Dinosaur Training

Did Reg Park Do Cardio?

2012-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you're a regular reader, you know about
Reg Park.

Famous old school bodybuilder from England.
Three time Mr. Universe. Two hundred and
thirty-five pounds of muscle. Played Hercules
in the movies -- and looked more like Hercules
than Hercules did. Far and away, the most
massive, muscular man of his era.

Strong, too -- he squatted 600 pounds back
when the top heavyweight lifters didn't
handle very much more than that -- handled
300 pounds in the press behind neck (some
say for reps!) -- set a British record in the
dumbbell press -- and was the second man in
history (behind Doug Hepburn) to bench press
500 pounds.

So I ask the question:

Did Reg Park do cardio?

And like many things in life, the answer is
"Yes -- and No!"

If you're talking about endless hours on a
treadmill, 20 miles a week of jogging, daily
spinning classes, jazzercize, jumpercize,
power aerobics or cardio theater, the answer
is "NO, he did NOT!"

But if you count hard, heavy workouts where
you train fast and furious with heavy weights,
then the answer is "YES, he DID!"

A gym owner named ray Beck once observed Park
during a workout. He wrote about it in Peary
Rader's old Iron Man. He said, "Nobody, but
nobody, works out as fast and furiously . . .
as Reg Park."

Beck also noted that Park trained with intense
concentration, ferocious determination, and
performed all of his reps in the smoothest
possible form. He was a stickler for details,
and he squeezed everything possible out of
every set. He worked FAST, stopping only long
enough to catch his breath in-between sets
and exercises. He practiced forced breathing
in-between sets. And he used HEAVY weights --
and focused on STRENGTH exercises (squats,
bench presses, high pulls, power cleans,
etc.)

Make no mistake about it. Heavy strength
training can give your heart and lungs a
terrific workout. All you need to do is
work hard, heavy and fast!

Of course, you might not be able to train
hard, heavy and fast right away, especially
if you've been resting for long periods in-
between sets and exercises. Build up to it
gradually. Start timing yourself, and work
on reducing your rest times slowly and
progressively -- so that you gradually
reduce your workout time.

If you gradually cut a 60 minute workout to
45 minutes -- while doing the same exercises,
sets and reps, and using the same weights --
then you're going to increase your strength
and development -- AND whip yourself into
terrific condition -- WITHOUT doing cardio!

Now, of course -- if you WANT to do cardio
as well, that's fine. But I know that many
iron-heads simply will NOT do cardio -- and
I known you need to do SOMETHING to get your
heart and lungs pumping -- so why not try the
fast and furious approach?

After all, it worked pretty darn well for Reg
Park!

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. For more ideas on Dino-style cardio training
(a/k/a cardio training for iron-heads), take a
look at:

1. The "finishers" described in STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER:

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

2. The sandbag drills and other work with heavy,
awkward objects featured in DINOSAUR TRAINING: LOST
SECRETS OF STRENGTH AND DEVELOPMENT -- as well as
the chapter on "Death Sets":

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

3. The cardio training ideas in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK
IRON (which gives you a TON of different things
to try):

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

4. The leg specialization programs in CHALK AND
SWEAT:

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

5. The training programs in DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING (especially the conditioning workouts at
the end of the book):

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

6. And last but not least -- the Dinosaur Files
newsletter, which has had a number of great articles
on cardio training for iron-heads. For back issues
from May 2010 through April 2011, go here:

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

And for the current sub year, running from May
2011 through April 2012, go here (I'll send May 2011
through January 2012 in one shipment, and then send
the other issues (Feb, March and April month by
month to complete your 12-issue subscription):

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "If you're a Dino, sweating to
the oldies means doing squats and deadlifts." -- Brooks
Kubik

An Experiment that Failed!

2012-02-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In my interview on SuperHuman radio yesterday,
I mentioned my experience with Nautilus training.

It's important, so I thought I'd share it with
you in today's email. The story begins long ago --
back in the summer of 1978.

I was in college then, and that summer I got an
out of town job working as a grill cook at a
hamburger joint in a place called Lakeside on
Lake Erie. Fun job -- I still have scars from
the grease burns.

There was no place to train, and I didn't have any
equipment, so I didn't train for the entire summer.
(Note: amazingly, I never thought about doing body-
weight training. If I were to do it again, I'd hit
it hard and heavy with the exercises in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training.)

In addition to zero training, I also didn't eat very
much. Not because I wasn't hungry -- I was. But I was
saving every penny for school, and I didn't have very
much to spend on food. I ate oatmeal for breakfast,
a cheeseburger/fries/shale combo from the grill for
lunch, and Kraft macaroni and cheese for dinner.
The oatmeal was cheap, the cheeseburger combo was
free as part of the job, and the Kraft macaroni and
cheese dinners were five for a buck, so they were
pretty cheap, too.

Sometimes I would have beef liver with dinner (69 cents
a pound), and I'd wash everything down with powdered
skim milk, which I mixed with water and stored in the
fridge. It was much cheaper than regular milk.

It was a pretty lousy diet, and it wasn't very tasty or
very satisfying, and I got nowhere near enough calories
or enough protein for a 19 year old guy with a high
metabolism. So I was hungry all summer long, and my
weight dropped and dropped.

By the end of the summer, I weighed 163 pounds.

When I got back home, I started eating again, and started
lifting again, and gained back the lost weight pretty
quickly.

The next summer, I took another out of town job, and once
again saved every penny and bought very little food --
and once again I was hungry all summer and my weight
dropped and dropped, and I ended up weighing 163 pounds.

I went to law school in the Fall, started lifting again at
the university weight room, started eating in the school
cafeteria, and quickly got up to 180 pounds.

My final year of law school, I was super busy with school,
working as an editor on the law review, and working three
part-time jobs to make enough for tuition, books, rent
and -- if anything was left over -- for food. I was too
busy to train, so I hardly lifted at all -- and I was too
poor to buy very much to eat -- and by the time I graduated
at age 25 I was back down to (you guessed it) 163 pounds.

Anyhow, I got a job, moved to Louisville, started lifting
again, and started eating again (because I could afford to
buy food again) -- and my weight shot right back up to
180 pounds.

Two or three years later, we bought a house on the other
side of town, and I switched from the gym I had been training
at -- where I was doing basic barbell and dumbbell stuff --
to a Nautilus club where I spent the next twelve months
using all of the latest and greatest Nautilus machines,
doing the pre-exhaustion workouts, going to momentary
muscular failure on each and every set -- and sometimes
doing negatives and negative accentuated training. It was
all right out of the Nautilus play-book.

I trained so hard that after two sets for my legs I
would fall off the leg machine -- and I wouldn't be able
to walk right for 10 minutes.

I trained like clockwork, three times per week, busting
my you know what in every workout. And when I wasn't
training, I ate HUGE meals.

After doing this for about a year, I stepped on the scales
one day -- and discovered that my weight had dropped all
the way from 180 pounds to -- here we go -- 163 pounds.

That's right -- one year of super training on the super
machines brought my down to my "no training and no food"
bodyweight.

I went back to the old heavy iron gym the very next day,
and started doing squats, deadlifts, presses, bench
presses, and similar exercises -- using the 5 x 5
system -- and my weight went right back up to 180
pounds. (And later, as I learned more about the kind
of training I cover in Dinosaur Training and my other
books and courses, my weight went up and up until I
finally weighed around 225 pounds -- but that's
another story. If you're interested, read about it
in Strength, Muscle and Power.)

The point is, the super machines DIDN'T WORK!

I shared that yesterday on SuperHuman Radio -- and
as I said, I thought I should share it again today.
Hopefully, it will help someone out there -- or
more than one someone -- avoid the mistakes I made
when I was young.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you're interested in getting REAL RESULTS from
your training, follow the programs in Dinosaur Training,
Chalk and Sweat, Strength, Muscle and Power, Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training, and my other books and courses.
Unlike the super systems, they WORK! You can find them
here:

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

P.S. 2. Save big clams on s&h by ordering two or more
books, courses or other Dino Products at the same time.
I love the Post office, but there's no sense paying more
than you have to pay for postage!

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Experience is a great
teacher, but you have to pay attention." -- Brooks Kubik

How to Do More With Less!

2012-02-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just finished an interview on
SuperHuman Radio. It was scheduled
at the last minute so I wasn't able
to give the Dinos advance notice.
But if you missed the live broadcast,
you can listen to it later in the SHR
archives.

We covered a topic that I've been
promoting for around 20 years:

ABBREVIATED STRENGTH TRAINING.

Carl Lanore, who runs SHR, has been
getting great results with short, hard,
heavy workouts. In fact, he's been doing
so well on this kind of training that when
another guest cancelled at the last minute,
he called and asked if I'd talk about it
on today's show -- and naturally, I agreed
to do so.

We called the show COUNTER INTUITIVE
TRAINING -- because everything thinks the
more you train, the better you do.

Not so.

In fact, the vast majority of trainees would
improve their results by reducing their workout
by 50 percent.

That's right -- 50 percent.

Most people spend the vast majority of their
training time on things that are unproductive
at best and counter-productive at worst. The
vast majority of what they do is simply wasted
effort.

They use the wrong exercises.

They do too many sets and too many reps.

They don't use good form.

They don't train hard enough and heavy enough.

They train for a pump instead of training for
strength.

They do more and more work -- and get less and
less in the way of results.

In contrast, Dinos get BETTER results with LESS
work than the typical trainee.

If you're a regular reader, you know what I'm
talking about -- and if you've given it a try,
you already know that short, hard, heavy
workouts -- Dino style abbreviated training --
will give you GREAT results.

If you're a new reader, or if you've been
skeptical, then you owe it to yourself to
read up on abbreviated training -- and to
give it a try. See for yourself. Experience
the power of abbreviated workouts.

Obviously, I can't give you all of the details
in an email message -- and the details are
important. I cover abbreviated training in
Dinosaur Training -- in Strength, Muscle and
Power -- in Gray Hair and Black Iron -- and
in Chalk and Sweat -- and I apply the principles
of abbreviated workouts to bodyweight training
in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. You can find
all of them at the usual spot:

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

And no, I didn't invent abbreviated training --
but I sure am glad I found out about it -- and
I'm even more glad I decided to give it a try!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. We have a three way tie for the most popular
book or course of the year -- it's between these
little monsters -- and all of them teach you how
to train short, hard, and fast for GREAT results:

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

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

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

Ultra-Abbreviated Workouts for Strength, Muscle and Power!

2012-02-08T02:25:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Many years ago, a man named William Boone
trained in his back-yard in Louisiana --
and became one of the very strongest men
in the entire world.

Boone had a unique approach to his workouts.
He followed what I refer to as ultra-
abbreviated training programs.

One exercise workouts.

Yes, you read that correctly. And it's not a
typo.

William Boone performed ONE exercise in his
workouts.

At one time, he specialized on the bent press
and worked up to 300 pounds in the one arm
lift -- which ranked him as one of the
greatest bent pressers of all time.

Later, he specialized on the deadlift -- and
worked up to 700 pounds, which was a world
record at the time).

And still later, he specialized on the push
press and the jerk (taking the bar from squat
stands), and worked up to 420 pounds. At the
time, the world record in the clean and jerk
was just over 400 pounds,so Boone was handling
some pretty heavy iron!

Many would scoff at the idea of a one-exercise
workout -- but look what it did for William
Boone!

In my own training, I often perform one exercise
workouts. I usually rotate between two or three
different workouts, hitting one on Tuesday, one
on Thursday and one on Sunday. That allows me to
specialize on several different movements at the
same time.

It works great. In every workout, I give 100% of
my strength and power to ONE exercise. I start
light, warm-up well, and work up to a heavy
weight -- and really hammer it. Then I rest,
and in my next workout, I do the same thing with
a different exercise.

There are many examples of one-exercise workouts.
Here's a good one for all-around strength and
power:

Tues
Squat or front squat

Thurs
Clean and press

Sun
Deadlift or Trap Bar deadlift

Now, that may not look like much, but think about
this: If you were to follow that program and work
hard and heavy and add 100 pound to your squat,
100 pounds to your deadlift, and 40 or 50 pounds
to your clean and press, think how much bigger and
stronger you'd be.

A one exercise program -- an ultra-abbreviated
training program -- can get you there -- FAST.
Look what it did for William Boone!

You can learn more about one exercise workouts
and other ultra-abbreviated training programs in
STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER -- which just happens
to be one of the most popular books we offer here
at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

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. My other Dinosaur Training books, courses and
DVD's are available right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "It's not about how much
you do -- it's about how you do it." -- Brooks Kubik

One of My Favorite Training Programs!

2012-02-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of my all-time favorite training routines
came from an article by Bradley J. Steiner. It
appeared in Peary Rader's old IronMan magazine
way back in 1970 or so.

You trained three times per week, using the same
workout every time you trained. Today, I'd modify
that suggestion for older guys and for the more
advanced trainees, who would do better on a
divided workout schedule. (I'll give an example
later on.)

On everything other than your warm-up exercise
and your gut work, you did 5 x 5. Two progressively
heavier warmup sets and 3 working sets.If you
prefer another variation of 5 x 5, such as four
progressively heavier warmup sets and one working
set, go for it.

Steiner's program consisted of the following
exercises:

1. Warm-up with prone hyperextensions 2 x 10 - 15

2. Any overhead pressing exercise of your choice
(military press, dumbbell press or press behind
neck) 5 x 5

Note: Steiner preferred the press behind neck. I'd
stay away from it -- it's pretty hard on your
shoulders, especially if you're an older lifter.

For those who can do handstand pushups, handstand
pushups are another option. See Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training for handstand pushup progressions and
training tips.

3. Squats 5 x 5

Note: You can do back squats or front squats. Steiner
preferred parallel squats, which was standard advice
back in the 60's and 70's. I did them that way when
I was younger, but today I prefer full squats (usually
front squats). It's up to you.

Older lifters with bad knees can try Trap Bar deadlifts
in place of squats.

4. Bench press 5 x 5

Note: You can do these with barbells or dumbbells --
or with one dumbbell (one arm at a time). You also
can do incline barbell or dumbbell presses, or one
arm incline dumbbell presses. The dumbbells are safer
if you train alone without a spotter or a power
rack. Another option if you train alone is to perform
pushups, with or without extra weight on your back.

5. Barbell bent-over rowing 5 x 5

Note: If you prefer, do one arm dumbbell rowing or do
any form of pull-up. The pull-up progressions in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training will build an enormous
upper body and tons of strength.

6. Stiff legged deadlifts 5 x 5

Note: Bent legged deadlifts also work well, and so
do Trap Bar deadlifts -- or stiff legged deadlifts with
the Trap Bar. Those who prefer power cleans, high pulls
or power snatches should feel free to do them -- but if
you do, drop the reps to two or three per set, and do
these earlier in the program (before the squats).

7. Finish up with a couple of sets of gut work.

Note: I'd suggest finishing up with gut work, grip work
and neck work. two or three sets of each.

As I mentioned, you can divide the program into two
or three workouts, with a day of rest between each
workout. For example:

Mon

1. Warm-up with prone hyperextensions 2 x 10 -1 5

2. Press 5 x 5

3. Squat 5 x 5

4. Gut work 2 x 10 - 15

Wed

1. Warm-up with prone hyperextensions 2 x 10 - 15

2. Bench press or incline press 5 x 5

3. Pull-ups 5 x 5

4. Grip work of your choice 2 to 5 sets, reps will
vary depending on the exercise(s) you do

Fri

1. Warmup with prone hyperextensions 2 x 10 - 15

2. Bent legged deadlifts 5 x 5 or clean grip high
pulls 5 x 3

3. Neck work with head-strap 2 or 3 x 10 - 15

4. Gut work of your choice 2 x 10 - 15

So there you have it -- a truly outstanding and
effective old-school training program -- that will
build strength, power and muscle so fast you'll
shock yourself. Give it a try and let me know how
it works for you!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more strength training and muscle building
workouts, grab any or all of the following books and
courses:

1. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

2. Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and
Development

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

3. Strength, Muscle and Power

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

4. Chalk and Sweat

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

5. Dinosaur Arm Training

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

6. The Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course

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

7. History's Strongest Men and How They Trained, Vol. I,
Doug Hepburn

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

8. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

Thought for the Day: "If it worked for Grimek, it will
work for YOU!" -- Brooks Kubik

Get Them Started The Right Way!

2012-02-06T08:49:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I published DINOSAUR TRAINING way back in 1996,
so I've been doing this for a long time now.

One of the great things about having been in the
strength and muscle business for so many years is
that readers from the early days are now fathers
and grandfathers -- which means they're starting
to teach their sons and daughters -- or grandsons
and granddaughters -- how to train.

That's pretty cool. It's a classic example of
passing the torch (or rather, the barbell) to the
next generation. And it's great to see some
youngsters who are training the right way --
Dino style -- instead of the mass market muscle
media way.

If you're starting to train your son or daughter,
grandson or granddaughter -- or any other newbie,
let me offer some tips:

1. Teach by example. You can't just tell them what
to do, you have to show them. Which means YOU have
to keep up with your training.

1A. Note: The workouts in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON
are great for older lifters, but easily adaptable to
youngsters who want to train with you -- especially
the lugging and loading drills!

2. Make it fun. Dino style strength training is
hard work -- but it's FUN! What could be better
than training with dad (or granddad) and doing
stuff like lifting rocks, sandbags and barrels --
using thick handled barbells and dumbbells --
using lots of different grip blasters -- and
doing exercises like squats and deadlifts where
you can pack some serious weight on the bar
instead of doing endless sets of bunny blaster
curls like all of your friends do?

3. Make it progressive. Start light and easy, let
the kid build some confidence, and gradually let
him (or her) add reps -- and then add weight to
the bar.

4. Include bodyweight training. It's perfect for
getting started on the right foot. See DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING for details.

5. Combat the mass market muscle media nonsense
by setting a good example AND by pointing the
newbie to books and courses that give them good
old-fashioned, no-nonsense strength training
and muscle building instruction. If they read
the GOOD STUFF at an early age, it will make
an impression -- and they'll train the right
way for the rest of their lives.

5A. CHALK AND SWEAT is an excellent first book
for beginners. For guys who have been training for
awhile, start with DINOSAUR TRAINING.

6. Teach them about the great strongmen of the
past. It's important that they have role models
from the pre-drug era. That's one of the reasons
I cover the old-timers in my books and courses.
It's also one of the reasons I started the LEGACY
OF IRON series, and why I wrote BLACK IRON: THE
JOHN DAVIS STORY. If your son or grandson is
going to be the next John Grimek, the next Steve
Stanko, or the next John Davis, he has to begin
by knowing who they were, what they did and how
they trained.

7. Teach perfect form. Get them started doing
every rep of every exercise in letter perfect
form. Don't worry about weight at first -- focus
on form. That's absolutely the most important
thing for a beginner -- and as "the Coach"
teaching your beginner to lift in perfect form
is one of your most important jobs!

I hope that helps -- and I hope that you and your
beginner have great fun training together -- and
that you both achieve outstanding success.

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. All of the books and courses mentioned in
this message are available at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. If you order a book or course and you want
me to autograph it for you, include a note in the
Special Instructions section of the on-line order
form -- and give me the name to use when I autograph
it (Mike or Michael, Bob or Robert, etc.). There's
no charge for autographs, and it makes a book or
course extra-special.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Start them young, and
grow them strong!" -- Brooks Kubik

Impressive Stuff that Dinos Do!

2012-02-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I read something ages ago about a top strength
coach. I think he coached an NFL team -- or
perhaps a top college team. As I said, it was
ages ago, and I just don't remember. Nor do
I remember his name.

But I remember someone noting that this man
not only knew his stuff, he still did it. He
still trained. And he was in his mid-50's.

And although he may not have been out-lifting
his 20-something athletes, he was doing
something pretty impressive.

He was doing full squat snatches.

And as anyone who's ever tried to do a squat
snatch can tell you, they require strength,
power, speed, timing, coordination, balance,
flexibility, mobility, and athleticism.

So when the 55 year old strength coach gets
out on the platform and hits some squat
snatches, that's impressive. It doesn't have
to be a World record weight. Just doing them
is impressive.

I've always remembered that. It's one of the
things I think about when I go out to the
garage and do my Olympic lifting workouts.

And it made me think about other things that
people do that come under the "It's Impressive!"
category.

So I started a list of Impressive Stuff that
Dinos Do. Here it is. See if you spot yourself
on it:

1. Squats. (Heavy. Sets and reps of your choice.)

2. Deadlifts. (Heavy. Sets and reps of your choice.)

3. The clean and press. (barbell, dumbbells, sandbags,
barrels or whatever.)

4. Arms-only rope climbing.

5. Any of the advanced workouts in Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training.

6. Heavy dumbbell training. (Emphasis on heavy.)

7. Thick bar training.

8. The farmer's walk.

9. Finishers.

10. Keeping at it after age 40 -- or 50 -- or
60.

11. Teaching your children how to train.

12. Teaching your grandchildren how to train.

13. Learning new stuff to do -- whatever your age.

14. Using the same barbell at age 60 that you used
at age 12.

15. Entering your first powerlifting, weightlifting
or strongman comp.

16. Saying "no" to the roidskies.

17. Dropping 30 pounds and four inches off your gut
because you know it's good for your health.

18. Doing weight work AND some kind of conditioning
work because you know they BOTH do good things for
you.

19. Growing as much of your own food as possible.

20. Having the greatest workout of your entire life
and NOT posting about it on Facebook.

There are many more -- send in your ideas and I'll
post the best ones!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you want to move into the "It's Impressive"
category, start with the books, courses and DVD's
at the Dinosaur Training site. They'll get you there
faster than anything else:

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

P.S. 2. I love the Post Office, but there's no sense
in paying extra clams for s&h. Order two or three
books or courses (or DVD's) at one time, and save
some serious wampum.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If people spent more
time making an effort, they'd spend less time making
excuses." -- Brooks Kubik

Putting It All Together

2012-02-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick notes, and then let's talk
training:

1. We added a photo of the cover of the
new Dinosaur Military Press course to the
website -- if you haven't seen it yet,
take a look:

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

Note: Scroll down for it -- and if you don't
see it, hit the refresh or reload button
on your computer.

2. If you're interested in seeing a Dino
seminar in 2012, shoot me an email and let
me know -- and let me know where you live!

3. I'm looking for photos for the Feb issue of
The Dinosaur Files newsletter -- so if you have
some good training or competition photos (or
home gym photos, or photos of funky equipment),
send them in.

3A. I'm also looking for letters from readers
and articles from readers -- so shoot them on
in. Don't be shy! Dinos have TONS of valuable
information to share with their fellow Dinos!

On the training front, I'm getting tons of
questions from readers about combining body-
weight training with barbell and dumbbell
training (or with kettlebells or heavy, awkward
objects).

I cover this in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training, and
I even prepared a special report that covers the
topic -- and I've been including it when I ship
readers their copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.

Here are some of the key points to consider:

1. Unless you're young and have enormous recovery
ability, you can't do heavy weight training two
or three times per week and then do bodyweight
work on your "off" days.

2. Consider mixing weight work and bodyweight work
in the same workout. Rest the next day, and then
train again.

3. If you do a barbell exercise and a bodyweight
exercise for the same muscle group(s), do the
barbell exercise first. For example, back squats
5 x 5 followed by bodyweight squats 1 x 100.

4. Be careful about overlapping barbell/dumbbell
and bodyweight exercises. For example, staggered
grip double rope pull-ups hit your biceps awfully
hard. If you do them, you don't need to do any
other arm (biceps) work.

5. Abbreviated training works well for barbell and
dumbbell work -- and it also works well with body-
weight work. I've gotten tremendous workouts in 30
or 35 minutes using weights OR using bodyweight
exercises.

6. Do cardio work after your strength work or on
off days, and note that bodyweight training can
take the place of cardio if you train fast or
include exercises such as bodyweight squats
(which will kick your breathing into over-drive).

7. Remember to make your training PROGRESSIVE --
whether you are hitting the iron or using heavy,
awkward objects, or doing bodyweight exercises.

7A. Progression is the name of the game!

For more detail, grab a copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight
Training:

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

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. Remember to shoot me an email if you'd like to
see a Dinosaur Training seminar come to your neck of
the woods -- and let me know where you live and where
you could travel to see a seminar!

P.S. 2. You can find all of my books, courses, DVD's,
The Dinosaur Files newsletter (and much more) right
here at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Variety is the spice of
life, but hard work on basic exercises is tough to beat."
-- Brooks Kubik

Dance With Who Brung Ya!

2012-02-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Somewhere way out in the middle of nowhere
there's a North-South road that intersects
with an East-West road -- and half a mile
or so past the intersection there's a
honky-tonk bar that may well be the most
dangerous place in the world on Friday and
Saturday nights.

There's only one rule in the place -- but
it's an important rule. It keeps the mayhem
down:

"DANCE WITH WHO BRUNG YA!"

That's a pretty good rule for strength training,
as well -- except it needs changing for older
lifters.

Here's what I mean.

If something's working for you, keep on doing
it. Don't change things around just to change
things around. Stick with what works.

You'd be amazed how many emails I get that
start out something like this -- they're all
more or less the same except they refer to
different training programs:

"I'm doing the "Keep It Simple" Program from
Dinosaur Training, and it's working great!
great. I'm making the best gains of my life.
But I thought I'd switch over to something
different next week. What do you think?"

My answer is always the same.

"If what you're doing is working for you,
then keep on doing it. When your gains begin
to slow down, then make minor changes --
but for now, keep on doing what works!"

As I said, though, things change for older
lifters. Older lifters may find that what
worked at age 15 (or age 25 or 35) still
works great at age 55 or 65 -- or they may
find that they need to do something different.

Personally, I've found that what works best
for me at age 55 is different than what worked
best for me at age 25 or 35. Heck, it's different
than what worked best just five years ago, let
alone twenty or thirty years ago!

So I guess that leaves us with two rules for
the day:

1. If something is working for you, keep on
doing it.

1A. In other words, dance with who brung ya!

2. As you grow older, you need to make changes
and adjustments -- and don't be afraid to do so!

2B. In other words, dance with who brung you --
but feel free to change the dance steps!

