II. The Exercises
**A. The Main Exercises
**B. Accessory Exercises
*****1. Abdominals
*****2. Arms
*****3. Dips
*****4. Back extensions
*****5. Pull-ups/Chin-ups
**C. Other Questions
The beach muscles – teh bicepts ‘n’ teh 6-pakc
teh 6-pakc
Question - What ab exercises should I do, and how should I do them?
Volumes have been written on this subject, so I will briefly explain a few good ab exercises
1) NS Situps - (NS = Needsize, the creator of this exercise) - lie on a slant board, start at the up position, lower yourself until your upper body is parallel to the ground, hold for 5 seconds, return to the top. Add weight to your chest (i.e. hold a plate or DB or a sandbag across your chest)
2) Leg raises from a chinup bar
3) Leg raises on a slantboard
4) Ab pulldowns
A few points:
-Start off easy so that your abs aren't trashed for days.
-Try to keep reps lower. Over 15 is unneccessary in most cases, add weight to increase resistance. Strong abs produced by weight are going to be better able to stabilize you during a squat or pull than skinny abs that have been eroded by 1908432-rep situp workouts
-Do these AFTER weight training, not before, and not on your off-days. Sore abs can wreck your back if you aren't careful when doing squats and pulls, so just do the ab work right after your workout.
Question - I have heard of Standing Ab Pulldowns. What are these and how are these done? Should I do these instead?
Standing ab pulldowns are a very good exercise that is frequently performed by powerlifters. Because the squat and deadlift (2 primary powerlifting exercises) are taxing on the midsection, and both require you to stand up, the train of thought is that doing ab work in a standing position will have better carryover.
Here and
here are a few pics of the standing ab pulldown. You attach a towel or a strap or whatever to a lat pulldown machine, face away from the machine, hold the straps on either side of your head, and use your abs to pull you down.
If you prefer those over situps or leg raises, then go for it! Be smart, start out easy, and gradually increase volume and/or intensity. Keep reps per set relatively low again (no 30-rep marathon sets)
Question - Do I need to do ab work? I know several people who think doing squats, deadlifts and rows are good enough for abs.
If you think this is true for you, then go ahead and skip ab work. Most people, especially most novices, could do pretty well if they do a few sets of abs 3x per week. It certainly isn't going to kill you and generally will help 99% of most novices, who have flabby bellies, even if their midsection isn't large.
Remember, your midsection is responsible for keeping your spinal column tight and in proper alignment, along with the muscles of your lower back. If your lower back fatigues, whatever "slack" is created by the weakened lower back muscles will need to be taken up by your abs. As such, it is much better to have abs that are "too strong" than "not quite strong enough", because "not quite strong enough" may very well lead to a back injury, which is horribly un-anabolic, as well as painful and aggravating (and chronic)
Question - I want to cut up for the beach and get a 6-pack. Can I get a 6-pack from this program?
The "6-pack" is a result of 3 things
1) Muscular development of the abs
2) Low bodyfat
3) Enough muscle all over the body so that the skin is stretched thin enough across the abs to demonstrate them
Some people who are barbell novices may have abs, but usually they are involved in some type of strength/endurance sport, such as soccer, hockey, track, and especially martial arts and wrestling, etc. These individuals may be naturally muscular and lean, and probably have developed a good bit of muscle via their sport. As a result, they may not have significant muscle mass as compared to a bodybuilder, but they are still well developed compared to the untrained individual.
This program builds muscle mass. Diet and cardio are used to burn bodyfat. If your bodyfat is low, then you may very well find that the muscular development you get from this program is enough to help your abs show, especially if you eat a very clean, well-balanced (for muscle building) diet.
If you don't have abs now, and you are a chubby, NO weight training program will get you a 6-pack without dietary adjustments and cardio. As a newb to weight training, your best bet is simply to clean up your diet, maintain a strict food log, and monitor your calorie intake and morning post-take-a-dump bodyweight. Don't try to lose weight (unless you're pretty fat), try to maintain. This will allow your body to burn bodyfat for fuel while building muscle. This is ESPECIALLY effective for chubby teenagers and out-of-shape older guys who used to be athletic/lean and can use muscle memory to help them get back in shape.
Take 6 weeks and focus on eating a maintenance diet and developing your strength. Monitor your progress and THEN start tweeking.
teh bicepts
Question - Why isn't there any direct arm work? I wunt my gunz!
There is direct arm work included in this program, but it is designed so that the inexperienced newb doesn't overdo his arm work.
Here is what typically happens with a novice weight trainee.
1) They suck at the "big exercises" because compounds like squats, deads, benches, presses and pulls are difficult when you first start out. You can't get the technique right, you are wobbly and uneven, etc. As a result, you are unable to truly tax your torso or leg muscle groups.
2) They have TONS of leftover energy because the weight they used on the compounds doesn't really stress their muscles excessively, so when it comes time to train arms, they get overzealous and obliterate the arms with all their leftover zeal
3) Arm work is VERY easy to perform, both from a physical standpoint and from a mental standpoint. Curls are easy, squats are hard. The untrained, unconditioned novice is also undisciplined, and a result, will put less effort into the big exercises and more into the arm exercises, because they are easy
4) Arms are, even for newbs, EXTREMELY easy to hit hard and "get that burn/pump". As a result, newbs end up w/ crippling DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) in their arms, and on the 2nd day following, they are unable to train their presses or pulls because their arms are complete jello.
5) Couple the above with the ridiculously intense "arm fascination" that the typical 14-year old has, and you have a recipe for disaster.
By placing the direct arm work approximately 3-4 weeks into the program, you are able to develop a base conditioning level so that once you DO add the arm work, your arms are already well conditioned, and the arm work becomes icing on the cake and doesn't interfere with your main workout exercises. This means significantly greater growth in their entire body, including their arms. In the end, very experienced people have developed this to maximize your growth all over, including your arms. Your arms will grow better if you don't overdo it at first.
Question - When and how do I add direct arm work?
See section III - Programming
Question - What are the best biceps exercises to incorporate into the program?
Don't get fancy here. Use BBs and DBs and try not to let your ego get in the way of things.
There are millions of articles in Flex and M&F about the various biceps exercises. Go pick one of the barbell or DB ones out and go for it.
Here are my fave’s:
1) 1-arm Barbell curls (yes,
one arm)
2) Alternating Hammer DB curls
3) Incline DB curls
Question - Should I use DBs, barbells or the curl bar for my biceps exercise?
Yes
Question - Are cheat curls good? Arnold used to do them.
Arnold also thought getting a pump in his muscle was like cumming. Take what Arnie said with a grain of salt. For now, avoid cheat curls. Use them later on once you have more experience, and you will know how and when to incorporate these.
Question - Will this program help me get 'teh bicept p3ak'? I wunt my gunz!
The original Starting Strength workout is a beginner's program. If you are a candidate for this program, then you have to understand that NO program can build your peak right now because you have no biceps. Build your biceps (Along with the rest of your body) and then start asking about your peak development. If your arms are under 17 or so inches, then you really shouldn't concern yourself with your "peak". Your peak is going to suck as long as your arms are spindly and weak.
Question - Why doesn't this program have concentration curls in it? Arnold did concentration curls
You aren't Arnold, and you don't need concentration curls yet. If you are a good candidate for this program, then worry less about concentration curls and more about putting some muscular bodyweight on. Skinny kids don't spend much time on concentration curls unless they want to look skinny the rest of their lives.
Nothing wrong with arm work OR concentration curls, but they have their place, and in the workout of an inexperienced trainee who isn't well conditioned, they are out of place.