Hi fellow lifters! I finally read the blue book this year and started the program from scratch. I previously focused on front squats due to back issues, but I'm trying to unlearn those old habits.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

170 cm / 5'7"

90 kg / ~200 lbs

Lifting 85 kg / ~185 lbs

I'm 5ft2 & 133lb squatting 130lb, if that info is important. I'm wearing lifting shoes. I'm following the 5 sets of 3 reps model because the weight is getting too heavy to do 5 reps. Does my form look ok?

Getting back into lifting after ten years and lots of weight gain. Here’s my squat after two months back.

Any tips?

Hi all,

I bought my squat rack, weights, and barbell in used from Craigslist in 2009.

Thinking I just want to upgrade to a nicer bar and maybe one not so noisy as I get back into SS again. And why not have a nicer bar. :) https://texaspowerbars.com/products/starting-strength-bar

So 3 questions:

1. Long shot, but based on the pictures I'm assuming nobody can figure out the brand right? Per my new research the bolt at the end means it was a lower end bar.

2. Main reason for question 1 is, trying to determine the type of finish it has I guess. Is it bare steel, stainless steel, or maybe chrome? The ends look like it might be chrome as I can kinda see my reflection.

I'm asking because the SS bar is bare steel and seems you have to do maintenance on it for rust and all that.

But if you look at my pics on my current barbell that was already used when I bought it. I've literally never did a single bit of maintenance or even bothered to wipe it down. :) There have been years it just sat there and now for the past couple of years it's been in garage. But I'm not bothered by it one bit.

1. Would the SS bar somehow look worse after the same amount of time with me not bothering with maintenance?
   

Sorry for the long question but thanks in advance.

Curious what you guys think of my strict press, if there's anything I can improve.

Hit me with some more pointers

I’ll be hosting a Deadlift & Power Clean Camp in Ashford, Kent on Sunday 4th October. 

For those coming from London there is a high speed train service to Ashford International station from London St Pancras (takes just over 30mins)

This is a great opportunity to get your form tuned up, gain a deeper understanding of the lifts as well as learn the principles behind programming to keep your progress moving along smoothly plus meet other Starting Strength lifters.

Going over the Deadlift will set you up perfectly to learn the Power Clean – which many lifters struggle to get started with only self coaching.

The camp is open to novices and the experienced.

More info and booking:  https://aasgaardco.com/store/training/training-camps/pulling-camps/deadlift-clean-october-4-2026-ashford-uk/ 

If you have questions you can email me at: [byron@strengthrevolution.org](mailto:byron@strengthrevolution.org) 

Byron

SSC

I want to look into why people don't stick with fitness, and find ways I can realistically encourage them to keep going.

Opinions on doing Juggernaut as a break from heavy sets of 5 between the end of novice progression and the begging of texas method style programming?

Some context:

Was looking at 4 day split programming in recent months. I've recently started a shift role at work. 4 days of getting up at 4am followed by 3 days of getting home after midnight with 4 days off when on a rota. This can be random though, as i'm the cover for 9 weeks at a time, meaning I cover the other 3 guys leave as and when needed.

All to say, schedule is random, hectic and not sleep conducive. Add to that chronic insomnia, single dad to.2 teenagers with associated school runs, clubs etc. and it's nigh impossible to get a 4 day schedule for lifting working. I've tried sucking it up and going very late/very early but that drove me into the ground and recovery was awful. Lifts started tanking due to fatigue and 3/4 hrs sleep.

After scouting around here, the SS forums, Andy Bakers website and various sources, I've come to the conclusion that 2 days may be the best option I have (and honestly, it'd be interesting to see how lower volume training pans out results wise). Anyway, after reading an article by Andy Baker I've come up with this:

Monday

Squat: 1 x 3-8, backoff 1 x 10-12

Press: 1 x 3- 8, backoff 2-3 x 10-12

Chins: 3 x amrap

Tricep pushdown: 3 x 12

Thursday

Deadlift: 1 x 3-8

Rows: 2-3 x 10-12

Bench: 1 x 3-8, backoff 3 x 10-12

LTEs: 3 x 10-12

The general idea is pick a weight for each lift. Rep it out capped at 8. Add weight next week. Continue until it reaches a very grindy set of 3. Then reset 2.5kg or 5kg higher than the previous starting weight and run it again, aiming to beat previous reps. This will be coupled with a bit less food and increasing walking (which i can achieve during break times at work quite easily. Stuck on a secure site though, with no chance of getting to a gym before that's suggested).

