John Davis was an American weightlifting phenom who absolutely dominated the competitive scene in the 1940’s up to the early 1950’s. In this time period, John amassed an unparalleled record of 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 6 world, and 12 national titles. John was the epitome of old school ruggedness, and compared to trainees of today, John could best be described as roughhewn.
John trained in what modern lifters would consider primitive conditions. He hoisted rusty old-fashioned iron plates in the basement of an old church and the occasional YMCA. Reverently, John worshipped at the Holy Trinity of: Chalk, Iron, and Sweat. His nutrition plan of meat, potatoes, and milk coupled with his unscientific training regime, of normally 8 sets of 2 reps, may seem archaic by today’s standards, but it yielded mighty results! At a light bodyweight of 200-220 lbs.
John best lifts include:
Being the first person to ever clean and jerk over 400 lbs., by lifting 402 lbs.
A strict curl of 215 lbs. and a bench press of 425 lbs.
Deadlift of 705 lbs.
Cleaning and jerking the Apollon Wheels in Paris in 1949. The railroad axle bar was 1.93 inches thick and weighed around 366 lbs.
Squat (all done in deep Olympic style) 550 lbs. for 3 reps, 525 lbs. for 8 reps and 500 lbs. for 10 reps.
Clearly, this man was a walking talking powerhouse who possessed strength that bordered on the supernatural. In addition to his lifting prowess, John was a patriot who proudly served his country in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. After his service, John took on the dangerous job of being a correctional officer in New York City for over 25 years.
Intelligent, articulate, and the owner of a great speaking voice, John was often featured on radio and television programs of the era. Please do yourself a favor and check out the numerous clips of him on YouTube.
All in all, John Davis was a lifting pioneer from the first half of the 20th century. He was an athlete we should all aspire to be like. He was a man who epitomized hard work and duty to country. RIP Mr. Davis !!!
