Starting Strength (2nd edition)
by Lon Kilgore, Mark Rippetoe
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Book Reviews of Starting Strength (2nd edition)
Book Review: A 1st edition book review
Summary: 5 Stars
As you walk into your gym, the first thing you see is that handsome Brad Pitt (or Orlando Bloom or whatever) look-alike curling a barbell relentlessly and vigorously on the squat rack. Sets after sets after sets, you stand in awe as you see the grotesque veins bulge on his biceps as he stimulates every square inch, every nooks and crannies of its muscle fibers. The girls on the treadmills would surely fall for him.
Two month later, you see him again, strenuously curling his barbell in the squat rack like the champion that he is. However, something in the back of your mind senses that something is wrong. Well, at a glance, everything appears to be normal: he's got a great form in his curl, he's got that look of fearsome, hardcore intensity in his eyes, and his veins are jutting out majestically. The only problem is, he is still 6 foot tall and weighs a buck fifty and he's still curling that same barbell with ten pound plates on each side: he didn't make any progress at all. And chances are, if you haven't received instructions on how to properly lift or base your entire workout on a bodybuilder's regimen in the latest issue of a muscle magazine, you're not making any progress either.
And then there are people who will steadfastedly stand by their magazines and assert, "No! I've tried the latest Coleman/Cutler sets and my strength/arm size/ego doubled!" Okay, fine. But stick with the regimen for a few more months and see what happens. Nevermind the fact the people who use them or similar variations are hardcore steroid users and possess one of the most freakish genes on the planet. In other words, those that are normal will usually stagnate in their size and strength and achieve a total burnout.
Okay, you're ready to reform or if you're completely new to the iron game, learn the right way to lift. First step, buy the book. It will teach you the five compound lifts: the squat, the bench press, the standing press, the deadlift, and the power clean. To progress, you must do the compound lifts. To get bigger, stronger, faster, sexier, you must do the compound lifts. What are compound lifts? Compound lifts are movements that utilize two or more of your muscles. For example:
The Squat mainly targets the legs, the butt, lower back, and the abs.
Bench press - the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Press - shoulders, triceps, traps
Deadlift - upper back, lower back, legs, traps, abs.
Power clean - the power clean is a variation of the olympic clean. It starts as a deadlift, but utilizes speed and it is pulled up and racked on the deltoids. This is the king of all movements, it works out almost everything.
You must do this as opposed to the isolation movements, which - you guessed it - only works out one measly muscle. For example:
The (squat rack) Curl - biceps
Biceps don't make the man. The whole body does.
In addition to the instructions, Rippetoe meticulously explains the correct forms of these movements, which are illustrated by numerous photos. The author also takes pains to show scenarios of erroneous lifts and advises how they can be corrected to avoid serious injuries. REMEMBER: it's the form that counts, not the amount of weights that you can lift. A big lift with a bad form can otherwise produce a horrendous injury that will cut short of your weightlifting career or produce minimal strength gain (quarter squats, anyone?).
Near the end of the book, the author provides a program that utilizes all the five compound movements with the right amount of sets and repetitions for all to follow. For those who have rose to the intermediate or advanced level, I highly recommend that you get Rippetoe's other book, Practical Programming, which has a better treatment on individual regimen programming. Also check out Madcow's 5x5 (google madcow 5x5) website. His program works evenly great.
Oh, and the squat rack is for squatting only, not for curling.
Book Review: Essential Read for Athletes, Bodybuilders, and General Gym Attendees
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been lifting weights and going to the gym off and on since I was 14 (I'm 24 now), starting from basic machine work and cardio to more advanced dumbbell exercises and free weights to finally barbell exercises a few years ago. I was amazed with the difference of going from machines to dumbbells and finally from dumbbells to complex muscle exercises like the deadlift and the squat.
After going through 2-3 years of deadlifts and squats, without injury, I'm shocked to note that I was doing them wrong. Not wrong by a huge degree, but I was not using all the muscles I could and was not making my body hit all the right positions. I read many resources online, and asked for advice from experienced bodybuilders, but no one could have pointed out all the different things I needed learned about a squat. Mark Rippetoe's book taught me more about a squat in 15 minutes than I've tried hours to learn by watching videos and reading websites online.
Starting Strength only goes over 5 basic exercises -- Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Press, and Power Clean. I was a bit disappointed to not read more on other dumbbell exercises I still do (bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises) but the degree he breaks each individual motion down is impressive, and would no way lower my rating from 5 stars to 4. He writes for two people -- the trainee and the trainer, but giving both perspectives allow the reader to fully understand the mechanisms behind each movement.
As far as my squat, Starting Strength broke down why I needed to make sure my hips went below my knees, explained why my heels (and not toes) should be shoulder width and 30 degrees off axis, and explained proper hand positioning (on top of the bar, not gripping the bar). He goes over similar pointers in each of the 5 exercises, and I'm already incorporating them into my routine, finally understanding WHY each movement needs to be done (not just how).
As an intermediate gym monkey, I haven't actually done any Power Cleans, but Rippetoe's book and pointers serve as a great starting point for this hard exercise I thought I'd never learn. Rippetoe also explains training programs (warmups, lifting for strength vs. endurance, reptitions per week) very well, and that's also guided my workout.
I wish I could end by saying I've gained a huge amount of muscle since picking up Rippetoe's book, but I only started reading it 3 days ago so I've only been through 2 workouts since. The 2 workouts I did do, though, were refreshingly solid and the exercises felt like I was doing 20-30 pounds less than I actually was, because of my improved form.
