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FAQ:Introduction

From Starting Strength Wiki

Never ask a question that you may not be prepared to have answered. - Mark Rippetoe

Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

[edit] Purpose, Scope, Target Audience

[edit] Purpose

The purpose of this wiki is twofold:

  1. General - to provide a repository of useful information for any novice trainee
  2. Specific - to provide a concise, comprehensive and cross-referenced guide to the Starting Strength program and the lifts it teaches and to answer the hundreds of questions that have been asked on this incredibly simple program

[edit] Scope

This is primarily intended for the novice trainee who is new to the weightroom. There are many statements which apply to novices only, not intermediates or advanced/elite athletes. The program can be used by intermediates and better, but the writeup is directed to the newb.

[edit] Target Audience

The exact intended target audience of the First Edition of Starting Strength is the coach of pubescent/teenage kids who want to get bigger and stronger, frequently for a sport. The Second Edition is directed specifically at the trainee (of any age, regardless of advancement in puberty). Both books, and the programs contained within, emphasize the gradual but consistent progression in weight of a handful of basic exercises with specific and incredibly detailed recommendations on proper technique. As a result, it is very useful for any newcomer to the weight training game, as well as anyone who is making a "comeback" to the iron sport. If you haven't trained in awhile and want to get back into weight training, then the Starting Strength program will probably be ideal for you, as it will help get you back into shape rapidly. If you are new to weight training, then this program, as simple as it is, is arguably the ideal method for the first several months of your training.

Again, this program (and the books) are for:

  1. Strength training coaches
  2. Newcomers to the weight room
  3. "Old timers" looking to get back into lifting shape
  4. Anyone who hasn't mastered the squat, bench, deadlift, press and power clean, but would like to.

If you have been using exclusively nautilus machines, Hammer Strength machines, or bodyweight-type workouts, then this workout will also be a great introductory weight training program to teach you the "way of the iron."

The book itself contains a wealth of information and detail on the "big 3" exercises (squat, bench and deadlift), as well as power cleans and standing overhead presses. The detail and exacting cause/effect relationships with technique and technical flaws that is described in the books are, in my opinion, priceless. So in addition to the above-mentioned individuals, even non-coaches who are advanced in their weight training can learn quite a bit about the most important and useful exercises being done in the weight room.

[edit] Is This Program Right For You?

[edit] Why should I do this program?

Why are there so many questions on this program? Some say it is a fad, nothing more, nothing less. However, it is a fad that, along with Bill Starr's training methods, is now going on three decades of use. That is pretty long lasting for any 'fad'. It may be a 'fad' to the small fishbowl of training that is the bodybuilding.com Workout Program regulars, but to weight trainees worldwide, it is anything but a fad.

The program stresses the tried-and-true basics of effective compound exercises and weight progression on those exercises with an emphasis on exact technique. There is nothing "magical" about the program. It works because it is rooted in common sense and decades of experience.

It is a beginner's weight training program. As such, many of the specifics of the program (no machines, barbells only, very few exercises, very low complexity) will simply not work for someone who is more advanced. When reading through the program, ensure that you keep a sense of the Target Audience in your head, so you know to whom the information contained within is addressed. However, no matter what your final fitness goal is, a base of strength will help anyone and everyone achieve those goals. Whether you're a sprinter, swimmer, basketball player, or martial artist, this program will make you a stronger sprinter, swimmer, basketball player, or martial artist. Foundational strength is a major asset in every life pursuit, and no matter the competition or sport, if you pit two equal athletes head to head, all other things being equal, the stronger athlete will always win. Consider this.

In the end, the newcomer should do this program because it will get him strong and will teach him what he needs to know to form a basis of a "successful career" in weight training. There is no single "best way", but many different ways. Not everyone wants to be a professional bodybuilder/powerlifter/weightlifter/strongman. Most guys would like to be stronger and have some muscle. This program will help them take the first, crucial steps toward that goal, and the program ensures that those steps are solid, aimed in the right direction, and can set you up for further success in your weight training endeavors.

[edit] Am I a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter?

Mark Rippetoe discusses this specific question in Practical Programming, and although I don't want to steal his thunder, I will give some basic insight here.

Beginners come in a few flavors...the "completely untrained couch potato", the "athlete with no barbell training", the "haven't trained in ages but used to be in shape" and the "trainee with a small bit of training experience," and the "trainee who is only experienced in the lifts that he likes to do" (ie. the trainee who can bench 300 but has never done a full barbell squat). There are a few other types of beginners, but I don't particularly care to dig into that. What is important is the single characteristic that undeniably proves that you are a beginner...

Progress is measurable from workout to workout. Note that I'm not talking about the guy who does chest once per week, and gets progress between chest workouts. I'm talking about straight linear progress, where every time you step into the gym, you lift more weight on the same exercise as the previous time you stepped into the gym. That is what the novice program is designed to do, make you lift more weight on the same exercise (or a very similar exercise) each time you step into the gym. The volume and workload that a novice is capable of performing is within his capability to recover from workout to workout. As a result, he is able to make rapid progress with only 1 day of rest between workouts.

