Marty Gallagher

[stef]

Rip interviews Marty Gallagher - lifter, writer and coach of champions.

(Part 1) Video (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/starting_strength_series_marty_gallagher)
(Part 2) Video (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/starting_strength_series_marty_gallagher_part_2)

Resources page (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/resources)

[Immortal_k]

Phenomenal interview, I never knew about Mr. Gallagher. Thanks, Coach Rip.

[james7454]

Such a well done interview. Priceless stuff.

[SQUAT_316]

That was AWESOME. Looking forward to Part 2. Maybe down the road one with Ed Coan? Thank you.

[Gillian Mounsey]

Awesome interview. So much information and lifting history detail. Looking forward to part 2.

[Slatts]

Thanks again, Rip. Mr. Gallagher is a gem and a masterful historian of the sport. Well done. And looking forward to the second half.

[DanO_123]

I wonder if the olympic lifting background of these guys before powerlifting was around gave them the base they needed for these phenomenal lifts. Hearing some of these guys squatting 1000lbs with no suit and 870lbs with no belt is crazy.

[acon120]

I really enjoyed that interview. Mr. Gallagher seems like a wonderful guy; looking forward to Part 2. As always, thanks for doing it Rip, you the man!

[Ease]

I really enjoyed it, thanx much. Love the part where he says he had to stabilize his hand with his other hand to get the key into the ignition, wonderful stuff.

[mkamaryn]

Great stories. Thanks for putting these interviews together!

[J Currie]

Great interview. Didn't know who Marty was but glad I watched it regardless. Looking forward to part two.

[Meshuggah]

You didnt know who Marty Gallagher is ??!! Yikes !!

[swilczewski]

Awesome interview. I remember reading a lot of those stories in The Purposeful Primitive but i like the added details that Marty threw in there. I really hope Rip and Marty can work something out to get that Coan book back in print i've been looking for that thing for years.

[Freddy]

This was fantastic. I knew about Mr. Gallagher only peripherally, I'm embarrassed to say, but there was some borderline life-changers in this one. I'd hesitate to quote any one thing that was said, but there's something special about two guys talking about something they really love, and the people that have shaped it. I guess that could be said about any of the interviews, but something about this one made me notice more. Definitely need to watch it again and absorb all the tidbits.

[pu239]

Great, great interview. I didn't know Marty either. My knowledge of the history of lifting is limited. Thanks for spending the time, effort, and money to do it.

[pantheist]

haha it was cool hearing Sam Loprinzi's gym mentioned. It's still open here in Portland and it's where I lift now, I'll have to show Bob (the current owner) this video

[Ryan Long]

Wow, that was a great interview. I can only imagine what the rest of his visit was like. After watching that I am committed to making it to the SS Coaches Conference.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Marty told me last week he has a conflict that weekend. We'll see if that changes.

[dws]

Part 3 - Best.Interview.Yet. I really enjoyed this one.

[Lou Guerra]

Excellent timing, "The Purposeful Primitive" just arrived at my door. These interviews are rapidly becoming my new porn.

[Nate-L]

I like how you mentioned the training for the military. I'm not in anymore, but I never liked doing high-rep sit ups, push ups, and 2 mile runs. I used to watch skinny guys do something ridiculous like 100 bad form push ups and think they were something special. Once I got high enough in rank to get away with it, I always went to the gym instead of doing the normal PT. But that's old times now! Thanks for the great interviews!

[nevermind]

I think Rips heart broke when Marty said
"If you had come up in our environment... with your wrist thickness and bone structure... it would be no problem being a champion lifter"

This video part 3 really put it into perspective.

I'm constantly surrounded by guys squatting 40kilos in my gym, and I'm easily the biggest squatter at 140kilos :| Just got to keep pushing it up.

"The problem you have, is that you are just too little"

"Eat your way through the sticking point"

Good advice, great interview. Gold mine of training knowledge :) Thanks

[Mosin Warrior]

I learn a ton each time I watch an interview with Marty, and all three interviews were pure gold.

[MattyK829]

Marty is awesome.
In one of the first two parts, he talk about McCallum and a program that lasts 12 weeks.

4 weeks of the following...

work up to a set of five with an 8 rep back off set,

next four weeks is a triple with a five rep back off set,

the last four weeks is a single or double with a triple back off set.

Does anyone know this program? It sounds great and could use some help organizing it.

[tomskarda]

I spent six months last year providing support work to a SOCOM unit in Afghanistan. Interestingly, most of the guys I worked with we're older operators and I would estimate that as a group they spent about 75% of their collective workout time lifting weights and the remainder doing cardio type work. Although in many cases their cardio was kettle bells and sprints. I could count the number of times I saw guys doing high rep pushups and situps on one hand.

For fun they mentored one of the Naval admin guys in weightlifting. The got this young man up to a 500 pound deadlift in about five months. He later said the got him his best run time ever.

[lisward]

It's so true what they talked about, how everyone's retarded about abs. Everyone now just wants to be skinny and do weird shit in the gym, I mean they'd like to call it bodybuilding in the gym, but it isn't bodybuilding if your primary concern is to be skinny.

What's sad is that, where I live, no one knows shit about sports, weightlifting, or conditioning. I don't know if I'm the only one, but literally everything I've learned about bodybuilding is from this forum, and from the book, it's kinda lonely and sad for me because I don't know anyone who isn't mentally retarded in my gym that I can be friends with. Literally, no hyperbole, 99% of the gyms in the small country I live in, are commercial gyms like Planet Fitness or some other form. A fitness trainer here is just some guy who got a cert from a cereal box, who's there for middle aged women to rent for an hour and make small talk with. The 'serious' gyms here, are all bodybuilding gyms, save for the national weightlifting association and some other gym that costs '$300 USD' a month to train at. I guess I'm just kinda sad that I there isn't any gyms like Mark's where I live, a gym that caters for people who want to become strong where I live, literally everything I've learned about form and weightlifting is from SS and this forum.

