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Rob Lipsett sits down for a candid YouTube interview about how he went from failing college exams in Ireland to building multiple fitness businesses and a massive online audience—powered by discipline, reverse-engineered goals, and a no-nonsense approach to fundamentals. It’s not a trading podcast, but the parallels are obvious: stoicism over streaks, consistency over hype, and a system that scales because it’s simple and repeatable. If you trade, you’ll recognize the mindset that keeps him improving while the internet chases the next fad.
In this piece, you’ll learn Lipsett’s strategy and how to port it directly into your trading: set the end goal, work backward into a daily plan, focus on the “big three” (sleep, training, nutrition) as your process—then ignore shiny distractions. We’ll map those principles to markets (edge definition, risk rules, and routine), show how his “value first” philosophy translates to trade selection, and pull out execution lessons from his decade online—like staying calm when a video flops, just as you should when a trade loses. The aim: help you build a trader’s routine that wins by design, not by luck.
Rob Lipsett Playbook & Strategy: How He Actually Trades
The Core Edge: Simplicity, Consistency, and Value First
Most traders overcomplicate their edge and then drown in exceptions. Rob’s operating system is built on simplicity that compounds—clear goals, a tight routine, and actions that add value every day. Translate that to markets and you get a playbook that’s easy to run under pressure and hard for emotions to break.
- Define your single market niche (e.g., GBPUSD London session or US tech momentum) and ignore everything else for 90 days.
- Pre-commit to one primary strategy (breakout, pullback, or mean reversion) and one secondary only for different volatility regimes.
- Limit your indicator stack to price, volume, and one volatility tool (ATR). Delete the rest for 30 trading days.
- Write your “value-first” rule: every trading day must produce one of three outputs—A+ trade, archived setup, or improved rule. No empty days.
- Track edge with R-multiples (risk units). If 20+ trades don’t show positive expectancy, refine rules before sizing up.
Daily Routine: Win the Day Before the Trade
An elite routine is the cheapest edge you can own. Rob’s structure starts well before the “performance window,” so by the time the bell rings, execution is automatic. Do the prep, control your inputs, and protect your decision-making bandwidth.
- Sleep 7–8 hours; if <6.5 hours, cut max risk per trade by 50% for that session.
- 20 minutes of pre-market “noise detox”: no social feeds or chatrooms until checklist is complete.
- 10-minute market scan: mark bias, key levels, and the single A+ scenario you’ll trade—or stand down.
- Set a 2-hour performance window (e.g., 9:30–11:30 ET or 3:00–5:00 London) and don’t initiate outside it.
- After the window, stop trading. Switch to review, journaling, and life. Protect the routine, not the FOMO.
Risk: Small, Mechanical, and Boring on Purpose
Survival is the superpower. Rob’s philosophy—keep the downside lean, keep the machine running—maps directly to risk. You don’t need courage; you need rules that trigger themselves.
- Risk 0.25%–0.75% of equity per trade; cap daily risk at 1.5% and weekly at 3%. Hard stops, always.
- Use ATR-based stops: initial stop = 1.2×ATR(14) beyond invalidation; position size = (risk $) / (stop distance).
- Never average down. If price hits your invalidation, you were wrong—exit and log why.
- If two consecutive full-R losses occur in a session, stop trading for the day.
- Weekly drawdown guardrail: if down −3R by Thursday, reduce Friday size to 0.25% risk or stand down.
Setup Quality: From “Looks Good” to A+ Only
Clarity beats cleverness. Rob cuts gimmicks; you’ll cut near-miss setups. Trade only when your criteria light up like a runway.
- Predefine five A+ criteria (e.g., higher-timeframe trend aligned; liquidity sweep; retest; volume expansion; clean invalidation). Trade only if ≥4/5 are present.
- Require asymmetric payoff: minimum 2R target visible before entry; 3R if trading countertrend.
- No trade if the level is “messy” on higher timeframe (wicky or mid-range). You need clean structure to lean on.
- Use a 15-minute “cooling rule”: if you spot a setup during heightened emotion (after a big win/loss), wait 15 minutes and re-check criteria.
- Screenshot pre-trade: chart with marked entry, stop, targets, and the 4/5 criteria annotated.
Execution: Fast Entries, Slower Decisions
You’re paid for decisive action at planned levels and patience everywhere else. Rob’s bias toward doing the work upfront lets execution be almost binary.
- Place limit orders at pre-planned levels; avoid chasing by forbidding market orders outside ±0.15% of intended entry.
- Partial exits only at pre-defined targets: take 50% at +1.5R, move stop to breakeven, trail remainder using last swing or 1×ATR.
- No mid-trade strategy changes. If the plan changes, close first—then re-enter on a new plan.
- One open position per strategy; no stacking correlated bets.
- Set a 90-second rule after entry: you may adjust stop only tighter (never wider) and only if structure improves.
Psychology: Detach Identity, Attach to Process
Rob’s “show up and do the work” mindset stops you from tying self-worth to P&L. Your job is to execute a process you trust—wins and losses are just data points.
