5x5 people come here

[mortious]

yes i am a beginner and i'm sorry that i'm not very smart. and if u cant understand that then plz dont even post at all. Thanks to those of u who did help me =)

 

[Madcow2]

yes i am a beginner and i'm sorry that i'm not very smart. and if u cant understand that then plz dont even post at all. Thanks to those of u who did help me =)

You should really buy Starting Strength. There is too much to learn for internet boards and far too much horrendous information that will send you 5 years in the wrong direction. Start right, start smart, start better than 99.99% of the guys who go your route. If I thought we could give you everything you needed or even a good portion of it, I'd try. If I thought some standard research and pointers from members at your gym would get you most of the way there, I'd tell you. Believe me, I am saving you from just nightmarish misinformation and really subpar results. Go here and buy a book that will pay off immediately and continuously for years for what is basically the same price as a bottle of some worthless monkey fart supplement at GNC. www.startingstrength.com

Here's a review - particularly note the last two paragraphs:

More from Jim Wendler, columnist for PLUSA and Elite Fitness Systems

Starting Strength: Book Review

By Jim Wendler

We have a review process at EFS. Every product that we sell has to be reviewed. Many times it's done by sending out products to the EFS Q/A staff or Dave and I review it ourselves. We don't want to sell anything that we don't believe in.

One of my jobs is to review books and DVD's. I have a ton of books that I've read, some much better than others, but most have at least a couple of really good things that stand out. Sometimes this can get tedious and some of the same stuff is rehashed over and over again. But the book Starting Strength is by far one of the best books that I have read in a long time.

I received a copy of Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (with Lon Kilgore) about a month ago for review. Like usual, I put it in my in-box and was in no great hurry to read it. I have to admit that I've been a little skeptical of books and other things as they tend to capitalize on a current trend and though they have value, it's not always a "lifer".

After a brief skim of this book, I yelled over the Great Wall of EFS (this is the large partition that separates my desk from Dave's) and told The Captain, "Dave, this is one of the best books I've seen." As I looked over the various chapters and the depth that it goes into, my first thought was that this book should have been written 50 years ago. This is probably the most complete book on coaching lifts, how to perform lifts correctly and how to give cues to help lifters. It briefly goes over other things such as programming, nutrition and weight equipment. But the meat of this book revolves around coaching the squat, bench press, deadlift, press, and power clean. If you have any interest at all (and you better have) on coaching lifts correctly, this is the book for you.

Rippetoe's comments on coaching in the first chapter are by far one of the best things I have ever read. It reads, "There are two key elements to coaching complicated physical movement: knowing what the movement looks like when it is done correctly, and understanding what the athlete experiences when the movement is done correctly." He also points out how important it is for the coach to have first hand knowledge of performing the lifts.

The chapter that deals with the squat is over 50 pages long and goes over such details as head position, wrist position, knee tracking, hand position, low and upper back position, angle of the feet and breathing. Not only does it tell you how to do the squat, it will teach you how to COACH the squat. There are also a ton of pictures that will help you as a coach to see how things are should and shouldn't look.

The bench press, overhead press, deadlift and power clean all go in the same amount of detail. This kind of depth is critical if you want to learn how to be a better coach. Mark briefly touches on programming, nutrition, gym set up and a few other topics. But what is the point of learning programming if most of your athletes can't even do the most basic lifts correctly?

I should point out that, other than selling the book at EliteFTS, I have no financial interest in Starting Strength. I have never met or talked to Mark Rippetoe so I can't say that I'm doing this article as a favor to a friend. Who knows; maybe Mark and I could be good friends or maybe we would hate each other. But whatever the case may be, he has done a great service by writing this book.

If you have a young child or are a coach of junior high or high school athletes; get this book. Get them lifting correctly before someone has a chance to screw it up. If you are coaching collegiate or professional athlete; get this book. It's never too late. If you are a personal trainer, training the "average" person; get this book. It will give you coaching cues and allow you to teach the fundamental lifts that most people should do for overall strength training.

The bottom line is this: this book should be owned by just about everyone. It's a shame that this book hadn't come out sooner. In an age where complexity and overcomplicated training has become the norm, this book is a breath of fresh air. I honestly believe that this book, more than just about any other book on lifting weights or training, should be in everyone's bookcase, office or gym bag.