Easy Strength
When I read Dan John’s first book, Never Let Go, well… I never wanted to let it go. That is, I had a hell of a time putting it down, even when I knew I should – the exception being, of course, when I was just so inspired to go train that I had no other choice. That’s the great thing about Dan: He’s incredibly motivating and a very gifted storyteller.
But what he’s known for in fitness is making complex things seem simple. Interestingly enough, Russian Kettlebell King Pavel Tsatsouline possesses these very same qualities.
So what do you get when Dan and Pavel team up to write a book? 288 pages of awesomeness, that’s what!
Written as a conversation between two like-minded friends with fitness wisdom and passion that are second to none, Easy Strength is a home run. (Can you tell I’m excited that it’s baseball season?!?! Go Red Sox!) And John Du Cane hits the nail on the head as to why:
Despite all their differences in background, culture, experience and proclivities, Pavel and Dan managed to form one of those extremely rare creative partnerships, where two individuals combine to produce a work whose whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
Because Easy Strength is not a Socratic dialog, it’s not a series of arguments, but rather two masters of the craft jamming together. It’s the strength world’s equivalent of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger at their peak writing and composing, say Sticky Fingers—then unleashing it on an unsuspecting but deeply grateful and appreciative world.
Now, let me tell you, when you read the final masterwork that is Easy Strength, don’t be misled by the almost magical smoothness of the Pavel-Dan dialogs. There was agony and there was ecstasy and it took two hard years to get it done. But that’s great art for you.
The result, I proudly present to you: Easy Strength, a book of wisdom for the ages. A book by two “warrior athletes” I deeply admire.
Thank you, gentlemen.
May these two men and their Easy Strength inspire you—as they have so inspired me—to continue your own, never-ending quest for athletic excellence and supreme physical cultivation.
Happy Easter and happy training, and enjoy!
Filed under: recommended resources, strength training, What We Love This Week