- Create a two-line identity script and read it before the session: “I’m a process-driven trader. My job is to follow my plan.”
- If you feel tilt (anger, revenge, euphoria), trigger the “reset” protocol: stand up, 10 deep breaths, sip water, re-read the plan.
- Ban post-loss social media for 60 minutes. Protect cognition.
- Use binary self-grading (PASS/FAIL) on plans executed, not P&L. Aim for ≥85% PASS weekly.
- If PASS <75% in a week, cut size by 50% next week and fix the single biggest behavioral leak.
Journaling & Review: Make the Machine Smarter
Iteration is the compounding engine. Rob refines by shipping, observing, and adjusting. You’ll do the same—systematically—so edge grows even if the market shifts.
- Journal every trade within 10 minutes of exit: setup tag, criteria hit, emotions (1–5), R result, lesson.
- End-of-day 15-minute review: log best chart, worst chart, and one rule to test tomorrow.
- End-of-week audit: export stats—win rate, average R, payoff ratio, and setup distribution. Kill the lowest-expectancy setup for 2 weeks.
- Maintain a “Rule Change Log” with date, change, hypothesis, and sunset date to revert if expectancy drops.
- Build a 10-trade “idea bank” of A+ screenshots you can scroll before each session.
Playbook 1: Trend Pullback (London or NY Open)
This is your bread-and-butter, low-drama setup. It rewards patience and respects structure—exactly how a consistent operator thinks.
- Bias from H4/H1 trend; wait for a session sweep of a prior swing and return to value (e.g., 20–50 EMA zone).
- Entry on retest of broken structure with a clear trigger candle (engulfing or strong close through micro-level).
- Stop 1.2×ATR(14) beyond the invalidation swing; TP1 at prior high/low (≈1.5–2R), TP2 at measured move (≈3R).
- No trade if the pullback overlaps a higher-timeframe range midpoint.
- If price chops for 30 minutes after entry without progress, reduce risk by half or scratch at breakeven.
Playbook 2: Range Break and Retest (News-Aware)
Breakouts work when liquidity is real and timing is clean. You’ll let the level prove itself and only then step in.
- Mark a well-defined multi-touch range on M30–H1; ignore single-touch boxes.
- Wait for range break with above-average volume; enter on first clean retest that holds for one candle close.
- Stop outside the opposite side of the retest wick; initial target = range height (2R+).
- Stand down 15 minutes before tier-1 news and 10 minutes after unless your plan was set pre-news.
- If retest fails on close, cancel the idea—no “one more try.”
Playbook 3: Mean-Reversion Fade (Only in Calm Vol)
Fading is a privilege, not a habit. Run it only when volatility and structure agree, and your invalidation is obvious.
- Trade against stretched moves when ATR is below its 20-day median and higher-timeframe is flat.
- Entry at liquidity sweep beyond prior day’s high/low with immediate rejection candle.
- Stop above/below the sweep extreme; TP at VWAP or prior session midpoint (1.5–2.5R).
- If momentum continues for two candles after entry, exit—no hoping.
- Ban this setup after a trend day or on days with stacked macro events.
Growth Levers: Business-like Scaling
Treat the account like a business you protect and steadily scale. Rob’s “lean team, high leverage on what works” translates to capital, too.
- Size up only after 60 consecutive trades with positive expectancy and ≥85% plan PASS rate.
- When scaling, increase risk per trade by 0.1% steps; never double risk overnight.
- Withdraw 20% of monthly net profits to a reserve; let the rest compound.
- Quarterly “edge offsite”: one day to deep-dive metrics, cull dead rules, and draft one experiment for the next quarter.
- Keep overhead low: one broker, one charting platform, one journal. If a tool doesn’t raise expectancy, cut it.
Lifestyle Rules That Protect P&L
Your life is the scaffolding around your trading. Rob’s focus on fitness, environment, and inputs keeps decision-quality high and reactive impulses low.
- Train 4–5x/week; on training days, trade the first performance window only.
- 90% clean nutrition on weekdays; if you break the rule, you also halve next session’s risk.
- Work from a single, uncluttered station during the window; phone in another room.
- Social media only after review is complete; if you scroll before, you skip tomorrow’s session.
- Weekly “energy audit”: list three activities or people that drain focus—reduce each by 20% next week.
One-Page Checklist (Print It and Tape It Up)
Keep the process in your face. If it’s not visible, it’s not a rule. This is the daily cockpit you’ll run before, during, and after the session.
- Pre-market: sleep check, bias, A+ scenario, levels, news windows, risk caps, screenshot plan.
- During: entries only at planned levels, 90-second stop rule, partials at targets, max two attempts per idea.
- Post: journal within 10 minutes, mark best/worst chart, log one tweak, and close the platform.
Size Risk First: Fixed-R, Daily Loss Cap, Weekly Drawdown Brake
Rob Lipsett’s edge starts with protecting the downside before chasing any upside. He treats risk as a fixed cost of doing business, so every trade is sized in R (a set percent of equity) instead of by feel. That means your confidence doesn’t change your size—your rules do. Start with 0.25%–0.75% per trade, predefine your stop, and let the position size back into the number. If you can’t define the stop, you don’t have a trade.
