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    Dino Files, Issue 41 - Dec 2000

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    IN THIS ISSUE: HAIL TO THE DINOSAURS! sn snonenn GUIDELINES FOR NEW (AND OLD) DINOS (PART ONE) By Brooks D. Kubik... MY FIRST OLYMPIC LIFTING MEET By Keith Hartley PRESS, BENCH PRESS, PRESS, BENCH PRESS By Dr. Ken E. Leistner .. PROGRAM OF THE MONTH: BACK SPECIALIZATION By Brooks D. Kubik... HOW A WORLD CHAMPION TRAINS By Steve Maxwell. se ‘THE CRUSH QUEST- THE FOLLOW UP [PART ONE] By Steve Weiner, MESOZOIC MAIL. HAIL TO THE DINOSAURS! It seems we just started the new millennium and already we're about to celebrate Christmas. It’s been a wild ride at Dino Headquarters, and hopefully, a good year for dinos around the world. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I want to offer a gift to all dinos around the world, Here itis. On December 11, 2000 1 hit a PR in the push press. 307 Ibs., using an old exercise bar and a hodge podge of metal plates ranging from 50s to 2 % pounders. It was a The Dinosaur Files, Vol_4, No. se dinosuctag lifetime best, and it flew up like a rocket, with power to spare. My former best was. 303 Ibs., and before that, the difficult 302 1b. Jift shown on my rack and OL tapes. ‘Why did I go for a PR? Because I wanted to give each and every reader a simple reminder that dino training works. It works for me, it works for all the guys who write for the Files, it worked for all the dinosaurs of the past, and it will work for YOU! Think you're too old to train? To old to make improvement? To old for strength gains? Guys, I’m 43. If it works for me, it will work for you. Think you need to be a genetic superstar to make strength gains? Someone who comes from a long line of lumber-jack size man-monsters? ‘My dad spent most of his life weighing around 130 at 5° 11”, Like I said, if it works for me, it will work for you. Think you need to train on the latest space age training program in order to make good gains? T’'m doing nothing but clean and press, clean and push press, clean and jerk, power snatch, squats, bridging and gut work. Ifit works for me. ..you know the rest. Think you need to give up your job or education, move to California and spend the rest of your life in the gym? Think you need to train three times a day, six days a week in onder to get stronger? Think you can’t gain because you work for a living? Can't gain because you have family and social commitments in addition to work or school? Not enough hours in the day? Not enough days in the week? T’'ma partner at a 200 lawyer law-firm. My billable hours each year are among the very highest of all lawyers in the firm. I do the Files on top of the legal work. And I still com. December 200 find time to train, If T can do it...go on, say it ‘Think you need drugs? You don’t. I don’t use them. I never have, IfT don’t need them. ..say it, What about food supplements? Are you afraid you can’t gain because you can’t afford the latest food supps: the super charged, triple activated, quadruple homogenized, ionized, mega, nuclear, super, space age whatchyamacallit powders, pills and potions? Ttake a multi-vitamin/mineral tablet every moming. Otherwise, I just eat plenty of good, solid food. Ifit works for me, All together now. Everybody say it: “This stuff works. It works good. It works for Kubik. It works for the other dinos, past and present. If it works for them, IT WILL WORK FOR ME!” That, my friends, is my gift to you. The gift of a lifting lesson worth its weight in gold. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and best of luck and lifting to all of you. GUIDELINES FOR NEW (AND OLD) DINOS (PART ONE) By Brooks D. Kubik Guys come to dino training with all sorts of different backgrounds. Many have a powerlifting background, with lots of work on the squat, bench and deadlift under their belts. Others come from a HIT background, including guys who train HIT style with barbells and dumbbells more than anything else, and guys who train HIT style with machines more than anything else. Some ‘guys come to dino training with nothing more than a “chrome and fern” training career! ‘Some new dinos are young, some are middle-aged, and some are fairly old. Some have never had a serious injury of any sort, and others are seriously limited in what they ‘can do by a current or former injury. Some ‘The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4, No, 5 _ www. dinosaurtvaining.com of the over-30 lifters who want to try dino training used to train hard and heavy but have not trained for a long time, while others have been training pretty steadily for their entire lives. Some budding dinos are current or former athletes. Others are as athletic as a rusty wheelbarrow. Whatever their background, the common thread is a desire to kick their training into high gear, rev things up, and go out and bust their butts on some serious, no-nonsense dino style strength training, That's both good and bad. It’s good because motivation, inspiration and a burning desire to succeed are critical to your lifting success. Ifthe fires are stoked, it’s time to DO IT! But the downside is that sometimes a budding dino jumps headfirst into a program he’s really not ready to tackle. So let’s lay down some guidelines for new dinos. And let me note very clearly that these guidelines are NOT limited to new trainees. They also apply to experienced lifters who are trying new and different exercises, equipment or training systems. Are you thinking about trying some Olympic lifting? Power rack training? Heavy dumbbell lifting? The bent press? Thick bar training? Rock or barre! lifting? Heavy singles? Low reps? A breathing squat program? Death sets? If so, this article is for YOu! 1, WORK INTO LOW REPS SLOWLY AND PRECISELY. Many new dinos have trained with medium or high reps their entire career, but after reading about the benefits of 5 x 5 programs or heavy singles, they want to drop immediately to heavier poundage, low rep work. This is almost always a mistake. I don’t care about your political views. Vote liberal or vote conservative—it makes December 2000 no difference to me. But ALWAYS be conservative when you change from high or medium reps to low reps or singles. remember the case of a friend who always did heavy, high rep squats. He was a big, strong lifter, and handled 320 or 330 for sets of 15 or 20 reps. One day he decided to ‘see how much he could handle for a one rep max, so he loaded the bar to 400 pounds for what he thought