Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe's novice program, and StrongLifts 5×5, published by Mehdi Hadim, are two novice barbell programs that beginners often compare, and they look alike at first glance: two alternating workouts, three days a week, squats every session and weight added whenever you can. The differences are in the details that shape your training week: how many sets you do, whether you learn the power clean or row, how big the jumps are, and what happens when you miss.
Below we lay those details side by side, work through the weekly volume with stated assumptions, and give you a way to judge your first four to six weeks. Neither program is the "right" one; the better choice fits your schedule, equipment and coaching access.
TL;DR
Decision summary
- Choose Starting Strength if you want shorter sessions (3 work sets per main lift), want to learn the power clean, and like a program backed by a book, articles and a coaching network.
- Choose StrongLifts 5×5 if you want one fixed A/B template from day one, more practice sets (5×5), barbell rows instead of cleans, and an official app and free spreadsheet.
- Either is reasonable if you are new to barbell training and can train three non-consecutive days a week. Consistency, sensible jumps, food and sleep are likely to matter more than the choice.
- The official pages set out each program's rules. They do not show that one produces better results than the other, and neither does this article.
What to do this week
- Check your schedule: how long can each session realistically last? Use the weekly volume comparison below.
- Check your equipment: power cleans are easier to learn with bumper plates and a coach.
- Pick one program and commit to it for at least four to six weeks.
- Set up a simple log (date, lift, weight, sets × reps, completed or missed, notes).
- Learn a consistent warm-up with our ramp-set method and use the plate calculator so loading the bar is quick.
Starting Strength: credit and sources
Created by Mark Rippetoe.
Primary source: Starting Strength Training Programs
Book: Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition (The Aasgaard Company).
This guide summarizes and comments on the original program. Credit belongs to the original author(s). Strength Progression is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by them; for the complete program, use the original source.
StrongLifts 5×5: credit and sources
Created by Mehdi Hadim.
Primary source: Stronglifts 5×5 Workout Program: Quick Start Guide
Mehdi Hadim says he did not invent 5×5. StrongLifts' history page traces the format through Reg Park, Bill Starr and Glenn Pendlay.
This guide summarizes and comments on the original program. Credit belongs to the original author(s). Strength Progression is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by them; for the complete program, use the original source.
Which versions we compared
Here is exactly what this article compares:
- Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe's novice program, as described on the official "Starting Strength Training Programs" page and FAQ (Phases 1–3). Rippetoe's book Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training (3rd edition) explains the lifts in depth.
- StrongLifts 5×5, published by Mehdi Hadim, as described in the official Quick Start Guide and the site's progression and failure pages. The site's history page traces 5×5 from Reg Park's 1950s book through Bill Starr and Glenn Pendlay, and says Mehdi's 2007 guide was based on Pendlay's online version, with an A/B schedule, empty-bar starts and a single set of deadlifts. Variants such as Plus, Ultra and Lite are not compared here.
We summarize structure only. For the complete programs, use the official sources.
Side by side
| Factor | Starting Strength | StrongLifts 5×5 |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Mark Rippetoe | Mehdi Hadim (5×5 lineage via Reg Park, Bill Starr, Glenn Pendlay) |
| Schedule | 3 days a week, non-consecutive, alternating A/B | 3 days a week, rest days between, alternating A/B |
| Workout A | Squat 3×5, press or bench 3×5, deadlift 1×5 | Squat 5×5, bench 5×5, barbell row 5×5 |
| Workout B | Phase 1: same as A with the other press. Phase 2: squat 3×5, press or bench 3×5, power clean 5×3 | Squat 5×5, overhead press 5×5, deadlift 1×5 |
| Later changes | Phase 3: deadlift and power clean alternate on Day A; chin-ups on Day B | Same A/B template throughout |
| Deadlift | 1×5; every session in Phase 1, then less often | 1×5 on Workout B only |
| Power clean vs row | Power clean is part of the program; the FAQ says rows are not an accepted substitute | Barbell row 5×5 on Workout A; no cleans |
| Increments | Larger early jumps on squat and deadlift, then 5 lb; smaller jumps for press, bench and clean | Usually 5 lb (2.5 kg) for squat and deadlift; 2.5–5 lb for upper-body lifts |
| After a miss | Repeat the weight; miss again, deload 8–10% | Repeat the weight; after the third failure at a weight, deload about 10% |
| Resources | Book, articles, FAQ; the site lists coaching, online coaching, seminars and forums | Free written guides, spreadsheet and the StrongLifts app |
The workouts in plain terms
Starting Strength
The program has three phases. Phase 1 (usually one to three weeks) is squat 3×5, press or bench press 3×5 (alternating each session) and deadlift 1×5, every session. All set counts are work sets; warm-ups come first and are not counted.