Daily and weekly brakes keep Rob from compounding mistakes. Cap the day at 1.5% risk and the week at 3%—hit either limit and shut it down. Two full-R losses in a session? Close the platform and move to review mode. ATR-based stops keep the math consistent across volatility, and no averaging down—ever. This turns risk from an emotion trap into a repeatable system you can run even on bad days.
Let Volatility Set Position: ATR Stops, Dynamic Sizing, Fewer Trades
Rob Lipsett centers his execution on letting volatility dictate both stop distance and position size. If ATR is expanding, he widens the stop to clear noise and reduces size so the R-risk stays constant; when ATR contracts, he tightens the stop and allows slightly larger size. This keeps every trade’s risk measured in the same currency—R—while adapting to market conditions. He also cuts the number of attempts when markets are jumpy, because more volatility doesn’t mean more opportunity; it often means more whipsaw.
Rob’s rule of thumb is simple: position size = (account risk per trade) ÷ (ATR-based stop distance). He never overrides the math because “strong conviction” isn’t a risk model. If average range doubles week-over-week, he halves size or stands down unless an A+ setup appears. In calm regimes he’ll allow an extra setup only if it meets all criteria and offers clean 2R potential. The result is a smoother equity curve that respects the tape instead of fighting it.
Diversify Smart: Underlying, Strategy, and Holding Time
Rob Lipsett pushes traders to diversify along axes that actually cut risk, not just add symbols. Start by splitting exposure across uncorrelated underlyings—don’t stack EURUSD, GBPUSD, and DXY like three separate bets when they’re mostly the same macro impulse. Pair a trend-pullback system with a range-reversion system so one thrives when the other stalls. Keep a clear correlation map and hard-cap portfolio exposure to any single theme at 50%.
Rob also staggers holding time to smooth the equity curve. Run a fast intraday playbook for two to three trades per week, and a slower swing template that holds for days when structure is clean. If the intraday book is red for the week, the swing book can still carry P&L without forcing entries. Rob Lipsett’s rule: never have more than one position from the same strategy pointing at the same theme and timeframe. If setups overlap, take the highest-quality one and cancel the rest.
Trade the Process: Mechanics Over Prediction, Rules Beat Gut
Rob Lipsett builds his day around checklists, not crystal balls. He defines the bias, marks levels, writes the exact trigger that constitutes a trade, and then waits for price to do the work. If the criteria don’t print, there is no trade—no matter how strong the hunch feels. Predictions are entertainment; mechanics are the business. He grades each trade PASS/FAIL on rule adherence, not on whether it made money.
Rob insists on zero mid-trade improvisation. If market structure changes, he flattens first and only then drafts a new plan—no tinkering after entry to “make it work.” He pre-commits to partials, stop behavior, and exit logic before the bell, which turns execution into a binary decision at the level. After the session, he audits how well he followed the plan and adjusts rules based on data, not vibes. Over time, this process focus makes the P&L a lagging indicator of consistency—not a mood meter.
Choose Risk Type: Defined Over Undefined, Hedge or Stand Down
Rob Lipsett favors risk he can price in advance. That means choosing trades where the maximum loss is known—hard stops that won’t be moved, and when appropriate, structures like options spreads that cap downside. If gap risk or event risk can blow through a stop, he either shrinks size to “gap-tolerant” levels or skips the trade entirely. Weekends, major data releases, and thin-liquidity sessions get special rules because undefined risk hides there. Rob treats uncertainty as a line-item cost, not a thrill.
When structure turns murky, Rob Lipsett prefers hedging to hope. If he must carry a theme, he offsets with an inverse or correlated pair to narrow net exposure, or he trades smaller with a tighter, ATR-based invalidation. He never adds to losers, never widens stops, and never lets one idea dominate portfolio heat. If he can’t explain the worst-case loss in a single sentence, he won’t place the order. Defined risk keeps the account alive; everything else is optional.
In the end, Rob Lipsett’s playbook reads like a blueprint for durable performance: keep the downside tiny, keep the routine heavy, and let the market tell you how big to play. He treats risk as a fixed cost, sizes in R, and stops when daily or weekly brakes hit—no heroics. Volatility sets distance and size through ATR, which naturally reduces overtrading when the tape gets wild. He diversifies by underlying, strategy, and holding time so one idea or regime can’t hijack the whole week. And he refuses undefined risk; if the worst-case can’t be explained upfront, the trade doesn’t cut.
Just as important, Rob Lipsett runs trading like a lifestyle system: sleep, training, and environment protect decision quality, while checklists and post-trade audits harden the edge over time. He prizes mechanics over predictions—bias, levels, triggers, then execution—grading himself on rule adherence instead of P&L mood swings. Screenshots, journals, and a living rule log keep the machine improving even when markets change. Scale only after a long sample proves expectancy; cut size the second discipline slips. Simple, strict, and sustainable—that’s the strategy behind the strategy.
