Meet Luke, the new President | Starting Strength Gyms Podcast #45

[stef]

Ray Gillenwater talks to the new President of Starting Strength Gyms, Luke Schroeder, about business operations, growth, and Luke's vision for the company.

• 02:40 - Why Luke decided to open a gym
• 11:09 - 1 AM discussions about business operations
• 27:05 - Strength needs to be prioritized
• 34:13 - Where we're currently at as a company
• 43:58 - Attracting like-minded people
• 48:07 - Luke's vision for the company
• 52:48 - Starting Strength Gyms is growing fast
• 56:30 - Investing in data

[francesco.decaro]

Inspiring podcast, I have never been excited about a company's growth in my life, but I can't wait to see what SS Gyms will turn into, and it's all because of the core values that attract like-minded people who are bright, motivated and creative enough to bring this project forward with the right amount of precison in risk taking.
No one can compete with a high quality client-oriented AND employee-oriented company like this, cheers!

[Mark Rippetoe]

What is it with you guys and hair?

[Ray Gillenwater]

Inspiring podcast, I have never been excited about a company's growth in my life, but I can't wait to see what SS Gyms will turn into, and it's all because of the core values that attract like-minded people who are bright, motivated and creative enough to bring this project forward with the right amount of precison in risk taking.
No one can compete with a high quality client-oriented AND employee-oriented company like this, cheers!

This is "doing things the hard way" and it's certainly more enjoyable with people like you supporting us. Thank you.

What is it with you guys and hair?

Luke had beautiful curls until Jen embarrassed him on the mats in leg wrestling. He and his hair haven't been the same since.

[Tibby Parvin]

I love the Gyms podcasts and enjoy them almost as much as Rip's network ones (ok . . . ya got me . . . I enjoy them more haha). Love the transparency that Ray brings.

I think that the predictability of a gym's success in a given market is a tricky one, one that will solidify as the gyms continue to grow in our country and abroad. I have dreams of owning a SS gym just for women because of all the sexism that my daughters, girlfriends, and I have experienced with the men in Santa Fe and Albuquerque gyms. Starting Strength immeasurably improved my life in countless ways, the least of which is that men no longer annoy me with their unsolicited, imbecilic squat form pointers.

But I digress. Welcome, Luke! Ya got big shoes to fill :-)

[Ray Gillenwater]

I have dreams of owning a SS gym just for women because of all the sexism that my daughters, girlfriends, and I have experienced with the men in Santa Fe and Albuquerque gyms.

Thanks for the support, Russella. We enjoyed hanging out with you last weekend in Vegas.

No sexism in our gyms - not in either direction. I like the idea of a gym culture that isn't shitty to women versus having to make a gym female specific. Stop by one of our gyms next time you're near one and you'll see what I mean.

[Tibby Parvin]

Thanks for the support, Russella. We enjoyed hanging out with you last weekend in Vegas.

No sexism in our gyms - not in either direction. I like the idea of a gym culture that isn't shitty to women versus having to make a gym female specific. Stop by one of our gyms next time you're near one and you'll see what I mean.

I loved hanging out with you guys, too. Your camp improved my squat and deadlift significantly, digging me out of a persistent form creep that had surfaced a couple of months ago. No more hips shooting back out of the hole in the squat nor hips lowering and bar drifting forward in the deadlift. You are amazing, effective coaches.

You know what? I like the idea of a truly equable gym culture better than a female-specific gym, too! I didn't realize it until you articulated it here, Ray. As a woman, I don't think I had imagined another option other than a female-specific gym because I hadn't been exposed to men like you and Nick before discovering the Starting Strength culture of strength as an equal-opportunity endeavor.