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Pros & Cons of Starting Strength

June 8, 2026 · 54 min

Show notes

Starting Strength is probably the most famous strength training program in the world, and a huge reason that barbell lifting took off 15-20 years ago.

But is it really a good program for beginners in the gym? And which claims by Mark Rippetoe in the Starting Strength book have aged badly? How would we improve Starting Strength?

A listener on Spotify requested an episode about the pros and cons of Starting Strength, and today we deliver just that!

Pour yourself a gallon of milk; this is going to be fun.

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our Reddit community here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

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