Wow, that kid’s strong.
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Kid is in Texas too. I bet he got coached my Mark Rippetoe himself!
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Time to slaughter another calf and offer it before the Altar of Rippetoe in my living room.
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No no no no. That kid did NOT have Rippetoe hip drive. He’s squatting all wrong. He needs to start over with the empty bar and a piece of rope taped to his ass if he ever wants to make any progress.
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Don’t forget the TUBOW!
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@bulldog9899 posted this somewhere else. I feel the need to post it here!
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For as big of a name that Mark Rippletoe is, why have I never heard of a lifter that is big time or known that he trains? Or does he just not cater to that crowd.
I know of athletes from Dan John, Glenn Pendlay, Joe DeFranco, and even Thibs. But I have yet to even hear of one from him. I just find that odd based on how many people suggest his programming.
@isdatnutty Honestly…most lifter when theyreach such a level whom have made a name for themselves…arent using " canned programs " Most have developed a approach or style that they prefer and get results from. In reality people put too much important on a given program it self be it the rep and sets scheme ect. What more important is the basic principles behind a certain approach and how one can implement them into ones training for optimal results.
Wellll… lets be honest it a ok program for someone starting out( BUT its not the only one) plus the book is good 101 level information. But im not going to kiss on his ass like some.
The logic is baffling. People are quick to point out that Rippetoe doesn’t train elite athletes. He “specializes in beginners”.
Ok, for 1, that’s insane. Beginners are the easiest training group in the world to improve. Beginners are so readily available for change and adaptation that you can throw ANYTHING at them and get progress. It would be like saying you’re a professional gamer that specialzes in the first level of Super Mario Brothers.
But let’s say it’s not crazy. Ripp has alledgedly been a coach for 40 years in the state of Texas. Texas, as a state, has a strong tradition of football and some strong people in strength sports. In the span of 40 years in a state where strong people come from, don’t the sheer statistically odds dictate that SOMEONE who has been successful in A sport of ANY variety would, at one point, have been trained by Mark Rippetoe? Someone out there, somewhere, MUST have gone to this guy as a beginner, got his super specialized beginner training, and then used that to move forward once they got more advanced, no? Why are there NO athletes out there saying “Yeah, Ripp really got me a great start, and after that I went and joined Westside/Sheiko/SuperGym/etc etc and REALLY got in a good way?”
Someone pointed out AN athlete to me once that claimed to be one of Mark’s students, and the dude was strong…but one guy over a span of 40 years? How do you do that as a coach? You would have to engage in some sort of reverse olympic selection process, where you make it a policy to train ONLY the smallest, weakest, and genetically inferior specimens available that have no chance of actually succeeding. Hell, even then, you’d think a few might ACCIDENTALLY get strong in spite of Ripp somehow.
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Hey, I used TUBOW last Sunday!
I enjoy Rips musings. He’s rediculous, yes, but a lot of it just makes sense to me. I’m not a fan of his programming though.
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I think Mark probably has one of the best mentalities out there for an athlete. Total pigheaded stubbornness and blind faith/commitment to a single method. I love reading what he writes because of that, but I also know not to take any of it seriously.
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I’m here to confess that I believe Mark Rippetoe is a very successful coach. He has done a tremendous service to many, many lifters by making it more accessible. Simply stated, he’s gotten a whole helluva lot of people under the bar, both as a coach and as an author.
I ran a very similar 3x5 full-body program as a beginner. I was drawn to it because it made sense to me, a person with zero strength training background. It got my head around the concept of progression. Hit your reps, add five pounds. And it didn’t seem like a ton of work. It seemed like something I could do, and I was right about that.
Starting Strength also helped me figure out my squat. The 42 page squat chapter and its illustrations were much more helpful to me than any of the dozen or so people I solicited for in-person squat advice.
I’m not an elite lifter, but I am a guy who loves doing it, along with all of the good things it does for me. I’m just speculating, but my guess is that Old Rip has introduced productive barbell strength training to a whole lot more people like me than, say, Louis Simmons.
No disrespect to Mr. Simmons, of course.
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I really just wish I could meet these people, haha.
I will confess that I am one of these people. I was frustrated as hell with squatting until I got Starting Strength. Those drawings and low-bar especially were most definitely an “aha” moment for me.
I think it is reasonable to conclude that most lifters who follow the Rip fly under-the-radar, but so what? His accomplishments are in quantity, not quality.
Wait, you were actually coached by Rippetoe?
I confess that I mostly followed his instructions on how to squat, so I’d say he’s the closest thing to a coach I had at the time.
I apologize; I believe I have done a poor job of conveying my point.
When I say “coach”, I mean as in the verb of to personally provide instruction, rather than to be an author to material that is followed. When I am speaking of Rippetoe as a coach, I mean as in a person providing actual direct instruction to lifters, rather than as an author that has written text that is followed.
Like, I have followed principles by Louie Simmons, but I wouldn’t ever say I was coached by Louie.
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I confess that I knew where you were going with this. And I accept your apology.
Rip’s success obviously stems from his work as an author. I’m using the term “coach” as an umbrella term for what he brings to strength training.
I’ve seen videos that appear to be Rip coaching people, and I’ll concede the possibility that a certain percentage of them might have moved on from barbell strength training.
Yup. I’m always willing to admit that the dude is a very successful author, and there are results to back it up.
I must admit I’ve never given Rip a second thought. If I’m going to disregard professional advice I prefer it be the best.
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