You walk into the gym Monday, and you squat, press and pull from the floor. You walk into the gym Wednesday, and you squat, press, and pull from the floor. You walk into the gym Friday and you squat, press and pull from the floor. Each time you squat, you use more weight than the day previous.

A beginner will eventually begin to stall on lifts and resetting (discussed in Stalling, Resetting and Progressing ) simply doesn't provide effective weight advancement.

The workload and volume necessary to elicit a "training response", i.e. disrupt homeostasis, is now large enough that you cannot recover day to day. So the next step becomes weekly progression, rather than the daily progression of the novice. You set up your training in such a manner so that you measure progress week to week. A lot of the better-designed body part splits use weekly progression as a means toward gains. Perhaps this week you do a "heavy" press workout and a "light" press workout. Next week, you want your heavy workout to be a few pounds heavier than this week's heavy workout, and you want next week's light workout to be heavier than this week's light workout (unless "light" happens to be a "recovery" workout). Stalling still occurs, and linear periodization and resets can usually get past stalling. Simple volume and intensity manipulation schemes will work to keep the trainee progressing.

Once this type of basic weekly progress stops working, despite proper nutrition, rest, recovery, exercise resetting and linear periodization, the advanced and elite athlete will need to progress to a more complex scheme known as "dual factor" or "two factor" periodization. This type of training is more complex, and involves extensive periods of "downtime" where you lift submaximal weights, and you build toward your previous maxes in an attempt to inch past them. More complex volume and intensity manipulation is necessary, and progress is measured in monthly phases as well as yearly planned cycling of said volume and intensity.

[edit] Can intermediates do this program as well?

The basic novice program is for beginners only. However, intermediates can use the program with excellent success by incorporating a few small adjustments, as seen in The Advanced Novice Section.

[edit] What if I'm an experienced lifter who's taken some time off

As an experienced lifter, getting back into the iron game after a hiatus or even a short layoff you'll want to get back to your peak strength as fast as possible. Starting Strength will get you there faster than any other program. And depending on how recently you've been away from weight training you can even add weight faster than rank novices.

[edit] I squat 300 and bench 250. Can I still do Starting Strength?

You might be too advanced for Starting Strength, but then again you might eke out another 20-40 pounds on your squat, which would be totally worth it.

What are you numbers on the Standing Press and Power Clean? If those are low relative to your other lifts you can catch them up rather quickly on SS.

[edit] I already did Rippetoe's. What can I do next?

Head on over to The Advanced Novice Section or The 'After Starting Strength' Section

Your questions have answers there.

[edit] Is this program only for young guys and teenagers?

This program was designed with the young teenager, new to the weight room, in mind. Mark Rippetoe considers kids his "niche", and as such, this program is geared to them. Many a 14-year old aspiring fullback will benefit from this style of training, but an old fart like you (and me!) can benefit as well.

If you are new to the weight room, and you are interested in getting bigger and stronger, this program is undeniably for you. At 38 years of age, however, you may need to make some adjustments. Squatting heavy 3x weekly may not be for you, and you may need to make some adjustments to the exercises because of injuries or issues you have due to your age and the time you've spent living life. Please see The Main Exercise Section that deals with exercise substitutions, as well as The Program Section

The general rule of thumb for the young kid is "don't fark with the program!" but "mature" folk can get away with it out of necessity. If you weren't old enough to reelect (or try to vote out) Slick Willy, then don't mess with the program!

[edit] What if I don't want to do squats or deadlifts.

You're a pussy. Go find some old lady to carry your groceries and help you across the street.. You'll want to find another hobby while you're at it, perhaps knitting. Squat big or go home!

[edit] Can I gain 80 lbs of muscle in 6 months on this program?

Realism is a difficult, yet beautiful thing. The reality is that a teenage athlete with the ideal levels of natural ability and motivation who eats like mad and is still growing in height may very well see some incredible lean bodyweight gains. 80 lbs of muscle in 6 months is not "incredible", it is miraculous. 30 lbs of muscle in 1 year however is fantastic, even for a teenager.

Pubescent males obviously will gain significantly more lean bodyweight in that time, assuming their caloric intake is high enough (it probably isn't). The fact that they are growing vertically as well as muscularly allows them to put on ridiculous amounts of lean bodyweight. If you go through a serious growth spurt when you start this program, and you eat everything that is dead (and kill the stuff that is still alive, then eat it), you MIGHT be able to gain 80 lbs in a year.

But don't count on it.

[edit] I'm a girl, can I do this program?

Girl Power!

