I'd like to add my story to the testimonials on this forum.
In late 2012, I was jogging a few miles 3-4x a week--my latest attempt to "get back in shape." Eventually I couldn't push the distance up any more, and I was tired all the time. Just like the year before. I had vague recollections of a story about a guy getting a tan by picking up a cow, or something, from a book about lifting weights that I'd bought but hadn't finished reading. None of my friends had heard of this book, but the Entire Internet wouldn't shut up about it. I dusted off Starting Strength, and got to work.
I gave up one of my running days for lifting. I joined the Y. I Squatted. Hey, that was pretty fun, I thought. Back next week, three sets, five reps this time, five pounds more, huh, whaddaya know, no problem. Twice, then three times a week. More exercises now. A/B. Running less. Eating more.
I was getting stronger, but the hard days came. Misses, mistakes, under-recovery. Hitting a wall felt like I was doing everything wrong--in most cases, I was. I got smarter. I rebuilt every lift from the ground up at least once. Progress inevitably came, every time.
Fellow gym-goers started asking me questions. "Isn't that bad for you?" or "What is that exercise?" Eventually the questions shifted from me to themselves. "Am I doing this right?" To my surprise, I knew the answers to these questions, most of the time. Better check the book in case they ask me again. Then my girlfriend (now fiancee) asked me to teach her how to lift--after all, she saw me reading your damn book all the time. OK, I'll give it a shot. Wow, coaching is harder than I thought, but she's getting it, and it feels good to help her out. Eventually, "Hey, I've been talking with my friends, and they wanna learn, too..."
Fast-forwarding to today, I've read the books, read the articles, watched the platform videos, listened to the podcasts, and lurked on the forums. I even went off the program for a few months (GASP!!) to try some bodybuilding (EGADS!!) and train for some half marathons (HERESY!!).
But of course, I came back, because this shit works. And since I'm helping others now, I have a responsibility to others to get even better. With that in mind, I've signed up for your Brooklyn seminar in April. Looking forward to it immensely.
Many thanks to Rip, the coaching team, and the SS community.
-Tyson
For posterity, my progress from April 1 to November 1 last year, when I was DTP in earnest, was:
