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Starting Strength: A Review Of Mark Rippetoe's Barbell Bible Starting Strength is a classic, one of the best barbell-based training books ever written. Now there's a new-and-improved edition that raises the bar even higher. Email More by Matt Biss Feb 08, 2012 \ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\LouPinbodybuildingblog\New bodybuild tips\starting-strength-review-of-mark-rippetoes-barbell-bible_e3.jpg)
People who want to get bigger, stronger, and more athletic frequently approach me for training advice and instruction. After all, most of us agree that "strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general." (A little Mark Rippetoe morsel for you.)
I wish I had time to train each of these people. I'd love to pull them into a gym, put them under a bar, and guide them through the fundamentals of resistance training. Unfortunately, this approach isn't usually possible. For most of these "help-me-get-bigger" brothers, the best thing I can do is recommend a book. Time after time, I recommend the same one: Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.
The Gym BibleNever heard of it? Extract yourself from the crazy claws of your favorite biceps curl machine and listen up. Starting Strength teaches you everything you need to know to properly program and perform full range of motion barbell exercises, which are the best functional expression of human skeletal and muscular anatomy under a load. Simply put, your favorite isolation exercise ain't squat compared to the squat. If you're not performing barbell compound exercises, you're not getting the most from your strength workouts.
As Coach Rip says about the deadlift, it's more functional than almost any other exercise because "it's very hard to imagine a more useful application of strength than picking heavy $#!^ up off the ground."
The big problem with barbell training, however, is that the majority of people don't know how to do it correctly, even if they've been training for years. Because every aspect of bar movement is controlled by the lifter, barbell training requires an investment in time and education. Starting Strength addresses that issue. Luckily, readers have just been blessed with the recently released Third Edition, and it's fantastic.
That's right. Turn your back on those machines.
Coach Rip said grab that bar.
The Starting Strength program is one of the most popular programs in America, particularly in high school and college weight rooms. It also has an incredibly high rating on Amazon, having garnered 90% or more 5-star reviews.
The only complaints with previous editions of Starting Strength were that it needed better pictures and editing. Welcome to the Third Edition. Without reinventing the wheel, it comes with a new look, new photos, excellent illustrations, and updates in the program based on the experiences of thousands of athletes in the four years since the last release.
Why Buy?If you're new to weight training, this program is one your best possible investments. Furthermore, if you have been using mainly machines or doing calisthenics, not having mastered squats, bench presses, deadlifts or cleans, then Starting Strength will set you straight. Rippetoe's instructions are simple enough for a novice to understand but detailed enough for a strength coach's arsenal.
The program stresses the basics of effective compound exercises and weight progression with an emphasis on flawless technique. It is appropriate for anyone looking for a solid foundation in strength, muscle, and power. Starting Strength teaches you to train the body as a complete system, not a collection of parts.
"Exercise is the stimulus that returns our bodies to the conditions for which they were designed. Humans are not physically normal in the absence of hard, physical effort. Exercise is not a thing we do to fix a problem-it is a thing we must do anyway, a thing without which there will always be problems. Exercise is substitute cave-man activity." (Rippetoe 1)
Precision Makes PerfectStarting Strength puts a very heavy emphasis on lifting correctly, with over 200 pages dedicated to mastering the five most important movements: the squat, press, bench press, clean, and deadlift. You may have thought you knew how to squat, but until Mark has taught you how bar position effects torso angle, lower body joint relationships, why your knees keep caving in, and why you shouldn't look up when squatting, you'll basically never know.
You don't need to squat naked, but you do need
to be aware of your bar position.
While the squat, press, bench press, clean, and deadlift are the focus of the program, Mark does recommend ancillary exercises for certain situations. These are typically useful variations of the main lifts to emphasize weak points, as well as other movements that can be used for pre-hab or corrective exercise. Other included exercises - such as the glute ham raise, dip, and row - contribute to functional strength and movement.
You won't see leg curls or extensions in Rip's pages, however. In the real world or on the athletic field, the hamstrings and quadriceps always function together when we move. The only place where we can purely isolate these muscles is on a machine, so why should we use this equipment? Just because someone made the machine?
After teaching you everything you will need to know about technique for the bread-and-butter barbell movements, Rippetoe gives you the carrot with his actual program. These workouts are not long, drawn-out affairs, but are designed to stimulate a response of strength and hypertrophy as efficiently as possible. The novice would start with just the main lifts done with two training sessions, three times per week (Rippetoe 296):
Workout A
Squat3 sets of 5 reps 
Standing Military Press3 sets of 5 reps 
Deadlift1 set of 5 reps Workout B
Squat3 sets of 5 reps 
Bench Press3 sets of 5 reps 
Power Clean5 sets of 3 reps Rippetoe thoroughly outlines the reasoning behind this basic program, with advice on how to warm up, selecting the work load, and how to make adjustments. He also instructs the reader how to advance the program to continue progress.
