Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Several days ago I sent out a link to a video of John Davis – and ever since, I’ve been getting all kind of feedback from readers who really – really – really – enjoyed it.
Here’s some of the feedback:
“Awesome. Take me back to the time before supplements! The world of sports is overwhelmingly muddied up with juice, doping, GH and a zillion over-the-counter supplements.
Those were the days of real men lifting for glory, self-accomplishment and patriotism. Now we are forced into our garages; alone in the cold of winter facing ourselves the steel to triumph alone! But you know what - I freakin' love it! Take me back to the good, ole days, Brooks. Thanks for bringing us all together.
Let the spirit live on!
Thank you.
Tony Barnett”
“Thanks for posting the web address of the video of John making the lift. It's downright scary.” – Floyd Orr
“That was AWESOME! I really liked the opera voice,too.” -- Cesar Chaparro,
“Sir, may god bless you for this footage. – No name on the email
“That is one awesome video, can't believe how much talent the guy had. He'd be on Americas Got Talent with that voice!” Rob
“Thank you for posting these links. I had been trying to find that clip in Paris. I had no idea he was also such an accomplished singer. I am pretty sure you will be putting out a book on John Davis and his training in your series on strongmen.” – Peter Yates
“Brooks, this has got to be the best weightlifting video I have ever received. I am 63 years old and I am a Dinosaur starting back in the late 50's when I was still in the single digits and using a Johnson bar out in my grandparents’ garage. Then sometime in the late 50's or early 60's a friends dad who owned a sporting goods store bought home a 110 lbs Billard set and we went insane on that set of weights. I love your site Brooks and when I start back on my summer job I'm going to buy Gray Hair and Black Iron, Legacy of Iron, and your latest, Chalk and Sweat. Keep up the good work!” Bill Cullen
“Wow! What a great video. John was one strong guy.” – Luis Hernandez
“Thanks for taking the time to provide this link. I almost cried thinking about Mr. Davis being ignored and sickly when he should have been enjoying training the young ones.” Larry Garcia
(Note: John Davis died of cancer on July 13, 1984, at the age of 63.)
“Thanks so much for posting that link. While I've never done Olympic style weightlifting, I can't get over the way they seem to "snap" the weights into position. The way John Davis missed that clean and then came back to make it look a hundred pounds lighter was absolutely amazing. Phenomenal technique right there.” – Jim McAllister
“Man, I'm a sucker for heroics like that. Amazing! Practically passing out at the end. Davis and Grimek were so athletic, as well as strong. Davis's leg and hip development... pure power. I wonder if, say, football was as popular then as it is now. He (Davis) looks like he could run a 4.4 40 (yd. dash) and bowl anyone over who got in his way. Strip the ball out of his hands? I don't think so. Again, great video. Thanks.” – Tim Breidor
“Amazing video and the first time I’ve ever seen it. A 2-inch diameter bar on the rail wheel axle? That is superhuman. I love how this video shows the well-rounded nature of Davis (and by extension, most men back then) – i.e., singing opera baritone, etc. Although breaking records in niches is definitely appealing I feel so many people nowadays are NOT well rounded, seeking to succeed in too narrow of fields across the board. Not just in physical culture, either. I feel this whole dichotomous way of thinking pervades our entire culture. Be it medicine's way of looking at the body like just a joining of parts as in a car, to people that know everything about stock trading on wall street but can't play with a 2 x 4, etc. – Ben
There are more comments, but I can’t list them all. In any case, thanks to everyone who sent in a comment about the video, and to everyone else who watched it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as these guys did!
NOW you know what John Davis is one of my all-time favorite strongmen – and NOW you know why I pay so much attention to the lifters of his era – and NOW you know whey he appears in all of the various Legacy of Iron books.
As always, thanks for reading – and have a great weekend!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you enjoyed watching John Davis on video and learning a little bit more about the man and the lifter, then you’re really going to like the books in Legacy of Iron series – which bring you an unrivalled, up close picture of John Davis, Steve Stanko, John Grimek, Tony Terlazzo, Harry Paschall, Sig Klein, Bob Hoffman and the other legendary champions, coaches and trainers of the Golden Age of Might and Muscle.
There are four books in the Legacy of Iron series – and more coming in 2011.
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/clouds_of_war.html
http://www.brookskubik.com/1000pound_total.html
http://brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron4.html
NOTE: see the order pages for Legacy of Iron 3 and 4 for information about a discount if you order 3 or 4 books in the series.
