Dan John on Building Strength Fast

By Greg O'Gallagher | October 29, 2014 |

DInterview with Dan John

In this episode, Greg sits down with Dan John who is a distinguished leader in the fitness community. Dan holds the American record for the Weight Pentathlon, is an All-American discus thrower and has competed at the highest levels of fitness.

If that’s not enough, Dan has worked with the NFL, MLB, NBA, and the United States military. Fortunately for the fitness industry, Dan John has also been designing elite courses and key programs. In these courses Dan’s methods provide a minimalist approach, which is highly effective for building strength fast. This podcast was a blast and I hope you all enjoy it!

In this episode, you’ll discover:

  • The truth about intermittent fasting
  • The 4 pillars of lifting
  • Differences in training practices
  • How to build the elusive “well-rounded” physique
  • The biggest mistakes your trainer is probably making
  • The top workout concepts for beginners to advanced lifters
  • The top, surprisingly common misconceptions in training principals today
  • Most prevalent adverse habits present in the gym
Dan has continually provided the fitness industry with reliable and consistent information that has influenced thousands. I advise everyone to visit Dan’s website for blog posts, and renowned courses and books. As always, if you enjoyed our conversation please let me know on Facebook.

Thank You For Listening!

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Posted in Podcast

17 Comments

  1. Steve on November 27, 2014 at 3:51 am

    Hey Greg!
    Just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done. Your articles have really helped me to step up my game and improve, hitting PR’s like crazy and just feeling great. Thanks a ton!

    Also, an idea: have you ever considered doing an article on Vin Diesel? I’ve seen some of your other celebrity workout posts, and am curious to hear our take on how a physique such as his could be achieved. The man is INSANELY fit.

    Steve

    • Greg on November 27, 2014 at 1:08 pm

      Thanks for the kind words man! And yes, that’s something I can write about. Though right now I’m trying to do stuff that is more relevant. For example, if vin diesel did another movie where he was looking buff, that would be perfect. But I can definitely put something together at some point. He has a good look, not overly defined, but a lot of girls dig that strong and muscular look, with just enough definition.

      • Steve on November 27, 2014 at 7:15 pm

        No problem man, I give credit where it’s due. Your website is probably the best fitness resource I have ever and will ever have. Keep up the good work!

  2. max on November 8, 2014 at 2:13 am

    very cool stuff, Greg. Dan is a real class act and it was great to hear how happy you were.

  3. Jed on November 7, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    Greg,
    I probably know your answer.

    I like the A/B split.
    I understand about only 2 RPT sets for better strength gains.
    Would a 3rd set add a little more muscle? I don’t mind eating extra calories for more muscle gains in the off-season.
    Or will it interfere with strength too much?

    Thanks

    • Greg on November 11, 2014 at 1:01 pm

      Yah 3rd set is good for muscle gains! You could also just do 3 sets on the muscles you really want to build. Like for me I’ll do 3 sets on arms but 2 sets on pretty much everything else.

      • Jed on November 11, 2014 at 2:17 pm

        Sounds good. I’m already doing that…except the opposite.
        My arms and legs have always developed well, so they get 2 sets. Chest, back, and shoulders get the 3 sets.

        Thanks.

  4. Jed on November 4, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    If that’s the case, and I only have two sets to perform, I’m gonna really make ’em count. 5 rep max PRs, look out!!!
    Thanks a bunch Greg!!!

  5. Jed on October 31, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    Greg, I’ve been reading up on most of your stuff. I really like your approach… Solid strength training by using essential movements, then adding extra exercises to maximize aesthetics, and I especially like the 3 days per week approach.
    I’ve worked out pretty regularly for about 30 years, therefore I’m in good shape and have decent strength and muscle.
    I know the Greek god 2 day split will allow for the best strength gains, and I have done it. However I always gravitate back to an upper/lower split, or a full body split, because I never really liked only half (push one day, pull another day) of the muscles being trained.
    At 45 yrs old, I want to be more geared toward total body , functional strength, and allow aesthetics to come as a result.
    You are young, but you’ll be thinking like me in 20 years.
    You do seem to strive for real world strength and upper and lower body explosiveness.
    Your Superhero routine seems to structured that way, upper/lower/upper. I guess I could follow that but omit some of the extra pump exercises. Can we still gain strength doing chest or back only once per week?
    Thanks

    • Greg on November 3, 2014 at 4:55 pm

      Okay forget about the term functionality, that has completely blurred your vision. There is nothing inherently more functional about full body workouts or upper lower, splits. Functionality is progress. Improvement, that is it. If you’re progressing on your key lifts, your functionality is handled. Frankly, there is no routine I have found to deliver better gains in strength and muscle density than the two day split routines i wrote in the greek god program.

      That’s the bottom line. 260 lbs incline benches, 135 lbs chin ups, 100 lbs pistol squats. That shit is functional. I couldn’t have done it with a full body or full upper / lower split. Trying to do so many heavy movements in one workout becomes too taxing. And working out is not about modelling our ancestors. It’s about training optimally. It’s results driven.

      • Jed on November 3, 2014 at 9:21 pm

        Got it. Very good and convincing point. Optimal strength is best achieved on an A/B push/pull split, with a rest day in between. But eventually we should move to the superhero type split, to add pump work???
        Anyway, before you had responded, I tried a workout starting with 3 RPT sets of incline press, then hit 3 RPT sets of weighted pull-ups. Then I was just about done. There’s no way I could have done 3 “hard” sets of shoulder presses. I only had enough energy for a few sets of lateral raises and 2 weak sets of biceps and triceps.
        Plus I couldn’t use as much weight on pullups as I use when I’m on the 2 day split.
        Thanks for the tough love dude.

        • Greg on November 4, 2014 at 1:53 am

          You know it man! I’ve even gone down to 2 sets of RPT because I find I can push harder and more consistent personal records that way.

          • Jed on November 4, 2014 at 9:42 am

            So,
            Incline press: 2 RPT sets,
            Shoulder press: 2 RPT sets,
            Triceps ext: 2 RPT sets, lateral raise: 12,5,5,5,5 RP,
            is enough volume?
            Ok…



          • Greg on November 4, 2014 at 11:52 am

            If you’re getting stronger, then yes you’ll grow!



  6. tom on October 29, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    listening sucks… i prefer reading

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