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The Original Starting Strength Novice Program

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
5x3 Power Cleans

Workouts A and B alternate on 3 non-consecutive days per week.

Free Google Docs version of the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator here!.

Here are the instructions for the on-line version:

Follow the link.
Select the "File" button in the left hand corner.
From the drop-down menu select "Copy spreadsheet."
Click "OK" on the Dialog Box.

Download the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator Here! *Requires Scribd subscription. (You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or free-to-own OpenOffice.org.

Alternate download link for SS Log Book Calculataor

This program can also be logged online with WithFit

The Starting Strength (3rd Ed) Novice Program

Is the same as the Practical Programming (2nd Ed) Novice Program.

Practical Programming (2nd Ed) Novice Program:

For the first few workouts:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Once the freshness of the deadlift has worn off a little and the deadlift is established well ahead of the squat, the power clean can be introduced:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
5x3 Power Clean

After the above is followed for a short time, chin-ups and pull-ups can be added along with back extensions or glute/ham raises for a break from pulling every workout:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift/5x3 Power Clean (alternating)

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 Back Extension
3xFailure(15 max)* Chin-ups/Pull-ups (alternating)

Unweighted Chin-ups/Pull-ups are performed for three sets to failure to a max of 15. Once 15 reps per set can be completed start adding weight.

So a two week example of this last, more complex, version of the novice program using a Monday/Wednesday/Friday workout schedule would look like this:

Week 1

Monday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift

Wednesday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 Back Extension
3xFailure(15 max) Chin-ups

Friday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
5x3 Power Clean

Week 2

Monday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 Back Extension
3xFailure(15 max) Pull-ups

Wednesday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift

Friday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 Back Extension
3xFailure(15 max) Chin-ups

Free Google Docs version of the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator here!.

Here are the instructions for the on-line version:

Follow the link.
Select the "File" button in the left hand corner.
From the drop-down menu select "Copy spreadsheet."
Click "OK" on the Dialog Box.

Download the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator Here! *Requires Scribd subscription. (You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or free-to-own OpenOffice.org.

Alternate download link for SS Log Book Calculator

This program can be logged online with WithFit

(see also The Wichita Falls Novice Program)

Onus Wunsler Beginner Program (from SS):

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
1x5 Deadlift / 5x3 Power Cleans (Alternating)

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 or 5x10 Back Extensions (unweighted if progressing to GHR, weighted if not)
Chin-Ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Workouts A and B alternate on 3 non-consecutive days per week.

Free Google Docs version of the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator here!.

Here are the instructions for the on-line version:

Follow the link.
Select the "File" button in the left hand corner.
From the drop-down menu select "Copy spreadsheet."
Click "OK" on the Dialog Box.

Download the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator Here! *Requires Scribd subscription. (You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or free-to-own OpenOffice.org.

Alternate download link for SS Logbook Calculator

Track this program online with WithFit

Basic Starting Strength Questions

Which Version Should I do?

This largely depends on how often you'd like to powerclean, deadlift and do pull-ups. If you want to deadlift and powerclean 1-3x/week and pull-ups aren't a priority (you'll get to add them eventually) do The Original Starting Strength Program. If you'd like to Deadlift, powerclean and do pull-ups about equally, do The Onus Wunsler Beginner Program. If you don't ever want to do powercleans and you only want to deadlift 1x/week, but you'd like to do pull-ups 2x/week do The Practical Programming Novice Program (Note: 2nd Ed now includes powercleans). You will gain extraordinary amounts of strength on any one of these fine programs.

Can I incorporate power cleans into the Practical Programming Novice Program?

Yes, you can. This isn't a "published" routine but it is one that Rip teaches at his gym. For this reason it's called "The Wichita Falls Novice Program." It looks like this:

Wichita Falls Novice Program

Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5 (alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Press/bench press 3x5 (alternating)
Deadlift 1x5/Powerclean 5x3 (alternating)

Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5 (alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Free Google Docs version of the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator here!.

Here are the instructions for the on-line version:

Follow the link.
Select the "File" button in the left hand corner.
From the drop-down menu select "Copy spreadsheet."
Click "OK" on the Dialog Box.

Download the Starting Strength Logbook Calculator Here! *Requires Scribd subscription. (You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or free-to-own OpenOffice.org.

Alternate download link for SS Logbook Calculator

What does "(alternating)" mean?

Someone explain better!! Do you switch between exercises only for the designated work out? For ex . Workout A deadlift1x5/Powerclean 5x3 (alternating). Do you do deadlift the first a workout then powerclean the second a workout or do you do deadlift the first workout then powercleans the next workout reguardless of which day you are on?

for example:

Deadlift 1x5/Powerclean 5x3 (alternating)

It simply means that on one workout day (e.g. Monday) you do Deadlifts, then on the following workout day (Wednesday) you do Powercleans instead of Deadlifts, then you do Deadlifts again on the next scheduled workout (Friday), then powercleans, etc.

Should I find my 1-RM and 5-RM (1 rep max and 5 rep max) to start from?

As a novice, the 1 rep and 5 rep max have no place in this program. Maxes are only relevant to advanced beginners, intermediates and even more advanced trainees.
For three reasons:

Testing your 1RM or 5RM requires observing impeccable technique and experience dumping the bar, because your form WILL eventually break down and you WILL eventually need to escape when it does. A 1RM/5RM only counts when the form is "passable" and only an experienced lifter would have the appropriate skills to make it so. An inexperienced lifter will just break their ass off.
No one should be starting the program with their 5 rep max, or even very close to it.
The notion of a 1RM/5RM doesn't exist for a novice. Every time a newb gets under the bar they will increase their strength, so in other words, just by testing their 5 rep max, they would essentially be increasing their 5 rep max. There is no point in measuring something when the very act of taking the measurement changes its measure. Totally pointless.

To underscore this point: Your first SS workout is never a test of your 5 rep max.

I'm an experienced lifter and I already know my 5RM's in the five lifts. Can I use that?

You can. Just program it so that you hit your former 5RM's in Week 4-6. This means subtracting 60-90 pounds off your Squat and Deadlift and 30-45 pounds off your Bench, Press and Powerclean. It sounds like a lot, I know, but if you add 5 pounds every workout for the squat, bench, press, and powerclean and 10 pounds to every deadlift you will reach your former 5RM in weeks 4-6, and then you will break those records. You will have more longevity on the program if you wait till week 6 to hit your 5RM (especially if you are coming off a layoff) if you can stand to wait 2 more weeks, I'd recommend it.

If you know your 5RM for some of the lifts, but not all of them, follow this scheme for the ones you know and follow the next entry for the lifts you don't.

What weight should I start with during the first week?

The weight you use is going to be determined by the amount you can do for 5 repetitions with proper execution and technique.

The way the "first day" is explained in Starting Strength, the trainee warms up with the bar, then adds a bit of weight and does a set of 5. The bar speed will be identical from set to set. Continue to add weight and do sets of 5until the speed of the barbell begins to slow.. Keep the weight there and perform 2 more sets with this weight. That is your first "3 sets of 5" workout for that exercise.

Yes, this is low. It allows for a certain fudge factor that is present when dealing with a novice's ability to evaluate his own technical performance.

Generally, if a newb says "I benched 135 x 5 for the first time, my technique was great!", what he really means is that "I benched 135 x 5, but I probably should've only used about 120 or 125"

Be on the safe side, start lighter than you think you need to, and go from there. This also helps develop a base of conditioning with slightly less weight than absolute max, which helps reduce initial DOMS.

Let me say that once again.

Start off using weight that is LOWER than you think you can handle, and progress upward. It is better to use weight that is too light than weight that is too heavy.

How much weight should I add from workout to workout?

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.
– Mark Rippetoe, Practical Programming, Pg. 122

If you get all 3 sets of 5 with proper technique, then move the weight up as described above.
If you get all 3 sets of 5 with proper technique, but bar speed was exceedingly slow on the last few reps (i.e. you busted a nut trying to complete your reps), then you may end up stalling if you add the full amount. Err on the side of "lower". i.e. don't add 20 lbs to the deadlift, add 15. Don't add 10 lbs to the press, add 5 (or even 2.5), etc. and proceed cautiously. Cautiously means adding less weight rather than more. There is no consequence for adding too little weight, but adding too much could stall progress for weeks.
If you get the first 2 sets of 5 with proper technique, but you only get 4 reps on the 3rd, then determine if it was a "recovery deficit" (4 hours sleep last night/skipped meals, etc) or a "technique deficit" (body wasn't tight during presses, leaned forward too much in squat, etc). If the strength or technique deficit was an anomaly and/or is easily correctable, then you can probably add the normal amount of weight as described above. If the weight just felt dog heavy, then add only a bit more, or even keep the weight the same for the next workout. Better to get your 5/5/5 next workout then get a 5/5/3 or a 5/4/4 with a heavier weight.
If you get at least 12 or 13 of the reps total (i.e. 5/4/4 or 5/4/3 or 4/4/4) then keep the weight the same for the next workout.

If you get something strange like 5/5/2 or 5/3/4 on your 3 sets, then you probably just need to be more mindful of rest periods. Best to use 3-5 minutes between pressing, cleaning and rowing work sets and up to 7 for squats and deadlifts if necessary. For now, use a little too much rest rather than too little rest.

If you can't get at least the first set of 5, or if you are missing 2 or more reps each on the 2nd and 3rd sets, then you are using too much weight, assuming you recently started training.

If you had been making progress, but then all of sudden, you have 3 workouts in a row where you can't add weight to the bar for an exercise and get your 5/5/5, Uleiul de migdale

Do I do all the exercises together, or do I do 1 set of squats, followed by a set of benches, etc?

You don't switch back and forth between exercises, which is circuit training. Circuit training is when you do a single set of squats, followed by a single set of bench presses, followed by a single set of deadlifts, then repeat this "circuit". It is a form of cardio or metabolic conditioning that is not appropriate for this program.

You do ALL of your squats, followed by ALL of your benches, followed by ALL of your deadlifts.

How do I warm up properly for my training sessions?

Rippetoe recommends that you first warmup by doing a few minutes on the bike or a rowing machine prior to starting your workout. The idea is to get a general increase in body heat and metabolism (no, not for fat burning). This will help prevent injury, as a warm group of muscles and tendons are less prone to injury. You should also do warmup sets for each exercise, although fewer warmups are generally necessary later in the workout, as the squat and press will get most of the body warmed up relatively well.

The warmup sets serve only to prepare the lifter for the work sets; they should never interfere with the work sets. As such they should be planned with this in mind. The last warmup set before the work set should never be so heavy that it interferes with the work set, but heavy enough that it allows the lifter to feel a heavier weight before he does the work sets. It might only consist of one or two reps even though the work sets are five or more reps.
– Mark Rippetoe

The warm-up is important not only to prepare the muscles for the impending maximal load, it's also to get some extra technique practice in. This becomes especially important with Squats, Deadlifts and Power Cleans, where technique deteriorates as weight increases.