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. Older trainees will do great with the workouts
in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON -- as well as the
workouts in DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:

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

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

P.S. 2. If you want to see exactly what I'm doing
nowadays, grab my new DVD, GOING STRONG AT 54:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 3. Dinos of any age will get great workouts
and great training ideas from my original
Dino DVD's -- filmed in the Dino Dungeon and
featuring tons of heavy iron, chalk and sweat:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "There are almost as
many varieties of training as there are lifters."
-- Bob Hoffman

Old Gold from the Living Legend!

2012-01-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Before I cover the Bruno Sammartino
course, let me say something very
important:

THANK YOU to everyone who stepped up,
took action, and grabbed a copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press Course!

We had a great response, and we've been
getting great feedback on it -- and as
I've said before, I can't do this without
you -- so once again, THANK YOU!

And now -- in response to 20 bazillion
emails -- more info on the Bruno Sammartino
Course.

The course is long out of print, and it's
more or less impossible to find -- so the
following summary is "old gold" (to quote
my mentor, Bradley J. Steiner):

1. This was a course for beginners, so Bruno
kept the volume pretty low. You did 3 x 6 on
all of your exercises. As you got stronger,
you could add a warmup set on heavier exercises
such as squats and bench presses, so you'd do
4 x 6 on them.

2. You trained with wts 3x per week -- and on
two other days you did a bodyweight workout.

3. You made progress by gradually adding weight
to the bar. Bruno emphasized the importance of
SMALL increases in weight. Over time, the small
increases in weight would add up to BIG GAINS!

The weight work was as follows:

1. Parallel squat

2. Bench press

3. Barbell curl

4. Press behind neck

5. Upright rowing

6. Sit-ups

The bodyweight work looked like this:

1. Hindu squats 1 or 2 sets

2. Hindu pushups 1 or 2 sets

3. Behind the neck pull-ups 2 sets

4. Calf isometrics

5. Neck isometrics

On the bodyweight work, you did whatever reps
you could do at the beginning and gradually
added reps, working up to 100 reps in Hindu
squats and Hindu pushups, and 15 reps in
pull-ups.

Also, Bruno urged trainees to include some
running or jogging -- perhaps a mile or two
a couple of times a week. he said this was
particularly important if you were trying out
for a high school sports team.

Now, a couple of quick notes, so don't flood
me with emails:

1. I would suggest adding a heavy pulling
movement such as deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts.

2. Older lifters will probably find that this is
too much work for them. Consider training one day,
resting the next, and so on. Weights in one
session, bodyweight in the next.

2A. Older lifters often find that jogging or
running is too hard on their knees, ankles, hips
and feet. Other forms of conditioning work that
spread the load and protect the joints work better
for them. See GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON for some
ideas on conditioning work that is better suited
to older guys.

2B. Walking is good. Don't underestimate the
benefit of walking.

2C. The above also applies to younger trainees
who are carrying 200 pounds or more. Even if
it's muscle, it's a lot of weight to be carrying
for a 2 mile run. Lifters are not long distance
runners, and they need to train accordingly.

3. After you get past the beginner stage, most
of you will do better with divided workouts, as
I describe in DINOSAUR TRAINING, CHALK AND
SWEAT, GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON, and STRENGTH,
MUSCLE AND POWER.

4. The pull-up and pushup variations in DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING -- as well as the bridging
exercises and rope squats -- would work well
on the bodyweight days.

5. Be careful with press behind neck -- I'd
suggest military presses instead.

6. Ditto for behind neck pull-ups -- they're
tough on the shoulders. Do pull-ups to the chest.

7. Bruno emphasized that the key to getting good
results was to STICK WITH YOUR TRAINING. He noted
that many of his friends started training -- but
then quit. Bruno didn't quit. He stuck with it.
That was the secret to his success.

All in all, this was a basic, simple course for
beginners -- back when weight training was new
to most people -- and it did an excellent job
of getting young guys started the right way.

I don't know how many guys got into training as
a result of this little course -- and I don't
know how many tons of muscle it built or how
much lifting power it developed -- or how
many star athletes it created -- but I bet
the results would surprise us!

Oh, and before I forget -- my buddy Jan Dellinger
got started with this very same course "back in
the day." He covers it in detail in a chapter
in THE DELLINGER FILES, VOL. I. You can find
it here:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/dellinger-files-volume-i-0

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find DINOSAUR TRAINING, DINOSAUR
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING, GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON,
CHALK AND SWEAT, and STRENGTH MUSCLE AND POWER
right here:

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

2. Go here to grab a copy of THE DINOSAUR
MILITARY PRESS AND SHOULDER POWER COURSE:

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

3. The DINOSAUR ARM TRAINING COURSE is one of
our best-sellers -- and it's right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: ""I could go on
infinitely offering more reasons why weight
lifting is beneficial for men and women of all
ages." -- Bob Hoffman

Two Men Standing!

2012-01-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick things.

Thing No. 1 -- we're down to TWO copies
of the bonus photo for the Military Press
Course, so if you want one, take
immediate action. They're a bonus
item, so once they're gone, that's it:

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

Thing No. 2 -- in response to numerous
questions, yes, I am doing seminars this
year in the USA. If you'd like to attend
a Dino Training seminar, do this:

1. Send me an email with your name, age,
where you live and what cities are close
enough to travel to to see a seminar.

2. Let me know what topics you'd like me
to cover.

3. Let me know of any good gyms to hold a
seminar at.

I'm compiling responses, and I'll plan to go
to the places where there's the highest
response, so if the idea of a seminar sounds
good to you (and it sure sounds good to
me --- I want to meet as many Dinos as I
can) -- then step up and let me hear from
you asap!

Thing No. 3. Yes, yes, yes -- I'll give you
some more info about the Bruno Sammartino
course I mentioned in an email message over
the weekend.

Be looking for it tomorrow!

Dino Man over and out.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. My books, courses, DVD's, and other Dino
goodies are in the usual place:

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

Feedback on the Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course!

2012-01-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

We're almost out of the special bonus
photo I was giving to readers who ordered
the Dinosaur Military Press Course.

As in, we have just six of them left.

So if you want one -- well, you know what
I'm going to say. Something like "Move
faster than Tommy Kono hitting a World
record snatch!" -- or "Move faster than
Bruno Sammartino drop kicking Killer
Kowalski -- or "Move faster than dinner
disappearing when John Grimek sat down
at the table after a heavy workout!"

Seriously, the pre-pub special is over,
but I still have six of the bonus photos,
and I need to find homes for them -- so it's
first come, first served, order the course,
ask for the bonus photo, and as long as I
have them, I'll shoot them out with the
courses.

To order the course, go here:

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

Speaking of the new course, here's more
feedback from readers who already received
their copy:

"Received the shoulder course in noon mail!
Plan to make Dino Strength Athletes out of
my two 13 year old grandsons. Thanks for
helping us to get away from the bomb, blast,
blitz nonsense." -- Ben Mitcham

"All photos were great, but the photo of your
back on page 26 (doing the handstand pushup)
is one of the best back shots I have ever
seen. I'm not into bodybuilding but that one
is a classic. This is one more visual
demonstration that Dinosaur techniques work."
-- Ben Oldham

"Got mine today, finished already, going to
use it as my next program." -- Nick Montgomery

"Rec'd the course yesterday and I am quite
pleased (as usual) with the content and
quality of the course. The course (along
with your Going Strong at 54 DVD) has helped
clarify some questions I had regarding proper
form. The bonus photo of Grimek is great (I'm
gonna put it up in my office), and thanks for
the inspiring note and autograph!" -- Geoffrey
Smith

"I rec'd the Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course today. All I can say is -- Wow,
and Thank You!" -- Rick Helley

"I got my package of goodies today. Thanks
for taking the time to sign the course. Mr.
Grimek looks very solid and hard and not
baloony (is that a word?) like the modern
chumps -- sorry, I mean champs. What a guy!"
-- Larry Garcia

"The Dinosaur Military Press Course hit
Zanesville today. This is great stuff, and
the photo of Grimek is first class. Thanks
for the autograph." -- Don Graham

"I rec'd the Military Press Course on Sat. I
particularly liked the input from Kono, Berger,
Anderson, and Vinci." -- Chris Driver

So, as you can see, the course is a big hit.

That's great, of course, and makes me feel
like a very proud papa. But it does raise a
question -- what do I do next?

What do the Dinos want to see next?

Any suggestions? Shoot in your ideas to
Dino HQ!

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. As I said, we're down to SIX bonus photos --
so if you want one, move FAST:

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

P.S. 2. Save clams on s&h by combining orders --
go here to see all the various Dino goodies:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The athlete, in
projecting his total body strength in competitive
situations, must mold the strength of localized
muscle areas into a total coordinated body
effort." -- John Jesse

Old-School Training with Bruno Sammartino!

2012-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of
pro wrestling. I bought all the wrestling
magazines I could find (Wrestling review
and The Ring Wrestler were favorites),
and I watched the AWA matches on UHF
TV.

I saw Crusher and Bruiser, Verne Gagne,
Billy Red Lyons, Red Bastien, Luis Martinez,
Wilbur Snyder, Prince Pullens, Yukon Moose
Cholak and Eduardo Carpontier. I cheered
for all of them.

But I never saw my favorite wrestler on
TV. I only read about him in the magazines.

He was Bruno Sammartino, the Italian
Strongman who ruled the WWWF (the predecessor
to the WWE) for many long and glorious years.

Bruno was a thickly muscled weightlifter
and powerlifter, who had set a world record
in the bench press with a whopping 565 pounds.

They said he was the strongest man in wrestling,
and he sure looked like it.

One day, I was reading a wrestling magazine,
and I spotted an ad for a training course that
Bruno had written. Needless to say, I ordered
the little monster immediately.

The course was great. It combined weight training
and bodyweight exercises. You lifted three times
per week and did the bodyweight course on two other
days.

Bruno also suggested that you do some running if
you planned to go out for any high school sports.

For a teenager, that was pretty good advice.

An older trainee would find it tough to hit three
weight training workouts, two bodyweight workouts
AND do some running. It would work better to do
2 weight training workouts and one bodyweight
workout -- or to train three times per week or
every other day and alternate between weight work
and bodyweight work. The running (or other cardio)
could come in on off days or (better) after the
weight training or bodyweight sessions.

Of course, another way of doing things is to
combine weight work and bodyweight training in the
same workout. You can do this by selecting one or
two barbell or dumbbell exercises and one or two
bodyweight exercises. Use a divided workout
schedule so you have three different workouts,
using different exercises in each of them, and
rotate between them.

I was thinking about this because so many Dinos
have ordered Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and
many of them have been combining bodyweight
workouts with weight training workouts.

I go into more detail on how to do it in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- and I even
include a special bonus that gives you step
by step instruction on how to combine the two
training methods.

So I guess we're carrying on a time-tested and
time-honored tradition -- one that goes back to
the original Bruno Sammartino Course (and even
earlier).

Serious iron. Serious bodyweight training. They're
both great. Put them together, and you have
something that's double great.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
right here. If you'd like me to autograph your
copy, just include a request in the special
instructions section of the on-line order form:

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

P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wrestlers need a
particular kind of strength. They require all-
round development." -- George Hackenschmidt

Squats, Deadlifts and More!

2012-01-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Couple of quick notes, and then we'll talk
about training.

1. The printer is finishing up the last batch
of copies of the new Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course -- so the pre0publication special
is coming to a close very soon. If you want to
grab a copy and get the special bonus photo (a
great photo of John Grimek doing some seriously
heavy lifting), do it now:

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

2. If you need to wait until payday or you want
to send a ck or money order, shoot me an email
and I'll put you on the pre-publication list --
but you need to let me know TODAY!

3. Some of you may already have rec'd your course
and bonus photo -- or you may get them in today's
mail. When that happens, shoot me an email and let
me know how you like the little monster!

On the training front, several readers have asked
about doing the 20-rep breathing squat program with
deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts instead of squats.

"Will it work?"they ask.

Of course it will!

The squat and the deadlift are very similar exercises.
They both work the legs, hips and back -- they both
allow you to use lots of weight -- and they both
cause plenty of puffing and panting. So yes, the
deadlift works well as a substitute for the
breathing squat. Ditto for the Trap Bar deadlift.

The disadvantage of the deadlift and the Trap Bar
deadlift is that you can't hold onto the bar for
20 reps and take 5 or 6 deep breaths in-between
reps unless you have a super strong grip and
you're using a relatively light weight on the
bar.

Instead, most lifters do a rep, place the bar
on the floor and take take their 5 or 6 deep
breaths -- and then do another rep, lower the
bar, and repeat.

Another option is to do a rep, hold onto the
bar and do the breathing -- and then lower the
bar -- let go -- pause and shake your hands for
a few seconds (to get the blood flowing a bit
and to loosen the fingers up -- then grab the
bar and do another rep. If you have a good grip,
you'll be able to do 20 reps with a decent
amount of weight.

Still another option is to do five non-stop reps
(and the breathing on each rep) -- and then pause
and shake your hands -- and then do another five
non-stop reps and breathing -- and repeat the
process until you've done 20 reps.

I once did a program where I would do 100 reps in
the Trap Bar deadlift with 315 pounds. I did them
in "sets" of five, with a short pause between "sets."
And yes -- it was a tough workout!

And remember -- after your deadlifts or Trap Bar
deadlifts, do one or two sets of light breathing
pullovers to stretch the rib-cage!

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. Remember -- if you want to grab the Military
Press course and get the special bonus photo, do
it now:

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

P.S. 2. For more bulk and power programs -- including
breathing squat programs and other specialization
programs to build maximum muscle mass as fast as
possible, grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Will-power is necessary
to keep in perfect health, and will-power can only be
developed in a truly healthy body." -- Dr. Walter
LaBerge

Massive Madness at Dino HQ!

2012-01-26T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It was a wild and crazy day at Dino
Headquarters yesterday.

First of all, we rec'd the January issue
of the Dinosaur Files newsletter (which
ran a bit late this month -- sorry about
that!) -- and so it was nonstop envelope
stuffing for yours truly. You'd have
laughed to see me sitting at the table
in the breakfast room, fighting with the
tape dispenser when it jammed up!

Next, we got a late in the day call from
the printer -- some but not all of the
copies of the new Dinosaur Military Press
Course were ready to be picked up -- so
Trudi and I hopped in the car
and drove over to get them.

On the way back, we stopped at the office
supply store for more tape -- and then it
was right back into packing mode for Trudi
and autographing courses for the folks who
want their course autographed. (Many do,
and I ended up with double writer's cramp.)

The course looks GREAT -- as does the special
bonus photo. If you ordered a copy, you're
really in for a treat.

So here's the deal for today.

We're going to continue to autograph courses,
pack them up and ship them out.

When the printer has more courses ready, we'll
go grab them and continue the drill.

The final batch of courses probably won't be
ready until tomorrow morning -- but when they
are, we'll go get them and pack them and ship
them.

The pre-publication special for the Military
Press course ends when the courses are printed --
but since the last course won't be printed and
in my hands until sometime tomorrow, we'll
keep the pre-publication special open until
that happens.

That's good for anyone who's been sitting on the
fence, because you can still order and get the
special bonus photo featuring John Grimek and
some serious iron. It's one of the all-time
GREAT lifting photos -- and it will look great
on the wall of your home gym (or anywhere else
you'd like to hang some serious motivation and
inspiration).

The other thing I'm going to do is shoot you a
second email with some interesting Iron Game
history. Grip gorillas will be particularly
interested in this one.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab your copy of the Dinosaur
Military Press Course -- and the bonus photo --
right here:

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

P.S. 2. My other books, courses, DVD's, and the
world famous Dinosaur Files newsletter are available
here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Hail to the Dinosaurs! --
Brooks Kubik

Time to Call the Printer!

2012-01-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As soon as I finish this message, I'm going
to proof the final draft of the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course, review two photos that we rescanned
to sharpen them up -- review the special
bonus photo (one of the best John Grimek
photos of all time) -- and then call the
printer with any final changes.

If there are no final changes, I'm going to
call the printer and say, "Go ahead and print
the little monster!"

So that means we're just about ready to
roll -- and it also means the pre-publication
special is just about over. The bonus photo
is only available during the pre-publication
special so if you want the bonus, you need to
take immediate action.

You can reserve your copy of the Military Press
course right here:

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

I'll follow up with another post a bit later in
the day, but right now I need to go proof that
final draft -- and then call the printer!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Several readers are saving on s&h by ordering
other products with their Military Press Course. It
packages well with the Doug Hepburn Training Course
and the Dinosar Arm Training Course -- and it also
packs well with Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. But we
can use a different size box and ship the little
monster with anything you'd like. So if you want
to make it Christmas in January, head on over to
Dino Headquarters:

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

Happy Birthday to a 61-Year Old Superman!

2012-01-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I received an email not very long ago
from Peter Yates, a hard-charging Dinosaur
and martial artist who writes for the Dino
Files newsletter.

Peter said:

"Hi Brooks,

Turned 61 today. Had a really good workout
consisting of squats, power cleans, one arm
dumbbell clean and press, hanging leg raises,
back raises and wrestler's bridge. Short
and sweet.

I will keep you informed of my progress over
the year. Looking forward to starting the
Dino Military Press course, as well.

Best wishes,

Peter"

And frankly, that made my day!

Compare Peter Yates to the average 61 year old.
Heck, compare him to the average 41 year old --
or the average 31 year old -- or 21 year old.

Peter is 61 and he still does squats!

He's 61, and he still does power cleans!

He's 61, and he still does hanging leg raises
and bridging!

The average teenager cannot do hanging leg
raises -- or bridging -- would crumple under a
squat bar -- and would run away if you suggested
the idea of power cleans. Ditto for the one
arm clean and press. Maybe even double ditto.

But here's Peter, at age 61, blasting through
them like a champion.

It's inspiring stuff -- and it goes to show what
a life-time of physical training can do for you.

So join me in wishing Peter a belated, but very
happy birthday -- and I'm looking forward to
hearing about many more of those Dino-style
birthday workouts in the years to come!

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day! If you train today, knock it out of the
ball-park!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can learn more about Peter and his
training programs in The Dinosaur Files
newsletter. For back issues (May 2010 thru
April 2011), go here:

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

To order a current subscription (May 2011 thru
April 2012), go here. (I'll send you April 2011
thru Jan 2012 in one package, and then send Feb,
March and April month by month so you have the
complete set):

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

P.S. 2. Here's the best book ever written about
serious strength training for older lifters:

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

P.S. 3. Bodyweight training works great for older
Dinos, and the best bodyweight program available is
right here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Celebrate your birthday
by putting more weight on the bar!" -- Brooks Kubik

Military Press Update!

2012-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I just sent the final edits to the printer,
and that means that The Dinosaur Training
Military Press Course should be printed
on Wednesday.

As soon as we have the copies, we'll shoot
them right on out the door to everyone who
reserved a copy.

The cover photo for the course is one of
my all-time favorites. It's John Grimek,
from way back in 1940 (December 22, 1940,
to be exact), and it's one of the most
inspiring photos you've ever seen. Just
looking at it should add 20 pounds to your
press.

I'm going to use the same photo for the
special bonus that goes to everyone who
orders the course during the pre-publication
special. The pre-publication special ends
when I get the courses from the printer, so
it's almost over. If you've been waiting
until the last minute, it's here -- so
go ahead and reserve your copy NOW so that
you get the bonus photo:

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

How Much Rest?

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've been getting lots of
questions about how long to rest in-between
sets. So let's talk about it.

First of all, there's no right answer here.
Meaning, there's no one way to do it -- and
no magic number of seconds or minutes that
works the best for every lifter in every
exercise.

John Davis used to rest for up to 15 minutes
between sets. It worked pretty well for him.
He won two Olympic gold medals, six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.

Then there was Tommy Kono. Tommy Kono sometimes
did 10 sets of military presses in 20 or 25
minutes. That would be two warm-up sets,
followed by 8 work sets. Do the math, and
you'll see that he was training pretty darn
fast.

And yes, it worked well for him. He, too, won
two Olympic gold medals and six World
championships, and set a ton of Olympic and
World records.

Also, note that you need less rest during your
warm-up sets, and more rest during your heavy
sets. I sometimes just than load the bar and
go when I do my warm-up sets, so there's hardly
any rest at all.

Rest times also depend on what exercise you are
doing. Most lifters need more rest between sets
when they do squats and deadlifts than when they
hit upper body exercises.

In general, the heavier you go, the more rest you
need in-between sets. So if the bar is bending,
feel free to take an extra minute or two before
hitting your next set.

So what's the bottom line?

As a general rule of thumb, most trainees do well
on one to two minutes in-between warm-up sets --
two to three minutes between heavy sets of upper
body exercises -- and three to five minutes between
sets of heavy squats or deadlifts.

And by the way -- one good thing to do is to time
yourself in your next workout. See how long you
typically rest between sets. You might find you're
taking a lot longer than you think, and that reducing
your rest periods may be a simple way to increase
the intensity and effectiveness of your workouts!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you'd like to know more about John Davis
and how he trained to become a World and Olympic
weightlifting champion, grab a copy of BLACK
IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- DVD's -- Dino
t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies -- and the Dinosaur
Files newsletter are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You know you've had a
good workout when the bar looks tired after it's all
over." -- Brooks Kubik

Not Training Is NOT an Option!

2012-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As you grow older, it's always necessary
to make adjustments in your training. Not
training is NOT an option.

For most of us, that means longer and more
intelligent warm-ups, paying much more
attention to diet and nutrition, making
sure we get enough rest and sleep, reducing
the total amount (volume) of our training,
and using some sort of cycling system so we
don't go heavy too often.

Some adjustments involve exercises -- or
changes in your exercises. For example:

1. Replace squats with front squats -- which
may be easier on your lower back and hips.
And they may be MUCH easier on your shoulders.

Note: You can perform front squats Olympic
lifter style, or bodybuilder style with crossed
hands -- or attach short straps to the bar and
hold onto the straps. The important thing is
to perform the exercise with your torso in a
vertical posiition and your elbows high.

Note: Wear OL shoes with a heel to do front
squats.

2. Replace powerlifting style squats with high
bar style Olympic squats. Again, these may be
easier on your lower back and hips - and on
your shoulders.

Note: If you switch from parallel squats to
full squats, go light at first -- you'll need
time to develop the flexibility to go all the
way up and down.

Note: Once again -- wear OL shoes!

3. Replace squats with Trap Bar deadlifts.
Easier on knees, and for some, easier on the
lower back.

Note: I like the original Trap Bar designed by
Al Gerard. My buddy John Wood sells them -- for
info, go here:

http://www.trapbartraining.com/

Further note: Many older lifters do really well
with partial Trap Bar deadlifts, using sturdy blocks
to position the bar. One of our readers, Dr. Jim
Dauer, does partial Trap Bar deadlifts with close
to 1,000 pounds -- and he's over 60 years old!

4. Switch from weighted squats to bodyweight
squats. Easier on your lower back.

5. Switch from bent-over rowing to one arm
dumbbell rowing. Easier on your lower back.

6. Switch from bench press to dumbbell bench
press -- or dumbbell incline press. Easier on
your shoulders.

Note: Dumbbells are more forgiving than barbells.
Sometimes a slight twist of the wrists or change
of elbow position is all it takes to turn a
painful exercise into a great one. Dumbbells
allow you to make these minor adjustments.

Note: If it's too hard to wrestle the dumbbells
into position, do one arm dumbbell bench presses
or one arm dumbbell incline presses.

Note: Another option -- switch to pushups. There
are tons of effective pushup variations to choose
from. See Dinosaur Bodyweight Training for some
of my favorites:

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

7. Switch from press behind neck to military
press or dumbbell press -- again, easier on
your shoulders.

8. Switch from one particular angle on an
incline bench to a different angle -- for
example, 45 degrees might irritate your
shoulders, but 60 degrees might feel great.

9. Switch from barbell curls to dumbbell curls.
Easier on the inner elbows.

10. Switch from dumbbell curls to dumbbell
hammer curls. Again, easier on the inner elbows.

11. Switch from curls of any sort to close grip
pull-downs to the chest -- something that John
Grimek did when he was older.

Note: Yes, even a superman like John Grimek had
to make adjustments as he got older.

12. Switch from dips to any pushup variation
of your choice -- or to close grip bench presses.
Easier on the shoulders.

13. Switch from bent-legged situps to hanging
knees to chest -- easier on the lower back and
hips.

14. Switch from military press to push press --
sometimes, the first few inches of the press
are tough for older lifters with shoulder
problems -- but they can do push presses just
fine.

15. Try log bar presses instead of using a
regular barbell.

Note: For info on the Log Bar, go here:

http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/log_bar.html

That should give you some food for thought!

Remember, NOT training is NOT an option. The
trick is, figuring out what to do to continue
training. Don't be afraid to make adjustments --
it's something we all need to do as we grow older.

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. For more information about productive, effective
training for older lifters, see Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 2. Several readers have asked me to cover shoulder
health in my new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course. Don't worry, it's in there! (Just one
more reason to grab a copy of the little monster):

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone grows older, but
Dinos keep on training." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinos Roar!

2012-01-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a ton of feedback from readers about
the idea of training 5 or 6 days per week,
using a divided workout schedule and doing
a SHORT workout each day -- of perhaps only
one exercise.

Some readers thought it was a great idea --
others didn't. They preferred the 2 times or 3
times per week schedule, with lots of off days
to enhance recovery.

And that's fine. Remember, we're all different,
and although certain things work best for
everyone (hard work, compound exercises,
lots of leg and back training, etc.), the
details vary from person to person. What
works best for ME may or may not work best
for YOU -- and what works best for you right
now may change over time. Or it may change
based on your circumstances.

The readers who liked the idea of more frequent
(but very SHORT) workouts tended to be the ones
who are crunched for time. For example, Dan
Sparks wrote:

"I really like this! I work four days a week
for 10 hr shifts, plus two additional part
time jobs, so this might really work for me.
Right now, I use a kettlebell Mon & Wed and
lift heavy on Fri (barbell clean, squat and
press, DB bench, weighted dips, weighted
pull-ups, plus a MovNat style run). Spreading
it out to one thing a day would be interesting.
Thanks for the suggestion."

