Starting Strength Radio

SS Colorado Springs Gym Owner, JD, joins Ray on the podcast to discuss his role as a military leader, his motivation for opening a gym, recovering from a rooftop fall with strength training, and squatting 500 lb in his 40s. 01:25 - JD's squat PR with no proof 03:29 - Role in the military 08:38 - Motivation for opening Starting Strength Colorado Springs...you fell off a roof? 15:03 - Back to Starting Strength 17:29 - When did you start hurting less? 19:00 - Other considerations than opening a Starting Strength Gym 25:31 - JD's role in the military and the skills needed 29:49 - Philosophical viewpoints coming from the military 32:59 - Plan for hiring 39:17 - How to contact JD 41:42 - Goals for the next few years 46:08 - We will grow as slowly as we need to 49:21 - Apprenticeship in Orlando 57:40 - Last day in the Army

Rip and Dr. Malcolm Kendrick discuss statins, accusations of harm caused by "Statin Deniers," and Dr. Kendrick's libel suit against media companies. 00:39 Malcolm Kendrick/News attacks 11:56 Studies prove cholesterol doesn’t kill 18:25 Ancel Keys and data suppression 29:14 Why cholesterol is important 37:25 When does it become dangerous? 47:57 Cholesterol in Men and Women 55:06 Thoughts on doctors

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength fans. 01:57 Comments from the Haters! 09:38 Hernia surgery 20:47 Where is Rusty? 21:35 The feds and the constitution 38:41 More reps for diabetics 52:20 Groin pull and squats 1:00:17 Trying to lose weight by swimming 1:05:28 Deviated septum tips 1:12:55 A new Jew/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Everyone's favorite guest, Nick, joins Ray on the podcast today to discuss how popular culture's conception of fitness is exactly backwards. Listen and nod in agreement, or angrily share your misunderstandings in the comments. 01:57 - Argument for Starting Strength 05:33 - Adaptions are specific to the stress that you apply 08:03 - How do adaptations carry over into life? 09:58 - Guiding people through the most optimal way to improve performance 17:02 - Where should you spend your time and energy to benefit everything else? 18:48 - People have preconceptions 21:00 - Process-oriented solution to a common misconception 32:09 - High levels of conditioning are specific to the activity that you're doing 36:42 - Most people have their priorities backward 45:08 - Progress that can be measured 47:53 - We are selling improved capability 56:55 - Two types of coaches that aren't ideal 58:54 - How to guide clients when things get hard 01:05:54 - Starting Strength Gyms is getting a new website

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:33 Comments from the Haters! 16:35 Join the Network 18:54 Chiropractic a scam 28:21 Coaching your husband 34:11 Hurt my shoulder deadlifting 37:09 Wife has bad knees…squat? 41:31 Ice baths 48:17 Press programming 56:03 Plates face in on deadlift 57:23 Feeding beef differently and taste

Rip discusses what is and is not strength training along with a new and novel way to look at the process of getting stronger. 00:58 Today’s topic 02:48 Comments from the Haters! 20:24 What is training? 29:05 Everything is about force production 35:05 Not everything is strength training 43:21 Stress must be accumulative 45:34 Six movement patterns 52:44 Doing things optimally 59:26 Olympic lifting is not strength training 1:07:02 Training and practice 1:12:28 Closing

Carl Case invited Ray to join him for a discussion on the Local Business Hacks podcast where Carl interview fitness industry leaders to discuss their keys to success. To save you a click, we've re-posted the episode here. Interested in hearing how Ray communicates Starting Strength Gyms to the uninitiated? Listen in. Spoiler: Carl became a Starting Strength Gyms Online Coaching client immediately after the interview was recorded. At 6'4", Carl needs to be at least 260lbs. We'll get him there, with a 500lb+ deadlift, in 18-months or less - as long as he sticks to the program. 01:53 - Ray's business background 03:50 - Coming across Starting Strength 06:29 - How to make Starting Strength more accessible to more people 11:50 - How can the world get involved with Starting Strength Gyms? 15:55 - How to get connected with Ray 18:24 - Think big and go for it 22:12 - Hire Slowly. Fire quickly. 26:21 - Are you a right fit for Starting Strength Gyms? 30:37 - What historical figure would you have dinner with? 31:31 - Empowering the right people to make decisions 39:01 - Ray's current top books and podcasts 40:57 - Starting Strength Radio 41:33 - Lex Fridman 42:10 - Negative and positive character traits

