The best training method for new trainees is Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. This simple template will pack on muscle and make new lifters stronger than any other program I’ve witnessed. I wasted plenty of time doing silly routines copied from bodybuilding magazines, only to learn the hard way that those bodypart split systems only work well for dudes with, ah, let’s just say they’re getting a little extra help from the needle. The amazing thing about SS is that even after all that silly training, I still gained size and strength from using its simplified outline.

Despite being an internet legend, or perhaps because of its wiki-fied viral spread, SS is widely misunderstood and misused. Some versions only use the five major barbell exercises Coach Rip devoted a couple hundred pages to describing in his signature witty style. Other ‘versions’ of SS float around the internet. A change here, a change there; soon enough, you’ve got guys doing ‘Ripetows’ that miss many of the key points from the irreproachable original. I’m going to discuss what I feel is the ideal program for new trainers. Those familiar with his work will understand why I’m giving much thanks and a lot of credit to Rip, but you can still learn a thing or two about how to properly utilize SS:

Here’s the basic outline:

Day 1

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Squat (5x3)

Bench Press (5x3)

Deadlift (5x1)

Heavy abs (5-15x3)

Day 2

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Squat (5x3)

Overhead Press (5x3)

Power Cleans (3x5)

Chinups/pullups (up to 15x3)

First of all, you squat every day. This is because squatting builds more muscle from head to toe than any other exercise (deadlifts being a close second). Unlike deadlifts, which tend to be a little hard on the lower back, beginners can squat three times a week without being overtrained. The low bar squat form works everything from your upper back, all the muscles of the toso, plus the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calvesBy doing the hardest exercise first, your body and mind will adapt and learn to push to a new record each workout.

The second exercise is a pressing motion. This alternates between bench press and overhead press. It’s important to keep these two lifts relatively close to one another to keep the shoulders healthy and balance musculature and athletic performance. A good ratio to shoot for is somewhere between 3:2 and 4:3. In other words, your overhead press one rep max (1RM) should be between 66% and 75% of your best bench press. The combination thoroughly works your chest, shoulders, traps and triceps.

The third exercise is a pulling motion. Alternate between one set of deadlifts and five sets of three power cleans. These exercise differ in rep scheme from those above because a) As mentioned above, the deadlift can be hard on the lower back, especially for new lifters, and especially after squatting, and b) the power clean is an explosive movement, so we keep the reps lower to facilitate good form for beginners. Deadlifts build raw strength, while power cleans build the explosive power necessary for moving heavy weights. By training the body to explode, you’re more able to handle heavy loads in the other lifts. In other words, including the power clean makes the other lifts stronger by improving neuromuscular efficiency.

I have a heavy exercise for the abs on Day 1. This can include things like situps on a back extension ‘chair’, decline situps, hanging leg raises, etc. The key thing is to pick something that’s hard enough that you can’t do more than 15 reps for 3 sets. When that starts to feel easy, add weight, make the decline steeper, or do something else to make it harder. When I did SS, I liked to work in a ‘wave’ where I’d do 10x3 one day, 8x3 the next day and 5x5 after that. You can do abs every day, but I left it as an every-other day thing because we don’t want to over work the raw newbies.

The same is true of chinups/pullups. These can be done every day because there are no other exercises in the template that directly work the lats and biceps as much as these vertical pulling motions. I’d recommend working up to being able to do 8-10 chinups for 3 sets. This should translate to about 5 pullups for 3 sets. Continue to work from there, and you can alternate between the two variations if you like. Once you get to 15 reps for 3 sets, add some weight.

Those are the basic DOs, so what kinds of things should we definitely avoid?

NEVER leave out power cleans! Plenty of internet ‘SS’ templates substitute rows for power cleans. This is downright stupid. Not only do they not work the same muscles, but rows don’t offer the explosive advantage conferred by power cleans.

NEVER use machines. This template is for barbells only. You really shouldn’t even use dumbbells here. Barbells are easier to balance, and allow you to move heavier weights, which means more muscle. Dumbbell movements are great exercises, but it’s best to start out with barbells to learn the basic movements first. This will help you to avoid injuries while you’re ‘greasing the groove’. As for machines, they’re mostly useless. With few exceptions, machines lock you into an unnatural range of motion that prevents your stabilizers from working. Sure, you can grow some muscle by using your fancy pec deck, but you won’t necessarily get stronger, and you might increase your chances of injury by neglecting the all important stabilizers.

NEVER forget to squat. Squats are the cornerstone of this program. It’s ok to switch out for front squats in the middle of your three day week once you get up to weights approaching intermediate trainee-levels, but for the most part, let’s stick to low bar back squats. This style of squatting uses the most muscle fibers and therefore allows the most growth and strength development.

NEVER add reps. If you can do your weights for 3 sets of 5 reps (or the other prescribed rep schemes for power cleans, pullups, etc.), then add some weight. It’s always better to keep moving up gradually than to overtax yourself with extra reps or too much weight. It’s a good feeling to know you smoked all three sets of squats, since you’ll be confident about the next time when you add 5-15 lbs to the bar. On the other hand, adding reps takes you out of the strength and muscle building zone we want to be in, and might make you overtrained.