Here is Rips' warm-up template (weight x reps x sets):

Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
As a general rule, it is best to start with the empty bar (45 lbs.), determine the work set or sets, and then divide the difference between them into even increments. Some examples are provided in figure 5." (pg. 196)

Squat
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5 x 1
135 x 3 x 1
185 x 2 x 1
225 x 5 x 3 <--Work Sets

Bench Press
45 x 5 x 2
85 x 5 x 1
125 x 3 x 1
155 x 2 x 1
175 x 5 x 3 <--Work Sets

Deadlift
135 x 5 x 2
185 x 5 x 1
225 x 3 x 1
275 x 2 x 1
315 x 5 x 1 <--Work Set

Press
45 x 5 x 2
75 x 5 x 1
95 x 3 x 1
115 x 2 x 1
135 x 5 x 3 <--Work Sets

Power Clean
45 x 5 x 2
75 x 5 x 1
95 x 3 x 1
115 x 2 x 1
135 x 3 x 5<--Work Sets

Sets 1-5 are to warm up, sets 6, 7 and 8 are the worksets. With all exercises (with the possible exception of the Deadlift) the first two sets are warmed-up with an empty barbell for 2 sets of 5, and the following 3 sets are incremental percentages of the workset (ie. 40%-60%-80%). You can rest as much or as little in between warm-up sets as you desire but I usually find the time it takes to swap out the weights is adequate.

Note that in all cases, as you get closer to the actual working weight, you do less reps in your warmups. The idea is to get the feel of progressively heavier weights in the hands/across the back prior to beginning your maximum weight sets.

I hate doing math, but I also like to be precise, eventually my hate for math won out and so I designed a Starting Strength Warm-Up Calculator. My calculator attempts to remain faithful to Rip's warm-up template, although I took some liberties with the deadlift. On deadlifts I lowered the warm-up sets/volume because 1) Those muscles were already warmed from the Squats 2) It became a lot of volume once you hit the heavier weights.

I offer the calculator in 2 formats:

Free Google Docs version of Starting Strength Warm-up Calculator here! . Here are the instructions for the online version:

Follow the link.
Select the "File" button in the left hand corner.
From the drop-down menu select "Copy spreadsheet."
Click "OK" on the Dialog Box.

Download the Starting Strength Warm-Up Calculator Here! *Requires Scribd Subscription (You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or the free to own OpenOffice.org)

It should be good to go from there. And feel free to modify the prescribed increments to whatever you desire.

What is the protocol for stretching?

Much debate exists on the topic of stretching. Stretching has been attributed with such different properties as injury prevention, reducing DOMS, decreasing performance and obviously increasing flexibility.

In the book Starting Strength coach Rippetoe clearly indicates that that unless your flexibility is hindering you from performing the exercises correctly, doing full range of motion compound exercises is all the stretching you will need.

He does recommend several stretches for new lifters to use for groin/hamstring flexibility for squats, wrist/elbow/shoulder-flexibility for Power Cleans and so forth, but stretching as such is not part of the programme, unless it constitutes a problem for a specific lift.

The beneficial and detrimental effects of stretching have been analyzed in several studies. This author (not Mark Rippetoe) would say that a general rule of thumb could be to do a couple of minutes of dynamic stretches pre-workout as part of the warm-up, ie. air squats, shoulder dislocations and leg kicks are all examples of gooddynamic stretches. This can be followed up by static stretching post-workout. I would like to repeat, that stretches in general are only needed for problem areas, otherwise it is probably more or less inconsequential.

You can read more about static and dynamic stretching in The Injury Assistance Section

Only 1 set of Deadlifts? Is that a typo?

Long answer: You're already squatting 3x/week of 3 sets of 5 and that hits a lot of the same target muscles as the deadlift. That, plus the fact that deadlifts are notoriously hard to recover from is why they are only for 1 set. Once they get heavy and you're going all out for your one set, you'll be so gassed that the very thought of doing two more sets will make you projectile vomit.

Shorter answer: No

Why 1 set of deadlifts, 5 sets of powercleans and 3 sets of everything else?

The "3 sets, 5 reps of everything" is a basic starting point for newbs which works for most major primary exercises. 3 sets creates enough of a stress on the body so that homeostasis is disrupted, yet the workload remains tolerable, even for someone who is unfit and untrained. For the novice, 5 reps generally allows for the best possible mix of consistency in strength and exercise execution, as well as fatigue production.

However, it is recommended to do 5 sets, 3 reps apiece, of power cleans, rather than 3 sets of 5. The reason lies in the nature of this specific exercise and its technical nature. Fatigue is not the primary goal during the clean, rapid force generation and technical accuracy is. Because the exercise is the most mechanically difficult exercise to perform and it involves a tremendously large # of muscle groups, even moderate fatigue of the supporting musculature can have a prominently adverse affect on the trainee's ability to perform the exercise at all, let alone correctly.

Lower rep sets are more appropriate once the trainee is able to perform the exercise with a base level of competence. Unlike most standard exercises in bodybuilding and strength training, fatigue is NOT the goal. Exact technical accuracy in exercise execution is far more important and fatigue is neither beneficial or even appropriate. Sets with lower repetitions, such as 1, 2, and 3 reps per set, are more successful at ensuring the lift is worked properly and that force generation is even and consistent.

Deadlifts are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Of all multi-joint exercises, deadlifts may possibly be the easiest to perform correctly with the least amount of instruction. Aside from a few pointers about back position and grip, the exercise is, technically, incredibly easy because it is so natural. The 3 primary muscle groups used in this exercise, the glutes/hips, the thighs, and the back, are the 3 largest and most powerful muscle groups in the body. Additionally, the exercise is performed through what amounts to a somewhat reduced ROM and the hips and back are held in a mechanically advantageous position. As a result, tremendous poundages can be hoisted, sometimes by even the rankest of novices. Since this exercise is performed AFTER squats, and since squats can fatigue many of the same muscle groups, only 1 working set of deadlifts is required to achieve an appropriate training affect, and for most novices and even many intermediates, only 1 working set of deadlifts will be required to maintain steady progress in the exercise.

Can I add sets or exercises to this program? I think I should do more.

You can do anything you want to do. You can squat on a swiss ball, you can bench monkeys wearing pantyhose, you can pick your nose and wear a cockring, it doesn't really matter to me, but none of those things are "Starting Strength." So don't do any of that silly bullshit and say that you're "doing the Rippetoes."

If, however, you decide you're going to add a bunch of stuff to the program, chances are good you will screw it up. Why am I so confident? The fact that you would ask a question like this indicates that you lack experience with weight training because, if you were experienced, you wouldn't ask this question in the first place. You'd simply adjust it as your experience dictates.

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.
– Mark Rippetoe, Practical Programming pg. 113-114

Give the base program a shot for at least a month before you start adding a bunch of shit (read, before you quit doing the actual program). After you've set several PR's and you're lifting respectable weights I highly doubt you'll still be in such a rush to flush it all down the shitter.

Should I take all my sets to failure?

Short answer: No. Always stop short if you think your next rep will fail. Failure is bound to happen on occasion, make sure that when it does happen, it comes as both an accident and a surprise. Going to failure on every set is a great way to teach your body bad form. And if that isn't enough to disuade you; failed reps don't count.

Long answer: Failure training is a potentially useful tool, but it is generally reserved for someone who is a bit more advanced. Failure training in the trained athlete can, if used properly and judiciously, be a beneficial technique to help elicit strength and muscle mass gains.

However, failure training for a novice is generally not going to produce the intended effect and is unnecessary and potentially harmful. Training form/technique tends to break down significantly in the novice who is exercising to failure, which can lead to injury. It can also reinforce technique flaws since you will consistently perform improper technique. What you do over and over becomes ingrained in your basic motor function. If you tend to have a shitty bench when you hit failure, the more often you hit failure, the more often your technique is compromised, the more often the improper technique is reinforced.

Additionally, novices have a much greater incidence of asymmetric balance, i.e. "my left arm is stronger than my right arm!" This results in significant asymmetric loading during pressing and pulling exercises, which can end up shredding a shoulder/rotator cuff or tearing up the trainee's spinal erectors because of an imbalanced load on the spine.

You should never need to take any of your sets to failure as a novice. You only count repetitions that you complete 100% on your own. If your spotter touches the bar AT ALL, then the rep doesn't count. If your technique isn't solid (i.e. if you bounce the bar off your chest, or don't go deep enough in the squat), then the rep doesn't count.

Your first set should be a slight challenge, your second set a reasonable challenge, and your third set of each exercise should be quite difficult to complete, but you SHOULD be able to complete it with no assistance from anyone else, while maintaining proper technique.

The first set seems really easy. Should I add more weight for the next few sets?

Nope. If you followed the directions from The First Workout then you started at the right weight. Use this as an opportunity to focus on technique (since you aren't concentrating on muscling up the weight). This early on, technique is your primary goal. Get your lifts perfect and then when your technique is called upon as the only means of moving a heavy load, you'll be right on point. Trust me, it will get plenty heavy soon enough, and when you're under that bar with 2-3 hundred pounds you'll be thankful that you won't have to think so hard about technique, because all you will be thinking is "OHMYGOD-THISIS-HEAVY."

How long should I rest between sets, exercises, and during warmups?

This is a strength program first, and a "mass and conditioning program" second. As such, you rest as long as necessary between sets.

During the warmup, rest between sets will be minimal. You want to get blood into the area, raise the temperature of the associated musculature and connective tissue, take some time to practice the exercise with lighter weights, and increase tissue elasticity. With the usage of light(er) weights during your warmups, you can use a shortened rest period. Usually you need only rest as long as it takes to switch out the plates. However, once you get to the "meat and potatoes" of your workout (i.e. the "3x5 work sets"), you rest as long as necessary.

At first you can probably get by with no more than 2-3 minutes between sets. However, once the weights start getting heavier, you may take upward of 5 minutes between sets. Near the end of your training cycle, especially when you are setting PRs (personal records) in the squat, deadlift, and power clean you could be resting upward of 7 minutes.

Resting between exercises is not something you really need to worry about. You will need to change weights, change stations, get a bench set up (or a power rack set up) or whatever. The exercises are chosen so that you are alternating primary areas of work, so that you don't really need to overthink this aspect of resting.

For example, you are trashed from your squats, and you have bench presses next. Well glory be to God, you get to lie your happy ass down on a bench and do some light warmup benches with an empty bar! While your legs (and possibly breathing and overall body) recover from the squats, you are lying down on the bench, happy as a pea in a pod.

Again, don't overthink rest periods between sets or exercises. Move between exercises as quickly as you can, however, DO NOT compromise your performance. If you can get 5 reps after resting 2 minutes, but only 4 reps if you rest 90 seconds, then rest 2 minutes. If you need to rest 3 minutes in order to get that 5 rep set, then rest 3 minutes. If you need 7 minutes of rest before you can reasonably get the 5th rep, then take all 7 minutes. Strength and weight-on-the-bar increases are more important than your heart rate/body temp while lifting weights.

How long does this workout normally take?

As you progress with your development and you get nearer to your genetic capabilities, your training will, by necessity, become more complex and possibly more lengthy. As a result, your workouts will take longer, because you simply have to do "more stuff"

For the first 3 or 4 workouts including warm-ups, as a novice expect about 30 minutes for Workout A and possibly shorter for Workout B. As you get stronger, you will need longer rest periods. As you add weight to those top 3 work sets, you may need an extra set or 2 per exercise for warmups. Eventually (think months) the workouts will last 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes. Workouts shouldn't ever last more than an hour and a half.

