Customer Reviews

Starting Strength (2nd edition)

5 star:		(211)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

High Level Overview:
Reviewer Background:
Degree in Exercise Physiology - BSU 1996
Personal Trainer

Pros:
*This book is very very very detailed on how to perform the main core lifts, Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, and Power Cleans and generally focuses on multi-joint exercises and down plays isolation type exercises.
*The book spends a great deal of time and effort explaining proper form for doing the basic lifts (which if you have spent any time in the gym at all you can see all kinds of wild interpretations of the basic lifts)
*This book is a perfect example of how little equipment you actually need to get not only a good workout, but a great workout. Essentially you can work all of the main muscle groups with the following pieces of equipment. Power Rack, and adjustable bench, barbell, and weights.
*The book does a very good job of breaking down the mechanics of how your body's center of gravity changes as it moves through different exercises.

Cons:
*There is not clear cut program that one can take from the book and start using. The instructions for how many reps and sets too use is going to be somewhat confusing for someone just getting starting. I have been working out for 20 + years plus several years of training clients and I had a hard time developing a workout plan around what is presented in the book. To make it adaptable to the beginner, a plan needs to be step by step and map out percentages as a goal for doing various exercises.
*To add to the confusion, for the most part you are doing 3 sets of 5 reps for your work sets with the same weight, but on occasion you rotate in 5 sets of 5 reps, 2 sets with increasing weight and 3 sets at the same weight. Again in the book, this is hard to decipher and put into a training log you can use. I just don't see how someone with little or no experience in a weight room is going to get the idea.
*The nutrition part is sort of weak: Here the advice is drink a gallon of milk, and take in 2500 to 5000 calories a day.
*The book although does a great job with the mechanics (i.e. leverage) it really doesn't touch on the physiology behind how muscle work and how they recover (there is a very drawing of the "Metabolic Speedometer" which describes which energy systems are in use with different types of activity)

Overview: This is a STRENGTH book, not a book on bodybuilding/body sculpting (hence the name "Starting Strength". I can't emphasize enough you need to know what you are training for before you commit to a book purchase and exercise routine. This book is focuses on strength and nothing else, hypertrophy may be a side of affect of strength but is not the goal, nor is the goal to produce shapely well defined muscles and washboard abs. This book is written by a power lifter (Rippetoe) for strength and power and that's it.
The book easy to read; is full of illustrations, and flows together very nice. Rippetoe drops in some dry humor to keep it fresh.

Overall:
This is a great book if you have some experience in the weight room and are very familiar with sets, reps, warm-up sets, work sets, and back off sets, and most importantly, if your goal is "STRENGTH"
*If you are sporting a "dickie-do" then this book is probably NOT going to be your official guide to getting back in shape.
*If you are a coach, then this book is a must
*If you are an AD, then the book is a must
*If you are a teenager or your adult wanting to get stronger for a host of different sports or for competition, then this is the book for you.
*You are NOT going to find a diet plan in here if you are wanting to drop a good deal of your body fat and tone up.

Bottom Line:
*I would recommend this book as a supplement to your fitness library, but not as a base. *I would check out some books by Ellington Darden, the exercises and machines are very different than what this book presents (that does not mean better), but his books have a wealth of information concerning the physiology behind weight training , diet, and rest. His books also tend lean more towards getting in shape and dropping excess body fat as opposed to pure strength gains.
*In the end for a training program to be successful, the trainee needs to believe it will work, and part of believing it will work is understanding how it will work.



Update: 10-31-09,
I've been following the routine for two weeks and starting to see some strength gains after years and years of a plateau. The training volume is way down from what I am used to and so is the intensity, but I am getting stronger. It took me 1 week of workouts to get my weights adjusted correctly

This is an excellent read for any person who lifts or wants to lift. If youre looking to build a solid frame from which to build on, lose some extra weight or learn the proper technique for squat, bench or power clean - this book is the best. I was thrown off by the price at first, but it is well worth the money. I have never read so in depth on lifting. Those books by mens health or flex dont even compare to what Mark Ripptoe presents in this book. 60 pages alone are dedicated to squat.

The author goes through all scenarios, not leaving a single detail out. Above all, the books reads like a trainer would teach. This is not a manual type book, but rather interesting read that really gets you to think about proper form.

Excellent. I recommend this for all lifters.

