No Place Edition

Starting Strength Weekly Report

April 24, 2023

On Starting Strength

When You Shouldn't Gain Weight, Twinks, and Difficult Training Schedules – Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans.
Inna Talks About Her Rack – Starting Strength Coach Inna Koppel explains how to set up your rack for squats and goes over some safety tips.
A New Definition for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe – What exactly is “strength training”? This is a legitimate question, because the internet seems to think that anything more strenuous than billiards...
Yes, Go The Hell In! by Amanda Sheppard – You might be asking yourself what the question could be that results in the answer, “Yes, go the hell in...
Power Clean Teaching Progression Breakdown – Starting Strength Coach John Dowdy breaks down the points of the power clean teaching progression to help you get started when you add it to your program.
Weekend Archives: Want to Get Published on StartingStrength.com? by stef bradford – Starting Strength accepts articles and videos on strength training and related topics from coaches and lifters. Every week...
Weekend Archives: Tactile Cues and Coaching by Mark Rippetoe – I've noticed a problem recently. I don't know if it's been there all along, or if something has changed within popular culture that has severely encumbered an already difficult task...

In the Trenches

starting strength gyms group picture at the april seminar

Starting Strength Gyms coaches, owners, and apprentices assemble for a group photo at the recent Starting Strength Seminar. Puppy Jade joins in. [photo courtesy of Inna Koppel]

camisha presses at the starting strength seminar

Camisha Noble, an apprentice coach at Starting Strength Cincinnati, presses at April Starting Strength seminar. She's coached on this set by Bruce Trout, an apprentice coach at the Columbus gym. [photo courtesy of Inna Koppel]

rip and brent sample beers in a blind taste test

Rip and Brent Carter do a beer blind taste test for an upcoming video on the Starting Strength Network after hours during the Starting Strength Seminar weekend. Attendees made up the studio audience for the shoot. [photo courtesy of Ptacek]

aatish deadlifts bodyweight at starting strength austin

Under the watchful eye of Mark Diffley, Aatish deadlifts over bodyweight after one month at Starting Strength Austin. [photo courtesy of Ethan Bynon]

john haun locks out a press in his memphis gym

John Haun stoically warming up his press during the afternoon session at Starting Strength Memphis. [photo courtesy of Bre Hillen]

Brittany sets a new PR with this 65 kg clean-and-jerk at Testify Strength & Conditioning in Omaha, NE. Brittany is gearing up for the annual Testify Barbell MAYhem weightlifting meet, which takes place on May 6th. [photo courtesy of Phil Meggers]

greg sets a squat pr as he works through a groin injury

Greg is rehabilitating a recent groin injury and just set a new squat PR of 225x3x5 at Starting Strength Boston. [photo courtesy of Stephen Babbitt]

group photo of a starting strength indianapolis pistol competition

Starting Strength Indianapolis members and family attended a pistol shooting competition together. Everyone had fun. Half of the attendees had never been to one before. [photo courtesy of Andrew Lewis]

Get Involved

Submit a question to Starting Strength Radio.
Got something to say about training? Submit an article or video for publication.
Submit your image to be featured In the Trenches.
Submit a question to Starting Strength Radio

Best of the Week

This is working.

Tiff

What is your experience with female trainees that are programmed heavy squat doubles on volume days?

I am a 40-year-old, intermediate lifter. I have recently switched from 5 sets of 3 triples to 8 sets of doubles. I have found I can keep driving the weight up without failure past what I can if I continue with triples. Is this due to poor form/fatigue on the 3rd rep, or work capacity in the context of female neuromuscular efficiency- I don’t know. It makes for a long training session, but it’s a successful one.

I should mention that I lift in the 57 kg weight class in the CPU. I do not have a penis and I do not juice.

Mark Rippetoe

If you're asking about my personal experience coaching this, it's been a while. I'll get Nick to respond.

Nick Delgadillo

I don't suggest changing anything if it's working, but I'd expect that you'll have to move to an actual volume day one day of the week. I don't ever program triples or less for volume day because it just takes too long and doesn't offer any additional benefit if you're doing intensity day correctly. Volume day is 5x5 just like it is for guys. Going to lower reps is important for high intensity stress due to the neuromuscular situation and needing a heavier weight, but it doesn't make any sense to stay at triples for any "offset" from high intensity. Remember that as intensity decreases, the number of reps you can do as a female lifter can go way up.

So let's say you're squatting 225 for a bunch of heavy singles on intensity day. You (as a female) can do 205 for sets of 5, or probably even sets of 8 or more. So it adds nothing to break up your volume work into sets of 3 or 2 because it just takes longer.

Best of the Forum

Is it time to incorporate a light squat day?

aschaul10

5'10", 210 lbs, 27yo. Been doing the program for 2.5 months. Starting weight was ~185. Squat is at 300, and I've jumped 5 lbs every workout (a few bigger jumps early on as I started with just the bar).

I don't see myself hitting a wall on the squat in the next few weeks, as I haven't had any issues other than the fact that they are just getting harder. However, does this seem like a good time to incorporate a "light" squat day in the middle of the week? I'm a little torn on this one. On one hand, I think I can probably handle 3 jumps a week for another couple of weeks, however I've definitely noticed my recovery hasn't been as great lately (just not sleeping as well, more tired in general, but lifts still progressing fine).

On another note, I'm worried I backed off 10 lbs jumps too early on my deadlift and went to 5 lbs. My deadlift is only 20 lbs heavier than my squat right now. Should that factor into the decision at all?

Should I keep pushing the squat heavy 3x a week, or backoff to Heavy on M & F and ~80% on W?

Mark Rippetoe

You didn't start by doing the actual program, which does not start with the empty bar. This has created the SQ/DL discrepancy.

aschaul10

You are correct. I should clarify, I started "lifting on my own program" with the bar, and after a month of messing around actually started the program. In reality, when I officially started the SS program, I was squatting 145 and DL 195.

Mark Rippetoe

Next time you deadlift go to 355 x 5 and see what happens.

From the Coaches

Are there any supplements worth taking? Robert and Trent discuss the industry and the few that can give an edge to those who already have training and diet in place.
Want to get your squat moving in the right direction? Of course you do. In this video, Phil Meggers covers three simple and quick ways to improve your squat.
This squat mistake either makes you look ignorant or like you're compensating for something. Either way, it's not a good look. Phil Meggers helps you fix it in this short video.
This error is wreaking havoc on your press . . . and driving me nuts," says Phil Meggers. Learn to correct it quickly and permanently in Testify's weekly article.
In this episode of the PRS Podcast, Eric Helms shares his story of hip pain and surgery to get back under the bar and hit lifetime PRs.
Rori Alter and her co-host share four cases of shoulder tightness resulting in adductor injuries that might have been avoided if the shoulder issue had been addressed.