adjustments for 10 week meet prep

[Cole Gorton]

First off a little background
M, 41, 5'10 230lbs
apx 7 yrs of training history.
competed in 5 meets

I recently have run a standard vanilla 3 day TM for about 3 months (~12 weeks) and have set PRs in 3 of 4 movements. But I feel like I have hit the wall now and had to take the last week off for lower body due to too much low back fatigue. Next monday begins my 10 week meet prep for Colorado State Championships PL meet. I have been making great progress but its not sustainable and I will over reach before my meet date if I continue current pace. I am hesitant to implement a complete program overhaul as Ive done in the past bc I know its better to make small changes.

My options:

1 - continue 3 day TM but drop Volume day to 3x5 instead of 5x5 and start doing 3 singles on I day instead of attempting a PR set of 5. This keeps load on the bar and I dont give up precious gains but also risks still running into a wall before meet bc load is at PR levels on V day.

2 - keep volume day at 5x5 but deload 10%, ramping back up to slightly ahead of where im at now. Also switch to singles on I day (3-5 singles??). This sounds smart but then im losing my current gains in load I worked so hard for.

Feel free to vote please. And thank you

Cole

[Maybach]

Have you done the "running it out" phase of the Texas method?

You will not "lose gains" if you do this. You'll still add weight to the bar.

If you have run it out before, use the previous "run out" to design your program. Try to time it so it will produce a single PR on meet day.

Running it out the first time will tell you which of these is the plan at this particular point.

If you haven't run it out, and feel like fives are getting stale, switch to two triples right now, and see how long that lasts you. Not having firsthand experience with your training I would bet you also need a couple weeks of doubles to time it correctly. The point is to end your singles right on meet day.

For example, I have found that I can get about six weeks out of triples, if I go right where fives leave off, and then I have between three and four weeks of singles. I would do triples for six weeks, hit three singles (maybe only so three singles in the last intensity day), drop the volume the following volume day, and then peg that last single as my second attempt. But this is me. Triples might only get you three weeks or so.

Resetting volume day is okay but don't be too aggressive. This is another parameter you will have to play with yourself (for example, I find peeling a set off gets me a little further the longer I go. You might try dropping a rep, or moving to 85% of intensity day. Only way to know what works is to try it).

[ReconquistaBarbell]

One thing that has worked for my in the past is to use a TM-like "split" but with HLM-like loading. I'd ramp up to a volume PR (H) while doing some sort of medium difficulty intensity work, then switch to MLH and work up to intensity PRs. Speed work as a medium effort day for squats always works for me, not so much for bench and deadlifts though, no idea why.

[Cole Gorton]

Have you done the "running it out" phase of the Texas method?

You will not "lose gains" if you do this. You'll still add weight to the bar.

If you have run it out before, use the previous "run out" to design your program. Try to time it so it will produce a single PR on meet day.

Running it out the first time will tell you which of these is the plan at this particular point.

If you haven't run it out, and feel like fives are getting stale, switch to two triples right now, and see how long that lasts you. Not having firsthand experience with your training I would bet you also need a couple weeks of doubles to time it correctly. The point is to end your singles right on meet day.

For example, I have found that I can get about six weeks out of triples, if I go right where fives leave off, and then I have between three and four weeks of singles. I would do triples for six weeks, hit three singles (maybe only so three singles in the last intensity day), drop the volume the following volume day, and then peg that last single as my second attempt. But this is me. Triples might only get you three weeks or so.

Resetting volume day is okay but don't be too aggressive. This is another parameter you will have to play with yourself (for example, I find peeling a set off gets me a little further the longer I go. You might try dropping a rep, or moving to 85% of intensity day. Only way to know what works is to try it).

i think im going to take your advice here and keep doing what ive been doing for the last 3 months (3 day TM) but go to triples on I day for a month then hopefully the last month it will naturally move to singles right about in time for meet day. the one thing i was struggling with was just getting too much fatigue in the low back joints so if that starts to happen i may have to eliminate some volume day sets or possibly eliminate the recovery day squats. thanks for the advice

One thing that has worked for my in the past is to use a TM-like "split" but with HLM-like loading. I'd ramp up to a volume PR (H) while doing some sort of medium difficulty intensity work, then switch to MLH and work up to intensity PRs. Speed work as a medium effort day for squats always works for me, not so much for bench and deadlifts though, no idea why.

i may end up onj an HLM after my meet and incorporate some of this as you point out