However, for you newbs who do the first few workouts and think "damn, that was easy, I was done in half an hour", don't sweat it, the workout is pretty easy...at first. It WILL catch up to you.

What should I do if I have to skip a workout?

Try really, really hard not to, but if missing a workout is unavoidable, then it is unavoidable. Push that training session to the next possible day and proceed with the workout you missed (if you missed workout A, do A, if B, do B). If it's been less than a week between workouts, go ahead and make your poundage increases. You should be fine.

This might require an adjustment in your training schedule. For example, if you missed your 2nd workout of the week, that workout ideally will become the 1st workout in a new weekly rotation when you repeat it on the next possible day. To further illustrate; say you normally workout Mon-Wed-Fri. You missed Wednesday's workout and you choose to make it up on Thursday, meaning you've now "rested" two days. Ideally, to cause as little disruption as possible to linear progression, you would re-adjust your workout schedule to Thurs-Sat-Mon and repeat.

If it's been more than a week since your last successful training session, retest your previous weights from the last attended workout again (if your last completed workout was WO. A, redo WO A, if B, redo B) and reassess where you need to be. At worst you'll need to drop 5 pounds from the next workout.

If it's been a month or longer, reread The First Workout section again and follow the instructions there.

Can I do <insert exercise> on the off days?

No. Your "off days" are just that...they are "off days". They are necessary for growth. If you are so advanced that you think your <insert bodypart> needs extra work, then you're either a) delusional or b) too advanced for this program. But realistically speaking, your arms aren't "weak points", your ENTIRE BODY is a weak point. So train your entire body. Once you have developed your entire body and made some progress in strength and overall muscular bodyweight, then start worrying about minutae. 'On' days beat up your body and 'off' days put them back together. You dont get strong by lifting heavy weights: You get strong by RECOVERING from lifting heavy weights, so make your off days sacred.

How long should I stay on this program?

"Until it stops working" is the often frustrating response I have given on several occasions.

As is stated further into the FAQ, there are 2 resets for the squat and perhaps 1 for the deadlift that will be done before it's time to move on. You will probably reset the press and bench a few times before it is time to change programs. As long as the squat and deadlift are still moving up, however, there is no need to change programming. If you need to do a "bigtime reset" as described below, or if you are stalling on multiple exercises at once, and you've done The Advanced Novice Program then it is time to move on.

If you do everything outlined in this FAQ you could stay on the program as little as 3-4 months or as long as 8-9 months. Do your best to stay on it for 9 months if you can. Seriously, do the math and tell me how much 9 months is in terms of weight added to the bar! Yeah, Bob.

What if my question isn't answered here?

Check to see if your question is answered in the Additional Starting Strength Questions Section

If you have a question that isn't specifically answered here, you can ask in any one of the following places:

Rippetoe/Starting Strength Q&A Thread
Coach Mark Rippetoe Q&A Forum
The Crossfit Message Board Fitness Forum

You'll find good info and you can ask questions relating to Starting Strength in all of these forums.

The First Workout

In order for sustained linear progress to occur, care must be taken in determining the proper starting weights for each of the lifts. The process of determining starting weight takes place during the first two workouts and it is from there that progress begins. It is helpful for the trainee to be familiar with proper form prior to the first workout, especially if lifting without the aid of a coach, so careful reading and some light practice (such as with a broomstick or pvc pipe) would be helpful. The example routine is The Original Starting Strength Novice Routine described in this document.

The First Workout
During the very first workout a general warm-up performed walking on a treadmill is all that is necessary. The first set of squats begins at 45 lbs (an empty barbell) and a set of five is performed. If this is completed easily with the trainee's best form, ten pounds are added to the bar for the next set. If bar speed does not slow and form does not break down, ten more pounds are added to the bar and another set is performed. This process continues until either form begins to falter or the bar speed slows more than the preceding sets, whichever comes first. This is the trainee's starting weight. Once this occurs the trainee rests and performs two more sets at this weight, for a total of three sets of five reps (3x5) at the starting weight. For the squat, a typical starting weight is in the neighborhood of 85 lbs.

The bench press is the next lift to be performed and the process of adding weight until form breaks down or bar speed slows is repeated. Again, once this weight has been found two additional sets are performed for three sets at the starting weight.

Starting weight for the deadlift is similar but because it is done for one set, once the starting weight is determined no further deadlift sets are performed. Also, the deadlift must start from a standardized height. If bumper plates are not available to the trainee and a deadlift of 135 lbs is too heavy, other plates may be stacked under the bar to elevate it to the proper height. After the deadlift weight is established the first workout is done and the trainee takes the next day for rest and recovery.

The Second Workout
The second workout marks the first step of linear progression. A general warm-up is done and then the trainee will warm up independently for the squat. After the warm-up the work sets are then done. Because the squat weight was established during the previous workout, 10 lbs are added to the previous day's working weight, so a trainee who squatted 85 lbs is now squatting 95 lbs.

The press weight is established next, beginning again with an empty bar and continuing until form becomes problematic or bar speed slows, and two more sets are done at that weight.

The power clean weight is determined last. Because it is crucial to learn the lifts properly in the beginning, the power clean should be undertaken only after the initial pull of the deadlift can be executed reasonably well. If the trainee can perform the first portion of the deadlift properly -- moving the bar from the ground to the middle of the thigh -- he should establish his power clean form at the end of the second day. This is done, again, by beginning with an empty bar and performing sets until the weight alters form. The power clean is usually done for five sets of three reps, but it might be helpful for the trainee to begin with three sets of five reps (as with the squat, bench press, and press) to get uninterrupted practice while the weight is low. After two or three sessions of power cleans the 5x3 scheme should be employed. Don't be concerned if you don't progress beyond an empty barbell for the first few workouts while technique is still being articulated. It is much safer to express incorrect technique with 45 lbs., rather than incorrect form with 55 or 65 or 75 lbs. Likewise it is much easier to correct technique with 45 lbs. than it is with a heavier weight.

The Chin-Up/Pull-Up (If doing The Onus Wunsler or Practical Programming Novice Program), in terms of establishing starting points is both the easiest and the hardest because many novices cannot perform them at all. The easy approach for someone who can do them is to perform them to failure for three sets. For someone who cannot do any, a combination of kipping chin-ups, jumping chin-ups, or negatives (where one lowers himself slowly but does not pull himself back up) can be utilized until full chin-ups can be performed. For a simple exercise, however, a novice lifter must be wary of a fact of progression: if you are gaining weight but your chin-up numbers are staying the same, you are becoming stronger. Aside from a mandate that progression must occur, there are very few hard and fast rules for chin-ups and the trainee is encouraged to actively experiment to find what works.

A Word of Caution
Progression begins from these starting weights. One fact everyone determining his starting weight should keep in mind is that it is a rare trainee who starts out too low. Most trainees begin with weights that are too heavy for them, overwhelming their body with a level of stress that is too high to be sustained with adaptation. Starting too high causes a trainee to be unable to sustain linear progress -- he stalls and must reduce the weight on his lifts and try again far more quickly than if he had begun with a lighter weight. On the other hand starting too low has almost no negative consequence. This is due to the rapid progression typical of a novice lifter; a squat weight that is 30 lbs too low means the lifter is behind only by a week. A squat weight that is 30 lbs too high would cause an almost immediate stall, probably after several workouts wasted determining if a stall was occurring. An 85 lbs starting weight for the squat is a reasonable number -- if you are too far from this as a novice you are likely overshooting your proper starting weight. A humble starting weight followed by modest increases in working weight each session is the fastest route to strength gains. Starting too high or being greedy with weight increases both cause premature stalls and slow down progress.

Progressing Beyond the First Workouts
Find out HERE how much you add to the bar after the first two workouts.

Additional Starting Strength Questions

The Lifts

Should I arch my back when doing squats, deadlifts, and power cleans? Or should I keep my back flat?

Normal spinal curvature of the lumbar spine IS an arch. It's a natural arch, it's the lumbar curvature, and it is arched, rather than "flat". A "flat back", if taken literally, is a back position which requires you to actually attempt to round your spine. "Flat back" is and always has been a misrepresentation of the normal positioning of the lumbar spinal area. When a strength coach says "keep your back flat", he really means "keep your back in its normal, naturally arched position"

So, to make it short and sweet, "normal spinal extension" equals "flat" equals "normal arch".

You use your abdominal muscles and your lumbar spinal muscles to maintain your natural arch. Although advanced and elite-level strength athletes do exercises with a rounded back for a specific purpose, there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER for a beginner to round his back on ANY exercise, aside from abdominal exercises.

How should I breathe during each of the exercises?

For all of the lifts, you'll be performing what is called The Valsalva Maneuver. Basically it means filling up your lungs with air and holding your breath. Rip's favorite analogy for this is, imagine your car runs out of gas on the freeway. You get out, put the car in neutral and get ready to push. Before this first big push you'd naturally take a deep breathe of air and PUUUSSHH while keeping that air locked deep in your lungs. Can you imagine this same scenario while breathing "normally?" Using the valsalva maneuver will increase stability throughout your body aka "give you a tight core".

Here's are the basic rules of thumb:

Squats: breathe at the top, hold breath while doing the rep and then breathe between every rep.

Bench: breathe at full extension, hold breath while doing as many repetitions as is comfortable, and breathe when you need to when the bar is at full extension.

Deadlifts: breathe before pulling the weight, hold breath while doing the rep and then breathe between reps.

Press: Presses are a little more individual. For the first rep, breathe at the bottom and then extend the weight overhead, hold breath while doing as many repetitions as is comfortable, and breathe when you need to, either when the bar is locked out at full overhead extension or while racked on the shoulders. Experiment with which position suits you best.

Power Cleans: same as deadlift.

Is it better to use heavy weights and "lose" form or lighter weights and proper form?

If you cannot do the exercise properly, then you are using too much weight, period. Cheating is a technique that you might see some professional bodybuilders use, and even some advanced trainees as well. However, cheating is a technique that, oddly enough, requires quite a bit of knowledge to properly apply.

Until you can answer this question for yourself in a logical fashion, you should avoid cheating. There is a time and a place for a bit of "body english" in your exercise execution, but you need to find this answer out for yourself through experience. As long as you need to ask this question, then the answer is always "use the lighter weight"

I squat way more than I deadlift, what gives?

During the first few workouts this is a possibility, but you'll be adding 45-60 lbs to your Deadlift every 2 weeks (and only 30 lbs to your squat) so this imbalance will quickly be corrected. Eventually you'll only be adding 5-10 pounds to your deadlift per workout and at that point squat and deadlift will be adequately proportioned.

But if after 4 weeks this isn't the case, then 99% of the time, the answer to this lies in one of the following:

1) You aren't squatting deep enough
2) You aren't squatting deep enough
3) You aren't squatting deep enough
4) You aren't squatting deep enough
5) You aren't squatting deep enough

That's right, the problem might not be that you're deadlifting too little, but rather that you are squatting too much. If however you think you are squatting deep enough, then chances are good that one of the following solves the mystery:

6) You aren't squatting deep enough, no matter what you say (post Videos?)
7) You need chalk
8) You hate deadlifting because you're a pussy
9) You hate deadlifting for some other reason, but you're probably a pussy
10) Your grip sucks

Yes, I'm being funny. However, it is biomechanically impossible for an injury-free individual of balanced development to squat more than they deadlift without excessive lifting equipment assistance.

