Get strong - or want to get strong... StartingStrength

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

So I posted about this a couple times in the Scout site and it's worthwhile to let others know about it here. This regimen has changed my life. It's just bloody simple, but bloody hard and it's all with a squat rack, barbell, weights and that's pretty much it.

www.startingstrength.com

There is a good forum and it's mostly about teaching you how to fish and off you go. No WOD, MODS, BODS, FODs or whatever. I played a lot of rugby in my days, just about fucked up everything and not all of it on the field, some of it was the dumb 'strength training' that was arcane, wrong and flat out dangerous (jumping squats with barbell.... yeah...). 80% of what ailed me, has been fixed, strengthened or at least mitigated to where I can get out of seat and not groan like an old man getting an enema... (sorry, bad visual..).

 

[MarinePMI]

Rippetoe is pretty much a legend in the weight lifting for strength community.

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

He's a great teacher, to the point, informed and doesn't get into any hype. Anything he doesn't know about, he'll admit and bring in the experts. His book StartingStrength Barbell Training is just fantastic in content, clarity and instruction. I'm planning on going to a seminar/training session when work and home schedule permits. I hope folks benefits!

 

[MarinePMI]

Yeah, I follow Mike Mathews, and he had a great podcast with Rippetoe about the differences between "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger" and "Starting Strength". Really interesting insights, and a good discussion about pure strength training versus strength training in support of body building. Also had some good pointers on weight lifting as we age.

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

The aging aspect has really developed - dare I say matured...

On the site there are presentations and article for those who want to lift and are north of 40. There's a new book out on the subject by one of his coaches Dr. Sullivan if I recall correctly.

 

[FuddLord]

Another great program I've had success with is SOFLETE

a lot of mobility work and de loading. Not so much a "get huge and strong" program as it is a strength and conditioning.

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

I bought that book "supple as a leopard". If you can make sense of that stuff then you're a better cat than me...

 

[MarinePMI]

The best program is the one you can stick with over the long haul. Waaaayyyy too many fad WODs, crossfit-like routines IMHO (that completely gloss over diet) and allude to some Special Forces "secret sauce". Smh...somebody's getting rich. LOL!

It doesn't matter how you stack it; diet, resistance training and cardio need to be part of a healthy training plan. And they need to be tailored to 1.) Your body type and 2.) the results you want to have at the end of 3 years.

Not necessarily knocking SOFLETE (Hey, if it's working for you, go with it), but I know a plethora of people that have gone the cross-fit like route, only to injure themselves, burn out from it (and quit going) or one person that now has a pacemaker as a result. That being said, I do think the HIIT portion of crossfit is very beneficial.

Something to be said for tried and true "pick up weight" (85% 1RM), "put weight back down" methodology that can be done over years, not weeks or months.

JMTCW...

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

Cross-Fit = exercise.
Weight Training for strength = training.

Cross-Fit et al is an assault on the body but without the benefit of allowing the body to adapt to the stress of a repeated forms. This lack or denial of adaptation transforms into incredibly accelerated wear and tear on the body. There are genetically blessed and chemically enhanced folks who excel at Cross-Fit, as there are in lifting sports etc, but I just don't see it a long term viable option. Hell, if I wanted to punish my body instead of train it I'd still play rugby. What the sport couldn't finish off the drinking surely would....

 

[Choid]

Starting Strength is really good. Strong, Swift, Durable, or whatever they call themselves now, is great for event based training, for a race, for a qualification, whatever. It is like Cross Fit but not stupid. I prefer a mix of barbell strength and work capacity stuff, because it fits my life better than does pure strength work. I hate sprinting, so it has to be necessary.

 

[EGwhisper]

I don't get it, the Rippetoe workouts can only last a half hour at most, and I've always understood optimal strength training is 45-60 minutes. Did I miss what supplements the 3-4 compound lifts? Or is that all that's recommended?

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

my typical routine is 90mins and I skimp on the warm ups usually. It's not easy doing 5X3 in the LP phase of the program. You need the rest between sets.

 

[--BLACKOUT--]

I've been doing the AthleanX programs for almost a year now and no workout is more than 50 minutes. Jeff Cavalier trains professional athletes and is 42 I think, and is strong, big and ripped. One thing he stresses for workouts is... You can train intense or train long but you can't do both.