In a similar vein, Justin Rawlings wrote:

"I'm a big fan of this type of training. It's
something I've been following for the past 6 - 8
months with great results.

After along day at the office, I hate the thought
of just going home and watching TV, so I lift in
my garage about six times a week. Pretty much all
of these movements consist of just one movement
(sometimes two, e.g., super-setting chins and
presses). I focus on going as heavy as I can
on that one movement for the day.

This is great because I can throw in a lot of
really fun lifts that would otherwise not get
done on a traditional split.

An example of a training week for me:

Mon: Power clean and push press

Tues: Dumbbell swing

Wed: Squats

Thurs: Dumbbell bench press

Fri: Chins/dumbbell rows

Sat: Off

Sun: One arm DB clean and press

This changes every week based on how I feel.
As you noted, you need to pay careful attention
to how you structure your training over the
course of the week.

I have a feeling things will change once I get a
power rack, as the lifts will be more demanding,
but for now, this is very fun. Knowing that you
only have one lift to do really allows you to put
all your focus into it.

Always good to see you spreading interesting
information that you'd never hear about in
conventional muscle fiction."

So, as I said, it's not for everyone, but the
one exercise a day schedule may work well for
some of you, either as a permanent program or
as a change of pace.

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. For more great Dinosaur Training workouts,
grab a copy of CHALK AND SWEAT -- it features 50
Dinosaur Training workouts covering beginners,
intermediates, advanced Dinos and Dinos who are
looking to build maximum strength and muscle mass
as fast as possible:

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

P.S. 2. For older Dinos -- age 35 and up -- the
training programs in GRAY HAIR AND BLACK IRON
are perfect for you:

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

P.S. 3. For the best in bodyweight training -- and
to combine bodyweight training with heavy iron --
grab a copy of DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "To succeed as a weight
lifter, as with other desirable things in life, you
must have a great desire to succeed, a willingness
to work long and hard, becoming a champion weight-
lifter must be the first ambition of your life."
-- Bob Hoffman

Great Feats of Shoulder Strength!

2012-01-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

NEWSFLASH! I am doing an interview
tomorrow on SuperHuman Radio.

We'll be covering the Military Press
and Shoulder Power -- and we'll cover
some great feats of strength from "back
in the day" when lifters stood on their
feet and lifted heavy stuff their heads.

It will be a fun, fast-paced and
informative show.

The show will be at 12:00 EST -- you can
listen to it live or catch the download
later on.

The home page for SHR is here:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/

There's no charge for the SHR shows -- I
consider them to be Dinosaur PSA's (Public
Service Announcements).

Anyhow, I hope you can join me!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Great feats of shoulder strength are
very much on my mind -- because the Dinosaur
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course is
almost ready to go. Be sure to reserve your
copy before the pre-publication special ends:

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

Something Different for Dinosaurs!

2012-01-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several readers have asked about the
advisability of doing five or six short
workouts per week rather than doing two
or three longer sessions.

For some Dinos, it actually works pretty
well -- IF (and this is a big IF):

1. You concentrate on the basic exercises,
such as squats, deadlifts, presses, etc.

2. You keep each workout short and sweet,
as in anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

3. You work on a schedule that keeps you
from hammering your knees, back and
shoulders with too many back to back
sessions (even if you use different
exercises in each session). For example,
don't do deadlifts on Monday and squats on
Tuesday -- or presses on Wednesday and
bench presses on Thursday.

For example, you might try something like
this:

Mon -- Military press 5 x 5

Tues -- Pull-ups 5 x 5 - 10

Wed -- Squats or front squats 5 x 5

Thurs -- Barbell or dumbbell curls 5 x 5

Fri -- Bench press, incline press or any
pushup variation of your choice (5 x 5 for
the weight work and 5 x 10 - 50 for the pushups,
depending on what you do and how strong you are
in the movement you select)

Sat -- Deadlifts 5 x 5

Start each workout with a 10 minute warmup of your
choice, and finish with gut, grip or neck work,
doing gut work one day, grip work another day, and
neck work on the third day.

If you want to include heavy awkward objects you
can do them on Sat after the deadlifts -- or do them
on a day of their own. Space them so they don't come
the day before or the day after squats or deadlifts.

Cardio work can follow your strength work 3 to 5 times
a week. Don't overdo the cardio, and don't do the same
sort of cardio. Mix things up.

If you like dumbbells or kettlebells or cables or
heavy clubs or Olympic lifting or ropes and rings
or gymnastics or handstands or anything else that
isn't mentioned, work it into the schedule in a
logical fashion. For example, do kettlebell presses
on Monday instead of (or in addition to) your military
presses -- and do kettlebell swings on Sat before
your deadlifts.

Also note that you can slot in some extra rest days
and turn this from a 7 day schedule to a 9 or 10 day
program. There's no law that says you have to train
on a 7 day schedule -- we all just do it because
there happen to be 7 days in a week.

For some of you, this program would QUICKLY lead to
overtraining -- but for others, it will work pretty
darn well. So if you've been thinking about daily
workouts, give it a try!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Mixing weight work and bodyweight training is a
terrific workout option, whether you train 2 times,
3 times or 6 times a week. For the best in progressive
bodyweight workouts, grab DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- are
right here at Dino Headquarters. Save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "By word or deed, become an
ambassador of sensible training." -- Brooks Kubik

A Question on Grip Training

2012-01-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

This message is coming to you a little later
than intended. We had some wild weather in
Louisville -- a huge line of thunderstorms
with wild winds gusting up to 60 mph -- and
even some tornadoes.

A couple of tractor trailer rigs were blown
right off the expressway not very far from
Dino HQ.

So we've had to stay off-line, keep the
computer turned off, and maintain radio
silence for much of the day.

But now we're back -- so let's talk training!

One of our readers asked me about fitting grip
work into his schedule. He said he's been doing
super-sets where he does a primary exercise, such
as pull-ups or deadlifts, and then does a grip
exercise. He asked what I thought of the idea.

Frankly, I don't like it.

Here's why. If you train your grip as hard as you
SHOULD train it, you're not going to be able to
do grip work and then do any serious upper body
training -- or any deadlifts -- or anything else
where you need to hold onto some heavy iron or
hang from a chinning bar.

When you train your grip, you fry it for awhile.
If you don't you're not training hard enough.

Arthur Jones once noted that after a forearm and
grip workout, you could drop a key on the floor
and not be able to pick it up.

And if you can't pick a key up off the floor, you
sure as heck can't do pull-ups -- or do deadlifts.

That's why you train your grip at the END of your
workout -- AFTER all the primary exercises.

If you want to save time and speed things up, you
can super-set or tri-set grip work with gut work
and neck work. That's one reason I always end a
training program by noting that you should do
"gut, grip and neck work."

The exception would be gut work that requires
gripping power -- such as hanging leg raises,
hanging knees to chest, heavy dumbbell side-bends,
or Turkish get-ups. With those exercises, you would
need to do the gut work first, and then finish up
with the grip work.

I hope that helps figuring out where to slot in
the grip work!

As far as exercises go, the sky's the limit. I cover
some of the better ones in DINOSAUR TRAINING: LOST
SECRETS OF STRENGTH AND POWER and in STRENGTH, MUSCLE
AND POWER. Check them out -- they'll help you build
hands like iron claws!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find DINOSAUR TRAINING right here:

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

P.S. 2. Go here for STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Somewhere in your make-up
there lies SLEEPING the seed of achievement which, if
aroused and put into action, would carry you to heights
such as you may never have hoped to attain." -- Napoleon
Hill

News and Updates -- and Questions -- for Dinos!

2012-01-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I'll send an email covering a training topic a
a little later in the day, but first of all, let
me give you some quick updates, Dino news,
Dino notes and some questions -- and on the
questions, I'm going to ask for feedback from
you:

1. The Military Press Course

The printer is working on it, and we should be
able to drop the little monster in the mail on
Fri or Sat if all goes well. I apologize for
the delay on this. I kept finding more and more
material to add. So it's later than expected,
but has more info than expected, including
training tips from FOUR Olympic gold medal
winners!

2. The January Dino Files

Are also running late, but they should be
printed and mailed on Fri or Sat. It's another
great issue, with some terrific workouts and
detailed progressions for one of the very best
upper body exercises there is -- an exercise,
by the way, that most people never do.
So those of you who subscribe to the Dino
Files are in for a treat!

3. Dinosaur Training in London

This is BIG! I'm doing a Dinosaur training
seminar in London in June -- with Mike Mahler,
Cj Swaby and Sabina Skala. It will be two days
of hands-on small-group instruction, covering
kettlebells, olympic weightlifting, some fun
old-school lifts, Dinosaur dumbbell training,
Dinosaur bodyweight training and more. For
more info, or to sign up NOW (because there's
a limit on the number of attendees -- so that
we can work with everyone in small groups),
go to Mike Mahler's website:

http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html

Do NOT look for info or a link on the Dino
website -- it's all at Mike Mahler's website!

4. Dinosaur Training Seminars in the USA

TONS of readers have been asking if I'm going to
do any seminars in the USA. The answer is YES!

The dates, times, topics and locations are
currently under review -- so if you have any
ideas for places to hold a seminar, and topics
to cover,or if you just want to let me know
that you're interested, shoot me an email!

Obviously, the more folks from any one area
who want a seminar, the more likely it is that
I'll do one there.

5. Attention, Gym Owners!

If you want to book me for a seminar, shoot me
an email!

6. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training DVD's

You've been asking about them -- and the answer
is, they're ready, and they're in stock -- but
we don't have an order page for them yet.

However, you can still order the little monsters
(one or more of your choice or all 7 of them).
Shoot me an email for details.

7. Success Stories!

I get success stories from readers who've built great
strength, power and muscle mass with Dino Training --
but I'm always looking for more, so don't be shy, and
send them in.

I'm also looking for success stories from readers who:

a. Cleaned up their diet, trained Dino style, and
whacked the Lard Lumps.

b. Used diet and exercise to improve their health, as
measured by standard blood level tests (LDL cholesterol,
HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, etc.)

c. Used diet and exercise to improve chronic conditions
such as high blood sugar, diabetes, high blood pressure,
arthritis, inflammation, etc.

I know that MANY of you have success stories that would
be helpful and inspiring to others -- so, as I said, don't
be shy. Share your diet and training experiences!

That's it for now, but be looking for an email with some
training tips a little later in the day.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. The top selling Dinosaur training products of 2012
(so far, at least), are Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of
Strength and Development, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training,
and the Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.
You can find them right here:

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

P.S. Remember, if you're interested in seeing a Dinosaur
Training seminar in the USA -- or in Canada -- shoot me
an email!

The Royal Road to Muscle and Might!

2012-01-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

On a wooden lifting platform, a lifter
chalks his hands, steps to the bar --
crouches down -- gets set -- and performs
a perfect squat snatch.

Elsewhere -- a kettlebell lifter finishes
a hard set of swings with a menacing,
monster-sized black bell.

In a different gym -- another lifter swings
a heavy kettlebell. When she finishes, she
hits some heavy squats and deadlifts -- and
them grinds out three sets of hanging leg
raises -- for 15 reps per set. One of the
guys at the gym shakes his head in disbelief
as he watches her.

And elsewhere -- a thickly muscled man in
heavy sweats heaves a 150 pound sandbag to
his shoulder, drops it down, and heaves it
back up again.

In a different gym -- a lifter grinds his
way through a heavy set of squats. After
the squats, he does heavy quarter squats
in the power rack.

In yet another gym -- a lifter performs the
two dumbbell clean and press -- working up
to sets of five with a pair of 80 pounders.

And in another gym -- a training stands with
a heavy barbell on his shoulders, panting like
a racehorse as he finishes a heavy set of 20
rep breathing squats.

Meanwhile, in a garage -- a man finishes a
set of 50 perfect pushups, jumps up, grabs
a pull-up bar, and begins performing a set
of 20 perfect pull-ups.

In another garage -- a man hangs from a 2"
thick pull-up bar, with 40 pounds of heavy
log chain wrapped around his body -- and
performs a set of 5 perfect pull-ups.

And in a different garage -- a man approaches
a heavy block of iron -- and lifts it off
the ground with a powerful pinch grip.

Meanwhile -- a young athlete sprints up a steep
hill. It's the first of five 50 yard sprints
for him.

And not far away -- older trainee finishes
his Trap Bar deadlifts, and cools down with 20
minutes on a step machine at an easy pace.
Tomorrow he'll take things easy, and go for
a 3 mile walk.

In another city -- a man works on a one arm
pull-up. He can't do one yet -- but he's
working to get there!

Elsewhere -- in a different city -- an athlete
drives a barbell overhead in a letter-perfect
clean and jerk. Her first lifting contest is
in two weeks, and she plans to be ready for it!

In another gym -- a trainee finishes a heavy set
of barbell curls with more weight than many
trainees use for squats or deadlifts (assuming
they even perform squats or deadlifts).

They all train differently. But they all train
the same.

They train with strength, power and passion.

They train progressively. Whatever they do, they're
always trying to improve their performance.

They train regularly and consistently. They don't
miss workouts and they don't make excuses.

They train to get stronger -- faster -- more
powerful -- healthier -- and better conditioned.

They follow different paths, but all of them are
headed in the same direction. They're all on the
Royal Road to Muscle and Might.

All of them are Dinosaurs -- and I'm incredibly
proud of each and every one of them.

If you're reading this, you're a Dinosaur as well.
You train YOUR way -- but you train the Dino Way!

For that I salute you -- and I THANK YOU!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Wherever you train, and whatever your favorite
style of training, we've got you covered with Dinosaur
Training books, courses and DVD's -- and with the world
famous Dinosaur Files (hardcopy) newsletter. You can
finds them right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Dinos are all different,
but Dinos are all the same." -- Brooks Kubik

Write It Down!

2012-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Three quick updates, and then we'll talk
training!

1. The Military Press Course

The Military Press and Shoulder Power
Course ran late because I added some
extra material. It is at the printer
now, and we'll be shipping it sometime
next week.

I apologize for the delay here -- I
underestimated how long it took to
finish the little monster. Of course,
the good news for YOU is that it's
going to be bigger and better than
expected.

2. The January Dino Files

Is also running late. We'll drop it in
the mail sometime next week. It's a
pretty good issue with some great
training articles and workouts.

3. The London Seminar

If you haven't heard the news, I'm doing a
seminar in London -- with Mike Mahler,
CjSwaby and Sabina Skala -- and if you
live in the UK or Europe, you're DEFINITELY
going to want to be there. For more info,
or to reserve a spot, follow this link:

http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html

Several readers have asked questions about
keeping a workout log. One of the questions is:

"Do you write down what you're going to do
(exercises, sets, reps and weights) before
you go to the gym? If so, do you ever change
what is scheduled?"

The answer is YES and YES.

I ALWAYS write down the entire workout from
warm-ups to working sets -- including all the
different weights I'll use -- BEFORE I go out
to the garage to train.

Writing it down is the first step in getting
your brain into your workout. It actually serves
as a form of visualization. And it starts to get
you to concentrate and focus on your training.

Before you do anything else, you need to have a
very detailed, very vivid, very clear picture
of what you are going to do in your workout.

Writing it down helps to create that picture.

Remember, Dinosaur Training is GOAL DIRECTED
TRAINING. You don't just go to the gym and
do stuff. You go to the gym with a definite
goal: to lift more weight than before, to
do more reps than before to add a work set,
to improve your technique in a complex lift
(such as a squat snatch, a dumbbell swing or
a bent press), to train with better focus and
greater concentration than ever before, to do
the same workout you did last time but do it
FASTER than before, etc.

The point is, you're always training with a
definite purpose. And writing it down helps
that process. Helps it more than you can
imagine.

Do I ever change what I do?

Absolutely. If I'm having an off day and nothing
is working the way it should, I go lighter than
planned.

If I'm having a great day, I may do more working
sets or I may go heavier in my working sets. I
may even go for a PR. Or (and pay attention,
because this is important), I may do exactly
what I had scheduled in my workout log and focus
on making every single rep as PERFECT as possible.
That's often a better confidence builder than
anything else you could do.

Start keeping a workout journal. It's a simple thing
to do -- but it's one of the secrets to getting great,
super-productive workouts!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. As noted, the Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course will be shipping next week -- but
you can still get in the door and reserve a copy during
the pre-publication special -- which means you'll get a
special bonus when we fill your order:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's -- and
the world famous Dino Files newsletter -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it means something, write
it down!" -- Brooks Kubik

Frank Spellman: A Hero for the Ages!

2012-01-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Frank Spellman won a gold medal in weightlifting
at the 1948 Olympic Games. He was 26 years old.
He lifted in the 165 pound class.

By the way, he was lucky to be there. He fought
in the Army in World War II -- in the bloody
hedgerows of Normandy -- and one day the Germans
launched a surprise attack, and a German tank ran
right over Frank's fox-hole. "That was an exciting
day," he says.

But the Olympics were also exciting for Frank.

He went 9 for 9 that day, making 245 1/2, 253 1/2,
and 259 in the military press -- 248, 259 and
264 1/2 in the snatch, and 314 1/4, 330 1/2, and
336 in the clean and jerk.

He says "It was a perfect day. Everything went
perfect for me. I felt like I could do anything."

That's interesting because I've run a biorhythm
chart on Frank, and on the day he won the gold
medal he was in a triple low crossing pattern.
That should have given him one of the worst
days of his life. Go figure.

Fifteen years later, Frank lifted in his last
contest -- the United States Senior Nationals
in Santa Monica. At the of 40, he WON the
contest!

His lifts at the 1961 championships were 260 in
the press, 230 in the snatch and 310 in the
clean and jerk. Not quite what he lifted at
age 26, but pretty close.

After his last contest, Frank continued to
train, doing squats, bench press, curls,
dumbbell presses and deadlifts. He trained
hard, too. When he squatted, he did 8 sets
of 5 reps with a heavy weight.

At age 73, Frank was training in his garage
with two buddies (both 77 years of age). One
of his training partners began working out
at age 69. For squats, all he could handle
was a 20 pound bar. Five years later, at age
74, he was squatting 220 pounds!

Frank was doing pretty good, as well. His
workout at age 73 consisted of 3 x 10 in the
bench press with 150 pounds -- 3 x 10 in the
squat with 185 pounds -- 60 leg raises and
situps -- 20 calf raises with 70 pounds extra
weight -- 3 x 10 in the barbell curl with 80
pounds -- and one set of upright rows (pulling
the bar to eye-level) with 80 pounds.

Not very long ago, I interviewed Frank to
get his old-school training secrets for my
new Military Press and Shoulder Power Course.

In addition to covering his training for the
military press, we talked about his current
training.

Get this -- at the age of 89, Frank is still
training. He does leg press, seated press,
barbell curls and deadlifts. And he still trains
heavy -- for example, he does 1 x 10 in the
barbell curl with 60 pounds!

"It's an ego thing," he said. "I like having
big arms."

Frank still weighs in at 165 pounds -- his
competition weight when he won the Olympic gold
medal at age 26!

Two years ago, Frank hurt his back and had to
have surgery to remove two disks. His doctor
told him to stop lifting weights.

"I guess you didn't listen to him, did you?" I
said.

Frank chuckled.

"Well, you know what it's like -- if someone tells
an iron-head he can't do something, he takes it as
a challenge."

All of which makes Frank Spellman an American hero --
and an inspiration to Dinosaurs everywhere!

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, pretend you're training with
Frank Spellman -- and make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can learn more about Frank Spellman's training
in The Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:

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

P.S. 2. By the way, Frank Spellman trained with John
Davis at the South Phillie Weightlifting Club -- and
you can read all about it in Black Iron: The John
Davis Story:

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

P.S. 3. If you're an older trainee (age 35 and up),
here's the book that will keep you lifting for a long,
long time -- just like Frank Spellman:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Once a lifter, always
a lifter." -- Brooks Kubik

The Growing Machine!

2012-01-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

One of the ways to kick your training
into maximum overdrive is to try something
new.

And one of the best things to try is a
Dino-style power rack training program.
If you use it the right way, the power
rack is a growing machine!

I should know -- because power rack training
made me grow like nothing I'd ever tried.

In my late 20's, I weighed 180 pounds,
and was able to do a touch and go bench
press with 355 pounds any day of the week.
My best in competition (at a local meet
where they let us do a touch and go rather
than a paused lift), I did 365. That was
my best back then.

I did 315 x 5 in the squat. I don't recall
if I ever did singles in the squat back then.
I don't think. If I did, my top squat was about
the same as my bench press.

Try as I might, I could not increase any of
my lifts. The bench stayed the same for years --
and so did the squat -- and so did my bodyweight.

At about that point in time, the owner of the gym
asked a retired steel worker named Carl Flannigan
to build an extra big, extra heavy duty power rack
for the gym.

Carl, by the way, was nicknamed "Big Carl," and he
deserved the nickname. He was a mountain of a man,
and even in his late 60's he was handling huge
weights in partial movements on the leg press
machine and in quarter squats. And when he shook
hands with you, it felt like you were shaking hands
with a gorilla.

Anyhow, Carl built a MONSTER power rack -- and it
stood there unused by anyone other than Carl for
a very long long time.

And then one day i read an article about power rack
training, and decided to give it a try -- and so
I started to experiment with different ways of using
the power rack.

I soon discovered that much of what was written about
power rack training didn't work very well. But I also
discovered some unique twists on rack training that
worked GREAT.

And suddenly, I started to grow bigger and stronger.

My weight climbed up to 188 -- and then 193 -- and
then 198 -- 202 -- 207 -- 210 -- 220 and up to 225.

My bench shot up to a 400 pound touch and go lift --
and then a paused bench in competition with 396 --
which I later increased to 407 (in competition).

I started doing bottom position bench presses (starting
from a dead stop with the bar positioned on pins set
so it was just brushing my chest when I wedged myself
underneath it -- and worked up to 435 pounds using a
3" thick barbell.

And my squat increased way more than my bench press.
It went all the way up to 605 pounds for a single.

And it was all the result of heavy rack work -- or
rather, the result of heavy DINO-STYLE rack work.

I detail my favorite systems of power rack training
in two books:

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.html

If strength and power is your thing -- or if you're
looking to build some serious muscle mass in 2012 --
then give Dino-style power rack training a try. You
may find (as I did), that it works better than anything
else you've ever tried!

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. My other books, courses, DVD's -- and sweatshirts
and hoodies (which are great for cold weather training --
are right here:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's a reason why they
call it the power rack." -- Brooks Kubik

The Chalk and Sweat Phenomenon!

2012-01-10T08:49:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Something very interesting has happened over
the past couple of weeks. It ties into the
end of the old year and to the fact that in
December 2010 I launched a new book called
CHALK AND SWEAT, which gives readers a series
of 50 different workouts: 10 workouts for
beginners, 10 for intermediates, 10 for
advanced trainees, 10 leg specialization
programs and 10 back specialization programs.

I wrote the book for a very simple reason.

I get tons of emails with training questions,
and many of them are from:

1. Beginners who need a good workout and have
no idea how to put a program together -- and
who always do WAY TOO MUCH -- meaning too many
exercises,too many sets, and too many training
days per week.

2. Intermediates who try to do a more
advanced program than their bodies can handle.

3. Advanced men who get off track somehow (usually
as the result of too many muscle comics or too
much time reading about training on the internet)
and who are stuck in the dreaded STICKING POINT
zone.

4. Guys who want to build as much muscle and bulk
as fast as possible -- but don't know how to do it.
(Hint: leg and back specialization!)

I don't have time to give personal answers to
everyone who needs a good training program --
so I wrote a book that lays it all out and
gives enough variety that there's literally
"something for everyone."

So here's what happened, based on emails that have
come in the door over the past few weeks.

A number of readers grabbed a copy of CHALK AND
SWEAT back in December 2010 -- and started off
on one of the programs in the book at the beginning
of 2011 -- and trained on different programs from
the book over the course of the year -- and did
ALL of their training for the entire year using
programs from the book -- and then, at the end
of the year, they shoot me an email and say, "I
can't believe the gains I made over the past
year!"

Well, I can believe it.

As I said In Dinosaur Training: "Strength training
works!" You just have to do it RIGHT! And part of
"doing it right" is using the right kind of training
program -- a training program that is based on real
world, real life STUFF THAT WORKS rather than on
something some guy writes for a muscle comic because
he needs to make his deadline for the upcoming issue
and he needs to make it "new and different" because
that's what sells magazines.

And -- very important -- you need to follow a
program suited to your current level of
development.

The bottom line is this -- the idea of writing a
book that gives a series of progressively more
difficult training programs for Dinos was a GREAT
idea -- and there are a bunch of Dinos walking
around who are bigger and stronger today than
ever before -- and its the result of the
programs in the book -- including those
leg and back programs that seem to have worked
pretty darn well for everyone who tried them.

So, to everyone who ordered CHALK AND SWEAT and
gave the programs a try and got great results --
THANK YOU! And DOUBLE THANK YOU to everyone
who wrote in to report their results!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can experience the CHALK AND SWEAT phenomenon
for yourself by grabbing a copy of the little monster
from the Dinosaur Training bookstore:

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

P.S. 2. My other books, courses and DVD's are
available at the usual place:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Most people don't plan
to fail; they fail to plan." -- John L. Beckley

Lift It, Log It, Beat It!

2012-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A quick note, and then some training
talk!

In response to 20 bajillion emails so
far -- YES, I will be doing seminars in
the USA this year!

Details being worked out.

If you own a gym (or know someone who
does), and you want to book me for a
seminar, shoot me an email!

If you are interested in seeing a state-
side seminar, shoot me an email and let me
know what topics you'd like me to cover,
where you live and where you could travel
easily to attend a Dino seminar!

And now -- let's talk training!

We're 9 days into the New Year, and I've
had some great workouts. I've already set
several new PR's -- and for a lifter, PR's
are the name of the game!

Let me explain how that happens.

