Strong lifts or starting strength

hesn92
hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
edited November 14 in Fitness and Exercise
I am going to get a gym membership in a couple weeks, haven't had one in about a year. I used to so strong lifts but am thinking of doing starting strength instead. Opinions? The real reason I chose strong lifts before (I will admit it) is because I was scared to try power cleans. Does anyone do these? I've never seen a single person do one at the gym. I've read the book and watched videos. Should I just teach myself like I did all the other lifts or get a personal trainer to show me?

Replies

  • cole537
    cole537 Posts: 1 Member
    Its perfectly okay to switch bent over rows for power cleans for starting strength.
    If I'm honest, unless strength is your primary goal then there are other, better alternatives to SS/SL in my opinion.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    If you have no physical reason not to, learn how to clean.

    All lifts are technical to some degree or other. This one is no different...


  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »
    You could do starting strength and just sub bent over rows in for cleans. That's what I did when starting back after surgery.

    ^^^This...

    Also, if you're dieting I'm partial to the 3x5 set and rep range in Starting Strength vs 5x5 in Strong Lifts. For me, 5x5 was a lot of volume in an energy deficit...but lots of people do just fine too.

    Also, I agree with jimmer...learn to clean. Go ahead and sub some pendlay rows for now, but I highly recommend learning to clean. For me, if there could be only one lift, it would be the clean...it pretty much uses everything.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    You could do starting strength and just sub bent over rows in for cleans. That's what I did when starting back after surgery.

    ^^^This...

    Also, if you're dieting I'm partial to the 3x5 set and rep range in Starting Strength vs 5x5 in Strong Lifts. For me, 5x5 was a lot of volume in an energy deficit...but lots of people do just fine too.

    Also, I agree with jimmer...learn to clean. Go ahead and sub some pendlay rows for now, but I highly recommend learning to clean. For me, if there could be only one lift, it would be the clean...it pretty much uses everything.

    This is a great point about 3x5 - the lower volume makes things go more smoothly in a cut. Hell, I'm a fan of 3x3...
  • lucygoesrawr
    lucygoesrawr Posts: 184 Member
    Starting strength is working very well for me, would definitely recommend it. I don't do power cleans because weighted explosive movements like that are off-limits for me due to a medical condition, but they look so, so fun, so I'd say learn to do them :p I don't think you necessarily need someone else to teach you.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    You could do starting strength and just sub bent over rows in for cleans. That's what I did when starting back after surgery.

    ^^^This...

    Also, if you're dieting I'm partial to the 3x5 set and rep range in Starting Strength vs 5x5 in Strong Lifts. For me, 5x5 was a lot of volume in an energy deficit...but lots of people do just fine too.

    Also, I agree with jimmer...learn to clean. Go ahead and sub some pendlay rows for now, but I highly recommend learning to clean. For me, if there could be only one lift, it would be the clean...it pretty much uses everything.

    I used to do strong lifts but 3x5. I just didn't think the two extra sets were necessary and I had good results so I will stick with that. Why do you say learn to clean but go ahead and sub rows in for them? I don't have an injury myself. I'm just nervous. It's the jerking/jumping motion that makes me feel weird about it but I think I'll just get over it.
  • rawbmeow123
    rawbmeow123 Posts: 4 Member
    Cleans cleans cleans. So many people are scared of the clean for good reason too. It's one of the fastest movements in the Olympics. Very technical and made up of many mechanics. Starting position, first pull, hip contact, feet movement, second pull, elbows. Unless you are an athlete that can mimic YouTube I suggest dropping in to see a weightlifting coach. Cheers.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    edited March 2015
    Just my opinion, but I'm actually of a mindset to like the additional volume of the StrongLifts program for someone just starting out on a strength program and learning the lifts. Those extra sets for a few weeks to practice those lifts and develope those motor patterns better due to the more frequent repetitions. Once things start getting heavier and you start having issues with recovery due to the heavier weight, volume, and prescribed deloads...you'll be at the next phase of the program anyway of 3x5, then 1x5 thereafter. So unbeknownst to you, you will have auto-regulated down in volume due to those variables heavily based on diet and your ability to recover as you are becoming more trained.

    In regards to the clean or row... Do whichever you feel more comfortable doing. In retrospect, I find rows were more advantageous to me as it built up my rear delts which helped develope my "shelf" for the bar for squats.
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