In Phase 2, the power clean (5 sets of 3) replaces the deadlift on Day B, because deadlifting heavy three times a week becomes hard to recover from. Phase 2 can last from several weeks to several months. In Phase 3, deadlifts and power cleans alternate on Day A and chin-ups are added on Day B. This is also where many lifters start micro-loading the press, bench and clean, and some move to adding squat weight only twice a week, with a lighter middle-of-the-week squat.
StrongLifts 5×5
Workout A is squat, bench press and barbell row, each 5×5. Workout B is squat 5×5, overhead press 5×5 and deadlift 1×5. You alternate them three times a week. The template does not change; the weight does.
What is the same: both are novice linear progressions with squats every session, a single heavy set of deadlifts, alternating presses and three sessions a week.
Deadlift volume, power cleans and rows
Deadlift volume is close to identical once Starting Strength reaches Phase 2: one set of 5, roughly every other session. In Phase 1, Starting Strength deadlifts every session, so it has more deadlift reps for the first few weeks.
Power clean vs barbell row is the clearest difference. The power clean is a fast pull from the floor to the shoulders. It is a skill, and it is easier to learn with coaching and bumper plates; our power cleans for football guide covers the learning steps. The Starting Strength FAQ treats the clean as part of the program and says rows are not an accepted substitute, though it allows lifters aged 50+ or frail lifters to drop cleans if they cause problems. If you swap cleans for rows, you are running a modified Starting Strength; label it that way in your log.
The barbell row in StrongLifts is easier to learn and adds upper-back pulling volume, but it trains a different quality than the clean.
Increments: how fast the bar gets heavier
| Lift | Starting Strength (as written for healthy men about 18–35/40) | StrongLifts 5×5 |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | +10 lb for the first 2–3 sessions, then +5 lb | Usually +5 lb (2.5 kg) per session |
| Deadlift | +15–20 lb the first couple of times, +10 lb the next several, then +5 lb | Usually +5 lb; men may use +10 lb early |
| Press and bench | Perhaps one +10 lb jump, often +5 lb from the start; later 2.5 lb or smaller | +2.5–5 lb |
| Power clean | As press and bench | Not used |
| Later on | Micro-loading (2.5 lb or less) is common in Phase 3 | Weight is added every 1, 2 or 3 workouts as progress slows |
Starting Strength notes that women and older lifters follow the same pattern with smaller jumps. In kilogram gyms, 5 lb is about 2.3 kg, so most lifters use 2.5 kg; 2.5 lb is about 1.1 kg, so 1–1.25 kg jumps need fractional plates.
Coaching guidance: smaller jumps keep the lighter lifts moving longer. If you stall on the press or bench in your first month, check your jump size before anything else. Our guide to adding weight to the bar covers how to choose.
When you miss: stall and deload rules
Starting Strength (FAQ): after a missed session, repeat the weight. If you miss again, deload that lift by 8–10%. After two or three deloads followed by another stall, linear progression on that lift is probably over, assuming sleep and food are adequate. Rippetoe's article "The First Three Questions" suggests checking rest between sets, jump size, and food and sleep before concluding you are stuck.
StrongLifts 5×5 (failure page): repeat the weight after a failure, try again after a second failure, and after a third failure at the same weight, deload about 10%.
The practical difference is small. Starting Strength deloads a little sooner; StrongLifts gives you three attempts at a weight. In both, a deload is a short step back to build momentum, not a restart.
