December 15, 2025
Coast Edition
On Starting Strength
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Supplements & Training Partners –
Rip and Rusty discuss their experience with areas of potential impact on progress – supplements, training partners, and goals. -
Asking Better Questions in Strength Coaching by Doug Diller –
How often are we giving athletes feedback that isn’t actually helpful to them? Or worse—feedback that’s about our perception, not theirs? This is where asking better questions becomes a powerful tool… -
The Reason For Lifters REDUX –
WFAC coach Rusty Holcomb compares pulling while wearing lifting shoes, Converse, and barefoot with respect to ROM and improved mechanics while starting off the floor. -
Maybe It’s Ok to Train Your Wife: Why the Old Adage Deserves a Second Look by Sarah Jones –
For some couples, coaching your spouse might be the best thing you ever do – for their training and your marriage. -
How to Set Your Back During the Deadlift –
Starting Strength Coach Steve Ross goes over some different cues to help you set your back during a deadlift. - Weekend Archives:
Stopping the Spread of Misinflammation by Jonathon Sullivan –
There’s an idea floating around out there, in that ill-defined nebula that we could call the Fitness Community, that seems to be picking up steam. It’s an idea whose proponents pride themselves… - Weekend Archives:
Bodybuilding Mythology by Mark Rippetoe –
Bodybuilding – especially for novices – is primarily concerned with one’s own perception of one’s appearance. Only for the more advanced competitor does bodybuilding become concerned with other people’s (the judges) perception of appearance…
In the Trenches
From South Florida to Southern Idaho, David made the trip to attend our Squat & Deadlift Camp at Ground Zero Strength. Here, he’s working on establishing a correct and repeatable deadlift start position for a stronger pull. [photo courtesy of Sam Krapf]
Zach Kawauchi works through rack pulls under the watchful eye of SSC Jarret Beck at Starting Strength Columbus. Zach’s consistency has resulted in tremendous gains. [photo courtesy of Paul Jackson]
Get Involved
Best of the Week
Need Help Breaking Through Bench Plateau
n2199211
Profile:
Male
34 years old
220-230 lbs
5’10”
Current Stats:
Squat: 435x3x3
Press: 197.5x3x3
Bench: 312.5x3x3
Deadlift: 520x1x5 (closer to 5×1 in practice — I reset between reps after a bad back injury scared me, so I want to ensure my form is perfect on each rep)
Books:
Blue Book – Read it
Grey Book – Read it
Programming:
Monday
Squat ~85% 3×5
Heavy Bench for a PR 3×3
Chin-Ups (bodyweight, 10 reps working up to 15 before adding weight — after reading the grey book, I realized I jumped the gun on adding weight)
Wednesday
Light Squat ~65% 3×5
Heavy Press for a PR 3×3
Deadlift 1×5 always adding weight for a PR
Friday
Heavy Squat for a PR 3×3
Light Press ~85% 3×5
Light Bench ~85% 3×5
Note: I do not program the clean due to a Latarjet-Bristow procedure. I am uncomfortable placing a barbell on my anterior delt. In other words, I have two 34mm screws in the front of my shoulder and they sawed off and relocated my coracoid process.
I was hoping someone could help me out. I am currently stuck on bench press. I have attempted 315x3x3 three times and failed on my last set every time. Sometimes I fail on the third rep, sometimes on the second or first — but I am hitting a wall. I tried adding a second press day, as you can see from my programming, but it has not helped my bench, though I do think it assisted my OHP. I am not sure if I am benching too little, too much, or if my programming is all messed up. If someone can help me figure out why I cannot break through this plateau and offer any advice, I would be grateful.
Rip, I did read the books. Both of them. It is likely I missed something as both are very dense, but I did read them. My favorite part of the grey book was “Sorry, we can’t have multiple orgasms.”
Mark Rippetoe
How long did you rest between these sets?
Maybach
Why don’t you try to get your first set of 3 to 330×3. Then I imagine you will have no problem hitting 315×3 for your third set.
n2199211
I use an app called FitNotes which has a built in timer, and I rest 5 minutes in between sets. However, sometimes it takes me a minute to get someone I trust to spot me, so on occasion I’ve rested 6-7 minutes.
I sleep 8+ hours a night.
I eat as much as I possibly can of clean calories.
Mark Rippetoe
Try 8-10 minutes and see if that makes a difference.
Best of the Forum
Succesful pause squat / competitive bench?
TalEphrat
I started pause squatting a while ago due to an injury, and it works great at the moment. Will soon be slowly switching back to regular squats.
Anyway, I was wondering – how much time one should spend at the bottom without a vertical movement, in order for it to be considered a succesful pause squat / competitive bench?
I mean, mechanically, a regular squat and a regular bench, have 2 points in time that the bar is stationary, by definition (during the switch from “down” to “up”).
Do you have an empirical cut-off to what should be considered “paused” rep, when the pause is between the descending phase and the ascending phase?
I guess it would (or should) be related to the stretch reflex, but still, how shall a judge make the call?
Mark Rippetoe
A judge will not be involved. Count “one thousand” while motionless and you’re good.
TalEphrat
Would do that.
How do you think the bench should be judged in that case? Of course without a “press” command, what shall the judge look for in order to give a white light?
Mark Rippetoe
I see no reason to pause your bench press unless you are satisfying an arbitrary rule for competition.
TalEphrat
My question is, what do you think should be that arbitrary rule in competitions?
Credit : Source Post
