Starting Strength Radio

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 00:59 Comments from the Haters! 09:53 Setting records without lifting weight 14:55 Equipped powerlifting 22:56 Training after healing from surgery 28:01 Carl took me to a gay bar 29:14 Training after a hip replacement 31:01 Figure 8 straps 35:43 How to deadlift with flat plates 37:47 Why 5s? 47:19 What’s the deal with Chase? 49:36 Pressure problems 57:52 Gaining strength after 40

Rip discusses a common question of trainees: "What should my goals be?" and explains the importance of following a process while keeping priorities straight.

Rip shares some classic muscle magazines from his collection and talks about their influence, the origins of isolating muscle groups during workouts, and how Starting Strength contrasts with the traditional bodybuilding routine.

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:31 Comments from the Haters! 09:16 Lifting with compromised abdominal wall 16:37 Jake is still not eating enough 33:54 Lat pulls as assistance 43:46 Perks of being a subscriber 45:55 Arguing with Rip 54:51 Recovery needs 1:13:08 Dropped shoulder

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 01:54 Comments from the Haters! 14:52 Things we like: Chester’s Chicken 20:40 How the lifts compliment each other 27:09 Leg drive too hard during bench 33:22 Do you read fiction? 39:10 A.I. and coaching 56:09 Is it over? 1:08:27 Forced to weight train

Rip talks to Naomi Wolf about her new book Facing the Beast: Courage, Faith, and Resistance in a New Dark Age, discussing their perspectives on recent, current, and ongoing events.

Rip has a conversation with Jim Steel, a renowned strength coach and frequent contributor to the Starting Strength website. Rip and Jim discuss the evolution of training, the importance of the barbell as a training tool, and the latest activities Jim is involved in. 00:31 Jim Steel talks other writers 04:38 Jim’s training history 10:12 Feeding on the fear and RPE 25:28 Misconceptions about getting bigger 36:24 The best lifters were huge 42:26 Motivated people will train hard 48:32 Fancy equipment isn’t needed 58:20 Latest updates on Jim

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:19 Trains - part 1 05:49 Comments from the Haters! 13:15 Things we like 17:36 I want to use my bar 26:01 Trains - part 2/Expert talks 41:10 Gaining and losing weight, still stalling 46:27 4-day split over two weeks 52:45 Books on shooting 1:01:35 Young kids need to do the program 1:05:17 Rattlesnakes

Ray Gillenwater talks with Austin Force about his journey to becoming the financial expert at Starting Strength Gyms, prioritizing health and fitness, the keys to success in entrepreneurship, and contributing value to society.

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 03:58 Comments from the Haters! 13:02 Guy tells Rip about water in sinks 16:06 How does anemia affect training? 21:31 Postpartum diastasis recti 23:46 Rip’s thoughts on Dunkin’ Donuts coffee 27:10 Do you think people are waking up? 44:19 Butts are genetic 47:18 Have haters ever become lovers? 49:20 Coffee cup 50:50 Rusty’s eyes 52:40 Should I go up in weight? 57:08 Getting big numbers at 50? 1:01:14 Pulling vs. pushing a sled 1:03:23 Heartburn while lifting due to hernia 1:09:48 Best depth for strength/1883 1:13:11 Velocity measuring for lifting

The human body does not change under suboptimal stress because it doesn't have to. The dogma ex-phys people are still pursuing is that higher reps produce better hypertrophy than sets of five with heavy weights. Hypertrophy is an increase in the size of muscles. The amount of weight lifted, aka intensity, is the primary driver of hypertrophy. 04:19 Comments from the Haters! 14:20 Hypertrophy 21:41 The phenomenology 31:44 You are not strong enough/Stress management 38:35 People are scared of lifting heavy weights 50:21 PRs are what matter

