Thank you, Rip!

[Scott Beall]

Thank you for living out the Kaizen principle (Japanese for continuous improvement)!

This was an EVEN MORE high quality seminar than the last times (2009, 2010) I attended! I was blown away by how many things I had managed to fuck up since then (or have changed since then). The refresher, complete with favorable changes from the past (the press 2.0, or simply "The Press" as it's now called; the Deadlift with the back segment raised IMMEDIATELY out of the bottom as opposed to the previously thought back angle remaining constant out of the bottom portion of the DL and later becoming vertical, amongst other awesome improvements that don't immediately come to mind.)

Rip, the things that I love about your teaching is that you:

• You're not afraid to change the model if you find a better way.
• Your mission has remained unchanged: How to lift the most weight possible, using the most amount of muscle, over the greatest ROM.
• You've stayed loyal to this mission and have not let your ego get in the way of getting better (like many business owners and/or "exercise science" people have fallen prey to). In other words, your product remains of the highest quality instead of riding any existing financial wave into the future, and letting the quality of the product go).

If any of you people out there give a shit about strength, YOU WILL save your pennies, and MAKE attending this seminar happen (If you apply the content, it's worth at least TRIPLE [or more] the fee! 💪😀

And if you're a trainer/coach, you CANNOT call yourself a "best-in-the-world trainer/coach" if you have not achieved the Starting Strength Coach credential (for me, this is to be determined in about 3 weeks or however long it takes to hear back).

[Mark Rippetoe]

Thanks for the kind words, Scott. And thanks for coming.

[TommyGun]

Coach, not to get all warm and fuzzy but what respect the most about you and what you have built with SS is the fact you will not dilute the product for a wider audience. You won’t sell out and hand out coaching certs to make a quick buck. And yes, your willingness to revise a model based on additional evidence.

FYI, two pieces of your writing stand out. First, the Pajama Boy article was hilarious. But your opening to SS3rd Ed, the preface is amazing. Truly inspiring. Okay I’m done, enough of the niceties.

[Christopher Button]

Was worth the inter-continental flight. Got to meet a bunch of great folks who all understand each other, and even got to shake Rip's finger.

[Mark Rippetoe]

That wasn't my finger.

[KarlK]

Thank you for living out the Kaizen principle (Japanese for continuous improvement)!

After a corporate life, I went into independent consulting, where I mostly teach and train, and I have to say that THIS, if not THE most important principle, is on the top of the list for those of us in the this business.

Rip is not just in the exercise science business, he is in the CONSULTING business first, and like me in the teaching and training aspect of consulting.

And it's not just adapting -- your business adaptations must be improvements in your concepts, your materials, and your methods in imparting knowledge that is usable and functional.

Your customers need to walk out of the teaching and training BETTER than they were when they walked in. And that improvment must be palpable.

For those of you out there who would like to strike out on your own at some point, Rip's business model is worth a deep study. It took us about 5 years to figure it all out. You can shorten that time horizon with some intensive study.

[Eric Schexnayder]

Thank you for living out the Kaizen principle (Japanese for continuous improvement)!

Agree 100%. I think NOT living this out is a big problem in many facets of modern life. Everything has to be immediate gratification. That's why CrossFit (and credit cards) and the like are so popular - it's what you get today, not in the long term. It's why people struggle to retire. Real progress takes time, and time means dedication and prioritizing things that really matter, like good food, good sleep, and good training.

I've seen it happen at every company I work for: what I have to pay today is not worth what I get tomorrow, and the today portion is always short sighted and over valued.

That wasn't my finger.

I guess what happens on the platform does not stay on the platform.

[3rdcoast_slope]

I'll jump in. When I attended I knew this was the best strength training program out there. However, I did not expect to find a new way of thinking. I really can't determine where I would be right now without it. I probably would be floating around wondering "what the hell is going on". Rip's philosophy cuts through the BS and I feel this is important more than ever. Lifting is lower on my list than it was when I attended 3 years ago, but I still follow SS, watch videos, and follow forums because to me, it's a Way, not just a method. Of course I still lift but I stay strong with these basic concepts and little time wasted in the gym, more hunting and fishing for me. Nonetheless, I have changed many many things for the better in my life since then and when I smell BS I know it! Thank you.