Articles | history


Mark Rippetoe | May 31, 2023

A picture of a big bodybuilder's arms communicates to you the idea that your arms can and must be made to look like that. Ditto pecs, quads, delts, and of course abz. But the way the bodybuilder's arms got big is not the way you or anybody else actually uses their arms. Strength is improved through an increase in force production capacity within the movement patterns normal to our musculoskeletal anatomy. 

Continue reading


Jim Moser | April 05, 2023

I am very saddened to report the passing of Lee James. Lee passed away at age 69 on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Lee was a great weightlifter and a more impressive person. Lee is often referred to as America's last great weightlifter. Lee James’s silver medal at the 1976 Olympics is part of his great legacy. This was not the end of his weightlifting accomplishments, but the start of his quest to be one of the best weightlifters in the world. 

Continue reading


Jim Moser | June 08, 2021

"[S]tarr mentions training at Fielder's Shed. The shed was located at Fielder's Dairy Farm, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I was living in Towson, Maryland at the time, and it was a good one-hour drive on winding back roads through rural Maryland." 

Continue reading


Mark Rippetoe | November 04, 2020

As the old saying goes, and it indicates the timelessness of good ideas. Starting Strength takes advantage of good ideas, like basic barbell exercises and arithmetic. We didn't invent either one, but we are the first to actually explain their most efficient and effective use in strength training. And with most simple, obvious, and neglected things, our approach has been criticized. Of course. 

Continue reading


Mark Rippetoe | April 10, 2019

Dr. Ken Leistner passed away unexpectedly last Saturday morning at his home in Valley Stream, Long Island. For decades Ken was an important contributor to Powerlifting USA, the most important voice of the sport on the planet. Before the internet, PLUSA was our primary source of information about training, competition, and the athletes who comprised the cadre of the strongest men in the world. Ken was an integral part of every powerlifter's education. We were fortunate enough to have him write eight installments for this website, and as a memorial to him we will be running them daily this week. I was lucky enough to edit them as they came in, and it was more fun for me to read Ken's work as the first to see it than you can ever imagine.

Continue reading




Starting Strength Weekly Report

Highlights from the StartingStrength Community. Browse archives.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.