I see Alan Thrall in the audience! Even though it's audio only!

"A subsequently injured joint is not healthy. It is injured." some deep shit right there

1) don't stretch 2) don't warm up to much 3) don't be a bitch, and add weights

Let me waste even less of your time and give you the top 3: #1 - stretching #2 - a lot of warm up #3 - the failure to progress with your programming

You are the man Mark.

Perfectly said. Thanx, Mr. Mark Rippetoe for good information.

I warm up with a coffee and a cigarette. Admittedly, I sometimes have to pause mid-squat to hawk up some phlegm.

You crack me up...you rock brother. Thank you for what you do,Darryl Taylor

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHWHYYYYYYYYYYY???

I sit basically all day and find that if I don't stretch my hip flexors daily, the anterior pelvic tilt catches up with me and hinders my squat / deadlift. Anyone else experience this?

Is he describing just stretching "in the gym" as a waste? If so I sort of agree. If he thinks stretching in general is a waste, he's dead wrong. My squat has improved considerably since I started a routine of dynamic and static stretching, about 10 minutes at night. Makes a huge difference when you sit on your ass all day at work.

Mark remimds me of Hank Hill A man with common sense in a world without it

I admire the way you speak. Thank you Mark!

*Pre - workout* stretching and mobility work is a waste of time in the pursuit of strength. In his own book “practical programming for strength” Mark goes over the benefit of post workout stretching and mobility, as well as how to program it. I love SS and the Texas method, I will continue to do it my entire life. But this is the reason rip still isn’t taken seriously after being a strength coach for 143 years.

Mark Ripppetoe's rhetorical style is the perfect blend of informative, persuasive, and entertaining, and for that reason alone is worth studying. Of course I also respect and agree with a lot of what he says.

This guy is my new Guru

MY EXPERIENCE (that doesn't necessarily have a universal value) is that some yoga makes me feels better and perfectly integrate with my weightlifting.

Thanks for the great content!

thx for the great podcasts :-) i always enjoy listening to them on the way home from gym :-)

I’m 36 and have been powerlifting for several years and lifting consistently for the past eight years; I never stretch and have never had any injuries or mobility issues. After writing this I’ll probably tear something tomorrow during squats...

A couple of minutes of mobility work (read: NOT STRETCHING) before warm-up sets is not a bad idea, especially for at-risk joints like the shoulders and knees. Also, one may have increased mobility as a goal in itself, in which case it does matter even if one is already flexible/mobile enough for full ROM barbell work. Having said that, I agree that stretching, as normally understood and performed, is practically useless and often dangerous, and that anything longer than a 5 minute pre-workout warm-up is overkill.

the 3rd one got me gooodd

Good stuff

I have to stretch out my right shoulder in order to get into the low bar squat position. The lower extremity is warm from warm ups. So I mostly agree with you, things might change if you get old and stiff and/or injured.

Stretching deffinetly relieves my knee pain and makes my knees feel better

"It is effectively impossible air condition a building in Houston." This is true.

During my exercise science studies in college we had a professor who was younger definitely strong and he made the statement that stretching is a waste of time we all thought he was crazy we all disagree but he was absolutely right I have not stretched in the last year I have zero back pain and I’ve got nothing but stronger It was really funny watching the athletes in the classroom smirk and laugh at him and honestly I agreed but now being older and wiser and a little help from rip I can honestly say he was 100% correct peace love and rock ‘n’ roll

The joint capsule can arguably lengthen over time with stretching (see gymnasts) and thus increase joint ROM. Musculature has been shown to lengthen with eccentric strength exercise. Correctly, static stretching merely stretches fascia and connective tissue momentarily, which is not sustained post stretch.

people hate him because he's right....

I listened to your pod casts. Most of your thougths are correct. However it has been my experience Kettle Bells to work and stretching helps me from injuries. That said keep up the good work.

1) There are some warmups and stretches I do, specifically prescribed by my physiotherapist to control my femoral ace-tabular impingement, which are not a waste to time. Unless prescribed specifically, *stretching is a waste of time.* 2) Warm-ups are dependent on the exercise being done. For lifting? *The more sessions you have per week, the less time you need to spend warming up.* 3) Progressing weights is something most people fail to do, because they think what they are doing will work best.

