Mark Rippetoe, Author at T NATION

Rippetoe Goes Off

Mark Rippetoe — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Here's what you need to know... One barbell and a few basic exercises have packed on strength and size for decades. So why are you isolating tiny muscle groups? Your muscles are firing, no matter what the physical therapist tells you. You're just weak. Think twice before you listen to a physical therapist or rely

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Tip: Does Weight Lifting Stunt Height?

Mark Rippetoe — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 15:00:00 +0000

Kids are fine training with proper instruction, with full range of motion exercise, with correct coaching. It's not any worse than it is to have them doing gymnastics when they're four or five, but you have to teach them the correct movements. What About Epiphyseal Fractures? That's mythology. Find me the examples of epiphyseal damage

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Tip: Simplify the Deadlift

Mark Rippetoe — Tue, 17 May 2016 11:00:00 +0000

The deadlift is the most basic, obvious movement in barbell training, the one with the most carryover to everyday tasks and the easiest to learn of all the basic exercises. I can teach you how to perform a perfect deadlift in one (admittedly long) sentence: You just step up to the bar with a vertical-jump

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Squat Mechanics: A Deep Analysis

Mark Rippetoe — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The #1 Squat Mistake Every seminar we hold is attended by people who have read the book, who have been training with the material for various lengths of time, and who are interested enough in what we have to say that they have paid money to hear it from us directly. Yet every Saturday morning's

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Deconstructing the Deadlift

Mark Rippetoe — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Here's what you need to know... "Rigid body" analysis - where the shape and dimensions of a body are considered to be constant and undeformable regardless of the forces applied to it - is useful in the analysis of complex human movement, like the deadlift. The Standard Pulling Position is where the bar travels up

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Women in Ground Combat

Mark Rippetoe — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Logic, Not Social Politics It's 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. As

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Strength Training for Women

Mark Rippetoe — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Lead Photo Credit: Tom Campitelli, The Aasgaard Company 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

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Big Brother is Watching You Squat

Mark Rippetoe — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Here's what you need to know... If you're a coach or personal trainer, your state government may soon force you to get licensed and operate within their "Standards of Practice." Certain organizations are lobbying state governments to make their certification and license mandatory for everyone who trains clients. Approval will be determined by a board,

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Athletes, Bad Coaches, and Steroids

Mark Rippetoe — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Here's what you need to know... Athletes take steroids to get strong. Period. Many athletes turn to steroids because their coaches have failed to teach them the value of simple linear strength progression. Since basic barbell training has been replaced by dance routines and "functional" exercise, athletes look to steroids to fill the gaps. The

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CrossFit and Functional Training

Mark Rippetoe — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Here's what you need to know... Strength and skill can't be developed through methods that employ constant variation. Strength is the most important physical attribute, improving all other attributes, like speed, agility, balance, and power. Basic barbell training is the best way to build strength. CrossFit and "functional training" completely miss the point of basic

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