Modifying Bill Starr

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

I’ve just completed a sheiko routine after using westside for a few months and I decided to move on to a simpler powerlifting routine, Bill Starr’s 5*5 routine Bill Starr's 5 x 5 program... Variation per Madcow2 (thanx) So here it is! K up now!

However, I wanted to run a few changes past you guys to see if it’ll work (they mostly apply to the second day):

  1. I found that my hips start hurting terribly if I squat pretty heavy too often during the week (during sheiko squats hurt horribly.) So I wanted to keep the first and third day the same (since these are needed for progression), but change the second day to a squat assitance exercise.

Probably something like 310, 46, etc. on zercher squats, front squats, split squats or etc. I thought this would be a good way to work on squat form (and deadlift form with some lifts), while giving my hips a bit of a break.

  1. I’m not incredibly confident with my form in any of the lifts yet ( I’m probably sucky on the 4 tier scale) and I found that with the deadlift my form gets bad very quickly after a rep or two.

I was thinking of altering this so that I either do rack pulls for workking pulling assitance muscles for strength/hypertrophy or pulling singles to work strength and form. They probaly wouldn’t be true 1rm’s, but pretty heavy weight.

For the rack pulls I’d work up to a top set.

Everything else would pretty much stay the same except altering assitance exercises whenever they feel old and maybe once rows start feeling bad going for max weight on chins.

Thanks in advance for any help.

2

Ok, so I am using the Rippetoe program which is essentially Starr’s 5x5 for dummies. Anyway, you stick to the program. You start off light (60-70% of your max) and you build up gradually, like 2.5 to 5 lbs a week. Your results are based on overloading progressively.

Search Madcow’s 5x5 Intermediate Linear periodzation. This variation only has you squatting heavy once a week and then moderatley and lightly.

3

I used Madcow for awhile…and after the first few weeks I changed the wednesday (light) squat to Good Mornings…for no reason other than squatting light really messes up my form and hurts in all the wrong places.

Also, all programs are designed to be modified to each individual Lifter. You know your body better than the creator of the program, and therefore can fine-tune it better.

4

[quote]Naphta wrote:
I found that my hips start hurting terribly if I squat pretty heavy too often during the week (during sheiko squats hurt horribly.) [/quote]

Hey Naphta,

I found the exact same problem with my hips hurting during starr’s 5x5. I like the goodmorning recommendation. Or just deadlift that day in place of squats.

5

I think front squatting would be a fine substitute for back squats on that day. That’s what I did when I tried Madcow’s version.