Just curious since the Starting Strength book states rows are not a substitute for power cleans. Thanks!
Because The Bridge is not the Starting Strength Novice LP.
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Let me rephrase. What advantage do Rows have over Power Cleans that makes Rows part of The Bridge?
The Bridge is intended as a strength-focused program for post-novice trainees, the majority of whom are not “power athletes”. Power cleans are not a particularly effective movement for directly increasing strength, for improving the deadlift, or for muscular hypertrophy in general. Rows tend to work better for all of these purposes.
Lifters/athletes who need to power clean or perform the olympic lifts should obviously perform power cleans.
What purpose do Power Cleans serve during the novice phase, when rows are better at improving strength, hypertrophy and supporting the deadlift? They must be doing something better during that phase, else the SSLP would have been designed with rows instead of PC?
Have you read the book, Starting Strength?
Yes, and I just looked through the corresponding pages again. I get that it supports the deadlift (which Austin said rows do better) and it trains muscle efficiency and explosivity, but if it’s just the latter two, why would you stop training those things after the novice phase? So I thought it must be something else, hence my question.
I would recommend reading that section of the book again, as there is some significant rationale missing here.
I would not recommend the power clean for training the deadlift outside of a novice population.
I also do not think explosivity can be trained outside of sports specific applications and improved force production in general.