Starting Strength Radio

Mark Rippetoe has been coaching barbell training since the 1980s, and his book Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is arguably the most influential strength training manual of the past two decades. The man has strong opinions about squats, deadlifts, presses, and pretty much everything else, and this podcast gives him a platform to share all of them. Starting Strength Radio has accumulated over 500 episodes and 340+ numbered shows since launching in 2013. The format alternates between Q&A episodes, where Rippetoe fields questions from listeners on programming, technique, and training philosophy, and longer interview episodes with coaches, athletes, and occasionally guests from completely different fields like economics or medicine. Episodes typically run between 60 and 90 minutes. Rippetoe's style is blunt and unapologetic. He'll tell you that most commercial gym programming is a waste of time, that the leg press is inferior to squatting, and that progressive overload with the basic barbell lifts is the foundation of getting stronger. Some listeners find his directness refreshing; others find it abrasive. The show has earned a 4.5-star rating from over 700 Apple Podcasts reviews, which reflects that divide. He does wander into non-training topics like politics and current events, which can be a turn-off if you're purely there for the lifting content. But when he's talking about the squat, the press, or how to coach a novice through their first linear progression, there are very few people on Earth more qualified to listen to. The back catalog alone is a masterclass in barbell fundamentals.