When repeated deloads stop working, it is time for a program with weekly or longer progression; see when you're not a novice anymore.
Worked weekly volume comparison
Here is the arithmetic, with the assumptions stated so you can check it.
Assumptions
- Work sets only (warm-ups excluded), every rep completed.
- Three sessions a week, alternating A/B, so one week is A–B–A and the next is B–A–B. Numbers below are the two-week average per week.
- Starting Strength Phase 3 is excluded because chin-up reps vary by lifter.
Work-set reps per week (two-week average)
| Lift | Starting Strength Phase 1 | Starting Strength Phase 2 | StrongLifts 5×5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 45 | 45 | 75 |
| Bench press | 22.5 | 22.5 | 37.5 |
| Press (overhead) | 22.5 | 22.5 | 37.5 |
| Deadlift | 15 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Power clean | — | 22.5 | — |
| Barbell row | — | — | 37.5 |
| Total | 105 | 120 | 195 |
Work sets per session: Starting Strength Phase 1 has 7 (3 + 3 + 1). Phase 2 Day B has 11 (3 + 3 + 5). StrongLifts Workout A has 15 (5 + 5 + 5) and Workout B has 11 (5 + 5 + 1).
Session time, as an example. If each work set plus the rest after it takes about 4 minutes, Starting Strength Phase 1 work sets take about 28 minutes and StrongLifts Workout A about 60 minutes, before warm-ups. Change the 4 minutes to match your own rests. A systematic review of rest intervals found untrained lifters made strength gains with 60–120 seconds between sets, while trained lifters appeared to need more than 2 minutes to maximize gains.
What these numbers do and do not tell you
- StrongLifts has more work-set reps. That is real practice volume, and it costs more time and recovery.
- The loads are not the same. For a given lifter on a given day, the heaviest weight you can complete for 5×5 is generally lower than for 3×5. Rep totals alone ignore that.
- More volume is not automatically better. Meta-analyses suggest strength gains rise with weekly training volume on average, with diminishing returns that a 2026 meta-regression found more pronounced for strength than for muscle size. Those analyses pooled many different programs; they do not tell you which of these two will work better for you.
- Neither number predicts how long your novice progress lasts. That depends on your starting point, jump sizes, sleep, food and consistency.
Who each program fits, and who it does not
Starting Strength fits you if: you want shorter sessions, you are willing to learn the power clean (ideally with coaching), and you like having a book and coaching resources to check your technique against.
StrongLifts fits you if: you want a template that never changes, more sets to practice each lift, rows instead of cleans, and the official app or spreadsheet to follow.
Neither is the best fit if: you can only train twice a week, or you have an injury that the core lifts aggravate. Get medical or coaching input first. If you want a novice linear progression with more variety and its own built-in stall stages, GZCLP, Cody Lefever's novice program, is another option in its own right; see Starting Strength vs GZCLP.
How to evaluate your first 4–6 weeks
Do not judge a program after one hard week. At the four- to six-week mark, review your log against these checks.
| Check | What to look at | Decision rule |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | Sessions completed out of planned (12–18) | Missing sessions because they run too long? Starting Strength's shorter sessions may suit you better. |
| Load progress | Weight added on each lift since week 1 | Both programs aim to add weight most sessions early on. A lift that stalled early may need smaller jumps. |
| Misses | Number of missed sessions per lift | Apply your program's own repeat and deload rules before changing anything. |
| Rep quality | Video every two weeks: same depth, bar path and setup | If form is degrading as weight rises, slow the jumps and review your technique priorities. |
| Recovery | Average sleep, bodyweight trend, lingering soreness | Sleeping under 7 hours or losing weight unintentionally? Fix that before calling a stall. |
| Pain | Joint pain that persists between sessions | Get it assessed by a qualified clinician; do not push through. |
Hypothetical example: a lifter on StrongLifts starts squatting at 40 kg (about 90 lb) and adds 2.5 kg (5 lb) each session. By session 15 they would reach 75 kg (about 165 lb) if every session succeeded. They actually reach 70 kg after two misses, average 6.5 hours of sleep and finish Workout A in 75 minutes, which they find hard to fit in. The log points to two fixes, not a program change: protect sleep, and trim rest periods slightly or consider Starting Strength's shorter sessions.
