Starting Strength St. Louis

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04/13/2026

Lauren joined the Double Plate Club today with 225 for a triple.

She rushed the third rep a little, and she knew it — but this was still solid work, especially in less than two months of training.

03/09/2026

Getting people you care about to lift is hard.

You can tell them over and over that strength training is one of the best things they can do for their health, for aging, for staying independent, for all of it… and a lot of times it still just doesn’t happen.

So I know how lucky I am that my mom not only started training, but trains at my gym, and that I get to coach her three times a week.

And now at 67 years old, just a few weeks from 68, she’s officially in the 600-Pound Club at Starting Strength St. Louis with a 601.5 total:

Squat: 238
Press: 86
Deadlift: 277.5

And the funny thing is, she was never chasing this. She never came in talking about how she wanted to join the 600-Pound Club. She just kept showing up, doing the work, and following the program.

That’s it.
That’s the secret.

And then one day you look up and your 67-year-old mom has totaled over 600 pounds.

That’s pretty damn cool.

I know I’m biased, but I’m incredibly proud of her. And honestly, I still think it’s pretty wild that I get to coach my own mom and watch her do this.

Welcome to the 600-Pound Club, Mom. You earned it.

03/04/2026

Everyone wants bigger arms, so they start with curls.

But here’s the backwards part: if you’re not strong yet, curls don’t have much “ceiling.” You can only load them so heavy, and the stress is mostly local… which means the growth signal is limited.

Heavy pulls change that.

When you build a real deadlift (think 185 → 405 and beyond), you’re forcing adaptations that curls can’t touch:
- High-tension isometrics through the elbow flexors as the arms stay locked in under load
- Grip + forearm demand that thickens the whole lower arm and builds “arm stiffness”
- Systemic stress + recovery capacity (you can handle more hard work, and you can actually recover from it)
- Higher loading potential later — once you’re stronger overall, your curls can finally be heavy enough (and consistent enough) to matter

And the funniest part? If you get strong enough, your arms often grow without curls at all — because the training stress is big enough that your body has to build more tissue to keep you alive under the bar.

So yes… you can curl.
But if you want curls to actually WORK, earn them by getting brutally strong first.

Deadlifts build the base. Curls are just the accessory.

02/06/2026

A lot of guys avoid lifting because they’re scared they’ll “hurt their back.”

Here’s the truth: your back isn’t fragile — your approach is.
With proper coaching, solid positions, and progressive loading, we start you where you are and build you up safely.

No one walks in here and throws “hundreds” on the bar on day one.
You learn the movement. You build the skill. You earn the load.

And yeah — if this feels like it’s calling you out, good.
Why are you defensive? What are you protecting?
Come in and do something about it.

DM me “BACK” and I’ll get you scheduled for an intro.

01/25/2026

MEGATRON HAS ENTERED THE 600 LB CLUB. 🤖💥

Megan rolled into her 6AM session and decided it was a great time to become a legend — with the whole family + friends there as witnesses (and emotionally obligated hype squad).

✅ Deadlift: 257.5 x 3
✅ Squat: 250
✅ Press: 94

That’s 601.5 lbs total and an official membership card to the Starting Strength St. Louis 600 LB CLUB. 👕🔥

Megatron, you earned this the hard way — under the bar, before sunrise, with people cheering like it was the Super Bowl.

Drop a 🦾 for Megan in the comments.

Merry Christmas from the Brendels and the Starting Strength St. Louis crew. 🎅Thanks for making this place the best part ...
12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from the Brendels and the Starting Strength St. Louis crew. 🎅
Thanks for making this place the best part of our week—stronger bodies, better lives, and only a moderate amount of nonsense.

Okay, but hear me out, this sounds made up.Within one week, Mindy and Amanda, mother and daughter, both joined the 600-l...
12/17/2025

Okay, but hear me out, this sounds made up.

Within one week, Mindy and Amanda, mother and daughter, both joined the 600-lb Club at Starting Strength St. Louis. That’s the total of the squat, press, and deadlift, for those keeping score at home.

Mindy punched her ticket last week with 275×3×2 on the deadlift, finishing with:
• Squat: 227.5
• Press: 102
• Deadlift: 275

Amanda followed it up this week by pressing 100 lbs overhead, locking in:
• Squat: 257.5
• Press: 100
• Deadlift: 242.5

Same standards. Same expectations. No shortcuts. Just consistent training.

And yes, Tom (husband / dad / full-time hype man) trains with them every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and is justifiably proud to call them his wife and daughter.

Strong families build strong people.
Sometimes literally.

Jerry joined a little over a year ago because his wife thought he was “getting a little frail.”Now he’s 78 years old and...
11/30/2025

Jerry joined a little over a year ago because his wife thought he was “getting a little frail.”
Now he’s 78 years old and deadlifting 225 pounds like it’s nothing.

How many 78-year-old men can pull 225?
Basically zero. Jerry’s in a category most people never reach, because he trains.

If you needed a sign that strength training works at any age…
Jerry just picked it up off the floor.

Starting Strength St. Louis 1,000-Pound Club AlertTonight, our guy Brandon walked in for what was supposed to be a simpl...
11/21/2025

Starting Strength St. Louis 1,000-Pound Club Alert

Tonight, our guy Brandon walked in for what was supposed to be a simple night of singles on the press.
Naturally, he forgot… and hit 195 lbs for a double instead.
Because why follow instructions when you can just brute-force your way into the 1,000-pound club?

Add it up:
🟦 395 lb Squat
🟦 195 lb Press
🟦 410 lb Deadlift
= Exactly 1,000 pounds of honest-to-God strength.

This dude’s been training with us since April 2024, basically since the doors opened, and he’s been quietly stacking plates, grinding reps, and proving (with a smirk) that “consistency” isn’t just a word we yell across the platform.

Welcome to the club, Brandon.
You earned every pound.

11/13/2025

Our last post was about Dan joining the 1000 Pound Club. He just keeps going and now has joined the 4 Plate Squat Club. With a set of 5!

Dan has been training with us since we opened. Tonight, Dan went full beast mode at Starting Strength St. Louis. 💪 After...
09/06/2025

Dan has been training with us since we opened. Tonight, Dan went full beast mode at Starting Strength St. Louis. 💪 After squatting 365x5x3 and pulling 437.5x3, we did the math… add in his press PR of 197.5 for a few triples and boom, he’s officially in the 1,000-Pound Club. 🏆

Congrats, Dan! You’ve earned the shirt, the bragging rights, and the Slayer soundtrack. 🔥

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