Category Archives: Reviews

Rough Strength Review: Dinosaur Training

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Dinosaur Training by Brooks D. KubikDinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development by Brooks D. Kubik.

You don’t need a review of this book because you probably read it. And I don’t want this to be just another review because my serious training started after reading this book. Besides, it’s not just a book anymore, it’s bible for many lifters and tranees. And I’ll be brave enough to say that it is one of the best books ever written on strength training. This post is for all younger lifters and trainees who haven’t heard about this book or for some reason haven’t read it (what is a big mistake). Yes, it’s blast from the past but it is well worth it. Dinosaur Training has its own pluses and minuses and I want to discuss them in detail.

Why Should You Even Bother?

Believe me or not, but it IS really one of the best books on training you could ever possibly read. It’s not about bodybuilding, it’s not about ‘toning the muscle’, it’s not about gyms, it’s not about fitness etc. It’s about pure rough strength training as it is. It’s honest, it’s straight-to-your-face, it’s about strength and how to obtain it. It has right approach. It’s really hardcore (very popular word nowadays, but it really became overused by kids who know nothing about strength and true hardcoreness; squatting on bosu ball is not hardcore; grunting and screaming when working with weights less than your bodyweight is not hardcore; wearing brand new tank-top and rapper-style cap to the gym is not hardcore; hard work, sweat and dedication are hardcore). You should read this book because it’s about the true essence of strength training.

What Was Brooks Right About?

Well, just about everything. You don’t need expensive equipment or expensive gym membership to get results. You don’t need to follow crappy bodybuilding magazine programs to get results. You need to concentrate on basics. You need to make your resistance progressive. You need to squat. You need some sort of grip work (yes, you do). You don’t need machines. You should train with odd uncomfortable objects. You can build tremendous strength and physique with just a barbell. Old time strongmen knew what they were doing. Heavy weight for high reps principle works. 5 x 5 works. Training with singles works. Visualisation and concentration are very important aspects of strength training. He was right about modern attitude to training. It’s just visual. And this bothers me big time. How stupid should you be to train only for your look? Why do you need muscles that are not capable of anything? Why not get strong? Strength is the key to everything, not your look. I have nothing against training to build muscle. But I fucking hate people that are only concerned about how they look in a tank-top and can’t stop looking at themselves in mirrors. You all know them. They train just for the pump. They often use steroids because their training sucks. Don’t be one of them. That’s what I preach. That’s what Brooks preaches. That’s what Brooks was right about.

What Was Brooks Wrong About?

Despite the cult status of the book the author was wrong in several things.  Most of them are minor and don’t even worth mentioning. But the main is big. You can’t train too heavy all the time. When intensity is too high you’ll burn out in no time. I totally understand and agree with Brooks on hard work but hard work shouldn’t mean dumb work. You just can’t max out all the time. This ain’t going to happen. Your nervous system will shut down this possibility sooner rather than later. It’s our inner defensive mechanism. Train hard but train smart.

Closing Thoughts

If you haven’t read this book yet what are you waiting for? If you had then read it one more time and get nice boost of motivation. Again this is one of the best books on strength training out there. We all dinosaurs inside. Thanks for reading. Be brave to comment and share.

Play rough!

Alex

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P.S. You can check out Brook’s blog here: http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/

Rough Strength Review: Building the Gymnastic Body

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Building the Gymanstic Body ReviewOftentimes you can hear a phrase like: “I want an upper body like gymnasts have”. Well, it’s no surprise, especially if you look at someone like Yuri Van Gelder (see the video below). Gymnasts have upper body strength and musculature as well as bodyweight control that have no match. So how to develop such body? Coach Christopher Sommer tries to answer this question with his book.

Who is this book for?

This book is for all the people that want to learn literally how gymnastic bodies are built. For all the people that are brave enough to look outside of the box and learn something new and useful. For all the people that want to know how to train to obtain some awesome skills like, for example, planche or front lever.

Why is this book interesting for me?

Well, as you probably know I’m a big fan of calisthenics (as well as all low-tech strength training equipment). And it would be total ignorance not to read such fundamental work. Besides, I’m integrating gymnastic strength training in some form in my own training on a regular basis.

What will you learn from it?

You’ll learn tons of gymnastic exercises and bodyweight progressions. If you be attentive and clever enough then you’ll learn the principles of bodyweight leveraging to make exercise easier or harder. But it’s just one volume dedicated to basic strength. According to Coach Sommer you can find information on handstands, ring training, explosive strength etc. in other volumes.

