The Training Habit 
by Brooks Kubik

"To be successful your training must be a HABIT." 

Copyright Brooks D. Kubik — used with permission.

A long-time reader sent in an order for Gray Hair and Black Iron, and included the following note:

“Hi Brooks, Hope all is going well. Can you please autograph the book? Hopefully, the book will give me some motivation to get back into training. If you have any ideas on how to get back after a 15 month lay off for a 48 year old extremely busy professional with a demanding career, wife, and two teenage boys it would be greatly appreciated.”

Well, that’s a fair question. And it’s a pretty common question. I get variations of it all the time, from readers of all ages – who have, for whatever reason, gotten out of the training habit and are having trouble getting back into it.

And if you focus on one word the previous sentence, you’ll see that I’ve answered your question.

HABIT!

To be successful your training must be a HABIT.

It must be something you do on a regularly scheduled basis – like clockwork – come heck or high water.

Your problem is, you’re jammed for time, and you have a million other things you need to do, and you’ve gotten OUT of the training habit.

So we’ve got to get you back INTO the training habit!

Here’s what I want you to do.

STEP ONE

Make up your mind RIGHT NOW that you’re going to get back into regular training – and that you’re going to follow the program I give you religiously for the next 30 days.

And make no mistake about it. You ARE going to get back into training. Why? Because at age 48, you can either stop training and become a slug – or you can keep on training –
the right way! – and keep it up for the next 30, or 40 or even 50 years. And training is just too important not to make it a regular part of your life.

Copyright Brooks D. Kubik — used with permission.

STEP TWO

Pick THREE exercises:

(1) An upper body pushing movement.

(2) An upper body pulling movement (e.g., barbell or dumbbell bent-over rowing, pull-ups, whatever).

(3) A leg, hip and lower back exercise (e.g., back squat, front squat, bent-legged deadlift or Trap Bar deadlift).

Beginning Strength Training - continued: STEP THREE