I'm 66% through his Shred program and I've lost a lot of body fat and have put on 7lbs. I went from beer gut to seeing the outline of my abs. The best thing about these programs, since I'm almost 40 myself, is that he shows you how to train with certain injuries or gives you alternative exercises to get the desired effect. My overall strength and cardio are much better than when I first started. I went from doing 20-25 push-ups in one shot...to 60. I feel better, clothes fit better and I am excited to see how far I can go.

​​​​​​Another one of Jeff's sayings is... We put the science back into getting fit. There are a bunch of programs to choose from, beginner to advanced to programs that only use body weight. Comes with meals plans that are simple to follow and Jeff comes out with 2-3 new videos a week. He also puts some different content on his Instagram account that usually isn't regurgitated from YouTube. For me, it has been the best exercise program I have done. Check it out.

 

[APintOfGuinnessPlease!]

For some reason it always comes to this...

I started doing SS properly 5 weeks. I've added over 70lbs to squat, 90lbs to deadlift and I'm pushing close to benching 120% of BW. I'm over 45yrs and I was nothing special under the barbell when I started (I'm not now, but relatively speaking I could kick my 5-week younger's ass...). I've stayed the same BW but gone up a shirt size. I'm hitting 240gr of protein, 180gr of carbs and limiting fat to about 80gr on a bad day. I've now approached the point where I can't recover from the workout in sufficient time to do one on, one off and so rest two days between workouts.

SS is about one thing ONLY - strength. Athletes train for a sport. To perform at a sport. I train for strength. I don't exercise, I train, specifically to get stronger. In order to do that, you cannot do an 'intense' workout such as interval training. THat's called conditioning, it's very caloric and does not allow for optimal strength progression. Note the word 'optimal'.

If you went from doing 20 press ups you could up that count by almost doing anything that involved the upper body and see good results in the early phase. It's called the novice effect. Your body responds well to stimulus when compared to a more dormant state.

SS isn't the best thing for everything but I'd say being baseline stronger improves your ability at everything and that's why I'm focusing on strength. Hence the title of the thread. Strength. Not conditioning, beach body, abs, or 'ripped'. That will come when I aspire to win the Mr. Bikini Body Masters... or plan on a vacation in Brazil... (same thing?)...

 

[bab029]

I ran a starting strength (5x5) for most of last year. I've now transitioned to a gzcl-esque program. Basically, a main lift in the 20-25 total rep range (5-7 sets) followed by three accessory movements in the 30-40 total rep range each (3-5 sets) for the volume. The numbers say it works, plus i can keep gym time short enough to squeeze it in on lunch when I'm feeling motivated.

Progression is measured by adding reps to a stable weight over 3 weeks...

I make it sound really structured, but I'm not very good at structure. I just go lift while trying to be both (1) consistent and (2) goal-oriented

 

[tehweej]

I am doing StrongLifts 5x5 and love it. I am not training to be competitive, I just want to be more strong in my everyday activities. I like that it is simple, and tells me what to do. I am not a very organized person, so having the app do all the work is nice for me. Takes me about 30 minutes for a routine, which I usually do after a night shift.

I was better about working out before I did a 26 mile backpacking trip through the Beartooth Mountains, and was very glad I did. My pack was about 40 pounds. I had previously done this hike when I was out of shape and it sucked. This time it was truly enjoyable. It felt like a leisurely stroll through the mountains.

I know there are programs out there that would probably get me more gainzzzzz, but I love how simple this is and it gets me to my goal of better everyday strength.

 

[Sierra_One]

For those running the original SS LP, I'd suggest you look into Greyskull Barbell's Greyskull LP. Created by John Sheaffer, who used to be on Rip's travelling couching staff, he made some tweaks to the original LP for the better. After running the SS LP years ago, I did a reset and ran Greyskull's LP for the remainder. The results were infinitely better. It's more fun to do and easier to recover from due to the smaller jumps and restructuring. Can't recommend it enough. You can get the ebooks over at Greyskull's website.

 

[MarinePMI]

I'd also recommend if you are an older lifter (40+), picking up a copy of "The Barbell Prescription". It's starting strength, but for older folks and deals with the challenges (recovery and volume) that face all of us as we age...a very worthy read IMHO.