I am trying to become a Starting Strength coach. ask me anything

Any general cues to help with lumbar flexion at the bottom of a squat?

so i started doing ss
got my lifts up to
100kg dl using 5kg increases
85kg sq
70kg bp
45kg ohp

i then introduced power cleans and progressed up to
120kg dl
95kg sq
75kg bp
50kg ohp
55kg cleans

and there my problems began. i felt like shit after workout and was forced to do many deloads so i decided to add weighted and regular chins and make every third squat session lighter

still progressing is very slow and except for getting my weighted chins up to 20kg barely anything changed.

im 65kg 175cm adult male
is my lp over? should i move into intermediate routine?

not OP but you need to gain a lot of weight. if you refuse to do this then yes, your linear progression is over.

Chest up, butt back. Your chest must rise at the same rate as your hips. Set your low back before the descent with the chest up cue and you should be fine. If you cued but still flexed, that means you lost tightness. Work on staying tight. everywhere

What are your 1rms?

Nice, thanks. How long can someone get away without using a belt?

Are you using stimulants like caffiene before every workout? That could add to the post workout fatigue that already comes with intense sessions.
It is not optimal to grind through your workouts during training, so if you get to the point where you are failing reps NOT due to bad form, then you have probably ended LP. If your LP ended earlier than you expected, it is from improper technique, poor recovery, or both
If barely anything has changed in the past 6 workouts then you have ended LP. That means stop doing SS and do an 8 week program called "The Bridge" from Barbell medicine. It is a transitional intermediate program meant to be run immediately after LP
good luck user

Do you know what the deal is with the drama between Jordan and SSOC?

Squat: 455
Deadlift: 480
Bench: 270
Press: 225
Power Clean: 290
25, natty, 195 lbs, training since 18

If you've been strength training for more than 2 months it's time to use a belt. You don't need to feel like you are getting away with anything since the purpose of a belt is not to make up for weak abs

no since I'm not a part of the SS team yet and have never spoken to Dr. Feigenbaum personally. What kind of drama?

Seems some SSOC people are shitting on his programs and using RPE. I don't know the details but he's been speaking about it on his insty live

Also, you didn't need to deload because if you have to decrease a variable to assist recovery on a novice linear progression program, you are by definition no longer a novice. To the extent that you deloaded may have set you back

what program do you recommend?
are your thighs bigger than your torso yet?

what equipment besides barbell and weights would you recommend for a home gym.

Yeah, I like Feigenbaums style of programming and coaching but if there's one thing I would do differently it would be ditch RPE for percentages. At least for intermediates, because their RPEs are increasing as they get stronger.
I personally use RPE in my training because I make progress much much slower and am more experienced at RPE judging than the intermediates Feigenbaum trains. But other than that he's cool, dont see why people are shitting on him

Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression

and no

Build a platform for deadlifts and oly lifts so you don't destroy your floor or destroy metal plates on concrete
A pullup bar if the rack doesn't have one attached
Maybe some dumbells. DBs are very useful for hypertrophy training
Maybe a piece of cardio equipment that isn't a treadmill if you want to do conditioning

favorite lift to teach in the program?

Well I've only coached 2 ppl so far but I would prob say the squat since the (infamous) frequency it has in the program allows for greater opportunities to correct errors

me on the right

who's fatter, him or rip?
also, mirin the lifters arms

That SBD are absolutely pitiful for your time training lmao.

t. guy who can't deadlift 405

How do you deal with the crippling loneliness of being the only lifter at the gym?
Everyone else is either on the treadmill, crosstrainer, hometrainer or doing yoga.
They have all these weights, and I'm the only one using them.

I have a 570 deadlift with sub 3 years of lifting, but keep.projecting.

Hmm. The 290 powerclean at that bodyweight--I am jealous.

Let me rephrase that. I haven't been "training" for seven years, I've been training for 4. I fucked around in the gym until I was 21 not really making much progress until i starting strength training. Also, I know my bench sucks, but I think my S and DL are ok for a natty of my experience

Does Feigenbaum claim he's natty?

There was I time where I spent about a year doing almost nothing but oly lifting so I think my PC can be attributed partially to that

lol sorry to hear that man

yes

Do people actually believe Feigenbaum is natty?

impressive OHP and good squat but what the fuck is going on with the rest of your lifts for someone's who's been training for 7 (or 4 + a headstart) years
maybe you're the one that needs coaching

he isnt much strong than Dr. Baraki who is natty for sure, and his physique is good no doubt, but it isn't exceptional and he doesn't have a particularly low bf %, so I would say it's possible for him to be natty. Though if he did admit to being on gear I wouldn't be surprised, lets put it that way

I have a coach. Even advanced lifters need coaching in my opinion

Agreed that Austin is Natty, but Hollywood Feigenbaum has bigger ambitions and seems interested in growing a bidniss with his image.

