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| Kelly Starrett | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kelly Starrett |
| Birth date | 1973 |
| Birth place | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Physical therapist, coach, author, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Mobility training, CrossFit, The Ready State |
Kelly Starrett is an American physical therapist, author, coach, and entrepreneur known for popularizing mobility training within CrossFit and professional sports communities. He founded San Francisco CrossFit affiliate and co-founded organizations that bridge strength training, rehabilitation, and athletic performance. His work spans published books, online video platforms, and consulting for elite athletes, military units, and corporate clients.
Born in San Francisco, California, Starrett attended public schools before pursuing higher education focused on movement sciences and clinical practice. He completed professional training culminating in a Doctor of Physical Therapy credential and obtained certifications relevant to sports medicine and athletic training fields. During his formative years he engaged in competitive rowing, weightlifting, and endurance events that influenced his interest in human performance and functional movement.
Starrett co-founded a prominent CrossFit affiliate in San Francisco and later established organizations delivering mobility education to practitioners across North America, Europe, and Asia. He served as a licensed physical therapist in private practice and consulted with professional sports teams, Olympic athletes, National Football League players, and United States Armed Forces units. His enterprises expanded into online coaching platforms, continuing education for clinicians, and product lines for recovery and movement tools. He collaborated with noted figures in strength and conditioning such as Greg Glassman, Dave Castro, and Mark Rippetoe, and engaged with institutions including Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley for seminars and workshops.
Starrett authored and co-authored books addressing performance, mobility, and injury prevention that became influential within fitness and rehabilitation circles. His best-known titles include manuals that integrate pediatric to elite athlete care and practical protocols for clinicians and coaches. He produced instructional videos and launched an online platform providing mobility courses, podcasts, and webinars featuring guests from sports science, orthopedic surgery, and physical therapy. He appeared on podcasts, in documentaries, and contributed to magazines focused on strength training and endurance sports, collaborating with journalists and editors from outlets like Men's Health, Outside, and The New York Times.
Starrett emphasizes movement quality, joint stability, and functional range of motion as foundations for performance across CrossFit, powerlifting, gymnastics, and endurance sports. His approach integrates manual therapy techniques used by clinicians in physical therapy with coaching methodologies from strength and conditioning and movement education. He advocates assessing movement through standardized screens and applying corrective strategies to optimize biomechanics for lifts, carries, and locomotion. Starrett's programs often combine progressive loading principles from concurrent training with recovery modalities employed by professional sports teams.
Starrett was an early adopter and promoter of mobility work within the CrossFit community, producing protocols designed to prevent common injuries associated with high-intensity functional training. He introduced tools and exercises aimed at improving squat depth, shoulder overhead stability, and thoracic extension used by athletes competing in CrossFit Games and regional competitions. His mobility system influenced coaching curricula at CrossFit affiliates and informed warm-up and cool-down practices used by strength coaches, gymnastics coaches, and physical therapists working with tactical athletes from Navy SEALs and Special Forces.
Starrett has been involved in community initiatives promoting youth fitness and movement literacy, collaborating with local gyms and non-profit organizations to increase access to training and injury-prevention education. He maintains relationships with peers in sports medicine, orthopedics, and performance coaching networks and mentors clinicians and coaches through continuing education programs. His personal athletic pursuits have included competitive triathlon, weightlifting, and endurance challenges that reflect his integrated performance philosophy.
Starrett's contributions to mobility training and performance coaching earned recognition from professional peers, industry organizations, and media platforms. He received invitations to present at conferences hosted by National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Physical Therapy Association, and international coaching summits. His books and online content garnered attention in lists and features compiled by outlets covering fitness and sports science, and he has been cited by clinicians and coaches in research and applied practice contexts.
Category:American physical therapists Category:CrossFit affiliates Category:Sports coaches