The Books

This FAQ/wiki, in no way, shape or form, is a representation of OUR independent work. The entire wiki is a representation of information contained within the books, Starting Strength 1st, 2nd and 3rd Edition (Amazon link), the brainchild of Mark Rippetoe, with assistance from Lon Kilgore. They are unequivocally the most thorough body of work ever assembled on the topic of learning the core lifts of strength training and the knowledge contained within them is far-reaching in potential impact for anyone and everyone in the weight game. Coaches and trainees alike can benefit immensely from these books and its' incredibly detailed and exact descriptions and advice given on 5 of the most important lifts in weight training.

Both books contain 8 chapters, 5 of which are dedicated to providing pictures, visual, physical and verbal cues, and incredibly detailed descriptions of the proper methods of performing the squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and power clean. You thought you knew how to do these exercises until you read up on them, and you learn more in those pages than you knew in the first place. There is also an intro as well as chapters on programming (i.e. planned progression) and mistakes/fallacies with regards to youth weight training. The 2nd Edition contains an additional section that covers useful accessory exercises, although these exercises are not part of the Starting Strength Novice Programs.

If you give a crap about training, I highly recommend you buy the book. Apparently, I'm not the only one that recommends the book. And on Amazon.com it has almost unanimously received a 5 star approval rating.

>  [Starting Strength] should be owned by just about everyone. It’s a shame that this book hadn’t come out sooner. In an age where complexity and overcomplicated training has become the norm, this book is a breath of fresh air. I honestly believe that this book, more than just about any other book on lifting weights or training, should be in everyone’s bookcase, office or gym bag.
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Anyway, all credit goes to Mark Rippetoe, as I stated earlier. We have simply taken the ideas contained within the books and attempted to promote them because, quite simply, they work. Sometimes a very complex idea requires a very simplistic solution. Starting Strength details that simplistic solution, and Practical Programming follows up with information to maintain the trainee's progress.

### Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners

Starting Strength (1st Edition) (Amazon link) is a unique approach to coaching weight training, written by coaches and designed specifically for training beginners. Learn how to effectively and safely coach the basic core lifts and their programming in an easy to do, step-by-step process. Featuring the most heavily illustrated exercise chapters in print, Starting Strength shows the reader not only how to teach the lifts, but how to recognize and correct technique errors. The book features flip animations of each exercise performed correctly, along with practical interpretations of coaching theory, and the anatomical, physiological, and mechanical principles of training. It will help prepare coaches and personal trainers to be more effective strength and conditioning professionals.

### Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training (Amazon link) is the new expanded version of the book that has been called "the best and most useful of fitness books." It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the weight room, and a new chapter dealing with the most important assistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete examination in print of the most effective way to exercise.

### Practical Programming for Strength Training

Practical Programming (Amazon link) offers a different approach to exercise programming than that typically found in other exercise texts. Based on a combined 60+ years of academic expertise, elite-level coaching experience, and the observation of thousands of novice trainees, the authors present a chronological analysis of the response to exercise as it varies through the training history of the athlete, one that reflects the realities of human physiology, sports psychology, and common sense. Contrary to the one-size-fits-all models of periodization offered elsewhere, Practical Programming explains the differences in response to exercise commonly observed between athletes at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, explains these differences in the context of the relevant exercise science, and presents new training models that actually work for athletes at all levels of experience. Complete with new, innovative graphical representations of cutting-edge concepts in exercise programming, Practical Programming is sure to become a standard reference in the field of exercise and human performance.

### Strong Enough? : Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training

There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym. And honestly, unless you're a gym owner, this is a really weird way to spend 75 hours a week. Mark Rippetoe has been in the fitness industry since 1978 and has owned a black-iron gym since 1984. He knows things about lifting weights and training for performance that most other coaches and professionals have never had a chance to learn. Strong Enough? : Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training (Amazon link) offers a glimpse into the depths of experience made possible through many years under the bar, and many more years spent helping others under the bar.

Essays in this book are a collection that have appeared in similar form in the CrossFit Journal.