I keep track of PR's on several different
levels:

1. All-time (lifetime) best at any bodyweight.

2. All-time (lifetime) best at a given
bodyweight.

3. Best ever at age 40 and above.

4. Best ever at age 50 and above.

5. Best ever at age 55 and above.

6. Best ever for age and bodyweight,
using the age-adjusted formula they use
in Master's weightlifting competition.

7. PR's for singles.

8. PR's for doubles.

9. PR's for three singles or three doubles.

10. PR's for five singles or five doubles.

11. Best for January, 2012.

12. Best for the year in 2012.

Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.

The point is, I keep meticulous records -- and
I've done so for along time -- and so I have a
very good idea of how TODAY's workout compares
to the same session last week -- or last year --
or five years ago. And that gives me all sorts
of different ways to compare how I'm doing today
to how I did in the past.

Some variation of this system -- keeping careful
records, charting your progress, and measuring
your current best against your previous best --
is CRITICAL. In fact, it's one of the most
important things you can do to get better
results from your training.

So to make 2012 the best year ever for strength
and muscle gains, do this:

1. Lift it.

2. Log it.

3. Beat it.

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. Get 2012 started off on the right foot with
some serious info on real world, no nonsense Dino-
style strength training and muscle building:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Make training a habit,
and stick to it as long as you live." -- Brooks Kubik

Big Breaking News -- A Dinosaur Training Seminar in London!

2012-01-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Big breaking news.

As in, HUGE breaking news.

If you live in the UK -- or anywhere
in Europe -- mark June 9 and 10 on
your calendar -- and get yourself to
London -- because I'm going to be
there for a big new seminar with
kettlebelll guru Mike Hahler and UK
strength coaches CJ Swaby and Sabina
Skala.

For details, head over to Mike Mahler's
website and read all about it -- and then
go ahead and sign up.

We're running all the sign-ups through
Mike's website, so don't look for a
sign-up page at my website --
look for it here, at Mike Mahler's
site:

http://www.mikemahler.com/events/dinosaur-training.html

IMPORTANT!

The only way to make a seminar like this work
for everyone who attends is to limit the number
of attendees -- so that's what we're going to have
to do.

Mike has done seminars in the UK by himself, and
has filled them up VERY QUICKLY -- and with the
four of us working as a team, we expect the
seminar to fill up faster than you can say
goodbye to a banana tree when King Kong comes
walking by.

So if you want to get in the door, it's time
to take immediate action!

All the best, and I hope to see as many UK and
European Dinos as possible in June!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. North American readers are going to be
asking, "What about us?" Don't worry -- we'll
take care of you, too -- it's just a matter of
pinning down the details. But for tight now,
let's focus on London -- June 9 and 10. Be
there!

Focus on the Important Things!

2012-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was 11 years old, I joined
the Boy Scouts, and became a full-
fledged camping nut.

I used to get mail order catalogs
of camping gear -- such as the LL Bean
catalog, which was nothing but serious
camping, hiking, hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear back then -- and I
would go through them carefully and
make long lists of everything I wanted
to take on my next camping trip.

Pup tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth,
lantern, flashlight, survival kit with
waterproof matches, Hudson Bay style 3/4
axe, hatchet, pocket knife, hunting knife,
fishing knife, rope, fishing line, fish
hooks, mess kit, bow and arrows, targets,
canteen, folding wood saw, knapsack,
knapsack frame, tump-line, canoe paddles,
dehydrated rations, sterno, more matches,
beef jerky, pemmican, aluminum foil for
cooking, camp shovel, string -- it was a
pretty long list.

Of course, I could only afford a couple
of things, but I still jammed that knapsack
full of all kinds of important, necessary
and downright critical gear.

I put the thing on my back and almost fell
to the ground. It was HEAVY!

Needless to say, I only used about five
percent of the stuff I lugged around.

The Scoutmaster knew his stuff.

he didn't say anything to the new scouts,
but let us stagger off into the woods with
ten times more stuff than we needed.

Then he let us camp for the weekend, pack
up and stagger back home.

And then he told us the secret.

"When you get home, empty everything out of
your knapsack and make three piles," he said.

"The first pile is for the stuff you never
used at all. That will be the biggest pile."

We nodded. he was right.

"The second pile is for stuff you used once
during the entire weekend. That will be a
fairly big pile, as well."

Again, we nodded.

"The third pile is the stuff you used more
than once. It will be a pretty small pile."

Once again, he was right.

"The next time we go camping, just take the
stuff in pile no. 3. It's all you need."

So that's what we did -- and guess what? He
was right.

There's a parallel to strength training.

Like tenderfoot campers who always take too
much unnecessary gear and end up exhausting
themselves lugging it around, tenderfoot
exercisers always try to do too many
exercises and end up exhausting themselves.

If they're lucky, they finally learn the
secret:

1. You don't need very many different
exercises.

2. You don't need to perform endless sets
and reps.

3. You don't need to spend hours and hours
in the gym.

4. You don't need to train every day.

5. The important thing is QUALITY TRAINING --
which means working hard and heavy on the
important exercises and then stopping, going
home and getting rested for your next workout.

6. Less is more. Do less but do it better.

7. Use abbreviated training programs that allow
you to focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.

So if you want to make 2012 the best year ever
for building strength and muscle, focus on the
important stuff -- the exercises that count.
Drop everything else, and devote yourself to
QUALITY TRAINING -- and you won't believe the
results!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. There's still time to order my new Military
Press and Shoulder Power Course and get the special
pre-publication bonus. You can find it right here:

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

P.S. 2. Last week I mentioned that we have Dinosaur
Bodyweight Training DVD's. We don't have a sales
page for them yet -- but if you're interested,
shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to place
an order for them.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Wherever you train,
and whatever equipment is available, make the most
of it!" -- Brooks Kubik

Gold Medal Training Advice for Dinosaurs!

2012-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday I mentioned that I found
some new information about John Grimek's
secret exercise for military pressing --
and that I've worked it into my new
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.

I also wanted to let you know that the
course contains some Gold Medal training
advice -- because I've interviewed some
Olympic Gold medal winners and former
Olympic and World record holders -- and
I've gotten the inside information
on how they trained the press and how
they believe YOU should be training
the press!

And you can't do better than that --
actual training advice and tips on how
to build pressing power from men who
were the BEST IN THE WORLD.

If that doesn't take your pressing
power to the next level, then I don't
know what will.

Adding the additional material has
slowed things down a bit, and the
course won't be shipping until (most
likely) late next week -- but when it
ships, it's going to be as detailed,
as complete and as helpful as I can
make it.

Working on the course has me so excited
that I've been burning things up out in
the garage during my workouts -- and I
think you're going to have the same
reaction when you read it.

I also think the course is going to help
usher in a new era of lifting -- a return
to those old-school workouts where a
lifter stepped up to the bar -- cleaned
it -- stood tall -- and pressed it
overhead.

Good old-fashioned, stand on your feet,
ground-based strength training.

You gotta love it -- and you gotta do
it. And the new course is going to teach
you how to do it like the champions.

Anyhow, if you've not yet reserved your
copy of the new course, do it now during
our pre-publication special. That way,
you get a special bonus when we fill the
orders.

In the meantime -- hit it hard when you
train, and plan to make 2012 your very
best year ever for building some serious
strength, muscle and power!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to reserve your copy of the
Dinosaur Training Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. For other Dinosaur training books,
courses and DVD's, go here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Strong is good.
Stronger is even better." -- Brooks Kubik

John Grimek's Secret Exercise

2012-01-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Over the past 45 years -- and wow, that's
nearly half a century -- I've read an awful
lot about building strength and muscle.

But two weeks ago I read something new --
and I learned something I'd never known
before.

John Grimek had a secret exercise to build
pressing power.

He divulged the secret in 1950 or 51 --
and an Iron Game author wrote it down and
reported it in an obscure little publication
which hardly anyone read -- and it wasn't
reported anywhere else (or rather, the
exercise was described here and here,
but NOT the fact that Grimek found it to
be so remarkably effective.

"I could have pressed 400 pounds," said
Grimek.

Now, to give you some perspective, when
Grimek was lifting (the mid-1930's to 1940
or 1941), the World record in the Heavyweight
class in the military press was somewhere
around 320 pounds.

Paul Anderson was the first man to press 400
pounds -- and he did it in the mid 1950's.

But here was Grimek, calmly reporting that
he could have gotten his press to 400 pounds --
at a bodyweight of around 200 pounds -- way
back in the Thirties.

His problem, he explained, was the clean. He
could press more than he could clean. And he
knew he could never get his clean to 400
pounds.

So he lost interest in his pressing program
and his secret exercise, and focused on other
things.

When I read this, I went back and worked
Grimek's secret exercise into my new Military
Press course. That and some other additions
(and more photos) made everything run a little
longer than planned, and so it won't be printed
and shipped until sometime next week -- probably
near the end of the week. But it's going to be
BETTER than I thought it would be -- and it's
going to give you John Grimek's secret exercise
for the press.

So if you already reserved your copy of the
Military Press course, you're in for a real
treat -- and if you didn't already reserve it,
sign up now and be sure to get the
pre-publication bonus when we ship your
order:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

In the meantime, I'm back to work on about thirty
dozen different things -- but every once in a
while I stop and think: "I wonder what would have
happened if Grimek had kept up with that special
pressing program?"

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. My other books, courses and DVD's are right
here. Remember, you can save clams on s&h by
ordering two or more at the same time:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Look back for knowledge,
and look forward for results." -- Brooks Kubik

10 Tips for Building Strength and Muscle!

2012-01-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let me share 10 tips for building strength
and muscle. Some of them may be familiar to
you, and some may be new -- but they're all
good to keep "top of the mind" as you go
into the new year:

1. To Gain Mass, Build Strength.

If you want to get bigger, add weight to the
bar. If you get stronger -- and I mean MUCH
STRONGER -- you'll increase your muscle mass.

2. Concentrate on Leg and Back Training.

Leg and back training stimulates gains in
strength and muscle throughout the entire body.
You don't get big by doing endless sets of arm
exercises!

3. Maximize Your Recovery!

Your muscles don't gain strength and mass during
a workout. The purpose of a workout is stimulate
gains in strength and muscle mass. After that
happens, you need to REST -- meaning that you
don't train for at least 48 hours. During the
rest period, your body recovers form the workout
and over-compensates by growing a little bit
bigger and stronger.

4. Don't Skip Your Warmups!

A good 10 or 15 minute warmup will get you ready
for a great workout. Get into the warmup habit
NOW! (Note: This is especially important for
older lifters.)

5. Stand on Your Feet!

The best and most effective exercises are ones
where you stand on your feet and lift. (Squats,
front squats, deadlifts, Trap Bar deadlifts,
presses, etc.) 90% of your training should be
"ground-based" training (meaning, you should be
standing on your feet, not sitting down or lying
on a bench).

6. Thick Bars!

Use thick bars to build ferocious gripping power!

7. Sandbags, Etc!

Heavy awkward objects -- sandbags, barrels, kegs,
rocks, logs, etc. -- give your muscles a unique
challenge. Work them into your program from time
to time.

8. Expect to Succeed!

Your mind controls what happens to your body -- and
if you go into your workouts expecting great results,
it will happen.

9. Concentrate!

When you train, you must give every rep of every
exercise your total, complete, absolute, undivided
attention. Block out everything else. Focus ONLY on
the rep. The gym could catch on fire and you wouldn't
know it until your set was over!

10. Perfect Form!

Exercises are designed to be done one particular way --
the right way! Anything less than perfect form will
reduce your results. Always aim for perfection on
every single rep -- even your warmups!

So there you are -- 10 tips for strength training and
muscle building. Keep them top of mind for 2012 --
and make this year the very best training year ever!

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. For more details on effective strength training
and muscle building, grab any of my books and courses --
or my DVD's -- or the Dinosaur Files newsletter:

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

P.S. 2. If you've not already done so, be sure to reserve
your copy of the new Dinosaur Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If at first you do succeed,
harder work is what you need." -- Bob Hoffman

I Just Heard Something Very Interesting on the Radio!

2012-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then some training
talk --

NOTE NO. 1 --

Happy New Year to the Dinosaurs --
and I hope that you make tons and tons
of PR's in 2012!

NOTE NO. 2 --

The new Dinosaur Training Military Press
and Shoulder Power Course should be ready
to ship in about 7 to 10 days. I had planned
to ship it last Friday, but I added more
material and that made it run behind
schedule. But the little monster will be
well worth the wait.

I'll send an email when the course
ships -- and in the meantime, anyone who
didn't order can reserve a copy now
and get the pre-publication bonus when
the course is shipped.

And now -- it's time to talk training!

On the radio this morning, I listened to
a program talking about the importance of
your environment on your habits.

By "environment" I mean where you live,
where you work, or (in our case) where
you train. In other words, I'm talking
about your physical surroundings.

Apparently, your physical surroundings are
tied to habits.

For example, if you are a smoker and you
have an outside smoking area at work, and
you walk past it as you go to work, you're
probably going to stop and have a smoke (or
at the least, experience a strong desire to
smoke).

If you have a habit of sitting down and
eating a gallon of ice cream while you
watch TV, when you sit down in front of
the TV you're going to feel hungry.

And if you decide to stop smoking -- or
eating the ice cream -- those environmental
cues are going to be a big problem for you.

If this sounds crazy, consider the following.

The U.S. Military had a huge success rate in
curing heroin addiction among troops serving
in Viet Nam. Much higher than other drug
treatment programs.

The reason?

Two things happened.

One was a physical treatment program.

The other was a complete change in the
serviceman's environment -- from Viet Nam to
the USA.

The change in the environment wiped out the
environmental cues associated with drug use.
And that made it MUCH easier to stay clean.

The take-away is pretty obvious for anyone
starting the New Year with a fistful of
resolutions.

Don't just depend on will-power to get it done.

Change your environment.

Some simple examples foe dieters:

1. Change where you eat.

2. Change your dishes, cups, bowls, and place
settings.

3. Eat with your non-dominant hand. (This makes
you think about what you are doing rather than
going into auto-pilot when you eat.)

4. Eat by candlelight rather than by regular
light.

5. Listen to music instead of watching TV.

A simple example for shopping:

1. Go to a different grocery store -- or, if
you go to the same store, shop counter-clockwise
rather than clockwise.

A simple example for fast food cravings:

1. Change your route so you don't go past the
place.

And so on.

It sounds silly -- but it's effective.

As far as the iron goes -- I'll send out another
email shortly that covers that topic.

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. Kick 2012 into high gear for strength training
and muscle building with Dinosaur Training books,
courses and DVD's. You can find them right here:

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

P.S. 2. Reserve your copy of my new Military Press
and Shoulder Power course here:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "2012 is going to be
a great year for serious training!" -- Brooks Kubik

Happy New Year to the Dinos!

2011-12-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's the last day of the year,
and I want to wish every member
of the Dino Nation a very Happy
and Healthy New Year!

I also want to say THANK YOU for
your support and friendship over
the past year -- for your emails
and feedback -- for your success
stories -- and for all those hard
and heavy Dino style workouts that
you've been hitting.

Here at Dino Headquarters, the plan
is to make 2012 the very best year
ever -- and if that's YOUR plan as
well, then I wish you all the best,
and I want you to know that I'm
going to be there with you very
step of the way -- and so will
your fellow Dinos.

So get ready to make 2012 a year
to remember!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If building strength, power and
muscle is part of the 2012 game-plan,
do it Dino style:

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

P.S. 2. Start 2012 by focusing on your
pressing power and shoulder strength:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Just finished
another year of great workouts -- time to do it
all over again!" -- Brooks Kubik

Trudi's Training Program

2011-12-29T09:46:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Trudi is heading over to the gym pretty
soon, and several of you have asked about
her training program -- so let's cover
that this morning.

Trudi likes variety -- and she likes using
different types of equipment and training
at different places -- and she likes to do
high reps with heavy weights -- and she
likes to do lots of outdoor cardio
training.

Plus, she's a physical therapy assistant,
so she integrates lots of special rehab,
joint protection, and movement/mobility
exercises into her program.

So her workouts are eclectic, unusual
and varied -- and she really enjoys them.

Shes' going to start today by jogging in
the park while wearing her Kangaroo Jumps.
These are special "shoes" that act as
rebounders, so that every step is like
walking or running on a trampoline.

It's a great cardio workout, and a super
exercise for the legs and hips.

She also like using the Kangaroo Jumps
because they add 6 inches to her height!

Note: If it were warmer, Trudi would
probably add a bike ride to the schedule.
We live close to a great park with a 2.5
mile bike/walking/running circle, with two
really steep, long hills, so three or four
circuits is a heck of a workout.

Next, Trudi will head over to the gym,
where she'll do:

45 degree leg presses

Leg extensions

Leg curls

Dumbbell incline presses

Dumbbell decline presses

Pull-downs to the chest

Hyperextensions (while holding dumbbells
in her hands, and performing a shoulder raise
as she completes the hyperextension)

A variety of cable exercises for the legs
and hips - or combination upper and lower
body cable movements (E.g., combine a one arm
standing cable pull-down with the left hand
and a backward leg extension with the right leg)

Later in the day, Trudi will do some Olympic
lifting in the garage. We have a special women's
OL bar for her (which works better for someone
with small hands). She does high rep clean and
jerk and high rep snatches, using a split style
for both.

After that, Trudi will go downstairs to her
basement gym and do a variety of dumbbell
movements, calisthenics, pilates, yoga,
pull-ups, cable exercises, gut work and
anything else she feels like doing -- along
with more hyperextensions, which are one of
her favorite exercises. Maybe THE favorite
exercise.

Now, that's a heavy schedule, but today is
Trudi's day off, so she wants to make the
most of it. On days when she works, she may
do ONE workout -- either at home or in the
park or at the gym. Also, when she can, she
walks or rides her bike to work.

So that's how Trudi trains -- and yes, it's
effective. Fun, too -- and an easy program
to follow if you like variety in your
training.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you're looking for some variety in your
training, try these great resources:

1. Dinosaur Training DVD's

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

2. Going Strong at 54!

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.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

5. Dinosaur Arm Training

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

6. The Dinosaur Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

7. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Why you train determines
how you train." -- Brooks Kubik

A Dinosaur Hero

2011-12-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I often send you messages about Dinosaur
heroes -- and how somehow, against all
odds, they manage to be in exactly the
right place at exactly the right time
to help someone -- or even to save
someone's life.

And looking back on it, all you can do
is stop and ask, "How in the WORLD did
that happen?"

And that's exactly what happened to one
of your fellow dinosaurs -- my wife, Trudi.

It happened two days ago, on Christmas Eve.

I was upstairs in the study, pounding the
keyboard, when Trudi asked if I'd like to
go to a movie.

"What's playing?"

She threw out a couple of possibilities.
There were three or four good one. The best
one was "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
It was playing at a theater close to us.
Walking distance, in fact. Showtimes were
4:00 and 7:15.

"Let's have an early dinner and go to the
7:15 show," Trudi suggested.

"Sounds good."

I turned back to my typing.

15 minutes later, I bumped into a severe case
of writer's block. I fought it for half an
hour, then threw in the towel.

I called downstairs.

"How about going to the 4:00 show?"

"Sure -- that would be great!"

So, unexpectedly, we marched off to see the
4:00 show.

After the movie, I hit the men's room and Trudi
hit the women's room -- and then we headed home.

We were almost home when Trudi discovered that
her cell phone was missing. She began fumbling
for it in her purse. No luck.

"Wait until we get home, then look again when
you have more light."

"Okay."

So we got to the house, opened the door,
stepped inside -- and Trudi flipped on the
light and checked her purse -- with no luck.

The cell phone was gone.

"I left it at the theater," she said. "I must
have left it on the seat next to us. Or maybe
it fell on the floor."

So we turned around and headed back to find
it before the next feature began.

We stepped inside, and Trudi told the manager
what had happened and asked if we could go back
and look for her cell-phone. He waved us
through.

We went back to our seats, and looked -- but
there was no phone. Not on the seats, and not
on the floor.

"Let's go check at the front desk," she said.

"Okay."

As we walked out, I retraced out steps in my
mind.

"Check the women's room," I said.

"YES! That may be it!"

So Trudi stepped into the women's room, and I
waited outside.

Five minutes later, an elderly woman, very
frail, moving slowly and stiffly, stepped
through the door. Trudi held the door for
her, and helped her through.

"Are you okay?" asked Trudi.

"I'm alright -- I'm just old," said the woman.

The woman's son -- roughly my age -- stepped
forward and took his mother's arm.

Trudi walked over to me.

"It wasn't there -- but let's check the front
desk."

We walked over to the front desk (which we
had passed on the way in without bothering
to stop and ask about the phone).

Trudi barely had time to say, "Did someone
turn in a cell-phone?" before they handed
it over to her.

We headed back outside and turned toward
the house.

"You won't believe what happened in there,"
said Trudi.

"What?"

And she told me.

She had stepped into the women's room. There
was only one other person inside -- using the
same stall that Trudi had used.

So Trudi waited.

The stall door opened.

The elderly woman stepped out and shuffled
forward slowly -- and suddenly, without any
warning, fell forward, crashing toward the
concrete, tile-covered floor.

It was one of those crushing, devastating
falls where an older person goes down so fast
they can't even break their fall.

The kind of fall that can kill a person.

But Trudi caught her.

Trudi was in exactly the right place -- at
exactly the right time -- and it was all
because of a missing cell phone.

And there's something else to consider.

When the woman fell forward, Trudi had to
react IMMEDIATELY. And she did. And that's
the result of regular training.

Trudi was strong enough and fast enough and
alert enough to do EXACTLY what needed to be
done -- and that's because she's been hitting
the iron iron for her entire adult life.

In my book, all of that makes Trudi a hero.
And it gives you one more example of why hard,
heavy, regular training is so important. As I've
said before, this stuff can save your life --
or help you save someone else's life.

Just ask Trudi.

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. My books and courses are available at the
usual place:

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

P.S. 2. My new Military Press course is right here:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "All Dinosaurs are
heroes. Some just don't know it yet." -- Brooks
Kubik

The Night Before Christmas (Dinosaur Version)

2011-12-24T11:00:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here’s another Dinosaur Christmas tradition – I think
you’ll like it:

T’was the Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the gym,
the lifters were lifting with vigor and vim.
They squatted so heavy the bars were all bending,
as they ground out the reps in the sets never ending.

They snatched and they pressed and they cleaned and they jerked,
until all of their muscles were thoroughly worked.
Then they ran to their sandbags and heaved them up high,
then heaved them again – right up into the sky!

When out in the back there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the rack to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave a luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
but a bag-flattened sleigh and unconscious reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
He was hopping and shouting and yelling and screaming.
He wasn’t just hot – he was totally steaming!

“You sandbagged my sled!” he cried in dismay.
“And that means you ruined the big Christmas day!
My toys are all broken, there’s no time to fix ‘em –
And look what you did to poor Prancer and Vixen!”

The lifters were flummoxed. “We’re sorry!” they cried.
And they picked up the reindeer and brought them inside.
“Quick!” someone shouted, “I know what to do!
We’ll whip up a batch of a high-powered brew!”

We started with milk and eggnog and eggs,
and added Hi Protein and poured it in kegs.
We tossed in some chocolate and ice cream for flavor,
Then added some honey, for reindeer to savor.

We mixed it together until it was ready,
Then lifted the reindeer and held them all steady.
We gave each performer three cups of the stuff,
Then added another to make it enough.

“It’s working!” cried Santa. “They’re coming around!
“That Hi Protein potion is the best to be found!”
He turned to his sled – we had fixed that as well –
if the toys could be fixed, then all would be well.

“There’s no time to do it,” said Nicholas, sadly.
“This is one trip that is turning out badly.”
The lifters were quiet and took all the blame,
And hung their heads lower in sorrow and shame.

Then Santa bent over and picked up a letter
That lay in the snow, getting wetter and wetter.
The letter said, “Santa, for Christmas I’d like
a whole lot of muscles. Your friend, Little Mike.”

“That’s perfect!” I cried. “Here’s a course for the kid!
We’ll send one to each of them!” And that’s what we did.
Each kid got a course and a full set of weights --
barbells, and dumbbells and squat stands and plates!

Now Santa was smiling – the good boys and girls
Would soon have their barbells for presses and curls!
The kids would be healthy and happy and strong –
For with barbells and dumbbells you never go wrong.

Santa sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 6

2011-12-24T07:27:00.001-08:00

(This is part 6 of the Dinosaur Christmas story
for 2011. If you missed parts 1 - 5, scroll on
down and read them first!)

The match became a war that raged back and forth
across the ring, with the fans roaring the entire
time.

And then -- it happened.

At the 40 minute mark, the two men separated,
bounced backward into the ropes and hurtled
themselves across the ring.

They hit each other with smashing force in the
center of the ring.

Dazed, both men swayed, waving their arms to keep
their balance.

The masked man seemed to have gotten the worse of
it. He shook his head, trying desperately to clear
the cobwebs.

Seizing his opportunity, the champ dropped back
against the ring ropes, using them like a
slingshot -- and launched himself like a missile,
right hand raised to deliver a crushing blow.

The fans screamed in anticipation.

The champ swung with all his might --

--but missed!

The masked man ducked, and the powerful punch went
whistling over his head.

In the same motion, he drove forward, sliding behind
the champ -- and slapped on a sleeper hold.

The champ struggled wildly -- but the masked man held
him in a vice-like grip in the center of the ring.

"How much is he paying you to break my leg?" whispered
the masked man.

"Ack --gargh -- ughkk . . ." sputtered the champ.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't enough," whispered the masked
man.

The champ waved his arms weakly.

"I should break your neck right now," said the masked
man. "But it's Christmas Eve, so I won't. Consider
yourself lucky.

The champ's eyes went wide with fear -- and then they
closed. His knees sagged, his body went limp, and the
masked man loosened his grip and let him fall to the
mat. He rolled him over, placed one huge hand on his
chest, and motioned to the referee.

The ref didn't know what to do. There was no way to stop
it. All he could do was sell it and hope the promoter
could work it out later on.

He dropped down and began the count.

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

And just like that, there was a new champion.

