WFAC (7/9-11) Recap

[jep6095]

I usually start out each Recap thanking the venue host/owner for an excellent weekend but am in the nice position of being the venue host for the weekend. Since hitting town, the humidity has been in the high 200’s so spending the weekend inside was just fine with me. Since the seminar was held at the home gym, it was nice having a whole platform full of familiar faces in the crowd. Meeting new friends is always one of the best parts of the seminars and this weekend was no exception. Without trying to point out favorites, Jen was my favorite (of course her friend from Arizona providing us with her Birthday Cheesecake on Saturday may have something to do with that call.) Happy Birthday again Jen, it was great having you here. Keep us posted on how things are going with your female football team.

We had a weightlifting coach from town (who also does his own training at WFAC) and it was great having him go through the seminar to tweak his form and get a better understanding of our teaching methods and programming. We had another member of the gym who just turned 16 and while he can’t be certified as a coach (we don’t certify anyone under 18), Kyle did an excellent job of working on his form and improving his coaching. Having a 16 year old take command of adults who he’s known all his life is never easy and he did an awesome job of it. Congrats Kyle! You’ve all seen writings on our very own Zach Evetts and having him study the fine details of Starting Strength has already helped his understanding of the program. On a similar note, Brisket from California came well versed in the books but once he got here he quickly realized that there’s more to coaching and lifting than just in the reading of it. I think he would agree that practical application of the readings heightens the level of understanding of Starting Strength.

Our quarterly trip to Branding Iron was denied due to their taking off for vacation (funny they didn’t call us to ask if this was a good time) so we hit the buffet instead. Even though many of us had cheesecake a few hours before, it was still impressive to watch Rip and Gant hit the buffet (piles of shrimp were eaten prior to photos being snapped.) Look for future instructional videos of Gant and Phil Stevens hitting the buffet when Phil comes to town for the Coaches Roundtable Event, I’ll expect much more of them.

The one comment that sticks out from an attendee is this, “You have a very unique product that people need to see.” I’ll agree but I’m a bit biased. The world of fitness in America is either A) sweat & get thin or B) cut a few calories and go walking. People, you need to be strong. Big and Strong! How do you get that most effectively? With an effective STRENGTH program. Tell your friends, tell your Ma, tell your Pa, tell your big fat cousin who just needs to hit the gym and turn his life into something useful. Strength matters, not because of some theoretical zombie attack, but because life happens. We get sick, we fall down, we crash shit into each other. We need to be strong at the onset of all this so we can recover from the crap life throws our way.

We hope to see you at one of our seminars. The remainder of the 2010 schedule is up so if you’re waiting to sign up to see if we’re coming as close to your living room as possible, check it out. Even if we don’t make it all the way to your living room, we’ll be close enough for you to make the trip. And to the group in Wichita Falls this last weekend, keep us posted on your progress (well, those of you who we don’t see lifting every day. We'll keep YOU posted on their progress.)
jp

[Good Ryan]

The Breakfast photo doesnt look near as cheery as the cheesecake photo.

[jep6095]

Good catch Ryan...but that may be my fault.

I wouldn't let Gant and Brisket eat their breakfast until I got my camera so they had to stand there and be hungry at 7:30 in the morning. But Gant, Bald John, and Birthday Girl Jen dug into that cheesecake before I was quick enough to snap the photo so they were already enjoying themselves

[Gant Grimes]

The one comment that sticks out from an attendee is this, “You have a very unique product that people need to see.”

This was, hands-down, the most informative presentation that I have attended on any subject. I started lifting barbells more than 20 years ago. I first joined Rip's gym almost 15 years ago. I see him every week, and I've "known" the material in an academic sense since he published it (hell, I got my SS2nd before it was published). I thought I knew a lot about teaching and training the lifts. I was shocked at how much I learned this weekend.

This could easily be a semester-long upper level course. Somehow Rip and crew distilled it into about 25 hours of lecture and hands-on work. The ability to take his mechanical analysis of the lifts and teach it in a straight-forward, understandable manner--with constant reinforcement of concepts throughout the weekend--make this an invaluable learning experience for anyone who is interested in training the lifts, teaching the lifts, or just learning about the way they move. Don't miss this seminar.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Not sure why I didn't look at this thread earlier. Gant said a lot of what I was thinking, so I will just reiterate that this seminar....was nniiice!