NEVER add isolation exercises. This program is all about compound movements. The body doesn’t use muscles in isolation, and you shouldn’t. While it can be useful to do barbell curls (*in moderation) later in your training career, new trainers will get more out of doing chinups and pullups. It’s common sense to understand that if you’re moving more muscles, you’re going to grow more. Think of how large powerlifters’ legs are, then compare them to their biceps. Even the hugest men have biceps no larger than a softball (the triceps comprise most of the arm’s mass), but their massive legs can easily make up half of their weight. In short: the more muscle you move, the more you’ll grow.

There you go: the DOs and DON’Ts of the best beginner training program in existence. Read this over, review the form articles, and feel free to leave comments if you have questions. It’s all about getting stronger and bigger, so let’s be smarter too.

Quick . . . what’s the single best exercise in the world?  You’d be right if you responded that it takes a variety of exercises to build a balanced physique, but if there was only one that you could do for the rest of your life, it’s an easy choice.  Squats are the ‘king of exercises’ for a variety of reasons.  First off, they work your entire body, from the upper back all the way down to your calves.  It also elicits a hormonal response that causes total body growth like nothing else.  It’s a scientific fact that even if you did no upper body exercises, your arms would grow from squatting (*don’t be dumb – use a variety of exercises to balance your strength and musculature).

Since we know that squats are required for any serious strength training regimen, it’s critical that we learn how to do them correctly.  Luckily, once you know how to do it, you will have established a foundation upon which an entire lifetime of strength can be built upon, so let’s take a look at the key points:

1. Set the hooks in a power rack such that the bar lines up at mid-chest height (at the nipples or close is best).  This height will also be correct when you move into overhead presses, so take note.
2. Unrack the bar by stepping under it, retracting the shoulder blades and grabbing it with your thumbs over the top, rather than around the bar.  Here are the keys to ensuring proper bar positioning:

• Always center your back on the bar.  The middle of most bars have knurling (the rough, grippy stuff), so you can align your sternum to the knurling and then duck under to get there.  As for the hands, grab at equal width with the thumbs over the top and hold them when you duck and step under the bar.  You can use the rings between the sections of knurling as a handy way to ensure equal spacing.  Keep your wrists straight as you step through.  The wrists must remain straight throughout the set.
• Tighten the shoulder blades and push your chest up.  This provides a solid platform for the bar to rest upon and will allow your muscles to grow in a way that naturally facilitates excellent posture.
• Allow the bar to rest low on the shoulders.  This might feel strange at first, especially if you’ve been squatting with a high bar position, but the benefits will become clear when you . . .
• Push your elbows back with the wrists straight.  This will ‘lock’ the bar into position under your hands and on top of a sort of ‘shelf’ created by the rear deltoids and retracted shoulder blades.
• Take a shoulder-width stance with your weight on your heels.  Notice that you’ll be in a partial squat to start.  We prefer this because at the end of sets, you’ll be tired and it’s far safer and easier to walk the bar forward and set it down in the hooks than trying to tip-toe back.
• Keep your head and neck at a neutral angle, but push the chin back slightly and look at the ground.  Pushing the chin in further solidifies the shoulder ‘rack’ and will encourage great posture.  This tip is especially useful for computer workers, who tend to crane forward many hours a day and carry this cro-magnon look out into their daily lives.  Think of holding a tennis ball between the chin and chest by simultaneously pushing the chest up and pushing the chin backwards.
• Stand up straight with your weight on your heels and take one small step backwards.  Look down to ensure that you have an evenly-placed shoulder-width stance with toes pointed slightly outward, then assume a static gaze about six feet in front.  Looking down whilst keeping the head and relatively neutral helps to encourage hip drive, which is the key to strong squatting.
• Keep everything tight and get ready to squat:

1. Take a deep breath from the belly and hold it.  Sit back as though you were squatting to a toilet or bench, pushing the knees out so that they track with the hips and toes.  The knees must stay in a line with the toes and hips.  THE KNEES MUST NOT BEND INWARD!  If your knees bend in, you’re putting yourself at an unreasonable risk for injury, not utilizing all of the available muscles to power the movement and are probably using too much weight.
2. Keep everything tight and move down until the hip joint is just below a point where it’s parallel to the top of the knee.
3. Drive the hips up, keeping the back tight.  About halfway up, you can breathe out forcefully, grunt or scream to help push the weight.  If you work out at a gym that discourages this kind of ‘intimidating’ behaviour, consider finding a new place to train that will actually let you do what’s necessary to get strong.

So that’s the basic form for low bar squatting.  We prefer low bar position to high bar because it is better for developing the entire posteriour chain, including the upper, mid and lower back, plus the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and calves.  The high bar squat focuses more on the quadriceps, but the low bar hits them, plus everything I mentioned above.  Check back with HOPEisSTRENGTH for more on troubleshooting, advanced techniques and everything else that will make you uncommonly strong.