Dan Greens Thoughts On Training, Nutrition, Life

[markos]

I've seen lots of nutrition advice get handed about by members on here. Here is another lifters perspective.

In the world of international powerlifting, there are few names as well known as the "Boss", Dan Green. As an Animal athlete, Dan set a new world record back in May 2013 and eclipsed a longstanding record that had been on the books since 1972 with a total of 2160.5@242. How do you top a WR like that? Well, if you're Dan, you break your own record a month later. In June 2013 at GPC Nationals in Australia, Dan totaled 2171@242 (843 squat, 518 bench press, 810 deadlift). Dan also owns the WR in the 220 weight class with a total of 2030 (no wraps). We at Animal suspect he will be crushing more WRs in the years to come. So we took some talk to talk shop with The Savage. We learned that Dan is a man of few words. But they are choice words.

Animal: When did you first start powerlifting and how did you get into it?
Dan Green: I'd always lifted weights. Near the end of my college days, a good friend of mine convinced me that powerlifting was awesome. So I competed at the NASA Nationals in Las Vegas in 2007. After that meet, I concluded that my friend was right.

Animal: What powerlifter do you feel has influenced you the most?
DG: I would say Ed Coan simply for being just about the best at every aspect of the sport, from dedication and mastery to mental toughness and intelligence. Rarely do you see physically superior athletes that back it up with everything else like that. His results and career have proven that he played on a level far above everyone else.

Animal: Where do want to see the sport of powerlifting go?
DG: Personally I'd just like to see the sport gain awareness amongst the people around the world who lift weights recrationally. Knowing that there is such a thing as proper lifting and a class of people who are truly world-class would provide people with a tremendous inspiration to take up the sport more seriously.

Animal: What do you think of raw vs. equipped lifting debate?
DG: I don't.

Animal: Is there anything you'd change about powerlifting?
DG: Nothing. The people who participate are far and away the best group of people you could ask for.

Animal: Do you see yourself as an ambassador to the sport of powerliting?
DG: An ambassador can mean many things. If you define it to be someone who loves exposing a passion to those not familiar with the sport or inspiring lifters to take up the sport or motivates athletes to be their best, then yes, I am an ambassador.

Animal: You were invited to The Cage for the first time in 2012? Was it hard not being able to lift?
DG: Being in The Cage was great. It was one of the best lifting atmospheres I've ever been in. What really made it special was just the magnitude of stellar performances that happened, one right after another, all weekend long. It was really tough for me though. I was totally fed up with being in agonizing pain AND not lifting myself due to my injury. When I decided to go back to training, my memories of The Cage furiously motivated me.

Animal: What is one thing most lifters overlook when trying to get to the next level?
DG; Lifters overlook technique more than anything else. With constant attention to improving and maximizing technique, a lifter can train harder and harder with greater efficiency, duration, and fewer injuries.

Animal: Who do you see is your biggest competitor today?
DG: There are a ton of guys with potential that could put a few things together in their training and really be forces.

Animal: What is the best advice you have ever received (and from whom) and do you ever pass it on?
DG: I'm not sure who told me this or where I first learned this lesson, but the best advice I can pass on is to stay in the moment and to always love the journey that is weight training and life. If you only focus on reaching your goals then what will you have to show for the last several months of your life if you have a poor competition performance or the stressors in your life seem to continually take turns but never seem to fade away? Life is not about looking ahead to the finish line. That being said, when you compete you never know when or if you'll have a second chance at a weight or a goal.

Animal: Many have commented on your freaky physique. Do you incorporate any bodybuilding methods into your training or eating?
DG: Well, I do lift weights and eat a lot.

Animal: What is the single most important idea when it comes to nutrition and supplementation?
DG: Nutrition and supplementation can enhance your results when you train. But you can't achieve anything without the training itself. Still, proper nutrition can help you train harder and recover sooner. If a lifter wants to compete at the highest level then nutrition to maintain a lean physique and stay in a more competitive weight class is obvious.

Animal: How many calories would you say you consume on average per day?
DG: I have absolutely no clue. A lot I think.

Animal: How many weeks does it take you to prepare for a meet?
DG: I compete at different intervals every year. I just plan my training according to the time spans, so it is very flexible.

Animal: How do you mentally prepare for a big lift?
DG: Before a big lift I simply look back on all the training I've done and know that this is the final lift in a series of several hundred which led to and will culminate at this point. Everything was done with a purpose and calculated to set up this moment and that allows me to simply get in a state of mind where I don't think about anything except executing the purest, most unrestrained lift that only can be performed at that moment - because this is the moment I've thoroughly trained and peaked my body for. The lift is premeditated and the outcome is predetermined. Executing the lift becomes nothing more than a formality. In the end it's as simple as being an executioner: I let go of any emotion and do the deed.

Animal: How do you get past sticking points?
DG: Sticking points are in reality always linked to one or multiple problems that must be identified and then rectified. The beauty of weight lifting, to me, is that the answer does not usually present itself conveniently, when you want it, or where you expect to find it.

Animal: What type/how much accessory work do you do?
DG: Not much. I mainly focus on the main lifts and their most relevant variations. Then I do them as much as I can to perfect my technique.

Animal: What is the most effective overlooked exercise that more people should perform regularly?
DG: Front squats.

Animal: What is the craziest thing you've ever tried in the gym?
DG: I once walked out and buried a 635 front squat in my garage all by myself with nobody around. It's crazy to think that I trusted my body THAT much to know that I would absolutely not hesitate in the face of high risk.

Animal: What's the craziest thing you've ever done in life?
DG: Believing in limitations that others made me feel I had.

Animal: Can you remember the best workout you've ever had?
DG: In one workout I sumo deadlifted 845 and then conventional deadlifted 775x2. Both were PRs.

Animal: Can you sum up your training philosophy?
DG: Lifting is a skill that must be mastered through continual practice.

Animal: What kind of music do you listen to when you train?
DG: Too Short, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, Pantera, Megadeth, Amon Amarth. Is that enough?

Animal: What drives you to keep competing?
DG: It's just in my blood. I always strive to be the best that I can be at something. I don't believe that there is a limit to how high someone can climb, in this sport or in life. I also love the response to my lifting that I get, when people tell me that they're inspired to seriously dedicate themselves to their own lifting or to just believe there are fewer limits in their lives. I'm totally humbled by that.

Animal: You've accomplished so much as an athlete. What is the one thing, outside of the weight room, that you want to accomplish?
DG: I want to be a man that lives an honest and full life. In saying that, I mean to be the best husband and friend to my wife, the best father to my son, and to always be true to myself and God.

Edited August 16, 2013 by markos

[markos]

Edited August 16, 2013 by markos

[jangles]

so impressive. absolute monster.

another one of those fat powerlifters

Edited August 16, 2013 by jangles

[Mitcho_7]

Definitely a solid looking fella!

[-FIGJAM-]

Those genes!

[Trozzle]

STEROIDZ!!!

hahaha but no seriously. f**k. Monster.

Good to see pics like this, further separates the physique of a powerlifter from that of a "strong man", as most of us instinctively assume (myself included).