Strength is undoubtedly the most underlining aspect of any lifting routine. If your strength levels are on a good level, progressing in the iron game would be much easier for you. The Bill Starr’s Strength Factor Routine increase the weights you lift on the major compound lifts. This further aids in upping your strength levels.
Program Overview
Bill Starr Strength Factor Routine basically aims to improve the weight that you lift on all the major compound lifts including the vertical and horizontal pulling movements, the vertical and horizontal pushing movements, and the squat and hip hinge movements.
When the weights on these compound movements get increased overtime, your strength levels get enhanced automatically along with providing your frame with a dense musculature. This workout program requires you to train your body three times a week. Those three days are further classified as heavy day, light day, and medium day.
The training protocol followed by this workout routine will provide enough stress to your muscle that can facilitate growth. This workout plan makes sure that your body gets trained adequately but certainly does not get overtrained. It provides you with a one day rest between two consecutive training sessions and two days rest between your medium and heavy days.
These rest days in between your training sessions promote recovery and recuperation.
The prime exercises of this workout program are the compound lifts but some isolation lifts are also included in the program to ensure the overall development of your body by targeting supporting muscles.
Now you know about the basic features of the Bill Starr Strength Factor Routine, it’s time to provide you with the exact pattern with which you will be following this program.
Bill Starr Strength Factor Routine
|
Exercises |
Sets x Reps |
|
Monday (Heavy Day) |
|
|
Back Squats |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Bench Press |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Deadlifts or Bent-over rows |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Incline dumbbell press |
2 x 20 |
|
Calf raises |
3 x 30 |
|
Wednesday (Light Day) |
|
|
Back Squats or
Lunges |
5 x 5 (using 50 lbs less than Monday) or
4 x 6 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Good mornings or Stiff-leg deadlifts |
4 x 10 |
|
Standing Overhead Press |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Dips |
When you reach the point where you can do 20 reps in a go, you will add the weights and will drop the reps to 8 |
|
Curls |
3 x 15 |
|
Friday (Medium Day) |
|
|
Back Squats |
5 x 5 (using 20 lbs less weight than you used on Monday) |
|
Incline Bench Press |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Shrugs or Clean High Pulls |
5 x 5 (ramping up the weights to limit) |
|
Straight Arm Pullovers |
2 x 20 |
|
Chins |
4 sets to failure |
After you have completed two to three weeks following this routine, you can add back-off sets for squats, lunges, and presses. However, you should keep in mind that no back-offs will be added to any exercise that targets the back muscles including the deadlifts and rows.
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Bill Starr 5×5 Advanced Program
Bill Starr’s 5×5 Intermediate Routine
Bill Starr’s Beginner 5×5 Program
If you want to put in more work for targeting your back muscles, you can add another top-end set.
If in the top-end set you are able 5 reps with proper form, you can add up some weight the following week. On the contrary, if you fail in completing the 5 reps on your top-end set, you will train with the same weight in the next week aiming to complete all the 5 reps with strict form.
Progression
The progression of the Bill Starr Strength Factor Routine makes use of the basic principle of progressive resistance weight training. If you are able to complete all the reps prescribed for each lift with a strict form, you would be increasing the weight on those lifts by 2.5% in the following week.
This puts enough stress on your muscles to promote hypertrophy and growth. Although the increase of 2.5% might seem a little increase, the compound effects shown by it are really rewarding in terms of strength and size gains.
Deloading
Irrespective of which strength program you choose to go for, none of it will recommend you to lift super heavy year round. After a few weeks of heavy training, it is always recommended to go for a deload week. This allows your body to recover on one side and on the other side it is beneficial for your joints too. You can simply do it by going back 4 weeks, thereby lowering the weights on your lifts by 10%. This will provide your body ample time to recuperate well.
Final Words
Numerous amateur and professional lifters have made significant gains in their strength and size following this training program. While following this training program, you just have to make sure that you don’t have to hurry up with the lifts. Performing the lifts with proper form and technique is the key to long-term gains. Along with that, keep your diet on point and you would surely be rewarded with the best gains that this workout program has to offer.
Related:
StrongLifts 5×5 Workout Program
Frank Zane Growth Workout Plan
Hepburn Powerbuilding Program
Boring But Big (BBB) Spreadsheets
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