Starting Strength is Mark Rippetoe’s beginner barbell program, and it’s about as proven as a novice routine gets. You train 3 days a week on non-consecutive days, alternating two full-body workouts (A and B) built around five lifts: the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, and power clean. Every session is a handful of heavy sets on the big compounds. You squat every time you train, and you add weight every session you make all your reps.
The idea is dead simple: a brand-new lifter can add weight to the bar every single workout for months, so the program never wastes that window on fancy periodization. It’s a straight linear progression, the same family as GreySkull LP and StrongLifts. What sets Starting Strength apart is the coaching. Rippetoe’s book breaks down each lift in more detail than just about any other source, so you learn to move well while you get strong.
This one is for true beginners, or for anyone coming back after a long layoff who can still add weight session to session. If you’re already an intermediate lifter and the weights stopped jumping every workout a while ago, you’ll get more out of an intermediate routine like Madcow or the Texas Method. If you’re brand new and not sure where to start, this or one of the other beginner programs is a great first step.
Starting Strength Routine Spreadsheet
The spreadsheet below models the real three-phase progression, not just a blank logbook. Enter your starting weight and your per-session jump for each lift on the Setup tab, pick your rounding (5 for lb, 2.5 for kg), and every session’s target load fills in for you. You log the weight you used and your reps in the green cells, and the sheet tells you what to load next time. Make a copy first (File, then Make a Copy) so you can edit your own version.
For the full program write-up and free documentation, head over to Starting Strength. To learn the lifts in expert detail, I’d pick up the book. It’s one of the best investments you can make in yourself as a lifter.
Program Overview
Starting Strength runs 3 days a week (a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule works well) and you alternate two workouts. So your first week is A, B, A, and the next week is B, A, B. The main lifts are done for 3 sets of 5, the deadlift for 1 set of 5, and the power clean for 5 sets of 3. Rest 3 to 5 minutes between your heavy work sets so you can actually hit the reps.
The program moves through three phases. You don’t reset your weights between them. You just change the lift selection as you get stronger and need more recovery.
Phase 1: Novice
You squat and deadlift every session, and the overhead press and bench press alternate day to day. This phase is short, usually 2 to 3 weeks. Once the deadlift gets heavy enough that you’re still tired from the last pull at your next session, it’s time to move on.
Phase 2: Power Cleans
The deadlift drops back to Day A only, and the power clean (5 sets of 3) takes the pull slot on Day B. Pulling heavy once every other session lets you keep recovering while the squat and presses keep climbing. Most lifters spend a few months here before the upper-body lifts start to stall.
| Workout A | Workout B | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Squat 3×5, Overhead Press 3×5, Deadlift 1×5 | Squat 3×5, Bench Press 3×5, Deadlift 1×5 |
| Phase 2 | Squat 3×5, Overhead Press 3×5, Deadlift 1×5 | Squat 3×5, Bench Press 3×5, Power Clean 5×3 |
Phase 3: Advanced Novice
Once you can’t add weight every session anymore, you stretch out the progression instead of quitting it. The squat goes heavy on Monday and Friday and light on Wednesday (around 80% of Monday) for a recovery day. Press and bench keep alternating, and the deadlift, power clean, and chin-ups rotate through the pull slot so you’re not pulling heavy three times a week. This phase is autoregulated, so treat the spreadsheet’s Phase 3 loads as a starting template you adjust by feel. When even this stops working, you’ve gotten everything a novice program has to give.
Starting Strength FAQs
What is the Starting Strength program?
It’s a beginner barbell program from strength coach Mark Rippetoe, built around a linear progression on the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, and power clean. You train 3 days a week, alternate two full-body workouts, and add weight to the bar every session you complete all your reps.
How many days a week is Starting Strength?
Three days a week, on non-consecutive days. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is the classic setup, but any three days with a rest day between them works. You need those rest days to recover from the heavy sets and add weight next time.
When do you add power cleans?
You move into Phase 2 and swap power cleans onto Day B once your deadlift gets heavy enough that daily pulling wears you down. For most people that’s about 2 to 3 weeks in. The deadlift is the most fatiguing lift in the program, so cutting it to once every other session while adding the power clean keeps your recovery in check.
Starting Strength vs StrongLifts 5×5, what’s the difference?
Both are 3-day linear beginner programs. The big differences: Starting Strength uses 3 sets of 5 on the main lifts and brings in the power clean, while StrongLifts uses 5 sets of 5 and a barbell row instead of the clean. StrongLifts is a bit more straightforward to run on your own. Starting Strength leans harder on Rippetoe’s coaching and technique work.
When should you move on from Starting Strength?
When you can no longer add weight from session to session, even after stretching out the progression in Phase 3. That’s your cue that the novice window has closed and it’s time for an intermediate program that progresses week to week instead of workout to workout. Madcow 5×5 and the Texas Method are the two most common next steps.