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:23 Comments from the Haters! 13:14 Steve shouldn’t gain weight 24:40 Advice on coaching my wife 36:02 Jodie wants to lose weight 52:13 Training with a hard schedule 1:00:23 Female clients won't gain weight 1:06:31 Jodie’s brother calls 1:09:25 Training and new to TRT 1:16:46 SSC Andrew Lewis calls in 1:25:05 My wife likes twinks

Rip and Dr. Wittmer discuss the DEA attempting to impose regulations on telemedicine and restrict the usage of testosterone. 00:43 Dr. Mike Wittmer 10:57 TRT And Steroids 13:53 Government Intervention 21:00 The Telemedicine Exemption 25:16 How Many And Who Is On TRT 29:17 Testosterone And Depression 36:09 The Healthcare Industry 42:09 Culture And The Government

Ray Gillenwater talks with Starting Strength Coach Mark Diffley about his specialties and successes with the SS Austin Gym. 03:02 - Why Starting Strength Austin 10:38 - Starting Strength Austin waiting list 13:29 - Why spend $405 to go to a gym? 14:54 - Number one target demographic 16:36 - How to become more capable 18:35 - Softest guys in the nation 23:18 - Gena is fantastic 28:56 - Become subject experts 37:25 - Starting Strength Austin members 43:22 - Martial arts 54:36 - Skill vs. strength

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:03 Comments from the Haters! 11:34 Getting Mom to start lifting 17:08 4-day split/hook grip 25:52 Advanced lifting is a greater stress 30:51 Bodybuilder's starving himself 38:45 Deadlift stalling while on a “cut” 42:32 Red spots on skin after lifting 44:57 Hip flexor tendonitis 49:57 Low DHEA 52:24 New car 59:42 Which pathway is ATP created in?

Rip and John Musser talk about their favorite movies of all time and explain why these movies made the list. 00:41 Favorite Movies / John Musser 10:25 Honorable mentions and the top 10 16:34 Modern movie reviews 20:20 Honorable mentions / The 13th Warrior 22:27 Big Trouble In Little China 24:48 DC animated movies 27:22 James Bond 35:07 The LOTR 41:32 Unforgiven 46:14 The 3 Musketeers 50:22 Silverado / Wyatt Earp 58:16 The Sacketts 1:03:10 Tremors 1:06:39 The Big Lebowski 1:09:47 Glengarry Glen Ross 1:13:56 The Cabin in the Woods 1:16:57 Atomic Blonde 1:23:45 Mulholland Falls 1:28:21 The top 5 1:29:19 Manhunter 1:32:48 Conagher 1:39:42 True Romance 1:43:28 Kingdom of Heaven 1:51:47 Wind River 1:58:26 The Wind and the Lion 2:05:23 The Professionals 2:10:21 The Wolfman 2:18:24 John's top movie 2:23:47 Rip’s top movie

Ray Gillenwater talks with Bruce Trout about how Starting Strength saved his life during his accident and coaching at Starting Strength Columbus. 02:20 - The accident 06:30 - EMT training 20:00 - Rehab process 30:27 - Progressions 34:53 - Where does Starting Strength fit? 40:48 - Being alive is not safe 45:05 - Reason for becoming a coach 51:09 - Satisfaction level being a coach vs. the last job

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength fans. 02:37 Comments from the Haters! 18:10 How much should I weigh? 29:36 Training with MS 39:41 Tips for your first powerlifting meet 50:51 Disc injuries 56:08 Coaching your spouse 1:04:19 Getting boxers stronger without going up in bodyweight 1:20:33 Strength and golf

Rip and guest Will Morris, DPT, discuss common injuries, how to rehab them, what to do if you have pain, and how doctors respond to certain injuries. 00:30 Will Morris, DPT 04:54 The topic of injuries 07:47 Common injuries and pain 13:31 Patients' response to injuries and pain 28:29 Doctors' response to injuries and pain 43:36 Minor injuries and current data 50:58 Will's rehab procedure for patients 1:04:39 You'll have injuries

Ray Gillenwater talks to James Johnson about his decision to leave a profession in healthcare to open a gym to do better what he loves, which is caring for others. 03:59 - Staying away from assisted living facilities by becoming stronger 07:44 - Caring for others 16:13 - Polypharmacy 28:46 - Health decisions we make now affect us later in life 32:06 - How James found Starting Strength 43:19 - Starting Strength Salt Lake City 49:05 - What strength does for the body 52:21 - Owning the change 58:41 - Words of wisdom 1:00:57 - Right of passage in society

Rip and crew discuss training kids, when it’s safe to teach them the barbell lifts, and when productive training can actually take place. 01:50 Comments from the Haters! 12:59 Ask a Jew 14:58 You can’t make people train 17:53 What about your kids 25:10 Don’t force your kids to train 28:39 What and when to teach them 36:19 The coach's role 42:32 You should train, as a parent 47:04 The most crucial thing to teach them 58:39 Pediatricians aren't that smart 1:04:48 Is it safe?

