Starting Strength

We offer three distinct programs for the development of lifters & coaches:

• Starting Strength Seminars are a comprehensive theoretical and practical exploration of the 5 basic barbell lifts. Mark Rippetoe leads each event; staff coaches assist in the sessions & evaluation. Attendees include coaches and lifters at all levels of experience.
• Starting Strength Training Camps are one-day events focused on improving your performance of 1-2 lifts. They are coached by select Starting Strength Coaches.

If you are looking for a coach on an individual basis, you can search our Starting Strength Coach Directory (right side, this page). The listing contains those who've been awarded the Starting Strength Coach designation based on their successful completion of a Starting Strength Seminar.

And if you are a Starting Strength Coach, we welcome your participation in the Starting Strength Coaches Association.

Starting Strength Seminars

The Starting Strength Seminar is the first of its type in the fitness industry. Led by Mark Rippetoe, the SSS teaches the methods of basic barbell training detailed in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and Practical Programming for Strength Training. This method deconstructs the five basic barbell exercises down to their elements in skeletal and muscular anatomy, and then derives a system for performing and coaching them based on the biomechanics of the loaded human body moving in a gravitational framework.

The Starting Strength Seminar is an intensive exposure to all the information from which the Starting Strength system is derived. The 3-day format allows for an in-depth exploration of the theoretical basis of the system, as well as a thorough under-the-bar practical session for each exercise. The basics of coaching, biomechanics, lifting efficiency, and safety are developed into a logical and effective system of barbell training that forms the best possible foundation for any strength and conditioning program.

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Starting Strength Training Camps

Training camps are one-day events where the focus is on improving your performance under the bar.  Camps focus on the squat, presses (press and/or bench press) or pulls (deadlift and/or clean and/or snatch). Each camp begins with a lecture focused on the basics of the movement and a discussion of the anatomy and forces at work.  This is followed by a platform session where participants receive coaching through their warm up and work sets. Through the entire process, attendees learn the hallmarks of properly executed movements and how they should look and feel when they are performed correctly.  Camps finish with question and answer sessions, programming discussion, and how to identify and correct common technical problems.  Whether you are just starting out with strength training, struggling with the basics of the lifts, or looking to polish your technique and understanding of these movements, you will come away with valuable insights and experience to benefit your training.