Who among the SS crew aren't right wingers politically? Sully, Brodie?

no idea. I know jordan is an athiest but not politically affiliated

Pretty sure Rip is an atheist too

Doing SS and using the SL app to track progress, I saw consistent gains to begin with.

Currently, I’ve been on a trip to shitty South East Europe for about a month now. Progress has been inconsistent as fuck due to constant town and gym hopping:
>gym A highballing the shit out of their home made plates and bar, making me unable to repeat my lifts at gym B
>wasting time repeating weights due to the above
>failing sets because of shit Bench press set ups on shit benches with shit uprights
>different deadlift starting height positions
>lack of squat rack safeties and form breakdown to UNCONDITIONALLY not fail the set
>realising the bar had been 15kg all along AFTER a workout, making it a mini deload
>Power Clean all over the place (yellow line), doing different weights trying to figure out whether I’m suffering form fault or equipment faults
>there are literally 0 deadlifting platforms across all gyms in this country

I’ve also developed symptomatic tendonosis in my shin/below the knee area - the kind of injury you get from too much squatting volume. What you’re seeing in the graph is “Light Squat Wednesday.”

Anyway, I’m returning to my beautiful home on Monday to lift at my beautiful gym with constant environment parameters. My question:

I want to significantly deload all my lifts and hit my current shaky PR’s running. How much should I deload?

Bump

Like I said earlier, a novice does not need to deload (low stress). But it sounds like you've got more going on here then just high stress buddy.
First off, if your form was compromised because you didn't have safeties, you were working with a weight you cant handle in the first place. I personally almost never use safeties for just that reason, unless it's a max attempt in which case I also have spotters. So dont ever do that EVER again.
Secondly, I'm skeptical that you can get tendonosis from squatting too much unless you were using improper technique. But there is evidence that loading the tendon can alleviate some of the condition, so if you want to keep progressing on the squat, you're going to have to push through the pain. However, consult a medical professional, as I only have a tertiary knowledge of this shit.
TL;DR: if you aren't done with your linear progression, dont deload. Keep squatting unless the pain is unbearable. Keep doing light squat Wednesday unless you haven't been doing the program for more than 3 months. Have an objective party observe your technique. NEVER compromise form during training. See your doctor

Literally forever. Mart Seim squatted 400KG high bar with no belt to help his clean and jerk and snatch numbers.

Also, don't self diagnose tendonosis if you did. It could always be a non-inflammatory condition, like a sprain. However, if it IS a non inflammatory condition, you should stop training until it's fixed

>Hollywood Feigenbaum
lol how'd u come up with that

Only an idiot.
His supplements are way over-priced, too.

theyre about the same price as most pre workouts

I don't know; I just thought it sounded funny in my head.

Maybe if you shop at BB.com, but not where get my supps. His pre-workout is well more than a buck a serving which is ridiculous.

But how's the quality?

confirmed. Idk, I guess since he was a Texan, i assumed he was religious. shouldn't assume I suppose

it's pre and post workout, so it doesn't have stimulants. never tried it but it looks like it has high dosings. Probably why it's so expensive

his traps are abnormally large. I'd be surprised if he's natty

Hmm. But how long before he starts selling teeth whitening?

It's just convenient because it has beta alanine, creatine, citrulline malatate, BCAA's etc all in one package. No "proprietary" bs but it definitely is expensive

his traps pop like hell, but his shoulders don't seem to. Usually guys on the juice have juicy traps AND shoulders, which makes me think he could be natty
Also I wonder if being an M.D would mean easier access to AAS, but idk

Also also, he has a pump in this pic, dont get it twisted

What makes SS better than SL? Currently doing SL+accessories (curls, pullups, planks). Convince me to switch over.

Yeah. Rip is an atheist but very moral and into Western Civilization, etc. His politics seemed to take a hard right turn this last election. I was surprised he voted for Trump after calling him a narcissistic moron, and I am surprised by the extent to which he defends POTUS.

watch his morning instagram live videos. traps still look ridiculous

Well, for starters I think the SS stuff has a lot more going for it in terms of how it explains the "why," and the coaches are always available for consultation on the message boards. Especially Hollywood. He's a pretty dedicated contributor.

5x5 squats 3 times a week will probably be impossible to recover from once you're doing close to 300lbs. 3x5 will allow linear progression to last longer.

>Hollywood
Are you affiliated with SSOC?

My God, who is that? Is he single? He's such an eligible bachelor. Does he also own his own business?

