Here is a great Starting Strength success story. Thank you Paul for your letter!
Hi Mark,
I’m sure you get emails like this all the time, but your work has truly impacted my life and I wanted to personally thank you.
I got hooked on weightlifting in college when a buddy took me to the gym and, over time, helped me transform my body from a scrawny, 6’1″, 160lb vegan to a 220lb muscular carnivore. Unfortunately, for most of that time, I lifted like a dumbass kid. My form was crappy, I changed exercises anytime I stalled, I threw tons of money away on bullshit supplements, and I was totally obsessed with looking like a bodybuilder. Man, I could sure dominate those cable triceps press-downs!
Last year, at the age of 29, it all caught up to me. A shooting pain developed in my shoulder which prevented me from doing any pressing exercises. The MRI revealed I had a torn labrum, torn biceps tendon, bone spurs, and arthritis in my AC joint. The doc said surgery was the only option.
It was around this time that I stumbled upon a YouTube video of you coaching the deadlift. The way you explained it was so brutally simple and easy to understand. I immediately changed my form and improved my efficiency in the lift. Subsequently, I started reading interviews you had done and watching more of your videos online.
Faced with my upcoming surgery and 3-4 months out of the gym, I purchased Starting Strength, Practical Programming, and Strong Enough? I spent much of my recovery devouring the literature. I couldn’t wait to get back into the gym.
In February the doctor cleared me to start lifting again. Since I couldn’t add much weight to the bar and I looked like shit, I checked my ego at the door and just concentrated on learning how to lift with proper form. I started to rebuild my body 5lbs at a time.
I’m happy to report that now, 5 months later, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. All my lifts have blown past what I could have put up in my “bodybuilding” days. Furthermore, I’ve let go of all concern for how I look to other people. No more rushing to the gym to “pump up the guns” before hitting the beach. No more obsessive dieting to try to get my abs to pop. I’m free from all that neurotic behavior and I’m happier and more confident than I’ve ever been.
I’m still a novice and I love it. Three times a week I get under that bar. I test myself. I prove that I’m better than I was last time. I’m taking better care of my body – eating right and sleeping more – because I know the workout is coming and I want to give it my best shot.
Going to the gym means more to me now that it ever did. It’s a privilege to be in there. To have access to those weights. To challenge my body and mind. To fail. To try again. To succeed. And, to learn all the lessons that come from going through the process.
As an alumni, I still get to work out at my college gym. I see young guys doing the same stupid shit I did when I was their age. I watch them do countless sets of curls, shrugs and kickbacks and just shake my head. Then again, the squat rack is always open, so maybe it’s not so bad!
But, just the other day a kid came up to me and said, “Hey, I noticed your squat form is pretty solid. Can you take a look at mine and give me some pointers?” I was flattered. I found out that he had recently purchased your book and was starting the program. I was thrilled and just a little jealous that he figured it out at a young age. But we bonded over Starting Strength – like we knew a secret that none of the other gym-rats understood. No ego, no attitude; just mutual respect for one another and the path we had both chosen to walk down. It was pretty cool and a far cry from my typical interactions with the cocky, puffy-chested, cutoff t-shirt wearing denizens of my gym.
So, this is my really long and drawn out way of saying thank you, Rip! I’m grateful for having been introduced to your writing and your coaching. You’ve changed my life for the better. You’ve made me a stronger man – both in and out of the gym. And, thank you for embracing and nurturing the community of SS students and disciples; we are all lucky to have you as our coach.
Sincerely,
Paul Horn