Thanks Rippetoe, so much time is placed on over complications of training! all training is simple and if its not its probably BULLSHIT!

I have gone into "maintenance mode" on a few things, still intending to increase weight but over weeks rather than days. Not sure if this falls under #3 time waste, but I reckon it's better than not lifting at all.

February 2016, can't squat at all, life spent sited on a bench June 2016, can squat, without weights, maximum is 10 and hearth goes to 180bpm November 2016, said fuck it all, drooped the personal trainer, went to a strength training, squating the bar only for 3x5 and having a hard time. February 2017, squating 2 plates, proud of it, but stoping, why? Injuries, not from the strenght training, but from the previous training with an personal trainer that made me do bullshits. Mai 2017, back to hard work, squating only a plate, feeling pissed off and almost dropping the gym. Today, squating 3 plates for 3x5 (and trying to keep it there while I loss the fat).

Lot of people in the comments have a sad because of all the time they wasted stretching.

I don't think that he's saying stretching is a waste of time, he's saying it's a waste of time in the gym. I personally stretch after sleeping and some mobility in the morning, mobility warms me up and keeps me limber, sleeping after flexibility seems to bring me faster to goals (I'm take a lot from gymnastic training).

Is there some distinction being drawn between a 'warm up' and a stretch, and pre vs post stretching? Some light warm up, to get the body primed for exertion, would seem common sense. Athletes typically have a warm up before they run/ jump. That doesn't mean they are stretching their muscles necessarily, more like getting heart rate going, getting the body moving etc.

... and again truth is preached by the master chief! I know so many guys/girls who could benefit from this, if their minds were only open for arguments.

Without fail, I'll see several people stretch for at least 45 minutes in my gym, sometimes even longer, then invariably go on to of course lift light weights that don't require limbering up to begin with. My theory is that these people just want the ability to brag they 'work out for over an hour every day at the gym' to their friends.

i spend about 5 minutes warming up. I'm lazy to do reps so I usually do a few incremental pause squats.

Stretching is a MUST as you get older. It releases the fascia (connective tissue) which gets drier and makes muscles stick together instead of moving smoothly.

Amen

I would do jogging and I used to stretch. I also used to get achilles injuries caused by achilles stretches. Stopping that particular stretch allowed me to run longer distances. The fact that I probably shouldn't be running long distances is beside the point. As I say to anyone who stretches before jogging, for me, the jogging is the stretch.

stretching is good, excessive stretching is bad. there's a reason why we stretch in the morning when we wake up. flexible things are harder to break than stiff things; after a good stretch your muscles start contracting during your warmup sets

I enjoy this guy's attitude.He's just annoyed as hell ,but knowledgeable.

I have had good experience stretching overly sore body-parts on off-days, but never before training.

If I don't stretch I get stiff as a refrigerator from the workouts. Especially from heavy lifting.

I don't agree, since i stretch/mobility i think it heped me avoiding injuries (specialy on the low back, i get to the positions requiered confortably now) that where somewhat frecuent. Limber 11 of De franco works really well

The image is from a microphone or a dumbbell?

Stretching in the gym is maybe waste of yours and everyones time, but stretching at home is not. Through years of training I found out that stretching is essential for me, it releviates pain, I feel better, I perform better.

Anyone else watching this while stretching

Stretching and warming up is fine if you keep it light. A couple minutes total. Done. Most people will not add weight progressively though because most people are pussies. I know this to be true. I've been seeing them in the gym for decades.

hai sensei

this is asmr for me

What about ballet dancers?

I have an agonising back spasm. I got it from yoga. I've since read a report that Yoga is bad for your health. I'm inclined to agree.

Is stretching really good for nothing?

third?

Rip puts out some of the best content out there in his field but take it in context. If you are primarily focused on strength and NOT athleticism/health the warmup and stretching can take a back seat. If you are an athlete and doing general strength and conditioning sessions focus on everything but realize energy you could be using to get stronger is being used to acquire other abilities.

Just need Baz Luhrmann to add music to this.