This program is a strength and muscle-developing program. There is no law that says 'girls' need to use pink dumbbells or do easy exercises. Many women are afraid that if they put down the pink dumbbells and so much as touch a barbell that they will turn into hulking she-males. These same women might also assume that women train one way and men another. This is not true, men and women should ideally train in the same manner. Quite simply, without hormone therapy and anabolic drugs, no woman is ever going to develop the mass that a male does. She won't get massive, no, but she will get "shapely," and yes, she can get still get strong like a male does. In this regard Starting Strength is ideal for the female trainee.

In Practical Programming, Rip says, For young males that weigh between 150-200 lbs., deadlifts can move up 15-20 lbs. per workout, squats 10-15 lbs., with continued steady progress for 3-4 weeks before slowing down to half that rate. Bench presses, presses, and cleans can move up 5-10 lbs. per workout, with progress on these exercises slowing down to 2.5-5 lbs. per workout after only 2-3 weeks. Young women make progress on the squat and the deadlift at about the same rate, adjusted for bodyweight, but much slower on the press, the bench press, cleans, and assistance exercises.

Rippetoe also said in the Strength Mill forum: "It has been my experience that women progress exactly as men do, but at a slower rate. Adaptation is a trans-sex phenomenon, and we all progress in a linear fashion, testosterone or not. But in realizing the different rate of adaptation said hormones allow, you also realize that the small plates cannot wait even one more workout. These little jewels allow your progress to behave the same as a man's in terms of its linearity, instead of being stuck for 2-3 workouts as a matter of course. You can use 2" flat washers glued together to make up the plates you need inexpensively, so do this tomorrow." He also has said many times that women should not be afraid to gain a little weight. Remember, muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat!

Another great source of information for female trainees can be found at stumptuous.com. In fact it would be a great source of info for men or women (since men and women should be training the same anyhow), but the target audience here is definitely females. The owner of the site actually recommends Starting Strength too.

Here's a few links on women's weight training:

[edit] Is this a good program for my sport?

This program is not a sports-specific program. However the strength base it provides will help those of any sport. And the power cleans will undoubtedly make you sprint faster and jump higher as well.

But primarily it is designed to help you get bigger and stronger. If you are new to weight training, and it is advantageous in your sport to be stronger and/or bigger, then this program makes for an excellent off-season strength and conditioning program. Teenage wrestlers, football players, hockey players, and other younger athletes who will benefit greatly from increased strength and conditioning will benefit the most from this program. I cannot guarantee that it will help you golf better, nor can I guarantee that it will help you throw a 95-MPH fastball, but I can guarantee that it will make you bigger and stronger if you do the program properly.

[edit] Wouldn't a 3 or 4-day split work better than this?

A 3 or 4-day split won't work better for a novice.
It might work better for an intermediate, but probably not.
It probably would work better for an advanced trainee.
It definitely would work better for a bodybuilder preparing for a competition.

Let's look at a typical 4-day split.


Day 1 - Chest/triceps
Day 2 - Back/biceps
Day 3 - Delts/traps/forearms
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - off

So in the course of a 15-day period of time, using a 4-day split you would train 12 days, rest 3 days, and squat, bench, pull-up, and deadlift 3x. Using the Rippetoe novice program, you would train 6 days, rest 8 days, squat 6 times, and bench, powerclean/pull-up and deadlift 3x.

So you end up training 2x as many days, So you squat half as often and you bench, powerclean/pull-up, and deadlift the same number of times. Yet you end up training 2x as many days (12 versus 6) and you rest less than 1/2 as often (8 days versus 3).

As a novice, you will need the extra rest times for recovery, especially if you are to maintain consistent progress on the benchmark exercises. Someone more experienced and better conditioned with a barbell will have much greater success with a split-type program than the novice.

[edit] Wouldn't HIT be best for a beginner?

HIT is completely wrong for a novice. In fact, it's the exact OPPOSITE of what a novice needs.

  1. HIT relies on failure training. A novice lacks the ability to focus himself so that he can train with the necessary intensity, and he lacks the technique mastery of the exercises to train to failure safely.
  2. HIT relies on very brief, infrequent training. There is a certain amount of skill and neuromuscular coordination necessary in order to do the exercises properly. If you wanted to learn how to play the piano, would you practice your chords once per week for 20 minutes at a time, or would you do it more frequently for longer periods of time?

By the same token, how will you learn to do squats properly? By doing warmups and 3 sets of 5 reps, 3x per week? Or would you learn faster by doing 1 set this week, then 1 set the next week?

If you are an experienced trainee, and you want to give HIT a try, then go for it. It tends to work for people who have been overzealous for a long period of time, and even then, it isn't working because HIT is a great program, it's working because HIT is serving as a deload from the higher volume training that increased fitness in the first place.

[edit] Why don't pros train this way?

Comparisons from one person to another form the basis of all lifting sports. A bodybuilder compares himself to Mr. Olympia, a powerlifter compares himself to the record holder in the squat, Olympic lifters compare themselves to the best at their weight division, etc. For an experienced lifter, comparisons can be beneficial in this respect, as they can provide motivation and a tangible, obvious (although sometimes mobile) goal.

