book/dvd question

[John Doe]

Hi everyone, I'm highly interested in purchasing Starting Strength. I know the book gets endless praise, but I hate reading. I would like to know if purchasing the DVD would be good enough for a beginner who has never touched a barbell such as myself.

Thanks and don't murder me for my silly question.

[sedition]

Judging by your name, I imagine the SS (community) already knocked down your door, dismembered you and spread your remains in the woods for the wolves to take care of. The only thing that remains is your underdeveloped lower body with a note carved into your skin 'Squat. Drink Milk. Repeat.' A clear message to everyone that dare asks said question again.

[brianb]

Hi everyone, I'm highly interested in purchasing Starting Strength. I know the book gets endless praise, but I hate reading. I would like to know if purchasing the DVD would be good enough for a beginner who has never touched a barbell such as myself.

Thanks and don't murder me for my silly question.

This makes me sad.

[LimieJosh]

The DVD is excellent, but it should be used as a supplement to the book. It is nowhere close to having the same detail on what you need to be trying to accomplish with form. It's great for reinforcing what the end product is supposed to look like, but the book is more important.

[God of Thunder]

Book first, then the DVD. The book is pretty easy to read and the info is easy to comprehend.

After that you should only need to go back to the DVD to 'top up' your knowledge on how to do the exercises.

GoT

[John Doe]

Judging by your name, I imagine the SS (community) already knocked down your door, dismembered you and spread your remains in the woods for the wolves to take care of. The only thing that remains is your underdeveloped lower body with a note carved into your skin 'Squat. Drink Milk. Repeat.' A clear message to everyone that dare asks said question again.

I'm prepared for squats and GOMAD. And this is my first time here.

This makes me sad.

Oh well.

The DVD is excellent, but it should be used as a supplement to the book. It is nowhere close to having the same detail on what you need to be trying to accomplish with form. It's great for reinforcing what the end product is supposed to look like, but the book is more important.

Thanks, I might just end up buying both.

Book first, then the DVD. The book is pretty easy to read and the info is easy to comprehend.

After that you should only need to go back to the DVD to 'top up' your knowledge on how to do the exercises.

GoT

Thanks.

[MazdaMatt]

Buy both. Even if you have reading issues (slow reader, poor comprehension) you'll still gain from owning both. Watch the DVD so you know what he's talking about and keep the book in your reading room (the shitter) and try your best to plough through it.

Sometimes I like to watch a movie before I read the book it was made from so that I have a clear picture of what's going on while I'm reading it.

[jerji]

I think the primary function of the DVD for me was to establish more of a hierarchy of importance. In the book, I got the impression that everything was equally important but you can see what Rip thinks is more important for different trainees on the DVD by what he chooses to correct vs ignore.

[gzt]

You can probably figure it all out from the video. I would recommend reading SOMETHING Rip has written about the squat, if only his short article about it (try to find it somewhere with google), since sometimes an explanation is worth 1000 pictures... If you don't like reading, I think the book is still valuable. Skim and use it as a reference for something that isn't working right. Plus, it's well-written, so you might find it interesting once you hop in. So here's the advice if you really don't want to use the book: find the short article about the squat (and other lifts), watch the video, try it out, and if you have further questions that those don't answer, consider getting the book.