PERIOD.

If you really do squat more than you deadlift, and you honestly have trained both with equal intensity and effort, then I'd drop an entire paycheck that you simply haven't evaluated yourself honestly.

If you have posted a video of your squats, you own chalk, your grip is strong, and you like deadlifting, but you still squat more than you deadlift, it is probably one of the following:

11) You have very small hands
12) You have insanely stumpy arms
13) You are a very short, stocky woman. Short = small hands, stocky = short fingers. (Not joking)

Not any of the above?

Assuming your technique on both lifts is fine (this is rarely the case, it's almost always due to poor squat depth), examine what your weakpoints are in the deadlift, and you can make adjustments from there.

If you are weak immediately off the floor, you might notice that after a few reps of a lighter weight, your hands start sliding around. If this is true, then you need to use a mixed grip (one overhand - pronated, one underhand - supinated), and get yourself some chalk. Your body will not pull from the ground what your hands cannot grip securely. Your body will sense the "weak" grip, and your hips and legs simply will not fire optimally, and the bar will sit there on the ground.

For a good demonstration of this, find a weight that is about 5 lbs more than your max deadlift with a double-overhand, chalkless grip. Chalk up, use a mixed grip, and notice how easily you rip it from the ground.

If you notice your lower back rounds frequently, then you need to lower the weight a bit, using a weight that does NOT cause your lower back to round, and get some training volume in so that your lower back gets stronger and becomes conditioned.

The lower back MUST stay contracted solidly, so that your upper body can remain stiff and rigid, thereby transferring power from the hips to the bar. Power has to go through the body, and if the body simply isn't rigid, then power transfer will not occur, and the lift will fail. Your knees will end up locking out, and your hips will fail miserably at trying to lift the weight via your flimsy upper body.

Oh yeah, you can also cripple yourself by destroying your spinal discs.

For more information, get Starting Strength and read up on the deadlift and squat chapters. There are 84 pages dedicated to the performance and execution of these 2 lifts alone, so I won't attempt to reproduce it here. Don't be a cheap bastard, go buy the book (Buy on Amazon).

I bench more than I squat or deadlift. Is this okay, or is this weird?

Yes, it is weird, but it is not all that uncommon. The bench and curl jockey mentality that pervades the typical youth culture certainly lends itself to greater development of that associated musculature despite the inherent relative weakness of the pectoral girdle and elbow flexors/extensors when compared to the hips and legs. I mean, when people say "make a muscle", they don't mean "flex your hamstrings".

Evenly developed people have a stronger deadlift than squat, and their deadlift and squat is much higher than their bench press. If you can bench more in skivvies and a t-shirt than you can deadlift or squat, then you have some serious muscular imbalances. This program will help you correct your weirdness.

How fast should I move the bar up and down? Should I pause the weights during the motion?

Repetition speed gets a lot of talk, especially from the "Super-slow" HIT crowd. Repetition speed is not something to obsess over. Don't believe the hype about "TUT" (time under tension). It is one of several factors that influence muscular growth and development. The Superslow crowd believes that it is the "be-all/end-all" of training, and will use weights that a 9-year old girl could use, so that they can spend 10 seconds in a slow-motion contraction.

If you want to be weak and slow, then by all means, have at their training methods. However, if you want to be strong, powerful, and quick, then you will be better served by a program that encourages this type of development. Training is both general and specific, and if you specifically train in a slow motion method, you will get very good at being very slow.

Now, specifically onward and forward to the exercises.

The eccentric (or lowering) portion of the squats, presses and pull-ups (Deadlifts and cleans will be discussed separately) should be "controlled". Not excessively slow, but under control. It should not look like you are dropping the bar (or from the bar), but you shouldn't spend all day lowering the weight.

The concentric (or raising/lifting) portion of the exercise should be controlled, but fast. Attempt to accelerate the bar during your heavy sets. Doing so can improve force production/generation and can result in greater/faster/better strength gains. Note that it is a CONTROLLED ACCELERATION.

Acceleration ≠ Heaving Acceleration ≠ Swinging Acceleration ≠ Bouncing

(≠ is the same as "does not equal")

When you perform a heavy set of the bench press, you lower the bar under control (don't count the seconds, just lower it under control), touch the shirt but not the chest (picture being told this, then picture how you would respond if given this type of instruction) pause briefly (further discussed here), and then press hard to full lockout. No bouncing off the chest, no heaving of the butt into the air, no kicking of the feet, etc. Make your muscles do the exercise.

The name of the game is control. The squat is somewhat unique as far as the eccentric portion because you can use a certain technique to activate a VERY strong contraction of the hamstrings, allowing you to use significantly more weight in a manner that is safer and provides better muscular and strength development. If you want to find out what I'm talking about, then buy the book (Buy on Amazon)

Deadlifts are unique because they start with the concentric (raising) portion of the lift, and the eccentric portion is generally best left as a separate element. Although there are a variety of deadlifting techniques "on the market", the basic deadlifting technique described in the book requires a powerful raising of the bar, then a semi-controlled (although usually much faster) lowering of the bar.

As long as a modicum of control is exercised, (the deadlift weight) can be dropped as fast as the trainee is capable of doing safely, with the back in good position according to our previous analysis
– Mark Rippetoe

Better to use bumper plates for this if possible. If not, you may need to use rubber mats to pad the fall of the weight. Do not provide an excessive amount of resistance to the bar on the way down (it can be used, but that discussion is best left for another place with a different set of goals).

As for the power clean, it is a different movement entirely, and is an animal unto itself. You start the exercise with a basic deadlift, but once the bar clears the knees, you attempt to heave the bar into space as you try to jump to the moon (slight hyperbole here). This is a "fast exercise". There is a certain level of control, but make no mistake, you are trying to move the bar as fast as you possibly can. You can AND MUST accelerate the bar during the concentric phase to the point where you are basically throwing it.

As for the lowering of the bar, if you watch Olympic lifters who are doing cleans, they simply allow the bar to drop out of their hands from the rack on their chests and the bar bounces around once it hits the platform. They don't even try to control the bar on the way down, they let go of it. Doing power cleans, obviously, pretty much requires bumper plates and an Olympic-friendly gym. It can however be lowered to the thighs and further lowered to the floor.

The same ideas go for any accessory exercises. Control both the positive and negative portions of the exercises without bouncing, swinging or heaving.

The Program

I heard there were Rows in this program. Where are they?

Here is how Mark Rippetoe feels about replacing cleans with rows in a nutshell:

My opinion about barbell rows is as follows: fuck barbell rows. Really. Fuck them. Stop wasting time worrying about barbell rows and get your deadlift up to 500. By then you'll have your own opinion and you won't have to worry about mine.

Powercleans are taught before rows and pull-ups are taught before rows and Rip has demonstrated as much in the gym. Rippetoe doesn't even teach rows to novices. The rows were a change made by kethnaab because the original workout in SS had power cleans and he felt that power cleans were too difficult to be learned without a coach.

But with some of the new resources available (documentation, instructional videos and interactive video critiques), the power clean is definitely within reach of the novice trainee.

But even if for some reason the power cleans cannot be done, rows are harder to learn than chin ups. For a novice, the easier exercise is preferred. Also, chin ups are way more of an arm exercise than rows and everyone wants bigger arms. Believe it or not, shoulder width chin ups with a supine (palms facing you) grip work both biceps and triceps. But, the power clean is, without question, the preferred alternative for complete novice and pull-ups/chin-ups are the next best choice and both can be done in the same program.

So ideally, do the Power cleans, or both power cleans and chins, but if for some reason you can't (won't) do power cleans, the Practical Programming Novice Program leaves them out completely.

You can find Kethnaabs Adjusted Novice Program here

So how do I get some direct arm work without rows, dips and curls?

Bench Press and Press are gonna hit your triceps hard. No additional tricep conditioning is needed. You might be surprised to learn that they will hit your biceps as well. In those exercises your biceps perform as dynamic stabilizers, Add that, plus all the additional growth happing throughout your body, and your biceps are CERTAIN to grow too. But if you want some direct bicep work on top of that, do pull-ups, they are included in both The Onus Wunsler and The Practical Programming novice programs. But even if you do The Original Program, besides the incidental bicep growth, you will eventually be doing pull-ups anyways once you finally move onto The Advanced Novice Program. Don't sweat it though, I've never seen anyone who had massive legs, chest, back, and shoulders, but had puny arms. Or anyone with massive triceps but non-existent biceps. I doubt you will be the first.

Are you going to stop me if I start doing curls at the end of the workout?

I'm of the opinion that if people really want to do curls and push-downs, they will... but I'm also of the opinion that they merit no discussion because they aren't part of the program. I take this same approach towards crack smoking.

Your task on this program is to do your lifts three days/week in good form, to keep adding weight every workout, and to rest on your rest days and eat and sleep and all that good shit... as long as you can maintain that, who gives a shit what you do. But dips, rows, curls, tricep extensions, and crack are not part of the program and you know that. So why would you look for justification here?

Can't I do 8 reps per set?

The general idea that 1-5 reps builds power and strength, and 6-12 reps build muscular mass is a pretty widely held notion. Arguably, this statement is correct in many cases. However, we must once again consider our target audience. The untrained novice will be able to maintain better technique and more even and consistent force production with fewer reps in the same set because fatigue will become less of a factor (as will the lack of the almighty Jane Fonda burn!) Strength is built with 5 reps, and for a novice barbell trainee, strength is all that matters for his development because it leads rapidly to mass accumulation (assuming diet is in order).

Granted, the newcomer wants 'the big biceps' and wants to get a pump like Arnold and wants a rippling 6-pack, and he wants to do all this while doing easy exercises and eating chocolate cake. Unfortunately that is not possible, and in order for a novice to build his musculature he MUST develop a base of strength before moving on to "specific hypertrophy work". The heavier weights that 5 reps per set allows means that the trainee will be able to more effectively load his skeletomuscular system. Since a newb really doesn't lift with anywhere near what his true strength and recovery would allow due to lack of motor skill and conditioning, the lower reps and heavier weight will do far more for him than "the pump" ever could.

Will this program work if you use 4 reps instead of 5? yeah, probably. What about 6 reps per set instead of 5? Again, yeah probably.

"Everything works, but some things work better than others."

It is Mark Rippetoe's opinion, and the opinion of countless knowledgeable and successful strength coaches, that somewhat lower reps (4-6) and the resultant base of strength that is developed will do more for a novice than higher reps and the "pump effect".

In other words, 8 reps will probably work just fine, but in the long run, you won't progress as fast as you would if you worked the program as it is written, with sets of 5 repetitions.

Since Mark Rippetoe probably doesn't own stock in "5 repetitions", and doesn't stand to benefit financially from promoting 5 reps instead of 8, it would be wise to accept the experience of someone who has been training for over 3 decades, and has been coaching youths for nearly as long. 5 reps per set isn't magic, nor is it voodoo. It is, however, effective, especially for novice trainees and as such is the recommended rep scheme for the majority of exercises.

