March 23, 2026
Vernal Edition
On Starting Strength
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No, the Deadlift ISN’T Dangerous –
Rip and Rusty discuss the Deadlift, including it’s importance, the need for technique, and the unfounded fear of the lift. -
Cutting Corners by Jack Bissett –
Coaching, for those who care and take pride in their work, is a serious profession, and even an art form. To be a great coach requires thousands of hours of dedicated and reflective practice… -
How to Press Against the Rack –
WFAC coach Carmen Phillips shows how trainees who have shoulder limitations can modify the press by sliding it along the front of the rack. The starting height, distance from the rack, and finish position are adjusted for each person, keeping the movement as close as possible to the press. -
Useful Assistance Exercises: The Forgotten Chapter by Scott Acosta –
Starting Strength is often accused of lacking variety. This is an inaccurate surface level assessment that has bothered me for some time – it needs to be corrected. Starting Strength advocates… -
Cues, Context, and Timing –
Starting Strength Coach Grant Broggi discusses bad cues, timing of cues, and communicating with lifters effectively. - Weekend Archives:
Strength Training IS Hypertrophy Training by Robert Santana –
The quest to build larger muscles is one that men have embarked on for centuries. It is obvious that the skeletal muscles’ ability to produce increasing force against an external resistance is… - Weekend Archives:
A Brief History of Wichita Falls Athletic Club by Mark Rippetoe –
April 1, 2024 is the 40th anniversary of the Wichita Falls Athletic Club. I thought I’d tell you about it. I started training in 1976,just fucking around in the gym like all of you did before you wised up…
In the Trenches
Mary Griffith works hard on her press on a busy Saturday morning at Starting Strength Columbus while being coached by Graham Guthrie. [photo courtesy of Paul Jackson]
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Best of the Week
deadlift form check 410lbs
computersmash
This is the first time i’ve had a problem with the deadlift
I pull once a week
6’2, 260lbs, 40yo
squat 305
dl 410
bench 287
ohp 185
I run a lesser version of the program just twice a week. And I don’t have any problems with recovery, although this set of deadlifts, it made me sleepy and emotionally labile for a couple days
Anyway, you can tell I kind of hitched it there.And that was unexpected.And I wonder if there’s a simple fix for it
It kind of starts at one minute, deadlift video
Mark Rippetoe
The first thing you need to do is standardize all the reps in the set — pause between every rep, new breath, and push the floor away from the bar. That way all 5 reps are pulled under the same mechanical conditions. Right now, 2 of the 5 reps are bounced off the floor.
Best of the Forum
Another question about femural LLD
AcaLukas
I posted here a couple months ago because I had some misunderstandings about the protocol for femural LLD.
I have a difference that’s a mix of both femural and tibial, so I shim and take a staggered stance. However, I’m not certain about what exactly to do when deadlifting. With a staggered stance, when you bring your shins to the bar (step 3), obviously one shin (the longer leg) will touch the bar before the other, and the other (the shorter leg) will remain away from the bar the distance which is dictated by the staggered stance. Am I supposed to pull from such a position (so, the shin of the longer leg touching the bar while the shin of the shorter leg staying behind a bit), or am I supposed to actually bring the shin of the shorter leg to the bar too, so both shins are touching the bar when the pull starts? I tried the first option and the bar simply rotates backwards when the pull starts in order to touch the shin which was staying back.
Mark Rippetoe
Which works best for you?
AcaLukas
So far I’ve only tried actually lifting with the first option. When I bring the shin that’s away from the bar towards the bar, naturally the hip on that side significantly drops and I’m worried that this is screwing up the lateral symmetry of the hips we’re trying to achieve.
Mark Rippetoe
Remember that the ROM of the hips during a pull is much shorter than that of a squat, so the symmetry at lockout is your biggest concern.
AcaLukas
So my lumbar should be fine with either option?
Mark Rippetoe
I don’t know. I haven’t watched you pull.
Credit : Source Post