would be an easy single. Te wasn’t. He ended up missing the lift, getting stuck at the bottom, dumping the bar and tearing the heck out of his lower back. The entire episode set his lifting back a couple of months. Instead of jumping from 20 rep work, my friend should have dropped to sets of 10 for ‘a couple of weeks. In his first session, he should have done two sets of 10 reps with his former 20 rep poundage. In the next session, he should have done three sets of 10 with that weight. In the following session, he should have added 5 pounds and tried two sets of 10 reps. In the following session, three sets of 10 reps. In the next session, he once again should have added five pounds, dropped to two sets of 10 reps, and then tried three sets of 10 reps in the following session. After five or six weeks, he should have progressed to the 10/8/6 system, adding weight to the bar on every set. After a few weeks of 10/8/6 he should have tried 10/8/6/4 for a few weeks. Next, 5 x 5. And after six to eight weeks of 5 x 5 training, he should have tried the 5/4/3/2/1 system for another five or six weeks. THEN, AND ONLY THEN, should he have tried a training program based on heavy singles. Weight selection is critical to a smooth transition from one rep sequence to another. Go back and re-read what I just wrote. Note that you DO NOT throw another 50 pounds ‘The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4, No. $ on the bar simply because you are dropping your reps. Instead, start with the SAME ‘weight you used for the higher number of reps. At the beginning of a new rep range, work the muscles by doing more sets than you did with the lighter weight, NOT by putting more weight on the bar. No matter how GUNG HO you feel, throwing more weight on the bar at the beginning of a change to a new rep scheme is almost always going to lead to problems of one sort, or another. For some, it means that you over-train almost immediately, for some it means you hurt yourself, and for others it means you train “on your nerve” too much and too soon and burn out in a matter of weeks. For many it means that you loosen your form, reduce your range of motion, “cheat” the weight up and otherwise start to train less efficiently and less precisely than before—all of which eventually leads to little or nothing in terms of real progress, and all too often leads to pulled muscles or other, more severe injuries. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is REAL strength and power. 2. DITTO FOR HIGH REPS! Low reps are not the only type of training that requires a careful break-in period. What about the guy who goes from low reps to high reps—for example, the guy who usually does low rep work, but decides to try heavy, high rep squats for awhile? There are two ways that he can do this. The most common approach is to do the first high rep workout with such a heavy weight that he nearly kills himself and spends half an hour afier his squats lying next to, on top of or perhaps even inside a puke bucket. That's great if you are trying to show the world how “tough” you are, but does it really make sense? Think about it. sow. dinosamrtainjns.com December 2000 Joc Hise was the grand-daddy of the heavy, high rep breathing squat. Hise never ‘wrote about puke buckets. Peary Rader tirelessly and zealously promoted the virtues of heavy, high rep squats for over FIFTY YEARS! I don’t recall Peary suggesting that a puke bucket was a necessary part of a squatting program. Jobn McCallum wrote some tremendous articles about the heavy, high rep squat. They're all reprinted in Keys to Progress. Get a copy. Read it, Does McCallum say that squatting is hard work? Yep. Does he say it’s gonna be really, really tough to make those last couple of reps in a set of 202 You bet he does. But does he write about Uncle Harry losing his lunch in the middle of a workout? Not hardly. Guys, if you switch from low reps to high reps, take some time and work into it gradually. There’s nothing macho, manly, tough, cool, impressive or even remotely interesting about driving yourself to the point of physical ifIness when you first start hitting those high rep sets. High rep work is ENORMOUSLY different than low rep work. If you've been doing low reps for awhile, you are NOT conditioned for high reps. Period. Take the time to build a base and work into the higher reps at a sensible speed. In the long run, you'll go a lot further than if you jump into heavy, high rep work without a reasonable break-in period. 3. BREAK INTO NEW EXERCISES AND ‘NEW EQUIPMENT SLOWLY AND PRECISELY. My friend who hurt himself trying a 400 pound single in the squat made two mistakes. One was jumping the weight by roughly 25% and trying a heavy single without doing any of the “foundation- building” detailed in section one of this article. The other mistake was similar: he The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4. No. § _wwnv.dinosaurtrainin, 3 tried his 400 pound single with a brand new Buffalo Bar from TronMind, even though he had been using a regular Olympic bar for all of his squatting prior to that. Big mistake. The Buffalo Bar is a terrific piece of equipment. But guess what? Doing a squat with a Buffalo Bar is a different critter than doing a squat with a regular bar. The leverage is a bit different. The groove is bit different. Is it CLOSE to a regular bar squat? Absolutely. Is it the SAME? Absolutely not. My friend hurt himself in part because he was using a new and unfamiliar piece of equipment when he tried to hit a new max. And THAT, my friends, is something that all new dinos need to bear in mind. Why? Because dinosaur training involves exercises and equipment that is new and different to almost anyone other than a full fledged dino. Tmean, seriously, how many lifters do you know who have ever even imagined the farmer’s walk, one hand deadlifis, the one hand swing, one hand snatches, one hand clean and jerks, overhead squats, hill sprints, barrel lifting, rock lifting, log pressing, sledge-hammer work, thick handled bars, two finger deadlifts, Eagle Loop chins, and all the rest that dinos know and love? ‘New exercises and new equipment will hit you like a ton of bricks if you go too heavy 100 soon! Work into them slowly and conservatively. At the beginning, UNDERTRAIN a new exercise. You have the rest of your life to get where you want to g0. Slow and steady wins the race. Haste makes waste. Use your head. Be smart. The guys who last the longest and go the furthest in the Iron Game are the ones who use