What is NOT beneficial is for a young, novice trainee to compare him or herself to the self-same Mr. Olympia or champion powerlifter/weightlifter/strongman. Why?

  1. Do you have the same pharmaceutical regimen as the professional you are comparing yourself to? Their ability to recover will be greatly enhanced because of the almighty "better living through chemistry". If you aren't living better via chemistry, then you simply cannot do what they do and expect it to be beneficial.
  2. Do you have the same training experience that the professional does? They've been training awhile, they have learned how their body reacts, and chances are good they have professional assistance as far as nutritionists and trainers who can assist them. They know exactly how THEIR body will respond. You do not know how your body will respond, because you have not trained anywhere near long enough or hard enough to have a clue. Most of you will not have a trainer, or at least a knowledgeable trainer, so there is no way you could possibly juggle all the variables of a complex workout scheme by yourself.
  3. Do you have the same genetics that the professional has? Not everyone can be Michael Jordan no matter how much they practice basketball. Not everyone can be Albert Einstein, no matter how much they study. Not everyone can deadlift like Ed Coan, no matter how much or how hard you train. Chances are good that you won't be able to use the same training program that a professional uses, even if #1 and #2 above are identical to the pro. You simply don't have the genetic makeup. If you do, you will most likely find that EVERYTHING works for you, and then it won't matter much what workout program you choose.

What this boils down to is that a novice or beginner does NOT need to train the way a professional does. Not only would it not benefit you, it will probably HINDER your progress. Many a newb has attempted to do the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger double-split workout, and has gotten buried within 2 weeks, despite the best intentions and nutrition.

When you start off, you are FAR away from your genetic potential. As a result, the need for training complexity is rock bottom, and your rate of growth and development will be sky high. As you progress toward your genetic potential, your gains will slow down drastically, and the need for complexity in your training will increase just as drastically.

Take advantage of the "novice" status and use the simplest program, as the simplest program will yield the best results for you. Later on, when you know your body better and you have developed the conditioning and knowledge to make significant adjustments to your training, you can do so in a much more informed state of mind and a much better physically conditioned state.

[edit] Should I do WS4SB, WS4BB, 5x5 intermediate, 5x5 advanced, HST, HIT, or Rippetoe?

That depends. Rippetoe's "well-known" programs are designed specifically for novice and intermediate trainees. Both 5x5 linear/intermediate and HST make for natural progressions of what Rippetoe uses for his programs. WS4SB has a variety of somewhat technical and sport-specific training methods which may or may not suit your goals (And may or may not be unnecessarily esoteric). HIT...well...HIT might work for you if you have very very poor recovery, or if you are using bodybuilding pharmaceuticals, but I wouldn't count on it. WS4BB is an advanced program only, and it is recommended that you run a 5x5 advanced first, as it is also a relatively high volume training routine.

Beginners and early intermediates should stick with the Rippetoe programs. Intermediates can start to use the 5x5 intermediate, HST, or WS4SB, or one of the variations I describe in The "After Starting Strength" Section. Advanced trainees can modify HST to suit their needs, or they can try the 5x5 advanced or the WS4BB. If you want to use WS4BB, then you shouldn't need to ask questions on it. If you have to ask questions, then chances are good you aren't ready for it.

[edit] Will this program help me build up "teh bicept p33k?"

Kid, you weigh less than my left ass cheek. Worry less about your biceps peak and more about putting on some muscular bodyweight. Even if you develop a pair of 15-inch "guns", you will look like a skinny geek when you put a t-shirt on. You will have outstanding success by putting on 20-30 lbs of muscle. Your shoulders and back will fill out, your chest will bulge, and lo' and behold, your arms will grow as well!

At 135 lbs, you don't need to worry about your peak. Your biceps peak isn't your weak point, your entire body is your weak point. Train with that in mind.

If you simply must Must MUST have a biceps peak above all else, then I suggest you do the following workout:

  • 5 sets barbell curls
  • 5 sets DB curls
  • 5 sets concentration curls
  • 5 sets spider curls
  • 5 sets EZ bar curls
  • 5 sets Hammer Curls
  • 5 sets Incline curls

Do this workout 3x daily for the next month, and don't bother me until you're done with the entire month. Now go away.

And stay the hell out of the squat rack while you're doing your curls, mmmmkay?

[edit] Can I get big just doing 3 exercises per day?

How many exercises are necessary to get big? Is it better to do more of a less-effective exercise, or just the right amount of the most effective exercises?

The gist of this routine is three-fold

  1. Focus your efforts each day where they provide the most "bang for the buck" - i.e. each day, focus on the squat, a press, and a pull from the floor
  2. Add weight to the bar and get stronger in those exercises gradually, and you will get big and strong all over your body
  3. By learning only a few exercises rather than several exercises, you can progress toward mastery of those exercises more rapidly because your attention isn't divided.