Overall, a great read for the advanced and intermediate bodybuilder and athlete, and good advice for those looking to give barbells a try. This isn't really a book written for people with no knowledge at all of lifting weights, or people looking to lose 100 pounds, but it would be a good read nonetheless. There aren't any better beginning exercises out there than the exercises detailed in this book, and if you follow a strict lifting routine, a good diet, and cardio, you'll be well on your way to a sculpted body.
Book Review: A great reference for the strength trainer
Summary: 5 Stars
The basic compound strength training moves are by far the most important in that they address all of the big muscle groups in the body. Most people concentrate on such parts as the biceps. This does nothing to build real, solid strength all over.
In 2004 Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore wrote Starting Strength. It was the first book to show you how to do an exercise the right way. But it went further. It showed you what you might be doing it wrong and what you could do about it.
Now the two have released Starting Strength 2nd Edition.
The new edition has 320 pages & has 750 illustrations.
There are eight chapters: Strength: why & how, Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Press, Power Clean, Assistance Exercises, Programming. Foreword, credits & index is included.
Here is an example of what you'll get:
The Squat. 58 pages. Rippetoe explains the benefits of the Squat. He shows why deep squats are not bad for your knees. I admit that I have a bit of an issue with this. I have very bad knees from years of athletic work and I don't dare do them, even with wraps.
He explains how partial squats can actually cause knee & lower back injuries. Again, this bothers me as I do partials with success. But this is just my opinion and I may be wrong.
After the introduction to the squat, you'll read:
* Bar placement in the Squat Rack & how to unrack the weight
* Correct foot stance & where to point your toes
* A simple stretch exercise to teach you the Squat movement
* Where your knees should point to & why this matters
* How to grip the bar & where to place it on your back
After these 17 pages you'll find the common Squat errors. You'll learn why you're doing them and what you should be doing.
* Cause & solution for rounding of your lower back
* Why your knees buckle in & how to avoid it
* How to keep your heels on the floor & why it matters
* How to breathe during Squats
The chapter ends with 10 pages on how to spot the Squat and the equipment you'll need such as what shoes, clothes, belts & knee wraps.
I found this a really good book and a handy reference. As I said, I do take issue with a few things. But I can't imagine anyone agreeing with someone all the time about everything. I think one has to do what one is comfortable doing within his or her safe zone.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: Great, absolutely thorough introduction
Summary: 5 Stars
This is for the 2nd edition.
I'm a 30 year old couch potato who had never lifted a weight before in his life. I began jogging ten months ago, lost 20 lbs, and ran my first 5k, but I felt like my fitness level had kinda plateaued. The more I learned about health and physiology, the more I realized I needed to increase my lean muscle mass rather than just try to burn calories. But I felt like doing random dumbbell exercises (like curls!) weren't doing anything. Enter barbell strength training. I discovered the Stronglifts 5x5 program (stronglifts.com), a beginner's strength training website. That site is a fantastic resource for beginners, but I felt like I needed an absolutely rigorous explanation of the various barbell lifts so I wouldn't injure myself since I'm not using a coach!
Mark Rippetoe is your coach if you don't have one. He approaches barbell lifting as if it was a martial art: strict attention to form and technique. The amount of detail in his book is amazing. The anatomical information is almost but not quite an overload at times; but the bulk of the book is a very detailed and exact description of the lifts complete with all the possible errors to watch out for.
Each important lift is devoted a long chapter: squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, and power cleans. Then there's an entire chapter on how to do accessory exercises (pullups, etc), and another chapter on "programming", or how to exercise at all and not completely waste your time at the gym.
After reading about deadlifts online, I thought they were easy. My first deadlift scared the crap out of me. I was certain I going to kill my lower back if I ever did one again. After reading Rippetoe's extensive chapter on deadlifts, I feel fine doing them now. Barbell lifting is safe, but you really have to do it right. You really need this book if you don't have a coach.
If you're like me -- stupid, physically inept, and a slow learner -- I recommend supplementing this book with the Starting Strength wiki ([...])
and the Stronglifts 5x5 website. But you could certainly just follow this book.
Book Review: Best Lifting Technique Book Ever!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best weight lifting technique book ever. I cannot stress enough that you will find information in this book that can't be found in any other single source.
I have been using the techniques described in this book for a few months now and it has changed my entire view of weightlifting. I had weightlifting courses in high school but didn't receive much instruction. We had to max for squats and bench. As long as either improved throughout the course, you got an A. There was no technique instruction except for the basic `exhale on the way up' and `don't let your knees pass your toes'. Well, know that I've read this book I share the author's view on how to do the exercises properly (btw they advocate holding your breath in what is known as the Valsalva maneuver). I never really knew how to squat properly until reading this book. I used to think it was hard on the knees - turns out that knee pain was just my knees telling me I was doing it incorrectly. Now that I have the correct technique, I do full depth squats each and every workout and my knees are pain free. I have always been decent at bench press (relative to body weight) and this book also opened my eyes to some technique flaws that I have always had. I have yet to start the Power Cleans because I am still working on my back Squat technique. However, there is a chapter dedicated to Power Cleans and it appears to be just as well written as the other sections. I am getting ready to add Power Cleans to my routine and I am confident I'll be able to perform them with good technique in time. I'm confident because of the quality of instruction provided in this book. This is the definitive reference manual for the lifts covered. Period! I have purchased many `weightlifting' books in the past that talk about various other aspects, but nobody ever really got into the details of how to lift.
Read this 1 book and you will know what you're doing in the gym.
Enjoying the book and attempting to share it with others.