If you want to look like a bodybuilder, that's fine with me. That is a matter for you to discuss with your God and your psychologist. But even a bodybuilder is a novice strength trainee until he's an intermediate. The fastest way to gain muscular bodyweight -- the supposed goal of a bodybuilder -- is with a linear progression on the basic barbell exercises. And 5s are the way this progression works best.
– Mark Rippetoe

Don't I need to hit the muscle from every angle?

Why, when you are an infant/toddler, do Mom and Dad teach you how to walk? Why don't they teach you how to do a backflip first? Why not teach you how to tiptoe through the tulips, or do the watusi? Why doesn't Dad teach you how to breakdance?

We'll assume, for a moment, that Mom and Dad actually know how to teach you to do those things. Why don't they teach you? Don't advanced gymnasts know how to do backflips, can't dancers do the watusi? Why don't they teach you to do those crazy moves that the breakdancer does? Why are they intent on making you take a step first before you start jigging and jiving?

The question seems stupid, doesn't it? Obviously you learn to walk before you can run, and certainly before you backflip or dance.

Yet new trainees want to trick before they can even stand up properly. 12 variations of curls, at least 5 bench presses involving dumbbells, various angles, and even machines, lord knows how many lat exercises with cables...all of these things end up in the novice's training program, each steps on the toes of the other, and the overwhelming complexity of it all frequently renders progress to zero when it should be flourishing.

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

A novice is, by definition, STILL LEARNING. Once you've learned the basics, then you can progress to the more complex. Until you have learned the basics, progress will be minimal and attempts at such will be borderline worthless.

How will you learn better...by trying to master 20 different new things of varying complexities, and practicing them maybe once per week? Or learning 5 new things of basic complexity, and doing them several times per week? Would a person learning to play the piano learn a super complex song, and practice it once weekly, or would they learn a few notes, and practice them as often as they can? Would a person learning a foreign language try to understand the technical knowledge behind dangling participles and present perfect tenses, or would they learn how to construct simple sentences using a few basic words?

Answer these questions, and you will be able to answer the question which spawned this post.

Why should I stay on the base program as long as possible? Won't I grow better on an advanced routine?

Imagine if Wolverine was an avid weight trainee on steroids and consumed 10,000 clean calories per day. He would recover insanely fast, he would have nearly limitless energy, and he would lift weights daily and recover daily, and get stronger daily. That is the ideal (a.k.a. "the dreamworld").

Ideally, you will make "linear progress" on every single weightlifting exercise for your entire weight training career. In other words, you could lift weights everyday, and EVERY time you went into the gym to lift weights, you would be able to use more weight than you did last time, because you would be fully recovered, just like Wolverine on juice. With every single workout, you make consistent progress in strength and size....that is linear progress. Ideally, you would lift weights every single day, the same exercises every single day, and you would be able to make linear progress on these exercises without ending up broken, battered and overtrained. In other words, you be like Wolverine on steroids and a clean 10k calorie diet.

This is the ideal, but it is not something that any human being can maintain for any period of time. The body simply cannot recover that rapidly. On page 189 of Starting Strength, there is a very simple, but very telling graph that demonstrates the "rate of improvement" and "need for complexity" in training graphed in comparison to each other. Initially, the "need for (training) complexity" is very low as the "rate of improvement" is very high. As you near your "genetic potential", the "need for complexity" increases, as your "rate of improvement" slows. It makes sense. The bigger and stronger you get, and the more experienced you are with weight training, the more challenging and complex your training needs to be. But when you just start out, you don't need a whole lot of fancy stuff, just the basics.

So what does all that mean? It means that this program is ideal for someone who is still in a rapid improvement state. As you get bigger and stronger, you will eventually "outgrow" this program. How long do you use it?

You use it until it stops working. I describe this in detail in Section III. The program is, in Rippetoe's own words, "the () novice workout" (Figure 4, page 193, Starting Strength). As long as you are adding weight to the bar in your exercises, stick with the program.

...if progress is being made on these exercises, your trainee is getting stronger and your objective is being accomplished.
– Mark Rippetoe

Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Your goal now is to milk this program for all its worth.

The ice skater who is stepping on the ice for the first time doesn't need to be taught how to do twirls and flips and jumps and spins, they simply need to learn how to not fall on their tookus. Nothing fancy, just the basics. As long as their skating gets better each time they step on the ice, why introduce fancy stuff? Once they are obviously ready to move on, introduce advanced ideas to their training.

The iron is no different. If you add weight to the bar, and the bar goes up in the proper path, then you keep doing it because it works.

You can use this program for as long as you are adding weight to the bar, simple as that. Nothing will get you stronger, faster, than linear progress on a simple, high frequency program like this, without some form of chemical assistance.

Special Needs

My doctor says that it'll stunt my growth. Is this true?

No. This myth arises from a few poorly conceived, poorly conducted studies which demonstrated that some young weight trainees suffered from fractures "related" to weight training. What they neglected to mention is that almost all cases were the results of unsupervised, excessive loading and poor technique.

Essentially, these studies demonstrated that using too much weight and poor technique can cause injuries in adolescents... just like it does in adults.

As long as the training is supervised by a competent (and preferably knowledgeable and sensible) adult, incidences of injury are very infrequent when compared to other youth sports, such as football, soccer, basketball, and track and field.

Should I use a weightlifting belt, knee wraps, or gripping straps?

The purpose of a weightlifting belt is to provide more efficient stabilization of the torso and lower spine while doing exercises such as the squat, deadlift, clean and row. As you progress in your training to more intense poundages, a belt will eventually become a potentially useful tool. For beginners, squatting and deadlifting without a belt, assuming you are using proper technique, is beneficial because it forces your torso and core stabilizing muscles of the midsection and lower back to get stronger.

HOWEVER...since most people don't have a knowledgeable coach to observe them, I feel very uncomfortable recommending that people skip the belt, so I will take the easy way out.

If you have someone watching/coaching you who knows how to perform the exercises properly, then skip the belt, and tell him to be very watchful of your technique, and have them watch for anything, such as lower back rounding or hips tucking "under" that will be indicators of a potential injury.
If you do not have a coach, then do your warmups without a belt, and make sure you do at least your last 2 work sets WITH a belt. You may very well be able to get away with skipping belt use during the first set of your working sets.
IDEALLY, a novice will not use a belt at all until they are moving much heavier poundages. However, I don't want a lawsuit because some knucklehead tried to perform a rounded-back good morning with 100 pounds too much, and tells the orthopedic surgeon "but kethnaab said I should squat without a belt", so I'll say now, to avoid lawsuit, that not only should you use a belt during ALL squats, you'll use a belt during every single exercise you do, and in fact, you shouldn't do any exercise at all because you might drop the bar onto your neck or something...and that would be bad [/personal responsibility]

But seriously, do as much work as you can without a belt, but do NOT push it if you don't have a competent coach. When in doubt, wear a belt. If you decide to use a belt, get a powerlifting belt Notice the belt is the same height throughout the entire length, and only "tapers" inward near the buckle? That is the key. Don't get one of these kind of belts, with the wide back and super-narrow midsection.

As for knee wraps, they are completely unnecessary for now. If you are an older type and you need some support at the knee joint, I recommend you pick up some neoprene "sleeves", such as these. They should be loose enough so that you can comfortably keep them on throughout your entire workout. They should provide a minimal amount of spring while keeping your knees warm and they should also help your knee track properly. Excessively tight sleeves and/or wraps that are wrapped wrong are going to be worse for your knees than nothing at all.

Grip straps are a no-no also. You'll want to develop some grip strength now because if you don't develop it now, you stand to develop a serious strength deficit. Nothing wrong with a more advanced lifter using them at the proper opportunity, but a newb has no need for straps.

I'm sore after my first workout, should I skip the next workout?

No, assuming the soreness is basic muscle soreness. If the soreness was felt during or immediately after the training session, then seek medical advice because you might have an injury. If, however, the soreness didn't seem to be problematic until several (i.e. at least 8-12) hours after the training session, then it is probably Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A good (and common) indicator is that you feel fine when you go to bed, and wake up the next morning with a serious tightness in the muscle that hurts (yet feels good) as you stretch.

DOMS is very common, especially upon the initial undertaking of a training program. Since the volume on the Starting Strength program is quite reasonable, it is almost guaranteed that the soreness isn't actual serious damage. Just continue to work through it for the first several workouts. Chances are good that after the first weekend of rest, you will be fine. In fact, training through the moderate soreness you should feel after the first few workouts will help condition you so that DOMS isn't such a problem after future workouts. The soreness is merely your body's way of saying "you were a Nintendo-playing couch potato for too long."

Interestingly enough, skipping workouts due to DOMS is a GREAT way to guarantee you will continue to get sore after your training.

Train through the basic DOMS. If you have acute, severe DOMS which interferes with basic ROM, then that is a case-by-case basis that needs direct, rather than indirect (via the internet) attention and advisement.

I'm NOT sore after my workout. What did I do wrong?

Relax! You did nothing wrong. "Soreness" is not an indicator of which muscles you've “hit” and "soreness" is not an indicator of progress. Progress is measured by weight on the bar and weight on the scale. If you're still adding 5-10 pounds every workout, why should it matter if you're sore or not? In fact after a few weeks on the program you will rarely if ever get sore. Near the end of your run on the program you still won't be getting "sore" much but expect to get extremely fatigued. Food and rest will become especially important at that time.

When I'm done, I don't feel tired and I don't have a pump. Is something wrong?

Not at all. This routine is not about "getting the pump". It is about adding weight to benchmark exercises so that you get stronger. The pump is not a part of this program. Strength and muscular development is. Although Arnold thinks the pump is as good as cumming, many of us beg to differ. The pump has SOME type of correlation/relationship to growth...maybe...or maybe not. It certainly isn't a necessity, and it certainly isn't worthless, but it is far from being important enough to worry about.

In many a typical "bodybuilding" workout, especially a bodybuilding workout that is augmented with anabolics, the pump can be a pretty interesting experience. Although it CAN be indicative of potential muscle growth, it is not, in any way, shape or form, DIRECTLY tied to muscle growth.

In other words, muscle growth and "the pump" are not directly related. You can have one without the other. You can build tremendously large, thick muscles without getting much of a pump.

You'll notice that some of the leaner powerlifters and strongmen out there are incredibly well-developed and powerful. I'm willing to bet they don't conduct their training with "the pump" as a goal. It might be a side effect, depending upon the phase of training and the specific exercise, but it certainly isn't their target.

You want a pump? Grab a Campbell's soup can (I like Chunky Steak'n'Potatoes, myself) and start curling it. Curl it for 10 minutes. Bet your biceps feel tired! Bet you have a helluva pump! Bet you didn't do a damn thing to make your biceps bigger or stronger!

Get it? Pump ≠ Growth

Bottom line - don't worry about the lack of the pump. If you really need to get a pump because it is just like cumming, find a pretty lady who is willing and able, or get some vaseline and spend some quality personal time with yourself.

I don't get a burn in my muscles, just an ache. Am I doing something wrong? Shouldn't I feel a burn?

