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Thread: First Post! Couple questions

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default First Post! Couple questions

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    Hey folks. Glad to be on the forum. This is my first post. I'm hoping someone can help me. I know everyone will want to know the basics before I move on so here you go:

    35 yo male 220# bodyweight
    did SS until recovery at 315# on squat for 5x5 every other day was too much to recover from
    Moved to Madcow routine and then stalled out at week 9. After 2 deloads I've been unable to get past week 9 (260# body weight: 355 squat, 375 deadlift, 275 bench, 165 ohp)
    Lost some bodyweight for health reasons (I was getting stronger but diet was bad and I was truthfully overweight, and I could still stand to shed 20-40 pounds of belly fat)
    CURRENT 5rm at a lower body weight (220#) than before
    Squat: 347.5#
    Deadlift: 360#
    Bench: 260#
    Press: 160#

    Admittedly I have skipped cleans in favor of the row. Mainly because I've been intimidated by the form of the clean, as I work out totally alone without any trainer or training partners (never have a spotter which has hindered my bench progression). I would like to begin incorperating them ILO the row.

    I know that diet and rest are the linchpin of the entire program and FULLY understand you dont get strong from lifting heavy, you get strong from recovering from lifting heavy. Unfortunately in this phase in life I have 2 toddlers and a special needs teenager, and am the sole provider in a single income household. 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep has not happened for me in one single night in nearly 4 years. An average night puts me at 4-5 hours, a great night I'll get 6 hours, and a bad night (which happens 1-2 days a week sometimes) will provide me 0-3 hours of sleep. It's not uncommon for me to go 48+ hours without a wink. I'm working on it. If it's not kids waking me up in the middle of the night, its my job which I'm on call at overnight probably 3/4 weeks a month.

    I try to eat a protein heavy diet and limit my sugars as much as I can. I try not to get too high on calories because of health reasons and I really need to shed some more body fat. So I understand it's a delicate balance between getting enough to eat for muscle growth and recovery, but not so much that it pushes me closer toward diabetes, higher blood pressure, and higher triglycerides (all 3 of which I take medication for).

    OK onto the question. After all that it's a fairly simple one. I've read alot about the texas method (admittedly I don't have a copy of practical programming yet, it's on the way). I'd like to give that a try ILO madcow. I can spend hours passively/actively listening to Ripps podcasts and interviews. I've read SS. Big fan of the method and philosophy.

    Are there any actual WORKING Texas Method calculators out there? Ive tried 3-4 spreadsheets and they all tend of have the same problem. I put in my weights at the beginning, and through the 6 week progression, the only numbers that change are the bench press, and they DECREASE through the program. Squat, Deadlift, Press, and Clean lift numbers stay the same the entire chart from week 1 to week 6. I cant figure out what I'm doing wrong, and I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to programming in excel. Id love to get ahold of a working chart that I can track my warmups and progress on. Yes, I can just write it all by hand on a dry erase board, but the excel file would be simpler. Hoping someone can help. If I can't get that working, what is the rule of thumb on doing my 1x5 5RM each week. Is there a downside to microloading this and increasing by as small as 2.5# per week or is it imperative that you do 5-10 pound jumps on that. Knowing my sleep and diet limitations I can see myself running into an almost immediate plateau again. Thanks for the help sorry for the rambling.

  2. #2
    Brent Carter's Avatar
    Brent Carter is offline Owner, Starting Strength Dallas
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    TLDR

    5lbs on squat and DL 2.5 on bench and press.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
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    Default

    Fair enough. I can handle a TLDR

    Cliffs notes

    Is there a Texas method calculator that works?

    The few on here I’ve tried have the bench press weight going backward through 6 weeks, and the other lifts remain unchanged over 6 weeks.

    Should I just not worry about the chart and start at the recommended % of my 5RM, and every 2 weeks go up 2.5-5#?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    MA
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    Quote Originally Posted by BPB View Post
    did SS until recovery at 315# on squat for 5x5 every other day was too much to recover from
    That's not the program as written; the rep scheme is 5 reps x 3 sets for Squat, bench, and press, 3 reps x 5 sets for power cleans, and five reps in a single set for deadlifts.

    Quote Originally Posted by BPB View Post
    Are there any actual WORKING Texas Method calculators out there?
    At your age and recovery issues due to life, TM is likely not for you.

    Have you actually run out a SS linear progression? What's your height?

  5. #5
    Brent Carter's Avatar
    Brent Carter is offline Owner, Starting Strength Dallas
    Starting Strength Coach
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Dallas, TX
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    Word. YNDTP.


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