Strong Points

  • Tons of progressions, from beginner to advanced. Planche, Front Lever, Back Lever, Manna, Ring Dips, Handstand Push-Ups etc. Lots of useful information on progressing from one exercise to another.
  • Very comprehensive read.
  • Good technique description. Almost every nuance is covered.
  • Easy-to-find structure.

Weak Points

  • A bit poor programming section, in my opinion.

Overall

That’s it. What can I say? If you’re interested in gymnastic skills and gymnastic strength training then you should already have read this book. If not then you’re definitely missing out. I think this book will be useful to all the people that are interested in bodyweight strength training and conditioning. Knowledge there is worth its price.

Alex Zinchenko

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Rough Strength Review: Convict Conditioning 2

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Convict Conditioning 2“Convict Conditioning. Great book, totally awesome read and golden mine of information that you can use in your training. You can agree or disagree. It doesn’t matter because Convict Conditioning is a must read for everybody who is serious about their training. You will be able to find tons of useful and entertaining information there.”

Those are the exact words that started my review of the original Convict Conditioning. Well, recently I was lucky enough to read the sequel – Convict Conditioning 2. Can I apply same words to the second part? Well, yes. But I wouldn’t be so univocal and straight-out. Why? There are reasons. Read on and you’ll understand them. Continue reading →

Rough Strength Review: Mike Mahler’s Advanced Kettlebell Course

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Mike Mahler's Advanced Kettlebell CourseTime to make training fun again in 2011! You will love all of the new and exciting drills on this new DVD set! Ramp up strength and conditioning, lose fat, and build explosive power!

Who is this DVD for?

This DVD is for trainees who are already got acquainted with kettlebells, mastered basic exercises and are hungry for more. Basically, this DVD is for everyone who is intermediate or advanced level in kettlebell training. Nevertheless, beginners will learn a lot of new and useful information too.

What will you learn from it?

You will learn tons of information on technique and performance tips. Here’s a list of exercises that are demonstrated on this DVD:

Double kettlebell drill with the bells outside of the feet:  Continue reading →

Convict Conditioning

Convict Conditioning and My Thoughts

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Convict Conditioning. Great book, totally awesome read and golden mine of information that you can use in your training. You can agree or disagree. It doesn’t matter because Convict Conditioning is a must read for everybody who is serious about their training. You will be able to find tons of useful and entertaining information there. What’s so special about it? And why even bother with bodyweight training? Read on and you will find all the answers. Continue reading →

Chad Waterbury's Huge in a Hurry

Rough Strength Review: Chad Waterbury’s Huge in a Hurry

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Men’s Health Huge in a Hurry: Get Bigger, Stronger, and Leaner in Record Time with the New Science of Strength Training by Chad Waterbury

Who is this book for?

Actually for anyone interested in gaining strength, building muscle, losing fat as fast as possible ranging from elite athletes to ordinary strength enthusiasts.

What will you learn from it?

Despite this book is quite mainstream it’s an interesting read where you can find lots of useful information especially on training for different goals. You’ll also will learn Chad’s approach to nutrition and different strategies on how to get lean for a contest or a special event and much more.

Strong points
  • This book is fully loaded with training programs, precise exercise photos and descriptions and flexible guidelines on how to make it work. It consists of 6 training plans: Get Ready, Get Big, Get Even Bigger, Get Strong, Get Even Stronger and Get Lean. Get Ready is a lead-in plan that will assure that you will be ready for the other plans. Get Big is a plan which concentrates on building as much muscle as possible. Get Even Bigger is a plan where Chad shares his High-Frequency Training technique (which is quite better than in his articles on T-Nation). Get Strong is a plan which concentrates on gaining as much strength as possible. In Get Even Stronger Chad shares advanced techniques in gaining strength. And Get Lean is a plan that emphasizes on fat-loss.
  • Chad uses full-body training in his programs exclusively and explains why. I, as a big believer in full-body training, totally support his ideas on this subject.
  • High-Frequency Training is explained in a very high level. And it’s one of the most valuable parts of the book. My personal results with HFT are totally awesome. But it’s a theme for another post.
  • Chad is always innovative in his training methods. He uses total reps count instead of conventional sets x reps, HFT, supramaximal holds, rest-pause etc. You always learn something new from him.
  • As this is a mainstream book it’s very beginner friendly. If I were just starting it would have been one of the best books to read first.
  • Totally enjoyable reading experience.
Weak points
  • Part about nutrition is very conventional which is not weak point for a person that is just starting dieting. But for me there was actually nothing new.
Overall

This book deserves a place in a library of every trainee who is serious about his training. No matter what your training experience or goals you will find something new in this book. Besides, price is quite low for a 354-page full-color book. Huge in a hurry is one of the best books on subject of training.