Splitting up sessions

[jtorres3]

Hi Mark,
I read in Zatsiorsky's book today:
"Athletes who increase the number of training sessions per week, while keeping the training volume constant, ussually experience visible strength increases. For instance, when the volume is distributed into two daily sessions, the strength development is greater then it is with only one session a day."

I am currently following the texas method template, and I was wondering if it may be beneficial to split the volume day into 2 parts separated by a few hours.
Do you think this may be beneficial? I dont want to screw with the program in a way that affects the intended stress of the volume session.
Thanks a lot!

[Mark Rippetoe]

It won't hurt a thing, as long as the weekly schedule is preserved. It's just that most people don't have the luxury of two-a-day training availability.

[SMC]

Rip, I believe somewhere you wrote if one is to split the sessions, squats would be done in the first session, correct?

I only ask because of things I read about the spine hurrahing as you sleep and being more prone to injury first thing in the morning. I guess the obvious solution is wait an hour after waking, but I wonder if it's unacceptable to do pressing motions in the first session and then heavy squats later in the day?

[Tsypkin]

It won't hurt a thing, as long as the weekly schedule is preserved. It's just that most people don't have the luxury of two-a-day training availability.

I've been wondering about a somewhat extreme variation on this. I don't think I'd actually try it, because it'd be pretty fucking silly, but I'm curious nonetheless: what about splitting a session of one exercise into two sessions? For example, squatting 5x5 as a 3x5 in the AM and a 2x5 in the PM? Or even as 5 sets of 5 done throughout the day (say 2 hours rest in between.) This is purely hypothetical, as it would be completely impractical for a myriad of reasons, but would it create any change in the stress or the response to the stress?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Rip, I believe somewhere you wrote if one is to split the sessions, squats would be done in the first session, correct?

I only ask because of things I read about the spine hurrahing as you sleep and being more prone to injury first thing in the morning. I guess the obvious solution is wait an hour after waking, but I wonder if it's unacceptable to do pressing motions in the first session and then heavy squats later in the day?

I don't think it would matter that much, as long as it all got done that day.

I've been wondering about a somewhat extreme variation on this. I don't think I'd actually try it, because it'd be pretty fucking silly, but I'm curious nonetheless: what about splitting a session of one exercise into two sessions? For example, squatting 5x5 as a 3x5 in the AM and a 2x5 in the PM? Or even as 5 sets of 5 done throughout the day (say 2 hours rest in between.) This is purely hypothetical, as it would be completely impractical for a myriad of reasons, but would it create any change in the stress or the response to the stress?

Now this is a different question. 5x5 is done all in one session, because the effect of the workout is to accumulate the volume over a relatively short period of time. Think about the extreme at the other end -- doing one set of 5 every two hours. Aside from the impractical warmup requirements, it's not the same effect, is it?