Thread: confused about some concepts of starting strength

Your first set should be a warm up. Than start to add weight and go to failure. If it takes you 25 reps to make it to failure. You know next time to add more weight after your warm up. After you learn the concept of failure, you can start to add in drop set, super sets and tri sets. It is not as hard as you think. You just have to learn your own body.

no i know my 5 rep maxes for starting strength, just i don't understand that when i do my 3x5 sets how can i not go to failure on my first, second or third set when i start off with my 5 rep max on the first set, doesn't make much sense to me.

I couldn't find in SS where it says to start with your 5rm? I thought you started at a weight where your form breaks down and go from there. (Haven't read the whole book tho, and have yet to do more than skim Practical Programming.)

In any event, according to kethnaabs summary of SS, a good idea is to start with a weight 5-15% less than your 5rm to allow some room for progression.

Guide to Novice Barbell Training, aka the Official RIPPETOE-STARTING STRENGTH FAQ - Bodybuilding.com Forums

If you're eating enough and getting enough rest, and start at a point using that 5-15% rule, I would think you'd have no problem exceeding your current 5rm soon enough. If you have perfect form at your current 5rm, maybe wait longer, maybe 3-5min, between sets? Then eat and sleep and progress from there? Seems a lot of guys (and girls) on the SS forum, who've got their form down and are putting up some pretty good numbers, wait up to 5 min between sets.

Actually, the SS forum would be a pretty good place to ask about SS. Some really impressive numbers and progression being put up by a lot of the members, and a lot of 'em really know their stuff.

I'm no expert, but that's my $0.02.

good luck