The referee walked to the side of the ring and motioned
to the time-keeper, who handed him the championship belt.
He turned and handed it to the masked man.

Pete and his fellow officers stepped close to the ring,
forming a human shield, and escorted the new champion
back to his dressing room.

This time there was no riot. The crowd was too stunned by
what they had seen. They sat in their seats, eyes bulging,
as the ring doctor worked frantically to revive the fallen
man.

But the promoter knew what to do. He ran bacvk to the
dressing room, grabbed Pete by the arm, and pointed toward
door.

"Arrest that man!" he said. "He's trying to steal my
championship belt!"

"Steal it? He won it fair and square! That's not stealing!"

"No, you don't understand. We had a deal! I have a contract!
He was supposed to lose!"

"Let me see the contract!"

The promoter handed the paper to him.

"Who signed it?" asked Pete.

"HE did!"

"Are you sure that's his real name? I'm no lawyer, but I
know a contract's not binding if it's not signed with your
real name."

"Of course it's his name. Who else would it be?"

"That's the name of some kid that used to live here," said
Pete. "His parents died in a fire. He grew up in the county
home. Left years ago. No one's seen him since."

"Maybe it's him!"

"Or maybe not!"

"But what am I gonna do?" asked the promoter. "He has my belt!
Those are real diamonds, damn it!"

"Maybe if you ask nice, he'll give it back to you," said Pete.

The promoter threw the contract on the floor, cursed, and
stepped to the door.

"If you won't do anything, I'll handle this myself!" he said.

Pete waited until the promoter was just beginning to turn the
doorknob -- and then he spoke.

His voice was soft, his tone mild -- but his words cracked like
a whip.

"You might want to reconsider," he said. "He knows you paid the
champ to break his leg."

The promoter stopped dead in his tracks. The blood drained from
his face, and his hand slipped from the doorknob.

"What did you say?"

Pete repeated it.

"I don't -- I don't know what -- what you're talking about,"
sputtered the promoter.

"I could always ask the champ," said Pete. "The old champ, I
mean."

"Ask him whatever you like," said the promoter. "He won't talk."

"He might," said Pete. "Especially when I ask him why he has an
envelope with an even thousand bucks in $20 bills in his suit
pocket. That sort of sounds like getting paid for some kind of
special job -- unless you're gonna tell me you paid him his
share of the gate already -- before you had time to total it
and add in the concessions sales -- and it just happened that
his percentage worked out to an even thousand clams."

"That was -- that was a Christmas bonus!"

Pete nodded slowly.

"Maybe," he replied. "We'll see."

The promoter sagged against the concrete wall.

"Look, you gotta help me get my belt back," he said. "Go talk
to him. Work out some deal. Tell him he can keep one of the
diamonds. Hell, let him keep two of the diamonds. I don't care!
I can replace them with glass. It doesn't matter. But I need
that belt back -- and I need him out of the territory --
right now. And we can all forget about this -- this
misunderstanding."

"Stay here," said Pete. "I'll see what I can do."

CHRISTMAS MORNING

The kids in the county home always had oatmeal porridge and dry
toast for breakfast. Some of them couldn't remember ever having
anything else. Not even on Christmas. There just wasn't enough
money for anything else.

But this morning was different.

They woke to the smell of bacon and eggs, ham slices, pancakes
with real maple syrup, and fresh buttermilk biscuits with real
butter and strawberry jam.

They threw on their clothes and raced downstairs -- and stopped in
amazement.

"What are those?" cried one of the youngest boys.

"They're presents!" said one of the girls.

Presents!

Some of them had never had a Christmas present before.

They tore into the packages wildly, some laughing, some crying,
and some afraid to believe it was real.

You can buy a lot of presents with a couple of small diamonds --
and a lot of food -- and you can even open a bank account and make
a nice deposit in an interest bearing account that helps
put food on the table for a long, long time.

Pete stepped into the room, carrying a small yellow puppy with
a red ribbon.

"Who wants a puppy?" he asked.

"I DO!" they shouted in unison -- and just like that, the little
yellow puppy had a new home and the biggest and best family a dog
could want.

One of the boys held out his hands, and Pete handed the puppy to
him. The boy smiled as he held the puppy -- and then began to cry
softly as the puppy licked his face.

The other kids crowded around, each wanting to hold the little bundle
of fur.

The boy handed the puppy to one of the girls, wiped his eyes, and
looked up at Pete.

"Thank you, officer," he said. "Thanks for everything!"

Pete paused for a second, not trusting his voice. There was a lump
in his throat the size of a piano.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Thank Frankie."

"Who's Frankie?" asked the boy.

Pete considered his answer for several seconds.

"He's just a little kid who went through some hard times
and came out okay," he said.

The boy considered the answer carefully.

"Did you know him?" he asked. "I mean -- did you know him
when he was a boy?"

Pete nodded.

"He was my best friend," he said.

"Did he live here?"

Pete nodded again.

"He lived here," he said. "So did I."

The little boy nodded in understanding.

"I thought so," he said.

"Ten years for me," said Pete. "A little longer for him."

The other children raced by, laughing merrily as they
chased the little yellow puppy across the room.

The boy looked up at Pete.

"Are you staying for breakfast?" he asked.

"Of course I am, said Pete. "It's Christmas!"

The boy held out his hand. Pete took it in his, and they
walked to the heavily-laden breakfast table.

THE END

(Note: That ends the 2011 Dinosaur Christmas story. I hope
you enjoyed it -- and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and
a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!)

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 5

2011-12-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

(Note: This post is part 5 in the 2011 Dinosaur
Christmas story. If you missed parts 1 - 4, scroll
on down and read them first! Merry Christmas,
everyone!)

"So how about it?" asked the promoter. "One more
match before you leave town -- a special championship
match on Christmas Eve?"

The masked man paused and thought it over.

"Who wins?" he asked.

The promoter chuckled.

"Why -- the champ, of course! It's a Loser Leave Town
Match. You're leaving town. The champ's staying."

"How do we play it?"

"You guys do whatever you want for 30 or 40 minutes.
Get lots of heat going. I want the fans going crazy.
And then you give him one of those great big body slams
you do -- but don't knock him out, okay?"

"What then?"

"You slap on the old figure four leg-lock while he's
lying there stunned -- but he reverses it -- and that's
how he wins!"

"That sounds easy enough."

"The fans will love it! Just sell it really good. Make
them think he's broke your leg."

"They'll like that, won't they?"

"Absolutely! You're the most hated man in the territory!"

The masked man nodded. He was used to being hated wherever he
went.

"Give me the contract," he said.

The promoter slid the standard sheet of paper across the desk,
and the masked man read it carefully -- and then signed it.

He handed the paper back to the promoter.

"There you go," he said.

The promoter took the contract, glanced at the signature, and
smiled in satisfaction.

"Is that your real name?" he asked.

The masked man shrugged.

"Maybe," he said.

"I knew a guy with that name once. He lived down the street.
Something happened when he was a kid -- what was it?"

"Must have been something pretty bad if you remember it after
all these years."

"Yeah, it was -- it was. Heck, I remember, It was a fire. That's
right, a fire. Killed his parents. He and his brother ended up
in the county home. He stayed there until he finished school, I
think."

"Most kids in the county home don't finish school."

"Yeah, but this guy was different. Big guy. Real strong. Used
to work out all the time. Played football. Wrestled, too. He
was pretty good, too. All Conference."

"What happened to him?"

"He joined the army, I think. Or maybe the Marines."

"Ever see him again?"

"Nope. Guy's never come back."

"Some guys never do."

"Yeah, I guess that's right."

The promoter sat back in his chair and looked at his watch. He
had another meeting scheduled in five minutes.

"So -- we're all set, right?"

The masked man nodded.

"Yeah, sure," he said.

He stood up and walked to the door -- then stopped, and turned
back to the promoter.

"They say that championship belt is made of real gold -- with
real diamonds. Is that true?"

"It's true. It's the best damn belt anywhere. I had it made
special."

"You think maybe I could look at it -- or even just hold it?
After the match, I mean."

The promoter looked back with a twisted smile.

"Sure, pal -- you can do whatever you want to do -- after the
match is over."

"Thanks."

"If you feel up to it, I mean."

The masked man nodded, opened the door, and left the promoter
sitting behind him.

LATER -- ON CHRISTMAS EVE --

As Pete walked to his squad car, he passed a Salvation Army
volunteer, standing in back of his kettle, ringing his bell
and calling "Merry Christmas" to everyone who passed by --
and a "Thank you!" to everyone who tossed a coin into the
kettle.

"Hey, Pete -- you got a second?"

"Sure, Bill -- what's up?"

"I gotta tell you about something -- something I heard."

"What is it?"

"You know that masked wrestler -- the guy that's been knocking
everyone out? The one that started the riot last week?"

"What about him?"

"Well, two things. First off, I know who he is. And I know
him. So do you. We were all in the Home together."

Pete's jaw dropped in amazement.

"Of course!" he said. "It's Frankie! That's how he knew my name!"

"Well, there's something else."

"What?"

"You know the big match tonight at the auditorium? Where Frankie's
wrestling the Champ?"

"Sure, I'm heading over there right now. They're expecting the
biggest crowd ever."

"Yeah, while I heard some guys talking about it -- the promoter
is paying the Champ to break his leg!"

"Break which leg?"

"No, he's paying him to break Frankie's leg!"

Pete swore under his breath.

"The hell he is!" he said.

"No, really -- that's the plan. They have it all figured out. Some
special ending where Frankie is working him over -- and then he
fights back and gets Frankie in some kind of leg hold -- and they
told Frankie to make like the Champ breaks his leg -- but they're
gonna do it for real. Break his leg, I mean!"

Peter shook his head.

"No, they're not!" he promised.

He slammed his hands together. It sounded like an explosion.

"Come on!" he said, grabbing the kettle and turning toward the
squad car. "We gotta go find Frankie!"

TO BE CONTINUED.

(Note: I had planned on finishing the story in 5 installments, but
we're running over -- so be looking for part 6 later today or
tomorrow!)

P.S. Yes, we're open -- and taking orders. You can find us at the
usual place:

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

P.S. 2. Go here to reserve your copy of my new Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course during our big pre-publication special:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If I were running things,
every kid over the age of 11 or 12 would get a barbell for
Christmas." -- Brooks Kubik

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 4

2011-12-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

(Note this is part 4 of the 2011 Dinosaur Training
Christmas Story. If you missed parts 1,2 and 3,
scroll down and find them in the archives and read
them first.)

The wrestling promoter slammed his hand down on the
table.

"I don't care how much damage those crazy fans did
last week!" he shouted. "This match will pay for all
of it!"

"Do you think?" asked the man who owned the auditorium.

"I KNOW it! The fans hate him. They'll fill the seats
to see him get beat!"

"I don't know. Last time was a mess. It took forever to
clean up."

The third man at the table laughed.

"We'll charge double the usual for the tickets," he said.
"We'll all clean up!"

"Can you do that?" asked the auditorium manager.

"Who's gonna stop us? The Commission? I don't think so!"

"It doesn't seem right doing that on Christmas Eve!"

"That's the whole point! There's never before in the
whole history of wrestling been a Championship match on
Christmas Eve. Not here, not in New York, not anywhere!"

"Yeah, but do you think they'll come? I mean, it's
Christmas Eve -- and people have stuff to do -- and they
want to be home with their families!"

The promoter shook his head.

"Nuts to that!" he said. "They want to see the mystery man
beat within an inch of his life. They want to see him busted
up. Maybe see his leg get broke. That's what we gotta give
them!"

"On Christmas Eve?" asked the auditorium manager.

"Why the hell not?"

"But it's Christmas Eve!"

"Right, and it's gonna be Christmas a day early for us when
we pack the place like sardines in a can!"

"At double the usual price!" added the third man.

"Right!" said the promoter.

"And you promise you'll cover any damage if there's another
riot?" asked the auditorium owner.

"Of course I will," said the promoter.

"Put it in writing!" demanded the owner.

He pulled out his standard contract and shoved it across the table.
The promoter signed the document without reading it, and flipped it
back to the owner.

"There's your signature," he said.

The owner nodded. he took the contract, put it into a big yellow
envelope, and put the envelope into his safe.

He closed the door of the safe, spun the dial on the combination,
and turned back to the other men.

"Are you really gonna break his leg?"

The two men smirked and exchanged quick sideways glances.

"Not us! We won't do it!"

"But you'll tell the Champ to do it."

The promoter shook his head.

"You misunderstand me. I don't tell the Champ to do anything. It's
just that sometimes -- in a big match -- things happen."

The other man nodded.

"Things happen," he said.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. Yes, were open for business at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Go here to reserve your copy of the new Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder Power Course during
our big pre-publication special:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "You can sit back and dream
or you can take action -- it's your choice." -- Brooks Kubik

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 3

2011-12-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

(Note: This is part 3 of the 2011 Dinosaur
Christmas story. If you missed parts 1 and 2,
they're posted on the Dinosaur Training Blog,
so scroll on down and read part 1 and part 2
before reading part 3!)

The little yellow puppy searched up and down
the alley without finding anything to eat.

He stopped in front of a big trash can. From
inside the steel can, he could smell someone's
table scraps -- meat, potatoes, and a steak
bone.

He stood up on his back legs and tried to
scramble up the side of the trash can.

He made it half way, then slid back down to
the dirt.

He tried again.

Same result.

A third time.

Again, no luck.

He sat down, staring upward, his nose twitching
at the tantalizing food smells. He was hungrier
than ever.

He was so hungry that he never heard the crunch
of the heavy footsteps behind him.

A dark shadow fell across the alley, and a huge
man stood above him.

"What are you doing here all alone out in the cold?"
the man asked.

The puppy turned and looked up.

"Are you lost?"

The puppy stood on all four legs, and wagged his tail.

The man leaned forward, reached down, and picked the
the puppy up, cradling him in two powerful arms.

"What's your name, boy? Do you have any tags?"

he felt gentle around the puppy's neck.

"No tags -- no collar -- your ribs are poking right
out your sides -- you're either lost or abandoned!"

The puppy answered by burrowing deeper into the man's
coat.

"You're cold, too! How long have you been out here?"

There was no answer. But that didn't matter. The big man
already knew the answer.

"Well, come with me, boy. I know where to find you a
nice steak dinner."

He held the puppy gently but firmly, walked to the
front of alley, turned to the right and headed down Main
street.

At the corner, they passed a Salvation Army volunteer
standing in front of his black kettle and ringing his bell.

"Merry Christmas!" he called. "Merry Christmas!"

The big man reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful
of coins, and dropped them into the kettle.

"Thank you, sir -- and Merry Christmas to you!"

The big man disappeared down the street. He was almost
out of sight when the Salvation Army volunteer looked into
the kettle.

"What the --?"

He reached into the kettle and pulled out five gold coins.

"Thank you!" he cried. "Thank you, mister!"

But the man and the puppy were out of earshot.

The volunteer looked at the gold coins in his hand. He
had heard stories about that sort of thing, but never
dreamed he'd live to see it happen. Not to him! Not here.

"What a great guy," he thought. "I wonder who he is."

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. We're still taking orders and packing and shipping
them as fast as we can. You can find my books, courses
and DVD's right here:

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

P.S. 2. We're doing a big pre-publication special on my
new Military Press and Shoulder Power Course. You can
reserve your copy by going here:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If it was easy, there'd be
no point in doing it." -- Brooks Kubik

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 2

2011-12-20T06:24:00.001-08:00

(Note: This is part 2 of the Dinosaur Christmas story
for 2011. If you missed part 1, I posted it yesterday,
so you can scroll down to read it. You need to begin
with part 1 and read the daily installments in the
proper sequence.)

He was all ears and feet and matted puppy fur. He was
seven weeks old. He'd been living on the streets for
six freezing days and nights -- ever since the day his
mother's owner had packed the puppies into a box,
driven far out into the country, and delivered them
one by one to seven farmers.

Farmers could always use another dog. But they wanted
a big dog. None of them wanted the runt of the litter.

And so his brothers and sisters disappeared one by
one, until only he and his yellow-furred sister
remained -- and then the very last farmer chose
her, picked her up out of the box and handed her
to his wife.

"Do you want the other one?"

"The small one? No, I got no use for a runt."

"He'd be half price. Two fifty."

"Not worth it. He'd cost more to keep than the work
I'd get out of him."

"You can have him for free. I don't want him."

"Neither do I. Runts are trouble."

And so he stayed in the box, and when they got back to
town, his owner stopped the car by a dark alley, picked
him up by the scruff of his neck, opened the car door,
and dumped him unceremoniously into the cold winter's
night.

"Go on -- get out of here!"

He sat down, shivering, not knowing what was happening or
what to do.

"Scram, you little mutt! Beat it!"

Then the wheels turned, and the car began to move away --
and just like that he was all alone.

He slept in the alley that night, curled up in a tiny ball
of fur inside an old wooden crate lying next to one of the
garbage cans.

He woke in the morning, cold and hungry and miserable.

Two big men were wrestling the trash cans to the front of
the alley, picking them up, and dumping their contents into
the back of a garbage truck.

"Damn, it's cold!"

"What do you expect this time of year?"

"I hate this time of year!"

"Whaddaya mean? It's almost Christmas!"

The first man hacked and spat.

"I hate Christmas, too!" he said.

"Yeah, but we get the day off."

"That's true."

The men walked back into the alley.

"Watch out -- it's a rat!"

"Where?"

"That old crate over there!"

"That's not a rat -- it's a damn dog!"

"Looks like a rat!"

The two men looked down into the wooden crate.

"Must be lost or something."

"I guess."

"You want him?"

"What would I do with a dog?"

"I don't know."

"I don't want no damn dog."

"Neither do I."

The men grabbed two more trash cans and hauled them to their
truck.

"Maybe some kid would want the dog. He could be a Christmas
present."

"I don't know any kids."

"Some kid in the neighborhood."

"They're all juvenile delinquents. They're always throwing
stuff and breaking windows. The only thing I want to give
any of them is a size 12 boot."

"Yeah, they're like that where I live, too."

The men took the trash cans back down the alley, and stopped
by the wooden crate. They looked down at the puppy.

"I guess we just leave him here, right?"

"I guess."

"Someone will want him."

"People always want dogs."

"So I guess he'll find a home pretty soon."

"You can count on it."

The men turned and walked back to their truck.

But they were wrong. No one paid any attention to the
tiny puppy that slept in the alley and lived on whatever
food scraps he could find.

The days passed, and the nights grew colder, and the puppy
shivered as he thought of his mother, his sisters and his
brothers -- all lost to him forever.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. We're in major packing and shipping mode here at Dino
Headquarters. The orders are flying in -- and you can place
YOUR order for Dinosaur Training books, courses, DVD's, hoodies,
and t-shirts by going here:

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

P.S. 2. We're doing a big pre-publication special for my new
Military Press and Shoulder Power Course. Go here to reserve your
copy of this exciting new course:

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

The Masked Man's Christmas, Part 1

2011-12-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

[Note: It's a Dinosaur Training tradition to give
you a special Christmas story in daily installments.
Here's part one of this year's Christmas story. I hope
you enjoy it!]

The crowd roared with anger as the hulking masked man
stomped mercilessly on his opponent.

The referee pushed him away, waving his finger in a
stern warning.

"Clean it up, buddy!" he said. "Clean it up and start
wrestling!"

The masked man gazed back impassively. All you could
see were his eyes. They were dark, deep and hard, like
twin chunks of obsidian.

The referee glanced behind him. The other wrestler was
still down, lying flat on the canvas. He hadn't so much
as moved after the masked man had delivered a crushing
body slam.

The referee didn't know if he was playing possum or if
he'd really had the wind knocked out of him. It happened
sometimes. The men knew how to fall, but sometimes they
hit harder than expected.

The referee knew his job. He decided to give the fallen
man more time to recover.

He waved his finger at the masked man.

"Stay here!" he ordered.

He stepped back to the fallen man and began a long, slow
count, waving his arms to punctuate each tick of the
clock.

"ONE!"

No response from the fallen wrestler.

"TWO!"

Still no response.

"THREE!"

Nothing. Maybe he was really hurt. Maybe it would be
better to slow the count down.

He swept his hands wide and low, leaning over the fallen
man.

"FOUR!"

Not even a twitch!

Meanwhile, the fans were going wild, shouting and screaming,
begging and pleading, imploring their favorite to get up.

An elderly woman walked to the side of the ring, held onto
the lowest ring rope, and screamed in the fallen man's ear.

"GET BACK ON YOUR FEET AND MURDER THE BUM!" she hollered.

The crowd took up the chant.

"Kill him! Murder the bum!"

The referee bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. With
Christmas a mere five days away, the crowd was hardly in a
Holiday mood.

"FIVE!"

The fallen man moved a foot.

"SIX!"

The fallen man groaned.

"SEVEN!"

The fallen man rolled to his side.

"EIGHT!"

The fallen man pushed himself to his knees.

"NINE!"

The masked wrestler bulled forward, grabbed his opponent
by the ears, yanked him to his feet, picked him up, held
him high -- and then slammed him to the mat.

He hit the canvas with a bone-crushing thud, bounced, and
lay still.

The referee knew he could count to a 100 this time. It
wouldn't make any difference.

He had to sell it. The match couldn't end with a knockout.
That would make it three in a row for the masked giant.

He turned to the time-keeper at the side of the ring.

"Ring the bell!" he said. "Ring the bell!"

He turned to the masked man.

"YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED!" he roared.

The dark eyes flickered -- and suddenly, without conscious
thought, the referee was out of the ring, down the aisle
and running for his life.

The masked man turned to his fallen opponent and pointed.

He held up his other hand, three fingers spread wide apart.

The meaning was unmistakable.

Three matches. Three knockouts!

And that's when the crowd went totally, utterly berserk. The fans
stormed the ring, swinging and kicking and clawing. They threw
eggs, fruit, cups, bottles, cigars, cigarettes, rocks and bricks.

It took four tries and half a dozen broken heads before the squad
of six burly policemen could get the architect of the insanity
out of the ring, through the crowd and back into the dressing
room. They shoved the door open, pushed him inside and stood
outside while he showered and dressed.

The sergeant eyed the crowd uneasily. It was more of a mob than
anything else. He'd never seen anything like it.

He turned to one of his men.

"Step inside and tell him to hurry up," he said. "I don't like the
looks of this."

The officer stepped into the dressing room.

Thirty seconds later he stepped back out.

"He's gone!" he said.

"Gone?"

"Gone! The back window's open. He must have crawled out and
climbed down."

"Let me see!"

The sergeant stepped into the room and looked it over -- and
saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks, his
eyes wide with surprise.

Six bottles of liquid refreshment stood on a small table next
to a cracked mirror. Each bottle stood on a five dollar bill.

A note lay next to the bottles.

"Thanks, Pete -- and Merry Christmas to you and all the men!"

The sergeant pushed his cap back and ran his thick hand through
his dark hair.

"How in the heck did he know my name?" he asked.

TO BE CONTINUED.

P.S. If you're still doing your Christmas shopping, head over
to Dinosaur Headquarters and do it the easy way:

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

P.S. 2. We're doing a pre-publication special for my new Dinosaur
Training course. You can reserve your copy right here:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

The "How Much Rest?" Question

2011-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

A quick update and then we'll talk
training.

THE BIG NEWS

If you missed the BIG NEWS yesterday,
here it is:

I've finished a new Dinosaur Training
course, and I'm offering the little
monster through our standard pre-
publication special.

You can reserve a copy -- along with
the bonus for everyone who orders during
the pre-publication special -- right
here:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

LET'S TALK TRAINING!

On the training front, I'm getting lots of
questions about how long to rest between sets.

The answer is -- as long as you need to rest in
order to do justice to the next set. And that's
going to vary from person to person and exercise
to exercise -- and it may change for you over
time -- and it may vary depending on the weather.
It also will vary depending on your training goals.
And it changes from warm-up sets to working sets.

For warm-up sets, you really don't need to rest
very much longer than the time it takes to change
the plates. If you time it, your rest periods will
be in the 1 to 2 minute range.

Once you get to your working sets, you'll tend to
slow down a bit. That's because you need a bit
more of a rest -- as well as time to do the
all-important mental things that lead to top
level performance:

1. Rest and relax for 30 to 60 seconds.

2. Clear your mind.

3. Concentrate on the upcoming set.

4. Do your visualization drills.

5. Deepen your focus and your concentration.

6. Approach the bar, and take your focus and
your concentration as deep as possible.

The whole thing takes 2 to 3 minutes -- and if
you're serious about your training, you need to
take the time to do it. Concentration and
visualization increase the results of your
workouts enormously. They are the KEY
to championship performance.

So the bottom line is this -- your rest periods
need to be long enough to allow you to recover
enough to do justice to the next set -- and they
need to be long enough to allow you to FOCUS, to
CONCENTRATE and to do your VISUALIZATION drills.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again for the new course:

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. My other books, courses, DVD's, the Dinosaur
Files newsletter, sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, etc.,
are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Load the bar, lift the
bar, rest, re-focus, and repeat." -- Brooks Kubik

New Dinosaur Training Course!

2011-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As promised in my earlier email, here's
the link to the new Dinosaur Training course!

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

As I mentioned, this was the number one course
requested by Dinosaurs -- and if you're
interested in building rugged, stand on your
feet strength, then you're going to want to
grab a copy!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. As always, this is a pre-publication special.
Place your order now so we know how many copies to
print. We'll fill all orders as soon as we get the
copies from the printer -- in the order in which we
receive them -- and we'll include a special bonus
for everyone who takes advantage of the pre-publication
special.

http://brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Grab it and lift it!" -- Brooks Kubik

Big Breaking News from Dino Headquarters!

2011-12-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I wanted to give you a quick heads up.

There's something new coming from Dino
Headquarters.

A new training course.

And you're really going to like it.

Several times over the past year, I asked
readers for feedback to see what you'd most
like to see in the way of Dinosaur Training
courses.

There was one topic that was hands down
the single most popular course among the
members of the Dino Nation.

So I made the time for it -- sat down --
rolled up my sleeves -- and got going.

You're going to be seeing a sales page for
the new course sometime in the next 24 hours --
and quite possible, within just a couple of
hours.

