How long does it take to do Starting Strength?

[LinkMoto]

I seem to finish in 30 mins or less...I dunno if that is too low or what. I've done squats, bench press and deadlift with the small barbell and 5 pounds on each side. Should I increase the weights every week or so?

[abg]

It gets longer pretty quick. Make sure you are resting enough, too (3-4 minutes on average). That will contribute to how much weight you can lift. I was pretty quick my first few times in the gym doing SS. It quickly went up and I now take about 60-70 minutes. Probably half of that on squats alone.

[Kirra]

Please buy the book...

[LinkMoto]

But won't it be easier to get advice online? Or is there a printable version for the revelant information?

[zephed56]

ffs, buy the book.

It usually takes me around an hour and a half btw. If you are in and out of the gym in 30 minutes you are doing it wrong.

[Kirra]

^^ Not if he just started.

Buy the book. You clearly have no idea wtf you are doing if you ask us when to add weight.

At the very minimum read the wikia.

[grumble1]

Well, the book really is the best resource. It's mostly about how to properly perform the core lifts (and many of the most popular and effective assistance lifts); the programming and nutrition part of the book is a fairly slim chunk at the end. Regardless of whether or not you do the program, the book is a great resource for your training.

As for how to do the program, here are a couple of things that jump out at me from your OP:

Small barbell? You are using a standard Olympic barbell, right? These have two inch sleeves on the ends.



You also have the initial weights and progression wrong. The initial weights are found like so:

The way the "first day" is explained in Starting Strength, the trainee warms up with the bar, then adds a bit of weight and does a set of 5. Continue to add weight and do sets of 5 until form/technique breaks down. Keep the weight there, correct the technique problems/weak points, and perform 2 more sets with this weight. That is your first "3 sets of 5" workout for that exercise.

Progression is as follows:

Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe, pg. 122, Practical Programming Editorial Copy
for young males that weigh between 150-200 lbs., deadlifts can move up 15-20 lbs. per workout, squats 10-15 lbs., with continued steady progress for 3-4 weeks before slowing down to half that rate. Bench presses, presses, and cleans (edit - and rows) can move up 5-10 lbs. per workout, with progress on these exercises slowing down to 2.5-5 lbs. per workout after only 2-3 weeks. Young women make progress on the squat and the deadlift at about the same rate, adjusted for bodyweight, but much slower on the press, the bench press, cleans and snatches, and assistance exercises.

EX:

Say you are squatting 175. You squat the 3x5. Great, you made it! Next time you squat (ie next workout) you will be doing 180 or 185. Every time you make the sets, you move the weight up.

If you do not make the sets and reps for THREE consecuutive workouts, then move the weight down 15-20% and work back up in what is called a 'reset'.

Again, READ THE BOOK. It's REALLY worth the money.

[tyltong123]

If you're just starting to workout i suggest you use the machines. At least there are instructions on them and you'll have less of a chance to hurt yourself. get a subscription to muscle magazines, they'll teach you nutrition and different workouts and keep asking questions on here. And people stop being *******s, you were all newbies just like him.

[whitneymmm]

If you're just starting to workout i suggest you use the machines. At least there are instructions on them and you'll have less of a chance to hurt yourself. get a subscription to muscle magazines, they'll teach you nutrition and different workouts and keep asking questions on here. And people stop being *******s, you were all newbies just like him.

The thing with the book is it teaches you reaaaaaaaal well how to do the core lifts. Machines are generally considered the worst form of resistance training, but you're right they're definitely safer. I started off squatting though and I'm still alive.

OP, yes you can find the info on the internet. Go here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

If you like the program though the book is worth having.

[sbowesuk]

If you're just starting to workout i suggest you use the machines. At least there are instructions on them and you'll have less of a chance to hurt yourself. get a subscription to muscle magazines, they'll teach you nutrition and different workouts and keep asking questions on here. And people stop being *******s, you were all newbies just like him.

Negged. Starting Strength is a free-weights barbell program. All he has to do is buy the book, read it, and follow it's advice. Do all that and there's absolutely no reason to use machines, which don't offer the same degree of stability and core work anyway.

[nick.v]

you've posted this same thread twice now and you were already given the answer in the Exercise forum

READ THE FUCKING BOOK!!!





all caps!

edit:

If you're just starting to workout i suggest you use the machines. At least there are instructions on them and you'll have less of a chance to hurt yourself. get a subscription to muscle magazines, they'll teach you nutrition and different workouts and keep asking questions on here. And people stop being *******s, you were all newbies just like him.

no

[zephed56]

^^ Not if he just started.

Buy the book. You clearly have no idea wtf you are doing if you ask us when to add weight.

At the very minimum read the wikia.

5 minutes to warmup and get limber for squats.
3-5 minutes to do a couple squat warmups, get the bar loaded, etc
8 minutes to perform 3 worksets (very generous here)
5 minutes move to bench press, do warmup sets, load bar etc
8 minutes to perform 3 worksets
5 minutes to move to a chinup bar or find empty space for DL's or PC's, warmup, load bar, etc
2 minutes to perform 1 workset + other related shenanigans.


I think these numbers are fairly generous and it still takes longer than 30 minutes. I didn't even include drinking fountain times and/or staring at chick's asses on the treadmills here. Another good 5-10 minutes imo.