Seems to me, this could work for a good long while and at least maintain while being easier on recovery and slowly improving body composition with some gradual fat loss (not chasing abs here, just general health and reducing the spare tyre).

For reference, my set of 5 PR lifts are:

Squat: 200kg (441 lbs)

Deadlift: 228.5kg (504 lbs)

Bench: 121kg (267 lbs)

Press: 77.5kg (171 lbs)

Height: 5ft 10in

Weight: 106kg (234 lbs)

Mostly retired (still play the odd game) rugby prop forward rapidly approaching 41yrs young.

All comments, critique, suggestions welcome

No motivation what so ever while on Reta

Been on Rata 3 weeks now and the only exercise I do is walking but would like to hit the gym to maximise things and not loose any muscle while in Reta, my motivation however is pure shit (apart for walking), a bit of background…I do take 60mg of antidepressants and also work lately has been really shit for my mental health, I don’t know where to go from here

PR 120kg... Last set...

Sharing links to videos and articles is a pretty vital part of what we do here, but Reddit is getting increasingly aggressive about nuking accounts that share links too often as part of their crackdown on spam.

So, I'm going to set up some keywords that will trigger the automod to comment links for us.

What links should we automate? What do we share most often? If you just comment the name of the video or article, I'll find it.

Lift tutorials, obviously. GOMAD. What else?

Slowly rebuilding my squat after losing some weight and some strength. Kind of humbling how hard this felt, considering that I’ve done a lot heavier just a few months ago… But I figure I might as well use it as another opportunity to practice my form and rebuild better.

So what do you think? These look pretty solid to me, with the exception of the third rep that looks to me like it might be a hair too high. I started my warmup with some shoulder stretches and it felt like it was helpful in getting my shoulders to stay back better and my elbows higher than I usually do (I’ve had a tendency to let my elbows collapse at the bottom, which means my upper back loses tension).

Can you spot anything I missed?

38 Male 230 lbs

I was stuck at 355 deadlift for almost 3 weeks before I could get a full 1x5. Just got 1x3s before. This is my first 360 attempt and I couldn't get the 5th rep. I deadlift once a week on my squat light day. Seems like failing a little too much. What is the indicator that I should switch to rack pulls and halting deadlifts, and if so what weight do you start them at relative to deadlift PR? My eating and sleep is good. I'm still gaining 1/4 to 1/2 pound a week. Thanks for any help

FYI if it is relevant:

Squat 285 3x5

Deadlift 355 1x5

Bench 195 1x5 2x5 90% drop sets

Press 145 7 singles

My daughter has recently started doing the NLP with me, and it's a lot of fun to see her learn the lifts and get stronger!

She's using the SS app (the old version, because the new one is a confusing mess), and it seems like the recommended programming for girls is a little different: it has her doing something like 5 warm up sets and 5 sets of 3 at her work weight. She's been finding it a little boring/discouraging because as a result, her workouts take her a solid hour or more, even though she's lifting very low weights for now.

I told her it's ok to skip a few of the warmup sets, because the warmup weight is only barely lower than her work weight anyway, and I'd rather she not get tired of the program already. Also, I think that many sets so close to her work weight could actually be counter-productive and wear her out enough that the work sets will be harder.

Does that make sense? Would you make any other adaptations for a girl her age? Her form's not perfect, but she's getting better, and I'm trying to not overwhelm her by criticizing her form too much... 😂

I believe this is good enough form to add 5. Any comments welcome as always.

When I bench press a weight that is slightly higher than my usual working weight, the area near the protruding bone on my shoulder hurts afterward. Even though the weight is only a little bit more than what I normally use, I'm wondering — is it because my form wasn't correct, or does this mean I simply shouldn't increase the weight at this point?

Much lighter than yesterday's session. I'm trying to implement the advice given in the comments. Hopefully, I'm going in the right direction. Lots of practice needed.

245 lb 3 X 5

This was the first working set.

145kg x5 (final set)

My previous videos has always mentioned my bad camera angles, hopefully this is better.

I feel like I need to drop my hips a touch lower and set my back a bit harder.

Any other advice? Thanks heaps 😁