Mark Rippetoe
As seen in:
HuffPost,
Substack,
Men's Journal,
PJ Media,
Starting Strength Radio,
Men's Health SA,
NextByte1
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Mark Rippetoe
The Old-School ‘Starting Strength’ Plan – 3 Days, 5 Barbell Lifts, Muscle-Building Made Simple
When it comes to building raw, unadulterated strength, few coaches have quite the reputation – or the uncompromising approach – of legendary strength coach Mark Rippetoe. And few programmes have had quite the impact on the world of barbell training as his ‘Starting Strength’ method.
[podcast] Co-Chairs of WHO Civil Society Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance share insights
Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is a different kind of nature show about the human drama of saving animals. From a paleoanthropologist who hunts fossils in conflict zones to someone who helped save an endangered species while in prison, in season four we will hear from real-life heroes and nature advocates with widely different expertise and life experiences that led them to be champions for the natural world. Wildlife biologist and host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant has been studying wild animals i ...
Wild Health podcast
Listen to this show while you explore <% _(superChannels).chain().sortBy(function(c) { return } ).each(function(superchan) { %> <% inclusion = superchan.findInclusion(subChannel.id) %> <% }); %>
Training Stages and Age | Starting Strength Radio #306
Mark Rippetoe | February 28, 2025 Rip discusses how programming changes as strength accumulates as a result of training and what aspects vary when trainees start at different ages. 03:20 Comments from the Haters! 12:59 Army Strong 14:57 Today’s topic 21:26 Starting a little later 32:01 Did you move heavier loads? 36:00 Different stages in life 47:06 The process is the same Subscribe: YouTube Audio feeds: RSS | iTunes | Google Podcasts
A Modest Proposal: End Men’s and Women’s Sports Divisions
Editor's note: This column was originally published in 2017. In light of the recent controversies in Olympic boxing, I thought readers would enjoy revisiting Mark's satirical piece. The recent weeks have provided many wonderful distractions from a White House occupied by a Russian spy, the absolutely trustworthy and objective media being ignored because of their alleged “bias,” and the Republican-controlled Congress charging enthusiastically forward with reform after much-needed reform.
[podcast] Find all TB → treat all TB → prevent all TB → End TB | Shobha Shukla speaks
<% _(superChannels).chain().sortBy(function(c) { return } ).each(function(superchan) { %> <% inclusion = superchan.findInclusion(subChannel.id) %> <% }); %>
Bonus newsletter: I did a 20-squat programme and it was horrible but also good
Thank you for reading this bonus newsletter from Tox Report! Every Tuesday, I send out a roundup of what I’ve been listening to, watching and reading. Sometimes, I’ll write a longer essay or feature like this one — the last one was about the schism in the the gender critical movement. If you’d like more of that in your inbox, hit the button to subscribe. And I always enjoy reading replies and comments, so please share your questions or thoughts! I decided to do a 20-squat programme.
Talking About the Starting Strength Method with Mark Rippetoe
Charles Atlas, Jack LaLanne, and Arnold Schwarzenegger are muscle-building and athletic fitness pioneers who changed the game. One name to add to that list is Mark Rippetoe, the charismatic founder of Starting Strength. Rippetoe walked the talk as an athlete. He played football and then focused on powerlifting from 1979 to 1988. At a body weight of 220 pounds, his best lifts include a 611-pound squat, a 396 bench press, a 633 deadlift, and a 275 power clean.
Q&A Episode - Trains, Rattlesnakes, and Kids Doing the Program | Starting Strength Radio #242
Mark Rippetoe | December 08, 2023 Rip answers questions live from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans.
Fossil Future with Alex Epstein | Starting Strength Radio #234
The STRONG Life Podcast with Zach Even - Esh gives you the tools, motivation & power to DOMINATE in the Gym AND in Life. In layman's terms, this show is a How to Kick A** and Take Names podcast in ALL areas of LIFE. Each episode covers topics such as strength & conditioning, building muscle, overcoming obstacles in life, success as an entrepreneur, success in your career and conquering ALL obstacles in life that dare to stand in your way. If you want to live life on YOUR terms while crushing ...
Starting Strength Radio: The Two-Factor Model
On Purpose with Jay Shetty Jay Shetty Scicomm Media Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes The Doctor's Farmacy with Mark Hyman, M.D. Dr. Mark Hyman Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories Slumber Studios Rob Dial and Kast Media
What Makes a Good Coach?
by Mark Rippetoe | January 19, 2022 The profession of Barbell Coaching has come a long way in the past few years. I'm happy to say that Starting Strength has played a big part in its development, by quantifying the lifts and their technique, and by establishing the best way to program the lifts for continued progress.
