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The Starting Strength Coach Credential is the Most Advanced in the Industry
Mark Diffley has been involved in barbell coaching for over a decade. He discovered Starting Strength in 2011 while coaching CrossFit and received his Starting Strength Coach (SSC) credential in January of 2013. Mark has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and was immediately hooked by the mechanical analysis and logic found in the Starting Strength method. Mark is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and a former firefighter in the Atlanta metro area. In the Spring of 2021, he moved to Austin, TX to be the Head Coach at Starting Strength Austin. Mark is excited for the opportunity to teach The Method and share the benefits of strength training with an even greater audience.
Andrea Mates has been a teacher in various capacities for 20 years before her transition to teaching strength training with barbells. She started her self-taught Starting Strength journey in 2013 when she realized she wasn't strong enough for her new-mom duties. Starting Strength Austin opened in April 2019, and she joined immediately to benefit from the hands-on, expert coaching. She began her coaching apprenticeship in October 2020 and has continued coaching there ever since earning the Starting Strength Coach (SSC) credential in November 2021. Andrea is also the Precision Nutrition certified coach for members.Over the years, her teenagers, parents, and brothers have all gotten stronger through the Starting Strength program. She particularly enjoys working with perinatal and older lifters. In 2024, Andrea joined USA Powerlifting (USAPL) as a very recreational, masters powerlifter. Andrea has a doctorate in Applied Linguistics from UCLA and bachelor degrees in Russian language and Public Policy from Duke.
Jeff began training with the Starting Strength method in 2020 and began work for his SSC credential in 2021. He started training to alleviate back pain from an injury, and after the program fixed his back to got him stronger than he had ever been, he began training as many people with the method as would listen. Jeff likes seeing people transform as they get stronger, especially those who never saw themselves enjoying barbell training. He has a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, postdoctoral training at ETH Zurich, a Bachelor's in Cellular Biology and Japanese from San Diego State University.
