Retcon Edition

Starting Strength Weekly Report

July 22, 2024

On Starting Strength

Training Hard for When Hard Times Get Harder – Rip discusses how strength training not only makes you more resilient but also enhances your ability to endure hard things. You become self-sufficient and better equipped to handle the difficult situations life throws at you.
The Barbell Row by Carl Raghavan – You should drop the barbell row like a bad habit. It’s a lift that has been beaten to death, and by now it’s best left to the bodybuilders. Why, you ask? Below is my case...
Deadlift Bar Lowering Tips – New lifters often lower the bar very slowly when deadlifting. Avoid the common mistake of lowering the bar too slowly or letting go of it. Instead, lower it quickly but under control.
How to Position Your Shoulders for the Bench Press – Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers demonstrates the correct shoulder position for the bench press and why it matters.
Finishing the Snatch – Rip gives a useful explanation of how to properly lock out the power snatch. Dropping under the bar, rather than pulling the bar up.
Weekend Archives: Maybe You Are a Special Snowflake by John F. Musser – You made the decision to be strong. Perhaps your original goal was weight loss, or some vague idea of needing exercise, maybe you simply wanted to look and feel better...
Weekend Archives: Pajama Boy Redux: The Male in Modern Society by Mark Rippetoe – The route from Beowulf to Pajama Boy has been a very long downhill slide. Popular culture has always shaped our standards and expectations, then as well as now...

In the Trenches

andrew teaches leg drive by blocking the shoulders in the bench press

Andrew Lewis blocks the torso so Kyle can learn how to use leg drive effectively in the bench at the Press & Bench Press Training Camp held at Starting Strength Indianapolis. [photo courtesy of Alisa Jerz]

andrew hands off a bench press at the press training camp

Andrew demonstrating an appropriate, mixed-grip hand off in the bench press during the training camp he led this past weekend at Starting Strength Indianapolis. [photo courtesy of Alisa Jerz]

training session at starting strength atlanta

Members smile more at 6:00 am when apprentice coach Orlando Rodriguez is in the room at Starting Strength Atlanta. Orlando smiles more at 6:00 am when there is coffee ready. When you’re big, and strong, and amicable, very few people will even notice if you wear sweats in the Hotlanta summertime. [photo courtesy of Adam Martin]

sean at the bottom of a squat at starting strength katy

Sean Granier drops it low at Starting Strength Katy. [photo courtesy of Josh Wells]

Amit Patel locks out a new deadlift PR single of 315 lb at Starting Strength Boston. [photo courtesy of Michael Shammas]

collage of siblings training at testify strength and conditioning in omaha

Siblings Samuel, Athena, and Noah (left to right) finish up their week of training on Friday morning at Testify Strength & Conditioning in Omaha, NE. [photo courtesy of Mike Sharp]

tom curling at starting strength atlanta

Yeah. You can do some curls. Tom White adds a stretch reflex at the bottom, and shoulder flexion at the top, to his curls at Starting Strength Atlanta. [photo courtesy of Adam Martin]

group photo of starting strength houston's thursday evening session

Starting Strength Houston's Thursday 5:45pm session. [photo courtesy of JD Shipley]

group photo of member get together for starting strength cincinnati

Over 90 members of the Starting Strength Cincinnati community got together this past weekend to spend some time together outside of the gym. [photo courtesy of March First Brewing and Distilling]

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Best of the Week

Haven't been to the gym in years

kins

Hi there. I used to follow Starting Strength but I got old and lazy. Now at this time I'm told I need a new hip. The doctor showed me the x-rays and I currently have zero Cartilage between my hips. I did some work rehabbing or whatever with some nurse. Helped slightly. Have to go back to the gym but my hip slips out of place at awkward times and I wouldn't want it slipping during squats. I'll just be walking and it'll shift and slip out of place and I have to catch myself or I will fall down. I'm turning 52 in a few weeks. I've needed a new hip for over a year now. Lost a lot of fat because I need to lose fat also because my blood pressure is way too high. My blood pressure has been so high over the years that now I've been diagnosed with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney disease. My kidney only currently works at 60% and it doesn't get any better. So how could I even build much muscle if my kidneys can't handle the protein? I've been told by some that I shouldn't be eating much protein because of my disease. I've also been told the opposite. Also started and have been on a low carb/keto diet and lost a lot of fat. So I'm not young and healthy but Starting Strength I thought was more intended for youngsters that are very healthy. Personally I think your book for older lifters might be something I should follow instead. Still don't want my hip to slip in the middle of squats. Plus how can I even build much muscle at this age and with this disease. Guess I just came on here to bitch and get some answers. What do you think? Am I just a lazy fat fuck? Or are these legitimate concerns?

Mark Rippetoe

Worry about all this shit after your hip is replaced. Do that NOW.

Best of the Forum

Outhouse Experiences - Pros and Cons

Chiaki Nitya

So I get my septic pumped about once a year, and this last time it got me thinking about when I was a kid going to the Civil War battlefields and seeing the commodes they used with the corn cobs... why not just build one out back? Has anyone here ever built an outhouse and used it regularly? I figure as long as it's not close to the well, I should be able to use it pretty much year round, maybe pour some kerosene down there twice a year and do a burn? Any experiences or pros/cons?

Mark Rippetoe

The Code Enforcement people will not like that. Neither will the plumbers.

heinz83

Haven't you seen Unforgiven? Outhouses are where people get murdered.

stef

What about a composting toilet instead? Have you looked into any of those options?

Chiaki Nitya

This may seem strange, but those actually gross me out. A buddy of mine had one in his detached garage and I just couldn't use it. For whatever reason a rustic looking wooden outhouse over a fairly deep hole just seems easier and cleaner. Re: septic, the septic guy did recommend putting brewer's yeast down there once a year to help the breakdown of everything, I may try that too.

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