Your Weightlifting background...

[Kiknskreem]

Rip, can you give us a little bit of your background specifically in the sport of weightlifting, as both a lifter and coach?

What positions you have held, any high level athletes that you have trained?

One thing I hear repeatedly hear on other boards from Oly lifters is "Rip's not an olympic coach... yada yada."

If I recall you are a level III USAW Coach in fact? Anyway, just looking for the scoop and possibly some responses to the above mantra.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have been doing the two lifts as a part of my training since 1979. I was a competitive powerlifter, but we snatched and C&Jed as a part of training with Bill Starr. I have snatched 82.5 and C&Jed 105 as lifts that were not my competitive sport. My best clean was 275 many years ago – power, I believe. I have been coached by Bill Starr, Tommy Suggs, Jim Moser, Dr. Kilgore, Glenn Pendlay, Angel Spassov, Harvey Newton, Mike Conroy, John Thrush, and many fellow lifters. I have never claimed to be a good weightlifter, but I have coached the lifts since 1984. I obtained my USWF Level III certification in 1988 at the OTC in Colorado Springs with Mike Stone, Harvey Newton, and Angel Spassov on faculty. I obtained my USAW Senior Coach certification in 1999 at the OTC with Lyn Jones, John Thrush, Mike Conroy, et al. I was invited, as an Olympic weightlifting coach, to the Olympic Solidarity course at the OTC in 2000. Dr. Kilgore and I taught both the USAW Club Coach course and the Sports Performance Coach course from 1999 through 2005. I have served as the president of the North Texas Local Weightlifting Committee of USAW since 2004. I have coached and participated in the coaching of James Moser, Glenn Pendlay, Dr. Kilgore, Josh Wells (Junior World Team 2004) most of our national and international-level athletes, and the members of the collegiate team at Midwestern State University (I'm still actively coaching the MSU people) and Wichita Falls Weightlifting, which I hosted and helped coach in my gym from its inception in 1999 through 2006. I still actively coach the sport on a daily basis here at WFAC, and the power clean and power snatch at our seminars around the country every month.

As much fun as it may be, it would be wrong to characterize me as inexperienced in these matters.

[JLascek]

Kiknskreem, what boards or threads do you typically see this "Rip is not an Olympic" coach argument?

I've seen it before, but I can't say I like to tarry on certain boards a whole lot.

[eltorrente]

I've seen him mentioned on other boards - can't remember which ones. I typically stumble upon random boards through google searches and can't remember which ones.

Anyway, I remember reading one recently where a guy was talking about beginning a SS program, and asked the board what they thought of the routine.

A bunch of guys responded with saying stuff like, "if you want to get big and strong, you need 8-10 reps" "that program is only for beginners, and you won't get big" and stuff like that.

Others were saying that Rip was only experienced in coaching skinny kids, and didn't have experience with older people (?).. I don't know where they got that info from, but it was pretty crazy. They also couldn't believe anyone would recommend drinking lots of milk.. (I always thought milk was understood by all as being an excellent source of nutrients to a weight lifter).

I've discovered that there are tons of boards out there where uninformed meat-heads get together and spread stupid information amongst themselves.

[TPrewittMD]

Don't forget this fact about the Web: anybody can say almost anything about somebody else.

[stronger]

I've even been in a crossfit facility doing the olympic lifts and overheard "Rippetoe is great, but don't let him teach you how to squat. It's a complete good morning. It's awful".

Needless to say, the bodies have never been found

[Euclid]

Eltorrente - Unfortunately, weightlifting is not free of "fanboy-ism" as exists pretty much everywhere else there are differing opinions on a specific subject. I've seen the banter before, I believe it was a guy from Westside who was upset that SS couldn't/hasn't produced 600 lb squatters, I believe it was.

There is a reason why the book is called Starting Strength and is focused on beginners and starting athletes.

What you have to realize is that defending Rip, or anyone else for that matter, on the internet, is useless and a waste of your time. To put your own mind at ease, understand that if you follow the program laid out in SS, have a desire to push yourself to grow stronger and are patient, you WILL see results. And that is irrefutable.

[XTrainer]

Not too mention that the Starting Strength squat is decidededly below parallel with a functional stance width and without gear...

[eltorrente]

Eltorrente - Unfortunately, weightlifting is not free of "fanboy-ism" as exists pretty much everywhere else there are differing opinions on a specific subject. I've seen the banter before, I believe it was a guy from Westside who was upset that SS couldn't/hasn't produced 600 lb squatters, I believe it was.

There is a reason why the book is called Starting Strength and is focused on beginners and starting athletes.

What you have to realize is that defending Rip, or anyone else for that matter, on the internet, is useless and a waste of your time. To put your own mind at ease, understand that if you follow the program laid out in SS, have a desire to push yourself to grow stronger and are patient, you WILL see results. And that is irrefutable.

Yeah, I don't doubt that at all.

I've always been a big reader/researcher when it comes to any interest or hobby that I get into. I have several weight training books, and have done a lot reading about it all over the internet. I discovered that everyone has varying methods of getting big and strong, but none of them really convinced me - until I bought Starting Strength, and Practical Programming (Strong Enough? is on the way).

Everything he said just made sense, so I abandonded my other plan I was on, and began a SS program. I love it so far, and am feeling great and getting stronger after only 3-4 weeks. I also like the fact that I don't need the silly isolation excercises and my workouts get done quicker. I also take BJJ Tuesdays and Thursdays, and hopefully it doesn't interfere much with my weight training, but I haven't noticed any effects on my recovery - so far.

[juicysweet]

"Rippetoe is great, but don't let him teach you how to squat. It's a complete good morning. It's awful".

Obviously this would be someone who needs Rip to teach him a good morning. That way he'd at least be able to tell the two very different exercises apart even if he were still afraid to trust Rip to teach the squat.