Starting Strength is Mark Rippetoe's beginner barbell program. You train three days a week, alternating two full body workouts built on the squat, press, bench press and deadlift, with the power clean and chin ups added later. You add weight every session for as long as you can. It suits brand new lifters who want a simple plan.
This is general training information, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a qualified professional before starting a new program.
What is Starting Strength?
Starting Strength is the novice program from Mark Rippetoe's book Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and his coaching organization. The current version is laid out on the Starting Strength programs page, which is the primary source for this review. We describe the structure in our own words, so read that page or the book before you start.
The idea is simple. A true beginner can recover from a heavier workout in about two days, so you add weight every time you train. Rippetoe calls this the novice effect, and the whole program is built to use it up before you move to slower progress.
What does a week of Starting Strength look like?
You train on three non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday, alternating Workout A and Workout B. Every session starts with three work sets of five on the squat. The press and bench press take turns, also for three sets of five, so one week you press twice and bench once and the next week it flips.
What comes last changes as you get stronger. The program has three phases:
- Phase 1, usually the first few weeks. Both days end with a single heavy set of five on the deadlift.
- Phase 2. One day keeps the deadlift and the other swaps it for the power clean, done for several sets of three.
- Phase 3. Deadlifts and power cleans alternate on one day, and chin ups fill the other.
Warm up sets are not counted. Only the work sets are listed in the program.
How does Starting Strength progression work?
You add weight every session. The programs page gives rough starting jumps for the squat and deadlift that shrink to small jumps after the first few sessions, and smaller jumps for the press, bench and clean. Women and older lifters are told to expect smaller increases. When even small jumps stop working, the page says to move to micro loading, which means adding 2.5 pounds or less.
Later in the program, many lifters add weight to the squat only twice a week and use the middle session as a lighter day. Once progress stalls for good, Rippetoe points to intermediate programming in Practical Programming for Strength Training, which is where the Texas Method and other intermediate plans come in.
Who is Starting Strength good for?
- Complete beginners. It teaches the main barbell lifts with very little to think about.
- People with three days a week. Sessions are short because there are only three or four exercises.
- Lifters who want to get strong fast. Adding weight every session is the fastest progress most people will ever see.
- Older beginners, with changes. Rippetoe's group covers adjustments for lifters over 40 in The Barbell Prescription.
What are the downsides of Starting Strength?
- Very little volume. Three sets of five on most lifts and one set of deadlifts is not much practice per session, and some lifters plateau early on the press and bench.
- Squatting every session gets hard. Heavy squats three times a week can wear you down once the weights climb, which is why the program itself adds a light day.
- Almost no upper back or arm work. Chin ups only show up in the last phase.
- The power clean needs the right gym. Cleans need coaching, bumper plates and a place where you can drop the bar. Many commercial gyms do not allow that.
- Stalling is common. When the novice gains run out, many lifters reset over and over instead of moving to an intermediate plan.
What would we change or add?
- Add light back and arm work. A few sets of rows, face pulls or curls at the end of a session rarely hurt recovery. Add one thing at a time.
- Swap power cleans if your gym can't support them. If drops are banned or there are no bumpers, keep deadlifting and use a pull variation you can lower under control. Our guide to dropping weights at the gym explains why rules differ.
- Move on when progress stops. If you have reset more than once on several lifts, try an intermediate plan. GZCLP adds volume, and 5/3/1 Boring But Big slows progress down to monthly.
- Use safety arms. Heavy squats and bench three times a week are risky to train alone. Set the arms in your rack every time.
Where do chalk and grip matter on Starting Strength?
On the deadlift above all. You pull one heavy set of five, and if your grip goes on rep four the set is over. Chalk keeps your hands dry so you can hold a heavier bar without straps. It matters on power cleans too, and it helps the bar stay put on your back for squats.
If you are not sure your gym allows chalk, read which gyms allow chalk, and for technique see the best way to chalk up for deadlifts. Our deadlift guide and squat guide cover form for both main lifts.
What gym do you need for Starting Strength?
A squat rack with safety arms, a bench, a barbell, plates in small increments and a pull up bar. For power cleans you also want bumper plates and a platform or other area where drops are allowed. Find powerlifting gyms near you on Proof of Chalk, or filter the gym map for platforms and chalk.
Common questions
Is Starting Strength good for beginners?
Yes. It was written for people new to barbell training. It uses a few main lifts, three days a week, and adds weight every session, which makes progress easy to track.
How many days a week is Starting Strength?
Three, on non-consecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You alternate two workouts, A and B.
How long should you run Starting Strength?
As long as you can keep adding weight. The first phase usually lasts a few weeks, and the later phases can run for months. When small jumps stop working even with a light squat day, move to an intermediate program.
Do you have to do power cleans on Starting Strength?
The program includes them from the second phase. If your gym has no bumper plates or bans drops, many lifters keep deadlifting instead. That is a change from the program, so make it knowingly.
Is Starting Strength better than StrongLifts 5x5 or GZCLP?
None is best for everyone. Starting Strength has less volume per lift than GZCLP and adds the power clean. Pick the program you can run consistently in the gym you have.