Training begins with warm-ups. This includes the general warm-up to produce tissue warmth throughout the body, as well as exercise-specific warm-ups with an Olympic bar. The specific warm-up isn't only for dynamic stretching and tissue temperature, but is vital to mastering training technique. Skilled lifters treat their barbell movements the same way Arnold Palmer treats his golf swing - they use the submaximal weight to prime the movement pattern.
Many beginners approach their specific warm-ups the wrong way, doing far too many reps and fatiguing themselves before the work sets take place. Starting with the bar, keep the repetitions below five and advance the weight evenly over four or five sets, decreasing the repetitions to two prior to your work sets. Using this method, your squat training would look like this:
Rippetoe Squat Warm-Up TechniqueSet TypeWeightRepsSetsWarm-Up4552Warm-Up9552Warm-Up13531Warm-Up18521Working22553Rip Riffs On Fat
Notable (but emphasized much less) is the infamous GOMAD nutrition program. If you're training to gain significant muscle and strength, Mark suggests that most people are far too concerned with their short-term physical appearance and thus won't eat enough. For certain populations, he recommends GOMAD, which is a "Gallon of Milk a Day" in addition to four whole-food meals (this applies to the skinny guys).
"Make up your mind that, at least for the first year or two, you're not going to worry about body fat levels if you're already lean, because lean is easier to reacquire than strong is to build" (Rippetoe 310). Rip is also keen to note that "getting ripped" isn't as easy as it might seem: "You have seen pictures of big bodybuilders at 6% body fat in contest shape so often that you think it's normal, desirable, and always possible. " This isn't the case - getting anywhere takes work, and often takes longer than you'd first like. The iron game is one you play for life, not for a few months.
Sum Of RipThis program is so effective that we can say if your squat only goes up by fifty pounds in eight months, then you obviously weren't following the program correctly. Most people aren't trying to be the next world champion bodybuilder, but would like to have some more muscle and functional strength. Simply put, if you aren't a 3 time Mr. Olympia preparing to defend your title, you shouldn't be training like one. Starting Strength will form the basis of a successful lifting career and teach the fundamentals that will make you big, strong (scary), and keep you safe in the weight room.
If you're getting serious about training and ready to build your best body ever, you don't need to start somewhere. You need to start here.
Want to see more content from Starting Strength? Leave your comments below!
Reference
Rippetoe, Mark. Starting Strength- Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition. Wichita Falls, Texas: The Aasgaard Company,2011. Print.
Related Articles Beginner's Guide To Program Design: Maximize Muscle-Building Potential (Part 1)! Beginner's Guide To Program Design: Maximize Muscle-Building Potential (Part 2)! What Is The Best Muscle Building Workout For A Newbie? View All Beginner Workout Programs Articles About The Author Matt Biss VIEW AUTHOR PAGE Matt is the Training and Nutrition Specialist for Bodybuilding.com. He has studied Exercise Science at Boise State and is a certified trainer. \ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\LouPinbodybuildingblog\New bodybuild tips\matt-biss-sig.jpg)
View All Articles By This Author RATE THIS ARTICLE POOR 12345678910 EXCELLENT OVERALL RATING 8.4 Out of 10
Excellent
7 Ratings
Rep Power: 10
rep this user mlucotch Great article. This book is a must for anyone's library. Thanks for keeping the main thing...the main thing!
Article Rated: 0 Feb 8, 2012 7:28pm | report Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user rozon3022 awesome article im really interested in purchasing this book but im not entirely sure where to purchase it i live in Canada and have searched chapters online and local library sites any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated thanks
Article Rated: 0 Feb 8, 2012 7:48pm | report Body Stats ht: 6'1" wt: 188 lbs Permalink You, wrightbody, jackknife, and 4 others like this
Rep Power: 22274
rep this user Fenrisulfr22 You can get this one from Amazon
Feb 9, 2012 6:17am | report Body Stats ht: 5'11" wt: 250 lbs bf: 18.0% Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user raulenrique great article.but .If you want drastic changes you have to train if you were goin to defend your title
Article Rated: 0 Feb 8, 2012 9:22pm | report Body Stats ht: 5'7" wt: 164 lbs bf: 6.0% Permalink Rep Power: 10
rep this user raulenrique great article.but .If you want drastic changes you have to train if you were goin to defend your title
Article Rated: 0 Feb 8, 2012 9:22pm | report Body Stats ht: 5'7" wt: 164 lbs bf: 6.0% Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user TheDarkHorse77 Great Article. Gonna have to pick this book up...