their brains more than their muscles. Remember that, Are you a wimp if you take it easy on a new exercise or a new piece of equipment? I sure don’t think so! ‘orn December 2000 Let me tell you a personal story. Recent history, even. Part of it, at least. The prologue begins, as prologues often do, many years ago. You see, when I was a high school wrestler, I used to do neck bridges for ten to ‘twenty minutes every day of the year. At age 15, I started doing Greco Roman style wrestling, which features all sorts of fun moves like the back suplex where you grab your opponent in a bear hug while you are both on your feet and he is facing away from you, lift him off the mat and then, holding him firmly against your chest, with his head and shoulders higher than yours, drop back into a high bridge—with your unlucky opponent crashing to the mat a split second before you land in the bridge. This is one of the most spectacular moves in REAL wrestling. Heck, it’s one of the most spectacular moves on “Monday Night RAW.” Oh, boy, did I want to lear that move! Did I ever! So, I started to practice dropping into a bridge from a standing position, first with my coach holding two hands, then one hand, and then all on my own — and after I could do that, I started to do the move with a light tackling dummy ~- and eventually worked up to the heaviest tackling dummy we had, [ finally got to the point where I thought I would practice on a human opponent, but somehow, no one ever wanted to practice with me. (Wonder why not?) Anyhow, the day finally came. I was wrestling in a summer free-style tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The back suplex is a legal move in free-style competition, just as in Greco Roman. I started my first match by taking my opponent to the mat with a single leg. He rolled to his hands and knees and I stayed with him, controlling him from behind with a basic waist ride. He stood up. Tpicked him up and slammed him to the mat. He tried again. I tripped his leg and brought him down once more. I figured he’d try it one more time. Twas right. He did. And this time, I was ready for the big ‘one—a perfectly executed back suplex that Janded him flat on his shoulders and head. There was a collective gasp of astonishment from the crowd and from other wrestlers as I threw the move, and there was a loud thud when he hit the mat. It was the first time I had ever tried the move on a human opponent. And it was literally a perfect throw. All of the work with the tackling dummies had paid off with interest. ‘Thus ends the prologue. Take from it the following, critical point: I had a heck of a bridge when I was in high school. ..many, many years ago. Fast forward to Spring 2000. The irrepressible Matt Furey has written and published Combat Conditioning, and yours truly is reading the book and thinking, “Hey, this stuff about neck bridging is GREAT! I need to start doing those again.” You see, after high school, I stopped doing those neck bridges. Just sort of forgot about them. Trained my neck on a Nautilus 4-way neck machine and with one of those old $3.98 canvas and chain headstraps you used to buy at sporting good stores. Eventually purchased the IronMind headstrap. But I probably didn’t get into a bridge even a single time from age 20 to age 43. Then, as I mentioned, I read Combat Conditioning. And I decided to give those neck bridges another go, So I started bridging again after a “lay-off” of about 25 years. Can you guess how much weight T used when I started? Try this: ZERO. ZILCH. NADA. No weight at all. I made it a simple bodyweight exercise. And it was tough. I was stiff. Not flexible. Tight. I found it hard to get into the ‘The Dinosaur Files. Vol 4. No, § wows. dinosaurtsinjng.com, December 2000 full, high bridge that Matt describes. Wondered if | was “too old for this stuff.” Almost gave it up But I didn’t. 'kept going. And gradually, the joints and muscles started to loosen up, and I started to get stronger. Then I started to get A LOT stronger. I began to do weighted bridges...with all of 35 pounds! As|I got stronger, though, I added weight to the bar. And by September of this year, I was handling 202 pounds for 12 reps in the “supine press in bridge position” —that is to say, a sort of “bench press” performed while holding a full, high bridge. So you see, there’s nothing at all wrong with starting out slowly and gradually when you are doing a new exercise. Nothing at all. 4, FORGET ABOUT WHAT YOU USED TO DO! The previous comments about my training on the wrestler’s bridge illustrate a second important rule for new dinosaurs: Forget about what you used to do. Imagine that I had read Combat Conditioning and said to myself, “Hey, I used to do bridges all the time! I even threw them from the standing position! Heck, I used to be able to doa back suplex in wrestling matches! T can probably start with 150 or so in the wrestler’s bridge press.” What would have happened? ‘That's right- my dogs would have buried me in the back yard. ‘There is a tremendous tendency to think, “Hey, Tused to do such and so—so obviously, I can still do it.” Wrong, wrong, wrong! Be honest with yourself. Just because you did something five or ten (or twenty) years ago does NOT mean you can do it today! Nor does it mean you can go back to the same exercise or a similar exercise and start in hard and heavy without a reasonable break-in period. Things ‘The Dinosaur Files, Vol, 4, No. S www. dinosaurtraining.com CHANGE over time—and that includes your body. 5. BE AWARE OF HIDDEN WEAKNESSES, MUSCULAR IMBALANCES AND DIMINISHED FLEXIBILITY. One of the biggest problems resulting from modern lifting programs is the way they tend to promote hidden weaknesses, muscular imbalances and diminished flexibility. The classic example is the case of a guy on the powerlifting program who overdoes the bench press and under-docs (or ignores) overhead work and heavy pulling movements. The inevitable result is a man with over-developed front delts, under- developed side and rear delts, a serious lack of back strength, and virtually no torso stability. To compound things, the bench presser is going to have tight, inflexible shoulders. ‘Now suppose that the bench presser reads Dinosaur Training, The Dinosaur Files, and Milo and decides he wants to expand his horizons. So he decides to take a “light” day at the gym and try his hand at some power cleans, standing presses, front squats and power snatches. ‘What happens? Well, if he starts with power cleans, he quickly finds