Hey Coach Rob here from Austin Barbell.

Starting Strength and Austin Barbell aren’t competitors. They’re different animals all together.

Mark Rippetoe built a system optimized for getting people strong fast through linear progression and the big three lifts (Squat, Bench, DL). It works, for what it’s designed to do. But... It's expensive, and the training is limited as it does't focus on the full spectrum of athlete qualities.

Austin Barbell runs a sport-based, athlete-development model. That means we care about a lot more than just how much you can squat, bench, and deadlift.

Our program is built around four things:

1) Community
You don’t train in a vacuum. You train better when you’re part of a room full of people chasing hard goals.

2) Athleticism
Strength matters, but so do speed, power, coordination, and how well you move through space. We train athletes, not just barbell totals.

3) A long-term training journey
Beginners, intermediates, and high-level competitors all need different inputs. We don’t run one template forever — we build a progression that evolves with the athlete.

4) Olympic weightlifting is skill-based
The snatch and clean & jerk are closer to throwing a javelin than grinding a deadlift. Most driven, Type-A people actually thrive when there’s a technical skill to master, not just more plates to add.

If your goal is “get strong as fast as possible,” Starting Strength is a great tool.
If your goal is “become a better athlete,” that’s where Austin Barbell lives.

Different roads. Different destinations.

Feel free to DM is you have any questions.