Dan John is an internet legend and a well-published writer. But with so many posts and articles to read, where do you go to get a handle on his philosophy? Try here, with these top 10 articles.
And if you’re already a fan of Mr J and I’ve missed out your favourite article, just let me know in the comments.
- Three simple tips that work: if you have time, read the whole this article. Hell, if you have time, read everything Dan has ever written. But if you are short of time, and who isn’t, just read the first tip about using rack work to improve your strength from a dead stop.
- One lift a day: it’s a simple principle and one I have yet to try. Bench on Monday, Row on Tuesday, Squat on Wednesday, Press on Saturday and Deadlift on Sunday. Workouts are short, maybe just 45 minutes, but brutal. Dan asks “have you ever tried to squat for 45 minutes?” No? Me neither.
- The 40 day programme: This is one of those articles that is great fun to read if you’ve already seen the light and somewhat painful if you haven’t. Dan wades in, all guns blazing, and makes it known that in his opinion most people who train “to look good naked” have to be naked before you can tell that they train. Ouch! Dan tells it how it is: if you want to lose fat, lose fat. If you want to gain muscle, gain muscle. Stop trying to ride two horses with one ass. You know who you are Mr Internet Warrior, you. The 40 day programme? It’s a gift for reading to the end of the article and one I am looking forward to trying out one day.
- I hate medium: the source of the great Dan John quote “fat loss is an all-out war. Give it 28 days, only 28 days. Attack it with all you have. It’s not a lifestyle choice; it’s a battle. Lose fat and then get back into moderation.” So saying, Dan lost 26lbs on the Velocity Diet in one month so he knows what he’s talking about. But Dan doesn’t limit himself to talking about fat loss, he covers all the bases. The premise is that your highs need to be high and your lows low. Most athletes spend most of their time doing chipper workouts when they need to go hard, to go heavy and to go home. Still don’t get it? Read the article.
- More new techniques: Dan goes through some stuff that he likes. He praises the Neti Pot, Sugar-Free Metamucil, Vibram Five Fingers, and fish oil, amongst other things. But none of these are the jewel in the article, which is his ladders protocol: 2, 3, 5, and 10. One set is 20 reps. Do five sets and you’ve done 100 reps, just like German Volume Training, but a lot easier. Dan recommends you try this with a single lift for a week’s worth of workouts to get some extra volume.
- My secret coaching methods: Dan reveals the secret to why people ask him to coach them and extols the virtues of training at home, maybe in your own Garage Gym.
- The Gable Method: “if it’s important, do it every day. If it’s not important, don’t do it at all” was Olympic medal-winner and coach Dan Gable’s motto. Dan picks it up, dusts it off and gives it a new lease of life in this article. If you’re talking about a particular lift, it doesn’t necessarily mean every day (although it can!) but certainly every training session. Dan also gives a great little introduction to Percy Cerutty, the iconoclastic Australian track coach who suggested as early as the 1960s that runners should lift weights and run up hills.
- The Litvinov Workout: Dan tells the story of Sergey Litvinov at the 1983 World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Litvinov took gold in the hammer that year, noticeably leaner and more muscular than the other competitors. His secret was the rather strange workout that he did: eight reps of front squats followed immediately by a 400m run. He lifted 405lbs for the front squats and ran the 400m in 75s.
- Three mentors: Dan talks about his personal encounters with three great sportsmen, Wilt Chamberlain, Fortune Gordien and Robby Robinson. The lessons? One: you’ve got to do it in competition. Two: simplify. Three: toss out the extras.
- Dan John’s Top 10 tips: Dan offers some no-nonsense tips for beginners and experts alike, which seems like a good place to stop.
But if you want to see Dan in action, check out this short clip on YouTube about goal setting:
Or this clip on strength training and physical performance:
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