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What's the deal with this Starting Strength?

onlyCOpunk

onlyCOpunk

Platinum Member
Just curious. It seems most people's answers to every health question starts with "Starting Strength says...." yada yada yada

Are you guys being paid by this Ripptoe guy? It's beginning to sound like a broken record. There are other workout routines out there.
 
Yes, but many of them are directed at more advanced lifters. Rippetoe's guide is aimed at the beginner and its much easier to justify the advice we're handing out if we can point to a credible source.
 
There's a longer rant out there but here's the short version:

It's simple and more importantly, for most people it doesn't fucking matter.

Getting to the gym and doing anything will have a profound effect on 99% of beginners. So why not go with something that's simple, is endorsed by someone who is well-respected and has plenty of anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness (since in the bodybuilding game, for the most part anecdotal and empirical evidence is as good as it's going to get)?

There really shouldn't be a need for thread after thread and page after page explaining why it works. But people need to be told what to do, and they need to "believe", so to speak, in what their doing. The most important muscle in the gym, by FAR, is your brain. If you're 100% behind your workout routine, you'll have a much better workout, will be more dedicated, and will see better results than if you have doubts about its validity (everything else "physical" being equal). Which is too bad, because for the vast majority of people, they're ALL valid, and picking one versus the other isn't going to make a noticeable difference (or at least not enough of a difference to make up for the mental energy and anxiety spent worrying about it).

So no, we're not all Rippetoe shareholders. It's just a very simple routine that is very likely to be effective, and it's supported by a well-respected person. All the rest of it is just crap to get people in the right frame of mind when they lift.

 
Because everyone is not a beautiful and unique snowflake. The Starting Strength novice program is an excellent program for beginners. Should people come up with a super special program for every beginner who posts "please tell me how to get super strong and ript muscles ASAP" on an internet forum?

Why would anyone spend their time making a complex weight lifting program for a beginner when there is a basic program already written that works very well for beginners?
 
Plus, another benefit of buying the Starting Strength book is the amount of resources it contains on proper form, which is crucial for a beginner to learn before they will ever become an intermediate or advanced lifter.
 
Originally posted by: spamsk8r
Plus, another benefit of buying the Starting Strength book is the amount of resources it contains on proper form, which is crucial for a beginner to learn before they will ever become an intermediate or advanced lifter.
Click to expand...

This. The book is heavily illustrated if novices can't read.
 
1. It's a program designed and supported by professionals with years of strength training experience and not some random routine you make up in your own head to get big "guns".
2. It's especially well tailored to beginners, which most of the people who ask questions on this forum are.
3. It has a long track record of success.
4. It's easy to learn & follow - just a handful of basic exercises in a very simple A/B schedule.
5. There are tons of resources available to help you learn the routine, proper form, etc.
6. It lays down a very strong foundation for strength training, so beginners can advance to intermediate/advanced levels.
7. We do recommend other programs as well, such as stronglifts, crossfit, bill starr 5x5, etc. However, all of them are based around the same basic principles - simple compound motions, heavy weight w/ low reps, etc.
 
There are other workout routines out there.
Click to expand...

I don't even really recommend it for the routine (don't get me wrong, it's a solid routine), but the book is just fantastic. I think everybody into strength training should own a copy. It's perfect for a beginner as well since Rippetoe goes so in-depth with proper form on the major compound lifts. I've run across books outlining proper form, basic programming principles, etc. but none of them come close to Starting Strength.

And no, I'm not being paid by anyone. It's just that good.
 
Why doesn't someone make a sticky then with all of this information so that it doesn't need to be repeated over and over and over. That way when someone asks a question regarding beginner things they can just be directed to a well written stickied topic.
 
To some degree I agree about the sticky idea, but this is a forum, not a static manual - there's always new information coming out, new interpretations of old information, and fresh perspectives that can be contributive.
 
it's a very effective program if you break it down and think about it.

the beauty of SS is in its simplicity. 3 sets, 5 reps, 4 exercises, done.
i was skeptical at first, but have made some decent gains (in chest press) since stalling on my previous routine which was getting stagnant.

i attribute this to the alternating of shoulder press and bench press.
i used to do bench every 2-3 days, about twice a week, thinking i need to do more chest exercises to build up more strength.
but on SS, while your chest is getting rested, your next routine hits the back and shoulders which is necessary to develop chest strength.

my previous 1RM on bench press was ~195. i am now repping 195, which probably means my 1RM would be ~225.

and of course, a good diet and good night's sleep are extremely important.


i've modified it to tailor to my own needs though.
3 sets of DLs instead of 1, abs on all scheduled workouts, and friday's i'll throw in tri's and bi's. tues/thurs i'll play ball and do minor exercises like calf raises and forearm curls.
but the routine is still centered around the core exercises of SS.
 
Nothing wrong with starting strength, but if you want some non-broken-record-ness, I really like this book. It's awesome.

I don't like to see other people waste their time and take up equipment I could be using with poor form, unreasonable spotting (you can't bench 250 if I have to curl fifty of that for you, sorry), or ridiculous workout routines. Starting strength is easy enough for a beginner to understand, and avoids all these problems.
 
I'm in week 5 now on Stronglifts.com 5x5 (modified SS 5x5) and have increased all my lifts from my random lifting routine from before. The main benefits to date I see to Rippetoe Starting Stregnth/SL 5x5 etc are:

#1) Motivation, with a set plan that you KNOW will work (so much anecdotal evidence out there) you are excited to get in the gym and lift every time, increasing weight every time etc.
#2) Full body benefit, rathe than randomly doing isolation stuff, you know you are getting a full body workout, once you read Starting Strength and understand how the lifts target different muscles it makes so much sense.
#3) Results, weight goes up, body looks better, you feel better. It happens pretty fast too.
#4) Fast, no fussing around doing 3 different types of curls, you are in and out pretty fast and feel like you had a good workout.
 
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