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  • Rippetoe's STARTING STRENGTH Program

    I've been doing a bit of reading while picking a new routine and I came across this information. I thought I'd share it with the CL community as the information has served me well. A great BB.com member by the name kethnaab posted this information with the intentions of spreading the knowledge found in the original book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe as a crash course in the program.

    I have ordered the book in order to further my knowledge of this.


    This is very complete information on the Rippetoe program:

    the OFFICIAL STARTING STRENGTH Rippetoe's FAQ
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

    And here was the original post that started my interest.

    Originally posted by kethnaab
    So, you stated that you are a noob, tall skinny teenager looking to gain muscular bodyweight.

    hmmm...this is a new one. I've never seen this before.

    If I were you, I'd work off a variation of Rippetoe's Starting Strength workout. You work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you alternate workouts.

    So week 1 would look like:
    Monday - Workout A
    Wednesday -Workout B
    Friday - Workout A

    Week 2:
    Monday - Workout B
    Wednesday - Workout A
    Friday - Workout B

    If you choose Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday as your workout days, I'm pretty sure the planets won't get knocked out of alignment, so don't sweat this one, as long as you get in 3 workouts on non-consecutive days each week.

    Dont' blow off workouts. Dont' adjust the workouts. You don't know enough about weight training to change it up properly, and neither does your 19-year old buddy who played football a few years ago and has nice arms. I've been squatting 400+ lbs longer than your buddy has been alive, and Mark Rippetoe has forgotten more about weight training than I'll ever hope to know, so don't **** with the workouts.

    I bet you're worried about your arms. I honestly would not worry about your arms just yet. I think you'll be surprised how hard your arms will get hit. Give it a few weeks, and if you don't have sore arms by the weekend, then add in 2 sets, 8-12 reps of low incline skullcrushers and 2 sets, 8-12 reps Barbell, EZ-Bar or standing DB Curls. DO NOT ADD THE ARM WORK RIGHT AWAY. Give it at least a few weeks. I'm betting you'll learn what I learned long ago...that direct arm work is highly overrated and can actually be counterproductive at times.

    Here are the workouts, from Rippetoe's Starting Strength, with a slight twist (I add chinups and dips). After reading about the workouts and quoting the dude, I bought the damn book. Figured may as well pay for it since I pimp it so much. Go to www.startingstrength.com and pick up your own copy, there are 200+ pages of good shit for a skinny dude (and anyone else who cares about getting big and strong). I've been lifting weights for over 20 years, and this guy cuts right to the heart of the matter, and if I learned, I'll bet you will too.

    anyway, here are the adjusted workouts (sets x reps, not including warmup sets):

    Workout A
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Bench Press
    1x5 Deadlift
    2x5-8 dips (only add weight if you are doing >10 bodyweight dips)

    Workout B
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Standing military press
    3x5 Pendlay Rows (or power cleans)
    2x5-8 chinups ***if you do the power cleans, do 3 sets***

    Fridays only (Not earlier than 3 weeks into program) -
    Parallel Bar dips or incline skullcrushers - 2 x 8-12
    barbell/DB/EZ-Bar curls - 2 x 8-12

    Daily accessory work (you can do these as quick supersets once your main workout is over):
    -45 degree Decline bench weighted situps, 3x5 (hold body parallel to ground for static 5 seconds each repetition on the way down, then go down slowly and come back up)
    -Hyperextensions - 3x8 (hold weight across chest or small barbell across back, and don't swing past parallel)

    chinups performed with undergrip or hammer grip. Pick one and stick to it. Dips are done "deep", but do NOT drop into the bottom position and bounce/swing your way out. Add weight if necessary to keep rep range at 5-8 or so reps (if you do sets of 8-10, then you won't die and cripple your training progress, so don't sweat the reps on the chinnie-chins or dippidy-dips)

    If you can't do chins by yourself, then get your buddy to hold your feet, or use an incline bench to put your feet on to "lighten" the load. Use as little as need be to copmlete the positive (pulling up) part, and then use your own strength to lower yourself.

    Use the same weight for each exercise. i.e. 3x5 squats means 3 sets, 5 reps on the squat, using the same weight for all sets. If you get all 15 reps with good technique, going low enough, no bouncing out of the bottom, then add 5-10 lbs to the bar next time you hit them. For bench, no bouncing, feet on the floor, keep your damn ass on the bench. Did I mention NO BOUNCING???? Don't bounce. Elbows at approximately 45-60 degrees from body, shoulder blades 'tucked' underneath, comfortably maintained arch in lower back. For deadlift, no "heaving", it's a slow, steady pull. Go here and watch the best ever perform the deadlift: http://media.putfile.com/benni

    Go here for an explanation of how to do the power clean and squat properly:
    http://www.aceathlete.com/hatch/video.htm
    look at the little links on the right and you'll see. 18-year old powerhouse under the instruction of an old-school Olympic lifting teacher. Great little videos.

