Texas method Intensity day- and PC/deadlift scheduling...

[David_G]

Hi Andi, best of luck with the board and thanks for the time you spend here virtually for the sake of helping people to train better.

Couple of questions considering TM(PPST had only one example on the training log which doesn't look like my planning)

Here is my current planning:
Vol. day
5X5 SQ
5X5 BP/OHP
5 sets of 3 for the PC

Rec. day
2X5 SQ(80% of V day)
2X5 OHP/BP(90% of Vol. day)
3XMAS chinups
3X15 hyperextensions

Int. day
1X5 SQ
1X5 BP/OHP
1X5 DL
3XMAX Dips

1. In PPST DL are planned at the end of vol. day, I find no way in hell to do a heavy RM5 deadlift after a 5X5 squat... hope planning is ok

2. I got stuck twice during intensity day on the BP, and got stuck once on the Squat 3 weeks ago(the following week was alright), but the squats always feels like hell on intensity day, and I know that you shouldn't be failing that day, gotta rotate between rep ranges and methods. Deadlifts are going fine.

I was thinking to switch to:
Squat 1X3
Bench 1X3/OHP 1X5
Deadlift 1X5

I got 2 friends who haven't failed with those numbers for months on TM
I know rip suggested 3X3, seems too much volume atm., I believe I should add sets in case I get stuck.

Current weights:
S- 1X5X162.5KG
OHP-1X5X70KG
Bench- 1X5X107.5KG
Deadlift-1X5X187.5KG
Powerclean- 5X3X82.5KG

Bodyweight 100KG, am 1.86CM tall

Help and insight much appreciated

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Without looking at your working weights you may be doing too much weight on the Volume Day for your squats. If the Friday 5RM and the Mon 5x5 are too close in weight you will burn out. Also, nothing wrong with alternating rep ranges on Friday. I never keep my athletes on a 5RM for very long on Friday...especially on the bench. My favorite set up is actually singles across for about 5 sets. work in doubles and triples as you see fit also. And why not a 4RM. Who cares. Why can we do 5RMs and 3RMs but not 4RMs??? Sorry for the rant, but 4's always get a bad rap. Feel free to deadlift on Friday. Either set up can work. Same with deads....1-5 reps is appropriate.

[David_G]

Cheers for the quick response.

Here are the working weight I used on the last Vol. day:
5X5 squat- 147.5KG
5X5 BP- 100KG
5X3 PC- 82.5KG
I actually started with a 20KG/12.5KG from vol./Int. on the SQ/BP but when I started to fail those weights came closer.
The 15KG/7.5KG set-up seems to be working alright for a few weeks, but now I stalled on the BP(110 for 4 reps 2 sessions) and a 5KG gap would be too low, hence why i'm moving on to triples.

What do you think about PC's? because I stall every other workout, I can't figure out any better way to program them, rather than maybe cutting for doubles and doing 6X2?

Considering the 4 reps, I guess it was something fixed in my head, but I don't see no reason why not to use 4 reps
Might go for it soon once the DL stalls.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Powercleans for timed singles work well. 10-15 singles every minute or so.

Also....a note to all posters.....I am a dumb American. A Texan at that. I deal in pounds. Please do all those higher level math conversions for me.

[mlentzner]

If the Friday 5RM and the Mon 5x5 are too close in weight you will burn out.

Can you give an example of this? I suspect I have committed this sin and have paid for it. (Vol: 295, Int: 325)

Also, it is well known that 4's are terrible and should never be done. Four is an unlucky number in Asian cultures. It is also not a Fibonacci number. You're really temping fate if you do them.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

That's close. Might burn some out, others no.

I know that sounds like a cop out, but it really is the truth. I wish there was a magic formula for determining this stuff but there isn't. As a coach and lifter you gotta use your instincts a little bit. I generally don't mess around with 5RMs for very long once we get going on the TM. We go to singles pretty quickly.

I mentioned this in another thread as well, but when you transition fromt he novice program to the TM, your Friday 5RM should be about where your 3x5 lefft off at. Your 5x5 number will be 10-20% less than that....i.e. lighter than where your 3x5 left off at.

[mlentzner]

I think a big part of the problem was that I came into TM carrying a lot of overtraining from the outset. I did switch my 3x5 to a 5RM, but I only reset my 5x5 ~10% from my 3x5. In about two weeks I felt like I was back near my limit on the volume day like I was with SS.

It also didn't help that I am in my early 40's. Do you make any adjustment to TM based on age? I think Justin Lascek has said that it doesn't work well with people over 35 or so.

Now that I'm a little wiser I am much more conservative with poundages. Being too conservative just wastes a little time that in the big picture doesn't matter anyway. Being too aggressive gets you hurt and wastes much more time and has possibly long term consequences.

Thanks for you time,

Matt

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Texas Method is a bitch of a program, and people dont give it its due credit. At forty its gonna be tough. I have my older clients squat twice per week. Once heavy, once light. I use ALOT of the old Starr 5x5 program, where we ramp up the weights each set, ending at one top set of 5. I use that alot with clients in late 40's and 50's. Early 40's is tough, because you are not an old man yet, but you aren't young anymore either.

[Michael Wolf]

I thought interested readers here who havent seen it might find this thread interesting. Rob catalogued a bunch of people's experiences with the difference between their 5x5 and 5RM day. 5x5 @ ~85% of 5RM seemed to be where most people had the most success.

I've not done the TM myself, but what you say here, Andy, makes sense to me. Not spending too much time at 5RM before going for a lower RM.

Do you go right from a 5RM to singles (5 singles, I assumed)? Or first run through doing a 3RM on Intensity Day? Doubles?

[Randle McMurphy]

Would you say that that the 5x5 volume day should be 85% of the 5rm on the intensity day?