Too out of shape for Starting Strength?

[RVD]

Hey, Rip. I guess I'll start with my stats first. I'm 33 years old, 5 foot 7 inches, and 223 pounds. My waist is about 40-41 inches. I estimate I should really lose approximately 40 pounds of fat. Not too strong for my size. I can Bench about 150lbs. x 10-12 reps. Best Squat was 13 x 170lbs. (no belt).

Anyhow, I think my problem is that my work capacity is just terrible. For instance, I could start the routine in Starting Strength with about half the weight I am capable of using, and I wouldn't last more than a week! I've even had problems with routines that were very similar to yours, but only 2 days per week. I would start light and try to be conservative with my poundage increases. And yet, I would burn out within about 3-4 weeks. When I say "burn out", I mean headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, can't sleep well, etc. I've literally been through this several times now, and didn't really get anywhere, didn't even get a chance to lift heavy.

Please don't get me wrong. I can certainly push myself very hard, but it was always on a routine that was very low volume/frequency (like 1 set per exercise, training less than 2x per week).

My question is, other than trying to ease my way into the Starting Strength routine with ultra light weights, is there something that I could do to bring myself up to speed? Someone even suggested that I should forget about lifting weights for 2-3 months, and focus exclusively on cardio. I have access to plenty of cardio equipment at my gym, and I can also run/walk if you need me to. Although, I would like to keep lifting if possible. So, what would you suggest?

Thanks.

[Mark Rippetoe]

They exists a weight at which you can start each of the exercises in the program, although they may be very light. And there also exists an increment by which each of those weights can be increased each workout, although it may be very small. But the laws of physiology apply to you just like they do to everybody else. You will adapt to stress applied in a linear progression, and it may take longer than for other people but it will occur. The only reason it would not occur is the presence of a profound metabolic disorder like uncontrolled diabetes or muscular dystrophy. The only reason it would occur more slowly than for others is the presence of profoundly terrible genetics, or a failure on your part to eat and rest correctly. Other than that, get busy.