Starting Strength (2nd edition) by Mark Rippetoe, Lon Kilgore
|
Our Price: $50.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $23.96 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Starting Strength (2nd edition)
Book Review: Barbell Training Bible, for basic intents and purposes
Summary: 5 Stars
I joined the local YMCA and had no prior lifting experience; the available trainer was basically clueless about free weight form. This book was a godsend.
While the chapters are organized nicely, the information and pictures within the chapters are a bit haphazard and/or redundant. This aside, it does seem to be a resource that you can skim over to get started with proper form, and then delve deeper into the physiological material once you've progressed. I bring it with me every time I lift, and I'm sure I'll still be referring to it for years to come.
The attention paid to the concepts of core strength, complementary exercises and programming is outstanding. I felt confident right from the start that I would see results and not hurt myself in the process. I was right: since Jan 4, 2008, I dropped from 280 to 245 using this method along with HIIT cardio and clean diet. This book, and the author's forum, are invaluable to those wanting to safely bulk or drop weight, all while developing proper lean muscle.
THANK YOU FOR STARTING ME RIGHT.
Book Review: All you need
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm 33 years old and have picked upp free weight training again after some 10 years of general on and off gym work out without any specific direction. Before that I was training power lifting for some years, and now as a family father I found myself back in the heavy gym, this time in my garage with a bar, a rack and a bench. To get a good start I purchased some books on the subject, but actually all I would have needed is Starting Strenght. It is straight forward but still provides very detailed information on all of the main and assisting power lift exercises. The book is angled toward people who want to do serious strenght training, but maybe not toward professional power lifters as it leaves for example out the nowadays popular deadlift sumo stance almost all togehter and also all of the assisting gear business in power lifting is basically left out. Assisting gear today contributes no doubt a great deal to the results in power lifting.
Starting Strenght works with the person, a belt, a bar, a rack, and a bench and that will take most of us as far as we need to go.
Book Review: The single best book on weight training.
Summary: 5 Stars
Most of us will never need anything more than this. Many will never need the entire book. Rippetoe focuses on the most productive exercises: squat, press, deadlift, bench press , row,(done quite differently than you pobably have so far), clean. Instead of adding an encyclopedia of assistance exercises, (don't get me wrong, they're here), he concentrates on every technical detail of safe effective work with these few movements. Rippetoe's the best source for dispelling myths about barbells, arguing convincingly that preadolescents, women and seniors can and should lift / deep squats are the safest squats / correct technique allows knees to safely go a bit over the toes and makes explosive cleans perfectly safe. My only problem is the myths he himself espouses about Nautilus and other machines, especially single joint machines. To say that such devices yield no muscular gains is simply not true, and tendonitus supposedly caused by Nautilus single joint work is just as easily avoided with good technique as big-lift problems are avoided.Book Review: Back to basics
Summary: 5 Stars
When I took some time to think about it, it amazed me at just how few people at my gym, (a local YMCA)ever use the basic barbell exercises. I must admit, that for the last 6-7 years I have been one of those individuals who decided to forego barbell squats, bench presses, and overhead presses for the smith machine variety. I have to say that it feels good to get back to my high school type workouts. After approximately two weeks following one of the novice training programs, I doubt I'll ever go back to the smith machine again. This book gives excellent descriptions and diagrams that I wish I had 10-12 years ago when I started training, perhaps I could have avoided some of the back and joint problems I now have to deal with on a daily basis. I thought I knew quite a bit about lifting form until I read the first chapter on squats and quickly realized how bad my old form used to be. A great book for lifters at any level, even those who like myself, have been lifting for many years and think that there is nothing new to learn about the weightroom.Book Review: Now my back is strong and without pain...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excelent book. Very detailed but focused, but the key is that it works.
I got interested because I had a back pain that was bothering me a lot (I am 42 years old). I went to the doctor, they took me pictures of my column with a scanner. Nothing appeared.I took long sessions with the kinesiologist. But the pain was still there. I decided that my back was weak and I need to gain strenght. I bought this book, I bought the equipment, and started practicing. Thas was a few months ago.....
And now my back pain is absolutely gone!!!! My back is strong and also these excercises make you lift objects in every day activities using the same technique of "dead lift" that works perfectly for your back... Also, I noticed that my knees do not hurt any more when I run. Of course. The "Squat" has made my legs strong....
The quality of my life has really improved thanqs to this book. I absolutely recommend it. I also left the gym with all their fancy and expensive machines, as I got at home all I need.