To see how your lifts compare once you have a few months of data, read strength standards explained. If you later move to RPE-based training, our guide to RPE and reps in reserve explains how.
Common mistakes
- Switching programs in the first month because the other one looks better.
- Adding accessories until sessions double in length. Both programs are deliberately short lists.
- Taking jumps that are too big on the press and bench. Use the smallest plates you have.
- Calling it a stall without checking sleep and food.
- Swapping cleans for rows in Starting Strength without saying so. That is a modification, not the original program.
Pillars Check
Workout. Both programs are workout-pillar basics: a few compound lifts, progressed in small steps. Pick one, run it as written, and use the Workout pillar and the program guides for Starting Strength and StrongLifts 5×5 for detail.
Diet. Session-to-session progress needs enough food. The Starting Strength FAQ treats inadequate food and sleep as reasons a stall may not be real. Eat regular meals with a protein source and enough total energy to support your goal; the Diet pillar has practical targets.
Recovery. Three full-body sessions a week leave four recovery days. Use them. The Starting Strength FAQ says less than 7–8 hours of sleep a night hurts recovery, and the AASM and Sleep Research Society recommend seven or more hours for adults. See the Recovery pillar.
FAQ
Is StrongLifts 5×5 just Starting Strength with more sets?
No. The sets differ (5×5 vs 3×5), but so do the exercises (rows vs power cleans), the increments, the miss rules and how the program changes over time. Starting Strength moves through phases; StrongLifts keeps one A/B template.
Which program builds strength faster?
We are not aware of a head-to-head study, and the official pages set out rules rather than comparative results. Your progress is likely to depend more on consistent attendance, sensible jumps, food and sleep than on the template.
Can I do barbell rows instead of power cleans in Starting Strength?
You can, but it is a modification. The Starting Strength FAQ says rows are not an accepted substitute, while allowing older or frail lifters to drop cleans if they cause problems.
How long can I run either program?
Neither program sets a fixed number of weeks. Run it while the progression rules keep working. Starting Strength's FAQ says linear progression on a lift is probably over after two or three deloads followed by another stall.
Do I have to start StrongLifts with an empty bar?
StrongLifts' history describes empty-bar starts as part of the original guide. Starting light gives you time to practice technique before the weights get heavy; follow the official Quick Start Guide for current instructions.
What should I do after either program stops working?
Move to a program with weekly or longer progression. Read when you're not a novice anymore and linear progression explained.
Sources
- Starting Strength. Starting Strength Training Programs. Supports the phases, exercises, sets and reps, and increments.
- Starting Strength. Starting Strength FAQ. Supports the repeat-and-deload rule, the end of linear progression, the power clean position and the sleep note.
- Rippetoe M. The First Three Questions, 2015. Supports troubleshooting stalls through rest, jump size, food and sleep.
- Rippetoe M. Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition. The Aasgaard Company. The program's book.
- Hadim M. Stronglifts 5×5 Workout Program: Quick Start Guide. Supports the A/B workouts, schedule and increments.
- Hadim M. How to Progress on Stronglifts 5×5. Supports the default 5 lb (2.5 kg) jump and slower progression later.
- Hadim M. How to Overcome Failure on Stronglifts 5×5. Supports the repeat-and-deload rule.
- StrongLifts. History of the 5×5 workout and About. Supports the 5×5 lineage and that Mehdi Hadim did not invent 5×5.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of rest interval duration in resistance training on measures of muscular strength: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2018;48(1):137–151. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0788-x. Supports the rest-interval note.
- Ralston GW, Kilgore L, Wyatt FB, Baker JS. The effect of weekly set volume on strength gain: a meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2017;47(12):2585–2601. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0762-7. Supports the volume dose-response.
- Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Med. 2026;56(2):481–505. doi:10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w. Supports diminishing returns of volume for strength.
- Watson NF, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843–844. doi:10.5665/sleep.4716. Supports seven or more hours of sleep for adults.