43 ms·

I got very far with Starting Strength: https://www.startingstrength.com https://www.startingstrength.com

by achompas 7y ago

DataWorker 7y ago
Sounds like Sacks was doing 5x5s coincidentally.
- SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
  That's pretty amazing if he got that far (5x5x500) just with 5x5's every 5 days- really speaks to the power of the KISS approach.
olivermarks 7y ago
Mark Riptoe's video CD's for starting strength are excellent, show you the best form for lifting, taking account of your posture etc
- toasterlovin 7y ago
  FWIW, in my opinion there are better videos for form and technique on Starting Strength’s YouTube channel at this point.
  - olivermarks 7y ago
    thanks will look at those
mattnewport 7y ago
Starting Strength is good but IMO the best way to start is to book some sessions with a trainer and go and actually lift some heavy things. In my experience it is very helpful to have someone knowledgeable help you with your form early on and it also gives you someone to spot you and to push you.
- ekidd 7y ago
  A good lifting coach is much better than DIY Starting Strength, because they'll help you develop good form before you start lifting really heavy weights. Agreed. However, there are a lot of unqualified lifting coaches out there, and many fitness certifications don't cover lifting well. So if you just walk into your local fitness club and ask for a trainer, you can easily wind up with the incompetent leading the ignorant. A practical compromise might be to buy a phone tripod, record your lifts, and work online with a qualified coach. Just looking at the larger Starting Strength community, I've been deeply impressed by Barbell Medicine, and some people seem to like Starting Strength Online Coaching. There are lots of other good programs out there besides Starting Strength, obviously. And honestly, all the uninjured, grey-haired lifters I've met were careful bodybuilders and not powerlifters (but my sample size is small).
ip26 7y ago
FWIW it was a good bootcamp for me and helped me learn about the big lifts and what to use them for, but sleep, diet, and muscle imbalance are all left as an exercise for the reader. Wound up stopping the program to focus more on all those other things.
tjpaudio 7y ago
Mark Rippetoe, the author, is a broken old man as a result of his methods. He is also known as a loudmouth that gets more attention than he deserves in the community. I would not recommend his methods or book. Although his book got popular among amateurs, it has no place in modern powerlifting and is considered antiquated and rife with bad advice.
- iron0013 7y ago
  That's news to me, but based on my gut reaction to the way Rippetoe writes and speaks (bloviating and seemingly over-certain about the science of things, which gives the impression that he actually knows very little about the science) I'm not surprised! Do you know of any alternative books or other sources that don't suffer from the same issues?
- MrBuddyCasino 7y ago
  What would you recommend as alternatives?
  - tjpaudio 7y ago
    Wendler 5/3/1 is popular.
  - scott_s 7y ago
    Beginner’s Guide to Powerlifting by Chad Wesley Smith: https://www.jtsstrength.com/product/beginners-guide-to-powerlifting/ https://www.jtsstrength.com/product/beginners-guide-to-power... I have not read the book, but Chad is a respected competitor and coach in the community. I have watched the Juggernaut Training YouTube channel for a few years now, and they always have sound advice for both beginner and expert lifters.
- agent008t 7y ago
  Any summary of what specifically the bad advice is?
- CodeAndCuffs 7y ago
  Rippetoe has a video of him deadlifting 500 pounds at age 56. He's not the peak of physical fitness, but he is significantly stronger than most people. To say that his advice is antiquated is controversial at best. SS is written for the brand new beginner, and is advertised as such. Its prototypical student is a high school freshman that weighs 140 lbs and needs to get bigger and stronger to make the football team. Another commenter said it ignores other factors like diet and rest. This is objectively incorrect. The book harps on eating and sleeping/resting. Rest days are sacred. If you are trying to go from. 100 lb squat to 300 in a few months, you sleep and eat, taking occasional breaks to lift heavy. If you are fat, eat slightly less. SS isn't about body building, it's about a brand new lifter getting to a non-embarassing level of strength. That means eating an adequate amount of food, erroring on the side of eating too much, and just cut back the calories after you have a 300+ lb squat. People like to make a meme of things like the 'Gallon of Milk A Day' advice. That's not general advice. That's for the 110 lb 15 year old who doesn't like eating food and wants to get bigger. It's not advice for the 20 something software dev trying to go from weak and fat to bodybuilder