that he can’t power clean very well because his wrists and shoulders are too tight to allow him to rotate under the bar at the conclusion of the movement. This in tum shoots his timing to heck. Instead of “catching” the bar in a quarter squat, with his legs bending and absorbing the load, he catches the bar forward, with his arms and shoulders absorbing the weight. Then what happens? That’s right—a wrist or shoulder injury. OR, he tries to compensate for his lack of flexibility by leaning backwards to catch the bar on his chest at the top of the December 2000 movement. Then what happens? That’s right—a low back injury. ‘And if the lack of flexibility doesn’t get him, the lifter is going to be hampered by a hidden weakness: The NTS Syndrome. ‘What's that? It’s something that you typically see in guys who don’t do heavy Olympic style pulling movements: NO TRAP STRENGTH. A lifter suffering from NTS is going to try to yank his cleans to his shoulders using arm strength more than anything else—and when he does, he’s going to turn the exercise into a sort of power curl, and he’s going to lean backwards to catch the weight, and he’s going to hurt himself. What if he skips the cleans and starts with standing presses? He probably finds that his trunk and torso muscles are Woefully under- developed, and he does something that looks more like a mamba than a standing press. Half-way through his third ot fourth rep, his trunk is just too tired to maintain a solid position, and without even realizing it he leans over to the left -- and WHAM, his lower back suddenly feels like someone jabbed a red-hot poker into it. Another injury. Front squats would be more of the same. Shoulders too tight...wrists too tight...trunk not conditioned...low back not conditioned...no lower body strength past. the parallel position...tight hamstrings...strong hips but weak quads...It’s another case of an injury waiting to happen. ‘And as for power snatches—come on, let’s get real. All this lifter is going to do with power snatches is tear both of his shoulders apart. Why? Because he’s TDT. “What's TDT?” you ask. It’s an occupational hazard affecting those who overdo the bench press and the powerlifting style parallel squat : TOO DARN TIGHT! What do you do if you are like the lifter I described above? Do you stay away from cleans, standing presses, front squats and power snatches? Heck no! What you do is this: spend whatever time it takes to (1) develop perfect technique in a new exercise, (2) develop the necessary flexibility to properly and easily assume the various positions necessary to perform the new lift correctly, and (3) work on overcoming any hidden weaknesses or muscular imbalances that would affect the proper performance of the new lift. To this end, a knowledgeable coach or more experienced lifter is a ‘tremendous asset. At the least, lots and lots of patient study (books and tapes) are mandatory. [TO BE CONTINUED] MY FIRST OLYMPIC LIFTING MEET By Keith Hartley Tentered my first Olympic lifting comp at the end of Sept and had a great time. Kubik and Mike would have loved the gym where the comp took place. It was a Cellar Dweller’s paradise! The gym was in the basement of an old high school, right next to the boiler room. The floor was. slanted and cracked, the locker room dark and dingy, but the equipment and atmosphere was 100% dino. There were 8 platforms, tons of bars and old bumpers that any dino would kill for. There were squat racks, a narrow power rack (like in the old Strength & Health magazines), jerk stands, pull blocks, etc. I didn't notice a bench anywhere and there definitely were no wonder machines. Lots of great photos all over the walls of lifters the club had produced over the years. ‘The comp itself took place in a room adjoining the gym, which was just big enough for the platform, judges and about 20 spectators. Actually, I was so focused on ‘ie Linosawr Files. Vol &.No,5 sow dinossvrmanjpe.com __ center. 2000 the lifting that I hardly even noticed the judges or the spectators. Twent 5 for 6 in the lifts-got red lighted on the last jerk for a press out. Ended up third out of 9 novice lifters using the Sinclaire system. 77.5 kg snatch and 87.5 kg clean and jerk, narrowly missing with 95 kg. Lots of room for improvement but time’s on my side, Kubik is way older than me. With the masters divisions in Olympic lifting, middle aged dinos can keep lifting competitively as we age, and if you have the desire and are good enough, you can even g0 to the world level in the Masters division. Now there’s a long-term goal I'd like to achieve and I'm still a young pup as far as the masters division goes! ‘Thanks goes out to fellow dinos Yuri Dubowik, Lauren Kot, and my oldest son, Lee. Without their coaching and encouragement at the competition I would have been lost. Yuri organized my warm- ups and attempts, and wouldn’t even let me help load the bar. At one point, I asked him what weight was on the bar and he told me to just concentrate on the lifting and he would take care of the rest. The comp was a great experience, one I will repeat again and one T highly recommend to all fellow dinosaurs, PRESS, BENCH PRESS, PRESS, BENCH PRES: By Dr. Ken F. Leistner After ages of neglect, it would seem, if one reads the "off beat" strength related publications like The Dinosaur Files and MILO, that the overhead press is making a comeback. Certainly, the older authors like Bill Starr, Brooks (who is still in the younger category compared to Bill and me), LV. Askem and myself have, in the past two years, written quite a bit on the importance of the overhead press and the over-emphasis of the bench press. Unfortunately, other than ‘The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4, No 5 _www.dinosaurtraining.com the rabid few who consider themselves Dino guys or hard core strength athletes, the press is still the step child, If you walk into almost any commercial gym, something I try very hard not to do, you will see the bench press benches full, and still, very few utilizing the racks or platforms (if there is one) to do overhead work. Decades ago, in a Powerlifting USA column, I noted that the overhead press (or just, "press") was an under-utilized exercise and that it would serve any powerlifter well to incorporate it either as an assistance movement or as the primary pressing movement in the off season program. Many, including the great lifter Larry Pacifico, disagreed strongly, some stating that the press "wasn't specific to the bench press", it had no