Anything that takes focus off of the main exercises, or slows progress on the main exercises, is "bad". Anything (legal, moral, and healthy) that helps advance progress on the main exercises is "good". If isolations don't help advance progress, then they are "bad". Since most novices lack the conditioning and the discipline to incorporate isolation exercises into their program without significant amounts of supervision, isolation exercises, for the rankest novice, are "bad." There is nothing inherently evil or immoral about isolation exercises. In order to obtain a fully developed physique, isolation exercises are not only desirable, but necessary. However, the novice is nowhere near having a "fully developed physique", so this point is moot.

Since the trainee is both inefficient and unadapted, only a few basic exercises should be used, and they should be repeated frequently to establish the basic motor pathways and basic strength....(the) core strength and power exercises develop the foundation of strength and motor control that will allow for later inclusions of more technically demanding exercises, because they utilize all the muscles in the same coordinated fashion that more advanced exercises do

– Mark Rippetoe, Practical Programming, pg. 114

[edit] Should I start off using machines to develop some basic strength first, then move on to free weights later?

It's very commonplace to recommend machines when a trainee first starts out. Assuming the OP is not a 75-year old woman with osteoporosis, and is, in fact, a young guy or gal (young meaning younger than about 50 or 60) with their spine still intact, then I'm going to have respectfully but adamantly disagree with this concept. The initial training of a novice, regardless of age (aside from extremes), really is best served, IMHO, by ensuring they move on to basic movements ... bench, press, rows, squats and deads. These are good base exercises and hit virtually every muscle, directly or indirectly.

See, there are several problems when you start off with machines:

  1. Development of the prime movers (i.e. pecs, delts, lats) without developing the strength of the associated stabilization musculature (i.e. rotator cuff, spinal erectors, etc)
  2. Reinforcement of non-natural motor skills - you learn to do the exercise in the ROM (range of motion) that the machine allows. This will NEVER be a natural range of motion. Starting a novice off with this will reinforce a very negative muscular recruitment pattern which must be un-learned prior to mastery of the basic exercises. In other words, you have to "unlearn" the motor recruitment pattern from the Cybex chest press before you can really learn how to bench properly. The same goes for other exercises as well. It is much harder to un-learn and re-learn basic movements than it is to learn them.
  3. Lack of workload conditioning - one of the primary reasons a newb gets bigger so easily when they are new is the rapid conditioning aspect that free weights have on the body. Obviously neural improvement is far more rapid and prevalent in the novice, but the drastic increase in conditioning from "Nintendo-playing couch potato" to "hey, I train 3 hours per week" is enormous, and this results in some pretty substantial strength and muscular gains, aside from the basic improvements in neuromuscular coordination.

Free weights and strength-type conditioning (i.e. sled/log dragging, sledgehammer work, farmer's walks, etc) are far more suited to this, and take advantage of this far better than any type of machine

There's nothing wrong with a more advanced trainee adding in machines, especially near the end of a workout. They are useful for adding volume to a session once you are "smoked" from heavy barbell and dumbbell work, and can be used especially well to focus on weak spots because machines are generally very physically easy to use.

Potentially great and useful tool for a more advanced trainee, but definitely not good for the novice.

[edit] I have injuries, can I do this program?

Under no circumstances should ANYTHING I say be construed as medical advice. The only real advice I'll give you is to find a competent physical therapist/orthopedic/sports medicine doc who lifts weights. If the doc doesn't lift weights, I guarantee that he will give some retarded diagnosis because he probably still thinks creatine is poison and that lifting will stunt your growth.

With that said, if you have injuries, then don't do stuff that hurts your injury, simple as that. Don't "train through the injury", because you'll only make it worse. Get fixed, do a thorough rehab, and THEN think about your training routine.

If you are injured, you work AROUND the injury, not through it.

For a simple guide to common injuries and non-emergency treatments, head over to The Injury Section.

[edit] I don't have a spotter, can I still do this program? What can I do?

A power cage is the answer. Spend 5 minutes during your warmups checking how deep you go on your squats and presses, and set the spotter pins accordingly. Just about any workout is very do-able without a spotter, if you have a power rack. Lack of a spotter is frequently advantageous since many people end up relying on their spotters far too much. If your spotter seems to always get a great pump in his delts and traps while you train chest, then you're probably using the spotter too much. Since NO REPS COUNT if they are touched AT ALL by anyone other than the lifter, there is no real need for a spotter.

[edit] StrongLifts 5x5 is pretty much the same thing, right? Can I do that instead?

Stronglifts has outstanding explanations of the main lifts and great supplementary information... but unfortunately it is also peddles a wannabe Kethnaab's version of Starting Strength, with an added 40% volume and additional mandatory accessory exercises. Here is how the designer of Stronglifts 5x5 justifies his approach:

The Beginner Strength Training Program I has 5 sets of 5 vs. 3sets of 5 with rippetoe. Reason is that Rippetoe starts with weight on the bar. StrongLifts appraoch starts with empty barbells. Doing 5 sets of 5 = 10 reps more than with rippetoe's, 30 reps more a week. These are 30 reps more that allows you to learn the technique. That's the first reason. Second reason is that it gives more total volume (sets*reps*weight) at the end of the week. Which is useful as the weight is so low (empty barbell).

