Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training

This book is essentially focused on the five key exercises that can be done using a barbell. These being the squat, bench press, deadlift, press, and power clean. On average about 40 pages are devoted to each exercise, with detailed descriptions provided for each. For each exercise the correct form is strongly emphasized both through the use of pictures (similar to the those shown on the front of the book) and photographs. Issues such as posture, feet position, and point of focus are all covered, as well as less obvious points like starting and completing the exercises and the correct grip. Of interest is the advice related to the common mistakes that people make, which is obviously important particularly given the increased likelihood of injury when trying to lift heavier weights incorrectly.Following the 5 key exercises the book then describes other useful exercises that can be used to supplement the main exercises. This section is 80 pages long and covers exercises such as the incline bench press, pull up, and parallel bar dips. While much less attention is given to these extra exercises, i still found the information provided to be useful.The chapter entitled programming completes the book, this covers topics such as suggestions for a workout regime, warming up, nutrition, equipment, and handling injuries. Again i found this chapter insightful, particularly the advice given with respect to the purchase of exercise equipment.In conclusion, i really cannot imagine a more complete book on the subject and if you really want to learn how to do these exercises properly and safely (particularly with heavier weights) this book is indispensible...recommended

Down to Earth style and useful advice are found in this book. The advice on various lifts is meant to be re-read as one becomes more advanced, as the relevance of several finer points is unlikely to be immediately grasped by someone without any prior experience of the lifts in question. A reasonable strategy is to read enough about a lift to understand how to do the it with an empty bar, then practice and assess what one's body is doing, then go back to the book for more advice/observations.This is one of the rare few truly useful books on strength training.

This book does a great job of helping people get a good start lifting free weights. If you've been wasting your time curling in the squat rack and using 27 different machines each workout this is your way into actual strength training. Rip spends most of the book on painstakingly detailed descriptions of the most important lifts - 56 illustrated pages on the back squat alone! This is fantastic material for beginners and for people looking to clean up their form. You'll learn quite a bit about the logic behind these movements along the way and the book includes a walk-through of the popular Starting Strength routine.I really don't understand why Amazon.co.uk doesn't sell this book themselves. It's been out since 2007.

The following review is for the 2nd edition of this book. An updated, 3rd edition was published in 2017.Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore, is a fitness book advocating safe and effective strength training. It is referred to in another book I recently read, The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40. Both are published by the Aasgaard Company which also provides training seminars and educational symposia for athletes and strength and conditioning professionals.Around two thirds of the text is taken up with explaining the correct technique for performing five core exercises: squat, bench press, deadlift, press, and power clean. These form the basis for workouts that should be performed by athletes two or three times every week.Positioning, grip and movement are covered in detail alongside useful diagrams and illustrations. Of key importance is avoiding injury while making the body work as hard as it is able. These exercises are not intended to build particular muscles but rather to engage all muscles for improving strength.To give an idea of the writing style, this is from the section on the squat.“The bounce at the bottom of the squat is merely the correct use of the stretch reflex – a muscle contraction enhanced by the proprioceptive detection of muscle elongation immediately prior to the contraction – inherent in any dynamic muscle contraction, added to the rebound provided by the viscoelastic energy stored in the stretched muscles and tendons. Essentially you are bouncing off your hamstrings, not your knees.”Technical descriptions of the effect of each exercise on the body are balanced by more down to earth explanations. There is also added humour, dropped in as nuggets for those paying attention.After the extensive sections on each of the five core exercises, details are provided of useful assistance exercises. These work by: strengthening a part of a movement used in the core exercises; offering variations on the core exercises; or providing ancillary exercises which strengthen a portion of muscle mass in a way the core exercises do not. By varying the exercise program in this way the athlete allows their body to recover while still working.Examples of assistance exercises include:halting deadliftsbarbell shrugspartial squats (not for novice trainers as potential for injury high)variations on bench pressfront squatincline bench pressRomanian dead lifechin / pullupsdipsbarbell rowsglute / ham raiselying tricep extensioncurlsOf the last of these the author writes“Since you’re going to do them anyway, we might as well discuss the right way to do curls.”The popularity of muscle building machines in gyms, those that claim to work particular muscles, is acknowledged although the use of them is regarded as ineffective.“Exercise machines have made people a lot of money, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, they have been a very large diversion from more productive forms of training.”This training requires individually tailored programming and a section is devoted to suggestions for developing efficient and effective workouts. The author explains that the body adapts to what is asked of it.“To get stronger, you must do something that requires that you be stronger to do it, and this must be built into the training program.”The suggestion is that an athlete starts simple and does not tax their body beyond what it can quickly recover from, that they do not overtrain. Individuals should work to a plan, warming up properly and completing sets, allowing adequate time for rest in between. Expect progress to be quick initially, although always the program should be sensible and safe. Developing muscle memory of the correct technique is more important than pandering to ego and pushing for excessive weight. Regular workouts should only be missed in extremis.The importance of nutrition is given a brief mention along with changes in body weight and shape. This is not a weight loss plan nor a body building routine. It is strength training for active living.The final section describes equipment needed for those who may want to build a home workout station. This includes: suitable flooring on which to place a rack, bench, quality barbell and weights. The most important item of clothing is appropriate footwear, although clothes should allow freedom of movement.I read this book from cover to cover but recognise that its value will be as a reference for those willing to engage in the type of exercise program suggested. It offers a persuasive argument for the advantages of strength training, inspiring me to incorporate this alongside my other, regular exercises (with the assistance of my personal trainer). The core routines are not too time consuming. The improvements promised to the body – inside rather than visual – are well worth pursuing.