place in a powerlifier’s program. "If a powerlifier doesn't press overhead, why should he do this, movement?" What was neglected, was the fact that the press involves the anterior deltoids and triceps, the two major bench pressing muscles; it's more difficult than the bench press, and for the same "amount of work put into it", more result producing, Once more it was noted that "Dr. Ken is being too radical again.” This is not to say that the bench press is a “pad” exercise, or one that should never be done. Like many other movements, it is useful when used appropriately. Appropriately means in its place, that it fits well into the overall program, that there is. not an over-emphasis upon it, and that there is balance between the pressing muscles and those of the upper back. ‘When the bench press was merely an exercise, before it became a competitive event, it was incorporated into the routines of most strength athletes, including competitive Olympic lifters, as it gave "good" work to the pressing museles. It was often said that a good Olympic lifter could press or bench press approximately the same December 2000 weight. This occurred because the exercise was just that, one of many exercises that were worked hard in the overall program, not the centerpiece of the program. Can you imagine a bench press specialist or the typical competitive powerlifter trying to overhead press what he can bench press? It wouldn't be close if trying to compare the ‘two lifis and this comes from the over- emphasis on the bench press. In "my day" if you trained with weights, or looked as if you did, until perhaps 1970, you would be asked “how much do you press?" Everyone performed the movement and could relate to it, had it as a frame of reference. Now, even if one views someone pressing in a gym, itis often less than a full range movement, there is no definitive lockout, there is no distinction made between a strict press, a push press, a push Jerk, or just plain sloppy and erratic form, and the properly done press. It just so happens that the attitude of most of the authors who are attracted to The Files, is that one would benefit more from the press than the bench press. I would agree with this and the reasons have been spelled ‘out numerous times in these pages. For those who are still debating the issue, try to bench press once per week, and press once. After four to six weeks of that, press once, and do ‘dumbbell presses on the other day. After another four to six weeks, do the press one time per week, and on the other, learn, and do the push press. By the end of this three or four month period, if you want to “rotate” the bench press back into the program, fine. You will find, after a two or three-workout skill development period, that your bench press will in all probability, have increased. ‘You will also find that you can now press well, too, and this should be the goal of all of our readers: balanced development, over all strength, and the type of power that can be utilized in a number of different ways. aur Fil ww ding urtrainin PROGRAM OF THE MONTH: BACK. SPECIALIZATION By Brooks D. Kubik I’m going to start a new feature in this issue: a “program of the month.” Over time, this will give all readers a comprehensive list of training programs. The first in the series will be a back specialization course. Regular readers know that heavy back work is critical for a serious lifter. The lower back is the key to strength and power thoughout the entire body. The lats are (potentially, at least) the largest muscular structure in the upper body. The traps are critical to the performance of any sort of heavy pulling, be it in deadlifting, strong man comps or Olympic lifting. Here's a program that hits all of the major muscles in the back, and hits them HARD! Mon 2. Power snatch 2 x 3,2x2,2x 1 3. DB clean and press (do a full clean and a press on each rep) 5/4/3/2/1 4, Front squats or overhead squats 4 x 5 or5x5 5. Neck bridge (no weight) 3 x 30 seconds, working up to 3 x 3 minutes 6. Bent legged situps 3 x 10-12 WED 1, Warmup with light flip snatehes...1 x 10-12 2. Power clean 2 x 3,2x 2,2x1 3. Clean grip high pulls 2 x 3,2 x 2,2x 1 4, Barbell bent-over rowing 5 x 5 5. 45 degree dumbell incline press 5 x 5 6. Side bends 3 x 10-12 per side er 2000 SAT 1, Warmup with light flip snatches...1.x 10-12 2. Dead hang snatches 2 x 3, 2x 2,2x 1 3, Snatch grip high pulls 2 x 3, 2x 2,2x 1 4, Push press or jerk from rack 5/4/3/2/1 5. Front or Olympic style (high bar) back squat 5x3 6. Chins 5 x 5 (with weight resistance) OR barbell bent-over row 5 x 5 7. Bridging (as on day one) This program will build plenty of strength, power and muscle throughout the entire body, with particular emphasis on the back. It’s a good program for athletes and for anyone looking to pack on many pounds of functional muscle. HOW A WORLD CHAMPION TRAINS By Steve Maxwell Tcan’t believe I forgot to renew my subscription to the Dino Files. That's like forgetting to eat dinner or kissing your girl goodbye. I was really depressed over the idea of missing a single issue. ‘My training has been going great with most of my efforts going toward strength- endurance programs. Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning program is awesome for combat athletes. I like to mix in some of my own ideas with Matt’s ideas and I have been feeling great. I like the Combat Conditioning exercises because I get my cardio, flexibility and strength-endurance all in one shot. No need to do separate programs and for a busy martial artist like me, it can be a real time saver, plus flat out more effective than most programs out there. Organizing one’s training schedule is always a challenge, but this is what I have settled on currently. It has been very The Dinosaur Fi Vol, 4. No.5 _ www dinosaun effective as I just won my second world championship in Brazil after winning the Pan American championship in Florida. Monday, Wednesday, Friday — Hard wrestling (thirty to forty-five minutes); thirty minutes of combat conditioning: rope skipping, Hindu squats, all manner of push dips, chins, rope climbing, etc., abdominal work, stretching and neck bridges. After the hard wrestling on Friday, I only stretch, and do no conditioning. