Starting Strength Review: A Solid Beginner Routine For Muscle Building

As a beginner it is important to follow a weight lifting routine designed for building a strong foundation of strength and muscle mass. Since thousands of weight lifting books and articles exist, the novice lifter has a countless number of workouts from which to choose. Unfortunately only a handful are truly effective while the remainder are merely recipes for frustration and disappointment. Starting Strength, a book written by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, offers a simple yet effective weight lifting routine based upon fundamental compound movements that have withstood the test of time. Detailed instructions and illustrations within the pages teach beginners proper exercise form as required for optimal results. Also available is the Starting Strength DVD for further assistance.

Workout #1
Squat 3x5
Bench Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Workout #2
Squat 3x5
Standing Military Press 3x5
Power Clean 3x5

The weight lifting routine above is performed 3 days a week (typically on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in an alternating sequence. The intended goal is to gradually increase overall strength and muscle mass every workout by adding 5-15LB to squats and deadlifts and 2.5-5LB to all other movements. Because most gyms only offer weight plates as low as 2.5LB, it may be necessary to experiment with chains and other apparatus when aiming for a total weight increase of 2.5LB. Because squats are performed 3 days a week it is normal to feel sore in the legs for the first couple weeks until the body has adapted to the program. Another common scenario is that some lifters prefer not to perform power cleans either due to injury or complexity of the movement. Although it is recommended that power cleans be used, bent-over rows are an adequate substitute and will not compromise overal results in any way. Starting Strength offers an effective routine that can be followed for a lengthy period of time (6 months to a year or until linear progress stops) and almost anyone can benefit from the wisdom within its pages.