Stronglifts / Starting Strength

Smuterella

I keep seeing these programmes mentioned as good options for a beginner to lifting but can someone please explain to me the difference between them. Before you ask, I have googled....and it is as clear as mud. :-)

erickirb

They look quite similar but stronglifts 5x5 is 5 sets of 5 reps, and it looks like starting strength is 3 sets of 5 reps, and uses power cleans as one of the exercises. So it will come down to whether you want to do more sets or power cleans as one of your exercises.

Aperture_Science

The three programs I have seen: Stronglifts, Starting strength and Madcow's 5 x 5 are very, very similar.

What they all have in common is that they focus upon:

Low reps, maximum weight
Large compound moves (rather than isolating individual muscle groups)
Simplicity: Two work outs done alternately with rest days in between.
Designed for beginners (but also suitable for intermediate/advanced lifters for a break from their normal programs)

As someone who has read Starting strength and Madcow's 5 x 5 I can't even recall what the specific differences were, the programs are that similar. In the end I plumped for Starting Strength because there were tonnes of You Tube videos of Mark Rippetoe (author of Starting strength) performing the lifts.

Does that help any?

Smuterella

Indeed it does, thank you.

FoxyMcDeadlift

Madcow is a intermediate programme, its what you progress too once you are done with SS or SL

Commonly promoted that you should go from SS/SL>Madcow/Texas Method>5/3/1. After my marathon i will probably run SL and then move onto madcow

thefuzz1290

Stronglifts is more for beginners as it has you start with the bar only and you progress from there. It also has a very easy progression, unlike Madcow's.