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:38 Haters, but we talk about other things 10:27 The actual Haters! segment 23:05 We won’t answer long questions 23:36 Breakfast/Waffle House 28:05 Deload 32:19 Back extensions and good mornings 40:25 At what age do you stop training hard? 45:54 Does drinking hinder or help lifting? 52:41 Supplements 1:00:06 Upper body Texas Method

Ray Gillenwater talks to the new President of Starting Strength Gyms, Luke Schroeder, about business operations, growth, and Luke's vision for the company. 02:40 - Why Luke decided to open a gym 11:09 - 1 AM discussions about business operations 27:05 - Strength needs to be prioritized 34:13 - Where we're currently at as a company 43:58 - Attracting like-minded people 48:07 - Luke's vision for the company 52:48 - Starting Strength Gyms is growing fast 56:30 - Investing in data

Rip talks about what happens at a Starting Strength Seminar and how attending the seminar will help your training and understanding of the Starting Strength method. 01:43 Current events 10:20 Comments from the haters 26:40 The seminar 30:04 It’s not a coaching seminar 40:51 Every seminar is a little different 51:35 Friday 55:15 Saturday 1:07:59 Sunday 1:15:05 The Q&A

An extraordinary edition of Starting Strength Radio to commemorate episode 200, a compilation of the best of Comments from the Haters!

Ray Gillenwater talks with the owner of Starting Strength OKC, Colby Iliff, about opening a second gym in OKC. 03:48 - Motivation to open a gym 11:30 - Starting Strength OKC or Quail Springs 14:43 - Progress with weight on the bar 19:41 - Balancing the day job with owning a gym 21:45 - Becoming an SSC 23:27 - Chase update 25:48 - Member stories 31:14 - Coaching Staff

Rip talks with Olympic lifting coach Kim Goss about functional training, coaching, and how obtaining degrees isn't important. 00:34 Kim Goss and his background 07:25 Functional training 15:58 Functional fitness is not safe 20:21 Injury prevention 29:42 Anatoly Pisarenko 42:11 They don't know how to coach 1:01:34 Changes in gym culture 1:08:33 Coaching failures 1:19:24 Degrees don’t matter 1:36:03 Outro

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 04:52 Iowa Park cops 07:00 Comments from the Haters! 18:07 Ask a Jew 36:58 Podcast on economics 42:10 Make time to train 48:26 Deadlift isn’t heavy enough 52:38 Power clean after a broken arm and wrist 59:24 Training with nerve damage 1:08:54 Doing the wrong program 1:16:57 The Marrs bar 1:20:13 Building the perfect badass 1:28:46 Deadwood

Ray Gillenwater and Adam Martin talk about what he was doing before coaching, plans for Starting Strength Atlanta, and the importance of investing time in your members. 06:23 - Social worker to SSC to gym owner 11:46 - Case studies 14:02 - Starting numbers 32:00 - Invest time in your members 34:21 - Before Adam was coaching 40:30 - Moving to Atlanta 43:52 - Working for El Hefe Luke 52:00 - Starting Strength is growing 56:00 - You cannot separate the mind from the body 57:06 - A question for Ray

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:14 Comments from the haters 14:51 Ask a Jew 29:06 Squatting with long femurs 40:05 When to hire a professional 46:20 1883 55:27 Hosting a strengthlifting meet 1:07:51 Pork rinds 1:13:56 Knee mobility 1:21:58 Rip and gardening 1:23:07 Antibiotic usage 1:29:38 Squatting with foot cramps

Rip talks with Rick Schwalenberg and Cathrine Hatcher, owners of The Drivers Edge, about high-performance driving, dream cars, and continuing education. 00:40 Today's guests 06:08 The Drivers Edge 14:29 The mechanics of driving faster 22:59 Different tracks 28:24 Instructors 31:10 Vehicles of choice 41:56 Attendance 48:51 Safety on the track 52:48 Expectations from the drivers 1:01:02 What if I don’t have a car? 1:07:09 Dream racing car

