TM intensity fail

[ban0001]

On my last intensity day, I got all five reps, but it was ugly and the last one was way high. Here are my weights.

Tues: 285x5x5

Thurs: 235x5x5

Sat: 360x5

My recovery for the week was pretty poor--not great diet, one night I didn't sleep much, and a lot of stress. What do you recommend for next week? Take the weight up or keep it the same and try to make my form better? Is volume day heavy enough? I just started TM a couple of weeks ago and began intensity day where 3x5 had left off.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Try fix the recovery issues this week and add 5 lbs to the bar. Intensity day is about adding weight each week. It isn't about constantly resetting and developing an obsession with 5RMs. Make the 5 rep set for as long as possible, but then start working down into triples, doubles, and singles. Hell what would be wrong with hitting a 4RM for a few weeks??

See the video that I posted several months ago on this topic.

[ban0001]

Link to video? Also, I notice I said 5x5 on Thurs. That should be 2x5.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Link to video? Also, I notice I said 5x5 on Thurs. That should be 2x5.

A few minutes of searching on your own should find it.

[Rob Israel]

Andy: do you think his volume day is heavy enough? 285 and 360 seems like a mighty big discrepancy. It seems to me he dropped too much weight when he moved to 5x5.

I'm doing 4's on my bench now. I'm beginning to think ID can be approached like a Wendler rep-out: do as many reps as you can do without failing. Keep going heavier even if that means dropping reps.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Yeah, volume day might need to be a little higher. Nice catch. Yes, ID can be be a approached like that

[Mike Mantzouris]

I'm doing 4's on my bench now. I'm beginning to think ID can be approached like a Wendler rep-out: do as many reps as you can do without failing. Keep going heavier even if that means dropping reps.

When do you switch from one set on ID to two sets or three sets? If you can only get three reps, do you do two sets? If you can only get one, do you do three sets or five?

[njs23]

What should you suggest after doing singles for a few weeks? Example, this friday I am set to bench 245 for singles, however after that I want to cycle back in 3's or a 5rm. What weight would you suggest? Go down 10-15%?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Its very individual. It has been recommended by many that a total of 5-6 reps be achieved on the ID: so 1 x 5, 5 x 1, 3 x 2, or 2 x 3 all kinda fit the bill. I'm not sure that you need the multiple sets on the doubles and triples. I think one all out set of 2, 3, 4, or 5 is sufficient. I do like sets across on the singles though. It just seems to work really well.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Base your 5's and 3's on past performances, not necessarily on a percentage. Rep ranges can cycle weekly or (i.e. 5x1, 1x3, 1x5) or you could do phases of each. Its really kinda individual.