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday — positional work, light drills, skill rehearsal, some stretching. On Saturday, I do only stand-up throws and take downs with and without a gi (jacket) and I perform judo style partner drills for timing and entry. Saturday is also sandbag day. Here is one of my favorite conditioning routines. ‘Hindu Squats as a warm-up and, sometimes, ten minutes with the jump rope. 1, Fifteen clean and presses with 100 Ib. bag while holding the cloth, 2. Twenty-five squats - bag on the right shoulder 100 Ibs. 3. Hindu push ups. 4, Twenty-five squats, bag on the left shoulder 100 Ibs. 5. Hindu push ups. 6. Twenty high deadlifis holding the cloth with 125 Ib. bag. ified “Turkish get-ups” from supine position with 150 Ib. bag. (Lay down flat on your back with the bag on your chest and get up without the bag touching the floor and without using your hands on the floor — alternate which leg you stand up with first.) 8. Three minute bag carry around the room with the 150 Ib. bag. Or, sometimes, T substitute the Farmer’s Walk with 100 Ib. walkers (special steel blocks with handles that won't hurt my mat). 9. [finish the workout with the wrestlers bridge with a 100 Ib. sandbag on my chest, December. 2000 somietimes various abdominal movements and basic groin, hamstring and leg stretches. Sandbags are for sleeping, eating, watching T.V., reading, etc. Keep up the good work. [look forward to the Files like akid on Christmas Eve. ‘THE CRUSH QUEST- THE FOLLOW UP [PART ONE] By Steve Weiner The last time all you guys in Dino Land heard from me was back in the 3/00 issue of The Dinosaur Files, when I was desperately trying to close the gap on Ironmind’s No. 3 gripper. Well, I promised that T would let you all know when I reached my goal of closing the No. 3 gripper. I am happy to report that on August 4, 2000, I finally closed the dreaded No. 3! It took me almost six months to close a gap that was less than the width of a U.S. penny, which is 1/20" thick, or roughly one millimeter for our metric minded dinosaurs. Frankly, I was expecting to have succeeded only a few weeks after the publication of the March 2000 Dino Files, but that was not the case. In this article, I will tell you how I closed the gap on the No. 3. The methods that worked for me may work for you, but everybody is unique, so you have to be willing to experiment and find what works best for you. I will also tell you that it was not easy to close the No. 3, and it got VERY. frustrating at times. I hope that what I cover in this article will help those who want to seriously progress on the Captain of Crush grippers, Above all, though, whatever you take away in terms of training advice from this article means absolutely nothing if you are lacking the essential ingredient that we all need to succeed at anything in life. What you need can't be found in a bottle, can't be purchased anywhere, and can't be dispensed to you in any form. The essential ingredient, as many of you have probably guessed by now, is determination. Without determination, you will go nowhere, especially in the Iron Game. I have seen my fair share of naturally gifted athletes who lacked determination, and were defeated by athletes who were not as gifted, but far more determined. Whatever it is you want to achieve, you must stay determined! Patience is also another thing you need to possess, but that obviously goes hand in hand with determination, Enough philosophizing, and on to talking about conquering the No. 3. Ireally thought that because I was so close to closing the No. 3 in the middle of February 2000, that I had finally found the training formula that was going to get me listed on Ironmind’s certified Captains of Crush list. Iwas doing the grippers once a week, utilizing Weightlifter's Warehouse BeefBuilder Master gripper. For those of you who never heard of this gripper, it fecls like a Captain of Crush No. 2.75, if such a gripper existed. I was doing a bunch of single repetition sets, because I was only capable of a single rep on each set, and each week, I would add more sets. Truly believed that by building the vohime of sets each workout, closing the gripper very explosively on each rep, and letting myself recuperate a week between grip workouts, I would conquer the No. 3 within a matter of a few weeks. This did not happen. The once a week volume system worked for about five or six weeks, and then my progress halted. My progress halted because I was doing too much volume, and not letting my hands recover, so in the middle of March 2000, I went back to doing two brief grip workouts a week, exclusively utilizing the BeefBuilder Master grippers for my work sets. I would do 3-5 singles twice aweek, which T reasoned would leave enough recovery time. I also believed that twice weekly training let my hand get "into The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4, No $ _ www. dinosaurtraining.com December 2000 TT the groove" better than by practicing the closing motion of the grippers, or something similar to it, only once a week. At this point, I also stopped doing any attempts on the No. 3 gripper, as it always left me frustrated being so close, yet so far. Anybody who is very close to closing a certain Captain of Crush, whether itis the No. 1, the No. 2, or the No. 3 knows what I. am talking about. I went on for a couple of months until mid-May 2000 utilizing this twice weekly grip workout schedule. I truly believed that I would now have the ability to mash the No. 3. I believed this, because I was easily shutting the BecfBuilder Master very explosively, had not missed an attempted rep for three months, and was mentally fresh and ready. On May 19, 2000 I finally gave the No. 3 a try. It felt much more difficult than it did a couple of months prior. Thad actually regressed on the No. 3, as my attempts came to 1/4" away from succeeding. I tried to figure out where I went wrong. The mistake that I made was neglecting much needed work on the No. 3 itself. This is very key. In order to get your body used to the No. 3 gripper, you have to do some training with the No. 3 gripper. Because I neglected to do any work on the No. 3 for about two months, such as negatives, static holds, or straight attempted closes, my No. 3 progress slid backwards. Now I was totally confused! What would work for me? This is when I decided to do something radical. What I did was cut out all the other grip work that I was doing (plate pinch grips, block tossing, and one-handed s) and concentrate exclusively on g strength. I wanted no other grip activities to interfere with my recovery ability. Some people may consider this a bit drastic because I sacrificed other areas of grip work, but I had already devoted over a year and a half to closing the No. 3, and was willing to try