– Mehdi, founder of Stronglifts

Exactly, it is "useful as the weight is so low," and it stops being useful as soon as respectable poundages are being moved (and isn't that the goal?).

Never-the-less, even at a lower weight this still isn't as useful:


StrongLifts 5x5:
5x5x45lb = 1125 lbs. tonnage (bar only)

vs.

Starting Strength:
3x5x75lb = 1125 lbs tonnage (bar + 30 lbs)

One might take this to mean that starting 'Stronglifts' with an empty barbell is equal to starting 'Starting Strength' with 75 pounds, but it's not. You also have to look at intensity, which is a percentage of your maximum strength. True, they both have equal volume, but Starting Strength has a higher Intensity which will result in stimulating more growth.

He also says that the extra 10 repetitions per lift will help with technique, but in Starting strength there are an extra 20 repetitions of warm-ups with lighter weight that accomplish the same goal.

One other thing: Getting to 3x5x315 on Starting Strength is very doable. Getting to 5x5x315 on StrongLifts 5x5 would require genetic perfection.

No, the original Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe's version, is the best way to go about gaining strength as fast as possible for as long as possible. You will be doing just as much volume on Starting Strength, but you'll be doing it because of the increased intensity with heavier weight, not because of increased sets with lighter weights. Plus StrongLifts doesn't include powercleans in their program, and they are arguably one of the most effective exercises a beginner can do.

[edit] Is this program for mass or strength?

The bodybuilding magazine world is wrought with huge, vascular, "pumped up" fellows with bulging musculature, ripped abs and pecs, and enormously wide delts and backs. Yet there seems to be a disconnect between the size of their muscles and the amount of weights some of them move. Unfortunately, common sense takes a back seat to fantasy and silliness, and the result is that the novice trainee sees the pro on the cover of a magazine and now believes that he can get "big and hyooj" without making progress in their strength. This is a fallacy, for several reasons.

First, we must define what a "bigger muscle" is. Your muscle, after a workout, is probably slightly bigger than it was when you started the workout. Think about what happens when someone does a few sets of curls, his biceps looks bigger. This happens for a variety of reasons, but for simplicity's sake, we'll just deal with the increased blood flow. That is "the pump" that has been discussed elsewhere. Intermediate trainees know this all too well, and they flaunt it to best advantage. Some keep light dumbbells in the back seats of their cars, and prior to encountering members of the opposite sex (or perhaps the same sex), they will do some "pump sets" to make themselves look nice and 'swole'. However, this effect is short-lived, just as the flushing of your face from a hard workout is short-lived. It does not represent true "muscular size".

For our purposes, we will define 'a bigger muscle' simply as increased muscle tissue. It is beyond the scope of this discussion to detail the difference between myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, except to say that additional myofibrillar hypertrophy is what results in "more muscle tissue", and is the type of size that causes the majority of muscular size and density in the vast majority of Homo sapiens sapiens. This is the type of growth we concern ourselves with. In the future, you can concern yourself with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy when you have been training for, perhaps, a year(ish). But for the novice, you need to understand that you MUST get stronger in order to get bigger.

[edit] Why do I need to get strong?

"I don't care about strong, I care about mass. Ronnie Coleman is bigger than the powerlifters, strength isn't really necessary, is it?"

I'll make this as brief as possible.

  1. The majority of powerlifters need to eat somewhat limited/controlled calories because they want to remain in their weight class for competition. They want to be as strong as possible while minimizing their overall bodyweight. As such, they eat with this in mind.
  2. Lean muscularity coupled with vascularity and small joints creates the illusion of much greater muscular size, whereas smooth musculature and large joints create the illusion of much less muscular size. This is ESPECIALLY prominent in pictures, so bodybuilders, even if they have much less muscle mass than powerlifters, frequently look more "jacked".
  3. The type of person who is going to be extremely successful in powerlifting will have very specific structural "abnormalities". Great deadlifters will have longer arms, great squatters and deadlifters will have shorter legs, great benchers will have shorter arms, etc. What is a guarantee is that a champion powerlifter will have a large, blocky waist and thick joint structure. A bodybuilder will have a smaller, more wasp-like waist, coupled with much smaller joints.
  4. Powerlifters are frequently endomorphs with some mesomorph tendencies. As such, they will respond to training much more differently than the average bodybuilders, whose body has to be adaptable to losing bodyfat easily and rapidly.

Moral of the story? Don't compare powerlifters to bodybuilders. If you add 50 lbs to your bench without changing your technique, do you honestly think you won't have thicker pecs, delts and triceps?