PSYOPS: If They Can Make You Believe a Big Strong Man Belongs in the Women's Division, They Can Make You Believe Anything
Today, Monday, August 2, 2021, a big strong man bombed out of the superheavyweight class of the Women’s division of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Read that sentence again: We are living in a post-truth society. The best that can be done with it is to finely hone your cynicism, question everything you are told, and learn to appreciate dark humor. Gavin Hubbard is 6’1” at 285 pounds.
Female Olympic Weightlifters Must Boycott the Competition
The International Olympic Committee has laid the groundwork for the destruction of the Women’s Division in Olympic sports by permitting New Zealand to enter a congenital Male in the Women’s division of Olympic weightlifting in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. And as odd as this sounds, the only way to save women’s sports is for the female competitors to boycott the event in its entirety.
Texas Lawmakers Complicit in Perpetuating Lie About Differences Between Men and Women in Sports
The following statement was prepared for the Texas House committee hearing for HB 4042, dealing with the issue of congenital males competing in the women’s division in Texas high school sports. The bill, which would have prohibited the practice, is officially dead, having not been brought to a vote by the chairman. *** My name is Mark Rippetoe.
A Debate on Solutions with John Horgan | Starting Strength Radio #88
VIDEO Mark Rippetoe and science journalist John Horgan have a discussion on possible paths forward for individuals and businesses and debate the question of how much government intervention in an individual's health is too much. Discuss in Forums
Nothing New Under the Sun
by Mark Rippetoe | November 04, 2020 As the old saying goes, and it indicates the timelessness of good ideas. Starting Strength takes advantage of good ideas, like basic barbell exercises and arithmetic. We didn't invent either one, but we are the first to actually explain their most efficient and effective use in strength training. And with most simple, obvious, and neglected things, our approach has been criticized. Of course. So why was it neglected?
7 Best Crossfit Shoes in 2025
Best Crossfit shoes overall We discovered Metcon 10 offers the best features for CrossFit, deserving to be crowned as the best overall among CrossFit trainers in our lab records. It's a confidence booster with the superior stability it offers, holding down our feet well when it’s time to lift. It offers the flexibility needed for various WODs and agility exercises. Despite the absence of a raised heel, Metcon 10 shines in weightlifting.
7 Best Weightlifting Shoes in 2025
Best weightlifting shoes overall The Romaleos 4 was arguably the firmest that we’ve tried, so underfoot wobbliness easily became a thing of the past. This shoe has not one but two straps that kept our feet securely mounted on the footbed even as they splayed with the weight that we were lifting. Finally, this shoe’s elevation is as lifting-friendly as advertised.
Rip’s Rant and Getting Back in the Gym After House Arrest | Starting Strength Radio #57
https://youtu.be/RIBVwOqlQ-k transcript powered by Sonix—easily convert your video to text with Sonix. https://youtu.be/RIBVwOqlQ-k was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the latest audio-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Sonix is the best video automated transcription service in 2020. Our automated transcription algorithms works with many of the popular video file formats. Automatically convert your video files to text with Sonix.
With John Horgan on COVID19 | Starting Strength Radio #53
Mark Rippetoe and John Horgan discuss the current situation in terms of testing, government overreaction, economic fallout, and future instances of "quarantine" orders from local governments. John Horgan is director of the Center for Science Writings at the Stevens Institute of Technology and frequent contributor to Scientific American. Discuss in Forums
Will the Fitness Industry Survive the COVID-19 Pandemic? Some Important Things to Consider
The most astonishing development in American history has occurred over the past few weeks: COVID-19 emerged from the People's Republic of China, and because people were told to be afraid of getting sick, they welcomed governments at the state, county, and local levels to divide all businesses into two categories: essential and non-essential, and close all the non-essential businesses.
The Cancer Industry with John Horgan | Starting Strength Radio #48
https://youtu.be/ydZxBUylMi4 transcript powered by Sonix—the best automated transcription service in 2020. Easily convert your video to text with Sonix. https://youtu.be/ydZxBUylMi4 was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the latest audio-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Sonix is the best way to convert your video to text. Our automated transcription algorithms works with many of the popular video file formats.
