I'm at a point in my lifting career where I find myself thinking often about my long term lifting goals. It seems like most of what people talk about on this forum are numbers. I definitely get that. I think about numbers all the time and intend on going as far as I can go. What I am beginning to realize however is that numbers may not be as important as I first thought. If I continue to do what I am doing; train diligently (have not missed a single session in over 6 months), eat well, sleep well, try to keep my life stress down, I will get close to meeting my potential, whatever that may be.
At some point, years down the line I will get to the point where I can consider myself an advanced lifter. I have heard it mentioned in the past, most recently by Mr. Israetel that at some point getting stronger is no longer "healthy." It seems to me that a good goal to have would be to get as strong as I can to the point where it is no longer "healthy." Can you please give me some guidance on what IN YOUR VIEW is the point where getting stronger is no longer healthy?
Getting stronger is always healthy. This will eventually entail the risk of injury. But not yet.
I think I understand that risk. There is no shortage of information on this site and elsewhere about what folks have gone through in their own experience as lifters. I know there is a lot I can do to minimize that risk but that there is no way to avoid it. I think too that what matters most isn't if you get injured but what you do afterwards. Risk of injury is not a reason, in my view, to stop training or to quit adding weight to the bar.
So if that is the only consideration then it sounds like the ultimate goal, for me, should be to make it a lifelong priority to continue to train diligently and responsibly. However strong I become will be a reflection of what I have put into my training and that should be where I get my satisfaction. If I am lucky, at some point I'll be old and crotchety and will only be lifting to stave off death. But I will be lifting a lot more than 5 lb pink dumbbells, and I will die standing up. Thank you. I think I've got a good handle on it now.
With respect to Coach Rip, the point at which you consider yourself strong enough is up to you. Do you have other goals or activities that would be compromised by the extra body weight required for more strength? There are many such activities such as rock climbing, cycling, hiking with a loaded pack, swimming, running, etc. If you have no such other activities then continuing to get stronger and gaining weight may be just fine. Set your own goals.
Thank you for living out the Kaizen principle (Japanese for continuous improvement)!
This was an EVEN MORE high quality seminar than the last times (2009, 2010) I attended! I was blown away by how many things I had managed to fuck up since then (or have changed since then). The refresher, complete with favorable changes from the past: the press 2.0, or simply "The Press" as it's now called; the Deadlift with the back segment raised IMMEDIATELY out of the bottom as opposed to the previously thought back angle remaining constant out of the bottom portion of the DL and later becoming vertical, amongst other awesome improvements that don't immediately come to mind.
Rip, the things that I love about your teaching are that:
If any of you people out there give a shit about strength, YOU WILL save your pennies, and MAKE attending this seminar happen. If you apply the content, it's worth at least TRIPLE [or more the fee!
And if you're a trainer/coach, you CANNOT call yourself a "best-in-the-world trainer/coach" if you have not achieved the Starting Strength Coach credential.
Thanks for the kind words, Scott. And thanks for coming.
Coach, not to get all warm and fuzzy but what respect the most about you and what you have built with SS is the fact you will not dilute the product for a wider audience. You won’t sell out and hand out coaching certs to make a quick buck. And yes, your willingness to revise a model based on additional evidence.
FYI, two pieces of your writing stand out. First, the Pajama Boy article was hilarious. But your opening to SS3rd Ed, the preface is amazing. Truly inspiring. Okay I’m done, enough of the niceties.
Was worth the inter-continental flight. Got to meet a bunch of great folks who all understand each other, and even got to shake Rip's finger.
That wasn't my finger.
After a corporate life, I went into independent consulting, where I mostly teach and train, and I have to say that THIS, if not THE most important principle, is on the top of the list for those of us in this business.
Rip is not just in the exercise science business, he is in the CONSULTING business first, and like me in the teaching and training aspect of consulting.
And it's not just adapting – your business adaptations must be improvements in your concepts, your materials, and your methods in imparting knowledge that is usable and functional.
Your customers need to walk out of the teaching and training BETTER than they were when they walked in. And that improvement must be palpable.
For those of you out there who would like to strike out on your own at some point, Rip's business model is worth a deep study. It took us about 5 years to figure it all out. You can shorten that time horizon with some intensive study.
Agree 100%. I think NOT living this out is a big problem in many facets of modern life. Everything has to be immediate gratification. That's why CrossFit (and credit cards) and the like are so popular - it's what you get today, not in the long term. It's why people struggle to retire. Real progress takes time, and time means dedication and prioritizing things that really matter, like good food, good sleep, and good training.
I've seen it happen at every company I work for: what I have to pay today is not worth what I get tomorrow, and the today portion is always short sighted and over valued.
I'll jump in. When I attended I knew this was the best strength training program out there. However, I did not expect to find a new way of thinking. I really can't determine where I would be right now without it. I probably would be floating around wondering "what the hell is going on". Rip's philosophy cuts through the BS and I feel this is important more than ever. Lifting is lower on my list than it was when I attended 3 years ago, but I still follow SS, watch videos, and follow forums because to me, it's a Way, not just a method. Of course I still lift but I stay strong with these basic concepts and little time wasted in the gym, more hunting and fishing for me. Nonetheless, I have changed many many things for the better in my life since then and when I smell BS I know it! Thank you.
When You Bench Press - How to Set the Safety Pins –Mark Rippetoe
New Jersey SSC Adam Skillin Talks Strength, Business, and Passing the SSC Test –Mark Barroso
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