    If you desire, you can do the "HCP" - hanging clean and press, in place of the standing military press, and follow this up with the pendlay rows.

    The hanging clean is essentially a clean done from knee level instead of the floor. You stand up with the bar, bend your knees, keep your torso upright. You bend your knees and allow the bar to travel downward just to your knees, then you explosively straighten your legs, perform a power shrug/upright row, and flip your arms underneath the bar, just like in a regular clean. From there, use a bit of leg drive and push-press the weight overhead. Then control the weight back down. If you are comfortable doing power cleans and would prefer them, then just do power cleans and standing military press. If not, do the Pendlay rows instead, and do only 2 sets of chinups instead of 3, since pendlay rows work your lats a bit more, and power cleans work your lower body, delts and traps a bit more. Each of those options are great options.

    Here's how you do a Pendlay row (also check my high-speed mad l33t MSPaint skilz representation which is attached. )

    1) Maintaining a PERFECTLY PARALLEL upper body is the key. Once you get your hips in position, do NOT use hip extension, knee extension, leg drive, etc to move the weight.
    2) You use a relatively wide grip (I keep pinkies approximately 1/2" inside outer knurling on standard Olympic bar), and pull the bar into your lower ribcage/upper gut area. Some people will argue that a close grip is better, and for chinups, I would agree. For rows, I disagree. The line-of-pull argument doesn't fly here.
    3) You must "deload" between *every* repetition. That is, you actually put the bar down and release your grip so that you remove any type of static tension in the muscles at that time. DO THIS! It is almost counter-intuitive, and I resisted doing this for quite some time. After all, I have lifted 20 years and never deloaded between reps, why should I start now?
    HA! I was a dumbass, and now I deload EVERY row I do, T-Bar, Barbell AND DB. Learn from my mistake. :P

    Step-by-step:
    Start off with the bar on the floor. Get your body into a parallel position initially. Keeping your upper body parallel, allow your shoulder blades to roll forward so that you can grip the bar as explained above. Without standing upright at all, explosively contract your shoulder blades together, and KEEP YOUR HIPS MOTIONLESS. There is *no* movement at the hips, i.e. do NOT stand up during this motion, you maintain the parallel upper body position throughout. Your lower lats arch hard, your elbows pull outward and behind the body, but you do not stand up at all. Slam the bar into your upper gut/lower ribcage, then control the weight downward while maintaining the parallel upper body position.

    Tips: If you are able to row more than 135 with this exercise, use 35s so that you can get a better range of motion while pulling from more of a stretch position. Stand on a low, wide box if need be.

    Use significantly less weight on this exercise than on normal 45 degree rows. Significant reduction in weight, significant increase in lat stimulation.
    Don't forget to check the pic for my wonderfully descriptive artwork. :P

    You are going to need to eat like mad. Honest assessment, at the VERY LEAST 3500 calories each day. Chances are good, unless you eat junk food and drink Coke and Pepsi constantly, you won't make it. As Mark Rippetoe said, he tells his kids that they have to drink a gallon of whole milk each day, and get kicked out of an all-you-can-eat buffet at least twice weekly.

    Do you have the ability to eat 3500-4000 calories EVERY day without consuming tons of junk food? Nothing wrong with eating pizza and a double cheeseburger (or two!) every day, as long as you keep lifting hard.
    Dump the candy, soft drinks, donuts, cookies, etc....stuff that is high in calories with no protein or nutritive value. You want *quality* calories.

    Convince Mom to buy seven pounds of the 93% ground beef, and finish off an entire Hamburger Helper box with a pound of ground beef daily, as well as 2 or 3 peanut butter and banana sandwiches and as much whole milk as you can stomach. Don't like hamburger helper? Go for a box of mac-n-cheese along with your ground beef, but put down 1 lb of beef and 1 box of starch per day at least. Don't like mac-n-cheese? Make a bunch of spaghetti noodles or some fried rice or corn and peas, baked beans, potatoes. And eat dead animal. Lots of it. Don't want to eat a pound of ground beef? Eat a dozen eggs, preferably cooked. :P

    the grocery bill is going to knock mom for a loop. Do your chores, wash the dishes, keep your room clean, etc, and Mom probably wont' freak out too much.

    Make no mistake. The best weight training program will make you strong, but it won't make you big. Weight lifting does NOT make you big. It makes you strong. Eating properly is what makes you big. If you eat a ton of calories without the weights, you get fat. Eat a ton of calories WITH your weight/strength training, and you get big, strong muscles.

    Nothing crazy here. It's all elementary. Have fun.

    I've been doing this "Beginners" program for about 2 weeks now and already I've seen some improvements in myself. Granted, I've been lifting weights for a few years and I haven't seen progression every workout, but I have been progressing in weight faster than ever before.