I got very far with Starting Strength: https://www.startingstrength.com https://www.startingstrength.com

DataWorker 7y ago

Sounds like Sacks was doing 5x5s coincidentally.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
That's pretty amazing if he got that far (5x5x500) just with 5x5's every 5 days- really speaks to the power of the KISS approach.

olivermarks 7y ago

Mark Riptoe's video CD's for starting strength are excellent, show you the best form for lifting, taking account of your posture etc

toasterlovin 7y ago
FWIW, in my opinion there are better videos for form and technique on Starting Strength’s YouTube channel at this point.
- olivermarks 7y ago
  thanks will look at those

mattnewport 7y ago

Starting Strength is good but IMO the best way to start is to book some sessions with a trainer and go and actually lift some heavy things. In my experience it is very helpful to have someone knowledgeable help you with your form early on and it also gives you someone to spot you and to push you.

ekidd 7y ago
A good lifting coach is much better than DIY Starting Strength, because they'll help you develop good form before you start lifting really heavy weights. Agreed. However, there are a lot of unqualified lifting coaches out there, and many fitness certifications don't cover lifting well. So if you just walk into your local fitness club and ask for a trainer, you can easily wind up with the incompetent leading the ignorant. A practical compromise might be to buy a phone tripod, record your lifts, and work online with a qualified coach. Just looking at the larger Starting Strength community, I've been deeply impressed by Barbell Medicine, and some people seem to like Starting Strength Online Coaching. There are lots of other good programs out there besides Starting Strength, obviously. And honestly, all the uninjured, grey-haired lifters I've met were careful bodybuilders and not powerlifters (but my sample size is small).

ip26 7y ago

FWIW it was a good bootcamp for me and helped me learn about the big lifts and what to use them for, but sleep, diet, and muscle imbalance are all left as an exercise for the reader. Wound up stopping the program to focus more on all those other things.

tjpaudio 7y ago

Mark Rippetoe, the author, is a broken old man as a result of his methods. He is also known as a loudmouth that gets more attention than he deserves in the community. I would not recommend his methods or book. Although his book got popular among amateurs, it has no place in modern powerlifting and is considered antiquated and rife with bad advice.

iron0013 7y ago
That's news to me, but based on my gut reaction to the way Rippetoe writes and speaks (bloviating and seemingly over-certain about the science of things, which gives the impression that he actually knows very little about the science) I'm not surprised! Do you know of any alternative books or other sources that don't suffer from the same issues?
MrBuddyCasino 7y ago
What would you recommend as alternatives?
- tjpaudio 7y ago
  Wendler 5/3/1 is popular.
- scott_s 7y ago
  Beginner’s Guide to Powerlifting by Chad Wesley Smith: https://www.jtsstrength.com/product/beginners-guide-to-powerlifting/ https://www.jtsstrength.com/product/beginners-guide-to-power... I have not read the book, but Chad is a respected competitor and coach in the community. I have watched the Juggernaut Training YouTube channel for a few years now, and they always have sound advice for both beginner and expert lifters.
agent008t 7y ago
Any summary of what specifically the bad advice is?
CodeAndCuffs 7y ago
Rippetoe has a video of him deadlifting 500 pounds at age 56. He's not the peak of physical fitness, but he is significantly stronger than most people. To say that his advice is antiquated is controversial at best. SS is written for the brand new beginner, and is advertised as such. Its prototypical student is a high school freshman that weighs 140 lbs and needs to get bigger and stronger to make the football team. Another commenter said it ignores other factors like diet and rest. This is objectively incorrect. The book harps on eating and sleeping/resting. Rest days are sacred. If you are trying to go from. 100 lb squat to 300 in a few months, you sleep and eat, taking occasional breaks to lift heavy. If you are fat, eat slightly less. SS isn't about body building, it's about a brand new lifter getting to a non-embarassing level of strength. That means eating an adequate amount of food, erroring on the side of eating too much, and just cut back the calories after you have a 300+ lb squat. People like to make a meme of things like the 'Gallon of Milk A Day' advice. That's not general advice. That's for the 110 lb 15 year old who doesn't like eating food and wants to get bigger. It's not advice for the 20 something software dev trying to go from weak and fat to bodybuilder