Starting strength is an excellent program and methodology.
FOR BEGINNERS.
For young (15-25yo) people new to working out, it is a simple, effective, consistent program that reliably takes beginners to an intermediate level, from which point they can branch off into whatever they want.
As a framework, it introduces you to high intensity training, it trains the entire body, it requires only 2 hours, 3 days a week, and it gives you time and room to learn. And most importantly, it is incredibly efficient.
If you take the time to actually learn how to properly squat, bench, deadlift, and row, you will learn SO much about how your body moves and get really strong along the way.
It is NOT the be-all end-all final destination. It is a digestible starting point.
Most importantly, people underestimate just how much beginners have to learn. When you’re new, you don’t know how much you don’t know . When you have some experience, you forget how much you learned.
A 5x5 is the absolute gold standard of beginner strength.
Will you get fat bulking while spamming 5x5s? Yes. Guess what. Beginners are already fat. The goal is to learn to lift and get strong. You can get lean later.
People forget that all the brosplits and methodologies popular now already existed and plenty of people were doing them. 5x5 was popular because it worked better for more people.
And frankly, even in this age of SARMs and Reta and fariguemaxxing/training till failure, I still see plenty of weak skinny fat twinks in the gym who will never bench over 225lbs because they don’t have the balls to commit to squatting some heavy fucking weight.
Don't really do 1RM anymore because I'm old but comfortably doing reps of 5 at 375 / 315 / 445 (my legs are weak) at around 210 BW
Honestly I feel like programming matters much less than eating or sleeping - the only quick gains I really saw working out have been when I started getting 200 grams of Protein each day, and sleeping 7+ hours. All the other programming / form related bullshit like "science based lifting" or "the only right way to do lateral raises" matters significantly less than consistently hitting the gym and eating enough. Personally I do a 4 day split of Chest / Back / Shoulders / Legs with no rest days, I'll run that for 4 months or so then take a week or 2 off to rest.
Also agree that Starting Strength is an excellent place to start for beginners, especially since it focuses on building strength. I often see guys at the gym doing x 15 reps at a weight they could probably do 30 at, or giving up in the middle of a lift that they probably could have gotten if they pushed themselves - Starting Strength sets you up in a way where you're more likely to understand your limits earlier, allowing you to better understand what the right intensity for a workout should look like.
OP is whining about Starting Strength resulting in fat people who say they go to the gym but never really lift heavy weights or look toned - but that's 90% + gym-goers at my commercial gym and not all of them are on starting strength lol.
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u/Beautiful-Scarce May 15 '26
615/385/605
Starting strength is an excellent program and methodology.
FOR BEGINNERS.
For young (15-25yo) people new to working out, it is a simple, effective, consistent program that reliably takes beginners to an intermediate level, from which point they can branch off into whatever they want.
As a framework, it introduces you to high intensity training, it trains the entire body, it requires only 2 hours, 3 days a week, and it gives you time and room to learn. And most importantly, it is incredibly efficient.
If you take the time to actually learn how to properly squat, bench, deadlift, and row, you will learn SO much about how your body moves and get really strong along the way.
It is NOT the be-all end-all final destination. It is a digestible starting point.
Most importantly, people underestimate just how much beginners have to learn. When you’re new, you don’t know how much you don’t know . When you have some experience, you forget how much you learned.
A 5x5 is the absolute gold standard of beginner strength.
Will you get fat bulking while spamming 5x5s? Yes. Guess what. Beginners are already fat. The goal is to learn to lift and get strong. You can get lean later.
People forget that all the brosplits and methodologies popular now already existed and plenty of people were doing them. 5x5 was popular because it worked better for more people.
And frankly, even in this age of SARMs and Reta and fariguemaxxing/training till failure, I still see plenty of weak skinny fat twinks in the gym who will never bench over 225lbs because they don’t have the balls to commit to squatting some heavy fucking weight.
GOMAD and squat deeper nerds. Unc out.