If you are a proponent of the big compound lifts; power cleans, deadlifts, bench press, and squats you probably know of Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore and their well-known book, Starting Strength, Basic Barbell Training. I can’t think of a better how-to book to learn these lifts.

Have you ever used Wikipedia, the user-editable online encyclopedia? Then you have an idea about the Starting Strength Wiki. There is some great information here in this wiki so I invite you to take a look.

Here are a couple of classic Mark Rippetoe quotes you’ll enjoy.

“There are few things graven in stone, except that you have to squat or you’re a pussy.”

“Pierre, if you are eating 5500 calories a day, then I am a female kangaroo with a Sonic Drive-In franchise and a heroin habit.” (I have no idea what that means).

On steroids:

“There are no shortcuts. The fact that a shortcut is important to you means that you are a pussy.”

“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.”

Newb: Got any good ab exercises?

Rip: Got any better questions?

I could go on, but you’ll have to go to The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Rippetoe.

Mehdi at StrongLifts.com has an excellent post on breathing, specific to weightlifting on his informative site. (Does he complete the lift or does his melon explode)?

This is a good one from Eric Cressey who, like me, loves deadlifts.

In an untrained lifter, deadlifts are a guaranteed 15 pounds of muscle mass. Think about it: you’re using your entire upper back, glutes, hamstrings, core musculature, and forearms. If you haven’t done anything with these muscles before, they’re going to get bigger quickly. Put 100 pounds on a newbie’s deadlift and you’ll bump him up a shirt size in no time. This principle can also be applied to experienced lifters who haven’t deadlifted in the past; leg curls just won’t get the job done to the same extent that heavy deadlifts and rack pulls will. For added upper back emphasis, try snatch grip versions.

MarkFu pulling 345