Rip discusses his article First Things First and elaborates on how Starting Strength differs due to its development of a model based on first principles. 00:51 The Wichita Falls sign 05:30 Comments from the Haters! 14:39 Things we like 22:50 First Things First 30:48 Making you stronger builds muscle 41:03 What works 51:32 Learning from doing it 1:08:32 Practical application vs. exercise science
Rip talks to the author of Fossil Future, Alex Epstein, about the need for increased usage and accessibility of fossil fuels, the advantages of fossil fuel consumption, the impact on global warming, and the role of nuclear energy. 00:33 Alex Epstein 01:26 Fossil Future 04:29 Rip’s position 10:07 Philosophy of science 14:30 Global warming 19:53 Selecting the terminology/Naming the state of things a catastrophe 26:33 Fear and guilt 31:06 Nuclear energy 41:44 Incentives 48:38 In conclusion
Megan Yeh, co-owner of SS Columbus, and Ray Gillenwater discuss the responsibilities of being a hospitalist, the advantages of strength training, and the common tendency of individuals to overlook their health by making unwise choices. 01:38 - Medical background 02:37 - Hospitalist 03:19 - Starting numbers and current PRs 05:45 - Discussing strength training with patients 07:15 - Aspiring to be a doctor 10:11 - Position on strength training as a medical professional 18:56 - Pregnancy and back pa...
Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 05:02 Things we like 10:26 Comments from the Haters! 22:40 Sumo is gay 30:51 Chin-ups vs. pull-ups 33:23 Programming during a cut 39:00 Which type of testosterone is best? 44:23 Belt for power cleans 46:14 Does the house always win? 49:53 Rip’s lightbulb moments 59:15 Alcohol is a part of the program 1:02:17 Missing reps
Rip talks to Greg Ellifritz, who underwent the TULSA procedure at Dr. Busch's office in Atlanta, about prostate cancer, treatment, and quality of life. 00:31 Greg Ellifritz 09:19 The diagnosis 16:24 Joe Busch and the TULSA procedure 25:30 After surgery 30:45 Quality of life over quantity 35:33 About the procedure 45:35 Research on decision making
Heart surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia joins Ray on the show today to discuss the most important topics from Ovadia's book, Stay Off My Operating Table. The cholesterol controversy, diagnostic testing, blood panel specifics, and other areas of interest related to avoiding heart disease are reviewed in as much detail as an hour show allows. 01:17 - Stay Off My Operating Table 06:37 - The standard of practice 10:28 - Why are there so many sick people? / Being red-pilled 13:19 - How do I take back control...
Rip talks to former NFL football player John Welbourn about the NFL, process vs. outcome driven individuals, and applying field strength. 00:32 John Welbourn 07:12 Zangus 11:23 College 18:01 Process vs. outcome 25:18 John’s move to Austin 33:27 The education system and politics 42:44 About the NFL 54:12 Brain injuries in the NFL 1:09:11 Learning and teaching 1:17:21 Displaying strength 1:24:39 Rip and John do two different things 1:38:34 Let’s table that topic for next time
Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 01:57 Comments from the Haters! 16:57 Programming and certification questions 29:53 Overweight and having spine problems 42:57 Kids and training while in season 56:39 Elbow replacement and deadlift 1:00:32 NLP and deadlift numbers 1:11:35 Why increase in weight if still making progress? 1:26:39 Neuromuscular disease and fatigue
Ray and Nick review the steps in the NLP and go through progressions to intermediate programming for each lift and examples of common issues with making changes. 01:47 Squat progression - Novice to Intermediate 03:37 Start with the basics - only make changes when needed 06:22 Technique/form 09:23 Adding a light day 11:59 Changes are individual dependent 13:51 Go up on the first set of five 15:33 Anything that's not adding five pounds to a workout isn't NLP 16:54 40-year-old/last steps for progre...
Rip discusses his article, The Inappropriate Use of the Rack Pull, and how coaches often use modifications to the basic lifts as a crutch instead of learning to fix technique issues. "Lumbar flexion needs to be corrected, but correcting it by using a position where it's not actually a problem is not a correction." 00:56 It's time to grow some balls 15:32 Comments from the Haters! 26:12 A coach not doing his job 40:27 When to use a tool 45:49 The reason alternate lifts should be used 51:35 You ha...
Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 01:27 S&C coaches are upset with Rip 03:35 Comments from the Haters! 22:36 What does Rip believe / Afrin 25:17 Accessory lifting book 27:42 Asymmetric loading 31:30 Can osteoporosis be irreversible? 37:21 Disrupting homeostasis 44:13 Rips mental health and his steak 53:46 Night sweats after lifting heavy 56:13 Training for music 58:27 Lowering blood pressure 1:03:52 Working in the heat and then lifting
Ray Gillenwater talks to Andy Rutledge about what went into the new website's design and how strength training has benefited his life. At Age 57, Andy gained 55 lb of bodyweight and got his squat to 405 lb.
Rip talks with Edward Dowd about his book Cause Unknown, the propaganda over the past three years, excess death rates, Pfizer, and corruption in the medical system. 00:27 Edward Dowd 01:42 Fact checkers vs. actual statistics 09:03 Dramatic rises in deaths 12:47 Data in the lockdown 22:25 Pfizer doubled their worth 27:15 The entire medical system is corrupt 40:57 Where does this go? 49:50 They wanted to put us in camps 54:28 Authority needs compliance
Rip gets exposed to videos of professional and Division 1 strength and conditioning methods and the crew discuss why the current functional fitness trend is useless. 02:12 Comments from the Haters! 09:56 Intro to functional fitness 17:49 Ideas from the media 25:06 What IS being done on the pro level 37:35 Wasted potential 45:08 Dr. Joel Seedman 48:32 Dangerous ACL rehab 51:41 Flash Garrett’s low resistance 53:27 Christian McCaffrey displays athleticism 54:36 Making training like the sport 1:01:1...
Ray talks with brother-in-law Benji Nguyen about how strength training has benefited his overall confidence (especially with the ladies) and self-esteem through college and becoming a young man. 01:34 - PRs on lifts 03:04 - Benji's perception of Starting Strength 06:03 - Celebrating deficiencies 14:15 - Psychological changes after lifting/benefits and disadvantages 19:41 - Difference between a Starting Strength PR and a powerlifting PR 28:18 - More benefits from strength training 36:54 - Buildin...
Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:16 Comments from the Haters! 10:10 Does ChatGPT know Rip? 22:25 The plate spoof 27:49 TRT and can’t stop eating 33:55 Rip vs. Nick on washing cast iron cookware 40:10 Playing rugby and training 47:30 Quad tendinitis 56:51 Rehabbing a back injury 1:06:25 Torn adductor 1:25:32 Squatting with pelvic tilt
Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 05:41 Comments from the Haters! 22:03 TLDR 33:51 Worthless S&C coaches in the NFL 46:03 Rip’s thoughts on Dune 52:13 Andy Baker programs/hypertrophy 55:03 Lifting after kidney surgery 58:45 Regrouping your hook grip 59:38 BBQ with leaves 1:04:54 Starr on squat technique
Ray Gillenwater talks to Starting Strength Plano Coach Maxine Lisot about being the fastest to finish the prep course, coaching girls wresting, her martial arts background, and how important barbell training is for female athletes. 01:30 - Prep Course finished in 4 months 04:32 - Taking the platform and volume control 06:22 - Controlling anxiety 08:58 - Wrestling and martial arts 23:13 - Goal meet numbers 24:39 - Special culture in the Texas gyms 26:35 - Philosophy on coaching 32:00 - Favorite m...
Rip talks about the importance of safety in major barbell exercises and how injuries can be prevented by picking the correct weight and having spotters. 00:47 The accident 04:14 Safety during the lifts 07:30 Proper spotting in the squat 33:47 Bench is inherently dangerous 51:45 Considerations for the press 55:59 Don’t spot a deadlift 1:01:22 The power clean platform
Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:42 Comments from the Haters! 16:40 Rep ranges for assistance lifts 28:19 Broke scapula…help 45:11 Hurt meniscus 54:14 When to specialize in the OHP 1:05:01 Pregnancy and training 1:16:53 Clavicle pain
Ray Gillenwater talks to the owner of Starting Strength Indianapolis, Andrew Lewis, about upcoming gym updates, insights from his training logbooks, and how training helped tremendously with his depression. 01:14 - Logbooks from Starting Strength Coaches 02:58 - Starting Strength Indianapolis updates 08:42 - Client stories 11:14 - Andrew's PRs 13:04 - Back to day one 18:55 - After LP 23:32 - Olympic lifting 27:11 - Failing the opt-in during the seminar 31:06 - Insights from training and life 36:...
