Category: Videos

  • From Random Workouts to Coaching Excellence

    John Dowdy grew up playing football and rugby, so training was always part of his life. But when he started lifting on his own, it was the usual approach. Random workouts with no real plan for progress. At one point, John hurt his back and doctors didn’t have answers. That changed when John found an…

  • From Afraid to Strong

    Doris had been hurt in an unsupervised gym years before and was afraid to try strength training again. When her son, who’d been training at Starting Strength Indianapolis for over a year, gave her a week’s trial as a Mother’s Day gift, she decided to take the chance. Coach Adam stayed with her throughout that…

  • Rebuilding Strength and Bone Density at 59

    When Janette Johnson was diagnosed with osteopenia, her doctor told her the best way to stay off medication was to get stronger. She wasn’t sure where to start until a neighbor told her about Starting Strength Boise. Janette had never lifted before and was dealing with knee pain, a shoulder tear, and a wrist held…

  • Strength Training After a Kidney Transplant

    Lee is a 77-year-old geophysicist who’s spent his life working on complex projects around the world. After a series of health issues and a kidney transplant, he lost weight and muscle and needed to rebuild both. He turned to Starting Strength Houston for coaching that focused on form, safety, and steady progress. With consistent training,…

  • Shoulder Pain Gone in 30 Days

    Kenny couldn’t sleep on his left side for 10 months after a skiing injury. His doctor told him his muscles were weakening from babying the injury.Within a month of training at Starting Strength Houston, Kenny’s shoulder improved so much he completely forgot about the skiing accident. But the real surprise wasn’t his shoulder healing, it…

  • Strength Training for Two

    Stacie has been training at Starting Strength Boise through her entire pregnancy. The first trimester was rough, but she kept showing up and doing what she could, and it paid off every time. She worked back up to 70-80% of her max weights, building strength to prepare her body for labor. The time under tension…

  • From Multiple Falls to Standing Strong

    Rose couldn’t stand up from a chair without using her hands after multiple falls that sent her to the emergency room. Her daughter Emily gave her a Starting Strength Austin gift card for Mother’s Day, but Rose had second thoughts about whether she could handle it. The Coaches met Rose exactly where she was and…

  • From Engineer to Gym Owner in Two Years

    JD Shipley never felt as strong as someone his size should be, despite trying different approaches. After discovering Starting Strength and helping friends with their training, he realized during his daily commute that he wanted to help people get stronger full-time. He left his oil and gas engineering career to open Starting Strength Houston and…

  • Why Yoga Alone Wasn’t Enough

    Tony spent five years doing yoga and 5Ks, frustrated he wasn’t getting stronger. When he asked his instructors what else they were doing, he found out they were secretly adding deadlifts and curls. This led him to discover the Starting Strength Method, which became personal when he coached his mother during chemo and MS treatments…

  • Why This Muay Thai Fighter Quit Everything Else

    John spent years as a competitive Muay Thai fighter, but age was catching up and he was losing ground to younger opponents. He tried sport-specific training, kettlebells, and CrossFit, but everything left him more injured than strong. When he finally searched “how do I get strong” and found Starting Strength Houston, he gained 10 pounds…