So I just wanted to give you a big heads
up -- and tell you to be looking for an email
titled:

NEW DINOSAUR TRAINING COURSE!

It will give you a link to the sales page --
and you can take it from there.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can find everything else right here at
Dinosaur Headquarters -- books, courses, the Legacy
of Iron series, Horatius, Black Iron: The John Davis
Story, Dino DVD's, the Dinosaur Files newsletter,
Dino t-shirts, hoodies, and more:

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

Double Warp Speed at Dino Headquarters!

2011-12-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

You'd laugh to see how busy we are right now.

They say that Dinos were big and slow. Well, maybe
that was true for some of them -- but it's not true
here at Dino Headquarters! Trudi and I are the
fastest moving Dinos you've ever seen.

Yesterday went like this, with Trudi and I working
at double warp speed to get everything done:

Wake up, check email and orders.

Print new orders.

Start filling new orders.

Autograph books and courses for everyone who
requested an autograph. (Note: I'm always
happy to autograph a book or course for
you -- but you need to ask. Make a request
in the Special Instructions section of the
on-line order form. And, no, there's no
charge for an autograph.)

Phone calls back and forth with various folks
re my screenplay. (Yes, as if I didn't have
enough to do, I've written a screenplay -- one
that Dinos will LOVE to see when it gets made
into a movie.)

Note that I said WHEN it gets made into a movie.
Not IF. WHEN. You gotta think positive.

Write and send email to the Dinos.

More phone calls re screenplay.

Run over to local post office and mail orders.

Buy shipping supplies.

Review emails from Dinos and respond to as
many as I can respond to. (Note: I can never
keep up with them, so if you send an email and
I don't respond immediately, that's why.)

Work on new course.

Work on special TOP SECRET project (details to
be released soon).

Research for new book to be released in 2012.

Harvest fresh greens and herbs from the garden.
(I use low tunnels and a greenhouse to grow veggies
all through the winter -- it's the best possible
way to get high quality, super nutritious fresh
veggies all year round.)

More phone calls re screenplay.

Respond to emails re Dinosaur Training Seminars in
2012.

Phone call from printer re the December Dinosaur
Files newsletter -- "It's ready!"

Go to printer and pick up the December Dino Files
drive back home, and start stuffing envelopes as
fast as possible.

Stuff envelopes for several hours.

Run over to the main post office and drop off more
orders and as many of The Dino Files as Trudi and I
could fill before the post office closes.

Grab more mailing supplies at post office.

Drive back home and wolf down a quick dinner -- and
then continue to stuff envelopes.

Stuff envelopes until eyes begin to close, check email
from Dinos, go to bed.

Wake up and start the entire process all over again --
but speed things up so there's time to hit the iron
tonight!

So, as you can see, it's been busy!

You can help us stay on top of things by:

1. Placing Holiday orders as soon as possible so we
can get them into the mail. (As in, today or tomorrow
if at all possible.)

2. Asking for autographs if you want one.

3. If you put a book or course on your Christmas list,
be sure that whoever orders it for you knows about
asking for an autograph!

That wraps things up for now. I need to get back to
item no. 77 on my TO DO list!

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. Give Santa and the Elves a break, and do your
Holiday shopping at Dino Headquarters -- and remember,
you save clams on shipping and handling by ordering
several items at the same time:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "The secret to getting things
done is to stay busy." -- Brooks Kubik

We're Getting Down to the Wire!

2011-12-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

This week is our big push to get Holiday
orders out in the mail -- so if you're
planning on ordering a book, course,
DVD, DVD set, hoodie, t-shirt, sweat
shirt, muscle shirt, back issues of
the Dinosaur Files newsletter, or a
subscription to the Dinosaur Files,
please DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Also -- if you want me to autograph a
book or course for you, pls include a
note asking for an autograph in the
Special Instructions section of the
on-line order form.

There's no charge for an autograph,
but if you want one, you need to ask
for it.

In other Dino news:

1. I'm finishing up a great new training
course. Details to follow very soon.

1A. I took a poll last summer asking what
you would most like to see in a training
course -- and one particular topic was far
and away the number one choice of readers --
and that's what we're covering in the
new course.

2. The December issue of The Dinosaur Files
newsletter ran a bit late this month. It's
at the printer, and we should be able to mail
it out tomorrow or Thursday. It's another
great issue, with tons of Dino-style training
advice, including the legendary 33/55 Program.

3. Many of you have been asking about vol. 6
in the Legacy of Iron series. It will be coming
out in 2012 -- and the action will be fast and
furious, just like the first five books in the
series!

4. We're almost out of Dinosaur Training DVD's,
and the new ones won't get in until next week,
so it's strictly first come, first served on
them. If the DVD's are on your Holiday list, act
now!

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

5. We're getting lots of orders for Dinosaur
Training hoodies, which are always popular items
at this time of year. They come in gray, black
and Dinosaur blue. Currently, we have all colors
and sizes in stock, although that can change quickly
depending on how many orders come in for a particular
color and size.

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

6. If you don't already have them, the Legacy of
Iron books make great Holiday gifts. You can save
some clams by ordering all five of the books
together. See the information page for Legacy of
Iron 5, Barbells in the Pacific.

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

7. Lots of readers are adding one or both of these to
their orders -- they're a little bit different, but
they're great reading and great fun --and they make
great Holiday prezzies:

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

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

There's more to report, but that's enough for now.

Remember -- help us help you -- by ordering early!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I mentioned the Dinosaur Training Hoodies, but
forgot to mention these -- they're pretty popular, as
well:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "It's a power rack --
not a place to hang your gym towel!" -- Brooks Kubik

"Who Is It?" I Asked

2011-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The son brought the granddaughters over
to visit yesterday. They're 3 1/2 --
twins -- and awfully cute.

They arrived just as I was putting on
my lifting shoes and getting ready to
head out to the garage for a workout.

I stopped in mid-shoe, wondering what to
do. Hit the iron or bounce the grand-kids
up and down on my knee?

"Go ahead and train," said Trudi. "I'll
give them something to eat, and you can
see them when you get finished."

The girls came into the house, and headed
straight for their favorite toys (which we
keep on a small bookcase in the living
room).

I said hello to them, and headed out to kill
some iron.

I'm concentrating on Olympic weightlifting
now, and I always film my workouts so I can
watch it later on and check my form. So I
filmed the workout.

It was a good, hard session, with lots of heavy
clean and jerks. I'm doing squat style cleans
and split style jerks. Fun stuff -- and not bad
for a 54 year old grandfather.

It was cold in the garage, so I worked pretty
fast, with minimal rest between lifts. And it
was double sweats and a black knit fisherman's
hat (think "Rocky") the whole time -- and brief
stops in front of a small electric heater to
warm my fingers every once in awhile.

I finished up, stripped the bar down, and put
the weights back in place against the garage wall,
gathered my gear and grabbed the video camera.
Turned out the lights, locked the door, and
headed back to the house.

So, an hour later, the girls are coloring with
crayons (using the back of the first draft of
this month's Dinosaur Files newsletter, which
makes good scrap paper for young artists) --
and Trudi asks me if I had a good workout.

"Yeah, it was excellent," I said.

And then I remembered that I had filmed the thing.

So I grabbed the camera, sat down next to the
girls, and pulled up the workout. It started with
yours truly doing warm-ups with an empty bar.

"Who's that?" I asked.

I expected the answer to be "Gampaw Books" or
something similar.

But it didn't happen.

The girls shook their heads, their brows furrowed in
concentration.

"Dunno."

"Sure you do! Who is it?"

The peered at the screen intently.

"No one!"

I forwarded to some of the heavy sets. Maybe that would
help.

It didn't.

Somehow, they couldn't quite see that their grandfather
was the same person grabbing the funny bar with the big
plates and snapping it up to his shoulders -- diving into
a deep squat -- bouncing up -- and then jerking the weight
overhead.

I'm trying to figure out if that makes me feel really old
or really young for my age.

But I do know this -- I'm going to keep going with the
brainwashing -- and sooner or later those little girls
will be coming over to lift weights with me. Just wait
and see!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can see EXACTLY what my current training looks
like in GOING STRONG AT 54 -- and you can see workouts
from the original Dinosaur Dungeon in my five original
Dinosaur DVD's:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here --
along with back issues and subscriptions to the
world-famous Dinosaur Files newsletter:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "When someone says it
can't be done, they really mean it's too much work
for them." -- Brooks Kubik

The Answer to 271 Training Questions!

2011-12-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

(Note: Regular readers will remember this
message from a year or two ago -- which makes
an oldie -- but it's definitely a goodie!)

I received 271 emails last week from people
who had diet or training questions.

They fell into the following broad categories:

1. "HELP! I can’t gain any size. What should I
do?"

2. "Please HELP! I can’t get stronger. Give me
a program."

3. "My diet is lousy. What should I do?"

4. "I can’t get motivated to train, Pleas help
me."

5. "My coach tells me I should do such and so –
what do you think?"

6. "Help! I don’t know what to do."

7. "I’m training to get bigger and stronger as fast
as possible. I have a mixed martial arts match
next week against an 800 pound gorilla. Yes, it’s
a real gorilla. I am doing this to help the zoo
raise money, so it’s a charity fight. Don’t worry,
I love animals, and I won’t hurt the gorilla.

7A. I am doing a powerlifting contest the next day and
I want to set a world record. I also want to have
a 28- inch waist, with 1 percent body-fat, although
I would settle for 2 percent if I had to. However,
I need 24-inch upper arms with double-peaked base-
ball biceps.

Plus, I am running a marathon next week and want to
try to break into the top ten this year in world
marathon races, although I have not done much
running lately.

7B. I also have sugar cravings, and was wondering if
the chocolate milk diet would be good for me.

7C. Can you give me a good program?

7D. Also – what supplements do you recommend, and how
often should I take them, and what is the best
exercise for the upper inner head of the triceps,
and how often should I train my legs if I want to
win the Mr. Everything title this year, and what
is the best color of sun-glasses to wear for building
maximum muscle density, and is it better to eat when
you are hungry or when you are not, and is water good
for you, what is the best way to train when the sun
is in Capricorn and the moon is in Virgo, and what
do you think about breathing? I heard it was good for
you -- breathing, I mean."

Actually, no. 7 was unique – it was the only one in
the “I’m fighting a gorilla” category – but it had
so many questions that it deserved a category of
its own.

Anyhow, my answer to each of the questions was
exactly the same:

“Abbreviated training -- basic, compound exercises --
train hard -- be consistent -- don't miss workouts --
and add weight to the bar on a regular basis. Stop
looking for a magic program. There's no such thing.
Instead, focus on making each workout better than
the last one."

That’s pretty much my answer to everything now.

The solution to virtually every training question
under the sun is to start training the RIGHT WAY.
Not the way they teach you in the muscle comics –
not the way they talk about in the internet forums –
and not the way that everyone else trains – but the
RIGHT WAY.

Once you sort out your training --- once you start
doing it RIGHT – everything else is easy.

I’ll give you a very simple example:

Guy wants to know what kind of protein supplement
to use.

Guy doesn’t train his legs or back.

Guy needs to start doing squats and deadlifts and
bent-over rowing and shrugs and power cleans.

When guy starts to do squats and deadlifts and bent-
over rowing and shrugs and power cleans, guy will get
bigger and stronger very fast – and it doesn’t matter
what kind of protein supplement he uses, or even
whether he uses one.

Anyhow, I had 271 emails with training questions last
week. And the answer to each one was the same.

The answer is always the same.

It’s all about how you train.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if you
train today – make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more information about real world, no-nonsense
strength training and muscle building, head on over
to Dino Headquarters:

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.html

3. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

4. History’s Strongest Men and How They Trained --
Vol. 1 – Doug Hepburn

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

5. Dinosaur Arm Training

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

6. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

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

7. Dinosaur Training DVD's

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

8. Going Strong at 54 DVD

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

9. Back issues of the Dinosaur Files newsletter (from
May 2010 thru April 2011):

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

10. Current subscriptions to the Dinosaur Files newsletter
(I'll start you off with May 2011 thru Dec 2011 in one
package, and then send Jan 2012 thru April 2012 each
month to give you all 12 issues):

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "I've never been able to
understand people who don't train." -- Brooks Kubik

Three Sets Left!

2011-12-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

No, I'm not talking about sets of
squats, presses or deadlifts. I'm
talking about a different kind of
set.

We have THREE complete sets of my
Dinosaur Training DVD's left --
along with two each of DVD's 1, 2
and 3.

I ordered more sets, but my DVD
folks are out of some sort of super
duper special ink they use for the
DVD covers -- and it's on order --
and it won't get here until next
Friday.

So if you're planning to order the
DVD set -- or any individual DVD's --
do it now, because we won't be able
to restock for another 10 days or so.

You can find more info on the Dinosaur
Training DVD's right here:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html

By the way, I don't know what kind of ink
the DVD folks use, but it must be shipping
from Outer Mongolia to take so long to get
here!

Oh, well -- nothing to do but go bend the
bar in my next workout . . .

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I almost forgot -- We're running low
on my new DVD, Going Strong at 54, and once
again, we won't be able to get any more for
about 10 days. So if you've been thinking
about grabbing a copy, do it now:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 2. My other books, courses, t-shirts,
hoodies, sweatshirts,muscle shirts, back
issues of The Dinosaur Files newsletter and
subscriptions to the current year of the
Dinosaur Files are right here:

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

Iron and Bodyweight at Age 61!

2011-12-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Here's another workout from an older Dino --
and this one combines barbell and dumbbell work
with Dinosaur Bodyweight Training -- which makes
for a very effective combination.

This program comes to us from Ira Reid, a 61-year
old Dino from NYC. Ira trains three times a week
on the following program:

Saturday

1. Military press 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps

2. Pull-ups 3 to 5 sets to failure

Monday

1. Handstand or dive-bomber pushups 3 sets to failure

2. Chin-ups 3 sets to failure

3. Bodyweight squats 1 to 3 sets to failure

Wednesday

1. Dumbbell presses or incline presses 3 to 5 sets of
3 to 5 reps

2. Paetial deadlifts (from just below the knees) 3 sets
of 3 to 5 reps

3. Pull-ups 3 to 5 sets to failure

Sometimes Ira trains just twice a week. In that case, he
skips the Monday workout and adds the bodyweight squats to
his Saturday workout.

Ira adds:

"I try to vary the pull-ups from workout to workout as
outlined in Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. I an awaiting
delivery of a set of gymnastics rings which I intend to
incorporate with my pull-ups and pushups.

I also try to walk 3 or 4 miles every day that I don't
train, and 1 or 2 miles on the days that i do train. As
a former runner, the walking doesn't tax me much but keeps
the blood flowing and the heart pumping."

That's a pretty good all-around program for building a good
combination of strength, health and conditioning. Not many
61 year olds can do pull-ups, chin-ups and handstand
pushups!

As with the other programs that I've shared with you this
week, note the use of short, simple workouts, compound
exercises, and infrequent training sessions. Very Dino --
and very effective!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab YOUR copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight Training
right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- the Dinosaur Files
newsletter -- and Dinosaur training DVD's -- are right here:

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

Another Great Workout for Dinos!

2011-12-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several days ago I shared a workout used by
a 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 share
some of them with you over the next few days.

Here's one from Gordon Blake, a 54 year old Dino
who is a retired Sgt. in the NYPD. Gordon hits
this workout twice a week on Tuesday and Friday,
and in the next week, follows a different program
with 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 low
rep workouts. That's a good way to vary your workouts,
and cover all the bases as far as strength, muscle
mass and conditioning.

Other things to note:

1. Twice a week works great for older lifters.

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

3. Do a good general warm-up before hitting the heavy
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. If
you qualify as such, send an email outlining your current
program.

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. For more training tips for older lifters -- and over 50
workouts 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 -- including
Dinosaur Arm Training, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training and Black
Iron: The John Davis Story:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Nothing ages a man faster than the
day he stops training." -- Brooks Kubik

Heavy Iron

2011-12-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I've always been fascinated by big weights.
Big plates. The LOOK of heavy iron.

When I started training, I had one of those
110 pound barbells with concrete plates covered
with gold plastic. That was great, but I always
liked the look of iron plates better.

My dad had a 110 pound barbell with iron plates,
and I started to mix the plastic plates and the
iron plates.

My goal back then was to work up to the BIGGEST
plates in the house -- a pair of black iron 25
pound plates my dad had bought a few years
earlier.

I thought they were the biggest darn things in
the world -- and I was wild to lift them.

I remember how hard I worked to get to the point
where I could bench press 65 pounds -- meaning I
could use 15 pounds of bar and collars, loaded
with one of those great big, menacing, enormous
black iron plates.

When I started training at the high school weight
room, I saw my first York Olympic barbell -- and
my first 45 pound plates -- and immediately, I
wanted to be able to lift 135 pounds (the 45
pound bar plus a 45 pound plate on each side).

From there, I set goals of lifting 225 pounds
(which was the bar and TWO 45's on each side) --
and then 315 pounds (the bar and THREE 45's on each
side) -- 405 pounds (the bar and FOUR 45's on each
side) -- and more.

That probably explains why I write about different
ways to get stronger -- and different ways to add
weight to the bar.

In STRENGTH, MUSCLE and POWER, I cover some of the
very best ways to build strength:

Power Rack Training

Rest Pause Training

Special programs to strengthen
the tendons and ligaments

Leg and back specialization

Powerlifting

Power bodybuilding

Olympic lifting

Training with heavy, awkward objects

Special grip training exercises

And more . . .

It has 29 chapters and 354 pages of hard-hitting,
no nonsense, real world strength training -- and
if you're looking for something that will help you
add MORE WEIGHT to the bar, STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND
POWER is a pretty good place to start:

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

And remember, if you'd like an autographed copy, all
you need to do is ask. There's no charge for
autographs.

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. My other books, courses and DVD's are right here --
along with the world famous Dinosaur Files newsletter:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "When you look at the iron,
the iron looks back at you." -- Brooks Kubik

The Story of a Superman

2011-12-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

If you've been following my writing for
any period of time, you know that I'm a
huge fan of John Davis.

I admire him so much that I wrote a book
about him: BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY.
At 496 pages, with 16 pages of photos, it's
the biggest and thickest book I've ever
written.

For those who do not know anything at all about
John Davis, consider the following:

1. He was the youngest World champion in history
when he won his first World weightlifting
championship in 1938.

2. He won his first World championship at age 17 --
after less than two years of training.

2A. Yes, you read that correctly. John Davis won
his first World championship after less than TWO
years of training. TWO years!

3. He was undefeated in international competition
from 1938 through 1952.

4. He won World championships in TWO different weight
classes and (get this) THREE different decades.

5. At one time, he held all of the American, World
and Olympic records in the Heavyweight class -- and
he only weighed around 225 pounds!

6. He may have been the only World and Olympic
Heavyweight champion who could perform one arm
chins.

6A. His former training partner told me he saw
John Davis do a one arm chin while holding a
50 pound dumbbell in his other hand.

7. He dominated the Heavyweight division for many
years, while weighing only 215 to 235 pounds.

8. He did much of his training alone -- often in
the basement of a neighborhood church -- with
nothing other than a barbell, homemade squat
stands, a homemade lifting wooden bench and
a homemade lifting platform.

9. As the top Heavyweight in the world, he powered
the USA to SIX team titles at the World championships
and the Olympic Games.

9A. On several occasions, the team title came
down to a battle between John Davis and one or more
massive Russian lifters who outweighed him by 50 or
more pounds.

9B. The Russians never had a chance.

10. He followed a unique training system of his own
design -- and in the book, I give it to EXACTLY as John
Davis performed it. I got this from his 94-year old
training partner, and it's never been published before.
But it's a heck of a program!

There's more -- much more -- and it's all there in
BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY.

Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab your copy of BLACK IRON: THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

How a 60-Year Old Strongman Trains!

2011-12-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

60-year old Tony Williams is a hard-training
Dino from Texas. He sent me an email giving
a big THUMBS UP to my recent post about
training tips for older lifters.

Tony suggested that it would be fun to see
how some of the older Dinos are training --
and to get things started, he shared his own
workout:

"Here is mine:

Workout No. 1

Leg press

Pull-down

Incline chest press

Workout No. 2

Deadlift

Negative chins

Negative dips

The workouts are alternated EVERY SEVEN TO
10 DAYS.

All exercises are taken to failure except
deadlifts.

Within the last few months, I have gone to
heavier weights and lower reps and have seen
better results.

I am 60 years old. Although I need more rest
between workouts than i did when I was younger,
I still have incremental improvements, and I
think the extra rest is one of the keys to
improvement.

Frankly, I cannot remember the last time I was
injured lifting weights. The best thing I ever
did was convert to all-compound exercises in my
workouts. Especially when I was younger, I did
far too much, with far too many isolation
exercises.

To me, if you want to get stronger, lift heavy
with few reps."

Okay, now go back and re-read Tony's program.

Note that he does TWO different workouts -- with
THREE exercises per workout -- using heavy weights
and low reps -- and he trains once every SEVEN TO
10 DAYS.

And at age 60, he's making progress from workout
to workout.

I keep saying that rest and recovery is one of the
keys to successful strength training for any lifter,
at any age -- but it's even more important for older
lifters. And Tony is one of many older Dinos who is
living proof of exactly that.

Always remember -- training is important, but so is
recovery. For great results at any age, you need to
maximize both!

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. For more about effective strength training for
older lifters, grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black
Iron:

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

P.S. 2. For more feedback from trainees of all ages,
sharing their workouts, their ideas, and their
experiences, subscribe to The Dinosaur Files
newsletter. You can get the May 2010 thru April 2011
back issues here:

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

And you can order a subscription for the current
subscription year (May 2011 thru April 2012) here.
We'll start your subscription with the May 2011
thru December 2011 issues, and then send the rest
of them month by month until April 2012 -- that way,
you'll have the complete set:

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

P.S. 3. My other books, courses, and DVD's are right
here:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the day: "Train for strength and
health will follow." -- Brooks Kubik

The Dinosaur Time Machine!

2011-12-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several years ago I began doing something new
and different – something that no one had ever
done before. I began writing a series of books
about weightlifting and bodybuilding in the
1930’s and 1940’s.

The books focus on the York Barbell Company and
the York champions of the 1930’s and 1940’s.
They combine fictional characters with real people,
such as Jihn Grimek, Steve Stanko, John Davis,
Harry Paschall, Bob Hoffman, Sig Klein, Warren
Lincoln Travis, John Terpak, Gord Venables and
Gracie Bard. The characters attend actual lifting
meets, bodybuilding competitions and exhibitions,
so the books give you all of the history, color
and drama of the era. So far, I’ve written and
published five books in the series.

The first five books in the Legacy of Iron series
are titled:

1. Legacy of Iron

2. Legacy of Iron 2 – Clouds of War

3. Legacy of Iron 3 -- The 1,000 Pound Total

4. Legacy of Iron 4 – York Goes to War!

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

“Legacy of Iron” is set in 1938 – 1940, and tells
the story of Jim Miller, a young man who desperately
needs to build some strength and muscle. A lifter
named Jack Ryan takes him under his wing, trains
him, and takes him to York where he meets all of
the great champs of the era – Bob Hoffman, John
Grimek, Steve Stanko, Gord Venables, Tony Terlazzo,
John Davis, Harry Paschall, Gracie Bard and others.
It’s a fast-paced, exciting story, and covers a
number of actual lifting contests and exhibitions.

“Legacy of Iron 2 – Clouds of War” takes the action
into the spring of 1940. It covers the six-week
period from the 1940 Junior Nationals to the 1940
Senior Nationals and the Mr. America contest (won
by John Grimek, who also lifted in the Senior
Nationals and placed third in the Heavyweight
class).

“Legacy of Iron 3 – The 1,000 Pound Total” continues
the story. It covers the 1940 – 1941 period, and
details the battle between Steve Stanko and John
Davis to be the first man in history to total 1,000
or more pounds in official competition. It’s one of
the great stories in the history of the Iron Game,
and I feel honored and humbled to be able to present
it in dramatic narrative form.

“Legacy of Iron 4 – York Goes to War!” opens on a
secluded beach in Hawaii on the morning of
December 7, 1941 (the day of the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor). From there it blazes into action
from York to Washington to Pearl Harbor to San
Diego – covers the 1942 Senior Nationals and
Mr. America contest -- and culminates in a life
and death struggle on a remote island in the
South Pacific. It’s fast-paced, exciting, non-stop
action – and like all of the books in the series,
it gives you a vivid sense of being there, right
in the thick of the action.

“Legacy of Iron 5 – Barbells in the Pacific” continues
to cover the War years, and the life and death struggle
to preserve the Free World against the ruthless military
dictatorships allied against it. It also covers the 1943
Senior Nationals and Mr. America contest -- and it brings
you what may have been harry Paschall's greatest moment
(and Gord Venables' worst moment).

In the Legacy of Iron series, I try to convey a sense
of what the York Barbell Company, Strength and Health,
and the York champions meant to young men and boys
(and many girls and women) around the world in the
1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s. They cover a time period
when “the greatest generation” had some of the
greatest bodybuilders and lifters we’ve ever seen.
It’s a generation of men and women who deserve to
be remembered forever.

I know that many readers are only interested in books
and courses about “how to train” – and that’s fine –
but even if you “don’t read novels,” you might want to
give these very unique and very special books a chance.
They’ll teach you plenty about Iron Game history – and
about how the Golden Age champions trained, what they
ate, how they thought and what they believed. They’re
the closest thing to a time machine that can take you
right back to 1939 and let you sit down and talk
training with John Grimek and Steve Stanko – and
that’s pretty hard to beat!

But more than that, these are novels that will motivate
and inspire you – just the same as your favorite sports
movies motivate and inspire you. Do you remember how you
felt after watching Rocky, Chariots of Fire, The Natural,
Rudy, or Cinderella Man? If you’re like me, you probably
felt like hitting the iron and setting half a dozen
personal records. That’s how you’ll feel after you
read each book in the Legacy of Iron series.

