The First Three Questions (Audio Only)

Mark Rippetoe reads his article, The First Three Questions, in which he discusses the most common reasons for an early stall on the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression.
The article first appeared on the Starting Strength website here: startingstrength.com/article/t...
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[@1t0ns0up]

1) 4:01 How long are you resting in-between your sets? 2) 6:10 How big of a progression jump are you taking between workouts? 3) 8:57 How much and what are you eating and are you getting enough sleep?

[@everybird3530]

holy shit i didnt know this and i was so obsessed about my workouts i was resting like 30 seconds to a minute between squats sets and stalled very early at 135. thank you so much

[@KimTownsel]

Nutrition, training, and rest. These are not difficult concepts...one would think. Yet, I find myself having this same convo over and over and over with different people. Some seem to think that by asking for advice and then ignoring what obviously works is a new plan that will work for them.

[@Uncle_Tijikun]

I just love listening to Rip's lessons. they're a jewel of knowledge and common sense

[@tinkywinky4449]

I think you need to re-evaluate your understanding of the word "common"

[@Uncle_Tijikun]

@@tinkywinky4449 I definitely did in six years 🤣🤣🤣

[@Filaxsan]

Big thank you to the Starting Strength team for making these articles, writing their books and most importantly for making us stronger through them! Huge respect for your work and wisdom, we will never thank you enough guys.

[@ApeSlayer]

*_Yup, gotta wait 'til you're not fatigued from the last set. Even if it takes 10 minutes_*

[@thetruth5232]

"Razor Abzz, dude" Traps are the new abs! I rather fill my shirt than having to lift it all the time to feel good.

[@bzd1983]

girls love abs. Fat dudes who fill out an XL shirt, not so much.

[@thetruth5232]

Thats a generalization. In my own experiance, women don't care if you have abs or a little gut. Its the way you present yourself. If your insecure and you try to make up for that with anything, Good luck with that.

[@bzd1983]

A mature WOMAN might tell a white lie like that as you described to make you feel ok that you don't have a sexy stomach because she likes you in spite of it. In this case Rippetoe was describing young men and teens desire to have abs, I assume based off the term " Razor Abzz Dude" he used. WOMEN of all ages find a trim toned mid section to be among the most if not THE MOST attractive area on a mans physique. Its the same as men who find a womans flat toned stomach appealing as apposed to a soft puffy, flabby gut. You honestly think that women like a gut on a man? Men never say they like a gut on a woman, why would women be different? YOU seem to be looking for an excuse for not trying to achieve a chiseled midsection because its very difficult to maintain. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

[@bzd1983]

"Konfidunt" interesting.

[@DJcs187]

There's a difference between "liking/finding appealing" and simply not caring. Most women simply don't care whether you are 8, 10, 12 or 15% bodyfat, unless they are into bodybuilding themselves. Now of course if we enter 20%+ territory, things slowly start to shift, but I would argue that even then, provided you overall look fit and in shape, a bit of a gut won't harm your appeal all that much. If on the other hand you are completely out of shape with a bit of a gut, that starts to be actually unappealing.

[@justjack4030]

geez Rip, who would have thought a little common sense goes a long way? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I am benefiting a lot from you. Cheers mate!

[@bobmcc6626]

Although I almost always enjoy listening to what Rip has to say, I am amazed that he has to keep repeating this information.. Seems simple enough. Follow it (EXACTLY) and be rewarded, ---or don't-- and see how that goes for you.

[@obits3]

Bob McC Most people either lack basic reading comprehension or they are to cheap to even spend $10 on the Starting Strength Kindle edition.

[@crisrody852]

After 1 year of hypertrophy training with low weights and hi volume I started Starting Strenght. At first was weird to learn how to just use Force instead of slowing resist the weight, but in 4 months of ST I still never failled a rep. The secret for me was: on everyday that I don't go to the gym I do a lot of mobility work, I try to make my body recover 100% between each workout, I noticed that I should do this in just 2 weeks of ST, because if I didn't I would for sure had stoped it with max 6weeks, because Squating 3x week require a lot from your body to restore. Other thing that I had to do in order to be able to keep with it was adding shoulder warm up before every section, focussing on my rotator cuffs and I also added face pulls for my posterior delts. I got to strong in my Push but didn't worked enough Pulls before started ST, lost a lot of shoulder mobility and on the beggining I wanted to cry from so much pain in shoulder while squating, but now it is fine =D

[@ltmechanicus]

Congrats on your gains man. Good work!

