rm_sidell

We all know that lifting big hunks of iron that are sufficiently heavy that we can only muster 5 repetitions while progressively overloading your barbell for every performed exercise every session will make you a strong boy. But there are some of us that are interested in also increasing our cardiovascular conditioning while on the Starting Strength [novice] program. Is this possible or wise or even prudent? Share with me some strategies on improving this vital function of the human body all the while not compromising my ability to maximally make strength increases.

Bill Been

I offer for your examination the results of my first foray into doing a Starting Strength session while wearing a heart rate monitor chest strap:

1. Heavy weight training with a Heart Rate chest strap today. At age 52, my (supposed) max HR is 168.
• Squats: 3 sets of 5 @ 310 (Personal Record)
• Presses: 3 sets of 5 @ 145 (failed, got 5,2,3)
• Deadlifts: 1 set of 5 @ 295 (didn't even attempt, was smoked after DL warmup sets. Too much volume, not nearly enough food prior.)
• 
  Session Duration: 52 minutes and change (didn't wear the strap for squat warmup sets ~10 minutes)
• 
  Max Heart Rate: 144
• 
  Avg Heart Rate: 115
• 
  Calorie Burn*: 496
2. Compare and contrast this with a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session on the Prowler on Tuesday:
• Protocol: 20 seconds sprint @~85% pace/1+40 rest, 8 rounds;
• Session Duration: 20 minutes
• Max Heart Rate: 151
• Avg Heart Rate: 125
• Calorie Burn*: 226

* my gut tells me not to put too much stock in the calorie burn guesstimate, but my old kettlebell instructor tested his $19 Timex HR monitor's results against a MetCart at Vanderbilt and it was within 10%. Luckily, I don't really care about calorie monitoring; I just like to compare things.

So the Prowler has a higher average intensity for a shorter period of time. However, I note that the strength session looks identical to a longer, slightly less intense HIIT session.

What does all this mean you should say when somebody asks you "Yeah, but what do you do for cardio?"

Ronin

Is the overall goal in the TX method to drive up our 5X5 Volume day, or the 1X5 Intensity day? Which is the most beneficial for strength overall?

Through the end of December, I had been increasing my Vol day by 1.25kg a week, along with my Intensity day by the same increment.

It got to the point (around 160kg) where my volume day was effecting my Intensity days in order to complete the 1 set by 5 reps. I failed the ID by one rep each at 192.5 and 195kg. Recognizing my fatigue, I decided to reduce my weight for the volume day back down to 150kg (and have kept it there for the last 5 weeks) and have successfully increased my ID 5 rep set over the last month, most recently for a surprisingly easy 205kg.

The reason I ask is because I thought the vol day was to stimulate the intensity day. With my lifts moving up on ID day, should I just keep the volume the same until the ID slows down? or should I make the effort to slowly increase the weights for my 5X5 volume day?

hatmanii

If you keep adding 5lbs to each day, eventually they will start to converge on eachother, and that 10% offset will slowly become smaller (9%, 8%, etc...) as the weights keep moving upwards. A small correction will be needed fairly often. I had a lot of success increasing VD every other or once every third cycle to keep progress moving.

Andy Baker

Percentage offset are not an absolute. It varies depending on lift and lifter.

In general the percentage offset will be higher:

1. On lowerbody lifts
2. For men
3. For strong men

It will be lower:

1. For females
2. For upperbody lifts
3. For weak people
4. For old people
5. On the olympic lifts

Unfortunately there is no set percentage that works universally. You'll have to resort to trial and error at some point and go with your own results.