As I’ve said before, I can’t make movies for you – but
I can write books that are going to give you the very
same sort of motivation and inspiration. And remember –
once you learn how to train and get into the training
habit, the most important thing to do is to stay
motivated and inspired. It’s what keeps you going
for the long haul.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day – and if
you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. To learn more about the Legacy of Iron series –
or to order one or more of the books in the series –
go to these special pages:

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

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

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

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

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

NOTE: Some of you already have one or two books
in the series -- others don't have any. If you order
all 5, you get a discount and save some clams on
shipping. See the bottom of the special page for
Legacy of Iron 5 for more info.

For info on ordering 3 or 4 books at a time (with
a discount), shoot me an email. I want everyone to
have all 5 in the series -- they're that good!

P.S. 2. Yes, there are more Legacy of Iron books
to come. We have a lot more Iron Game history to
cover!

10 Tips for Older Lifters

2011-12-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

When I was a kid, I bought a 110 pound
barbell set. So did all of my friends.

There was one difference, though.

I actually used the thing. I trained. The
other guys all quit after a week or two.

In junior high and high school, I was one
of the few kids who lifted weights all year
round. Even most of the other athletes tended
to skip the weight training. For some reason
(which has never made sense to me), they
didn't like it.

I kept on training in college, and I've been
training ever since.

Today, I'm 54 years old, and I still go out to
the garage and hit the iron a couple of times
a week. And I train pretty hard and pretty
heavy.

One thing I do NOT do is overtrain. As you grow
older, it becomes very easy to overtrain -- and
if you fall into the overtraining trap as an
older lifter, you can look forward to nothing
but sore joints, aches and pains and frustration.

How do you avoid overtraining?

You do this:

1. Use abbreviated training programs.

1A. many of my current workouts consist of
a single primary exercise. At most, I do TWO
primary movements in any one session.

2. Use perfect form in all of your exercises.

3. Use the heavy/medium/light system or a
simple cycling system so you don't always
train with your top weights.

4. If an exercise hurts, replace it with an
exercise that works better for you.

5. Lower reps are less fatiguing than higher
reps.

6. Pay attention to diet and nutrition. It's more
important than ever for older lifters.

6A. You want to be strong and lean. Focus on
your training for strength and on your diet for
getting (or staying) lean.

7. Rest and sleep are more important than ever.

8. Work on reducing your over-all stress levels.

8A. I know, I know -- easier said than done --
but it's really important to maintain a
tranquil mind.

9. Do enough cardio work to keep your heart
healthy (but don't do so much that you wear
yourself down).

10. Do things that you ENJOY when you train. The
more FUN it is, the BETTER it works!

So there you have it. Ten tips for older lifters.
I pay attention to them -- and so should YOU!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For more detail about effective strength
training for older lifters, grab a copy of Gray Hair
and Black Iron:

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

P.S. 2. I celebrated my 54th birthday by hitting a
hard, heavy workout in the garage -- and I filmed it,
so you can see EXACTLY what I'm doing. You can grab
a copy of the DVD right here:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 3. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training works GREAT for
older trainees -- and you can use it alone or in
combination with your weight work:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the day: "You're never to old for
a great workout!" -- Brooks Kubik

Another Speedwriting Challenge!

2011-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Readers occasionally send me speedwriting
challenges such as "Answer 10 training
questions in 10 words or less per question!"
(which I actually managed to do).

Here's one that came in over the weekend:

"I CHALLENGE you to describe each of your
books, courses and DVD's in a GRAND TOTAL
of 100 words or less."

Now, mind you -- this came from a longtime
reader -- someone I would consider a friend --
and the LAST person on earth I would ever
expect to issue this kind of "impossible"
challenge.

By the way, he added, "If you can do it, I'll
order one of everything and give them away as
Christmas presents. If you can't, I win a
Dinosaur Training hoodie."

I showed the email to Trudi.

"I'll pack up the hoodie," she said.

Ouch. It hurts when you get an impossible
challenge and your better half doesn't think
you can do it.

So here goes:

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

The bible of strength training.

(That's 5 . . . )

2. Chalk and Sweat: Dinosaur Training Workouts
for beginners, Intermediates and Advanced
Lifters:

The ultimate workout book.

(9 so far . . .)

3. Gray Hair and Black Iron: Secrets of Successful
Strength Training for Older Lifters:

Must reading for older lifters!

(That makes 14 . . .)

4. Strength, Muscle and Power:

The title says it all.

(Up to 19 . . . )

5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

The encyclopedia of bodyweight training.

(That makes 24 . . .)

6 - 10. Legacy of Iron, Clouds of War,
The 1,000 Pound Total, York Goes to War,
and Barbells in the Pacific:

A time-machine to the golden age
of might and muscle.

(34 . . .)

(BTW, that's not cheating because they're part of
a series.)

11. Horatius:

Epic action adventure.

(37!)

12. Black Iron: The John Davis Story:

The life of a legend -- and how he trained.

(46 . . .)

13. History's Strongest Men and How They Trained,
Vol. I, Doug Hepburn:

Training methods of the World's Strongest
Man!

(53! We're doing great!)

14. Dinosaur Arm Training:

Your guide to building strong and massive
arms.

(Up to 61! With 6 DVD's to go . . .)

15. The Lost Art of Dumbbell Training DVD:

The key to super strength.

(66 -- 5 DVD's to go -- I may be in trouble!)

16. Bags, Barrels and Beyond DVD:

Heavy awkward objects -- lift, throw, carry!

(That makes 72!)

17. Power Rack Training DVD:

How to be super-human!

(76 . . .This is getting close.)

18. Olympic Lifting Fundamentals DVD:

Build strength, power and speed!

(That makes 81 -- with two DVD's to go!)

19. Strength Training Basics DVD:

Barbell, basement, lifter. The basics.

(And now we're up to 86 -- with one to go.)

20. Going Strong at 54 DVD:

How I spent my 54th birthday -- and how I train
at age 54.

(That makes 99 -- which means -- I WIN!)

I am still UNBEATEN in speedwriting challenges --
so if you think you've got a good one, send it
on in and we'll see what happens!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab any or all of the books, courses
and DVD's covered in this email right here at Dino
Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. I need to go tell Trudi to unpack that hoodie!

Lone-Wolf or Multi-Station?

2011-12-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I got a catalog of strength and conditioning
products in the mail the other day.

One of the items was a great big multi-station
thing that looked like a big piece of play-ground
equipment. It combined pull-up bars, overhead
supports and hooks for suspension system training,
monkey bars, dipping bars, push-up bars, places to
attach ropes and bands and cables -- all sorts of
stuff.

One of the things was so big that up to 10 people
can train on it at one time.

Another was even bigger. It can handle 20 people.

I have to admit, I looked at this with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it's great that more and more people
are dropping the typical Chrome and Fern workouts and
starting to do some serious bodyweight training
instead. And this multi-station thing had some cool
stuff.

But on the other hand -- I'd hate to train with 10 or
20 other people using the same piece of equipment.

I've been training alone for so long that I've become
pretty much of a hermit. It's just me, the barbell,
and the lifting platform. If I do a bodyweight
workout it's just me, the ropes, the rings and the
wrestling mat.

I train alone because it allows me to CONCENTRATE as
deeply as possible on each and every rep of every
exercise I do. And concentration is one of the most
important skills for a serious trainee. It's your
secret weapon for great gains.

I've trained in gyms before, and when I did, I
managed to focus on my training and shut out all
possible distractions. And if I ever had to do it
again, I certainly could. But it's easier to
concentrate when I train by myself.

Other people may be different. Some of you may do
better when you're training with other serious, like-
minded individuals. You may find it helps to have
spotters, coaches, and encouragement. You may find
it helps to compete against others. If that's the
case, then go for it.

Remember, we're all different, and we all need to
find what works best for us.

Now -- getting back to those multi-exercise
stations -- I have to admit, they would have been
pretty darn good when I was a high school wrestler.
We could have run through them for 30 minutes or so
at the end of wrestling practice -- and it would have
been a pretty good workout!

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today -- whether it's alone or with a
bunch of other folks -- make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. That 20 person multi-exercise workout station
won't fit in your Christmas stocking -- but I have
a ton of books, courses and DVD's -- as well as shirts,
sweatshirts and hoodies -- that would look awfully
good under the Christmas tree:

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

P.S. 2. For more about concentration -- including
a detailed approach to developing your powers of
concentration to the absolute maximum -- grab a copy
of DINOSAUR TRAINING:

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

P.S. 3. I also cover concentration in detail in
DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING:

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

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "I train because the
idea of not training is impossible to imagine."
-- Brooks Kubik

Autograph Requests for Dinos

2011-12-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's Holiday season, and we're getting
a ton of orders from sisters, girlfriends,
wives and mothers.

Some of them ask for an autograph on the
books and courses they order -- but some
don't. We try to follow up and see if an
autograph is desired (it always is), but
that takes time and slows things down by
a day or two.

So please help us to help you -- and do
this:

1. If you place an order for a book or course
and you want me autograph it and include a
brief personal message, then ask for an
autograph in the Special Instructions section
of the on-line order form.

1A. Give the name you want me to use when I
write the message to you -- "James" or "Jim" --
"Mike" or "Michael", etc.

1B. If you want the message to reflect a personal
goal ("Good luck in hitting that big 500 pound
squat!"), then let me know.

2. If someone else places an order for you,
as a Christmas or birthday gift, please ask them
to request an autograph and to give me the info
I need for a personal message to you.

3. Several folks have asked how much I charge
for autographs.

The answer is ZIPPO. NOTHING. NO CHARGE. It's a
special free bonus for Dinos. A way to help make
your book or course a little more special and a
little more memorable.

4. As I've said before, I'm always happy to
autograph a book or course and include a brief
personal message to the reader. In fact, I'm
honored to do so. All you have to do is ask!

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 Headquarters is your one-stop shopping
place for great gifts for serious strength trainers,
garage gorillas, cellar-dwellers, fans of Iron game
history, and other physical cultural enthusiasts. You
can find my books, courses, and DVD's right here:

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

P.S. 2. Save clams on shipping by ordering two or
more products at one time!

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "The answer to any
training question is to KEEP ON TRAINING. Think
it through, make a plan, and implement." -- Brooks
Kubik

The Road to Nowhere

2011-12-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Yesterday, life sent me on a journey
over a winding, two-lane country road
way out in the middle of Nowhere.

The nearest town was Not on the Map,
and turkey vultures ripping shreds of
flesh off the roadkill were the only
signs of life.

It was early in the morning, foggy and
cold.

The road dipped, and sloped downhill.
It was one of those spots where it's
downhill in both directions.

And then I saw her.

A very large female deer -- standing right
in the middle of the road -- in my lane.

I slowed down and hit the horn.

The deer didn't move.

I hit the horn again.

It still didn't move.

I glanced to the right -- and saw nothing but
a shoulder too narrow to drive on.

I glanced to the left -- and saw three, maybe
four other deer, facing the road, milling
anxiously, moving their feet up and down.

I looked in the rear view mirror -- and saw
a car topping the rise behind me, and starting
down the slope.

I looked ahead, and saw a pick-up truck topping
the rise in front of me -- and speeding downward.

So we had four, maybe five deer that were probably
going to be somewhere in the middle of the road
at any second -- and three vehicles that were going
to either hit them or swerve to miss them -- two
lanes, no shoulder, and nowhere to move to get out
of the way.

I tapped the horn, not wanting to spook the deer, but
wanting the one in the road to move -- and started to
move forward.

The deer in the road walked out of my lane and into
the on-coming lane -- and then slowly walked to the
side of the road.

The other deer turned and headed into a dark,
fog-shrouded hollow.

It all happened far more quickly than it takes to
type these words. Far faster than it takes to
read them.

The funny thing was this:

You're in the middle of a sudden emergency, and your
brain goes into total concentration mode.

You see everything -- process everything -- and make
instantaneous decisions.

And you're functioning at 110%. Maybe 120%.

If you play (or played) sports, if you do martial
arts training, if you hunt, or if you shoot, you know
what I'm talking about because you've done it before.

You go into that place where mind and body are linked
so perfectly they become one. And they function as one.

That also happens in training. At least, it SHOULD
happen in training.

When you train, you lock into razor-sharp focus -- you
shut out the rest of the world -- and your body and
mind become one.

I cover concentration in detail in DINOSAUR TRAINING --
and I also cover it in DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT TRAINING.
You can see it in action in my Dinosaur Training
DVD's -- including my most recent DVD, GOING STRONG
AT 54.

It's an incredibly valuable tool -- and it will do more
to maximize your training results than anything else you
could ever do.

And yes, the ability to CONCENTRATE comes in handy on
lonely country roads in the middle of Nowhere.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab DINOSAUR TRAINING, DINOSAUR BODYWEIGHT
TRAINING, GOING STRONG AT 54, or any of my other books,
courses or DVD's right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Remember, if you want me to autograph a book or
course for you, include a request in the Special Comments
section of the on-line order form! If someone else orders
a book or course for you, be sure they know about this!

P.S. 3. Thought for the day: "The barbell is the world's
best teacher." -- Brooks Kubik

Different Ways of Doing the Same Thing

2011-11-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

In response to my recent post titled "Two Kinds of
Trainees -- Which are You?" I rec'd a very interesting
email from Paul Murray.

Paul is just a l-i-t-t-l-e bit older than me -- and like
me, he's an ex-wrestler, so I pay attention to what he
has to say.

To set the stage, remember that I wrote about Group I
guys (the guys who are good at all sorts of different
wrestling moves -- and the group one guys, who drill
and drill until they perfect one or two unstoppable
moves).

I noted that there was a parallel among strength trainers.

Some guys (the Group I guys) need to change their exercises
around fairly often. They're happier, and they progress
much faster that way.

Other guys (Group II guys) need to stay at the same
exercises for a long, long time -- until they perfect
them. They do much better on this type of program than
they do on one where they change things up like the
Group I guys.

Paul wrote:

"Brooks, in wrestling, the group I guys are REAL
athletes. They're good at anything and everything.
The group II guys are determined, bull-headed
grinders who get by on guts and determination.

I was a group-II'er, who tried to make something
out of nothing. As the years have gone by, as a
Dino, I have gradually become a group I guy out
of necessity. I need to find different ways of
doing the same thing, if that makes sense.
Best always. PM"

And that's a very insightful comment.

Paul's been hitting the iron for close to half a
century now -- and look at what he says:

"I need to find different ways of doing the same
thing. . . "

You know, that pretty well sums up the whole thing
about serious strength training for older lifters.

As you grow older, you find that things that once
worked GREAT for you -- don't work nearly as well.

Workouts that once seemed EASY become workouts that
make you feel like you spent the entire day working
on a chain gang. Or doing the french Foreign Legion
"March or Die!" thing out in the desert.

Do you remember that GREAT program you did when you
were in your 20's -- or in your 30's -- the one that
turned you into a Human Hercules?

Forget it -- now that you're 50, you'd be lucky to
do HALF as rugged a program and still make gains.

And frankly, that's fine.

I'm 54, I'm a grandfather (2 grand-kids), I'm a father
(3 kids), and I've been doing this stuff for more than
40 years. If the same programs that worked for me 40 years
ago -- or 20 years ago -- or even 10 years ago -- still
worked for me, then something would be wrong with the
Universe.

Things change, people change, and lifters change.

Your body changes.

Your response to exercise changes.

What works best for you changes.

But one thing remains the same.

Whoever you are, and whatever your age -- if you DON"T
train, things are gonna be pretty grim.

Whoever you are, and whatever your age -- if you DON'T
hit the basics, things are gonna be pretty grim.

Whoever you are, and whatever your age -- if you
DON"t train hard, heavy and serious -- on abbreviated
programs -- things are gonna be pretty grim.

Me, I'm 54 and I'm a grandfather times 2 -- and I'm out
there snatching and cleaning and jerking and making the
bar bend and the chalk fly.

And YOU -- whatever your age -- YOU need to be doing the
same thing. Not necessarily doing snatches and cleans and
jerks -- but going after it when you train -- using whatever
exercises you most enjoy, and whatever exercises let you
work hard, heavy and serious without leaving you feeling
like you got run over by a Mack Truck.

So you do NOT need to do exactly the same exercises that I
do -- but you DO need to train with relentless determination.

And yes, I mean YOU.

YOU need to be hitting it hard and heavy -- bending the
bar -- and making the chalk fly in all directions every
which way.

You may not be able to do what you did when you were
younger -- and that's okay -- but you need to be able
to kick you know what and take names -- and when you
do THAT -- then wherever you are, and whatever your age,
you're doing pretty darn well, my friend.

Pretty darn well.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I feel so strongly about the needs of older
trainees -- and about the nobility of older
trainees -- that I wrote a book for them. It's
called Gray Hair and Black Iron -- and you can
grab a copy right here:

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

P.S. 2. Here's a quick little idea for older trainees:
combine weights and bodyweight training. Works real well:

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

P.S. Thought for the day. "These young guys are
great -- but why don't they put some weight on the
bar?" -- Brooks Kubik

The Magic of Lifting

2011-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Cold, wet, rainy.

Gray.

Gloomy.

Typical November weather.

Herman Melville said it best -- in the very first
paragraph of Moby-Dick:

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth;
whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul . .."

Melville's solution was to go to the sea -- to go off on
a whaling voyage around the world.

Mine is to go out to the garage and train.

And that's what i did.

Yes, it was cold.

Big deal. I wore double sweats.

Yes, it was wet.

Big deal. I wore a windbreaker out to the garage and went
out in tennis shoes -- and then changed into my lifting
shoes once I was in the a garage.

Yes, it was dark and black and gloomy.

Big deal. A single electric light-bulb overhead was all the
light I needed.

The bar certainly didn't mind the dark, the rain, or the cold.

It lay on the platform and waited for the fun to begin.

So did the plates.

They lay against the wall (they take up nearly an entire wall)
and waited for action.

An hour later, I had a new age 54 PR in the squat clean and jerk.

It was still dark, still wet, and still gloomy -- but it didn't
matter.

That damp, drizzly November in my soul was gone.

And that, my friend, is the magic of lifting.

I experienced it last night. And I hope you experienced it as
well. If you didn't, I hope you experience it very soon.

Everyone needs magic in their life. And you can't beat the magic
of lifting.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. We're moving into the Holiday Season, and we're working hard
to get every order out the door as fast as possible. You can help us
by ordering early -- so go ahead and grab a book, a course, a DVD or
a subscription to the world-famous Dinosaur Files newsletter -- and
let us send you a little piece of magic:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "Instead of saying 'Shut up and train!',
he should have said, 'I can't hear you -- I'm training.'" -- Brooks
Kubik

Two Types of Trainees -- Which One Are You?

2011-11-29T08:12:00.001-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes, and then let's talk training.

Note No. 1 --

I'm getting great feedback from Dinos who want
to attend a Dinosaur Strength Training Seminar
in 2012.

If you're interested, shoot me an email and let
me know where you live, any nearby cities you
could get to easily, topics you'd like me to
cover, and any ideas about gyms to use as
seminar venues.

If you own a gym and you'd like to host a
Dinosaur Training Seminar, let me know asap.

Note No. 2 --

We're getting tons of Holiday orders from wives,
girlfriends, sisters, and moms -- and I always
try to email back and ask if they want me to
autograph the book or course, and if so, the
name of the person who is getting it so I can
personalize what I say.

That takes time, though -- so if someone is
ordering a present for you, pls ask them to
ASK FOR AN AUTOGRAPH -- and let me know who
is getting the present. Use the Special
Instructions section of the on-line order
form to request the autograph.

Someday, those autographed books and courses
will be worth much wampum! Some of the autographed
first editions of Dinosaur Training (I numbered and
signed all 3,000 of the first edition) are
selling for crazy numbers now (like 100 or 150
clams).

TRAINING TALK

When I was a high school wrestler, I noticed that
the really good wrestlers -- the top guys in the
district or the state -- fell into two distinct
groups.

Group one included the guys who had an amazing
number of different moves -- and they were really
good at all of them. You never knew what they were
going to hit you with.

Group two included guys who had one or two bread
and butter moves -- usually simple ones -- and they
worked them and worked them until they were
unstoppable.

Both methods worked. Both methods produced champions.

Strength training is similar.

Some guys do best if they use a wide variety of
different exercises. Not in the same workout, but over
the course of the year. Six weeks on one program, and
then change things around a bit.

Or use military press as your primary pushing movement
for awhile -- and then switch to alternate dumbbell
presses - and then train on incline presses -- and
then use push presses -- and then use the clean and
press.

Other lifters do best if they stick to one workout for
a long period of time -- or if they stick to one exercise
for a long period of time. They need to work the exercise
until they master it completely -- and then they need to
squeeze every last drop of benefit out of the movement.

I know where I fall (the latter group) -- but only YOU
know where you fall.

It's important to figure it out. It's part of what makes
you a distinct individual with a very distinct "best
approach" to training.

So think about it -- and decide which approach works better
for YOU!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I offer many different exercises, different workouts,
and different ways to train in my various books, courses
and DVD's -- and in the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- but
one thing is certain: every single one of them will
build T-Rex levels of strength, muscle and power:

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

P.S. 2. Remember, if you want an autograph, all you need to
do is ask for it!

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Every person is a unique
individual, but the basics work best for everyone." -- Brooks
Kubik

Did You Ever Try this Exercise?

2011-11-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I hope everyone had a great weekend --
and for those who trained, I hope you had
a great workout!

We're going to cover a great exercise that some
of you may never have tried before. But before
we do that, I need to ask a favor.

I'm thinking about doing something new and
different -- and very exciting -- in 2012:

DINOSAUR TRAINING SEMINARS!

So I need to know:

1. Are you interested in attending a Dinosaur
Training Seminar?

2. What topic(s) would you like me to cover?

3. Where do you live, and what major cities would
work for you for a one day or two day seminar?

4. Do you know of any gyms in your neck of the
woods that might let us do a seminar?

Shoot your responses to me at Dino Headquarters --
and thanks in advance for your feedback!

On the training front, a reader asked "What is
the BEST sandbag exercise for Dinosaurs?"

That's a hard one to answer, because the "best"
exercise for one Dino may not be the best for
another Dino.

But here's a good one.

Set a 50 to 100 pound loosely packed sandbag in
front of a sturdy work bench or the back of a
pick-up truck. You need loose material to hold
onto at the top of the sandbag.

Grab the sandbag by the loose material at the top
of the bag, and lift it in a two hand hammer curl
(with the hands touching, left hand over right hand)
and place it on the bench or platform.

Pause briefly, and then lower it to the floor.

Reverse your grip and repeat.

Do 20 -- 50 -- or 100 reps.

If you don't have a workbench or pick-up truck,
string a rope four or five feet off the ground
and lift the sandbag up and over the rope on each
rep.

If you use the rope, you can drop the bag and then
lift it -- or (tougher) you can hold it just above
the rope and then lower it slowly.

If setting up a rope is too much trouble, then do
this: just curl the bag until your hands touch the
top of your forehead as you lean slightly forward.
Pause for a two count and then lower slowly.

Start with a light sandbag because this one is
really tough. Be ready for some severely fried arms,
forearms, hands, fingers and shoulders.

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. It's Cyber Monday, which means it's time to place
your Holiday orders. Remember, if you want me autograph
a Dinosaur training book or course, all you need to do
is ask! (Use the special instructions section of the
on-line order form.):

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "It's not the equipment you
use, it's how you use it that counts!" -- Brooks Kubik

P.S. 3. Don't forget to give me your thoughts and
feedback on Dinosaur Training Seminars!

News and Updates for Dinosaurs!

2011-11-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Happy Sunday to everyone, and let me give
you some quick updates.

1. Dinosaur Neck Training

I'll be doing an interview on SuperHuman
Radio at 12:00 noon EST on Monday. We'll
cover Dinosaur Neck Training. You can
listen live or download a recording
at your convenience. To listen to the show,
just head over to the SHR website at 12:00
on Monday.

I *think* the below link will take you to
SHR -- if not, just google for it:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/

By the way, if you look around on the SHR website,
you'll find a list of the 10 most popular shows
since SHR was launched. My first SHR interview,
when we covered Dinosaur Training, is currently
ranked right up there -- I think it's the number
2 most popular show. If you missed it, be sure to
listen to the recorded version:

http://www.superhumanradio.com/605-dinosaur-training.html

There's no charge for SHR shows. I consider them
a Public Service Announcement. I think I've done
10 or 12 of them so far, so there's lots to listen
to in the SHR archives.

2. York Hoodies

It's officially winter-time, and that means
hoodie season. My buddy John Wood still has
some heavy-duty York Barbell Club hoodies in
stock, and they're just the thing for this time
of the year:

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/products/york-barbell-club-hooded-sweatshirt-0

3. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training

If you're a bodyweight fan, or if you've been
thinking about giving bodyweight training a try
(or mixing it up with your barbell, dumbbell or
kettlebell work), then you're going to want a
copy of Dinosaur Bodyweight Training. Readers
have been giving the little monster rave reviews:

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

4. The December Dino Files

I'm finishing up the December issue of the Dinosaur
Files newsletter. It's going to be another great
issue with plenty of hard-hitting training articles.
If you subscribe, you're in for a treat!

5. Dinosaur Training Seminars

Are you interested?

If enough of you are, it just might happen in 2012!

So -- if you'd like to attend a Dinosaur training
seminar, do this: shoot me an email and tell me (1)
where you live, and (2) what you'd most like me to
cover.

Obviously, I can't travel everywhere, and I can't
cover every possible topic, but let me know where you
live and what interests you the most, and I'll see
what I can do.

6. Holiday orders

Get them in as soon as you can -- we want to get a
jump on the gremlins in the mail.

7. Autographs

I am always honored to sign a book or course for you,
but you have to ask! If someone orders a book or course
for you as a present, be sure they know that they can
ask for an autograph -- and when they do, they should
give me your name so I can personalize the message.

That wraps things up for now -- I need to get back
to work on the Dinosaur Files!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you're looking for an easy place to do some
Holiday shopping, Dino Headquarters is what you want:

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

P.S. 2. Save clams on shipping and handling by ordering
several books, courses, DVD's, or Dinosaur Training
t-shirts, sweatshirts, or hoodies at one time -- and
remember, if you're ordering a present for someone, ask
for an autograph! It makes it even more special.

