Bill Starr | strength training for sport

program design

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

program design

By Bill Starr

The very first step in setting up a strength program is deciding exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your training. Are you most interested in establishing a solid strength base for a sport like football or basketball, becoming a better bodybuilder, powerlifter or weightlifter, or getting stronger to enhance your general fitness? It's a key consideration because there are many, many approaches to a strength routine.

power surge

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Only the Strong Shall Survive: Power Surge

By: Bill Starr

One of the biggest problems that strength athletes have is determining how many sets and reps they should do on the exercises in their programs. Naturally, what they do will depend to a large degree on their strength level. Those just getting started on a strength routine would not use the same set-and-rep formula as someone who's been strength training for several years, although many basic principles apply to both.

overtraining

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Overtraining

by Bill Starr

Sooner or later every serious strength athlete learns about overtraining. It’s a natural phase of getting stronger – sort of like falling on the ice while you’re learning to skate – and it’s bound to happen. Contrary to what most people think, however, I don’t believe that overtraining is always a bad thing. Some degree of overtraining is necessary in order for you to move to a higher level of strength. Even so, these bouts of overtraining should be limited, as problems occur when you remain in a state of overtraining for a long period of time. At best, chronic overtraining causes progress on all lifts to come to a grinding halt. More likely, the poundages slip backward. Eventually, unless you make changes, injuries rear their ugly heads.

overload by bill starr

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

When In Doubt, Overload

by Bill Starr

The strength-training principle of overload has been around for a very long time. Historians credit Milo with bringing it to the civilized world, although I have a suspicion that a number of cavemen practiced the concept with various-size rocks. Milo began lifting a small calf every day, and as the calf grew into a stout young bull, Milo got progressively stronger. He’s overload his muscles and attachments very systematically.

overcoming sticking points

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Overcoming Sticking Points

by Bill Starr

Whenever people start training seriously on a strength program, their gains come rather quickly because they’re stimulating new muscles. This is particularly true if they are also adding bodyweight. Because the exercises are new them – and because they’re making progress – these folks are enthusiastic and motivated, and that’s another key factor in their progress. The numbers climb steadily and all is good.

lumbars

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

THE LUMBARS: KEYS TO OVERALL STRENGTH

by Bill Starr

Of all the major muscle groups, those that form the lower back, the lumbars, are the most neglected. There are two main reasons for that. The muscles of the lower back are rather hard to see from any angle, even in a mirror. It's the old out-of-sight, out-of -mind idea. Second and perhaps more pertinent is the fact that lower-back exercises, when done properly, are always difficult. They're the most demanding exercises in any strength program. There's just no easy way to perform good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts and hyperextensions - not if you really want to get strong. Token poundages just don't get the job done.

lower back

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

The Lower Back

by Bill Starr

Whenever I conduct seminars or clinics, I’m frequently asked what part of the body I consider the most important in strength training. My answer: the lumbars – the muscles of the lower back.

look strong, be strong

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Look Strong, Be Strong

by Bill Starr

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an original concept on my part. Bob Hoffman, Peary Rader, Bill Pearl and John Grimek preached the basic idea for many years. They firmly believed that when people add muscle to their frame, they should also enhance their strength. To have huge arms and a massive chest but be weaker than the average man on the street was a shame. And it still is.

light day by bill starr

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

The Light Day

by Bill Starr

I receive a steady flow of mail from people who want me to check out their programs. Some want specific exercises to help them improve a weak area, while others want my opinions on their exercise selection, exercise sequence and sets and reps. High school coaches are often looking for substitute movements, since they don’t have the necessary equipment for certain exercises.

hepburn routine

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Only the Strong Shall Survive: The Hepburn Routine

By: Bill Starr

Last month I presented a workout aimed primarily at beginners and those who want to include some quick lifts in their routines, a program I learned from Sid Henry of Dallas. This month's routine is of an entirely different nature and is meant for advanced strength athletes. Don't even consider trying it unless you've spent several years in serious strength training. You must establish a solid base before this routine will bear fruit.

heavy, light, medium

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

The Heavy, Light and Medium System

by Bill Starr

One of the basic principles of strength training is the heavy, light and medium system. Like all the other concepts used int this physical science, it's not a new development. The old-time strongmen incorporated into their routines the idea of doing a less-than-strenuous workout after a difficult one, but it wasn't actually pout into a definite usable system until the mid 1930's, when Mark Berry wrote about it in his book Physical Training Simplified. From that point on aware strength athletes not only used the heavy, light and medium system, but they also understood why it was so beneficial.

getting started

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Getting Started on a Strength Program

by Bill Starr

The very first step in getting started on a strength program is to have a well-organized plan. Sit down and take some time to lay out your routine so that you know exactly what you're going to do for the next few weeks. You don't have to plot out the exact weights you'll use, for it may take a few workouts before you know your upper limits, but you should write down the lifts you want to do, along with the sets and reps for each.

gaining muscular bodyweight by bill starr

Bill Starr Articles January 14, 2012 Comment

Gaining Muscular Bodyweight

by Bill Starr 1985

A warm breeze, coming directly off the blue Pacific, made its way up the side of Mt. Haleakala and flowed into my room. I was at my typewriter, attempting to catch up on my correspondence. By glancing to my left, I could see over the tops of the eucalyptus forest and pineapple fields to the Pacific coastline that makes up the back of the neck of the island of Maui. It is a splendid scene to behold.