Nubs shouldn't be rushing through **** this fast. If they are they are probably not doing anything other than banging out some token reps and trying to keep a good sweat going or something.

[LinkMoto]

What exactly is a warm-up set?

All I do is 3 sets of 1 exercise, 3 sets of 2nd exercise, and the last exercise.

With 30-45 sec breaks in between every set

[grumble1]

What exactly is a warm-up set?

All I do is 3 sets of 1 exercise, 3 sets of 2nd exercise, and the last exercise.

With 30-45 sec breaks in between every set

Read the book.

Read the book.

Read the book.

[zephed56]

haha, who was right bitches? Probability ftw imo.

[LinkMoto]

Haha, thankfully there are ways to get questions answered without having to read a silly little book.

Easy way out is awesome!!

[bostonaustin]

I seem to finish in 30 mins or less...I dunno if that is too low or what. I've done squats, bench press and deadlift with the small barbell and 5 pounds on each side. Should I increase the weights every week or so?

30 minutes? it use to take me around 1.5-2 hours.. your ganna need a lot of rest inbetween sets.. make sure to buy the book.. great program

[zephed56]

Haha, thankfully there are ways to get questions answered without having to read a silly little book.

Easy way out is awesome!!

What you put in is what you get out. Enjoy wasting hours of your life doing nothing productive then. I'm serious.

You can spend half-hours of your life doing stupid **** in the gym and then coming home and spending thirty more minutes trying to find the easy way out, and get nothing out of it. Instead of screwing around at the gym and then posting for thirty minutes you could get through a little bit of that book each day and you will be armed with enough information to get your head out of your ass and do something productive in the gym that shows results.

Lookup the concept of an investment. People invest in things because they get back more than they put into it.

[Koaia]

Start reading. http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Program

Learn to do the lifts correctly. Add weight every workout. Eat enough to support growth. If you are truly under 100 lbs, are you seeing a doctor?

[YaBoyVG]

make sure to take at least 2min break between sets, if you do that i dont see how you would get any shorter than 40mins

[Alyion]

Easy way out is awesome!!

Probably feeding a troll here, but I can predict your weightlifting life/career life will suck balls.

Just stay in bed and free up the equipment for the guys who actually wanna use it please.

[abg]

What is your goal of working out, and do you have a medical condition that has you at 98lbs, do you think it is aesthetically pleasing, or do you just not like food?


As it is, you need to read the book ideally, wikia at a minimum, and other posts here. If you don't understand the need for progressive loading, then you don't understand the program. And with that, your lack of understanding of the program shows that you want to get "big & strong" (or whatever your goals are) "the easy way".

GL with that. There is no easy way, though if all you ate was a gallon of (whole) milk a day and did the program feebly, I find it hard to imagine you wouldn't see gains from 98lbs and a 15lb estimated 1 rep max (guessing 10 or 12 lbs on the actual sets). That is, of course, barring a severe medical reason for your current weight.

[LinkMoto]

No, I don't have a medical condition. I'm naturally slim, I eat 3 meals a day, it adds up to 1500 calories or so. I'm trying to gain weight, but I either gain a few pounds, then go back down.

[lordsnow]

If you're just starting to workout i suggest you use the machines. At least there are instructions on them and you'll have less of a chance to hurt yourself. get a subscription to muscle magazines, they'll teach you nutrition and different workouts and keep asking questions on here. And people stop being *******s, you were all newbies just like him.

Negged.

[lordsnow]

No, I don't have a medical condition. I'm naturally slim, I eat 3 meals a day, it adds up to 1500 calories or so. I'm trying to gain weight, but I either gain a few pounds, then go back down.

gotta be troll.

[vslice44]

beefcake!

[abg]

No, I don't have a medical condition. I'm naturally slim, I eat 3 meals a day, it adds up to 1500 calories or so. I'm trying to gain weight, but I either gain a few pounds, then go back down.

1500 calories is not enough for you. And no, 2000 probably isn't, either. In your shoes, I would be aiming for 3000 and see if I'm getting fatter (literally pounds of fat a week, not a little bit), or on the other side, not going up in my lifts (since you are doing SS) or feeling generally weak. Then I would adjust accordingly (down for too much fat/weight gain, up for stalling on the program).

Other than that, add weight each workout. In theory you should be adding ~10lbs per workout of squats for the first week or 2 (or more if you are able) and then ~5lbs per workout for a while after then. Note I said per workout (and squats are an example: you should be going up in everything every workout). Yes, that means 30lbs added to your squat each week at first, then 15lbs.

Beyond that, the only suggestion I can make is that you really should buy the book or at least put enough effort in to read other posts here (there's an ok writeup on the program with some debatable data: do cleans, not rows) and on the wiki. You are wanting us to sum up what has already been summed up.

Now go read, eat, and lift.

[suckmyfatone]

Troll

/Thread

[LinkMoto]

good advice abg!

I don't get how I'm a troll...I get that I asked "dumb" questions, but every newbie asked dumb questions.

[grumble1]

good advice abg!

I don't get how I'm a troll...I get that I asked "dumb" questions, but every newbie asked dumb questions.

It's because you're being ridiculous.

1. You won't read the book. That's really stupid of you.
2. You are trying to gain weight off of 1500 calories. One minute of google would have told you that that it clearly not enough.