Part 1: A Philosophy of Strength Training

Part 2: Perfecting Your Kettlebell Form

Part 3: Olympic Lifting for Beginners

Part 4: Warmups, Workouts, and Barbell Complexes

I’m not a huge Christmas fan. I score much farther along the “naughty” than “nice” continuum, and I deliberately opt out of the retail madness that characterizes North American commercial culture from late October to early January.

Thus, imagine my surprise when a few days before Christmas 2009, Santa visited me anyway. (Perhaps an administrative error at the North Pole. There are a lot of details to coordinate, after all.)

Yes, Santa visited in the form of a nice uniformed man (potentially a wise man; no evidence to confirm or deny) bearing a wondrous gift: four (!!) Dan John DVDs.

Joy to my world!

Now, regular readers will know how I feel about Dan. (See my review of his recent book, Never Let Go, here.)

Dan, to give you some context, is the Strength Coach and Head Track and Field Coach at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah and contributing writer to Men’s Health. He’s won the Master Pleasanton Highland Games twice, American Masters Discus Championships several times, the National Masters Weightlifitng Championship once and holds the American Record in the Weight Pentathlon. (He also does a bunch of other amazing stuff, by the way, which you can see by reading his full bio.)

And he’s one of my heroes.

I’ve been a huge fan of his since I painstakingly printed out his early Get Up newsletters many years ago.

These newsletters contained Dan’s thoughts on life, lifting, and moving heavy objects around. They were incredibly clear, incredibly practical, and incredibly real. Each article was a gem containing existential truths, Dan’s characteristic salt-of-the-earth humour, and damn good ideas.

These articles hold up well even many years later, when the Internet crawls with self-proclaimed gurus and experts. Everywhere you look, someone is selling you the Great Fat Dissolving Solution or How To Add 200 lbs To Yer Bench Press.

Much of it is crap or simply a cursory treatment of the subject. Frequently, the person writing it has never trained a single client.

But Dan has seen hundreds — possibly thousands — of trainees over his decades of training, trainees who range from “picked last in gym class” to elite athletes. He knows what works – what really works.

And, like me, he doesn’t make people do stuff that he hasn’t tried himself. He is his own best guinea pig who’s kept gym journals dating back to 1971. Much respect.

Dan’s now distilled his vast knowledge into his book Never Let Go, a new website, and now, four excellent DVDs.

Podcast

Dan blesses us all with his Sermon of Squat.

Getting these DVDs gave me a good excuse to screw up my courage and call the great man himself. Here’s a half-hour chat between Dan and I, in which we cover:

• his basic philosophy
• the importance of making mistakes
• how to start out
• which exercises are key to a good program
• strength standards for women — how do you measure up to a high school girl?
• which supplements you should take (and the supplement store marketing scams)
• how to tell when an athlete’s career will be over in 2 years (surprising tip!)
• how to age well and why it’s important to stay strong for life

Click to listen!

Direct mp3 link for non-Flash (right-click or CTRL-click to save to your computer first)

Aside from that burlesque/wrestling show I once went to, in which two tiny Mexican wrestlers — one dressed as a clown, the other as Darth Vader — chased a burlesque dancer dressed as a pinata, my conversation with Dan ranks as one of the greatest moments of my life. (I edited out the first fifteen minutes of me screaming like an 11-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.)

DVDs

Back to the DVDs. You can see samples here.

Let me put this clearly: If you are interested in strength training, and you can only afford to buy four DVDs, buy these. If you never own or view any other DVD, you will pretty much have everything you need in these four items. (They’re also available individually, of course, by following the links above.)

They aren’t fancy videos. No star wipes, fitness models with pneumatic breasts, or multiple cuts per minute. Neither Guy Ritchie nor James Cameron was involved.

You’re getting Dan in his natural habitat — the gym — teaching average folks how to squat, press, swing, do Olympic lifts, and more. Cinematically this is meat and potatoes.

But meat and potatoes is what Dan does best. (His tagline: “I said it was simple. Not easy.”)

Each minute of these videos is packed full of wonderful tips, tricks, and insight. For example:

• there are four levels of strength coaching — and the first is “do no harm”
• your ass is actually important to your overhead press
• if you’re an athlete, chasing absolute strength may harm you
• the goal of a coach is to keep the goal the goal (Whoa.)

Practical, pragmatic, thoughtful, and infused with Dan’s trademark folksy wit and laid-back, avuncular style, each DVD provides:

• theory and practice for strength training as a general domain of expertise (which applies to anyone interested in learning to lift weights, or lift weights better, not just people working as “personal trainers” or strength coaches)
• instruction and insight into the fundamental lifts (squat, press, swing, Olympic lifts, etc.)
• mobility and stability principles
• modifications for different lifters or needs

In the world of slick yet content-free fitness video production these DVDs stand out as a breath of fresh air and the voice of reason, just like Dan himself.

Reviewed by Erin Weiss-Trainor

Having experienced the joys of being pregnant three times over for a total of 839 days (who’s counting), it’s clear just from watching Lauren Brooks’ latest DVD, Baby Bells: Fit Pregnancy Workout With (Optional) Kettlebells that it would have been a great addition to my training regimen as I aimed to stay fit and strong as each of my babies grew. Similar in training structure and instruction to Brooks’ first DVD, Baby Bells offers a variety of lower intensity and equipment options, along with modified positions to accommodate a wide range of abilities and the changes in a woman’s body as pregnancy progresses. For those who have used kettlebells in the past, and are looking to continue training during their pregnancy, this DVD is a great follow-up to Brooks’ first DVD, The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells.

With a more mellow and calming feel than her first DVD, Lauren, 6 ½ months pregnant with her second child, introduces viewers to the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and the precautions that need to be taken when exercising during pregnancy, as outlined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Encouraging participants to listen to their bodies and always err on the side of caution, the DVD takes viewers through a three-part workout where three to five exercises are completed circuit-style and then repeated.

Along with bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, many of the standard kettlebell exercises, such as two-handed swings, sumo squats, one-arm rows, step back lunges, and tricep presses are included. Lauren shows how kettlebell size should change with each exercise and gives options to perform these with dumbbells or bodyweight alone. As Lauren demonstrates the higher intensity versions, an inset video provides alternatives for modifying the position and range of motion of the movements. Participants are encouraged to take as much rest as they need between exercises, and between sets within each part. Paired with a joint mobility warm-up and a cool-down with stabilizing and stretching geared specifically to target muscles and joints that are under more stress during pregnancy, the entire workout takes just over 35 min and can easily be performed anywhere with little to no equipment.

For experienced kettlebell users who want to experience increased energy and strength during their pregnancy, and prepare their bodies for an easier delivery and recovery from childbirth, this DVD provides a complete and enjoyable way to do so. With less specific instruction on kettlebell form than the first DVD, those who are both pregnant and new to this type of training can get the same benefit, but would be best to stick with bodyweight or dumbbell options. Learning the basic kettlebell movements is best mastered when a woman’s body is not going through the many changes of pregnancy, or having to worry about a cumbersome belly.

Something about watching Brooks swing the kettlebell around her gorgeous belly makes you appreciate the strength and power of a pregnant woman. Once again, Lauren inspires. While many women may use the excuse of pregnancy to literally “eat for two” and stay away from the gym, the energy that Lauren radiates proves that making fitness and healthy eating a priority even during pregnancy is good for mom and for a healthy baby.

Lauren Brooks is a fitness and strength trainer in San Diego, CA. Lauren earned her B.S. in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health from San Diego State University. Lauren Brooks is certified by the American Council on Exercise and Russian Kettlebell Challenge.

Lauren’s site |  Previews of the DVDs