Ray Gillenwater and Head of Recruiting Inna Koppel discuss important career advice for becoming a coach and some current openings at Starting Strength Gyms across the United States. 05:07 - Growing slowly 06:33 - Who the apprenticeship program is for 11:15 - Coaching as a career 23:47 - College learning 33:07 - Career advice 36:43 - Coach's salary 39:35 - Target audience 48:22 - Looking for mentors 51:40 - Criteria for a great place to work 56:34 - Coaches can become gym owners

Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:54 The NFL 14:24 Comments from the haters 27:33 Feeling beat up after NLP 35:06 Doing silly shit because it's fun 44:39 The First Three Questions 55:06 Programming deadlifts 1:02:39 Knee tendonitis 1:15:23 Training kids 1:22:26 Matt from Jacksonville circles back

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 03:06 Comments from the Haters! 15:28 Ask a Jew 27:28 Rip on David Ramsey 35:20 Cast iron seasoning 40:28 Rip's impact on the older community 47:48 Dying from coming off of statins 57:26 Does gaining strength increase neuromuscular efficiency 1:07:10 Knife sharpening 1:08:18 Single vs. double ply 1:12:47 Marty Fox wants to play chess 1:16:22 Stretching the shoulders out 1:24:12 Too much flexibility in the squat

Ray Gillenwater talks with Jordan Burnett about how strength training and becoming a Starting Strength Coach have helped him overcome mental hardships. 03:29 - Jordan as a young man 07:52 - Simple strength training program 09:10 - Confidence comes with strength 13:17 - Do hard things 18:36 - Jordan's starting numbers and current PRs 27:43 - Coaching at Starting Strength Dallas 35:44 - Corporate life 37:02 - Big Brothers Big Sisters 39:32 - Dream job vs. corporate job 48:47 - We don't do "sales" 55:51 - Favorite client success stories

Rip talks with John Valentine and Nick D about the Lift Shoot Fight camp and John's company, Deeds of Arms. 01:35 John Valentine and Lift Shoot Fight 03:11 About John Valentine 06:55 Expectations of the Lift Shoot Fight camp 14:56 Coaching movement patterns and processes 20:35 Lifting during Lift Shoot Fight 26:35 Why getting stronger matters/shooting during Lift Shoot Fight 34:31 Fighting during Lift Shoot Fight/real-world situations 42:40 Assessing how you train 49:28 Not having the right to defend yourself 53:38 Deeds Of Arms

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:44 Comments from the Haters! 03:32 Ask a Jew 16:33 Stupid question 17:12 Competing energy systems 23:45 Olympic lifts with a ligament tear 27:08 Practical Programming merchandise 29:16 Rip on tipping 42:45 Blood flow restriction 46:34 A change in career

Ray Gillenwater speaks with David Puder, MD, about how more screen time can negatively affect you mentally, the benefit of training and exercise, and when to reach out to someone about your mental health. 02:15 The smartphone effect 05:13 Increase in screen time, decrease in quality work 12:42 Unsocial media 16:54 Exercise reduces the risk of dying 34:26 Where to start 45:15 When do drugs come into the picture 49:39 Low-risk, high reward

Rip talks about RPE, its origins in exercise science, and its current use in strength programming. 02:26 Comments from the Haters! 12:42 James Cameron’s low T 20:20 The topic of RPE 25:33 What RPE was used for 31:06 What you’re feeling isn’t what’s happening 34:44 What “coaches” use RPE for 39:51 RPE is not data 46:30 Lifters have bad days, but you still need to PR 53:00 Mental training

Keith and Angie Nichols, owners of Tier 1 Health and Wellness, join Rip to discuss hormone optimization for women. 00:38 Today's guests 02:14 Women’s health initiative/bio-identical 15:24 T1’s approach to women 24:36 Low hormones in young women and the effects of exercise 32:07 The older demographic/thyroid and testosterone 35:18 Big Pharma 43:29 Hormones prevent disease 51:29 Type 2 diabetes and modern medicine 55:30 Do your research 1:03:21 Expectations

Ray Gillenwater talks with Michael Jones about his time in Alabama, why he came to Starting Strength Plano, and why this stuff is so important. 04:07 What has Starting Strength done for you? 08:58 Time in Alabama 12:50 Starting Strength Plano 18:16 What to expect during your intro session 28:44 Massage in the coaching 34:19 Starting and current PRs 43:49 Heavy press singles 46:04 Why is this so important?