Ray Gillenwater talks to John Kawauchi (60 years old) about a past shoulder injury, how he rehabbed with Starting Strength, financial advice for preparing for retirement, and life insurance. 01:35 Summary of John's shoulder injury 04:44 Rotator cuff tear 05:56 Everyday life with a shoulder injury 07:50 Will's approach to PT 11:06 Starting numbers 16:18 Retirement planning 18:40 What would you tell your old self? 21:19 Training together with family 30:31 How to prepare for retirement - financials 34:02 Maximize your income 36:22 Things that are not correlated will make your portfolio safer 41:14 Don't invest in something you don't understand 47:15 Life insurance advice

The simplest way to improve your performance is to get stronger. Strength is the basis of physical performance. The Standard Model of strength and conditioning tries to blend practice and training and, therefore, does neither well. 01:42 Comments from the Haters! 12:03 Things we like 19:54 Starr Rehab explained 30:01 Two-Factor Model 36:59 Being athletic improves skill in skill-based things 48:19 You are not a freak athlete 59:16 How did they get there?

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 03:01 Comments from the Haters! 17:39 Starting Strength 30 years from now 18:40 Beef heart 20:12 Starting Strength involved in the culture war 23:32 People avoid Nick D in the streets 27:32 Rolfing sessions 36:54 Seeing a doctor in the absence of symptoms 1:03:44 Coffee brands 1:09:24 Training schedule for 1-2 hours a day

Ray Gillenwater talks to the rehab specialist for SS Gyms, Will Morris, about accessory work, "chiseling in" after you're strong, and "chasing the pump." 02:26 How do you get big and muscular? 05:32 Strength training is bodybuilding 08:34 Isolated movements don't cause enough stress 12:02 Build strength from the inside out 14:52 Ray's programming 16:33 Programming/Recovery autoimmune 24:28 Built like a meatball 31:03 Mobility 36:13 Treating patients as they need to be treated 37:48 Chiseling in after you are strong 41:16 Accessory bench work and rowing 48:35 Working close to failure on hypertrophy 52:45 Why the NLP is so effective 58:26 Maintaining the quality of muscle contraction 1:08:28 Rehab specialist for Starting Strength Gyms

Rip discusses his opinion of "The Science" by reviewing the paper: Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines, and discusses the exercise science narrative and its exclusion of commonly observed phenomena. 02:17 Comments from the Haters! 15:14 Follow "The Science" 17:57 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research paper 28:20 The phenomena 38:25 The details 52:10 The subjects 58:51 The program 1:05:50 Just increase the load 1:15:00 This is the “Science.”

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 2:42 Comments from the Haters! 11:14 Things we like: Pitch Black Forge 17:06 Low back rounding in the deadlift 27:49 Deadlift with short arms and legs 33:56 Pre-workout and paranormal experiences 41:43 Deadlift stall, not pulling hard enough 50:14 IT band releas 59:18 Back tweak after 315 for 5 1:13:20 Keeping my abs AND staying strong 1:23:21 Are eggs bad for you?/Bow-legged squat

Ray talks with Dr. Carter about the common misunderstanding that lifting weights can destroy bones, the relative safety of lifting compared to various other sports, and the importance of maintaining a positive outlook. 01:14 Does lifting destroy bones? 2:52 Stress recovery adaptation applies to the whole body system 07:30 Lifting weights is safer than soccer 11:04 Muscle as a protective mechanism 15:32 Flexibility isn't something to pursue 20:08 Where's the medical field in understanding this stuff? 23:54 Arrogance of man drives progress and issues 24:59 There is more to existence than you can see and observe 31:21 Science is God 34:10 Volume vs. intensity 38:09 Heavy and stronger is better cardio 40:47 Joey's training journey and PRs 52:23 Don't coach your spouse 53:37 Having strength as you age is important 59:41 Optimism - back to the incline 1:00:31 How to improve soft tissue with a nonsurgical intervention 1:07:33 Gulf Orthopedics

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 pain 33:44 - Taking our health for granted by making poor decisions 36:32 - Keeping the running habit 39:40 - Gaining body weight and in the same size clothes 44:06 - Age and height 45:09 - Telling more stories/sharing more experiences 52:10 - Does the curriculum have flaws? 55:17 - Two biological sexes 56:05 - What's it like owning SS Columbus? 58:47 - How to find Megan