I am definitely glad I bought this book. I am totally satisfied with it. I use it along with my Stronglifts 5X5 beginners program (I highly recommend stronglifts.com) to learn how to exercise correctly with free weights. It's amazing how incorrectly I exercise when I just try to do things on my own without any professional advice. I'm glad I saved my back by investing in this invaluable training resource.

Please, don't just read the book - have a spotter that can tell you if you are actually lifting according to the book or not. My back was bent "like crazy" when I thought I was doing good. With the books advice and my brother as a spotter I was able to get my back in the correct position and couldn't believe the difference on video - it's much safer! It takes time, stretching, and practice to be able to get into the correct positions to weight lift.

Let me first state that I've been lifting weights for almost 30 years now and competed in several powerlifting meets back in the 80's. Although I have always felt strong, as I've aged, I began to feel pain in my joints when I was lifting, particularly my knees, back, and shoulders. I chalked this up to age and figured I guess I needed to just slow down and accept getting older.
This book has been recommended to me by Amazon quite a bit, but it just looked to simplistic to me and I figured I already knew how to lift properly. I guess I was wrong.
I finally decided to pick this book up after seeing some of its material crossed over on the crossfit website. After reading it I immediately started implementing some of the changes the book recommended into my routine. For the first time in years, I'm squatting pain free, without knee braces. My bench press has risen 30 pounds in just 1 month after implementing standing presses to my routine instead of doing them seated. I feel like an entirely new lifter, one who can continue to improve through his entire life, not just his youth. Thank you Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore for writing such a great book. It belongs in everyone's weightlifting library, and I can easily give it the highest possible recommendation.

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.

I have to agree with the other 5 star ratings of this book. I have been weight training for a few years and with access to information on the biggest programs and pictures and videos of properly executed lifts, thought I had read and seen everything I needed to know.

This book goes into far greater detail than I have seen before on the lifts that should be the core of any good program. Rippetoe breaks down the lifts step by step to show exactly how to execute the lift safely, efficiently, and properly and explains the biomechanics behind it all. I've only been in the gym a few times since reading some of the book, but taking his squat advice, I was amazed how much difference some 'minor' adjustments in my form made.

I was hesitant about this book due to its price but I am sure I will be referring to it for years to come. Definitely worth it.

Given the near universal acclaim, I've tried really hard to like this book. But ultimately I have to give it two stars. Having decided to move to free weights I wanted to learn proper technique to avoid injury and receive maximum benefit from my workouts. "Starting Strength" does provide all that information, the problem is in the delivery and organization. For example, the first chapter is on the squat and the authors provide a detailed explanation of how valuable squats are and why squats are not the destroyer of knees that the myths claim they are. The problem is that they take 55 pages to do it, mixing explanations of proper techniques of into a treatise on the anatomy and physiology of the squat.

Being the analytical type, I think it's valuable to know why physiology dictates that a proper, safe squat MUST drop the hips below the knees. But in the gym I just need facts: 1. Feet should-width, toes approximately 30 degrees out. 2. Bar at mid sternum height. 3. Focus on a spot six feet in front on the floor....etc.

If each chapter started with a condensed instruction on proper technique, and then supplemented that information with the anatomy and physiology justifying the proper technique and explaining the consequences of poor technique, the book would be much improved. As it stands this is only a potentially great book screaming for an editor to come rescue it. Reorganize the book, clean up the long winded prose and hire a photographer who can properly and consistently light the photographs and it's five stars.

Excellent book.Completely changed the way i look at building muscle.
Before i would spend 1hr-2hrs 4 days a week in the gym doing split routines.Working out every tiny muscle group for 10x times infinity with no rhyme or reason to it.Now it's down to the true essentials because that is what works.The beauty of this book is it's simplicity.
Also one thing i never knew before buying this book is how much FUN moving weights with barbells are.So much more satisfying than a lot of the exercises i did in the past.
If you've got to this page while searching for similiar books.Stop right now and buy this.Seriously!
You'll build more muscle than before,save money on gym equipment,save time(my workouts are far shorter than before) and have a lot of laughs reading Mark Rippetoe's informative and very funny prose.

I'm not an expert on training, but from the reviews I've read and all the info Ive come across on Rippetoe, this a must read. If all the principles on this book are true, which they sure seem from the detailed explanations and the depth of the physiological discussion, this book explains all you need to know to become strong and healthy. My results so far are awesome, not only because I feel much healthier and stronger, and I look better, but most of all, because I like the workout so much I just can think about anything else than going back to the gym. And I'm a guy who never enjoyed exercise much at all.