Adjusted version of Starting Strength

[Gluesniffer]

I hate to do this but I just don't have the right material at my current gym to do Starting Strength the way it should be done. This will be different when the schoolyear is over but for now I will have to do with the following limitations: no bars, dumbells up to 30kg, only a smith to do bar work.

As a reminder, this is what the basic SS program looks like:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
5x3 Power Cleans

Add to this core work, which is not really specified.

My transformation (including the core work) would be this:

Workout A
3x5 Smith Squat
3x5 Smith Bench Press
4x10 Dumbell SLDL
4x10 Ab Pulldowns
4 sets Ab Pullups

Workout B
3x5 Smith Squat
3x5 Seated Dumbell Press
3x5 Cable Pendlay Rows
4x10 Hyperextensions
4x10 Lower Back Machine
4x10 Ab Machine

My goal is strength, so I know that it is far from ideal to be using a smith, but that's just what I'll have to do for now and hope that some of my gains will transfer to free weight training when I will switch gyms in a few months.

What are your thoughts? Can I do anything better given the material I have? Do you think that this training will have some results?

[Scrumhalf]

If you have dumbbells, why not do dumbbell presses instead of the Smith machine bench presses?

[Gluesniffer]

If you have dumbbells, why not do dumbbell presses instead of the Smith machine bench presses?

Because the dumbells only go up to 30kg. I can dumbell press 34kg and bench press 85kg, so I wouldn't really be training anything by going up to 60kg in total.

[Scrumhalf]

Gotcha... I was suspecting that might be case after I posted.

[Gluesniffer]

Someone told me that I am doing too much lower back work since this recovers slowly and that I should drop the lower back from day B.

Any thoughts on this?

[Scrumhalf]

Instead of the hyperextensions and the lower back machine, I would suggest the following:

1. Keep the hyperextensions and do them weighted if necessary (hug a dumbbell to your chest).

2. Eliminate the lower back machine and add Russian twists with a medicine ball.

3. Finish off with some chinnies or planks.

That should give you a well rounded core/abs workout.

[Gluesniffer]

Good, thanks.

Should SLDLs be done 4X10 or rather 3x5 to comply with the rest of the program?

[Nekrawulf]

3x5

SS is all about heavy weight to help ecto's grow