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Gym owners and members. 03:47 Comments from the haters 15:16 Still refining the books 29:00 Nebraska method 42:00 Training while on vacation 48:31 Children doing NLP 56:40 Protein powder 1:02:54 Masters lifters training frequency 1:12:27 Should I warm up again 1:16:36 Maintaining weight 1:23:27 Mental training

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 02:41 Comments from the Haters! 18:51 Two things wrong with the program 37:35 The decline of Western civilization 54:36 Would Rip buy an electric car? 1:03:26 Spinal fusion surgery 1:06:40 Pressing with banged-up shoulders 1:10:03 Factory farming 1:31:23 Nuclear fusion 1:33:56 Sports massage 1:36:34 Tapered belts 1:38:04 Blood Meridian

Ray Gillenwater explains our "sales" process to a batch of new franchise owners.

Dr. Malcom Kendrick returns to join Rip for a discussion on the relationship between heart disease and cholesterol, statins, and his book "The Clot Thickens." 00:41 Dr. Malcolm Kendrick 06:45 What causes heart disease? 16:16 Preventing strokes and heart attacks 24:05 Cholesterol 38:21 Replacing fat with sugar 42:20 Clinical studies 44:52 Relationship with heart disease and cholesterol 57:01 Statins

Rip summarizes his six-part article Why You Won't Do the Program. 01:55 Comments from the haters 08:39 Why You Won’t Do the Program 12:28 It’s too simple 22:11 We are not bodybuilding 26:06 What is Starting Strength? 41:40 It’s only three days a week 50:44 The Novice Effect 1:04:16 It works too fast 1:10:46 It doesn’t work fast enough 1:19:40 Rip is fat

Ray Gillenwater talks with Coach of the Year Amanda Sheppard about her experience coaching in a collegiate gym, some client success stories, and managing apprentices at Starting Strength Beaverton. 01:42 - Coach of the year 08:30 - How strength has helped Linda 12:16 - Amanda is taking online clients 13:43 - Experience in the college world 17:04 - What was LP like? 20:31 - Overcoming image in the gym 26:55 - Coaching in a collegiate gym vs. a Starting Strength Gym 31:48 - Experience with functional training 43:15 - Success stories 51:16 - Managing apprentices at Starting Strength Beaverton 56:25 - How to contact Amanda

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 01:53 Comments from the haters 15:46 Eating more for recovery 20:43 Building in the mountains 49:21 Best Conan stories 54:46 Inflation 55:01 Rip on health insurance 1:04:24 Rehabbing an elbow injury 1:07:10 Rip narrowcasting

Rip and John Musser talk about what makes a movie a "monster movie" and discuss their favorites. 00:55 John Musser 07:24 Important things about Monster Movies 10:21 Ray Harryhausen 17:48 King Kong is not a monster movie 26:48 Reign of Fire 32:03 Jurassic Park 36:09 Troll Hunter 40:52 The Mummy 45:21 Frankenstein 53:06 The Wolfman 1:01:27 Is Dracula a monster movie? 1:05:39 30 Days of Night 1:09:12 Godzilla 1:19:40 The Thing

Ray Gillenwater and Nick Delgadillo discuss how becoming stronger often resolves pain, working through or around injuries, and when to see a PT. 01:43 - We don't do rehab 10:32 - What we have to offer 15:09 - It's a programming problem 19:21 - Pain is in your head? 27:08 - Form issues/Fix your form 36:57 - Being consistent 41:33 - Recovery factors to consider 50:09 - Making things heal 01:00:14 - When to get help/another opinion

Rip discusses modifying the basic barbell lifts and when it’s appropriate to do so. 04:04 Comments from the haters 15:29 Intro to exercise modifications 23:50 Squat modifications 51:29 Deadlift modifications 1:09:43 Press modifications 1:21:15 Bench press modifications 1:27:49 Cleans 1:33:14 Chin-ups

Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans. 04:34 - Comments from the Haters! 20:58 - Kimchi 24:47 - Dog castration 28:40 - Taller people have more body fat 35:21 - Rip's race car training 39:59 - Checking in on the dogs 43:06 - Rusty's astigmatism 47:31 - Deadlift long-term programming 54:28 - Broken back 1:00:26 - Old Henry

SS Gyms Co-Founder, Ray Gillenwater, addresses the Owners and Coaches at the 2022 Gyms Conference with a few important updates and announcements.

Rip talks about people's perceptions of themselves at different bodyfat percentages and why your goal should be to add weight to the bar. 05:28 Comments from the haters 10:56 Getting more hate 18:03 Body comp and the reason humans have fat 24:53 Normal vs. abnormal body fat percentage 37:07 Body comp after you train 51:26 Eating appropriately 58:54 Tracking your food 1:14:32 The coach's job