The book Dinosaur Training Secrets by Brooks D. Kubik was given to me as a gift from my high school strength coach when I graduated college. There is a reason that I continually find myself drawn back to it to reread and for reference: it’s legendary, an ode to the strong people of the past, and the advice is timeless. If you have spent any amount of time lifting, especially devoting your energy into getting stronger, this book will resonate. It is a reminder that at its simplest, training is extremely straight forward: put more weight on the bar progressively. Brooks does not waste time explaining or elaborating on things that are fillers in a program. The book is read as a series of essays covering topics ranging from productive training, mental training, and the importance of grip work. If it works, Brooks does it. If not, it’s eliminated. The book is, by definition, practical and applicable.
Notable Quotes
“Lets get even more basic. To get bigger, stronger and better conditioned, you need to add weight to the bar whenever you can, Progressive poundages are the name of the game.”
“Proper training involves common elements. These are hard work, abbreviated training programs, progression, good form, and motivation.”
“Remember, there are no secret systems, no magic answers, and no one way of doing things.”
“In a nutshell, your muscles grow bigger and stronger when you systemically force them to do difficult tasks.”
“They train heavy because they are interested in strength. To build strength, you must lift heavy weights.”
“Even hard work fails to mean much if you do not progressively add weight to the bar.”
“Poundage progression is both a short term and long term proposition.”
“Thick bars are great for strengthening the forearm, wrists, thumbs and fingers.”
“Nothing else will give you the type of deep down strength and power that you will develop by lifting large, bulky, odd shaped, awkward and difficult to manage heavy objects.”
“It is an undeniable fact that very few people train hard when they lift weights. Most people who train put forth less effort than if they were pulling weeds in the backyard.”
“Train very hard on a small number of basic exercises and add weight to the bar whenever possible to do so.”
“Far too many lifters ignore their low backs. This is always a mistake.”
“Remember, the center of the body is the center of power – and that includes the sides as much as the low back and abs.”
“Far too much has been written on “genetic limitations.”
“Of all the aspects of mental training, concentration is perhaps the most important.”
“Most people think that training is a purely physical endeavor, this could not be further from the truth.”
“If you approach your training as some sort of hated chore that you have to force yourself to complete, you are never going to stick with it long enough to develop a really significant level of size and strength.”
“You need to be cynical when it comes to training advice. The amount of bad information on the market is staggering.”
“You and you alone are responsible for the degree of effort you put into your training.”
“Excuses are a way to avoid effort.”
“Merely learning how to train productively and effectively is not enough. You must go and apply your knowledge. You must train.”
Thanks for a grreat read