Interview With The Legendary Strength Coach Dan John

Build World Class Strength With These Expert Tips From Dan John

If you’ve never heard of Coach Dan John before, then allow me to introduce you to a legend in the strength and weightlifting community. Some of the things that come to mind when I think of Dan John are old school strength training, olympic lifting, kettlebells, goblet squats, throwing heavy things, farmer walks and other loaded carries, and getting back to the basics, among other things.

I first ran across Dan’s work when I read one of his articles on T-Nation back in 2004 and have followed him on and off since then. Dan was one of the men who really inspired me to get serious into the iron game back when I was in college, and Dan who pushed me over the edge to learn the Olympic lifts when the opportunity finally presented itself.

I’ve always admired his no-nonsense, simple approach to strength training, and the fact that he’s got nothing up his sleeve. He’s open, honest, and humble – and he knows his craft very well. Seriously, this is a man who can get you ridiculously strong if you want it bad enough, and his advice is always spot-on.

If you told me nine years ago that I’d eventually be interviewing Dan John, I wouldn’t have believed you. But after one email and a bit of phone tag, I was on the line with him picking his brain about all things strength and fitness.

What’s Inside The Interview With Dan John

I can’t stress enough the sheer amount of wisdom that Dan packed into one interview. There is so much good information in here that you’ll probably get more than you actually need (and may even be overwhelmed by how much we cover). In fact, I bet you could run with just one or two things that Dan covers and make great strides in your strength training regime.

Speaking of which, here is just a sampling of what we discussed – a few notes I took while editing the audio file:

Learn what old school training can teach us in our modern, sophisticated training culture
Why understanding the distinction between practice and training can mean the difference between getting strong over the short term and over the long term
Dan’s 40-Day, 5-Lift Workout Program
The one thing that worked even better than Dan’s lucky socks
Dan’s 6 Basic Human Movements that everyone should include in their strength training program
The best exercises for power generation
Why it’s important to work on your weaknesses before trying to achieve specific strength standards
The few pieces of equipment that Dan has decided to keep in his personal home gym
How to maximize the benefits from each training tool by identifying their killer application
The best exercises for total body strength development, and why they may not be what you’d think
The unique benefits of overhead lifting and how best to do it
When strong enough is strong enough and why the average athlete doesn’t necessarily need to strive for world record feats of strength
The simple strength formula that works for everyone
How to build strongman-esque muscle with lifting complexes
How to constantly make progress by beating the body’s adaptation process with long-term periodization
The ideal length of a training program
The value of unilateral training and how to train systemic strength using Dan’s 2/3/5 protocol
The types of loaded carries that can help you break through plateaus and skyrocket your fitness results within days
Who should and who shouldn’t learn the Olympic lifts
Why the kettlebell swing may be a better option than the barbell snatch
How to strike a balance between training and recovery to maximize your results and minimize burnout
The most effective form of recovery that nobody ever talks about
What Dan wish he knew about training when he was first starting off
How to prevent aging and train into old age without getting injured
And much, much more!