MEET YOUR COACHES
The Starting Strength Coach Credential is the Most Advanced in the Industry
Mark Diffley, SSC
Head Coach and Operations Manager
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, SSC
Coach and Operations Assistant
Andrea Mates has been a teacher in various capacities for 20 years and recently transitioned to teaching strength training with barbells. In 2013 when she nearly dropped her then 3-year-old daughter, she realized she wasn't strong enough for her mom duties. After reading Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, she taught herself the lifts and became stronger than she ever thought possible. When Starting Strength Austin opened in April 2019, she was recovering from a long illness and joined to be coached back to strength. In October 2020, she became an Apprentice Coach at the gym and completed the Starting Strength Coach credential in November 2021. Andrea has a doctorate in Applied Linguistics from UCLA and bachelor's degrees in Russian language and Public Policy from Duke.
Aaron Frederick
Coach and Operations Assistant
Aaron Frederick began strength training about 9 years before becoming a member of Starting Strength Austin in June 2020. In January 2021, he decided to make the switch from member to Apprentice Coach.. He is currently working through both the Starting Strength Coach Prep Course and Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification Program with the intent to bring a more diverse skill set to the gym. Aaron has served 20 years in the U.S. Army where he undertook and spearheaded each unit's Fitness Training Program with great success. He will be retiring from the military at the end of this year to pursue his dream of becoming a Starting Strength Coach. Aaron brings a passion to help others achieve their goals and a desire to watch others find the same fulfillment in training that he has.