No. I lurk on the SS boards a lot. Why do you ask? Do others call him that?

1. More balanced and simple, yet better programmed
2. Allows for greater intensity of the sets when doing 3 sets instead of 5 sets
3. The way the program is layed out into phases allows for longer progression
4. Has a comprehensive book, coaching, and online community to assist you in your training
5. SL has unecessary volume for novices that translates into superfluous fatigue
6. When it comes to building strength, Power Cleans > Rows.

Thanks for the answers, I have a few more questions, if you don’t mind.

If I’ve stalled on all lifts or experienced form breakdown due to inconsistent (and objectively shit equipment), should I deload a little bit when I return to my native gym after my trip?

By “significant” in my OP, I meant enough to confidently hit all my lifts as planned. Something like backtrack 6 workouts worth of weight, or 10% or 15 % or whatever you recommend.

2. I ordered proper lifting shoes today (Adipower). Might start using a belt too. Should I expect a huge boost in comfyness?

3. What are the SS + PP equivalent books for conditioning, if it’s something you’ve come across?

4. Alternate grip or hook grip for DL? Switch hands for the former each workout to mitigate assimetries long term?

5. How do I know when I’m ready for phase 3?

6. Why does 50% of Veeky Forums hate SS? And it was removed from reddit’s sticky too.

7. Opinions on curls and lying tricep extensions?

No, there's just apparently a lot of drama between him and SSOC. Rip apparently clowned on him being vain and he kind of went on tangent on his insta live

Fuck. I need to know more about this.

Not him, but what if you did 5x5 for OHP and BP?

4. Hook is superior, if you can do it. I cannot.
6. Because they're not willing to do the reading, because strength isn't their top priority, and because the program involves a lot of work.

That makes sense, I'm nowhere near squatting big atm, but I could see that becoming a thing.
Would anyone ever recommend switching from SL to SS when the lifts get bigger? I'm not even squatting 2pl8 right now so 5x5 3 times a week is not a problem yet. But should I plan to switch to 3x5 when i get to larger lifts?

Also meant to add re #4: If you use alternate grip do NOT switch hands.

OP here
2. You should expect a boost in stability. and if you are currently squatting in tennis shoes, you should expect a stronger squat
3. idk
4. Hook. Unless you are pulling over 2x bodyweight at a meet, dont do mixed grip, it will create imbalances.
5. When Fridays start to feel extra hard
6. idk
7. LTEs are good for extra pressing volume for non-novices. Curls are good for aesthetic purposes. useful, but not necessary

Probably not since the decrease in volume wouldn't be best. You have already adapted to doing 5 sets of 5, fewer sets wouldn't be beneficial. If you have been training for more than 2 months, dont switch programs

He gets more pissed off about it every insta live. "I'm tired of people shit talking behind my back", etc etc

Damn, he's already complaining about TMZ? Dayam, Hollywood!

I bet the other SS coaches suspect he's on the juice, like everyone in this thread

>wants to be responsible for other people’s lifting.
>still so immature he posts anime

Wew lad. Never going to make it.

Really, OP? No mixed grip except at meets? I've been mixed this whole time. I can't pull more than 330 or so double overhand. I need to use straps?

Selling program templates is also iffy. Why release a free ebook on the bridge and then tease people with a "Bridge 2.0" paid template?

for novices. I reccomend against training with mixed grip because it can develop imbalances. pulling singles with it like you do at meets are fine, usually

I use it regularly whenever I deadlift more than 315, though. No good?

have you tried hook grip?

You should start teasing a Bridge 2.1 that corrects a critical flaw in 2.0. Maybe he'll complain about you on Insta.

If you are pulling singles or attempting a 1rm it is just fine. But if you are a novice, aka someone who has only been exposed to deadlift stimulus for a few months and are doing sets of 5 in the gym, it isn't good, because unless you learn to hook grip, you will develop muscular imbalances

Classically trained violinist. Need my thumbs, even though I don't play professionally.

Ah, okay. Well, I'm not a novice--I wish!--so I guess I'll just keep calm and carry on.

mixed grip isnt as bad on the thumbs as you might think, at least once you callus. but unless grip strength is the limiting factor in your pull, keep doing mixed I suppose

I assume you meant hook and not mixed in this comment. Part of the problem is fear, admittedly. I have tried a few times but am still too chicken.

Why not use the official SS app instead, or the Personal Trainer App if you're on android?

yes I did mean that. if you want ease into it, try incorporating it in your warmup so you aren't having heavy weight on it the first time you try

How do U move thru dat sea of pussy when gurls see your backsquat 1 RM?

if I had a better squat I'd think I'd be able to answer that