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What I’m doing

Starting Strength uses a few fundamentals lifts that will make you big, strong, and keep you safe in the weight room.

nico, rico, and gelatoI’m eating gelato, sometimes.

I’m not trying to be the next world champion bodybuilder, but having more muscle and functional strength is handy. So if you aren’t defending your Mr Olympia title, you shouldn’t be training like one.”

My neighbor has been doing lots of calisthenics but hasn’t put on much weight though he’s gotten stronger. So we’re doing more weight less frequently according to a time-tested, simple program.

Mark Rippatoe said that, “Strong people are more useful and harder to kill.” He’s been successfully training people for a long time boiling it down to something he calls Starting Strength.

Starting Strength uses a few fundamentals lifts that will make you big, strong, and keep you safe in the weight room.

Workout A

3 x 5 (sets x reps) Squat
3 x 5 Bench Press
1 x 5 Deadlift
2 x 8 Dips

Workout B

3 x 5 Squat
3 x 5 Standing military press
3 x 5 Rows (or power cleans)
2 x 8 Chin-ups

It’s simple – do ABA one week, then BAB the next, and repeat.

Spelling it out, on week one, do workout A on Monday, workout B on Tuesday, and workout A  on Friday. Then the next week, do workout b on Monday, workout A on Tuesday, and workout B  on Friday. Follow this pattern every two weeks.

Warm up with a few sets of squats before doing the “work sets.” Make sure to rest about 5 minutes between each set to be fresh for the next set.

Add at least 2.5 pounds each week. You’ll be able to add more in your first few weeks. When you get to the point where you can’t add weight, take a week off. Begin again after your week off at a lower weight.

Eat a lot, because you’re building muscle.

Don’t go to the gym on rest days, let your muscles recuperate. Starting Strength was designed as a three-day routine to provide recovery time. You’re squatting three times a week, which is plenty.

That’s it. If you want to bore down into it more, Mark Rippatoe has a book called “Starting Strength.”