“Dinosaur” strength training and dinosaur weight lifting programs haved been very popular over the last ten years. You might’ve come across the sub-culture in the strength training community lately and wondered whether this system of training is worthwhile or just a gimmick with very clever marketing.
photo credit: Brent and MariLynn
In fact, dinosaur strength training isn’t a system or method of training. Popularized by Brooks D. Kubick in his book, “Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development,” dinosaur strength training is basically and briefly put, Strongman training to gain muscle.
A dinosaur is vicious, fast, tough, and strong. A dinosaur weight lifting program has all the the characteristics of basic principled training: progression, heavy weights, and consistency without the bullshit.
Dinosaur training goes back to the strength training roots in history during the early 20th century. Guys like Alan Calvert, Eugen Sandow, Charles Atlas, and Alexander Zass trained with heavy weights. These strongmen just lifted anything that was heavy. They didn’t have fancy machines or those pretty colorful barbells and weights we have today. They lifted barrels, filled-up sandbags, heavy packs, jugs, and even tree logs. They used heavy-duty chains for additional resistance. They worked their grip, neck, legs, fingers, everything.
These guys took a no-bullshit approach to training concentrated on heavy weights. Resistance is resistance. Gym memberships rarely existed then but that didn’t stop them from lifting. They trained outdoors in the sun and indoors at home.
Lifting wasn’t a science then and it doesn’t have to be a science now. They didn’t waste time. Old time strongmen concentrated on getting stronger, lifting heavier and heavier stuff with progression. Progressive overload was the game. If they were currently deadlifting or pressing 300 lbs the sight was on pressing and lifting 350 lbs, 400 lbs, 500 lbs, 600 lbs…
Fast forward a hundred years today and you see we have many “pillars”…unnecessary annoyances and “stuff” that distract us from our goals in the gym. Mr. Kubick stated it best in “Dinosaur Training,”
“Weight training is a very simple activity. However, commercial interests, armchair theoreticians and well-intentioned but misguided “experts” have complicated things to the point where virtually no one knows how to train productively anymore. Instead the gyms with people taking productive, result-producing workouts, we see gyms throughout the world filled with members whose wild gyrations and frenzied flailing will not build an ounce of muscle or develop any greater level of strength than would be build by a slow game of checkers on a lazy summer day.”
Kubick resurrects pure no-bullshit, strength training based on universal principles. He concludes without hesitation that,
Strength is Everything in Dinosaur Training!
“Dinosaur training is basic training the way it used to be done before steroids, armchair theorizers, and commercial interests got things off track. It is like General Patton’s philosophy of war: “simple, direct, and brutal.” It is rugged, it is tough, and it is demanding. It also is incredibly result-producing.”
Less is more….compound exercises….heavy singles…low repetitions….Lift heavy weights, lift with good form, lift jugs, lift logs, carry sandbags, lift heavy packs, squat…deadlift….press….squat….deadlift….press…again and again and again and repeat….lift heavy weights…..abbreviated training…each rep, each set, each exercise, each moment counts….
Whatever, Just Lift!
photo credit: Greencolander
That is essentially dinosaur strength training. Dinosaur training produces tremendous strength and muscle gains. The principles outlined are basic for gaining muscle:
1) Progression: lift more weight and more reps over time and use free weights: barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, thick bars.
2) Consistency: don’t skip workouts
3) Quality over Quantity: Use excellent form on all lifts.
4) Compound Movements: Have you ever seen a puny 130 pounder bench with 11″ arms bench 400 pounds?
I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of “Dinosaur Training.” It is seriously my top 5 books on strength training that’s helped me broken strength barriers in the past, and will continue to do so in the present and future.
Here’s a sample weightlifting routine based on the dinosaur model to gain muscle mass. Take this routine and roll with it if you must:I call this the 5×5 Full Body KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) routine that will help you build muscle mass fast:Workout A
- Barbell Back Squats: 5×5 (sets x reps)
- One-arm dumbbell rows: 5×5 (each arm)
- Bench Press: 5×5
- Farmer’s Walk with barbell or dumbbells: grab a heavy one and walk around for time until you drop. Record that time and try to beat that the next week.
- Weighted crunches: 3 heavy sets of 10, keep the weight on your chest
Workout B
- Deadlift: 5×5
- Weighted Dips: 5×5
- Barbell Bent Rows: 5×5
- Sandbag Clean and Press: 2×8
- Dumbbell Side Bend: 3 heavy sets of 12, each side
Workout A and B are done each with 3 days of rest apart. That’s 2 workouts in 6 days. This is nothing groundbreaking, secret, or revolutionary. It’s what works and will continue to work forever for anyone aiming to build and gain muscle fast, the fast way. Focus on heavy weights, systemic progression by adding more weight onto the bar each workout, using proper form, and making every repetition, every set, every workout count.
- Squats 10 singles using 2 RM (repitition maximum; the maximum amount of weight you can lift for 2 full reps)
- Deadlifts 10 singles using 2 RM
- standing military press 3×5 (sets x reps)
- T-bar rows or one arm dumbbell rows 3×5 (sets x reps)
- close grip bench press 3×5 (sets x reps)
- ab circuit: 100 reps of crunches/plank hold for 1 minute/10 reps of flags on bench, do a total of 3 circuits
- bb wrist curls 1 set of 15-20 reps to failure
- reverse bb wrist curls 1 set of 15-20 reps to failure
*repeat workout A once every 4 days, that’s a total of 2 workouts every 8 days
Abbreviated and infrequent training done with high intensity and heavy ass weights is the name of the game here.
This is just basic, bare-bones, training with heavy weights to gain muscle. Be sure to pick up the book here or at BrooksKubick.com for more info on how to gain muscle with dinosaur strength training.
Train hard. Train safely. Train smart.
If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to leave a comment below or email me at ZQH245@gmail.com or ZQH250@gmail.com
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