Today I’m talking to Steven Koontz, best known online as RhinoStrength. Steven has made a name for himself with some pretty epic displays of old-timey and unconventional strength (80+kg kettlebell bent presses, anyone?). And a big reason Steven pushes his limits is to challenge the notion of strength being static, boring, or easily defined. Steven is a musician and artist by training, and our conversation focuses on how strength sports and lifting can act as self expression. Could it even be an art form?
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In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, David Thomas Tao and Steven Koontz discuss:
- How filming workouts leads to internet fame (1:40)
- Playing in a band, painting houses, and dead broke — guess I’ll head to the gym (6:00)
- “I’m a failed artist…so I started just trying stuff, I looked at it like skateboarding” (10:30)
- Learning how to fail with heavy weights; “What does an Olympic lifter know how to do?” (14:00)
- People Steven admires in the strength space (16:00)
- Letting your training goals evolve (22:00)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Follow Steven Koontz (aka Rhino Strength) on Instagram
- Follow David Thomas Tao on Instagram and Twitter
