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Thread: Should I go back to Starting Strength or use the Texas Method?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    6

    Default Should I go back to Starting Strength or use the Texas Method?

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    Hi everyone, I wanted to check with the more experienced members here if I'm making a mistake in my programming.

    Here's some background info:
    Age: 22
    Height: 5' 9"
    Weight: ~173 lbs

    I started training in May 2016 with Starting Strength (weighing about 140), then in late October I started using the Texas Method.

    My lifts progressed as follows (from May till now):
    Squat 145x5x3 -> 320x1x3
    Bench 130x5x3 -> 190x6
    Press 90x5x3 -> 155x1x5
    Deadlift 215x5 -> 360x3

    I'm considering switching back to SS instead of continuing with TM because now I intend to gain about 30 lbs (at a rate of 3-4 lbs/wk).

    I didn't do GOMAD before (I know -- I didn't follow SS as closely as I should have). Anyway with this weight gain, shouldn't I be able to add 10-15 lbs/wk to my squat instead of 5? I'm sleeping 8 hours a night, eating well and doing GOMAD. Stress levels are pretty low. Do you think I could use SS again? Or am I being too optimistic in my ability to progress? Thanks in advance for your help.
    Last edited by aelk; 01-11-2017 at 09:06 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    Oakland and Los Angeles
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    Default

    Gaining 3-4 pounds a week at 5'9" means you're gonna be pretty fat. You should shoot for 1-2 pounds a week at most.

    When did you switch to TM, and where were your lifts when you did? How are you running TM now? Weight gain should help you a bit in terms of strength, but it's not going to guarantee you're going to add 10-15 pounds a week on your squat. I don't think that's how TM is set up. Do you think it's realistic that your squat get up to 410 pounds in 6 weeks at 173 pounds?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    King, NC
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    For what I have seen on here it looks like you are very near where many peoples LP ends. Some can get up to a ~400lb squat on it but not everyone. I was happy with 320-330lb. But I am 39 and dont have the wonderful benefit of youth on my side. I would say run it till you stall out. For me the LP was boring and brutal. Two things that didnt make me look forward to lifting. If you only go up another 30 lbs and stall then go to TM thats 30 lbs more than you are at now.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by marcf View Post
    Gaining 3-4 pounds a week at 5'9" means you're gonna be pretty fat. You should shoot for 1-2 pounds a week at most.

    When did you switch to TM, and where were your lifts when you did? How are you running TM now? Weight gain should help you a bit in terms of strength, but it's not going to guarantee you're going to add 10-15 pounds a week on your squat. I don't think that's how TM is set up. Do you think it's realistic that your squat get up to 410 pounds in 6 weeks at 173 pounds?
    You're right that that's not how TM is set up. I'm talking about going back to SS.

    To answer your questions, I switched to Texas Method in October 2016. My best lifts were
    Squat 290x5
    Press 137.5x5
    Bench 190x5
    Deadlift 335x5

    The first time I used TM, I didn't alter Press and Bench. So I only benched on the light day and progressed my Press every ID.

    Now I'm running a pretty standard TM program I think:
    Sun - volume day
    5x5 Squat
    5x5 Bench/Press
    5x3 Power clean

    Tue - recovery day
    2x5 Squat
    3x5 Press/Bench
    3xF Chins

    Thu - intensity day
    PR Squat
    PR Bench/Press
    PR Deadlift

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    624

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    If your healthy, 5'9" and 22 years old and weigh 170 you're still a novice. You're probably an advanced novice. If you pace your weight gain right (1-2lbs a week is probably right) then you will be able to make a lot of progress before you need more complex programming. Save TM for when you want to get your body weight up from 205lbs to 225lbs.

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