how to train the right way. ButI still remember what it was like to be a clueless newbie who was DESPERATE to build some strength and muscle.

That's why I wrote Chalk and Sweat. It has programsfor trainees of all levels -- from beginner, to intermediate,to advanced (along with some leg and back programsto build maximum strength and muscle mass.) It's agreat way to get started in the Iron Game.

So if you're a newbie -- or you know a newbie -- that'sa pretty good place to get started:

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

Dinosaur Bodyweight Training is another good place to start your training. Yes, it has lots of exercises andworkouts for advanced trainees, but it also has plentyof important advice for beginners -- as well as exercisesand workouts for beginners:

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

And, of course, if you are an older trainee, Gray Hair andBlack Iron has what you need, whether you are a beginner or someone who has been training for many years:

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

So that's the top program from 1969 -- and some good ideas about effective training programs for beginnersand where to find them.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I also made TONS of mistakes when it came to dietand nutrition "back in the day" -- which is not uncommon --and which is why I wrote Knife, Fork, Muscle:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.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: "You're not going to geteverything right when you start training, but if youdo your homework you don't have to get everythingWRONG!" -- Brooks Kubik

*************************************************Posted by Brooks Kubik at 10:02 AMLabels: back to the basics, beginners, chalk and sweat, dinosaur bodyweight training,

12/15/2015 Dinosaur Training: dinosaur bodyweight training

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gray hair and black iron, real world training

Your Favorite Exercises -- the Dinos Respond!Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes - and then we'll talk about yourfavorite exercises.

1. My fingers are NUMB from writing personal "ThankYou" notes to everyone who reserved a copy of Knife,Fork, Muscle. Once we get the books from the printer,we'll fire them on out at Dino-Double-Warp speed,with the Thank You notes and the bonuses. I'll keepyou posted as I get more info from the printer.

I am writing many Thank You notes to readers whobought the first edition of Dinosaur Training back in 1996, when I signed and numbered every copy -- so that makes almost 20 years together. It's beenfun.

2. The order page for the new quarterly Dino Filesshould go up very soon. I'll forward a link when it's up there.

3. I'll be on the 1:00 hour with Carl Lanore's Super-Human Radio today. Listen live or catch the download later on.

And now -- I asked about your favorite exercises --and you responded!

And you had some good ones:

Trap Bar deadlifts (very popular)

Handstand pushups (free-standing -- which is a bear)

Deadlift (with regular bar) (also very popular)

Back squats (super popular)

Dips

Bench press

Kettle-bell swings or snatches

Power cleans with barbell (a big favorite)

Back hyperextensions on a hyperextension bench

High bar squats

Military Press (popular!)

Two dumbbell clean and press (also very popular)

Parallel squats (powerlifting style)

Gorilla pushups (from Dinosaur BodyweightTraining)

Pull-ups (quite popular)

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Car or truck pushing

One-arm pushups

Barbell bent-over row or Pendlay row

Overhead squats

Bottom position squats

Heavy barbell curls (emphasis on "heavy")

Rope planks (from Dinosaur Bodyweight Training)Walking on hands (another toughie)

Swinging on the flying rings at Venice Beach's outdoortraining area (that sounds like fun -- with great werather - and great scenery)

Medicine ball exercises

Swimming

Kettle-bell Turkish get-ups (or barbell, dumbbellor sandbag ditto)

Spiderman crawling

Barbell split snatches (one of my current favorites --and a favorite of Steve Stanko)

Barbell clean and press (one of John Grimek's favorites)

Sandbag bear hug and walk

The farmer's walk

Heavy hip belt squats (a John MacCallum favorite)

Log clean and press

Stone lifting

Two dumbbell curl and press ala Peter Cortese (a bigfavorite of Grimek and Stanko)

Bottom position squat in the power rack

Sandbag curls (which reminds me -- anvil curlsare great fun)

Sledgehammer swings

Punching the heavy bag

Inverted rows

Heavy-duty wrist roller work

Snatch grip high pulls

One-hand dumbbell hang clean and push press

"All of them." (A very common response.)

and last but not least --

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Older Posts

Car flip with a Smart car or Prius!

Thanks to everyone who fired out a response, and as always, thanks for reading. If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Hard training on your favorite exercises requiresplenty of high quality nutrition -- which is why I wroteKnife, Fork, Muscle:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. Many of your favorite exercises come straight from Dinosaur Dumbbell Training and Dinosaur BodyweightTraining:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html

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

P.S. 3. My other books and courses -- and Dinosaur TrainingDVD's - are right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Make your training hard anddemanding, but make it fun." -- Brooks Kubik

**************************************************

Posted by Brooks Kubik at 8:10 AMLabels: all out exercises, basic exercises, dinosaur bodyweight training, dinosaurdumbbell training, dinosaur exercises, knife fork muscle, superhuman radio

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