Which is the best article or video to "sell" Starting Strength to others?

[Al_Orange]

Apologies if this is already covered elsewhere.

There's loads of in-depth and detailed information in articles and videos and once you've bought into it, there's an abundance of resources available to help with SS NLP. However, I train at a commercial gym and I see pretty much everyone doing silly bullshit every day (the worst of which is endless numbers of skinny young adults with 8 inch arms doing triceps cable pushdowns...). There are a couple of young trainees that do train in a focused and meaningful way and I'd like to be able to point them to a very simple and quick video (ideally) that would sell them the program. I'm not in any shape or position to be advising people on how to train but I'd love to be able to introduce promising young strength trainees to the program in a way that could hook them in.

For instance, one girl (who does actually compete) is about 17, about 50-60kg and is already squatting 100kg for a single but then goes on to do loads of sets of raised heel goblet squats with 15-20kg dumbbells and is also fond of the triceps pushdown, but I feel she could really benefit from doing the program.

I fear the youth of today would not invest the time to read the blue book until they are already sold on the concept.

So, does anyone have any links or something?

[smokeyjones]

Matey. Are these people you're already having candid conversations with?

Going up to people unsoclited & telling them you've been watching them & want to give your input is not it. Put your head down and focus on the weight on your bar.

[Buddy Rich]

Starting Strength first caught my eye thanks to Brett McKay, the founder of The Art of Manliness, who put together a detailed video series featuring Mark Rippetoe dropping serious barbell wisdom. If those videos don’t win you over, you might be more comfortable with yoga mats and scented candles.

I believe there are six videos in the series. In this one, Rip breaks down what Starting Strength is all about. The other videos, which cover how to perform the lifts, each have well over a million views.

https://youtu.be/7HRqB30lxmo?si=uWh1WE6aqmVJOVsL

[Al_Orange]

Matey. Are these people you're already having candid conversations with?

Going up to people unsoclited & telling them you've been watching them & want to give your input is not it. Put your head down and focus on the weight on your bar.

Totally agree and that's why I want something simple and direct that I can just point them to and move on without being one of "those guys".

[Al_Orange]

Starting Strength first caught my eye thanks to Brett McKay, the founder of The Art of Manliness, who put together a detailed video series featuring Mark Rippetoe dropping serious barbell wisdom. If those videos don’t win you over, you might be more comfortable with yoga mats and scented candles.

I believe there are six videos in the series. In this one, Rip breaks down what Starting Strength is all about. The other videos, which cover how to perform the lifts, each have well over a million views.

https://youtu.be/7HRqB30lxmo?si=uWh1WE6aqmVJOVsL

Thanks, that's the sort of thing I'm looking for but more focused on why SS NLP itself is better than what they are currently doing. Bearing in mind they are already strength training and using barbells and dumbbells as well as machines.

It's easy to sell the program if people will give you the time to explain but it's hard to get people to change when they are already invested. Not that I care that much. Only about a few that look to have real potential.

[Jason Donaldson]

Al, along the lines of Smokey's point, the best way to point folks to SS is to train seriously, get strong, and let them ask you things. It doesn't take long to be one of the strongest and most serious people in the average gym.

They ask you for advice on their bench, you can help them out and point them toward one of the many good SS videos on the exercise - that kind of thing. Resist the powerful urge to sell them on the whole thing - the ones likely to take to it will recognize what they see and want more, especially when you give them a digestible chunk that immediately pays off for them. The ones who don't are probably not ready yet.

A personal example: Years ago, I had a young guy ask me for advice because of how much I was squatting. I explained low bar to him, pointed him to SS, and he thanked me. A week or two later, he was raving about how much better low bar was, and thanking me profusely. A few more weeks later, he was back to the latest silly BS. This pattern repeated itself with him. I hope it set down a baseline for later, and he later came around, but I don't know. When I was training at the Y, I went through this pattern with more than one person, with different degrees of trying to knowledge dump. I have seemed to get better results all around with "less is more", though. One does what one can.

[Al_Orange]

Al, along the lines of Smokey's point, the best way to point folks to SS is to train seriously, get strong, and let them ask you things. It doesn't take long to be one of the strongest and most serious people in the average gym.

They ask you for advice on their bench, you can help them out and point them toward one of the many good SS videos on the exercise - that kind of thing. Resist the powerful urge to sell them on the whole thing - the ones likely to take to it will recognize what they see and want more, especially when you give them a digestible chunk that immediately pays off for them. The ones who don't are probably not ready yet.

A personal example: Years ago, I had a young guy ask me for advice because of how much I was squatting. I explained low bar to him, pointed him to SS, and he thanked me. A week or two later, he was raving about how much better low bar was, and thanking me profusely. A few more weeks later, he was back to the latest silly BS. This pattern repeated itself with him. I hope it set down a baseline for later, and he later came around, but I don't know. When I was training at the Y, I went through this pattern with more than one person, with different degrees of trying to knowledge dump. I have seemed to get better results all around with "less is more", though. One does what one can.

I think that's a good point and probably the best way forward. I'll need to get rid of the gut first before anyone would look to me for advice. I did convince my best mate (who has a very impressive physique and has been lifting a long time) to give LP a go and he took his deadlift up to 255kg, which was really satisfying. My business partner has been doing crossfit for 6 years but he's already a bit put out that my pathetic numbers after 8 weeks on SS are higher than his. I hate to evangelise about anything but even if you don't push your numbers up very high, the SS and PP approaches carry over to so much in training that I feel everyone should at least understand the principles.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

There are a couple of young trainees that do train in a focused and meaningful way and I'd like to be able to point them to a very simple and quick video (ideally) that would sell them the program.

Just my personal point of view: don't. It's none of your business. The fact that you don't have any sort of title or official certification makes this approach even more unadvisable (I know, personal trainers in commercial gyms have their own shortcomings and all that but...they are PTs and you are not, and in the eye of a stranger, they are more credible than you. That's the way it is).

Train hard, get as strong as you can, and be as polite and factual (as opposed to preachy) as possible when (if) someone asks you a question about what you do (see Jason Donaldson answer above).

IPB

[Sib]

Apologies if this is already covered elsewhere.

There's loads of in-depth and detailed information in articles and videos and once you've bought into it, there's an abundance of resources available to help with SS NLP. However, I train at a commercial gym and I see pretty much everyone doing silly bullshit every day (the worst of which is endless numbers of skinny young adults with 8 inch arms doing triceps cable pushdowns...). There are a couple of young trainees that do train in a focused and meaningful way and I'd like to be able to point them to a very simple and quick video (ideally) that would sell them the program. I'm not in any shape or position to be advising people on how to train but I'd love to be able to introduce promising young strength trainees to the program in a way that could hook them in.

For instance, one girl (who does actually compete) is about 17, about 50-60kg and is already squatting 100kg for a single but then goes on to do loads of sets of raised heel goblet squats with 15-20kg dumbbells and is also fond of the triceps pushdown, but I feel she could really benefit from doing the program.

I fear the youth of today would not invest the time to read the blue book until they are already sold on the concept.

So, does anyone have any links or something?

If they want to know they will ask you. In the meantime it’s better if they use their dumbbells and don’t make you wait to use the squat rack.

[Jason Donaldson]

I'll need to get rid of the gut first before anyone would look to me for advice.

You may be surprised. I've had mine the whole time, including when I've been asked.