Post: #1

I’ve read Starting Strength (by Rippetoe) and decided to give a try. Saw improvements in my big lifts but aesthetically speaking, less than desirable results in my upper-body (chest, shoulders and arms). I thought about adding some complementary exercises but I’m not sure if it'll sort that problem.

I’m 5’7, 145 lbs. My lifts are:
Deadlift: 265 lbs
Squat: 240 lbs
Bench Press: 200 lbs
Press: 130 lbs

I’m not doing the Power Clean since my gym doesn’t have bumper weights and my shoulder elasticity sucks. I plan to learn it in the future.

Maybe I should be lifting more in the Bench Press to start seeing results?


I haven’t read the second book about the routine but what I’m doing is:
Week 1: A-B-A Week 2: B-A-B

(numbers are Reps)
Squat:
Warm Up: 5-5-5-3-2-1
Heavy: 5-5-5

Press/Bench:
Warm Up: 5-5-2-1
Heavy: 5-5-5

Squat:
Warm Up: 5-2
Heavy: 5

Is this the correct way to warm up?

Post: #2

(09-05-2018 01:47 PM)joost Wrote:  I’ve read Starting Strength (by Rippetoe) and decided to give a try. Saw improvements in my big lifts but aesthetically speaking, less than desirable results in my upper-body (chest, shoulders and arms). I thought about adding some complementary exercises but I’m not sure if it'll sort that problem.

I’m 5’7, 145 lbs. My lifts are:
Deadlift: 265 lbs
Squat: 240 lbs
Bench Press: 200 lbs
Press: 130 lbs

I’m not doing the Power Clean since my gym doesn’t have bumper weights and my shoulder elasticity sucks. I plan to learn it in the future.

Maybe I should be lifting more in the Bench Press to start seeing results?


I haven’t read the second book about the routine but what I’m doing is:
Week 1: A-B-A Week 2: B-A-B

(numbers are Reps)
Squat:
Warm Up: 5-5-5-3-2-1
Heavy: 5-5-5

Press/Bench:
Warm Up: 5-5-2-1
Heavy: 5-5-5

Squat:
Warm Up: 5-2
Heavy: 5

Is this the correct way to warm up?

Take this with a grain of salt as I am not a huge/jacked dude but I did SS a few years ago and saw good gains from it. Sadly lost a lot of them due to a few one-two punches of illness and injury the next year then switching my focus to combat sports rather than lifting. But your numbers actually look about right. Bench and OHP progress slow down much faster than deadlift and squat progress because the muscles involved are smaller, ergo the ceiling is lower. If you just do the three main lifts in AxBxA BxAxBx fashion your arms will not develop the way you want them to, plain and simple. But IIRC the book says that after the first few months, you can add weighted dips for your tricep + chest development, and weighted pull-ups and curls for back and bicep development. Adding these exercises to the three main lifts will definitely make you look better. I always added planks to my workouts at the end as well.

Post: #3

(09-05-2018 02:10 PM)Buddydowrongright2 Wrote:  But IIRC the book says that after the first few months, you can add weighted dips for your tricep + chest development, and weighted pull-ups and curls for back and bicep development. Adding these exercises to the three main lifts will definitely make you look better.

I just bought a belt recently and I'm gonna try putting some weight in my Dips and Chin-Ups (not pull-ups).

He also mention Back Extensions. Is this the exercise he's talking about?


Is this exercise really needed taking into account the amount of heavy lifts we're already doing?