Volume V, Issue 3
Okay, I missed an Issue
Really, though, I didnt. I have been doing
something called the Velocity Diet and I have
kept a pretty interesting journal at:
http://www.t-
nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=52D19F079
4BC9E8DA6486EDEEDBBDAB6.hydra?id=12
37577
Or, Just go to t-nation.com and then go to the
Authors Locker room and find my thread called:
The DJ Velocity Experiment.
I lost 23 pounds (and an additional two pounds
since), five inches off my waist line, and my
blood profiles improved at a rate that stunned my
doctor. Now, some have called me a
supplement whore on some of the nets secret
sites, but I was trying to be as frank and honest
as I could beand I dont think I could have
done it without a lot of support.
I took care of a few demons, too.
Lets remember the mission here:
Our mission? To teach everyone:
1. The Body is One Piece
2. There are three kinds of strength training:
Putting weight overhead
Picking it off the ground
Carrying it for time or distance
3. All training is complementary.
The Editors Column
Danny John
You know, there is a lot of weird stuff going on
in the business of lifting. I try to stay out of it. I
train a couple of hundred athletes everyday, a
bunch of people come over to my house to train
weekly, and I train. But, the business of lifting
seems to be getting a little odd.
Get Up! The Official Newsletter of the Lifting and Throwing Page
October 2006
Alwyn Cosgrove made a great point at the LAX
Strength Seminarand, yes, why werent you
there? He said that the biggest mistake you can
make as an author, coach or trainer is to start
believing your press clippings. It made me laugh
because, as many of you know, my coach, Ralph
Maughan died this summer.
He coached, if the numbers are right, four
Olympians. Four. That for those who dont know
is a staggering number. He could have included
the Olympians that his athletes coached or
included those who he helped form in one way
or another. But, he didnt.
Accomplishments? Read ONLY PART of them:
In the hammer, Maughan was a three-
time conference champion and National AAU
Champion. In the javelin, he won the conference
twice and placed fifth in both the NCAA and the
National AAU meets. Maughan qualified for the
Olympics in the hammer throw in 1948. He was
also an outstanding softball pitcher, winning the
Third Army Championship in Nuremberg,
Germany in 1945, and was named to the All-
State Softball Team in 1953. Drafted by the NFL
Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns,
Maughan was the starting center for the Lions
until a knee injury ended his career.
Maughan earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in
physical education and mathematics at Utah
State University. He accepted a position at Ricks
ollege in 1948, where he coached football,
basketball, and track, and served as Dean of
Men.
Now, I ask myselfwhat the hell have I done
with my life?
So, Im reading the internet and I come across
someone who states that they have coached over
600 Olympians (Im exaggerating a little to be
nice here). 600. Considering the Olympics only
1
happen every four years and Im older than most
coaches nowhow you do more than Coach
Maughans tenure of over forty years at the
highest level?
I dont knowbut Cosgroves point is
important: dont believe your own clippings.
Now, having said all this, I want to announce
two workshops I am undertaking in the next few
months. I also do a lot of other workshops, too.
My fear is that I am going to start to believe my
own stuffand, truly, I fear it.
DAN JOHN OLYMPIC LIFTING SEMINAR
NOVEMBER 11-12, 2006
Registration:
Saturday 10:30am sharp!
Training:
Saturday 11am-2PM, 1 hour break, 3- 6pm
Sunday 10am -12, 1 hour break, 1- 4pm
Pricing:
$150.00 for both days at the door
$80.00 for one day at the door
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$140.00 for both days in advance
$75.00 for one day in advance
Location:
Warrior's Forge
7049 Gateway Ct
Manassas, VA 20109
For more information:
http://www.teamruthless.com/
Eleven hours? Wowwhat was I thinking?
North Carolina Strength Coaches Clinic
Wake Forest University
January 13, 2007
Details when I get them!
If anyone ever needs a clinic or workshop, let me
know. Im not the coach to 600 Olympians but I
work well with neophytes.
Now, on to more Crap that drives me crazy!
Defining Fitness to fit you and your skills.
Maffetones definition is Fitness is the ability to
do a task. I live by that definition. So, if a
jogger tells you he is fit because he can do a
5K Run, point out that literally hundreds of
skinny fat people finish these every Saturday.
That should endear you
I hear definitions of fitness all the time. Darwin
had an interesting take on it and it meant
survival as the key. Listen, plenty of very
unhealthy, unhappy and unprepared people are
having children dailythey are literally fit to
survive and let their genes carry on.
I consider fit as being the ability to throw the
discus over 160 feet in any conditionsand my
definition is as worthless as all the restsave for
Maffetones.
People who write on internet forums: I saw a
guy curling in the squat rack.
Okay, I get it: we are all elite athletes and never
did anything stupid. We are better than them. I
keep seeing this new thing in forums about us
and we. Now, I get communityas well as
many and better than mostbut a reminder:
forums and IMs and Chat rooms are not the same
as this thing I call real life. I dont mind acting
elite myselfI am a Utah State alum, you
knowbut lets keep an eye out here
Volume V, Issue 3 October 2006

Couple of things.

