Dastardly Tackles Texas Method

[Dastardly]

Tuesday 8th June
Squats (unbelted warm ups) 70-80minutes.
20kg 2x5
60kg 5
90kg 2
100kg 5x5
1st set felt 100% like a 5rm + form was wobbly and knees slid forwards. I somehow managed to finish 5x5 using ample rest and accepting less than ideal technique. I also found that narrow stance prevented forward knee travel much better.
Bench Press:
20kg 10
40kg 5
50kg 2
60kg 5x5
First sets were very hard, especially because shoulder was left rather fucked feeling after squats. It got better through the sets, especially with a more ergonomically correct wider grip.
Deadlift:
60kg 5 –fast
100kg 1 – came up slow
130kg 5 – slow & steady
130kg 5 – shockingly explosive and fast.
Shouldve selected heavier work weights on account of belt. Too easy, not enough challenge. Added 2nd set but it was even easier! Got muddled I guess and expected to be fatigued from deadlifting on Saturday, but I was fine.

Workout overall was from around 4.30-7pm. Large majority of time was taken up by squats which felt like they would kill me!

[Dastardly]

TM Day 2 - Thursday June 10

Front Squat:
20kg 2x5
40kg 5
50kg 2x5
Press: (thin bar, cleaning to shoulders + belt)
20kg 5
25kg 5
37.5kg 3x5 (thin bar so likely to be more like 36kg)
Good Mornings:
20kg 10
40kg 10, 12, 12
Chins: 8, 8, 6

[Dastardly]

TM day 3 - Sat 12 June

I had been very eagerly awaiting this session, to see what the hell would happen. Theoretically I would be able to acheive a 5lb/2.5kg gain per week on squats & bench. This would be incredible as my progress had halted with current programming. So there was a lot of trepidation & expectation.

Tuesday(day 1) had gone very well. I chose a very high squat & bench comparative to maximal ability. The first sets felt like 5RM's but I managed to finish 5x5 on both. Accumulating a big training load. I left feeling very heavily "worked". I was even feeling the fatigue on Thursday (day 2). So everything seemed to be going to plan, and it should have all been enough to see me hit some decent PR's on Saturday (day 3).

Unfortunately I ran into some problems;

Squat
20kg 2x5
60kg 5
90kg 2 (felt like 2RM, knees caving)
112.5kg 3, 2 (super tight belt, made these only semi possible)

Even with warm up sets, I felt stretched to the limits of my ability. Form began to break down with knees becoming wobbly as I tried to GM out of the hole. I managed to keep the knees a lot more stable on the work sets (belt mustve helped somehow) but the GM effect became a lot worse. I realised when attempting heavier squats that my hip anatomy actually prevents me from getting to parallel. The effect of this is that I have to slowly "Reach" dwon with my hips trying to hit depth and in the process any potential for bounce is killed and torso leans forward taking bar forwards and losing some thoracic extension. Coming up on a heavy squat is basically identical to my deadlifts. Upper back is rounded, but whole back is still tight. The challenge is trying to maintain/regain thoracic extension and to lift back. The challenge on legs is much smaller, also very similar to that in a deadlift. Just a litt bit of intensity over a very short ROM in the middle of the squat. Legs come out feeling unworked. I feel I may need to switch to high bar squats

Bench Press

20kg 10
40kg 5
50kg 3
60kg 2
72.5kg Fail x2
70kg 1, Fail

After my bench performance on monday, where I was strong & fast with 60kg for 5x5 I was feeling fairly confident that I would be able to lift well. I had come up to 70kg on several sessions ago on Bench. Which I managed to lift for a few reps before deciding to deload a little. As I was supposed to be doing a 1-3rm I added a little more, to make 72.5kg. But when I tried to lift it I was shocked & appalled. I took my time to setup a very stable lifting position, strong thoracic extension with shoulders back, wide grip etc. But I just dould not handle the weight at all. As I lowered it I felt it was far beyond what I could get back up, my stable position fell apart as I tried to force it back up, elbows flared, shoulders were strained. It was a fucking mess. Luckily I had a very strong spotter to lift the weight off me.
I tried again with 70kg, (something I have lifted before for sets across) but result was similarly pathetic. I managed one ugly dirty rep before failing badly on the second. I just didnt understand it. I took so much care with positioning, but it felt like I was a world away from being able to lift these weights which should be fairly easy for me.

Dips
My upper body was left a little strained but completely unworked from the bench, as I completely failed to get it to work somehow. So I decided I needed to rescue the workout with some kind of high intensity movement for upper body. I chose weighted dips, even though I had not done them in a long time, and when I did it was really tough even without weight

BW 5 (warm up)
10kg 5
15kg 3, 3 (technique a little cheaty)

Hang Power Snatch
Still in the process of learning/getting comfortable with this movement so sticking to 5's till it becomes too taxing

20kg Burgener style warm up and a few reps of snatching
30kg 3,5,5,5,5,5 (need to squat down more, and accept forward lean)

DB incline bench 45º

Just a light accessory exercise for my dodgy shoulders.
18kg 10, 10, 6

Conclusion

I dont think TM (at least as the set template) is going to be productive for me. I may still try week 2, as it is more focused on standing press rather than benching. But ultimately, I think something radically different may be needed. I may even switch to high bar squats and just continue on SS till my numbers match low bar and try TM again for squats. In terms of upper body, it seems 1-3rm is something my body is just not mechanically capable of.

[Magnetotail]

How much do you weigh? And why have you switched to the Texas method? Looks like you're over complicating things considering the weight you're moving. And your intensity day looks all wrong.

[Dastardly]

I weighed 75kg last time I checked.

The Texas Method Example on page 180 goes like this for intensity day on the first week:

Squat 5RM

Bench 5RM

Power Clean 5x3

What I actually did:

Squat: 3, 2

Bench: Failx2, 1, Fail.

Power Snatch: 5x5



I failed to get my 5 reps on the squat despite a modest weight selection, so I tried a second set to make it up to 5. I also chose a modest weight for the bench and performed very poorly. Came away with a total of 1 rep at 70kg which is pathetic. I have subbed power snatches for power cleans because my knees do not fit in between my arms with a clean grip. I did 5x5 because the movement is fairly new to me, it will change to 5x3 as my proficiency improves.

[beast]

You should have done 105kg for 5 on the intensity day an increase of around 5% on the volume 5*5.

[gzt]

take a slightly wider grip on the clean if you need to fit your knees in. this isn't rocket surgery.

[beast]

Also you don't need the texas method, you're still a novice, your bench 60 for 5*5 is what most intermediates do as their first set during a warm up.

[Dastardly]

You should have done 105kg for 5 on the intensity day an increase of around 5% on the volume 5*5.

But I could do 110kg for 5 last week. I expected to be able to lift something higher. 2.5kg is the smallest increment I have to work with.

[Dastardly]

Also you don't need the texas method, you're still a novice, your bench 60 for 5*5 is what most intermediates do as their first set during a warm up.

Intermediate status is not based up lifting numbers, it is based on recovery ability. I have an unusually weak upper body, when I started training I could not press an empty bar overhead. Had to work up to it! I also have impingement in both shoulders and capsule problems on the left. This cumulatively makes for weak pressing movements.

I did "Stronglifts" for most of last year (but was recovering from knee injury in that time). I have spent all of 2010 doing SS in a dilligent dedicated manner. Squats have very much stopped moving, even on a weekly basis there isnt really any progression. Bench is tempremental, but also has not progressed significantly in a long time. (months)

17months of dedicated barbell training and stop of progression not enough to move onto Texas Method? SRSLY?