Mark Rippetoe
Encyclopedia
Mark Rippetoe is a national-level, American
strength training
coach and author. He is one of the few strength athletics authorities to publish both peer-reviewed articles as well as books for the lay population. Unlike most strength and conditioning academics, he has several decades of practical application as an elite-level strength coach, former competitive powerlifter, and a current gym owner.
He was a part of the charter group of individuals to receive the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification when it was first offered by the NSCA ([National Strength and Conditioning Association www.nsca-cc.org]) in 1985. He formally relinquished the credential in 2009.
He has been associated, in varying degrees of formality, with the CrossFit
movement since 2006. He authored many training articles for the CrossFit Journal and created the Basic Barbell Certification course, which he conducted from 2006 to 2009. He expanded this course into a three-day Starting Strength Seminar produced through the Aasgaard Company in 2010..
He is also known for his particularly brash teaching style, humor, and libertarian
leanings, prompting several online compilations of his attributed quotations.
where he currently resides. He obtained a Bachelor's of Science in Petroleum Geology from Midwestern State University
, where he met his mentor Bill Starr
in 1979. He competed in powerlifting from 1979 to 1988, winning the Greater Texas Classic in 1981. He bought Anderson's Gym in 1984, which would later become the Wichita Falls Athletic Club. He would later be joined by Glenn Pendlay, nation-level olympic lifting coach and Dr. Lon Kilgore, competitive powerlifter and PhD. Over the next 20 years, he would use the gym to test and refine his training program that would maximize strength gains, ultimately resulting in the Starting Strength program.
The bench press is alternated with overhead press and deadlift once a week, using power cleans on the other two days. Weights are gradually increased in each session until strength gains reach a plateau. He advocates 3 sessions per week for beginners and drinking a gallon of whole milk per day if underweight to maximize strength gains.
He also defined a model of training progress in conjunction with Lon Kilgore; it classifies trainees into 'novice,' 'intermediate,' and 'advanced' categories, with very few athletes ever reaching the 'elite' category. They define these categories as:
Both the Starting Strength novice training model and adaptations for more advanced trainees have received attention in mainstream fitness journals.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
strength training
Strength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...
coach and author. He is one of the few strength athletics authorities to publish both peer-reviewed articles as well as books for the lay population. Unlike most strength and conditioning academics, he has several decades of practical application as an elite-level strength coach, former competitive powerlifter, and a current gym owner.
He was a part of the charter group of individuals to receive the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification when it was first offered by the NSCA ([National Strength and Conditioning Association www.nsca-cc.org]) in 1985. He formally relinquished the credential in 2009.
He has been associated, in varying degrees of formality, with the CrossFit
CrossFit
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, plyometrics, rowing, and medicine ball training...
movement since 2006. He authored many training articles for the CrossFit Journal and created the Basic Barbell Certification course, which he conducted from 2006 to 2009. He expanded this course into a three-day Starting Strength Seminar produced through the Aasgaard Company in 2010..
He is also known for his particularly brash teaching style, humor, and libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
leanings, prompting several online compilations of his attributed quotations.
Background
Mark Rippetoe was born in Wichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
where he currently resides. He obtained a Bachelor's of Science in Petroleum Geology from Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University is a public liberal arts college in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
, where he met his mentor Bill Starr
Bill Starr
William Starr was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played in parts of two seasons, and , for the Washington Senators.-Sources:...
in 1979. He competed in powerlifting from 1979 to 1988, winning the Greater Texas Classic in 1981. He bought Anderson's Gym in 1984, which would later become the Wichita Falls Athletic Club. He would later be joined by Glenn Pendlay, nation-level olympic lifting coach and Dr. Lon Kilgore, competitive powerlifter and PhD. Over the next 20 years, he would use the gym to test and refine his training program that would maximize strength gains, ultimately resulting in the Starting Strength program.
Starting Strength Program
Mark Rippetoe's first two books detail the technical aspects of each primary barbell lifts and major assistance exercises, and created a program for the basic acquisition of strength using these lifts. This program is known as the Starting Strength barbell training program, or simply Starting Strength. The program involves:- 3 sets of 5 repetitions of the squatSquat (exercise)In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...
, bench pressBench pressThe bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
, and overhead press; - 5 sets of 3 repetitions of the power clean; and
- 1 set of 5 repetitions of the deadliftDeadliftThe deadlift is a weight training exercise where a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a stabilized, bent over position. It is one of the three canonical powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press.-Overview:...
;
The bench press is alternated with overhead press and deadlift once a week, using power cleans on the other two days. Weights are gradually increased in each session until strength gains reach a plateau. He advocates 3 sessions per week for beginners and drinking a gallon of whole milk per day if underweight to maximize strength gains.
He also defined a model of training progress in conjunction with Lon Kilgore; it classifies trainees into 'novice,' 'intermediate,' and 'advanced' categories, with very few athletes ever reaching the 'elite' category. They define these categories as:
- Novice: a trainee capable of increasing strength from a single workout/recovery cycle.
- Intermediate: a trainee capable of increasing strength over a small series of workout/recovery cycles, typically over a week.
- Advanced: a trainee capable of increasing strength only over a series of workouts over a longer time frame (a month or more).
- Elite: an athlete achieving the highest standards within his or her sport.
Both the Starting Strength novice training model and adaptations for more advanced trainees have received attention in mainstream fitness journals.
Authored works
Mark Rippetoe has authored several books,peer-reviewed articles, online and DVD instructional videos, and internet posts concerned with strength training.Books
- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training
- Practical Programming for Strength Training
- Strong Enough? Thoughts on Thirty Years of Barbell Training
- Mean Ol’ Mr. Gravity
Journal Articles
- Strength and conditioning for fencing, Strength and Conditioning Journal.
- Let's Learn How to Coach the Squat, Strength and Conditioning Journal.
- Redefining Fitness for Health and Fitness Professionals, Journal of Exercise Physiology.
- Going Deep, CrossFit Journal.
Interviews
- Rob Sachs, What Would Rob Do to Lose 10 Pounds in 2009?, 2009. NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
interview with Mark Rippetoe. - Matt ReynoldsMatt ReynoldsMatt Reynolds is an American football offensive tackle. He currently attends Brigham Young University in his senior year...
, In the Trenches - An Interview With Mark Rippetoe - Myles Kantor, Going Deeper into the Deadlift with Mark Rippetoe. Interview.
- Charles Staley, Mark Rippetoe: Starting Strength, mp3, 2008. Audio interview with Mark Rippetoe.
- Chris Colucci, Starting Strength: An Interview with Mark Rippetoe, 2009. T-nation interview with Mark Rippetoe.
Other
- Charles PoliquinCharles PoliquinCharles Poliquin is a Canadian strength training coach who has trained and/or consulted numerous world class athletes and professional sports teams. Poliquin, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, has trained Olympic medalists in 12 different sports, including gold medal sprinter Donovan Bailey. and...
, Five Valuable Strength Lessons From Mark Rippetoe, 2011.