Starting Strength
The Book That Taught a Generation to Squat
In 2005, a strength coach from Wichita Falls, Texas published a book called Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. It was not the first book about lifting weights. It was, arguably, the first book that explained why the barbell movements work the way they do -- biomechanics, force production, leverage -- in enough detail that a complete novice could learn to lift correctly from text alone.
Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength became the default recommendation for anyone who had never touched a barbell. Twenty years later, it still is.
The program is almost aggressively simple. Five exercises. Two workouts. Three days per week. Add weight every session. That is the entire system.
How It Works
Two workouts alternate across three training days per week, typically Monday/Wednesday/Friday:
| Workout A | Workout B | |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 | Squat 3x5 | Squat 3x5 |
| Exercise 2 | Bench Press 3x5 | Overhead Press 3x5 |
| Exercise 3 | Deadlift 1x5 | Power Clean 5x3 |
Week 1: A - B - A Week 2: B - A - B Week 3: A - B - A (and so on)
The squat appears in every session. This is not an accident. Rippetoe considers the squat the single most important exercise in barbell training -- it trains more muscle mass through a larger range of motion than any other movement. You squat every time you enter the gym. No exceptions.
The bench press and overhead press alternate between Workout A and Workout B, so each gets trained roughly 1.5 times per week. The deadlift appears in Workout A (1 set of 5 -- it is that taxing). The power clean appears in Workout B (5 sets of 3 -- the lower reps reflect the explosive, technique-dependent nature of the lift).
The Novice Linear Progression
This is the core of Starting Strength and the reason it works so well for beginners.
Every session, you add weight:
- Squat: +5 lbs / 2.5 kg per session
- Bench Press: +5 lbs / 2.5 kg per session
- Overhead Press: +5 lbs / 2.5 kg per session
- Deadlift: +10 lbs / 5 kg per session
- Power Clean: +5 lbs / 2.5 kg per session
A true novice can sustain this rate of progression for 3-6 months, sometimes longer. The math is worth doing. If you squat three times per week and add 5 lbs each time, that is 15 lbs per week. Over 12 weeks, that is 180 lbs (82 kg) added to your squat.
This is not hypothetical. It happens routinely. A novice male starting with a 95 lb (43 kg) squat can realistically be squatting 275 lbs (125 kg) within three to four months. This rate of adaptation is unique to beginners, which is why Rippetoe calls it the "novice linear progression" -- it is a window of rapid strength gain that every lifter goes through exactly once.
When you can no longer add weight every session, you are no longer a novice. Time for an intermediate program.
The Five Lifts
Starting Strength uses only five exercises. This is deliberate. Each lift trains the maximum amount of muscle mass possible through a full range of motion with a barbell:
Squat -- The foundation. Low-bar back squat, below parallel. Trains quads, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, and the entire posterior chain isometrically.
Bench Press -- The primary upper body push. Trains chest, anterior deltoids, and triceps.
Overhead Press -- The standing barbell press. Trains shoulders, triceps, and upper chest, plus the entire body works to stabilize the load overhead.
Deadlift -- The heaviest lift in the program. Trains the entire posterior chain: hamstrings, glutes, erectors, lats, traps, grip. One set of five because the systemic fatigue is enormous.
Power Clean -- The only explosive lift in the program. Trains the ability to apply force rapidly, which has carryover to athletics and general physical preparedness. Five triples (5x3) because the technique demands fresh reps.
There are no curls. No lateral raises. No leg extensions. If you want bigger arms, your biceps will grow from deadlifting and rowing (Rippetoe adds barbell rows in some program variants). Your triceps will grow from pressing. Isolation work is not prohibited, but it is not part of the core program.
Who Is This For?
Starting Strength is designed for exactly one population: people who have never systematically trained with a barbell. That includes:
- Complete beginners who have never lifted
- People returning to training after a long break
- Athletes in other sports who need a general strength base
- Anyone who has been doing machine-based or random gym work and wants to learn the barbell lifts properly
If you have been training seriously for more than 6-12 months and can no longer add weight to the bar every session, you have outgrown Starting Strength. Move to an intermediate program: Texas Method, 5/3/1, or a well-structured PPL.
The program also requires access to a barbell, a squat rack, and a bench. It cannot be modified for dumbbells or machines without losing what makes it work. If you train at a hotel gym with only dumbbells, this is not the program for you.
The Man Behind It
Mark Rippetoe is a former competitive powerlifter who opened the Wichita Falls Athletic Club in Texas and spent decades coaching beginners. His writing style is direct, opinionated, and frequently profane. He has strong views on squat depth, the uselessness of Smith machines, and the proper way to drink milk.
Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is now in its third edition (2011) and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The Starting Strength organization runs coaching certifications, operates gyms, publishes articles and podcasts, and maintains one of the most active strength training communities online.
Whether you agree with every one of Rippetoe's opinions or not -- and he has many -- the core program is remarkably effective. Millions of people have used it to go from "I have never squatted" to "I squat 300 lbs" in under a year. That track record speaks for itself.
Download
Download the .trn file and import it into the TRN app. Two workouts, five lifts, linear progression built in. The simplest effective program you will ever run.