This program is not a "burn in the muscles" type of program. Jane Fonda wanted to feel the burn when she did her aerobic tapes. If you take a 12-oz can of Chunky Soup (The soup that eats like a meal), and curl it for 20 minutes straight, you will feel a burn. If you flap your arms like a dodo bird trying to fly, you will feel a burn. None of those things will provide any type of growth.

Although "feeling the burn" in a variety of exercises can be beneficial, it is unnecessary at this stage of training, and as such, is not going to be a result of this type of training. No, you aren't missing out on anything, other than a burn. If you want to feel a burn, light yourself on fire.

How much sleep should I be getting?

8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep is one of the best supplements in your toolbox and it's by far the cheapest.

Should I do a "deload"/"active rest"/"cruise" period after 6 weeks on this program?

No. Stay with this program for as long as it works. Once your lifts all stall, you will reset your lifts and continue on again until you have to reset once again.

Reset no more than 2x before you begin to make adjustments to your training, discussed extensively in The Stalling and Resetting Section

If you truly feel overtrained and in desperate need of additional recovery, you can try a deload period as it is expressed Here.

How do I know if I am overtraining? When should I deload?

Overtraining is one of the most misunderstood phenomena in all of weight training. Overtraining is a SYSTEMIC event, not a local one. You won't overtrain if you do biceps every day. You will overtrain if, over a period of weeks, you train so hard for so long that your body gets overcome by fatigue and you are unable to recover from your training.

Symptoms of overtraining vary widely from person to person. Severe appetite and energy drops are probably the most common. Aches, fatigue, restless sleep, muscles that always feel fatigued, odd body temperature (odd compared to what you are normally), etc.

For me, I know it's time to deload when I don't want to eat. For you, it might be different.

Remember, it takes SEVERAL WEEKS or MONTHS of hard training before overtraining can possibly occur, and for a beginner, the chances of overtraining on this program are almost zero. You simply will not be lifting enough weight to truly tax your system. You will end up resetting a few times and cycling off of this program before you will overtrain from it.

Read More on Overtraining in the Injury Section

Isn't squatting 3x per week going to be overtraining my legs?

No. As a newb, you won't have any problem with this because you are primarily limited by poor technique and lack of efficient motor function. This means that you will be using far less weight than you have the strength to handle.

Additionally, your conditioning is such that you won't be able to stress yourself enough in one session to preclude you actually recovering in time.

I did Starting Strength and it didn't work. What the hell?

This article is a stub. You can help Starting Strength Wiki by expanding it.

It could be a few things.

You modified the original program and weren't really doing Starting Strength.
You started your weights too high.
You increased your weight too fast.
You weren't eating enough.
You weren't sleeping enough.
You're a pussy and suck at lifting (not enough commitment and effort.)
You are already too advanced for Starting Strength. (If this really is true check out Practical Programming)

Can I take a week off without losing all my strength?

Generally, it is HIGHLY DISCOURAGED for beginners to take a day off of scheduled training, let alone a full week. The initial months of training are where you lay the foundation for strength development and conditioning. Usually there won't be a real reason to avoid training, the reasons end up being personal in nature. If you are dedicated to progress and you really want to get bigger and stronger, then don't blow off even 1 single workout, let alone an entire week. If you are making consistent (even if it is slow) progress in your training poundages while maintaining proper form/technique, do everything you can to NOT miss a workout.

Eventually you will get sore or tired, or progress will stop coming along, or your family will be coming up on a vacation or some such. If this is your situation and you know you won't be able to train for that week, then see the sections on "deloading" and overtraining for further information.

I can't train 3 nonconsecutive days...

NOTE - the following is NOT addressed by Rippetoe in the book. As such, take it as the advice of me, Kethnaab. It is NOT the advice of Mark Rippetoe.

With that in mind....

If you cannot train on 3 nonconsecutive days in a week, then you have a bit of a problem. There are tons of options available to you, I will list briefly a few of them here. Go to the section that deals with "variations to the program" for more info.

If you can only train 2 days/week or 2 of your workouts must be back-to-back, you can do the basic Starting Strength Workouts A & B on 2 non-consecutive days and then do a bodyweight-only workout on another day. For example:

Monday - Workout A
Squats - 3x5
Benches - 3x5
Deadlifts - 1x5

Thursday - Workout B
Squats - 3x5
Standing Presses - 3x5
Cleans - 5x3

Friday - Bodyweight Workout
Chinups - 3x10
Dips - 3x10
Hyperextensions - 3x10
Abs - 3x5

You could also look into other alternatives, such as a push/pull or upper/lower type setup which is quite easy to fit into a M/T/Th/F schedule.

If you can only train 3 consecutive days, i.e. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and you can't train from Thursday through Sunday, then I'll call BS. You're making excuses. Quit being lazy and figure out a way to get to the gym on those other days.

Should I work out in the morning, in the afternoon or the evening?

Mark Rippetoe:

I'll go out on a limb here and say that training first thing in the morning is for crazy people. And my CNS takes more than just time to wake it up. But depending on your reason for training, it might behoove you to slap it around a little, especially if job requirements dictate that you are not always able to control the time when you have to use the aforementioned sleepy CNS. Combat personnel, firefighters, LEO, etc., often do not have the luxury of choosing when to exert, and are best prepared for this contingency by doing an occasional workout very early.

This is going to vary from person to person. There is a bit of evidence that suggests weight training is ideal 3 and 11 hours upon waking for optimal test levels and testonerone peaking, especially for adults in their 30s or older, but I would worry less about this and more about what works better for you. Some people train best on a stomach without much food, others train best with several meals in their bellies. You need to find out what works in with your time schedule and your meal planning best.

Best Time to Train What is the best time to train? First and foremost, when you can! However, research on circadian rhythms (your body's internal clock) indicate that the summation of several important (anabolic) hormones peak at 3 and 11 hours upon awakening. What does that mean in plain english? Well, according to science, if you wake up at 6:00 am, you are at your strongest at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. And, according to Olympic Strength Coach Charles Poliquin*, your joints (specifically, the synovial fluid that lubricates your joints) require about 3 hours to reach an optimal level of warmth which will help improve performance while decreasing the likelihood of injury. Also, some people require a meal before training (remember to allow at least 1 hour for digestion) to maintain adequate energy levels throughout their workout particularly in the morning; others don't. However, there is a difference between ideal conditions and reality! Reality dictates that we train when we can regardless of what time it is. The important part is to get your workout in. Today's lifestyle is quite busy and hectic. Many people have a tendency to jeopardize their workouts later in the day because other priorities get in the way. For these individuals, I suggest working out first thing in the morning and getting it out of the way. Actually, some authorities believe that training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach will facilitate weight loss.

Can I still do this program without a squat rack?

No. Ya know what they call a 300 lb weightlifting set when you have no bench and no rack? 300 pounds of nothing. (Unless you're an Olympic lifter, that is.)

Start mowing lawns and save up your money. Do the dishes. Get a paper route. Come wash my car. Whatever. But if you're serious about gaining muscular bodyweight, then get some real equipment. Uncle Joe's 110-lb plastic poptarts won't make you big and strong. Iron will.

Check out the Equipment section for some new gear.

My gym has a Smith Machine. Can I use that?

No, no, no, no, no. NO!

Smith Machines are the devil.

For one thing they completely remove the stabilization aspect of the squat. But go ahead, get up to 300 on a smith machine and then try it with a barbell and see how long you can keep from falling on your ass.

For another thing it restricts the natural range of motion. See each of us has our own biomechanics (the mechanisms that distinctly tie our individual bones and muscles together) and hence we have an individual movement pattern (range of motion) when doing the squat, or anything else for that matter. For example a guy with a long torso and stocky legs will not squat remotely close to how guy with a short torso and long legs does. The smith machine has only one range of motion for either of these individuals because the bar runs on rails in a fixed path (straight up and down or a slight diagonal). Every individual must conform to no matter their distinct movement pattern. This can be devastating to your skeletal system over time. Just like having your feet bound or slumping severely in your chair, as time passes the smith machine will turn you into a sideshow freak. And children will weep when they look upon you and mothers will shield their eyes from your abnormal freakishness. Your story will become a cautionary tale for newb weightlifter for years to come... "Don't use the smith machine or you'll end up just like John Spinalcase." Turn back now, it's not too late.

"Squatting" in a Smith machine is a oxymoron. A squat cannot be performed on a Smith machine, as should be obvious from all previous discussion. Sorry. There is a gigantic difference between a machine that makes the bar path vertical, and a squat that is excecuted correctly enough to have a vertical bar path. Muscle and skeleton should do the job of keeping the bar path vertical, not grease fittings and floor bolts.
– Mark Rippetoe

Can I use a standard barbell and plates?

This article is a stub. You can help Starting Strength Wiki by expanding it.

No. The plates need to spin. (More to come)

If you are doing the Practical Programming Novice Program, then the plates do not need to spin since you will not be performing Power Cleans.

What equipment is important for training? What is important for a home gym setup?

Goto the Equipment Section

I think I may have injured myself. How can I treat it?

Goto the Injury Section

What if my question isn't answered here?

Check to see if your question is answered in the Basic Starting Strength Questions Section

If you have a question that isn't specifically answered here, you can ask in any one of the following places:

Rippetoe/Starting Strength Q&A Thread

Coach Mark Rippetoe Q&A Forum

The Crossfit Message Board Fitness Forum

You'll find good info and you can ask questions relating to Starting Strength in all of these forums.

General Weight Training Questions

PR, RM, ROM, what do all these acronyms mean?

BB – Barbell, Bodybuilder

BF -- Bodyfat

BP –- Bench Press

CF -- Crossfit

CGBP -- Close Grip Bench Press

DB -- Dumbbell

DE -- Dynamic Effort

DL -- Deadlift

DOMS -- Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness, the phenomena of muscle soreness from sport or exercise afflicting the body a day or two after performance.

ROM -- RANGE OF MOTION -- a reference to the total action of a muscle(s) and the associated joint(s) in contrast to partial or abbreviated muscle and joint action.

GHR/GHD -- Glute-Ham Raises/Glute-Ham Developer

GPP -- General Physical Preparedness

GI –- Glycemic Index

GM -- Good Mornings

HIT –- High Intensity Training

HIIT -– High Intensity Interval Training

ME -- Maximal Effort

OL –- Olympic Lifting

NATTY PB – Natural Peanut Butter

PC -- Powerclean

PL –- Power Lifting

PP -- Practical Programming

PR -- abbreviation for personal record. Your best lift.

PWO –- Post Workout

REPETITION or REP -- one complete movement of an exercise.

RGBP –- Reverse Grip Bench Press

RM -- Rep Max, describes the maximum number of repetitions that you can do with a prescribed weight. Ie. My 5RM Bench is 200 lbs.

SET -- the prescribed number of repetitions of any given exercise. Example: 1 set of 8 repetitions.

SLDL -- Stiff (Straight) Leg Deadlifts

SOHP -- Standing over head press

SS -- Starting Strength

VOLUME -- a reference in muscle building to the total of sets and reps of exercises completed in a workout.

How much does a barbell weigh?