I am doing 5/3/1 Jim wendler the foam rolling is real good for lower body !

False: I stretched my ACL, meniscus, and Patella tendons before.......... it was called a torn ACL, meniscus, and dislocated kneecap. ba-da-bum

I agree that static stretching is a waste of time unless you have true muscle tightness that is severely restricting ROM.. I STRONGLY DISAGREE that mobility work or dynamic stretching does not benefit before a workout specifically movements like squatting and deadlifting Its not about ROM its about making sure the muscles that control internal/external rotation at the hips and shoulders are SWITCHED ON.. your hips are open and flat, you don't have locked up thoracic or forward head position etc. before you lift Lifting hundreds of pounds or kg is not gonna straighten these out its going to exacerbate them

Since we're trying to save time, here are the 3 time wasters 1. Stretching 2. Warm up 3. Failure to progress with your programming

3 biggest true wastes of time in 2023 that I see in the gym. 1) Phone 2) Chatting to everyone you know instead of giving a head nod and carrying on 3) Staying at easy weights

Clicked on this vid because of the thumbnail. RANDY!!!!!!

1. Stretching; instead use foam rolling or active release therapy. 2. Warm-up; instead do 2-3 minutes on rower/stationary bike if cold. Use practice sets to prepare the nervous system/muscles for the movement. 3. Failure-to-progress; instead make steady incremental improvements by adding weight each time.

I need to stretch before my weightlifting training and I repeat this again WEIGHTLIFTING... not powerlifting not biceps curling but snatch and clean&jerk. Stretching and mobilization are together very useful and it will help you regardless what are u training for. (if u know when and why) peace

Just checking in to see in Rip’s still full of it. I did not leave surprised. Now excuse, it’s time to stretch before my workout.

lol this guy rip is edgy as fuck and I love it!

going to the gyim.

Does a lion stretch out before attacking a deer? I don't think so. Stretching is a waste of time.

I have hyper mobility and I have been training for strength by using 3x5 and the Texas method. I gained 45 lbs. Should I continue training ?

disregarding the possibility of needing some mobility work as we age and stiffen seems pretty stupid to me, so many people I know, myself included, have had tangible benefits from a bit of yoga or pilates.

Doing olympic lifts you need good mobility to get the positions I recommened people to stretch.

what if I want to be flexible though

The best example of tight muscles generating power is Dan Henderson throwing his patented H bombs. That man couldn’t lift his arms over his shoulders or turn his head side to side but he could blast you into another dimension

Well, I went a few months without doing any quad static stretches. I only foam rolled it. It got to a point where one of my quads got extremely tight and I couldn’t even do step ups with that leg. Sounds like bro science to me. I don’t stretch right before a workout though. Usually done an hour to 2 hours beforehand. I read somewhere that if you wait 45 minutes between your stretching and your workout, then your muscles will retighten and you won’t lose strength on your lifts

when i go to the gym I am not able to perform the squat with correct form before stretching and warming up a bit. Not everyone is that flexible. Rips opinions are always so extreme

Apropos wasting time: what can i do between sets to not feel like wasting time?

For me: (Pre-event) Dynamic warmups, and static stretching (post-event) are essential to injury prevention.

15:20 --- On the third point about stopping with a certain weight, he mentions 90 pounds, and not going further because of a PERCEIVED as harder, or increased or perception of being too hard... Rip says "90 will be easy when 135 is hard and not before then, and the way you get to... and staying at 90 is not training, it is merely fooling around at the gym"; if you cannot force yourself to load another few pounds to the bar then you cannot get to where 90 is easy. I have an idea that the PERCEIVED effort on all weight you use for your 5x5 is the same, I used to have to think twice before attempting a 315 squat, and now I have the same MENTAL issue with 425 pounds... the effort seems to be the same, the anxiety BEFORE getting under the bar is the same when it was 225 as it is now that is twice as much, though recovery takes more days, and I add weight once a week, 10 pounds. I haven't reached a limit, so I'll keep going. So the PERCEIVED effort or hardness of the lift is always the same after the novice period?? Does this ring true for anyone here?? or something similar.... explain.

