Seminar Experience

[CBrickman]

Though I hope others may find this review useful, it is really directed to any novice who just isn’t sure if the Starting Strength Seminar is right for them or not.

Short Answer: it is. Hopefully, anyone else who may be asking themselves that same question will find the below information helpful.

Though I was really interested in attending one, I just wasn’t sure if it was really meant for someone like me. I was 31 years old, had never trained before in my life, was sitting at 135 pounds bodyweight with only 5-6 weeks to start my linear progression before the date of the next seminar. I was really concerned about being out of place around people with so much more experience, and the idea of me coaching these individuals on the platform had me pretty much terrified. After pestering Justin with multiple emails questioning him regarding these things, I finally decided that if nothing else, attending one of the certifications so early in my training career could be nothing but good for me. And I was right.

Believe me when I say that there is absolutely no elitist attitudes among anyone attending. No one cares if you are the strongest lifter or the weakest. EVERYONE is just there to improve themselves, wherever they are in their training. And the coaches in attendance all feel the same way too. They are all willing to answer whatever questions you may have, and are experts at giving you the particular understanding and cues that YOU need at this point in your progression. Everyone that attends makes progress.

As it turned out, the coaching on the platform wasn’t anything to worry about either. They know not everyone arrives with coaching experience. Their concern is in exposing you to the coaching method of this system, and any amount of progress you can make in this area will only be good for you (And it’s not like the lifter you are coaching is hung out to dry because you don’t know how to cue them properly. One way or another, everyone in attendance ends up receiving the cues they need on the platform.)

The examination is an amazing opportunity you should DEFINITELY participate in. The material over the weekend can be overwhelming, and when you arrive back home the following week it would be easy to forget a lot of it. But in taking the exam, you are able to unify and pull together all of the things that were learned over the weekend into a cohesive structure that is representative of your own personal understanding of the system. Formulating and writing out the answers to the examination helps so much in solidifying one’s overall perspective. Asking questions on a forum can help a little bit, sure. But getting to write out complete essays in which Rip is forced to sit and listen to your ramblings and then provide you with a grade is a real treat. (My only recommendation here is that I would have liked my essays back with checks next to the particulars that were incorrect – but this doesn’t detract at all from the above values I have already mentioned.)

I know plenty of people on the boards talk about how great an experience the seminar is, but does it make a difference? Absolutely. In the month that has followed since I attended, I have noticed a real difference in the way that my technique and self-coaching has progressed. Before the seminar, I always wondered IF I was doing this or that correctly during my lifts. I always questioned how close I was to the model. Now I KNOW when I am, when I am not, and I can successfully cue myself between my reps, sets, and workouts to come closer and closer to the Ideal Model. THIS SKILL IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS THAT A TRAINEE CAN POSSESS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE TRAINING ALONE. Ultimately, the quality of your technique will always limit your strength potential due to lifting inefficiencies, injuries, and poor exercise effect. With the ability to consistently improve your technique, the ceiling is lifted from your strength potential. Study hard before you arrive, come with a sponge-like mind ready to learn, take a lot of notes, participate in the examination, train hard, and this is what the Starting Strength Seminar can deliver to you, even if you are a novice.


Thank you to Rip, all of the coaches and participants for helping to make the seminar what it was. And thanks to TomC for posting the photos. You really did an amazing job of capturing the experience.

[Zarsky]

Second this. Just coming out of the Montclair, NJ seminar.

Gaining the experience of coaching others in the lifts through the simple techniques provided in the seminar is priceless.

Reading the books - great. This takes it to the next level.

And the Q&A with Rip is in itself worth the attendance.