    I'll be happy to try to field any questions you have on this program, and if possible, direct you to links or information if I can't. All in all this is worth a shot if your fairly new to weight training or stuck with low number lifts like I was.
    Last edited by RenegadeRows; 12-28-2006, 07:54 AM.

  • #2
    I going to give this program a try. I've been torn apart between different programs that I've made up, and they always end up complicated. I haven't been lifting consistently for about a year (whoa!) so it's time to give this one a shot. I'll keep it simple.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by hypnotikk
      I going to give this program a try. I've been torn apart between different programs that I've made up, and they always end up complicated. I haven't been lifting consistently for about a year (whoa!) so it's time to give this one a shot. I'll keep it simple.
      I'll tell you, the feedback on BB.com for this program has been phenomenal. I read through 50+ pages and alot of the posts were people who were happy with their results. The big movements are tested and true.

      Was having the same problem as you, having complicated programs with lots of isolation work and bodypart per day splits. I find this works well for my schedule.

      The full body / 3 times per week will drain your CNS/energy. Make sure to take in enough protein, EAAs, anti-oxidants and vitamins.

      Comment


      • #4
        Full body is nice... I personally like Upper / Lower a bit better overall.... but I like variety.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by pu12en12g
          Full body is nice... I personally like Upper / Lower a bit better overall.... but I like variety.
          What kind of split are you following right now, pt?

          Comment


          • #6
            So far I feel pretty good with this routine. I'm just not used to so many squat sessions in a week, so hopefully I don't burn out too soon.

            Comment


            • #7
              i might test this out once my shoulders tell me they are rdy for all that bar work

              and i change gyms :P
              Current LOGS
              http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...8#post12694688
              http://forums.1fast400.com/?showtopi...0&#entry363619
              http://www.controlledlabsforum.com/s...2042#post42042

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by hypnotikk
                So far I feel pretty good with this routine. I'm just not used to so many squat sessions in a week, so hopefully I don't burn out too soon.
                Yes, working sets 3x5, and then 2-3 warmup sets before then. As long as your protein is high, and you feed your body with food, get plenty of rest and take your EAAs, vitamins and anti-oxidants, you should be ok. If you start to burn out, take a couple days off. I make sure to eat alot and get plenty of rest on this routine.

                Originally posted by nycste
                i might test this out once my shoulders tell me they are rdy for all that bar work

                and i change gyms :P
                It's worth it man!

                I'm surprised how much DOMs i get in my upper body, considering the low volume of the workout
                Last edited by RenegadeRows; 01-03-2007, 04:36 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  So far, this program is working for me. My quads have the biggest increase in size and strength, followed by lats, then pecs. Delts are ok, my arms are nothing to brag about yet. I'll do about another month before adding any arm work.
                  I still have to have a calf session, being that they are a weak point for me.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    who or what is rippetoe?
                    www.elitefitsystems.com

                    Now with CL and all your other favorites

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      First post?
                      A Gold's Gym puppet - and proud of it.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Mr. Aries
                        who or what is rippetoe?
                        Mark Rippetoe , old powerlifter/coach, writes strength training books, he developed this program.

                        www.startingstrength.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by hypnotikk
                          So far, this program is working for me. My quads have the biggest increase in size and strength, followed by lats, then pecs. Delts are ok, my arms are nothing to brag about yet. I'll do about another month before adding any arm work.
                          I still have to have a calf session, being that they are a weak point for me.
                          That's really good to hear. for me, exercises like rows and chins and dips and bench press work my arms pretty good, but to throw in isolation work is fine too. I'm glad that it's working for you. Have you noticed DOMs on your legs aren't that bad, despite squatting 3x week? Any questions, feel free to shoot my way.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by RenegadeRows
                            That's really good to hear. for me, exercises like rows and chins and dips and bench press work my arms pretty good, but to throw in isolation work is fine too. I'm glad that it's working for you. Have you noticed DOMs on your legs aren't that bad, despite squatting 3x week? Any questions, feel free to shoot my way.
                            Yes, DOMS aren't bad at all, as a matter of fact, my ATG squat has increased by 40 lbs, but I tend to get sore in my pecs a little more, maybe because I'm not used to weighted dips. And I've gained 3 lbs in 3.5 weeks, so not bad at all.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by hypnotikk
                              Yes, DOMS aren't bad at all, as a matter of fact, my ATG squat has increased by 40 lbs, but I tend to get sore in my pecs a little more, maybe because I'm not used to weighted dips. And I've gained 3 lbs in 3.5 weeks, so not bad at all.
                              Wow, that is awesome! I'm really glad it's working for you.

                              For the DOMs in the pecs, try doing the dips more upright, rather than leaning forward. You'll target your triceps/shoulders more
                              Last edited by RenegadeRows; 01-23-2007, 07:43 AM.

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