The basic 84" (7-foot) Olympic bar will weigh 45 lbs. The variation that typically comes with metric weights is going to be 20kg (44 lbs)

Curl bars, triceps bars, fat/thick bars, Safety Squat bars, trap bars, etc. all vary greatly in weight, so you are best served by weighing them yourself.

I can lift <this many> pounds. Is that good for my age, height, weight, sex and astrological sign?

Go here and see where you rank.

The standards (not norms) presented in the linked tables below represent a 1RM performance (in pounds) that can be reasonably expected of an adult athlete at various levels of training advancement using standard full range-of-motion barbell exercises with no supportive wraps or suits.

But don't get too excited! Just because it says your weight fall into an intermediate or advanced range for your weight, doesn't necessarily make it so.

Where can I get fractional plates so that I can go up in 2 and 3 pound increments? All I have are 2.5lb plates

http://www.ironwoodyfitness.com/fractionals.php
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ridgely4.htm
http://www.prowriststraps.com/inc/sdetail/36737

lifting chains

Stalling, Resetting and Progressing

My <insert exercise> is stuck now, and it won't go up. Why did I stall?

You will "stall" on some exercises faster than others. This is going to be a function of the following:

Experience with each exercise - if you have been benching for years or even months and you are only now deadlifting for the first time, you will stall on the bench long before you stall on the deadlift, unless you make enormous weight jumps on the deadlift. This is the most typical "reason" for the bench stalling so soon.
Mechanical Complexity of each exercise - the mechanical complexity of the squat is far greater than that of the bench press. You have far more going on in each of the involved joints with the squat than with the bench press. As a result, you will hit a wall on the bench press before the squat.
Musculature involved with each exercise - You use far more musculature in the deadlift and squat when compared to the press. This means that you have a larger host of potential weak points in the deadlift and squat that gets fixed with training. As your weak points get stronger, your lift will get stronger, so you will "stall" later in the program on this exercise because you have a greater # of potential weak points to address (and improve). The press is much easier to perform properly, so technique will be a limiting factor for a much shorter period of time.
Total "upper limit" of the exercise - this is a function of the musculature and complexity of the exercise. The more you can POSSIBLY lift on an exercise, the longer it will take to reach your genetic potential, and thus the longer it'll take before you actually stall. Generally, your strength will be as follows, from strongest to weakest (once you are "fully and proportionately developed")

Deadlift > Squat > Bench press/power clean > Standing press

Compare your strength to the strength standards table (The Strength Standard Tables are only an approximation. You might look at it and say, “Hey, this says I'm intermediate,” calm down, you're probably still a beginner.)

What this means is that, once you are "fully and proportionately developed", assuming you don't have any type of injuries, oddities in your structure (i.e. super-short, stumpy arms; very small hands/weak grip; genetic deformity/malformation of your spine, etc), or problems with your mindset (i.e. you're a pussy who is afraid to squat or deadlift), your deadlift will end up being your strongest exercise relative to the others, and your standing press will be the weakest.

Now that you can recognize that it is normal for your presses and rows to stall before you deads and squats, you must determine WHY you are stalling.

There are 4 different reasons for stalling, in addition to the basic guidelines above. Rip mentions 2 of them in Practical Programming, I'm going to expand that to 4 due to the questions I've seen asked via the internet.

Are you stalling because:

You aren't doing what you are supposed to be doing for recovery. This includes dietary considerations (enough protein/carbs/fats? Enough vitamins? Enough water? Skipping meals or eating every 2-4 hours?) as well as rest considerations (go to sleep at 10 PM or 1 AM with an 8 AM class that morning?)
You aren't adding weight properly. Yes, I'm talking to you greedy bastards who decide that you can jump 10 lbs between bench workouts, or you decide to add a 25 to each side of the bar for your next squat workout.
You have recently added exercises (such as dips/chins/arm work) or made your own adjustments to the program in whatever manner.
You are doing everything right WRT rest, recovery and weight progression, but you are simply advancing closer to your genetic limitations.

1 is easy to fix. Get your ass to sleep on time, eat properly. Don't change anything about your training for at least a week until you have made 100% sure that you got your 8 hours of sleep, and that you ate your necessary calories EVERYDAY, didn't skip meals, got proper protein/carbs/fats during the day and at crucial times (especially post-workout, breakfast, and before bed). You screwed yourself on this one, but this one is easy to fix. Fix it and progress as normal until #4 describes you.

2 is easy to fix as well. Drop 5 lbs on your presses and rows (and cleans, drop 10 lbs on your squat and deadlift, and start back up. This time, however, be sure to only add 5 for presses/rows/cleans, and add 10 for squats and deadlifts. This will USUALLY fix the issue, depending upon how rapidly you added the weight. A problem exists when you were adding weight to exercises that you had no business adding weight to. We'll get to you folks in a moment, because you may have induced overtraining (systemic overtraining, not "biceps overtraining" or "pectoral overtraining", both of which are misnomers)

3 is usually pretty easy to fix as well. Stop EVERYTHING, strip back to the basic 3 exercises for the day, add a set or three of abdominal work, and THAT IS IT. Make sure you have #1 above in line, and train for a few weeks with only the basic 3 and the ab work. You greedy bastards were CONVINCED that 10 sets of barbell curls and triceps pressdowns wouldn't hurt, and instead of the big gunz and the bicep peak, you got your asses buried! Good for you. Listen next time ya damn teenage know-it-all! ;) (Yes, I was a teenage know-it-all.) (Hell, I'm a middle-aged know-it-all...nothing's changed, I'm just older and fatter!)

4 is a "true stall". In other words, you are a coach's dream because you listened, did exactly what you were told, put forth full effort and intensity, you took your training (and especially your recovery/rest/nutrition) seriously, and yet you still hit the inevitable wall. See the questions regarding stalling and resetting. That's right, a legitimate stall is a hallmark of progress. Ironic, no?

To increase the weight or not to increase the weight, that is the question...

The ideal circumstance is this: you're getting loads of rest, eating great food, and your form is spot on every time. You've been making the progress from workout to workout that you should be and suddenly you can't make all of your reps on (let's just say) squats. The next time you go into the gym, you drop the weight by 10 % and you reduce the incremental increase you've been making... if you've been going up 10 lbs you start going up 5 lbs. After this reset you hit your previous working max in week or two and continue progression for several workouts, partly because the reset gave your muscles some extra time to rest ('working recovery' because of reduced intensity) and also because you are now asking your body to adapt at a slower pace. If you do that a couple more times, you're no longer a novice and you can move on to an intermediate program. That's how things work in a dream world.

In the real world it's a lot more difficult. You might eat badly or not enough a couple of days in a row, you might have a rough night of interrupted sleep, you might have had to chop fire wood for a few hours before going to the gym, or you might have let your form degrade as weights get heavier and heavier and lifts that you didn't really make were logged as successful because we all want to keep getting stronger. That's why there's some discretion involved in knowing when to reset -- and there's the rub. Novices aren't used to keeping such close tabs on things at least in part because they don't always know which variables are important. The trouble is each of these factors matters increasingly more as a trainee advances, so even something he could get away with in month one won't be forgiven by a loaded bar in month four.

What's this all mean? If you miss your lifts for a day, do some reflection about what might have contributed. For younger guys this often includes staying out too late and drinking too much beer but eating and sleeping too little. Sometimes there's an accumulating effect and a lag time... you sleep badly on Tuesday night but lift just fine on Wednesday. You sleep badly again on Thursday night and expect to be able to complete your lifts on Friday since fatigue hadn't messed you up before, but you can't. That's often how disruptions manifest themselves, so keep an eye on what you're doing.

Sometimes when you miss reps the answer is to increase weight as planned in any event. This is when you KNOW what the problem was and have already taken measures to fix it -- you realized you were eating 1000 calories less than you thought you were, for instance -- and you only missed one or two reps. Another approach is when you know something fishy is going on and so repeat the weight next time in the gym. If it's still hard and you're sure it's not sleep, food, or extra physical activity then you should consider a reset.

If you miss your squat at 200 a couple of times, you drop down to 180 or so and then start going back. If there was a big problem with your rest or nutrition then you might try 10 lb increments until you're back to 200, but most likely you'll want to go to 5 lbs jumps. If all of your lifts are stalling, drop them all by about 20% and really look around at all of the things you do in the 47 hours between gym sessions that might be interfering with that 48th.

How do I know if I've "officially stalled" and need to reset?

Simply put, 3 strikes and you're out. We all have off days so if you find yourself missing a rep or two (ie. 200 x 5/5/4) and you suspect it was due to lack of sleep, eating, dog died, etc., add weight normally to the following workout. Less than 5 reps in first set, or, 3 or more missed reps in all 3 sets (ie. 200 x 4/4/4) is considered a “missed attempt.” Keep the weight the same for the following workout. At this point you have 2 more chances to get all your reps. If you get your reps on either of the two following workouts, keep progressing from there. This might also be a signal that you need to start taking smaller jumps (5 lbs vs. 10 lbs.) or you need to microload (2.5 lb vs. 5 lbs.)

If you miss all three attempts it's time for a minor reset. We'll get to that in a moment.

The following serves as an example. The #s are not exact, but they ARE representative, so if the weight change differences seem to describe you, then it applies to you, even if the exact poundage's are different.

This assumes the average 150-200 lb teenage male. Make adjustments if you are older, smaller, or female.

Here is how training progression might look from week to week, assuming rest/recovery is ideal. When I say "bar speed", I'm making reference to your speed of movement in the concentric portion, i.e. are you really struggling and barely getting that last rep (bar speed very slow) or are you making that last rep nice and solid (bar speed good)

Squat:

220 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good, proceed with 15 lb jumps)
235 x 5/5/5 (15 lb jump, bar speed slow, proceed with 10 lb jumps)
245 x 5/5/5 (10 lb jump, bar speed slow, proceed with 5 lb jumps)
250 x 5/5/5 (5 lb jump, bar speed good)
255 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
260 x 5/5/5 (bar speed slow)
265 x 5/4/4 (missed two reps (due to poor night's rest), bar speed slow, proceed with 5 lb jump)
270 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
275 x 5/4/3 (3 missed reps = missed first attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 1) - keep weight the same
275 x 5/5/5 (successful second attempt, bar speed good)
280 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
285 x 5/5/5 (bar speed slow)
290 x 5/5/5 (bar speed very slow)
295 x 5/4/4 (two missed reps, bar speed slow, proceed by micro-loading) - note attempt to correct bar speed and missed reps by very small incremental jump
298 x 5/4/4 (3 lb. micro-jump, missed 2 reps, bar speed very slow, proceed with 2 lb. jump)
300 x 5/3/3 (4 missed reps = missed first attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 1) - keep weight the same
300 x 5/4/3 (3 missed reps = missed second attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 2) - again, missed reps with NO boost in weight used, attempt one last time
300 x 4/4/4 (3 missed reps = missed third attempt, strike 3, time for a reset)

Note how the weight progresses. 10-lb increments with steady bar speed means more 10-lb increments. Bar speed slows down or 1-2 missed reps = reduce increments by 1/3 or 1/2 or more (ie. from 15lbs to 10 lbs, from 10lbs to 5lbs, or from 5lbs to 2.5lbs, 2.5 lbs. to 2 lbs, etc). Smaller incremental jumps in weight should eliminate missed reps as well as produce good bar speed. If you are missing reps, even after the smaller incremental jumps, then keep the weight the same. If you cannot hit your 15 reps even after keeping the weight the same for three consecutive workouts, then it is time to reset.