Ja es ist natürlich ziemlich nerdig und sehr ausführlich. Aber wer sein Körper zu seinem Thema gemacht hat, der wird mit dem Buch seine Freude haben.

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.

This is a book that everyone who lifts should read, whether new or experienced. It teaches you how to properly do the five major compound lifts that build a rock-solid, freakishly strong body: the squat, bench press, standing press, deadlift, and power clean. (A "compound lift" is one that engages more than one muscle group. An "isolation exercise" is one that only engages one muscle group.)Don't listen to the BS magazines that push fake workouts endorsed by steroid freaks that will say anything for a buck. Don't waste your time with the whole slew of Men's Health products that will have you doing ten thousand reps per week only to make no gains.If you want to get bigger and stronger, you MUST do several if not all of the lifts explained in this book. Nothing builds better legs and butts than squats. The bench press is a staple chest exercise that, when combined with dumbbell presses, builds big, powerful chests. The standing press builds strong shoulders that look like cannonballs. The deadlift is one of the best overall mass building exercises, and it builds your entire back, legs, and traps. The power clean is one of the toughest lifts you can do and works just about every muscle in your body.This book shows you the proper form for all these exercises in amazing detail. This is CRUCIAL because bad form can lead to injuries (but proper form will completely prevent them). Remember, heavy weight lifted with poor form is NOT worth it (while the guys doing it think the heavy weights makes them look cool, their poor form actually just makes them look like idiots).The author gives you a workout program in the end of the book built around the five compound mass builders with target sets and reps, which is a great strength-building program.If you lift weights, you owe it to yourself to buy and read this book. Your workouts--and results--will never be the same again.Another great book that espouses these concepts but also goes over proper dieting, cardio, and supplementing (and debunks a bunch of BS), is Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (The Lean Muscle Series). I highly recommend it.

I came to learn about Coach Rip via Crossfit when he was still associated with Crossfit HQ. After reading SS:BBT and then Practical Programming (the second part of Rip's bible), I realized that like he says, strength may be the most important thing in life when it comes to being fit. The book covers all the basics anyone needs to get strong and, if desired, big. I heartily recommend all his books. Currently I am an intermediate lifter using Rip's Texas Method and making solid gains week by week. This is a no BS, common-sense program that will get you strong using the basic lifts plus assistance exercises, all of which are covered in adequate detail. I highly recommend this book in conjunction with Practical Programming, as the programming section of SS is a bit weak. The two books together are all you really need, though his writing style is so entertaining, you'll probably end up buying his other books and following his blog on [...] as well. As one reviewer mentioned, it's dense, with tons of detail on each exercise. That's so you do it correctly, don't get injured, and get the most benefit you can from your workouts. It's not a bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, or even powerlifting book; it's a book about the most efficient and effective way to get strong. And it works.

I had been performing the big lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, rows) and supporting lifts (curls, shrugs, calf raises, etc) based upon the simple descriptions found in most books and online for the last few years. After the first year of decent gains, I started looking around for a reference which would spell out some of the finer points of technique to reduce the my chances of injury and to continue growth. I am now very happy to have found in "Starting Strength" a very detail oriented book on weight training which gives personal trainer levels of technique and program advice for all of the standard lifts.When I got the book, I read-skimmed it quickly cover to cover, then I slowly read each chapter on a particular lift for about a week while trying to adapt my technique and take the suggestions the book had to offer. It did take me quite a long while to make it through all of the material and I still refer to the book and find something I had not noticed before. I am now lifting more weight with proper form across all of my lifts and I don't seem to get the same minor tweaks(lower back or knee soreness on squats, etc) I used to get without realizing why.I recommend this book as the single best beginners book for any detail oriented person looking get into weight training.