Power Clean Series Part 1 - Learning the Three Positions
A new series on learning to do and coach the power clean! Mark Rippetoe breaks down the teaching method for the power clean in short videos designed to be easily referred to by lifters and coaches. In part 1, Rip teaches the three basic positions for learning the power clean. Part 2
Starting Strength, 3rd edition
Starting Strength Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition Mark Rippetoe with Stef Bradford The Aasgaard Company Wichita Falls, Texas Got Feedback? Third edition. Copyright © 2011 by The Aasgaard Company. First edition published 2005. Second edition 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in a form by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Why Ass to Grass Squats Don't Use the Longest Effective ROM
In this excerpt from the Starting Strength Coach Development Prep Course, Mark Rippetoe discusses the concept of longest effective range of motion. The longest effective ROM is one of the 3 criteria used for exercise selection for getting strong. Discuss in Forums
Forcing Congenital Females to Compete Against 'Trans-Women' Will Destroy Women's Sports and Everyone Knows It
This topic has gotten a lot of attention recently. My recent podcast dealt with this, but nobody watches my podcast, and I seem to be the only one discussing it to my satisfaction, so I shall do it here. This time, the short version. First, let's look at some facts. These are not my facts, they are the facts, and that means they are your facts too.
Apprenticeship: Regaining Its Rightful Position as the Best Pathway to a Rewarding Career
At this point in the history of the world, a college education ain't what it used to be. Since the federal government annexed the student loan market in 2009, the ship is sinking faster than ever. Never before has something so worthless been so damned expensive. When a kid can graduate with a bachelor's in Sociology $75,000 in debt and no sociology job in sight to pay for it, some very bad decisions have been made based on some very bad analysis.
Zacznij od siЕ‚y. Kultowy poradnik treningu ze sztangД… | Mark Rippetoe
PorГіwnywarka z zawsze aktualnymi cenami W naszej porГіwnywarce znajdziesz ksiД…Ејki, audiobooki i e-booki, ze wszystkich najpopularniejszych ksiД™garni internetowych i stacjonarnych, zawsze w najlepszej cenie. Wszystkie pozycje zawierajД… aktualne ceny sprzedaЕјy. Nasze ksiД™garnie partnerskie oferujД… wygodne formy dostawy takie jak: dostawД™ do paczkomatu, przesyЕ‚kД™ kurierskД… lub odebranie przesyЕ‚ki w wybranym punkcie odbioru.
Heavier Kit? Stronger Soldiers!
An article last week in Popular Mechanics lamented the fact that today's soldiers are being asked to carry ever-heavier loads of squad and personal equipment, even as advances in battlefield technology continue apace with modern warfare. Our friend Glenn Reynolds thought I might have something to say about this, and amazingly enough I do.
Starting Strength Channel
Mark Rippetoe reads Losing Body Fat or Gaining Muscle Mass: Which is more important?, his article about the importance of gaining muscle mass, especially in older populations. Audio version: Losing Body Fat or Gaining Muscle Mass: Which is more important?
Big Brother is Watching You Squat
This article is for the professionals. But the rest of you can read it, if you promise to think along with us. It's been suggested that state governments should control the practice of exercise prescription through programs of state licensure. If this plan is enacted in your state, this would mean that you would need a license granted by your state to practice strength coaching or personal training.
Starting Strength
Mark Rippetoe reads his article on bodyfat, strength, and age.
Physical Activity, Exercise, and Training
Physical Activity, Exercise, and Training Mark Rippetoe defines training and explains the difference between training and exercise. Recorded at the Starting Strength Seminar held at Woodmere Fitness Club in Woodmere, NY.
The Profession of Barbell Coaching | Mark Rippetoe
Mark Rippetoe reads his article The Profession of Barbell Coaching in which he describes the difference between a personal trainer and a coach and what makes the Starting Strength Coach credential different.
Training and Discipline | Mark Rippetoe
Mark Rippetoe hosts The Starting Strength Channel, available on an occasional basis, where he discusses topics of interest, primarily to him, but perhaps also to you.
How to Do a Perfect Squat
“Squats are bad for the knees” is the biggest myth in weight training. You may have heard that full squats are bad for your back, too. The correctly performed squat is a hips-dependent exercise. It doesn’t really stress the knees much at all. And the correct position at the bottom of the squat does in fact load the back. Which is fine, because the squat is a back exercise too. Look at the picture above. This is the correct bottom position of a squat.
