Last weekend, my girlfriend and I had a session with Sully, in Farmington, Michigan. For me, it was an opportunity to work on my squat, press, and deadlift form, and for her, it was an introduction to barbells.

My biggest issues were maintaining a neutral spine (in particular in the lumbar area) at the bottom of the squat, and not being able to press because of poor range of overhead motion.

Within three sets, Sully was able to greatly improve my squat. I am now squatting more than I did before the session, and with much greater ease.

More remarkably, he was able to guide me into a full range of overhead motion in my press. Keep in mind that I have seen at least three physios, a chiropractor, and experimented with many stretches, and have never been able to achieve full overhead motion. I was convinced that this was a mobility issue and that I'd have to discover the right stretching routine in order to ever be able to press. Within a matter of minutes, I was pressing with full overhead motion, through the right cues and encouragement. It was a revelation, feeling my shoulders achieve those extra few degrees of flexion at the top of the press for what may well have been the first time in my life.

Experiencing Sully's coaching first hand and watching him coach my girlfriend was remarkable. It really is somewhat magical, seeing a lifter's movement patterns being gradually molded, through cues and touch, into a desired form.

The gym space was pristine, well lit, and had beautiful racks and barbells. Sully was a real pleasure to work with, and extremely generous with his time and attention. He is a fine expression of the Starting Strength standard - a standard that truly deserves to be called excellent.