[@frustrateduser666]

Very good advice, as usual. I was having a conversation with a CrossFit fanatic about how important it is to rest between sets if the goal is to improve strength and I was simply getting the usual bullshit about rest = laziness. Rest periods are important and they are different for different goals - hypertrophy, strength, or endurance. Anyway, I did not want to bang my head against a wall so I simply agreed that I was lazy and went on with my life.

[@apffer]

Very good idea to start warmup sets for the next exercise during long rest periods, if its the onlu alternative for time schedule limits. My trainning is already around 01:40 long with 3 minute resta.

[@rexbear9756]

Yes, there is no substitute for the stress, recovery, adaptation cycle. I wish you would talk more about the over 50 crowd, I heard you say in a Q And A that you want this group to work out only twice per week. I am doing this as the three day a week workouts are too much stress for me to recover from workout to workout. I am resisting the temptation to be greedy.

[@charliechuck8994]

Rest is huge

[@GUIDE_Nico]

These are wonderful bed time stories. Ripe what you sow.

[@miguelreyes8466]

Coach your awesome.would been good to known you at a younger age

[@yoyoandrew123]

ty rip

[@keithj6251]

Does anyone know if Muscle Milk is a good protein supplement? TIA.

[@adamcostilla1692]

I really appreciate these videos, but I would like to take liberties to offer a critque; please up the volume, the audio is very clear but on multiple devices and I always have a hard time hearing it if there is any background noise. Thanks.

[@mickymcfarts5792]

Who are the 7 crossfiters?

[@Bumiround]

"Eat more than you already are" is a perfect plan As i gain more muscles my body tends to losing fat and less hungry Just eat more, but not too much

[@jakehahn2457]

Fuckin love this dude

[@mantexas9033]

"Learn from us instead of your own wasted time on trial and error failures." What's the total man hours of all the lifters who've gone through Starting Strength? Roughly 1,000,000 man hours per year, about?

[@jesterpox]

Can beer count as extra calories consistently with results ... i mean if i drank 6 beers per day, ate a but load of chicken/brocolli and trained hard would i do well. (FYI im intermediate now doing TM-360/415/250). What about 10 beers per day.

[@TheSuperber]

jesterpox alcohol weakens the acute testosterone response after training.. it has many other detriments including impeding recovery... wouldn't suggest

[@jesterpox]

I ask because im going on vacation to a cabin for 6 weeks. Ive decided to buy rack/bar/weights and train regularly ... however there will be alot of drinking. Im totally aware that im not going to be recovering well(ill sleep alot) or progressing normally, but im trying to think of it more like a dirty bulk. I talked to powerlifters about this and some drink alot of beer regularly and are strong AF. I dont see why it wont work or why i wont get stronger or bigger.

[@aragon19964]

If it doesn't interfere with your ability to train as you normally would (making progress even if it's slower) I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. Is it optimal? No.

[@jesterpox]

If a SSC would weigh in on this question it would be appreciated. Obviously in this case a calorie isnt just a calorie.

[@DBowTX]

jesterpox Alcohol blunts testosterone response. I'm guessing the PL who drink a ton regularly have either: up-regulated their liver, take injectable testosterone, or are huge compared to you. Alcohol also inhibits Anti-diuretic hormone which slightly dehydrates you and interferes with your sleep cycle. So no, 6 alcoholic beverages daily is not opptimal. But, if you want to get bigger, it works wonders and makes you consume an addition 200 Kcal per day in addition to the Calories in the beverage.

[@tobybromfield3664]

... I'm 5 ft 8 and 155lbs :/

[@Simon-uj4yu]

Do you find that you need less rest between set when doing benches and presses compared to squats?

[@RoadToDocByRoidAlex]

Simon Rulander I feel I need a little less, maybe because less muscle mass is used therefore it is easier on the body. But you should just take as long as you need

[@jefftparker]

I wait 5 minutes for the Big 4. I just set a timer on the phone. Simply because I don't want a 2.5 hour workout. Works 9/10

[@adityac90]

Physically I feel recovered quicker for upper body lifts, but I still find that I should about the same as for squats and deadlifts because I do end up failing once I get to the 4th of 5th rep if I don't rest enough.