New Year's Resolutions and Your Lazy Ass | Mark Rippetoe
Mark Rippetoe reads his article, New Year's Resolutions and Your Lazy Ass, in which he proposes that you try strength training rather than pursuing ill-defined endeavors. Audio version: New Year's Resolutions and Your Lazy Ass
Back Pain and Back Strength
There are times when The Conventional Wisdom and The Reality of the Situation are at odds. Our recent presidential election provides a poignant example, as does the idea that running makes you skinny, that little kids always tell the truth, and that we have to pass another law so you'll stop doing things we don't like.
Your Taxes Paid For These Embarrassing Government Fitness Recommendations
My recent piece on my own website, “Exercise, Government-Style,” deals with the exercise recommendations of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. Their website is an embarrassing mess of silly movements that cannot be categorized as exercises. "Physical activity," perhaps -- like you would perform while driving to the store, going in to buy groceries, putting them in the car, going home, unloading them, and sitting back down.
Strength Training at Age 92 With Mark Rippetoe
My dear old friend Mrs. Virginia Gustafson Rizan will be 92 very soon. She’s been training here at my gym, the Wichita Falls Athletic Club, for over a year now, and she’s accomplished several very important things. I thought you’d like to know about some of them, primarily because I’m very proud of her, but also because I think it’s important to remind you that you can benefit from strength training too, and that I won’t be accepting your advanced age as an excuse. 1. Gus has gotten much stronger.
Why You Should Make Strength Training Your New Year's Resolution
The “New Year’s Resolution” must be one of the most ridiculous of human customs. You identify a problem you’re having, and then you wait until January 1 of the next year to address it, in the spirit of a group-participation event that nobody completes and nobody approaches seriously. You decide that you’re going to quit eating chocolate or stop scratching your feet. You stop until January 5. You’re typical. In the gym business, New Year’s Resolution business used to be a bigger factor than it is now.
Losing Bodyfat or Gaining Muscle Mass: Which is More Important?
Muscle mass comprises between 30 and 50 percent of your body’s total weight -- the more the better. Composed of more than 650 muscles, it is the primary user of calories in the active human body, and the storage facility for most of the body’s protein. Muscles are the motors which move the skeleton -- the system of levers we use to interact with our environment -- and are therefore responsible for our physical relationship with our surroundings.
The Power Clean - Starting Strength DVD
VIDEO From the Starting Strength DVD released in 2010. Mark Rippetoe takes lifters of varying size and strength through the Starting Strength method for teaching the Power Clean. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Strength Training for Women | T Nation
If you need to be told that women are physiologically different than men when it comes to strength training, you either haven't coached both men and women or you haven't been paying any attention while you were. A 1RM (one repetition maximum) performed by a female lifter is a different event than a limit rep performed by a male lifter. And women can perform a much higher percentage of their 1RM for reps. And there's more.
Women in Ground Combat
by Mark Rippetoe | June 30, 2017 It is fashionable these days to appear concerned about what is currently interpreted as “inequality.” Inequality can be accurately defined as any diversity in the outcomes of any human endeavor deemed to be the potential subject of an op-ed piece in the New York Times, the Washington Post, or Yahoo News.
Rip’s Modest Proposal: End Men’s and Women’s Divisions in Sports
The recent weeks have provided many wonderful distractions from a White House occupied by a Russian spy, the absolutely trustworthy and objective media being ignored because of their alleged “bias,” and the Republican-controlled Congress charging enthusiastically forward with reform after much-needed reform. But the pressing issue of the day is cis-women/trans-women/men in sports, and rightfully so. Let’s get our thoughts right on this, and let’s propose a common-sense meaningful solution.
How to Build a Home Gym
Not everybody who wants to train for strength can fit a gym membership into their lifestyle. Scheduling problems, the cost, travel problems from home or work, the absence of an adequately equipped facility in the market, or simply the dislike of a commercial gym environment motivates many people to invest in a home gym. A serviceable home gym for barbell training need not be a gigantic investment, and in fact should be very simple.
Back Pain and Back Strength
There are times when The Conventional Wisdom and The Reality of the Situation are at odds. Our recent presidential election provides a poignant example, as does the idea that running makes you skinny, that little kids always tell the truth, and that we have to pass another law so you'll stop doing things we don't like.
Another Example of Why You Should Never Lift Weights Alone
Another Example of Why You Should Never Lift Weights Alone Another Example of Why You Should Never Lift Weights Alone The name John Ashe is certainly not a familiar one. Dr. Ashe was the former president of the UN General Assembly from 2013-2014. A diplomat from the nation of Antigua and Barbuda, he was under a federal criminal indictment in a bribery and tax fraud case involving real estate transactions in China.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Mark
Contact Mark, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack