Alternative to Starting Strength

[frasersteen]

Don't get me wrong, I love this program and see good strength gains. However although my lits are respectable for the amount I have lifted (6 months 340 DL 250 squat 210 Bench 175 OHP 200 Power Clean), my fitness is shocking.

I have problems with my feet so doing cardio outside the gym is not as easy as going for a run, for this reason I would like to be doing my cardio after my workouts (ideally some kind of interval training).

Coach Ripp basically says not to do any kind or cardio ever on pain of not adding any weight to the bar.

Can anyone suggest a good (semi)novice program incorporating the big 3 and olly lifts (I love the lifts in SS) that I can do some cardio after?

Or should I just "**** with the program" and do it anyway?

I would like to avoid doing cardio on separate days if possible.

[Atavis]

Just do it anyways.

[frasersteen]

Just do it anyways.

Repped for the zero bull**** answer

[darinaldi]

At a certain point people need to learn how to tweak things to find what's best for them instead of blindly following a program. Just say f*ck it and do the cardio, and then evaluate your progress in a few weeks and adjust your program parameters if necessary.

[FastCatChamp]

At a certain point people need to learn how to tweak things to find what's best for them instead of blindly following a program. Just say f*ck it and do the cardio, and then evaluate your progress in a few weeks and adjust your program parameters if necessary.

The people that should tweak and say f*uck it are trainees that have years of experience and have made it past beginner and intermediate levels.

I agree that trainees should not blindly follow a program. Programs should be chosen based on the trainees goals and ability.

When trainees do not have clear goals and continually tweak their program they end up making very little progress.

[Kirra]

Try doing cardio, if your strenght stalls, drop it.

[DanielBeauchamp]

If your goal is size+strength, cardio won't help too much.

You could try a less advanced version of Bill Starr's 5x5 programs, if you like:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5

[thomaslux]

Try doing cardio, if your strenght stalls, drop it.

^^^this. cardiovascular fitness is fantastic to have. if it's important to you, then try it out.

[frasersteen]

Thanks for the usefull responses peeps, much appreciated

[rdferguson]

Another option is supersetting. In all probability, you get a little bit of cardiovascular work from your squats, deadlifts and powercleans since there's so much body mass used in each exercise. It's most likely during bench and press that you lose whatever cardiovascular effect may be present in your session, so you could try supersetting bench with rows, and press with chin ups, for example.

At OP, does Rip really say not to do cardio ever? If it's in the book, then I must have glazed over it. But seeing as the program appears to primarily be an introduction to strength and conditioning for athletes and coaches, I find it hard to believe he'd be flat-out against cardio, seeing as most athletes need some form of cardiovascular fitness to survive in their sport. Besides, with the wealth of knowledge and experience I sincerely hope he has, Rip probably knows that cardio does not equal weight loss. It can be a tool for weight loss, but if you have your nutrition organised for growth and do your cardio sensibly (key word: SENSIBLY), I think this is a fairly minimal risk.

[mac520]

Traditional cardio is much less useful than people think. The best forms of "cardio" are either long, slow walks or short, intense sprints. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/

[ZoranM]

Don't get me wrong, I love this program and see good strength gains. However although my lits are respectable for the amount I have lifted (6 months 340 DL 250 squat 210 Bench 175 OHP 200 Power Clean), my fitness is shocking.

I have problems with my feet so doing cardio outside the gym is not as easy as going for a run, for this reason I would like to be doing my cardio after my workouts (ideally some kind of interval training).

Coach Ripp basically says not to do any kind or cardio ever on pain of not adding any weight to the bar.

Can anyone suggest a good (semi)novice program incorporating the big 3 and olly lifts (I love the lifts in SS) that I can do some cardio after?

Or should I just "**** with the program" and do it anyway?

I would like to avoid doing cardio on separate days if possible.

PPl were lifting weights before "coach Ripp",all were beginers once.
And the results were there.U wanna do cardio,do it.You do not blindly have to follow a program,especially the one that doesnt agree with your goals.

[DCSpartan]

where in Starting Strength does he say to never do cardio? lol!

[zephed56]

Don't go overboard with the cardio as you'll quickly peter out on your progress on your lifts. Unless of course you don't care about that. Other than that I'd just recommend progressing at a slower rate, maybe transition to the advanced novice program now so you only have to squat heavy twice a week.

[newequation]

where in Starting Strength does he say to never do cardio? lol!

I doubt that it does and I think it would be foolish not to. However, he has advised to keep cardio to a minimum so as to ensure enough calories are available for growth.