[@RoadToDocByRoidAlex]

Caibre True, just read about it once again. Feigenbaum recommends same times due to this problem, even though you feel better quicker in upper body lifts

[@filipedecastro4718]

yep

[@superbob8791]

4k calories a day?? damn that's crazy high for me (5'11" @ 160 lbs)

[@DJcs187]

You wanna look like him? Then eat like that. Otherwise, target a small surplus of say 200-300 calories above maintenance.

[@fuzzylogiceire]

DJcs187 You're misinterpreting him. The following are Rippetoes words, read it. "Okay kids, it has come to my attention that quite a few of you are not doing the program and then bitching about the results of The Program. Here’s the deal: the novice linear progression, as described in both Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and Practical Programming for Strength Training 2nd Edition is very specific in the details of its application, and there is not much room for wiggling. Later, yes, but not at first. In addition, the diet that must be followed is the one that best facilitates the program, and this will be different for everybody depending on age, body composition, program adherence, and genetic potential. The goal of the program is not to make you fat. The program is for increasing strength and muscle mass. The idea is that you must gain some bodyfat in the process if your bodyfat is low, and that you should lose some bodyfat if it is high. I don’t want you fat, but I don’t care about seeing your abs. If you want to see your abs, fine - worry about that later. I want you to get big by getting stronger, and to do this it may be necessary for your bodyfat percentage to go up in the process. Later, if necessary, the process of losing it can be more easily accomplished when you have more muscle mass. But right now, just worry about getting strong, and big will be a side-effect, as will improved body composition. And if you don’t stop misinterpreting this, I will have you all killed. It is common to want what you cannot have. But it must be kept in mind that the phenomenon of cause and effect cannot be argued with or circumvented by your wishes and desires. Everyone that has been a kid or has raised them is familiar with the phenomenon of the “growth spurt,” which happens naturally during all stages of normal development. Growth occurs sporadically as we develop and mature; it is not smooth over the course of the whole infant/child/adolescent/teenage continuum, but within the growth spurt itself there occurs a period of smooth linear increase. We are creating an “artificial” growth spurt with our training, and if the stress is sufficient and the diet adequate to facilitate recovery amazing progress can occur. This is why proximity in age to the normal growth window makes for a more efficient response to this stimulus: the processes by which it is accomplished are still functioning, and the system is not yet cemented in its final form. The older the trainee, the further the remove from the capacity to generate a growth spurt. But the stimulus/response relationship is axiomatic - you get out of it what you put into it, within the context of your ability to respond. You maximize this ability by training, eating, and resting in the best way possible."

[@mantexas9033]

fuzzylogiceire 🚨🚨🚨

"dude."

[@AnnLaustsen87]

What if I'm a lady at 5'10 160lb, age 29? Should I eat 4000 calories?

[@bzd1983]

yes. you can never be fat enough for rippetoe.

[@CrimsonStrider]

Masteroftrancegirl the 4000 cal comment applies more to young, underweight males. Nutrition is tricky. Read Jordan's "to be a beast" and use his recommendations as a starting point and then adjust your nutrition from there.

[@AnnLaustsen87]

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely check his article out. Feigenbaum has a great website. I've been binge watching videos on this channel, so now I'll move on to his site and read the "to be a beast" article. I was also scrolling through the FAQ on the ketogains subreddit (I'm a fan of keto, been doing it for 8 years now but recognize that it's not for everyone) and they recommend 0.8-1.2 grams protein per lean body mass. Anyway, I'll read Jordan's article and keep experimenting. It sucks because I have to take some time off because I hurt my left knee a week ago squatting. It's not the program's fault-- I got distracted by some people being loud in the corner and looked up. And then I felt something funky in my left knee. My best guess is that it's patellar tendonitis and I've read that it takes a while to heal. I'm super bummed because I loved seeing my numbers go up. But oh well, at least I learned my lesson the hard way at a lower weight. The lesson is to PAY ATTENTION. Lol. Progress will come with time, I just have to be patient. Thanks! ~Brigitta

