Training Log | fundamentals

Starting Strength in the Real World


by Mark Rippetoe | March 13, 2024

We don't use the barbell curl in the standard program because there are better uses for gym time for the typical novice, intermediate, or advanced trainee. But for a specific demographic they are very useful: older trainees with a stability deficit can benefit from barbell curls, since even light weights can challenge their ability to stabilize a dynamic movement with isometric muscle action. And this carries over to the other exercises, and to daily tasks.

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by Jim Steel | March 05, 2024

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been inspired by stories of toughness and courage. Athletes have inspired me. The Arturo Gatti/Mickey Ward trilogy never fails to motivate me – two warriors who had no quit in them. Jack Youngblood played in the NFC Championship game and Superbowl with a broken leg...

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by Mark Rippetoe | February 20, 2024

“What should I be squatting?” – or deadlifting, or pressing, or benching is a very common concern among novice lifters. To an extent it's a valid concern, because everybody wants to know how they're doing, and the weight on the bar is the only valid way to judge strength training progress. 

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by Jim Steel | January 30, 2024

The problem with my “relationship” with training is that I don’t have a choice about whether I train or not. As soon as I wake up in the morning,usually lying in bed, there is a nagging voice in my head to train: “Train. You must train.

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by Mark Rippetoe | January 16, 2024

The basic rule of pulling a heavy weight off the floor is that the lifter/barbell system must be in balance. This means that the mass of the lifter/barbell system – and thus the weight of the load moving up – must be evenly divided forward and behind the balance point, the middle of the foot. If the weight is heavy enough, it will not be a completed deadlift if the mass is not centered over the middle of the foot. 

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