Defenestration Edition

Starting Strength Weekly Report

July 24, 2023

On Starting Strength

Assistance Lifts, Broken Scapula, and Clavicle Pain – Rip answers questions from Starting Strength Network subscribers and fans.
Novice Linear Progression For Women – Ray Gillenwater walks through some examples of how the Novice Linear Progression may look different for women, including how set and rep schemes might change early on.
Engineer, SSC, SS Gym Owner, Andrew Lewis – Ray Gillenwater talks to the owner of Starting Strength Indianapolis, Andrew Lewis, about upcoming gym updates, insights from his training logbooks, and how training helped tremendously with his depression.
Sleep by Mark Rippetoe – Remember when you were little and went to bed and woke up the next morning without once having to get up to pee and then try to figure out how to go back sleep...
Personal Records by Jim Moser – If you want to set more personal records in your barbell training program, or if you want to be successful at your next weightlifting contest, this article is for you...
Weekend Archives: Strength Training for Golf by Nick D'Agostino – If a sport’s performance has a strength component, then training for that sport will evolve over time, driven by competition within the sport, to include strength training...
Weekend Archives: The Minimum Effective Dose of Training by Mark Rippetoe – In his famous 2011 essay, Jonathon Sullivan MD PhD observed quite correctly that Barbell Training is Big Medicine. Other people...

In the Trenches

anjali at the start middle and end of a deadlift set

Anjali sets up and pulls 83 kg for a set of five to wrap up her evening training session at Testify Strength & Conditioning in Omaha, NE. [photo courtesy of Phil Meggers]

kevin meyers deadlifting at a starting strength camp

At the Long Island Deadlift and Power Clean Camp coach-in-training Kevin Meyers deadlifts as his son observes. Secure a spot in our Oct 21 NY Workshop For Personal Trainers, with 7 CEUs on offer. Exclusive discounts for fitness professionals. [photo courtesy of Inna Koppel]

michael shammas explains the benefits of strength training at a starting strength boston open house

SSC Michael Shammas explains the benefits of strength training at Starting Strength Boston’s most recent Open House. Anyone can come by to see the gym, ask questions, and learn how to deadlift for free. [photo courtesy of Arthur Frontczak]

Kiran locks out the last rep of a deadlift PR at Starting Strength Cincinnati. [photo courtesy of Chris Reis]

starting strength boston celebrates their two year anniversary in the park

Coaches, members, and their dogs went to the park last Saturday for Starting Strength Boston’s summer meetup. The weather was perfect to celebrate the gym’s 2-year birthday! [photo courtesy of Arthur Frontczak]

brooke shutting her eyes between sets at starting strength cincinnati

Brooke is one of Starting Strength Cincinnati's youngest members. She takes resting between sets to a whole new level. [photo courtesy of Chris Reis]

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Best of the Week

Barbell Training White Paper

[email protected]

Coach, I am currently attending Master Leader Course for the Army (required for promotion to MSG/E8). One of our assignments is to write a white paper. One of the available topics is Army fitness. I am considering writing about the inadequacy of our holistic health and fitness doctrine and how barbell training would be superior in preparing Soldiers for the ACFT and as a foundation for advanced fitness, Army specific. Do you have any references, other than the blue and gray books you'd recommend to support the superiority of barbell training? Holistic health and fitness doctrine is very "functional training based."

Mark Rippetoe

Sorry, no. You'll find a paucity of work done in this topic, and we may be your only decent source.

Best of the Forum

one permanently bent elbow

Rgjujitsu

Hi Mark, I am 6' 247 lbs 47 years old. I have been training for almost 2 years. I'm the guy that lost 200 lbs using your program and weight loss surgery and zero cardio. I'd like to continue to deadlift without straps (last 1rm was 415), but I have an issue. Hook grip is beginning to get difficult to maintain and I can't alternate grip because my one elbow doesn't straighten even close to all the way, so the bar is at an angle to my shins. Have you ever encountered this before?

Mark Rippetoe

Just go ahead and use straps. That's what straps are for. Deadlift Grip Adjustments

Rgjujitsu

Thanks will do. Have you ever come across this issue? If so, ever seen it fixed?

Mark Rippetoe

Your elbow? Bones get denser and bigger, but joints don't straighten out if the problem is bony morphology.

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