anything to make it happen. I did two grip workouts per week. The first workout consisted of performing 5-7 single rep set negatives on Joe Kinney's “Secret Weapon.” This is a machine that is designed (exclusively for heavy negatives) and sold by Joe Kinney, who is the only man thus far to officially close the No. 4 gripper. ‘The handles on the “Secret Weapon” close about 1/2" tighter than the handles of a Captain of Crush gripper. When I performed my negatives, I would fight the weight as hard as I could, and let the weight drop out of my hand when the handles were about an inch apart. This would allow me to get stronger in the last bit of the movement without expending energy on the range of motion that I was already strongest. My second workout of the week consisted of five work sets with the grippers. My first work set was an attempt on the No. 3. Sets two through four were sets of maximum repetitions with the BeefBuilder Master. For set five I would cheat the No. 3 shut by helping with my other hand, and would then fight the handles from opening until my hand was totally forced open. This last set was brutal, and took a lot out of me. The one weird thing was that even if I forced the handles shut with my other hand, I still could not keep the handles pinned together for more than a split second, The handles would quickly force my hand open to the width of a penny, and then the fight would begin from there. Tkept this up until mid the beginning of July 2000, and I still was not making perceptible progress on the No. 3! T still was not able to force the No. 3 shut and hold it for any appreciable time in the totally closed position. However, I did finally manage a set of two full consecutive reps on the BeefBuilder Master. At least I was making progress somewhere in my training. Then in early July, I got the idea to cut my training to the bare minimum, but I would also up the intensity of my sets. How would I yinosaur Files, Vol 4, No § _wwnv.dinosaurtraining com jecember 2000 accomplish this? I would do this by substituting strapholds for my "standard close" work sets on the BeefBuilder Master. For those of you unfamiliar with strapholds, it is when you take a thin piece of leather and punch a hole in it, loop some wire through the hole, attach the other end of the wire to a barbell plate, close the gripper handles on the piece of leather extremely hard, lift the weight off the ground, and hold for a few (5-10) seconds until the weighted strap slips from between the gripper handles. ‘This is basically a static hold with the grippers that is harder to perform than a normal static hold, because while you are holding the ends of the grippers together, you are trying not to drop the added resistance. Of course, you have to use a gripper that you can really mash closed i order to do strapholds. T figured at this point I had nothing to lose. Thad utilized strapholds in my grip training many months prior to this, and got decent results, but I found that they over-trained me very quickly. I was essentially betting that I had over-trained on strapholds because I did them IN ADDITION to my normal work sets, instead of performing them AS my work sets. Twas hoping that the substitution of strapholds for the "standard close" reps would work for me. Starting on 7/7/00, I decided to perform five work sets with the grippers twice a week. Sct one was an attempt on the #3. Sets two through four were strapholds. For set five I would cheat the #3 shut by helping with my other hand, and would then fight the handles from opening until my hand was totally forced ‘open. Whenever I could hold a weight for more than ten seconds for all three of my straphold sets, I would increase the resistance by a quarter pound or half a pound for my next workout. I bought a bunch of big washers that weigh two ounces apiece to accomplish this fractional loading. Mie Dinosaur Flas. Vol, No 5 wo dinosmutainie.com This brief but brutal routine was different than any other I had tried. [TO BE CONTINUED] MESOZOIC MAIL Just finished a workout--had a I-o-n-g day yesterday. I retired just before 2:00 AM, but couldn't sleep...guess I didn't want to miss my scheduled workout! Did Bottom Squats (triples), Db Clean & Press (triples), One Arm Deadlifis (singles)- - literally bled on this one. Threw in some curls, ab and forearm work, couple sets each. No PR's, but I enjoyed the session. The hardest part was NOT making any noise! Tarak Rindani India Funny thing you know, at work guys ask. me what kind of weightlifting I do and when I tell them or make suggestions it seems to go in one car and out the other. I know what they want to hear, “Yeah, curls and benching are all you need" or "find a comfy machine..." I just smile to myself and look forward to the next workout. ‘Anyway, my compliments again on your great work on the Files. I know with your job it has got to be really tough writing and lifting also. I myself thought it was hard to be involved in Little League Baseball several evenings a week and try to get a workout in whenever possible. But, I found that an extra day or three between workouts did me good, The kids come first. Steve Harrison Orlando, FL Let Dr, Ken know that I'm going to miss reading his articles in Powerlifting U.S.A. ‘They were one of the main reasons T bought the magazine. He always wrote as a straight December 2000 shooter, no B.S. I really enjoy reading all the info posted on the "Old School Strength", site. [try to get to it every day if possible. Just sent Matt Furey a letter, letting him know how disliked he is at the junior high school and middle school (neither of us will be on their X-mas list). I loaned my copy of Combat Conditioning to my son’s wrestling coach yesterday. Tonight at practice, he had them doing Hindu Squats, Hindu Push ups, hand stands and a couple of others. The conversion continues! received several responses about the “Forgotten Lifts," article in "Exercise for Men Only” (no smirking). Most of the individuals were 50+ years old, telling me about how NOBODY writes about that stuff anymore. I told them about Old School Strength and the Dino Files. For my 42nd, birthday yesterday, I got 140 Ib up with each hand for a db. swing, (actually 2 with the right). My oldest daughter, Trini (age12), who is training for basketball, enjoys doing ‘overhead squats (5x5). Joe Tarach Painesville, OH Kim Wood was on Eddie Goldman's program on the Intemet yesterday. He was talking about creatine, drugs, and the mentality of guys who use that stuff. Itis