/End rant.

[Karl Schudt]

Part 3 is a great video. The point that hit me: we just don't see big lifts in the gym. I am not that strong, but I have almost always been the strongest guy in the gym. The heaviest squat I've ever seen is mine, at a paltry 425. The heaviest bench I've ever seen is mine. I saw a kid deadlift 500lbs once, which was a big motivation to me, since my deadlift stinks.

What's great about the SS website is that it exposes us to feats of strength from ordinary folks. It raises the limits of the possible.

Thanks for the interview!

[Derf123]

Re: part 3 in the interview. I think it was mentioned you should aim for a 1.5x bench, 2x squat, 2.5x deadlift vs. bodyweight.

How far up in bodyweight would this typically be applicable? Following SS I see myself hitting 110 kilos bodyweight within a relative short span. Which would mean a 165kg bench, 220kg squat and a 275kg DL.

Lifts I've only seen on youtube, never in real life...

My question is, would these lifts be expected by a 110 kg guy, lifting for a few years, or are we talking a very impressive performance? I should perhaps mention I'm 33.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Re: part 3 in the interview. I think it was mentioned you should aim for a 1.5x bench, 2x squat, 2.5x deadlift vs. bodyweight.

How far up in bodyweight would this typically be applicable?

Those lifts have a 200 lb. guy in mind. The ratios drop as your bodyweight goes up.

[Kumar]

Re: part 3 in the interview. I think it was mentioned you should aim for a 1.5x bench, 2x squat, 2.5x deadlift vs. bodyweight.


What about the OHP, what's the equivalent?

[Derf123]

Those lifts have a 200 lb. guy in mind. The ratios drop as your bodyweight goes up.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm new to the site but are enjoying the articles and interviews posted (as well as your book...) Keep up the good work!

[Mark Rippetoe]

What about the OHP, what's the equivalent?

Bodyweight.

[Tom Narvaez]

After hearing the first interview and the story about Hugh Cassidy, I pounded down 6 quarts of whole milk for about 3 months. The result was that I took my squat from 365x5x3 to 445x5. I got my body weight up to ~245-250 at 5'6" at one point. I do admit to being one of those "pussies" who was dissatisfied with how fat I got towards the end, but you can't argue the effectiveness of "eating your way through the sticking points". I don't mean to take anything away from these awesome lifters, but I can only imagine that the results would have been even that much better if I had some chemical help. In short, Marty speaks truth.

[Mdemarco]

Re: part 3 in the interview. I think it was mentioned you should aim for a 1.5x bench, 2x squat, 2.5x deadlift vs. bodyweight.

How far up in bodyweight would this typically be applicable? Following SS I see myself hitting 110 kilos bodyweight within a relative short span. Which would mean a 165kg bench, 220kg squat and a 275kg DL.

Lifts I've only seen on youtube, never in real life...

My question is, would these lifts be expected by a 110 kg guy, lifting for a few years, or are we talking a very impressive performance? I should perhaps mention I'm 33.

Just as a reference point when you discuss these numbers are you referencing them as 1 rep maxes or are we talking worksets

[Elgar]

Great interview, good to hear. The military aspect certainly hit home. I'm trying to do that in my unit, expose my platoon to strength training and teaching what I know so far. I unforunately have yet to make it out to one of your seminars, I feel confident that I am OK in teaching the lifts and at least can expose people to correct major deficiencies in form, such as not lifting in running shoes, hand positioning, bar position, and body position. Though I feel I could be better with fine tuning people's form.

On that note I just got in charge of the gym here, which means I can start making acquisitions and start replacing all our shitty bent chromed bars with ridiculous knurling. Then onto power racks. Hopefully some prowlers as well and if possible I would like to institute strongman related paraphenalia. What do you think Rip? I figure that strength training is key, but if there were to be secondary things to use or be training in I feel strongman items would help.

I'm hoping to build it up so that if you guys do decide to do a different seminar in Canada you and your team can come down to Edmonton on our base here and help me to expand peoples strength horizons. I've already gotten a lot of good feedback from my NCOs who I have taken through some training.

[SQUAT_316]

After watching Pt. 3, I have to say this my favorite series yet. Marty talked about the importance of the basic lifts, importance of training environment (one gets stronger training with those stronger than you), coaching some of the greats, and of course, the milk discussion. The history of the sport is priceless. The SS series and Platform Vids are by far the best contribution to one's strength training. I can only imagine a dream seminar of Rip, Marty and Wendler. Priceless.

[jwt708]

Really enjoyed the interview. They're a great motivator and interesting.

[Dave Longley]

I just wanted to add my thanks for another great discussion.

[Derf123]

Just as a reference point when you discuss these numbers are you referencing them as 1 rep maxes or are we talking worksets

1 rep maxes, if you're asking me.

[MaxReinhardt]

The stuff about the military in part 3: It's exactly the same in the German Armed Forces. Fucked up and sad.

[loganchristopher]

Amazing interview, I learnt a few stuff myself. More of the please

[Squat1]

I wonder how heavy Marty got when he was young?
I am asking because he competed at 198 and grew up drinking a gallon of milk a day.
Was this done through bulking and cutting later?

[SQUAT_316]

I wonder how heavy Marty got when he was young?
I am asking because he competed at 198 and grew up drinking a gallon of milk a day.
Was this done through bulking and cutting later?


I don't know when he was young. But, he competed in the IPF Masters Worlds at 242 I believe.