What Evidence Do We Have that Starting Strength Is the Best Out There?

[jklunder]

Why is Starting Strength better than all the thousands of other exercise programs out there.

I know Hypertrophy Max says it was the best program for muscle building.

Any way to prove that Starting Strength is better?

[ZeevOl]

This program simply allows the novice trainee to add weight to the bar every workout and is the most simple program that a novice trainee can do as a novice. The program includes the compound movments (squat, deadlift, bench press, press, chin-ups, power clean) and thats all. The novice progressing on those lifts and getting stronger faster than any other program out there because the novice accomulating enought stress so he can recover from and adapt to be able to increase next workout. Its not a supermarket program list as other programs suggest to novice trainee to begin with as:
3x10-12 biceps curls
20x8 leg press
...
Remember this: as a novice you want the most simple program you can do that allows you progress from workout to workout. Complexity waits until you not novice anymore.

Also read the Blue book as suggested by Rip

[wsmoran]

I know Hypertrophy Max says it was the best program for muscle building.

Nobody ever claimed it's the best for muscle building. It's not a muscle building program. It's a novice strength program. Apples/oranges. It's also not the best intermediate or advances strength program, because....it's a novice strength program. That being said, most people are novices.

[VNV]

I'd be interested to know if any other programs identify a novice phase, and if they do, do they specify it as well as SS: simple, complete, and scaleable.

[Squat1]

Take the individuals who go the gym and who have not progressed that well and then place them on Starting Strength or similar methods.

[Alexander Dargatz]

Why is Starting Strength better than all the thousands of other exercise programs out there.

what-is-starting-strength

I know Hypertrophy Max says it was the best program for muscle building.

Oh, okay then.
You know, EVERY OTHER bodybuilding program claims the same.
Coincidence?

[Mark E. Hurling]

Why is Starting Strength better than all the thousands of other exercise programs out there.

I know Hypertrophy Max says it was the best program for muscle building.

Any way to prove that Starting Strength is better?

Highlighted words above may indicate you have a loose lock on what SS is about.

The SS model is not about exercise, rather about lifting weights.

As pointed out by previous poster(s), SS is about getting stronger. Muscle building (body building?) is another beast.

IMO, the real genius of SS is less the programming, which seems to have you a bit fixated. Rather it is the model of how the lifts are best performed for beginners. Granted, as some few interested in specialization and peak performance in some strength sports may want to or perhaps think they need to modify the model as described in the blue books.

[danomite!]

Highlighted words above may indicate you have a loose lock on what SS is about.

The SS model is not about exercise, rather about lifting weights.

As pointed out by previous poster(s), SS is about getting stronger. Muscle building (body building?) is another beast.

IMO, the real genius of SS is less the programming, which seems to have you a bit fixated. Rather it is the model of how the lifts are best performed for beginners. Granted, as some few interested in specialization and peak performance in some strength sports may want to or perhaps think they need to modify the model as described in the blue books.

Spot on Mark. I would add that SS is also about the structure required to build strength. Get your lifting technique down, eat, sleep, add weight, repeat. For many people new to lifting or those that just screw around in the gym the SS model provides a structured pathway to follow.

[wsmoran]

I'd be interested to know if any other programs identify a novice phase, and if they do, do they specify it as well as SS: simple, complete, and scaleable.

Plenty do. Stronglifts 5x5 is a novice program. Juggernaut Training has a novice program. There are a ton but there, but none are layed out in detail as well as SS. None go nearly in depth on proper form. None go into what determines if a lifter is a Novice/Intermediate/Advanced lifter but they do specify if their program is novice, intermediate, or advanced and give programs for all 3 stages. None go into how to program intermediate or advanced programming, just give a template. And none yield high enough results to rival SS.....that doesn't make them bad, just suboptimal....or less good....

[Erik Y]

This is where I realize that Hypertrophy Max is the name of a bodybuilding template and not a guy named Max with a weird brand.