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day. "If old-school strength
training was good enough for John Grimek and Steve Stanko,
it's good enough for me." -- Brooks Kubik

50's Style Training for Great Gains!

2011-11-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Back in the 1950's, the top bodybuilder
in the world was a man named Reg Park --
who weighed 230 pounds of muscle, bench
pressed 500 pounds, squatted 600 pounds,
and handled 300 pounds in the press behind
neck (by some accounts, for REPS!).

When he was training to increase his
strength and muscular size, his workouts
took about one hour. John McCallum watched
him train once, and timed him. The workout
took exactly one hour and five minutes.
And he trained just three times per week.

Park's short, hard, heavy training worked
pretty well for him. He won three Mr.
Universe titles back when the Mr. Universe
title was the ultimate crown in bodybuilding.

At the same time, the top Olympic weight-
lifter in the world, Tommy Kono, was
training three times per week, for about
one hour to 90 minutes per workout. On
that schedule, he won two Olympic gold
medals and six world championships --
and set 26 World records.

Now, if people had been paying attention,
they might have noticed something. The top
bodybuilder in the world and the top weight-
lifter in the world were training just three
times per week -- for something like 60 to 90
minutes per workout -- and they were getting
GREAT results. Literally, the best results of
anyone in the world in their respective
disciplines.

Meanwhile, other bodybuilders were spending
all day training -- and other lifters were
lifting all day -- and they were doing it
day after day -- and their results were
nowhere near the results achieved by Park
and Kono, with far less weekly training.

I'm no different than anyone else. I once
did way too much training, and for a very
long time I made no gains at all. But then
I cut back (because of an unusually busy
schedule at work) -- and all of a sudden
I started to get bigger and stronger.

I cut back even more -- and made even more
progress.

I made tremendous progress on a program
where I trained three times per week, and
did just two exercises per workout -- for
just four or five sets per exercise. And I
hit each exercise only once per week.

That doesn't sound like much, but I gained
over 40 pounds of muscle on that program --
added over 200 pounds to my squat -- and pushed
my bench press to the point where I was able
to win five national championships in drug-
free competition, lifting in the sub-master's
division.

And my experience is hardly unique. I've been
writing about abbreviated training and divided
workouts for close to 20 years now -- and for
that entire period, I've been getting reports
from readers who literally can't believe how
much they gain (or how fast they gain) when
they shorten their workouts, cut out everything
but a handful of the most important exercises,
and reduce their weekly training sessions.

You can read more about abbreviated training
and divided workouts in:

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.html

3. Gray Hair and Black Iron

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

4. Chalk and Sweat

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

5. Dinosaur Bodyweight Training (which applies the
same principles to bodyweight workouts)

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

6. Dinosaur Arm Training

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

Remember, if it worked for Reg Park and Tommy Kono, it
will work for YOU!

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's someone else who did okay with Dino-style
workouts back in the 1950's:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Grab the bar and squeeze
it. Show it you mean business." -- Brooks Kubik

No Black Friday Blues Here!

2011-11-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's the day after Thanksgiving here in the
USA. We call it Black Friday -- it's the first
day of the Holiday shopping season, and folks
camp out to be first in line at different stores,
and it's massive craziness, chaos and confusion.

We're following a different protocol here at Dino
HQ. Trudi is at work, and I'm working here at the
house (I have lots of Dino projects to finish), and
then I'm going to do some gardening.

Yes, gardening. I'm going to plant some spinach
and lettuce in the greenhouse. It may be too late
for it to germinate, but we'll see. If I don't
try, I can guarantee the veggies won't grow.

In that respect, gardening is a lot like strength
training. If you try, you have a good chance of
building some strength and muscle. If you don't
try, I can guarantee that nothing is going to
happen.

And that brings me to two questions I often
receive from readers.

The first one goes something like this:

"I've been doing the following program [and
then the program is detailed], and I'm making
great gains. I'm thinking about making some
changes [and then the changes are detailed].
What do you think?"

And my answer is this:

"If you're making good progress, keep on doing
what you're doing. If and when your progress
slows down, you can make some changes and
adjustments."

In other words -- if it's working, keep on doing
it!

The second question goes something like this:

"Here's a program I put together [and the program
is listed]? Will this work?"

If it's a typical training program, or if it's one
of those programs where the trainee tries to combine
everything under the sun and ends up doing way too
much work (a very common problem), my answer is to
refer the reader to my various books and courses so
he can see detailed programs that WORK.

If it's an abbreviated program similar to those that
I recommend, my answer is this:

"Your program looks good. Give it a try and see what
happens. If you make good progress, stick with it. If
your progress is slow, you can make changes and see
what happens. When making changes, try to change one
thing at a time, and remember that less is more. Most
people over-train. If in doubt, do LESS work."

And most of the time, I get a short email that says
"Thanks, I'll give it a try" -- and a few months later
I get an email that says, "I tried it -- and it works!"

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If it's a shopping day, good luck with the Black Friday
madness. And if it's a training day, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. For some quick and easy shopping with ZERO Black
Friday blues, head over to Dinosaur Headquarters and
grab your choice of the best books, courses and DVD's
anywhere -- and use them to build some serious strength
and muscle:

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

P.S.2. Thought for the Day: "The Black Friday blues --
or any other kind of blues -- don't stand a chance
against a hard workout." -- Brooks Kubik

Happy Thanksgiving to the Dinos!

2011-11-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's Thanksgiving Day here in the USA,
so I want to wish everyone a very HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!

That goes double for everyone in the
military, especially those readers who
are stationed overseas. You're doing
a great job, and the rest of us owe
you a great big THANK YOU!

It also goes double for everyone who
trains today -- whether you hit the
iron, do some bodyweight circuits, go
for a walk, go for a run, or whatever.
On a day when the average food consumption
is probably something like 20 gazillion
calories per person, it's a good idea
to get moving, burn some calories and
build some muscle.

Here at Dino Headquarters, I'm actually
working -- I've got a new training course
to finish, and I'm also putting the December
issue of the Dinosaur Files newsletter
together. They're both looking pretty
good.

Anyhow, Trudi is working in the kitchen,
and I need to get back to working on that
new course. So I'm going to sign off for
now -- but remember what I said:

HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Yes, we're open for bidness, as they
say -- so if you want to get a start on your
Holiday shopping, my books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

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

Don't Let It Happen to You!

2011-11-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It was one of the hardest one-two combinations
in the history of boxing.

In the seventh round of their second fight,
Jack Dempsey hit Gene Tunney with a tremendous
right followed by a vicious left hook.

Tunney started to go down -- and Dempsey
unleashed a barrage of punches as he went
down. He landed seven brutal shots.

And then, Dempsey made a critical mistake.

Instead of going to a neutral corner, he stood
over his fallen foe.

The referee had to push Dempsey back and into
the corner. And he didn't begin the count until
Dempsey was out of the way.

On the count of eight, Tunney made it to his
feet.

He'd actually had fourteen or fifteen seconds,
including the time when the ref was bulling
Dempsey into the corner.

Dempsey charged him immediately -- but Tunney
back-pedaled as fast as he could.

Dempsey chased him across the ring and back
again -- but never caught him. He wasn't fast
enough. He still had dynamite in his fists,
but he didn't have the legs to carry him to
victory.

The bell rang, ending the round, and Tunney
survived. He went on to win the fight.

Had he won, Dempsey would have become the
first man in history to lose and then regain
the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the
World. But it was not to be. His legs let
him down.

There are similar stories in nearly all sports.
The legs always go first -- and when they do,
it's all over.

It's the same in life, as well. When your legs
go, you start going downhill fast.

And since your legs and leg strength are so
closely tied to hip and back strength, you
really need to keep all three areas as strong
as possible.

Strong legs strong hips, and strong back. If
you're looking for the key to lifelong strength
and health, that's it.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Gray Hair and Black Iron is the best book
ever written about serious, no-nonsense strength
training for older lifters -- and you can grab a
copy right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:

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

P.S. 2. Many older lifters enjoy bodyweight training --
and it gives them GREAT results. That's one of the
reasons I wrote Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:

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

P.S. 3. My new DVD, Going Strong at 54, details
what I'm doing at age 54 -- and yes, you better
believe I hit my legs, hips and back as hard as
possible:

http://brookskubik.com/goingstrong.html

P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "I was never anything,
really, except a fighter. That's all I ever wanted
to be. When I was eleven I was in serious training
to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
I wasn't surprised when I became champion thirteen
brutal years later." -- Jack Dempsey

I Get This Question All the Time!

2011-11-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Let's do questions and answers today! Here's
a common question from readers.

Q. Most of my lifts are going up, but I'm
stuck on curls and presses. I do 5 x 5 on
everything, and use a divided workout
schedule and abbreviated training. What
should I do?

A. It's very common for some lifts to improve
faster than others -- just as it is very common
for some bodyparts to improve faster than others.

If your squat and deadlift are going up, things
are good. You just need to fine-tune your curling
and pressing.

So try this for curls and presses:

1. Change your sets and reps. What works best for
you on one exercise may not work as well on other
movements.

1A. Note that what works best for you for curls may
not work as well for presses. I like 4 x 5 or 5 x 5
for curls, but I prefer singles on presses.

2. Switch to dumbbell curls (pronated or hammer
style).

3. Switch to dumbbell presses or Log Bar presses.

4. Switch to pull-ups and handstand pushups. (For
details, see Dinosaur Bodyweight Training.)

Note: A training program featuring squats or front
squats, deadlifts or Trap Bar deadlifts, Dino-style
pull-ups and handstand pushups would build some
very serious strength, muscle and power.

Further Note: My arms and shoulders were bigger and
thicker when doing a 100% bodyweight program at age
50 than when I was doing heavy curls (185 x 5), bench
presses (up to 430 from the bottom position with a
3" bar), the clean and press (up to 275 pounds), and
and a bottom position seated press on a bench set at
80 or 85 degrees (320 pounds). So do NOT minimize the
value of bodyweight training for your arms and
shoulders!

5. For your press, a specialized program of power
rack training may work wonders. (For details, see
Dinosaur Training or Strength, Muscle and Power --
or my Power Rack Training DVD.)

6. Chains and resistance bands work well on curls
and presses. Very, very well . . .

7. And finally, here's a very simple, very effective
tip. Drop the weight by 20 pounds on your curls and
presses and perform your reps in absolutely perfect
form. Build back up -- and keep using letter perfect
form.

I hope that helps anyone who is trying to figure out
what to do for a lagging bodypart or an exercise that
doesn't seem to be keeping pace with everything else.

Remember -- it's a COMMON problem -- happens to pretty
much everyone -- so DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!

By the way -- John Grimek once got so discouraged that
he quit training! A week later his arms had grown by
half an inch. Turns out he had been overtraining . . .

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. As I mentioned, Dinosaur Bodyweight Training can help
you build some serious arms and shoulders -- as well as
the rest of your body. Grab a copy here:

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

P.S. 2. Dinosaur Arm Training is another great resource --
and it will help you build arms (and shoulders) that are
big, thick and packed with power:

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

P.S. 3. I cover specialization programs, rest pause training,
and power rack workouts (and tons of other topics) in Strength,
Muscle and Power:

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

P.S. 4. My other books and courses -- and Dinosaur Training
DVD's -- are right here:

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

P.S. 5. Thought for the day: "It's not enough to train. You
need to train with a purpose." -- Brooks Kubik

From Mouse to Moose to Megasaurus!

2011-11-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

I get tons of questions from readers
who ask me to outline a training program
for them. I'd love to be able to answer all
of these emails, but I can't. There are way
too many of them, and I'd spend all day doing
nothing but writing programs.

So I came up with a way to solve the problem.

I wrote a book that gives you 50 different
training programs.

The title of the book is CHALK AND SWEAT. I
chose the title because the workouts in the
book are Dino style workouts. When you're
finished with one of them, you're going to
be covered in chalk and sweat.

I began with 10 progressively more difficult
programs for beginners. So if you're a beginner,
you start with one of the easier programs, and
follow it for 6 to 8 weeks. Then you move on to
one of the next programs in the the beginner's
section. Follow that for 6 to 8 weeks. And then
move on to one of the other programs for beginners,
and hit that one for 6 to 8 weeks.

At that point, you'll be showing some really good
progress -- and you'll be ready for more difficult
programs.

So I included 10 different programs for
intermediates.

After you train on a few of the intermediate
programs (for 6 to 8 weeks per program), you'll
be ready for some even more demanding programs --
so I included 10 programs for advanced trainees.

It's a simple, sure-fire way to take you from
beginner -- to intermediate -- to advanced.

But what do you do after you've worked up to
the advanced programs and trained on a few of
them for 6 to 8 weeks per program?

How about going on a specialization program to
build maximum muscle mass and maximum strength
and power?

You guessed it -- I included 20 different programs
to help you build maximum muscle mass, maximum
strength, and maximum power.

You do it with leg specialization programs and
with back specialization programs. I included 10
of each -- and I teach you how to use them for
maximum results as quickly and efficiently as
possible.

So if you want to go from mouse to moose
to megasaurus, CHALK AND SWEAT will teach
you how to do it.

I tried to make the book work for everyone. It
includes programs you can follow at any decently
equipped commercial gym or school weight room --
or in your home gym. It includes programs for
those who enjoy Olympic lifting -- for those
who enjoy powerlifting -- for those who enjoy
strongman training -- for those who enjoy
bodyweight workouts -- and for those who like
to mix things up.

So nowadays, when someone asks me to give them
a workout, I tell them I already gave them 50
workouts. They're right there in CHALK AND
SWEAT -- and if you're looking for some serious
gains, this is the answer.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab your copy of CHALK AND
SWEAT -- and get ready for some great workouts
and some great gains:

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

P.S. Save some clams on s&h by ordering two or more
Dinosaur Training products at the same time:

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

Real Life Heroes!

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As I type these words, there's a man
sitting on a bench, concentrating
fiercely. He's getting ready to attack
his final set of deadlifts.

He's using a Trap Bar loaded so heavy
that you wonder how the bar can hold
the weight.

And one more thing. He's blind.

Doesn't matter. He still trains. Hard
and heavy. Dino style.

There's another man who's training hard
in his home gym. He lost a leg. But once
again, it doesn't matter. He still trains.

There's another man who trains in his home
gym. He's been doing it for something like
15 years -- ever since he read Dinosaur
Training back in 1996 when the little
monster was first published.

He's battling back from cancer. We almost
lost him a few months ago. He's lost a ton
of weight, and lots of strength. But he's
still training. And he plans to get right
back to where he used to be.

There are older guys coming back from knee
operations -- shoulder operations -- hip
replacements -- and heart attacks. But
they're still training.

There's a fireman in New York City who straps
into a heavy weight vest, throws some extra
chains over his shoulders, grabs some dumbbells
and goes out for a long walk. He calls it cardio.
He does it because in his business, that's the
kind of thing that can save lives.

There are men who train in war zones -- sometimes
doing deadlifts with bombs falling.

There are law enforcement officers who need real
world strength and condition to do their job --
and who believe that building strength, muscle
and power is a part of their job. So they work
at it -- HARD!

There are beginners of all ages who started
with weights so light they'd be embarrassed to
tell you about them -- and now they're into
300/400/500 territory.

There's a father who's teaching his son to
train. It may be the most important thing he
ever teaches the boy.

There's a grandfather who's training with his
two 13 year grandsons. he's giving them a life
lesson that they'll remember forever.

These are all real people. I know each of them.
Some of them I've known for many years. Some
are more recent friends. But they're all real.
They really do exist, and they really are out
there, battling the iron and stubbornly
refusing to let anything -- and I mean
ANYTHING -- stop them.

Readers often write and tell me how much
they've learned from my books, courses and
DVD's. I believe them -- because I sure as
heck have learned a lot from my readers.

And one of the most important things I've
learned is this:

The world's full of heroes -- and if you're
lucky, you get to know some of them.

I'm lucky. I know some heroes. And if you're
reading this, you know them, too.

As always, thanks for reading -- and thanks
for everything you do. If you train today,
make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's a book about another hero -- a man
who started life with NOTHING -- and who became
the strongest man in the world, and the greatest
weightlifter of his era:

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

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVD's --
and the Dinosaur Files newsletter -- are right here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Everyone is a hero.
Some people just don't know it yet." -- Brooks Kubik

The 99.99 Percent and the .01 Percent!

2011-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

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 wrote
an article in his wonderful magazine,
Iron Man, in which he stated that for
most people, two workouts a week was
the best program for building strength
and muscle.

Peary noted that he had tried 3x per
week 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-consuming
workouts. They were actually pretty short
programs. What I refer to in my books
and courses as "abbreviated training."

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 pushups
3 x 10 - 12

2. Pull-ups 3 x 10 - 12

3. Squats, front squats or Trap Bar
deadlifts 5 x 5

The reaction was EXACTLY what you would expect.
Everyone thought that Peary was crazy -- and
99.99% of the guys who read the article shook
their 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 anything
at all.

Then there was the .01% of readers who actually
gave Peary's advice a try. They put together a
limited exercise program (which is what Peary
called abbreviated training) - and they trained
2x a week (some of them only once a week) -- and
lo and behold, they grew like weeds and ended up
20, 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 train
doing too many exercises, too many sets, too many
reps, training too often, and not getting very much
in the way of results.

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

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 you
need to do is to start training short, hard, heavy
and serious. No, it's not easy -- but easy never
built an ounce of muscle.

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

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's something that combines serious arm
training 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 and
Black Iron and Strength, Muscle and Power. You can find
them here:

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

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You only have one chance
to make your next workout a great one. Make the most of
it." -- Brooks Kubik

Your Doctor Won't Believe This!

2011-11-17T05:57:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Doctors have told us for years that
weightlifting was dangerous -- and
specifically, that it raises your
blood pressure.

So here's something that's pretty
interesting. I spotted it in a book
called WEIGHT TRAINING IN ATHLETICS,
written by James A. Murray and Dr.
Peter Karpovich. It was published in
1956.

Someone -- the book doesn't say who --
decided to take the blood pressure of
competitive weightlifters before, during
and after a contest. The purpose of the
testing was to measure the effect of
the contest -- in other words, the
excitement of the contest -- on the
athletes.

The contest was not identified, but it
lasted three days, so it must have been a
major competition -- probably the USA
Senior Nationals or perhaps even the
World Championships.

We don't know the year the study was
performed, but based on the publication
date of the book and other internal clues
it was probably in the 1950 to 1955 range.

So the lifters were elite athletes at the
peak of their training -- with many years
of hard and heavy lifting under their belts.

They were Olympic lifters, so their training
included plenty of low rep work with very
heavy weights on exercises such as the
military press, the incline press, dumbbell
pressing, the squat, the front squat, cleans,
snatches, the clean and press, the clean and
jerk, high pulls, etc.

Their bodyweight would have ranged from 123
pounds on up through the different weight
classes (123/1/32/148/165/181/198 and Heavy-
weight).

The lifters would have been very lean, with
low bodyfat. Even the Heavyweights would have
been fairly light and fairly lean by modern
standards.

It is doubtful that any of the lifters did
cardio training. However, some of them may
have performed 20 rep squats or performed
sets of 5 reps in the clean and jerk or the
snatch -- both of which give you one heck
of a cardio workout. And they may have played
sports in high school or college -- which
means they would have done lots of running
and conditioning work.

It also is doubtful that any of the lifters
used anabolic steroids or other drugs -- and
if they used food supplements, they were
primitive by modern standards. Stuff like
wheat germ oil, vitamin/mineral tablets,
and (horrible tasting) protein powder made
from soybeans.

Their diets varied, but they probably ate lots
of protein (meat, eggs and milk), and lots of
fresh vegetables.

Now, if you asked your doctor what the
average blood pressure for these athletes
was measured at -- and remember, these were
athletes who were doing HEAVY weightlifting --
he'd probably say that it "must have been off
the charts."

He'd be wrong.

The average blood pressure of the weightlifters
was 115/58 the day before the contest.

On the first day of the contest, it went up to
129/54.

On day 2 of the contest, it was 140/66.

On day 3, it reached 146/64.

Two days after the contest, it was back to
normal -- 120/55.

Now, leave aside the increase DURING the contest.
It's only natural to see an increase in blood
pressure if you're in the middle of a National
or World championship.

But look at the average blood pressure before
and after the competition.

120/55 is really good.

I wish we knew more about this study -- and I wish
it could be replicated today. But it can't. You've
got the steroid issue -- as well as the modern day
super supplements -- and that would undoubtedly
skew the results.

But if we focus on NATURAL athletes -- involved in
HEAVY weightlifting -- this study gives plenty of
room for thought.

Maybe weightlifting isn't really all that bad.

And maybe -- just maybe -- it's actually healthy!

Now, one final thought -- and this is important.
Pay attention. If you DO have high blood pressure,
talk things through with your doctor -- and get
your diet, lifestyle and exercise program working
together to help lower it. That's especially true
for anyone over the age of 35 who reads this.
Remember, this was a study of YOUNG athletes --
late teens through mid-20's. So if you're older
and blood pressure is an issue, work with your
doctor to get it down safely and efficiently.

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. Always train for strength AND health. They're
both important -- and old-school training methods
are the best way to build them. For more information,
grab any of my books or courses -- my Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- and the Dinosaur Files newsletter:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "There's far more people
who do WAIT training than WEIGHT training -- and that's
a shame." -- Brooks Kubik

The Forgotten Man

2011-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

As I mentioned the other day, I get lots of
questions from readers about the different
books and courses we offer at Dino
Headquarters. And that's understandable,
because at last count there were close to
20 different books, courses and DVD's
featured on the Dino website.

We already covered STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND
POWER, which is a book that has something
for everyone.

Today, let's cover a book that was written
for a specific audience.

Peary Rader used to call the older trainee
"the Forgotten Man." By this, he meant that
the muscle magazines targeted the younger
readers and more or less ignored the older
ones.

And he was right. For every article about
an older lifter who was still hitting the
iron at age 50 or older, there ten thousand
and three articles about the latest up and
coming superstar.

For every article about how an older man
should train, there were 50,000 articles
telling the younger guys how to bulk up,
power up, muscle up, get lean, get strong,
be a lifting champion or whatever.

Now, there's nothing wrong with articles that
tell the young guys how to build strength and
muscle (after all, I've written more than a few
of them myself) -- but older lifters have their
own unique problems, and they deserve at least
as much top quality info as the younger guys.

And that's why I wrote Gray hair and Black
Iron.

It's a book that focuses on one thing and one
thing only -- training advice for older
lifters.

Gray Hair and Black Iron is NOT a book that
simply encourages folks over the age of 40, 50
or 60 to stay active or to include some light
"resistance training" in their fitness programs.

Far from it.

Gray Hair and Black Iron is for serious lifters
who've been pushing and pulling heavy iron for
a long, long time -- and who want to keep on
doing it for an even longer time.

In short, it's a book about training techniques,
training programs (over 50 of them), recovery and
recuperation, cardio training, and even (an added
plus)diet and nutrition for the older lifter.

And that brings me to something funny.

I wrote Gray hair and Black Iron from the perspective
of a 52 year old lifter (my age when I wrote the book).
I intended it to apply to lifters from age 35 or 40
all the way up to 80 or 90.

Since then, I've had a number of YOUNGER readers buy
it -- and they almost always send an email and say,
"I'm only [fill in the blank] years old, but I used
one of the workouts in Gray Hair and Black Iron and
it kicked my you know what. But I kept at it, and I'm
making great gains. You should tell EVERYONE to get
this book."

And maybe I should. Or maybe it just goes to show
that old Dinos will surprise you.

So that's what Gray Hair and Black Iron is all
about -- and that's why it became an overnight
best-seller -- and why readers like it so much.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. You can grab your copy of Gray Hair and Black
Iron right here -- and I'm in a good mood today, so
even the younger guys can get a copy. I promise
I won't even ask your age:

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

P.S. 2. Thought for the day: "If your barbell doesn't
feel like slowing down, why should you?" -- Brooks Kubik

More Outdoor, Cold Weather Training Tips for Dinos!

2011-11-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

The other day I gave you some tips on outdoor
training in cold weather. In response, I rec'd
some great feedback from several Dinos, and
thought you would want to see them:

"I train in an unheated garage. Sometimes, if
it is really cold, I use a dumbbell only routine
inside the house. I like a routine of DB press,
curl, and row. Hit some abs and the stationary
bicycle and it's done."

-- Phil Pryor

"In Arkansas, our winters are fairly brief
although they can be wet with a lot of wind.
I create a workout area within the carport by
leaving the Bronco on the west and backing the
f-150 out. I typically workout after work, so
it's under the lights."

-- David Bacon

"I train outside 2x per week all year round.
The only time I go into the garage to train
is if the wind chill is below zero (that is
nothing to play around with), but if it is 0
or higher I am outside lifting.

I find warming up with light weights works
great outside. I will layer, and once I feel
the sweat coming on I strip down to my training
clothes. This keeps me from becoming too wet with
sweat, and helps to keep me warm between sets.

Modify the outside exercises. Last thing you
want to do is to walk outside with a plan in
mind and find you can't do half of it because
it's snowing. I have a winter routine for snow,
and another winter routine for sun.

Instead of the traditional set/rep workouts I
will use timed sets. Example -- 10 minutes max
reps log press at 180 pounds. I will generally
do a few reps and then rest briefly and get
right back to it. This way, I never cool down.

Another good one is to do a stacking relay with
odd objects of different weights and sizes. This
way, you alternate between something hard and
heavy, and something lighter and easier. Your
rest period is when you handle the lighter
object, so you never stop until the drill is
over.

Once you finish, go right in and hit a
bodyweight routine. Your body is still working
hard to heat itself, so you will start sweating
big time because the external body temperature
will over-compensate for being cold outside."

--Dustin Winnekens

Thanks for the feedback -- those are good tips!

If anyone has additional tips for cold weather
training, send them in!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. As Dustin noted, bodyweight programs work
well in the winter -- and here's your number
one resource for super-effective bodyweight
training:

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