Accumulation Edition - Starting Strength Weekly Report November 16, 2020

Starting Strength Weekly Report

November 16, 2020

On Starting Strength

The History of Starting Strength – It's story time with Mark Rippetoe as he discusses the origination of the Starting Strength method and how there really is nothing new under the sun.
Elbow Position for the Jerk – Level up your Olympic lifting with Phil Meggers as he describes what your elbows should be doing in the transition from the clean to the jerk.
Building Something Rather than Working for Someone – Jay Livsey, owner of Starting Strength Denver, discusses business ownership, the success of Starting Strength Gyms, and what it was like making the jump to entrepreneurship.
Top Shelf by John F Musser – It is a small pour for sure. Two ounces? Yup, very good bourbon. You've never drunk cheap. Treat yourself a bit, double it up. You can stop at just one, right?...
Weekend Archives: The Crux of the Argument by John Petrizzo – When examining which type of squat is the best choice for your training, it is important to understand why you are squatting in the first place...
Weekend Archives: The Most Important Aspect of Programming by Mark Rippetoe – If strength is the objective (and it should be for everybody), understanding the difference between Training and Exercising is fundamental to being an effective athlete and an effective coach...

From the Coaches

Sled (or prowler) workouts don't need to be complicated. In this video, Phil Meggers covers a few basic options for using a sled to do some effective conditioning.
In the deadlift, we want straight wrists, not bent wrists (i.e., not wrists that are in full extension). Phil Meggers discusses several reasons why bent wrists might just be ruining your deadlifts.

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In the Trenches

kassi stephens squatting wfac strengthlifting fall classic

Kassi Stephens squats at the 2020 WFAC Strengthlifting Fall Classic where she won Women’s Best Lifter. [photo courtesy of Nick Delgadillo]

chase lindley prepares for a 405 pound press attempt

Starting Strength Coach Chase Lindley prepares for his 405 lb press attempt at the meet this past Saturday. [photo courtesy of Nick Delgadillo]

stephen squatting at starting strength austin training camp

Stephen squats at last weekend's training camp at Starting Strength Austin. [photo courtesy of Angie Raizis]

gary working on knee position at the bottom of the squat

Gary works to perfect his knee position in the squat at the training camp in Austin. [photo courtesy of Angie Raizis]

anna marie oakes-joudy coaching the squat

Anna Marie Oakes-Joudy coaches Katie in the squat at a recent training camp in Washington.

Adam Fangman coaches a lifter on the deadlift at the Seattle event. [photo courtesy of Anna Marie Oakes-Joudy]

Meet Results

WFAC Strengthlifting Challenge

Best of the Week

Strength training after open heart surgery

crete

Hello guys. Had ascending aortic aneurysm. They did surgery in Dec 2017. I started strength training 1 year ago. It's been brought to my attention that might not be a good idea. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Mark Rippetoe

Was the repair successful?

crete

Absolutely Rip

Mark Rippetoe

Then what is he worried about?

crete

I think because the blood pressure rises when we try moving a heavy load? I've been training for a year and feel great, so i'm going to continue doing the program. Thank you for the input Rip.

Mark Rippetoe

The Valsalva & Stroke

mitchless

I seem to recall an early episode of Starting Strength Radio where a heart surgeon explained that the most stress your heart will ever be under is on his table. If you survived that, his opinion was to train away.

crete

All I've been hearing is to take it easy. Don't want to. Appreciate the advice. Train away, I will.

Best of the Forum

Rack pull

sweetmcghee

Rip, a question about your Olympic lifts podcast. You said someone who deadlifts 700 is stronger than some who clean and jerks 200. What about someone who rack pulls 1000? Are they stronger than the deadlifter and the o-lifter?

Mark Rippetoe

Maybe. But remember that the ROM of a rack pull is shorter.

sweetmcghee

And deadlift ROM is shorter than clean and jerk ROM.

Mark Rippetoe

Yes, it is.

Fatfacts25

If you can only deadlift 250 lbs. 200 lb clean will be real, real hard. A 250 lb clean just won’t happen. Ever! So if you can deadlift 700 lbs, a 200 lb clean will be easy and so will a 250 lb clean. A rack pull is an assistant exercise for deads. If you're loading up 1000lbs on it, you're doing it wrong. It’s also only meant to help you hold your back in extension. Maybe help get the ass through to the finish. I have limited experience with cleans but can still clean and jerk 225 lbs with the worst form this side of ever.

sweetmcghee

Maybe Rip can weigh in on this but I don't think a 1000 lb rack pull would be useless. Even if it's pulled with less ROM, the amount of force provided is immense and capable of a physiological adaptation. Or am I wrong?

Mark Rippetoe

Try them and report back.

Fatfacts25

Rack pulls won’t increase Jack. I’ve been there done that with dead’s. I did rack pulls for six weeks instead of dead’s. Dead’s went backwards. It will only help hold position, thereby indirectly helping dead’s go up because of better technique or addressed weaknesses. Yeah sure if you only add 20 lbs to your dead won’t help but if you add 100 of 200. That max clean just got easier off the floor. But with all that said, the clean must be trained in order for it to go up. Do dead’s help. Yes! Rack pulls. No! It’s too short a motion. Because it’s a short motion the weight gets inflated.