Rip talks about the history of anabolic steroids, who uses them and why, and why they are completely inappropriate and unnecessary for most lifters. 01:02 4th of July 06:33 Anabolic steroids 19:20 What they do/morals 23:38 Steroids and the Olympics 36:17 A novice should just do a good strength program 42:30 Steroids help bad training 53:12 What they don’t do
Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:25 Comments from the Haters! 13:07 Ask a Jew 31:04 Structural asymmetry 37:05 Personal trainers to barbell coaches 43:29 Do you miss Bre? 44:00 Can’t straighten elbow in press 45:43 Marty Fox's silly questions 48:31 Does the CNS get trained? 1:00:50 Things to know about North Texas and Oklahoma 1:03:20 Achilles tendon injury 1:12:44 How to get a smaller belly? 1:15:41 More cooking videos
Everything you never asked to know about the franchise business is covered in this conversation between Ray Gillenwater and our franchise attorney, Tim Pickwell. If business legal minutia gets your engines revving, we feel sorry for you, but the good news is you may enjoy this podcast episode. And for those of you that say we're boring...this episode is evidence that you are indeed correct. 01:02 Franchise attorney 02:54 How SS Gyms operates vs others 05:42 Cash flow positive 06:49 Franchisee su...
Rip talks about muscular growth and strength increases. He discusses why lifting light weights for high reps does not drive muscle growth and adding more volume doesn't mean you're "doing hypertrophy." 02:47 Comments from the Haters! 14:57 Ask a brown 17:38 Let’s talk about hypertrophy 20:38 Phenomenology 36:19 Volume and stress are different 42:30 You have to grind 49:37 Theories must change with evidence 59:22 Hypertrophy and a “cut"
Rip and Jessica Rose the VAERS system and what the data shows over the last three years regarding emergency use vaccines. 00:28 Dr. Jessica Rose 06:20 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) 14:30 VAERS works and needs to be watched 17:05 Is the Covid-19 vaccine a real vaccine? 22:51 What is a vaccine? 29:01 Distrust in the system now 34:13 Robert F. Kennedy and Peter Hotez
Ray Gillenwater interviews Mindy Slovinsky, an online client of Nick D, about her past life as an ultramarathoner and what's it's like to lift double her bodyweight at 51 years-old. 01:25 - Mindy's current PRs 05:01 - Motivation to start strength training 07:26 - Running 100 miles twice 10:57 - What's going on in your head? 15:16 - After-effects on your body 18:08 - Experiencing burnout 26:42 - Lifting goals 29:41 - Having Nick as a coach 34:16 - Form and programming changes 41:05 - Changes in b...
Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength fans. 01:59 Haters! 13:15 Ask a Jew 23:09 Traumatic brain injury and testosterone 34:53 Consistent back tweaks 47:28 Diabetic and training 56:52 Should I gain weight? 1:00:35 What’s the benefit of getting stronger than I am?
Rip explains how our DNA dictates how we adapt to training, why big, strong men command more attention than small guys, and how getting strong improves aesthetics. 00:55 Rip makes ordering food difficult for everyone 04:50 Comments from the Haters! 14:45 Ask a Jew 23:12 Today’s topic 28:46 Big guys get attention 38:32 Physical and mental health are linked 39:51 Two different approaches 45:56 Getting bigger has an impact 51:29 Training for aesthetics is easier and doesn’t work 57:57 It’s worse no...
SSC from SS Austin, Andrea Mates, joins Ray on the podcast to discuss Andrea's career change from teaching to coaching, why strength is essential for motherhood, body image, body composition, and her two pregnancies: one from before she started training and her most recent pregnancy as a strength trainee. 02:34 - Why Andrea became a Starting Strength Coach 10:01 - Profound changes in quality of life 15:56 - Premenopausal women struggling with bodyweight issues 20:05 - What makes up body composit...