On a side note, the last 2 Olympias, Dorian and Ronnie, are (or were) widely considered the strongest high-level bodybuilders of their respective times. By now, you've probably seen Ronnie's 800-lb back squat and deadlift, his 585x6 front squat, his 200x12 DB press, his 495 x 10 barbell rows...that is strength.

"Strength" ≠ "1-rep max". Don't get them confused. "Stronger" means that your muscles can move more weight for any given rep range than they could before.

[edit] Why shouldn't I mess with the original program?

The majority of this is from Madcow2, with my own interjections and statements thrown in for good measure. So quote madcow, but understand that I threw my own $0.02 in there as well, and I did so in a majestically seamless manner. :)

The reason why people really don't like guys altering Rippetoe's novice program is because the target audience of this program doesn't know anywhere near enough about training to make appropriate adjustments. You'll see newbs who are 135 lbs complaining about their "bicept peaks", and they want to train their upper-inner chest because it's a weak point. This is laughable simply because their entire body is one big weak link! In reality, they aren't really weak, they are simply untrained.

The flip side is that anyone who actually needs any type of specialized instruction is already well-trained and conditioned, and they have identified true weak points...well, they shouldn't be using this program's template! They have specific needs that require addressing. The novice's only "specific need" is to get bigger and stronger overall. The target audience is not someone who actually has weak points, the target audience is someone who hasn't been training long enough to know what a true weak point is.

On BBing.com, those issues are brought to bear multiple times on a daily basis again and again, and every single person thinks they are special or different. So many clueless kids seem to somehow have some gem of knowledge to share from an uncle who used to squat 1000lbs or a PT at the gym they just joined who got his "official personal trainer certification" out of a cereal box, but they lack the knowledge and experience to apply said gem to the appropriate trainee in the appropriate context.

The reasons against deviation from this program are very logical - an untrained guy is untrained, he is one big weak point. He won't know what his true weak point is until he has spent many months (and possibly even a few years) training and learning how his body responds to overall training. Is his upper chest REALLY a weakpoint? Yeah, his upper chest is a weakpoint because his entire chest is weak! He needs to spend time training his chest with the basic pectoral developing exercises before he decides to specialize in incline DB flies and cable crosses and reverse pec dec inverted flyswatters.

Does he honestly have a "poor biceps peak"? Definitely! He honestly has a very poor biceps peak, and that is easy to understand because he is a buck thirty, soaking wet, with 14" arms. Yup, his biceps peak definitely sucks!

Honestly, how can one know anything about training if they themselves are untrained. They have no experience, no point of comparison, no idea of what truly works because they simply haven't experienced training themselves. You can read a science book and learn that a shark is in a specific genus/species. That is knowledge and is easily applied, because it is based on factual science. Training is NOT factual science, it is an artform with a VAGUE and unproofed background in science.

How would an automotive engineer take the advice of a 13-year old who had never driven? The 13-year old is convinced he knows the best way to design a transmission so that it shifts smoothly because he reads Motor Trend each month, yet the 13-year old has driven nothing more challenging than his grandfather's golf cart. As a general rule, a woman will be resistant to taking the advice of a man when it comes time to dealing with the emotional events that occur during "that time of the month", for reasons that should be quite obvious. Are we seeing the connection here?

While the "don't mess with the program!" attitude is dogmatic, and "everyone responds differently because we're all individuals, blahblahblah", the idea of sticking with the program for its intended audience is, in fact, logical and in 99% of the cases it is doing the perspective trainee a favor. Just about every single person who wanted to change the program but didn't has been very very happy they stuck with it. The ones that seem to complain are the ones that have tried to change it to the point that it bears little resemblance to the original program.

Now, since 90% of the people that come to bb.com are novices, Rippetoe's program gets recommended a lot because it's good, it drives home proper understanding and fundamentals, gets them started on the right foot, they learn what is important in programming, and it provides a plan as to how to execute and how to adjust the weights on a session to session basis. Truly, this is really the key to all successful programs even though this information is totally absent or for most people on BBing sites and in magazines.

Ripp's way certainly isn't the only way but it's a damn good method that is as good as any. It is simple, it works, it provides an ideal foundation, and it SHOULD be easy to follow.

Of course, if it were truly that easy, I wouldn't be re-writing this wiki and it wouldn't have so many pages worth of information and explanation, but that is another story.

[edit] The Books

This FAQ/wiki, in no way, shape or form, is a representation of OUR independent work. The entire wiki is a representation of information contained within the books, Starting Strength 1st and 2nd Edition, the brainchild of Mark Rippetoe, with assistance from Lon Kilgore. They are unequivocally the most thorough body of work ever assembled on the topic of learning the core lifts of strength training and the knowledge contained within them is far-reaching in potential impact for anyone and everyone in the weight game. Coaches and trainees alike can benefit immensely from these books and its' incredibly detailed and exact descriptions and advice given on 5 of the most important lifts in weight training.

