Charles Staley

[stef]

Strength coach Charles Staley discusses training, "sport", "athlete" and more with Rip.

Four part interview

[bomb1977]

Good stuff Rip, I really enjoyed this one. 2 of the guys that I respect the most in one video.

I wish you still Came to Canada Rip, I already have my seminar booked for Charles visit to Hamilton next March. I'm looking forward to learning the Clean & Jerk an the Snatch!

Great interview, 2 great coaches...

[Kyle Schuant]

A very interesting discussion.

I can confirm for the two guys that commercial gyms are as they imagine. Most of the people there don't have a planned workout. Nor do they attempt to progressively increase weight, reps or sets - it would in any case be difficult to do when they're doing different exercises every session. They lack direction and instruction.

I think Staley is quite correct that for many people it's self-punishment, like medieval monks flogging themselves. We see endless posts on forums and worried discussions in gyms when people can't get some particular bodypart to hurt. I've had one or two clients actually complain that they had no pain the next day, saying it must have been a useless workout; actually it was because they had a stretch and cooldown after their workout, I made sure they drank plenty and so on.

The comments about the internet being both good and bad were very interesting and insightful, too.

As with Wendler, it's great to see not a simple interview, but an actual discussion. Really the studio should have a bar for Rip and his friends to lean on with a nice dark ale in hand.

[tallison]

Lots of great stuff, here. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the definition of "athlete" -- I was quite surprised that you were actually able to make some progress on that in such a forum. Being able to watch you both struggle to articulate it was worth a lot more than just reading the end result.

Also this was my first exposure to Mr. Staley (aside from reading his posts on this board) and I was impressed with his centered, intelligent, humble style. I will definitely check him out further based on this interview.

I know Rip's interview style has been discussed/criticized before and I think he said something to the effect of his intention being a certain amount of "learning by doing" -- I'm quite torn: on the one hand I've learned a lot by watching this series of videos -- and it's hard to judge how much of that is due to Mark's style... On the other hand, I somehow found myself growling several times when Charles (can't decide if the Internet puts me on a first name basis with you guys, or not ) would be just beginning to expand on a point and Mark would interrupt with his own interpretation. Is there somebody off-camera trying to follow the flow of the conversation and signaling whether Mark should shut up and listen or circle back to a topic or move on or not forget to mention something in particular? I wish I was speaking from a position of experience with these sorts of productions -- I'm not -- but there's something in there that seems like it could be improved. And, hell, it's the Internet, so you get to hear from everybody who can type...

Thanks for doing these interviews and giving us access!

- Tom

[Hawkpeter]

I too was interested in the discussion about the psychology of people working out vs those training.

Its a masochistic mindset. People punishing themselves because they ate that cream bun yesterday or want to feel the pain of what they think is a good workout. Its not healthy, the competitive mindset has a much greater long term success and nothing quantifies your training like competition.

[Charles Staley]

Thanks for your nice comments Tom.

I think Rip and I both think a lot faster than we talk, and are sometimes both guilty of feeling the need to express a thought before it gets lost forever. I had recently been taken to task for this exact thing, and was trying very hard to avoid dominating the discussion, which I am more than capable of doing ;-)

Anyway, glad you enjoyed...

Lots of great stuff, here. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the definition of "athlete" -- I was quite surprised that you were actually able to make some progress on that in such a forum. Being able to watch you both struggle to articulate it was worth a lot more than just reading the end result.

Also this was my first exposure to Mr. Staley (aside from reading his posts on this board) and I was impressed with his centered, intelligent, humble style. I will definitely check him out further based on this interview.

I know Rip's interview style has been discussed/criticized before and I think he said something to the effect of his intention being a certain amount of "learning by doing" -- I'm quite torn: on the one hand I've learned a lot by watching this series of videos -- and it's hard to judge how much of that is due to Mark's style... On the other hand, I somehow found myself growling several times when Charles (can't decide if the Internet puts me on a first name basis with you guys, or not ) would be just beginning to expand on a point and Mark would interrupt with his own interpretation. Is there somebody off-camera trying to follow the flow of the conversation and signaling whether Mark should shut up and listen or circle back to a topic or move on or not forget to mention something in particular? I wish I was speaking from a position of experience with these sorts of productions -- I'm not -- but there's something in there that seems like it could be improved. And, hell, it's the Internet, so you get to hear from everybody who can type...

Thanks for doing these interviews and giving us access!

- Tom

[tallison]

Here's an idea: re-label these things as "Conversations" or "Conversations with Mark" (instead of "Interviews") -- it would make their value clear and set the expectations more accurately (and that way, folks like me wouldn't be whinging about "interview style").

Regardless, they've been great -- and will be a terrific archive of the personality and thinking of 20th/21st century strength training practitioners.

- Tom

[burnsco]

it's far more interesting to hear these conversations rather then just a simple interview. I love it!

it's especially funny hearing about rip's trip to a commercial gym. "where's their logs?"

[todd]

This is a great interview. Thanks.

At the beginning of the fourth part, it says part 3, by the way.

[bomb1977]

I really can't say enough good things about Rippetoe an Staley.

Mr.Staley takes the time to converse with me on Facebook and is always there for advice and all I have spent with him is the money it cost me to buy 2 t-shirts and ship them to Canada. I need powerlifting shoes and he sells them, guess who I will be ordering them from?

He is a good person that cares about people reaching their goals and is very good at helping them get there, what more can you ask for?

He is coming to my hometown in March of 2011, I already have myself booked in and am beginning to recruit the people I know to make sure it is full. I might even bring my unathletic, unco-ordinated wife just to throw him the ultimate curveball

Now that Mr.Rippetoe is doing the no frills 1 day seminars, Pennsylvania is only a 3-4 hour drive. I hope to catch him in the next year also. I wish Rip and Canada Customs got along better....