Review of Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

This book is what it says it is, however there are some mistakes i believe that need to be pointed out.

bench press : M.R. recommend that you use the thumb grip, for safety measures. this one is dumb as fuck really, unless you compete because first, you should always bench in a power rack for safety measures, so the pins will catch the barbell and second, you have more strength by using a thumb-less grip, just like you can do more push-ups on your hands rather than on your fists....

Squat : Again, M.R. recommend that you use a low-bar style version of the squat. why ? because it use more hammstrings than quads. but isn't it the goal of the squat to developp quads ? whatever version of squat you want to use, you should always squat in the power rack, not counting on your buddies for your own safety. spotting the squat is a dangerous thing, for you and your buddies.

Deadlift : Here, the common idea that you should keep your back straight is another mistake of this book. what happens exactly when you keep your back straight ? the bar ends up a bit more away from you, more than if you had your back bended, and thus making the lift both more dangerous and harder. When you deadlift, the bar should remain really close to your legs, close to the centrer of gravity of your body. When a lot of snow cover a tree, youngs one bend and let the snow fall, but the old ones cant bend and breaks. your back can bend, why should you ignore it ?

Power Clean : Starting Strength is a book about strength training, but what exactly is strength training? in the world of strength there is several differents disciplines : Weightlifting and Powerlifting are the main ones. Should a beginner do power cleans ? if you want to do weightlifting, power cleans are a must. but if you want to do powerlifting, power cleans are unnecessary (and dangerous). with a power rack, you dont have to clean your heavy barbells before you attempt to lift them above your head...

Assistance exercises : (chin-ups, curls, etc) M.R. says assistance exercises are assistance only and should not be overdone, unless you want to be a master at assistance exercises. I believe this is hypocrisy because either assistance means it helps and should be done, either it sucks and should not be done. in case your wondering about wheter or not you should do curls (in the power rack), it all depends on your goals. my goal is to developp my arms, so yes i do curls in the fucking power rack without any  shame, because curls DO developp biceps. chin-ups are great to developp the lats, and they do it in a different way than barbell rows.

In the end, starting strength is not so bad, but lack some obvious good sense, as well an explanation of the different field of strength. i just dont like the philosophy of it, saying bodybuilders are douchbags, and the fact that it is at the beginning of the hate tread of split routines... i do not recommend starting strength for the one who want to grow muscle as well as strength, but it shall be good enough for the one who want to begin weightlifting.