still amazing that there are guys, particularly younger guys, who think that they have to “use something" in order to boost their training. You see this on the Intemet all the time when a guy posts his workout. I was reading one guy's workout and the first thing he records is "Creatine and ECA". I heard on the news that ephedrine is a stimulant that has been linked to over 50 deaths. Greg Pickett The Dinosaur Files, Vol 4.No.S www dinosauteanins.com Tam mailing my sub-renewal. I look forward to each issue. I am especially interested in the variety of training programs that you and the readers submit. As the wise ‘man once said, “Everything works, but only for awhile.” I would encourage new readers to obtain as many back issues as possible. I have found them to be some of the best reference material available, as well as nice motivation on those occasions when you are less then enthusiastic about hitting the garage in the winter. Michael Rutherford Leawood, KS. just have to brag to someone that today's ‘workout puts me within two pounds of reaching my goal to shrug bar dead lift 300 pounds for three working sets of five reps before my 54th birthday on Jan 1 (body weight is 165). Looks like I'll have to set some new goals soon! Also, you may be interested to know that I have been nearly shoulder pain-free since dropping benches and sticking to overhead presses, snatches and jerks--thanks for the advice and encouragement (thru The Files and Old ‘School Board). Ken Weintrub Sierra Madre, CA Thave started on the York Course No. 1. T can’t wait until I advance to the No. 3. Is it possible to explain more about the courses? On Course No. 1, do you do only one set, no warm-up sets? I am only doing one set without a warm-up. I feel okay with it. ‘What about Course No. 3? How many sets or reps and how many days a week? Is it possible to address these issues in the next Dinosaur Files? December 2000 I train three days a week using the Olympic lifts, and I am growing like a bad weed. And, I am 40 years old. MET RX, Creatine, Hydroxcut, Super Max Power Bars - “FORGETABOUT IT!” Rare steak, hamburgers and something cold, dark and on tap is all any Dinosaur really needs! Chuck Gallik Camegie, PA [Ed. Note: On the York Courses, you can do each exercise with or without warm-up sets. Hoffman intended them to be without ‘warm-ups, but if warm-ups help, do them, On some exercises (squats, deads, etc), ‘warm-ups probably help you more than on other, lighter exercises (curls, reverse curls, upright row). Remember, a good course is a guideline, not an absolute.) Thave not written or commented on The Files for some time, But, the October 2000 issue really stood out. Your “Hail to the Dinos” introduction and Dr. Ken’s “Keeping it Simple” article (if I may use the phrase) capture the essence of what the Iron Game is (or should be). At the risk of sounding corny, I can definitely relate to the “spiritual” feeling you have when training under the evening sky (whether it is carrying the sandbag, tossing up a one arm swing, or cleaning and pressing a keg). It feels right, it feels natural, it feels magical. By training this way, you truly connect yourself to the Iron Game legends of the past and to the other dinosaurs who share this secret in the present. Kirk Decker Titusville, PA Broke 400 on squats using bottom starts. “Dumbbell Lost Art” is my favorite tape. The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4, No. 5__www.dinosauctrainiyg.com 15 Olympic Lifting tape, seminar you gave in Basics, were excellent. I would like more information on Peter Cortese. Hinbern does not have any information, Really enjoyed Cortese’s reprint in The Files on one arm deadlift. Here is my routine: 1) Abs 2 x 50; Curls 4 x 10; Clean and Press 2-3 x 5, 2-3 x 3, 2-3 x 2, 2-3x 1; deadlift 3 sets; chins 2) Abs 2 x 50; Reverse curl 4 x 10; Dumbbell snatch 3 singles to max; squat, warm-ups, then 10-5-15; chins J. Kirk Covington, VA [Ed. Note: The article on Cortese is one of the few Ihave ever seen on him. He wrote several Jron Man articles in the 50's. 1 will try to reprint them as time and space permit. It’s telling when a man who did a triple bodyweight one hand deadlift is virtually unheard of, while bubble-headed body pumpers are lionized the world over.] Just thought I would drop a note to you regarding how much I appreciate your ditigence in bringing back honesty to the Tron Game. You are among the few representatives of what the true nature of physical culture is, Once again, thank you for being a positive voice, inspiration, mentor and most importantly, A FELLOW DINOSAUR! Michael Hooker San Diego, CA Since I have been studying the Dinosaur ways my gym is turning into a Dino heaven. Tam sending a few pics to show the start of a great Dino retreat. Picture "A" shows the basic layout (notice no chrome). Picture "B" shows my 168 pound sandbag. This is our working weight. The smaller bag on top is to December 2000 be added soon, hopefully, for a total of 200 bs. (Notice the thick grip DB on the floor, we use them for the farmers walk). Picture "C" shows the 206 Ib. stone that we load onto the platform from the floor. The owner of the gym (Muscles Unlimited in North Attleboro, Mass.) is manufacturing a sleeve for an Olympic bar for thick grip presses and deads. Matthew Symmes Attleboro MA ‘Thanks for the effort that you put into The Files. It keeps it as a real source of information and inspiration. Please keep them coming. I have been having a few problems with my lower back recently. Although I can still train, it is less frequent than it was. My back locks up mainly as a result of work or if I train too often (every other day). So, it is down to at least two days between workouts. Ihave added Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning, which love. It takes me back to the bodyweight exercise circuit training sessions we used to do in the Amy (fantastic stuff)! Iam up to 80 consecutive Hindu squats, 25 Hindu push ups and the bridging is improving nicely. Also, I managed a new PR in the deadlift last Wednesday ~ 286 pounds for a double, and it felt good! ‘Anyway, thanks again for The Files. Jason Lake England I just thought I would drop a letter to thank Published by Brooks D. Kubik Brooks D. Kubik Editor Sam Kubik, Eitri Spirit ‘Spencer Kubik, Research Editor Max Kubik, Photo Faitor Copyright® Brooks D. Kubik 2000 AllRights Reserved ‘Any unautbrized reproduction i sty prokibied The Dinosaur Files, Vol. 4,

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