Brooklyn Starting Strength seminar recap

[jep6095]

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The road to Brooklyn was paved over a year ago after Paulie Steinman came to his first Starting Strength seminar at WFAC last year. He liked us so much he came back to West Point; and the Roundtable; and then New Jersey. Suffice it to say, Paulie has the most SS frequent flyer miles around.

Back in the beginning, his idea of running a gym was still in the planning stage and we already had a NE location picked out. But he got his gym up and running and along with his persistence in telling us to come, last weekend was the first (of many) Brooklyn Starting Strength seminar. Both Paulie and Rebecca provided the crew and guests an excellent facility filled with some of the best equipment possible with such perks as the Statue of Liberty right across the water and meat sticks made of pigs hearts & tongues. Our dinners were some of the best we’ve had with great friends, old and new. Our heartfelt thanks to Paulie and Rebecca for their hospitality (and to Jeremy of CrossFit South Brooklyn for running extra taxi service for us), we’re all looking forward to coming back.

We had some great groups from local gyms; some folks who train on their own; a brother/sister pair (which was pretty cool); a few who decided to take the seminar again (Ken, you’ll have to come to another one because I didn’t get a pic of your new ink)and even Physical Therapists!!! Needless to say, this eclectic crowd provided a great energy for learning and lifting. You all came up with excellent questions throughout the weekend and worked very hard on the platforms.

Some of you (as Spar has already mentioned) only needed to tweak your lifts to make them more efficient and some of you were brand new to the teaching methods. Most of you caught on quickly to the coaching of the lifts. Some comments were brought up, as is usually the case, as to why we focus so much on coaching at our seminars.

Again, coaching the movements and cues help each lifter solidify the gallons of information you receive throughout the weekend. We realize that some of you may be returning to the gym alone and don’t have a need to coach others. But you could. Also, isn’t it beneficial to be able to tell someone else standing around to give you useful cues so your sets are better? For those of you who were there last weekend or have attended a seminar, I’d like to hear your comments on the subject.

Thanks to all for coming out. If you missed it, don’t fret, we’ll be back in September. Registration will be up shortly. Sign up fast, this one sold out quick. As always, keep us posted with your lifting or coaching progress.

jp

[Good Ryan]

Paulie! Sweet lookin gym brother man!

[Simma Park]

I second the assessment of Paulie and Rebecca as awesome, gracious hosts, and their facility is wonderful.

In addition to my comments in Rip's section of the forum, I have to add that I am fully behind the strategy of making us spend time on coaching during the seminars. When I was teaching martial arts, I found a similar effect: you haven't fully learned something until you can teach someone else to do it. Teaching something is both a test for whether you've learned it and a method for learning it (obviously, the latter under guidance). This is incredibly important, because a lot of the time, people think they get something, and it's not until they need to make someone else get it that they realize they have gaps in their understanding. Making me coach helped me become aware of those gaps right away. I wonder whether it might be easier to do the first set without having to coach, receiving coaching from the group instructor only. After watching a demonstration and not getting to do a set oneself, the mind can be a little hectic. But perhaps you've tried it that way and determined that making people coach right away works better.

Please thank Tom for taking photos. This is the first time I've seen what I look like when I lift, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I don't actually look like a garden gnome or anything.

[Tom Campitelli]

Please thank Tom for taking photos. This is the first time I've seen what I look like when I lift, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I don't actually look like a garden gnome or anything.

Those are Juli's photos. Mine are forthcoming.

It was excellent to see the big crowd at Paulie's gym and both he and Rebecca were exceptional hosts. It was a great time.

[Simma Park]

Those are Juli's photos.

Nice job on those, Juli!

[jep6095]

You bet Spar! It was great having you there and I heard you may come see us in Texas sometime soon. Look forward to it.

And you did NOT look like you belonged in the picture below

jp

[Stanimal5]

Spar--you were in my group for most of the lifts, and all you looked like was an efficient little lifter! You can't really get hung up on aesthetics as long as everything is moving in the direction it should--and if you ever stop to question your proportions and whether you look funny under the bar, just remember my squat.
--S