Mark Rippetoe is an American strength training coach and author. He has published a number of books and peer-reviewed articles. He has several decades of experience as a strength coach, is a former powerlifter, and is currently a gym owner in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was a part of the charter group of individuals to receive the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification when it was first offered by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, in 1985. He formally relinquished the credential in 2009. He was formerly associated with the CrossFit community as a subject-matter expert in barbell training. He authored many training articles for the CrossFit Journal and created, with Lon Kilgore, the Basic Barbell Certification course, which they conducted from 2006 to 2009. After purchasing rights from Kilgore, he expanded this course into a three-day Starting Strength Seminar produced through The Aasgaard Company in 2010. Rippetoe ended his formal association with CrossFit in 2009 due to personal and ideological differences. He is also known for his particularly brash teaching style and humor, prompting several online compilations of his attributed quotations. He is the second chair trumpet player in the brass band known as The Anarene Transit Authority.
Background
Rippetoe was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he now resides. He obtained a Bachelor 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 later became the Wichita Falls Athletic Club. He collaborated with Glenn Pendlay, international-level Olympic lifting coach and Lon Kilgore, who established the USA WeightliftingRegional Development Center in Wichita Falls. Over the next 30 years, he used the gym to test and refine his training program that would maximize strength gains, ultimately resulting in the Starting Strength program. As of March, 2020, Rippetoe’s Aasgard Company, which he co-owns with Stef Bradford, is in ongoing litigation with Matt Reynolds’ company, ReynoldsStrong. Matt Reynolds is a former Starting Strength Coach whose company previously used the name Starting Strength Online Coaching. It now goes by the name Barbell Logic Online Coaching.
Authored works
Rippetoe has authored several books, peer-reviewed articles, online and DVD instructional videos, and internet posts concerned with strength training.