People doing "recliner sets" between leg press sets is so annoying. And people using a swim lane to float and do zero gravity water pushups against the pool wall.

Yoga is not just stretching. Thats a myth and yoga can increase strength in ways that greatly complement weight lifting. And too much flexibility is not a problem most americans are going to face. The opposite is true. I personally need to do some light dynamic stretching before squatting, benching, and pressing because i, like many modern people, lack significant flexibility in my hips, back, and shoulders. I agree we dont necessarily need a ton of stretching, but a lot of people would benefit from a small amount of stretching done daily to increase flexibility in the long term.

He didn't say stretching was a waste.

Rip only believes in the 5 rep range right?. Because i mean you could get stronger by adding reps each work out til you get to say ten reps with that weight and then up the weight to bring the reps back down.

I cannot low bar back squat if I don't stretch my shoulder

Mark has to be the longest winded person.

I play my saxophone between sets. ☝️🥴🎷🔉🎶🎵🎶💪😃

Not everyone can always add weight every single time though.

I stretch my glutes, pecs, hams and lats. Thats it

How do i progres with only 2 pounds? Are there plates that small🤔

In performance athletics they stretch and strength train

I have downtime in the gym. I have a timer on my phone set for 40 second intervals with 10 sec in between. I finish a set, load the next weight, do 2 stretches, hit my next set. I never stretch the muscle group I'm working on. If I'm working upper body I stretch my lower body (defranco's hip mobility series is a big one for me). If I'm working legs I stretch my upper body primary focusing on my shoulders. I've actually found nothing is better for chest flexibility than illegal wides so I try to incorporate illegal wides inot my chest routine bi-weakly. We do not want to trigger the inverse stretch reflex in the muscle we are working as that significantly weakens you over a significant period of time. So thats why I stretch the muscles groups that are not being worked that day. Having this stretching program helps me maintain the tempo I want during my weight work. I'm also naturally a tight bastard so I need a disciplined stretching program to maintain effective flexibility. Injuries occur in the least and most flexible groups. I'm naturally in the least flexible group without some mobility work. I think its a question of time management. I don't have the time in my life to do a 10-20min mobility program. I certainly don't have the time in to do such at the end of my workouts. By stretching a resting muscle group for that day during my rest interval between sets I feel I'm using my time better.

If you think yoga and pilates are just stretching then chances are you've never done them. There are loads of muscles in the body and doing only bilateral single plane movements does not effectively train them all. Yoga is fantastic for shoulder strength and pilates is great for learning how to move and hold your spine. Doing even 10 minutes of repetitive exercise like incline walking, cycling, rowing etc does have health benefits. Not only that but doing several minutes of this type of exercise will reduce the dramatic increase on heart rate and blood pressure that occurs when you go from doing nothing to squatting even just the barbell for reps. You will feel better for it. As for adding 5 pounds every workout. Beginner gains are great and that will work until it doesn't. At that point if you are not injured, chances are you've begun using shitty form just to try and do the required reps with 5 pounds heavier and will have to swallow your ego, drop the weight and relearn the movement pattern in order to continue to progress. Rip is great and entertaining, calls out a lot of bullshit but he has no nuance. Seen too many powerlifters who are jacked up from this mentality.

In my experience, "lack of mobility" is mostly poor technique or an unchecked ego with too much weight in the bar.

i overall like your material, but I can tell you have never done a real yoga routine. To overlook the fact that holding those position is a practice of balance and make for an isometric hold. yes there is stretching involved though and to watch someone who is well practice, making it look easy can tend to look as if they are stretching. Much of it is a mental exercise to push through some very uncomfortable poses.

How the fuck is stretching not helping with soreness and in what universe would a few hip mobility exercises hurt you when you sit on your ass all day?

I disagree with Rip on stretching in general. Strong muscles make for strong joints by virtue of being strong, balanced and coordinated, and that joint being in a proper position. Tight muscles do not make strong joints! They tend to cause joint misalignment and other mechanical issues through movement of the joint.

What are you talking about grandpa stretching does alleviate muscle soreness and does increase leverage to get stronger on certain lifts.