Our last Jersey seminar of the year proved to be a great one. Pulling up to Guerilla Fitness feels as natural as if we did it every day. Many thanks to Gregg Arsenuk for his support of us and Starting Strength throughout the year. If you are ANY WHERE near his gym, go there. Gregg has been through the seminar (twice) along with members of his staff; has dedicated his programming to strength and even offer a Starting Strength class (with a wait list) each week. He is an excellent coach and a very good person so if you’re within driving distance and don’t schedule a session with him to take a look at your lifts; you’re a silly, silly fool.
One of the best things about heading to the Northeast or Northwest is the increased likelihood of having some Canadians come down and this weekend was no different. Seeing Alex from Toronto again, 50 pounds heavier, was a treat. After his first Basic Barbell cert, Alex decided to fill out his 6’4” frame and he got serious about strength training. He runs Element CrossFit up in the Toronto area which will be the ONLY Canadian gym we visit next year. Richard from Quebec did a nice job through all the lifts and was a good sport about the ribbing he took for his delicate frame.
We had a gaggle of guys fairly new to Starting Strength who all live within training distance of each other and have decided to get together to train and coach one another. It’s a huge benefit of attending the seminar to find like minded folks who want to find some training partners and I look forward to hearing about their progress (which means either Bill, Joseph, or Aamir are going to have to let me know how things are going.) Bill also earned hyoooge x-credit points by bringing Sunday treats made by his wife who is a pastry chef, thanks so much Bill!
The Q&A (my favorite part of the weekend) covered many topics from moment arm clarifications to our coaches, Major’s Damon Wells and Ryan Long, discussing strength training in the military. A common, but important, topic of weight gain for women who strength train was discussed at length. It’s been covered on the forum multiple times and is sure to bring up many issues women seem to have in general with food and weight gain. Rip’s suggestion that a female lifter whose lifts have stalled actually go up a weight class was met with reactions ranging from skepticism to outright indignation. Both are common reactions and all I can really say on the subject is that if you are a chick or train a chick, patience and good information are key.
It’d be nice if some of you decide to come out to the Coaches Roundtable event next month; you’d have a blast and get a chance to have Rip’s eyes on your lifts again as well as train with Jim Wendler and Jim Steel. We’ll be out your way again in the spring, we’ll be hitting South Brooklyn in April. For all of you who’ve begged us to come to New York…we better see you there!
Since Joseph and Bill don't post yet, I'll be sure to keep ya'll updated on our progress!
I can say with full confidence that this is one of the best things I've ever done. The lecture material was presented better than in most college courses. The coaching staff was incredible, and all had such a keen eye regarding the lifts and lifters. If anyone is considering attending one of these, you will not regret it. I got more out of these 3 days than I could imagine.
On top of that, I met some really great people. It was great to be surrounded by folks who take strength training seriously. It was a motivating and encouraging environment.
Finally, a big thanks to Guierrilla Fitness. A great place to train, and run by a very gracious host. I look forward to training there with my newly found friends (and hitting up the Greek Taverna afterwards!).
I was remiss in discussing the Greek Taverna, thanks for the reminder Aamir! Our crew walking into the GT is the equivalent of Norm walking into Cheers. Our waitress, Mary, is one of the best and takes such good care of us that she's one of the family by now. Our group dinners there are ALWAYS a great time, this session's was one of the best (and not just because they brought out complimentary trays of baklava...but it helped.)
If you're anywhere near and don't eat there regularly...you're a silly, silly fool.
jp
Here's another pic from dinner + you getting set up for your pull.
I had a great time at dinner as well. It was nice just getting to know everybody. We talked about how we discovered starting strength, sports (*football*), how our pants ripped at inconvenient times etc...
I really hope to attend another seminar, training camp, or coaches roundtable in the future.
I snapped a few pics of our food and the overall silliness. I think you can tell from the pics how much fun we were having.
And don't tease...come to the Roundtable. Think of our Q&A this past Sunday and multiply the information given by A LOT. You get to train all day Sunday and if you even THINK the Greek Taverna was silly, wait'll you hit the WFAC BBQ!!!!
I'd love to come to the Roundtable! Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my sister is getting married that weekend. I do hope to attend another WFAC event in the near future. Spending time with you guys is both fun and productive. You also seem to know where to find good food!
Thanks for the pics jp! That was an awesome weekend. Rip has a way of simplifying everything. Who would have thought that biology and physics could be so fun?! Also, great team of coaches. Almost makes me want to move to Texas. Rip told me that he wants to transform me from a skinny endurance athlete Canadian to an American weightlifter! I'll post a full review later on but let's say that it was well worth the price and the 9h drive. For those living in NY that were complaining about the "remoteness" of the seminar well, you really missed something. You should have found a way, it would not even have been a long bike ride!!!
Homerj742, I should have taken similar pics! Too bad I had to leave in a hurry. It was great meeting you and all the others. If any of you ever comes to Quebec city, give me a sign so that we can have a workout in my garage gym and so that I can make you discover the city.
Happy training!
Richard the Canadian "bird"!
PS: And jp, let's go run mountains to see who has a delicate frame!
What an amazing weekend! It was awesome to see Stef, Juli and Rip again and to meet all the awesome people that came out. There is definitely something to be said about attending this seminar after spending time under the bar, so much of what Rip said just clicked - when the last time I took the seminar I was just taking his word for it.
Gregg was awesome and the greek taverna was something that dreams are made of.
I will definitely make my way down for a Coaches Roundtable as soon as I can, and I really couldn't be happier that I'm no longer 6'4" and 205#
I got a chance to chat with Alex as we were leaving the seminar. It's always a relief to know that such a large and strong human being is also very pleasant :lol Good to meet you, hope to run into you in the future.
Now, I was asked to keep Juli updated, and not sure where else to post this, so here goes. (Juli, if you prefer I not keep updating this post and want me to start a new one in another forum, please let me know!)
Joseph, Bill and I finally got together last sunday (Dec 19th) to train and coach one another (Joseph's sister, Serena, even joined us). It's really a big difference training with a group who has similar goals and uses the same method. I know I learned a lot as a lifter and a coach.
I noticed everyone had made progress since the seminar.
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