Reaching the Top with the X-Factor

[Ryan Long]

Damon and I have shifted the culture more and more at West Point over the last 3 years. Change doesn't happen over night. Lead by positive example, teach only when others are receptive to it, talk up your methods without belittling theirs. Now the squat racks are busier than the dumbells, we're making progress.

[Maslow]

Hi Rip! I'm a big fan of yours and bought all of your books over the past year. Actually my friends would use the term disciple. I've had to promise my girlfriend to quit quoting from your books verbatim any time she asks me anything related to fitness or life discipline, so now I just paraphrase. The closest thing to a legitimate facility I've ever trained in was the Johns Hopkins varsity weight room while I was in school. They had plenty of racks and barbells and bumper plates and all that. I had a work study job at the gym so I was in there 40 hours/week one summer. This was over a decade after Starr left and I got to watch plenty of varsity workouts. It was very rare for any of the teams to do squats or any compound lifts other than bench press. Lots of times they laid down next to the power racks and did crunches. If only I knew about real barbell training then, I could have taken advantage of the equipment in there. I didn't discover SS until 2009. I'm glad I know about real strength training now, it's made all the difference for me. Anyway, I hope to one day join a gym with the "X factor" and find some guys who are really dedicated. For now the internet and your writings will have to suffice. Cheers.

[Nightfly]

Makes me take a look at my lack of progress. I don't have a training partner. It would be great to have one who uses SS to keep me honest.