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 of my health? 18:31 - Don't overeat if you're not using the energy 19:27 - Most common patient 24:13 - 5 basic levels of metabolic health 27:48 - Metabolic syndrome 33:59 - Sugar is damaging to the bloodstream 39:49 - Efficiency is important 45:30 - Calcium score 50:34 - Preventative heart surgery 53:57 - Insulin resistance 59:30 - Red blood cell count 01:03:09 - Distinction between polycythemia and secondary erythrocytosis 01:06:40 - The body is a complicated system

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 progression/decide which day is the heavy day 19:19 Triples 21:44 Considerations on program changes at this level 24:00 Women will move to threes pretty early 25:42 Programming issues - determining what change to make 26:36 Too much stress or not enough? 30:16 Not enough stress 31:49 If you make a change, make a small change 37:48 Standard progression on the deadlift 41:15 Simplifying things 44:37 Alternating the deadlift with another pulling movement 52:19 Making 10-pound jumps on the deadlift 55:09 Bench progression 57:30 Press progression 1:03:10 Nick's clients grinding through reps 1:04:39 Post novice - continue increasing stress

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 have to have a deep toolbox 1:01:48 A coach should be coaching from a model

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 1:01:13 Playing games instead of training 1:03:36 Practicing incorrectly

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 - Building confidence and getting more attention from the ladies 42:30 - If squats were easy, they would be called your mom 50:57 - Wefunder

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 member stories 35:07 - Girls wrestling coaching 37:11 - Belief comes first/new updates to the website 41:57 - Karate/BJJ 47:40 - Advice to your younger self 50:45 - How important exposure to barbell training can be

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 36:32 - Motivation for training 40:11 - Training to help depression 47:05 - Current programming 49:39 - Blackmetal Strength to SS Indianapolis 53:02 - Can you think for yourself? 56:15 - What would you do differently if you could do this again?

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 success and treatment compared to others 09:36 Majority of revenue from royalties 12:16 Maintaining quality and growing as slowly as we need to grow 20:30 Relevant regulations and why they were created 27:11 Federal Trade Commission 31:34 North American Securities Administrators Association 36:56 Are the FDD and laws obsolete? 39:49 No SS Gyms in California and New York 44:50 Thank you to our members 46:11 How many franchise companies are self funded? 48:21 40 gyms is the magic number 48:51 What could we do better? 51:19 Ray Kroc 51:58 Good things to come 57:35 We love transparency

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 bloodwork 45:59 - Opinion on aesthetics 50:07 - Mindy's BS meter

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 now 1:07:22 What’s important?

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 composition? 23:10 - Misconception of the number on the scale 37:13 - Andrea's starting numbers and current PRs 42:07 - Pregnancy while being strong 50:34 - The baby is the PR 52:35 - Attracting more people to the apprenticeship program

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:52 Comments from the Haters! 13:39 Sore heel after pushing the sled 21:48 Knee cave 25:07 How to set up for a rack pull 30:17 Will stronger people get tired faster? 46:01 Blood pressure guidelines 54:51 How much more should your deadlift be than your squat? 59:46 Why do traps get bigger? 1:03:18 The Army wants me weak 1:08:58 Bar path on the press

Rip talks about how other fitness programs want you to focus on aesthetics and training muscle groups. Machines cannot produce enough systemic stress for growth. Performance-based training works better for aesthetics than training separate muscle groups on machines. The body works as a system of levers powered by contractile motors, “muscles.” None of the muscles function in isolation from the others. 01:44 Comments from the Haters! 13:12 Starting Strength and aesthetics 20:13 We aren’t bodybuilders, but the body gets built 25:23 How to get bigger muscles 31:12 Machines and barbells are not the same 39:24 Getting bigger muscles is a side effect of getting strong 47:12 Machines can’t make you gain weight 52:14 People that train with machines 56:34 Your health