The ring where I throw the hammer was

having a clinic, by Youri Sedykh. He still holds
the worlds record in the hammer, from 1986. I
figured, what the heck and signed up for a Friday
afternoon season. The throwers from the
morning season were just getting back from
lunch, when I arrived. Im starting to know
some of the guys, so it wasnt too bad being the
worst thrower by about 90 feet. Being a newbie
and a master, I figure they didnt start out all that
great themselves.

So, here I am, in the ring, video camera

New State Record in the Snatchthat is Dick
going and Youri coaching each throw. Only one
Notmeyer in the right side of the picDick and
other guy was throwing in this session, so we
Coach Maughan are responsible for much of
alternated throws. Now, when I train, any
what I have done as an athlete.
throwing event, I try and work on one thing per
session. Otherwise, I end up fiddling and
Guys who think all supplements are
tweaking until I almost cant throw. So, of
crapguys who think supplements are the
course, Youri was trying to fix the top ten major
answer to all questions.
flaws I have in the hammer. I sloshed my way
Its like most foods, most exercises, and most of
through and did the best I could.
lifenothing is all or nothing. I like supplements
and always haveand I have taken a ton of crap
For the next week after the clinic, I
that didnt work.
threw about 12 feet less than when I started. I
was trying to change a bunch of bad habits at
This is not a rant, but a point: I just got off the
once. Finally, I relaxed and went back to fixing
phone with another thrower and he has increased
one flaw at a time. Youri gave us his DVD on
his rack pulls quite a bit in about a month. He
hammer throwing and I am now slowly adding
added fifty pounds to his pull.impressive
some of his technique.
anywhere. But, as a thrower, you have to realize
somethingwhen you gain strength in the
My brother always says, that a masters
weightroom, you need to give it a few weeks to
thrower should invest in his sport. I would
translate into the throws. If it doesnt make you
strongly advise anyone who has a chance to go
throw fartherit aint helping! So, you have
to a clinic, to do it. Whether it is Olympic
measure this stuff carefully.
lifting, throwing, or a fitness seminar, it is
money well spent. The gains I will get, will not
be immediate. I will need to throw another
The Gary Column 10,000 throws until some of this clicks. Its OK,
Gary John Ive got time.
Gary is a young thrower in his mid-50s. He is also
the Editors brother and so he gets all what is due to a P-town..
GU writer: free parking, mints and almonds!

Get Up! The Official Newsletter of the Lifting and Throwing Page 3
 Dan and his wife Tiffini flew in to
California for the big Pleasanton Highlands
games, over Labor Day weekend. It was a two-
day affair over that Saturday and Sunday. I
drove, and my wife, Mary joined us. Neither of
us had ever been to a games and were looking
forward to it.
Dan was competing in the 40-49 year
old division. He had just turned 49 and this was
his first time at Pleasanton. These games are by
invitation only and each division was loaded
with the best from across North America. The
competition was split, with morning events in a
big open field, followed by the weight-over-bar
and caber toss, on the racetrack in the stadium.
his right elbow and knew he only had one or two
good throws left. He ended up second by one
point. Afterwards, there was a weight-for-height
and caber toss for money. Dan won enough that
dinner was on him. My family, Rich and Diane,
Dan and Tiffini all went out to dinner together.
Highlight of the day was went a woman, who
knew highlands games tradition, asked for
Dans competition shirt. So, after dinner, he
autographed his shirt and gave it to her outside.
Great time, amazing competition. So
next year, I hope to see a big GetUp crowd out at
P-town. Dan will then be in the 50s division.
And he does put on a show.

When we picked up Dan and Tiffini,

Dan gave me a kilt to wear. So, for our readers
at GetUp, envision the John brothers all decked
out in kilts. To tell you the truth,
I really got into the whole thing. If theyd let
me, I would have jumped into the over 50s cold.
Just looks like something you should be doing
and not just watching.

The first day of competition was

exciting. Dan went head to head with Brett
Milton. Low point total wins, and they took
turns placing first each event. Of course, I was a
wreck. You live and die on every throw. The
weight-over-bar had a big crowd in the
afternoon. I swear Dan made every height on his
last attempt. One thing, just watching makes for
a long day. You can imagine how the athletes
felt.

On Sunday, my two teenage boys,

David and Bobby joined the drive over. They
actually wanted to go, which helps with
teenagers. Our older brother Richard and his
wife Diane came down for the day. Dan Martin,
a fellow P&Ber (power and bulk) added his
large presence. He brought down some lifting
straps for my rack pull. We had quite a group.
Sadly, I have lost the email with name of the Published by Daniel John
GetUp reader who brought his family down to Daniel John, Editor
watch. I have too many accounts and I am
Copyright Daniel John, 2006
horrible at managing the messages. He did get
free lifting tips from me. Both Dan and I run All Rights Reserved
into GetUp readers wherever we go. Any unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

The 40-49 division stayed close

throughout the second day. Dan had messed up
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