Article Rated: 0 Feb 9, 2012 6:31am | report Body Stats ht: 5'10" wt: 198.2 lbs bf: 13.0% Permalink Rep Power: 10
rep this user Rezart This is the best book on strength training, and is essential to anybody who is lifting weights (whether an athlete, or a casual person looking to get big and strong). The review by Matt is spot on.
I have followed the SS program, and it changed the way I train, with great results. The book illustrates the big 5 exercises, the way you should be doing them, plus the useful assistance exercises, and presents the SS novice program.
Suggest it to anyone. You won't be disappointed.
Rep Power: -11275
rep this user ultimatefan Going to have to check this out!
Article Rated: 0 Feb 9, 2012 8:16am | report Body Stats ht: 6'1" wt: 235 lbs Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user scottmcwms Go buy this book if, (1) you want to get stronger, (2) you want to spend less time waiting for the adductor machine, (3) you want to see how many people do squats incorrectly.
I used to stay away from squats because they hurt my knees. I read this book and decided to give it one more try with his technique tips. He explained why my knees hurt and why his technique won't cause that pain (like he was watching me or something!). I haven't had a single day of knee or lower back pain since.
Article Rated: 0 Feb 9, 2012 1:34pm | report Body Stats ht: 5'11" wt: 208.8 lbs bf: 21.3% Permalink You, wrightbody, jackknife, and 4 others like this
Rep Power: 10
rep this user joosejpr I experienced the same, Scott. Great observation.
Feb 10, 2012 11:10am | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 228 lbs Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user jason087 i need this book
Article Rated: 10 Feb 9, 2012 1:55pm | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 206.8 lbs bf: 11.8% Permalink
Rep Power: 399972
rep this user byrnes1985 The human body isn't made to breakdown lactose from what i hear. true?
Article Rated: 0 Feb 9, 2012 8:06pm | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 220.8 lbs bf: 6.0% Permalink You, wrightbody, jackknife, and 4 others like this Rep Power: 10
rep this user joosejpr GOMAD isn't easy (to do or digest), but it is well worth it. I couldn't always afford it, but when I could, my soreness and recovery times went way down and my strength gains increased dramatically--even more than with regular protein supplements.
Feb 10, 2012 11:09am | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 228 lbs Permalink Rep Power: 2208
rep this user geokilla Did anything get changed from the 2nd version to 3rd version? According to this article, everything is the same.
Article Rated: 0 Feb 9, 2012 8:19pm | report Body Stats ht: 6'1" wt: 133 lbs Permalink You, wrightbody, jackknife, and 4 others like this Rep Power: 10
rep this user Rezart Yes, there is a complete rewrite of the book. There are some new cues, a much more clear and expanded mechanics section for every lift, better pictures, a very good explanation of the snatch (beyond the previous big 5 already explained), a clarification about diet etc. So even thought the author of this article took the photos from the 2nd Ed. there are many new improvements. I had the 2nd edition, and I bought the 3rd edition and I'm happy I did.
Feb 9, 2012 11:37pm | report Body Stats ht: 5'6" wt: 155 lbs bf: 15.0% Permalink Rep Power: 10
rep this user joosejpr Like Rezart, I own both as well... and am pleased with the additions to the 3rd edition.
Feb 10, 2012 11:13am | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 228 lbs Permalink
Rep Power: 14662
rep this user TigerBulk IMO this is a great book and program. I wish I would have had it (and followed it) years ago.
Article Rated: 0 Feb 10, 2012 8:37am | report Body Stats ht: 5'8" wt: 178.5 lbs bf: 14.0% Permalink Rep Power: 10
rep this user joosejpr This article nailed it. If you claim to be Christian, but don't read the Bible, it is a bit odd. If you claim to want to be stronger, and haven't read SS, equally as odd--This IS the Barbell Bible.
Article Rated: 0 Feb 10, 2012 11:12am | report Body Stats ht: 6'0" wt: 228 lbs Permalink
Rep Power: 10
rep this user EricG2006 I need to pick up this book! Great article!
Article Rated: 0 Feb 10, 2012 11:42am | report Body Stats ht: 5'11" wt: 165 lbs bf: 17.0% Permalink Showing 1 - 19 of 19 Comments Previous 1 Next .wicket-modal { padding:5px }.wicket-modal .w_content_1 { background-color:white } Featured Product
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