Reply With QuoteUntil there is a problem, there is nothing to fix. Just stay out of his way.
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With a younger lifter...what to look for to move to TM from novice/advanced novice
So my son is still making progress over what is essentially the NLP after a year. I do use some of the tips for advanced novice from Practical Programming and have him do a big set with two dropped sets on a few exercises. As well as a lighter squat on the mid-week workout. He is able to keep hitting a new 5 rep max every time. It always looks the same slowish bar speed on 5th rep... and next time add 5 pounds and it looks exactly the same no slower a bit of grind but it gets done. He is 13 and just hit 160lbs at five eight. He is squatting 280 x 5, DL 315x5, and somehow is still able to progress on bench with 3 sets across at 145x5 (next training session). Is it common for the advanced NLP to carry on for so long? Would he get more out of the volume from TM now? Or is this a case of do not fix anything till it needs fixing?
TMPHBITEU
Until there is a problem, there is nothing to fix. Just stay out of his way.
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Will do. Thank you.
✓ Member
Half as fast for three times as long gets you farther.Originally Posted by stlnl
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TM for a 13 year old kid? WTF.
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The Texas method increases more slowly than the NLP. When you ask if he would "get more out the the volume from the TM", what do you think you mean? You think making him do two extra sets will allow him to add TEN pounds next time?
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TM is more about when the linear progression drops off/becomes a grind and not solely age...correct? I was curious as to if his age will allow him to keep moving NLP despite what appears to be slowing down. He has slowed down...but he seems to just be moving forward at the same consistent slow pace for what is a couple of months now.
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I understand this. I also understand the volume sets up a strong base to launch a new 5RM from. I am not concerned with having him do more faster, I am more concerned with his long term health and growth and was curious if he needed to essentially "slow down" since him doing a new 5RM twice a week looks a bit grindy but keeps going up. So I do not so much as think as know what I mean. I just do not know if its necessary for him or if he can just keep riding the NLP (advanced) longer. I am doing TM myself and I certainly think the method is largely less rough than pushing NLP too long. So I guess to answer more directly I was asking regarding volume to see if it was time to set up a stronger base with his volume work to continue to progress long term though slower than what he is doing right now. He has been making this progress for over a year...I know even returning to lifting I would be dying trying to do that, however I have no idea how much better he can recover than I can. I know what I see and he is able to keep form and grind out that 5th rep every time and progress twice a week. I was looking at this from my perspective and the volume early in the week makes me feel a good deal more prepared for the intensity day as well as I have better leg musculature and muscular density from that volume. This was my question in essence...does be need that yet or is it just fine to keep grinding that new PR twice a week until it simply does not work any more. For me I stopped doing that pretty early compared to him (I am 52) largely because I felt the two new 5RM PRs even with the two back off sets was rough to recover from, and TM has led me to 460x5 (this past Sunday) feeling a good deal less "tweaked" in my lower body. I know he can recover from both intensity and volume much better than I can, and I know the level he has to push to hit those new 5RM twice a week would have be tweaked or sidelined in short order. Thus...I asked the question about when/if moving towards TM because the people here have a VAST amount of experience working with people in his age category (I have just him and like I said I am so old I do not remember what it was like to recover from stress as a teen) and honestly was looking to slow him down a bit with TM and build his lower body base with more volume...NOT speed him up. He is 13...he will be breaking parallel with 500 before he is out of HS at even a much slower rate...so I was inquiring about his long term and when to transition thinking towards that long term health and progress.
Do not know if that made my thoughts clearer or cloudier...wordsmith I am not.
TMPHBITEU
This is correct. A 20-year-old will be on the NLP for 8 months, but this kid might be able to take small linear jumps for 2-3 years as he grows along with his training.
✓ Member
Look at it this way: being 13, he's at a stage where he is inherently growing bigger and stronger for several more years yet, no matter what he does. In other words, he's in a naturally protracted novice phase.
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