[@AnnLaustsen87]

Let's all get super fat together! Eat all the ice cream and drink all the milk! :-D

[@CrimsonStrider]

Masteroftrancegirl I don't know how Keto works with training. I think I understand that with a diet that includes carbs, you can eat slightly less protein. When people are building muscle, they can eat less protein, and when they're losing fat they reduce carbs and increase protein slightly. With Keto, I'm not sure how much that changes, but I'd imagine keeping it similar to Jordan's guidelines isn't bad by any means. Most RDAs lowball protein. Good luck with the knee. I had some stuff feel funky too, trained through all of it. Probably not a good idea to stop squatting, but prudent to lower the intensity a little/work around it. I'm sure you could search the SS website and find out what other's have done.

[@tommyharris5817]

I disagree with eating 4000 calories a day as a prerequisite to building muscle as there's a huge difference between a 6' skinny 19-year-old and a 5'6" fat 40-year-old.

[@tobybromfield3664]

How much is enough sleep? I have to get up at 6 every morning, and end up sleeping at around 11 or just after.

[@crisrody852]

How much hard work you do in the day? Do you feel sleepy when you wake up? On weekends you need to sleep a lot more?

[@tobybromfield3664]

Cristian Rodrigo dos Santos Very tired when I get up, have an hour into the city, have Uni for 4 hours, then eat something and Gym and work in evening. I don't feel too bad at the gym to be honest, but I don't get enough sleep...

[@crisrody852]

Sleep more would be great, but if you can't, you just need to deal with it. If you don't feel bad at the gym or the soreness get you to hard there isn't a problem :) If gets into a point where the soreness from one workout afects the next one you will need to find ways around it, since rest isn't a option, you should do more mobility work and some tissue work also in your off days. :)

[@tobybromfield3664]

The thing is, yeah I get DOMS, but I train each body part once a week and have a 4 day split with a rest day in between, so the soreness doesn't affect the other workouts too much. But protein synthesis happens when you sleep, so repair occurs when you sleep. So even if I feel ok, there'll still be micro fibers that won't be getting much repair, so limiting growth. :/

[@crisrody852]

***** don't think to much about it, unless you are planing to take it as a professional career, you always will have to chose between things in life, you can only do so much peer day, focus on your study, you will have gains if you keep being dedicate, but if you chose to be a professional, than you will have to do it as your main thing in life

[@NimW]

Lol is he just reading from the book?

[@robertkenderes8062]

NimW 🤔

[@Slywolf1992]

NimW no, he writes all these out beforehand.

[@coltonkirshner-lira5398]

It says in the video description he's reading an article which was posted to the starting strength website.

[@astromonkey7120]

8 minutes rest... Come on mark fitness world is not ready for this truth

[@docoftheworld]

I love you ... you eloquent beautiful man :p

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

3500 calories and 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight is plenty.

[@gasbaroni]

It depends on the person, If you work a highly physical job in construction like me, you need atleast 4000 calories a day. If I don't eat that much, I'm literally shredding 4 pounds a week.

[@andychow5509]

This article was a great way for Rip to justify a program that mathematically cannot work. Around 3:04 Rip explains how little he understands his own program. He states one cannot increase 5 lbs a session for 15 years, but can for "several months". When asked about it, he often says 4-8 months. Now say it were 4 months. 4*15 = 60 training sessions every other day. 60 * 5 lbs = 300 lbs. So Rip is saying: No problem, follow my program, and if at the start you squat 200 lbs, in only 4 months you'll be squatting 500 lbs. Unsurprisingly, this never ever happens. When the student fails, Rip blames their nutrition (Why aren't you eating 8000 calories?). He blames sleep (Aren't you sleeping 16 hours a day?) or rest time between sets (take 20 minutes between sets. workout will only take 4 hours or so. Don't you want this?). Rip's program works for the absolute beginner, because all programs work for absolute beginners. But most of his clients/fanatics will stall out withing the first couple of months. They are then blamed for their lack of progression, to a program that claims without batting an eye that it's very possible to increase squat weights 300 lbs every 4 months, and claim they have done this over and over and over, even though they have never trained any champions and no one following their program has ever won anything more than local lifting events.

[@charliegoode6670]

First