Both books contain 8 chapters, 5 of which are dedicated to providing pictures, visual, physical and verbal cues, and incredibly detailed descriptions of the proper methods of performing the squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and power clean. You thought you knew how to do these exercises until you read up on them, and you learn more in those pages than you knew in the first place. There is also an intro as well as chapters on programming (i.e. planned progression) and mistakes/fallacies with regards to youth weight training. The 2nd Edition contains an additional section that covers useful accessory exercises, although these exercises are not part of the Starting Strength Novice Programs.

If you give a crap about training, I highly recommend you buy the book. Apparently, I'm not the only one that recommends the book. And on Amazon.com it has almost unanimously received a 5 star approval rating.

[Starting Strength] should be owned by just about everyone. It’s a shame that this book hadn’t come out sooner. In an age where complexity and overcomplicated training has become the norm, this book is a breath of fresh air. I honestly believe that this book, more than just about any other book on lifting weights or training, should be in everyone’s bookcase, office or gym bag.

– Jim Wendler

Anyway, all credit goes to Mark Rippetoe, as I stated earlier. We have simply taken the ideas contained within the books and attempted to promote them because, quite simply, they work. Sometimes a very complex idea requires a very simplistic solution. Starting Strength details that simplistic solution, and Practical Programming follows up with information to maintain the trainee's progress.

[edit] Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners

Starting Strength (1st Edition) is a unique approach to coaching weight training, written by coaches and designed specifically for training beginners. Learn how to effectively and safely coach the basic core lifts and their programming in an easy to do, step-by-step process. Featuring the most heavily illustrated exercise chapters in print, Starting Strength shows the reader not only how to teach the lifts, but how to recognize and correct technique errors. The book features flip animations of each exercise performed correctly, along with practical interpretations of coaching theory, and the anatomical, physiological, and mechanical principles of training. It will help prepare coaches and personal trainers to be more effective strength and conditioning professionals.

[edit] Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called "the best and most useful of fitness books." It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the weight room, and a new chapter dealing with the most important assistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete examination in print of the most effective way to exercise.

[edit] Practical Programming for Strength Training

Practical Programming offers a different approach to exercise programming than that typically found in other exercise texts. Based on a combined 60+ years of academic expertise, elite-level coaching experience, and the observation of thousands of novice trainees, the authors present a chronological analysis of the response to exercise as it varies through the training history of the athlete, one that reflects the realities of human physiology, sports psychology, and common sense. Contrary to the one-size-fits-all models of periodization offered elsewhere, Practical Programming explains the differences in response to exercise commonly observed between athletes at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, explains these differences in the context of the relevant exercise science, and presents new training models that actually work for athletes at all levels of experience. Complete with new, innovative graphical representations of cutting-edge concepts in exercise programming, Practical Programming is sure to become a standard reference in the field of exercise and human performance.

[edit] Strong Enough? : Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training

There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym. And honestly, unless you're a gym owner, this is a really weird way to spend 75 hours a week. Mark Rippetoe has been in the fitness industry since 1978 and has owned a black-iron gym since 1984. He knows things about lifting weights and training for performance that most other coaches and professionals have never had a chance to learn. Strong Enough? : Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training offers a glimpse into the depths of experience made possible through many years under the bar, and many more years spent helping others under the bar.

Essays in this book are a collection that have appeared in similar form in the CrossFit Journal.

[edit] Credits

[edit] Mark Rippetoe

Mark Rippetoe

Mark Rippetoe, CSCS is the owner and general manager of Wichita Falls Athletic Club, CrossFit Wichita Falls and Performance Sports Conditioning. He has 25 years experience in the fitness industry and 10 years personal experience as a competitive powerlifter. He has coached athletes in barbell and strength sports since 1980. He was in the very first group to sit for the NCSA's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam in 1985, and has been continuously certified since then. He was certified by USA Weightlifting as a Level III Coach in 1988, and currently holds the Senior Coach certification. He has coached numerous national level competitors, and many thousands of people interested in improving their health and strength.

[edit] Lon Kilgore

Lon Kilgore

Lon Kilgore, Ph.D. is a professor of kinesiology at Midwestern State University (USA) where he teaches exercise physiology and anatomy. He holds a senior faculty appointment in Exercise Science at Warnborough University (UK). His career as an Olympic-style weightlifter began in 1972 as a means to improve his wrestling performance. His wrestling career ended after high school, but weightlifting continued and he has had many national event podium appearances over his 30 plus years of competitive experience. His coaching efforts began in 1974 when he took five athletes to the AAU Junior Olympic Nationals and since those early days he has remained active in coaching national and international caliber weightlifters. He also did a three year stint as a NCAA DII strength coach. He is currently Chair of the Sports Science Committee and a coaching course instructor for USA Weightlifting and a member of the Board of Certification for the American Society of Exercise Physiologists.

[edit] Kethnaab

kethnaab.jpg
Unwitting author of much of this wiki. He is also the architect of Kethnaab's Novice Program Adjustment.

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