Bench:
155 x 5/5/5 (five pound jumps, bar speed good)
160 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
165 x 5/5/5 (bar speed slow)
170 x 5/3/4 (missed first attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 1)
170 x 4/5/3 (missed second attempt, bar speed slow, strike 2)
170 x 5/5/5 (successful third attempt, bar speed good, reduce jumps by half)
172.5 x 5/5/5 (2.5 lb micro-jumps, bar speed good)
175 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
177.5 x 5/5/4 (bar speed slow)
180 x 5/4/4 (bar speed slow)
182.5 x 5/5/5 (bar speed slow)
185 x 5/5/5 (bar speed very slow)
187.5 x 5/4/4 (missed 2 reps, bar speed slow, proceed with 2 lb. jumps)
189.5 x 5/5/4 (bar speed very slow)
191.5 x 5/3/4 (missed 3 reps, bar speed very slow, strike 1)
191.5 x 5/4/3 (missed second attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 2)
191.5 x 4/4/4 (missed third attempt, strike 3, time for a reset)

Deadlift:
245 x 5 (bar speed good, proceed with 15 lb jumps)
260 x 5 (bar speed good)
285 x 5 (bar speed slow)
300 x 5 (bar speed slow, proceed with 10 lb. jumps)
310 x 5 (bar speed good)
320 x 5 (bar speed slow)
325 x 5 (bar speed slow, proceed with 5 lb. jumps)
330 x 5 (bar speed slow)
335 x 5 (bar speed very slow)
340 x 4 (missed first attempt, strike 1)
345 x 5 (successful second attempt)
350 x 3 (missed first attempt, strike 1)
350 x 4 (missed second attempt, strike 2)
350 x 4 (missed third attempt, strike 3, time for a reset)

By now, you should get the idea. Once the bar slows down, make note that you will probably need to reduce the weight jumps pretty soon. When you start missing a rep here or there, assuming you are resting and recovering properly, then you'll need to reduce the weight jumps. Once you start missing reps in multiple sets or multiple reps in one set, then keep the weight the same. If you can't get your 5/5/5 after using the same weight for 3 workouts, then it's time to reset.

I stalled on an exercise, what should I do? How do I "reset"?

First, if you haven't read "My <insert exercise> is stuck now" and "To increase the weight or not to increase the weight, that is the question..." as well as "How do I know if I'm officially stalled" then do so before proceeding.

Okay, assuming you read the above, and you are in "class #4" and you have 'officially stalled', then proceed as follows.

We'll use our stalled squat example:

Squat:
280 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good)
285 x 5/5/5 (bar speed slow)
290 x 5/5/5 (bar speed very slow)
295 x 5/4/4 (two missed reps, bar speed slow, proceed by micro-loading) - note attempt to correct bar speed and missed reps by very small incremental jump
298 x 5/4/4 (3 lb. micro-jump, missed 2 reps, bar speed very slow, proceed with 2 lb. jump)
300 x 5/3/3 (4 missed reps = missed first attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 1) - keep weight the same
300 x 5/4/3 (3 missed reps = missed second attempt, bar speed very slow, strike 2) - again, missed reps with NO boost in weight used, attempt one last time
300 x 4/4/4 (3 missed reps = missed third attempt, strike 3, time for a reset)

Again, remember that we started with 10-lb jumps. We started missing reps shortly after bar speed slowed down. This isn't so much causative as it is indicative. Finally, we obviously hit the wall because we could not reach the 5/5/5 requirement despite using the same weight for 3 consecutive workouts.

How to proceed? Proceed by dropping 10% from your stalled weight

THE RESET
270 x 5/5/5 (10% drop from 300 (30 lb reduction), bar speed good) Proceed from here with ten pound jumps.
280 x 5/5/5 (10 lb. jump, bar speed good)
290 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good) - as we get within 10 lbs of our previous 5RM, only jump 5 lbs or less
295 x 5/5/5 (5 lb. jump, bar speed good) - note reduced weight advancement
300 x 5/5/5 - This is your previous 5RM. You successfully get all 15 reps!
305 x 5/5/5 – congrats, you just broke thorough your plateau and set a new personal record.
310 x 5/5/5 - continue adding 5 lbs, then 2.5 lbs, etc, etc until you stall again.

What happens if I've gotten a lot weaker in a couple of my lifts? Should I just reset?

Chances are good that a basic reset won't work. If you've actually regressed in your training for a few workouts, i.e. something like the following:

Squat:
290 x 5/5/5 (bar speed very slow)
295 x 5/4/4 (5 lb jump, bar speed very slow)
298 x 5/4/4 (3 lb micro-jump, bar speed very slow)
300 x 4/3/2 (2 lb. micro-jump, bar speed very slow, strike 1)
300 x 4/2/2 (technique breakdown, strength loss, strike 2)
300 x 3/2/1 (bar weighed "a ton," further strength loss, strike 3, reset)

then a simple 10% drop won't cut the mustard. You will need a more intensive "reset"". If it only happens on one exercise, while your other exercises are progressing along, then no biggie. We can just do a bigger reset. If it is happening on a few of your exercises, or if you have already reset once or twice, then you probably need to do a deload and make a switch to your training planning and progression. That's right Willie, you're no longer a newb! :D

Anyway, the 'more intensive reset' would look something like the following:

INTENSIVE RESET
Do only warmups, ie. 2x5x45, 5x120, 3x180, 2x240, and quit there for the day
270 x 5 (10% reduction (30 lbs.), weight felt kinda heavy) – note that only one set is done
270 x 5/5 (weight felt a bit heavy on 2nd set)- only two sets
270 x 5/5/5 (weight felt pretty light) – only three sets - add 10 lbs to the following workout if the 3 sets across are relatively "easy"
280 x 5/5/5 (10 lb. jump, bar speed good)
290 x 5/5/5 (bar speed good) - as we get within 10 lbs of our previous 5RM, only jump 5 lbs or less
295 x 5/5/5 (5 lb. jump, bar speed good) - note reduced weight advancement
300 x 5/5/5 (Weight felt properly challenging) – Previous 5RM
303 x 5/5/5 (3 lb micro-jump, weight felt properly challenging) – You broke your plateau and set a new personal record!

A few points of note.

Do not skip a workout (yet). Just do the exercise, but stop at the warmups. Don't do a full "work set" yet.
The first workout will be 1 set of 5 with ~10% less weight than the previous stall point.
The second workout will add a 2nd and 3rd work set, but only if the weight feels pretty light.
Once 3 work sets @ ~10% less than previous PR are established, move upward in normal increments, workout-by-workout, until you get back to the previous stall point
Proceed with small weight increments beyond the stall point

This is an obviously more intense backoff period than a basic reset, and will usually only be done once before a full-on deload and "upgrade" to the programming is necessary.

How often can I reset before I know it's time to move on?

Generally only 2 resets for the squat and perhaps 1 for the deadlift will be done before it's time to move on. As long as these 2 exercises are still moving up, however, there is no need to change programming. If you need to do a "bigtime reset" as described above, or if you are stalling on multiple exercises at once, then it is time to move on as well.

Don't reset if you've only stalled in the press, bench, or powerclean. As long as your deadlift, and especially your squat, are moving up you are making progress. Stick with it.

Okay, I've microloaded, reset my squat twice and my deadlift once. Now what?

You've graduated to the Advanced Novice Program. You're almost an intermediate!

How can I do an offload/deload within the confines of the program?

Try this as a 'Rippetoe deload', for a week (even 2):

Monday and Friday

Squats - 3 ramped sets up to top set of 5 (i.e. warmups + 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 5)
Bench - 3 ramped sets up to top set of 5 (i.e. warmups + 135 x 5, 165 x 5, 205 x 5)
Pendlay row - 3 ramped sets up to a top set of 5 (i.e. warmups + 95 x 5, 125 x 5, 155 x 5)
Abs - weightless situps or leg raises, 3 x 10

No accessory work, aside from a few sets of abs to keep them tight, and even this is optional. Instead of 3 sets of 5 ("sets across"), do what amounts to 1 work set of 5, as described above, by "ramping" your weights, i.e. doing 5 reps per set, but adding weight each set up to your top weight.

This will keep you training, but will give you a much needed break. Workout time should not exceed 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Your intensity will still be "high" because you'll be hitting a heavy weight at the end of the workout, but your total workload (both actual and adjusted) will be quite low, because only 1 set will be of substance with each exercise.

This is one way of deloading (one of several). Other methods might include only doing 3x3 on Monday and Friday with your previous 3x5-rep weight, another method might be doing only main exercises on Monday, and then only Assistance exercises on Wednesday and/or Friday.

A straight "deconditioning" means you take a week or two completely off. No training at all. This is pretty good for the advanced lifter who can read when they've really pounded themselves into the ground, but is generally less useful for the novice and early-intermediate trainee, who probably hasn't built up enough systemic fatigue to fully benefit from the time off. In other words, I wouldn't try a straight deconditioning yet.

The Advanced Novice

You've come a long way and all your hard work is paying off. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Remember though, beginner gains progress faster than any other stage of advancement, so you actually want to be a beginner for as long as possible. The Advanced Novice Program will enable you to eke out that last few beginner gains. Then you'll join the world of weekly weight advancement!

The Practical Programming Advanced Novice Program

Week A

Day 1
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps

Day 2
Front squats 3x3
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Day 3
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted

Day 2
Front squats 3x3
Bench press 3x5
Power clean 5x3

Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps

Download the free Starting Strength Logbook Calculator Here!
You'll need a program that can edit spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org, which is free.
Track this program online with WithFit

How do I progress on the Advanced Novice Program

So as you see there is reduced frequency for all the lifts (and the addition of pull-ups/chin-ups if you're doing the Original Program or the addition of Power Cleans if you've been doing the Practical Programming Novice Program). You'll begin with a 10% reduction in all your lifts, consider this your third, and final, deload. From this reduction add ten pounds from workout to workout, and five pounds in the workout preceding your previous 5RM's, as you did before. You should bust through those old plateaus for as long as you stand afterwards.

How much weight do I use on front squats

You can test this much as you tested your other lifts on Day 1. It will end up being about 70-75% of your back squat weight. If you already know your 5RM on this lift, drop 10% and proceed as with the other lifts.

How do I properly perform the front squat?

This is my first time introducing Power Cleans. How much weight do I use on them? How are they done?

Goto The Powerclean section and follow the instructions there. You will be starting with an empty barbell if this is your first time doing them.

I've reset my squat and deadlift, done the Advanced Novice Program, and I'm strong as all-get-out. What do I do now?

Congratulations, you're officially an intermediate. Welcome to the world of complex programming!

Go on to The 'After Starting Strength' Section.

Further Questions

If you have a question that isn't specifically answered here, you can ask in any one of the following places:

Rippetoe/Starting Strength Q&A Thread

Coach Mark Rippetoe Q&A Forum

The Crossfit Message Board Fitness Forum

You'll find good info and you can ask questions relating to Starting Strength in all of these forums.