Texas Method ID and dieting for a wedding in September

[grand666]

Before you guys yell at me for dieting down, it's for my little sister's wedding in September. Which is why I'm starting now to minimize strength loss and do it slowly.

My question is, for Fridays I used to do 1 set of 5. But since I started to diet down I couldn't get my sets done. Squats for the third week now stuck, bench too and press also. I get 4 reps but last Friday I failed my squat, bailed and the bar hit me in the back of the head when I threw it forward.
I think i can still go up 5lbs but my body just doesn't have the energy to do 5 reps. Can you do intensity day for doubles or triples? Even singles? Keep the program but just PR days are little less reps?

Program looks like this so far (sets x reps):

Monday Volume
Squat 5x5
Bench/Press 5x5
Dips 5xmax at bodyweight. (I'm at 5x8 now)
Chins 5xmax which is like 3,2,1,assisted
Rows 3x8 (i like how they involve the rear delts and back too)

Wednesday Recovery
Squat 2x5
Bench/Press 3x5
Curls
Farmers Walk (only three "reps", three walks)

Friday Intensity Day
Squat 1x5
Bench/Press1x5
Deadlifts1x5

Starting this week, minimal prowler work on Saturday morning. Run only 4 "reps".

My PR numbers as of last week:

Squat 345 x 4
Deads 425 x 5
Press 152.5 x 4
Bench 252.5 x 4

If I do doulbes or even singles on PR days I will be able to go up, is that a legitimate change to my intensity day?

Thank You
Cheers

[Brandin138]

Different situation, but I asked about ID rep schemes in the coaches forum and got a great response from Andy http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=39373

Basically, switching to triples, or 5x1 is totally fine to keep the weight going up.

[grand666]

Different situation, but I asked about ID rep schemes in the coaches forum and got a great response from Andy http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=39373

Basically, switching to triples, or 5x1 is totally fine to keep the weight going up.

Thanks Brandin, so would you suggest doing doubles then? Since I'm dieting at the moment and all through summer? i'm not concerned with adding numbers every god damn time. I realise I"ll be weaker and this is all for a wedding. It's a marathon for me so getting stuck, grinding and getting unstuck is something i made peace with. I just want to find the optimal way of at least trying to increase everytime.

[Brandin138]

I tend to overthink things and probably make them more complicated than they need to be. I haven't been running TM for more than a few months, but I was starting to really grind on my 5th rep on Squats and felt like my back was starting to round on DL on my 5th rep, so I started reading up on alternate rep schemes. I switched to triples on DL (1x3) and last week did 2x3 (sets x reps) on Squats. The squats felt great, and I plan on doing this until I start grinding out my last rep on my second set, at which point I will probably take Andy's approach and go to 5 singles.

I say give triples a try, then singles, then when those start grinding you can loop back to a single set of 5 that should be higher than your current 5RM. While I'm not aggressively dieting, I'm also carrying more bodyfat than I would llike so I'm trying to keep my calories in a reasonable range and eat cleanly.

My takeaway from all the reading is that ID is supposed to be a new PR, whether it's a new 5RM, triple, single, or whatever, just do what works for you. Hope this helps/makes sense, ha.

[grand666]

I tend to overthink things and probably make them more complicated than they need to be. I haven't been running TM for more than a few months, but I was starting to really grind on my 5th rep on Squats and felt like my back was starting to round on DL on my 5th rep, so I started reading up on alternate rep schemes. I switched to triples on DL (1x3) and last week did 2x3 (sets x reps) on Squats. The squats felt great, and I plan on doing this until I start grinding out my last rep on my second set, at which point I will probably take Andy's approach and go to 5 singles.

I say give triples a try, then singles, then when those start grinding you can loop back to a single set of 5 that should be higher than your current 5RM. While I'm not aggressively dieting, I'm also carrying more bodyfat than I would llike so I'm trying to keep my calories in a reasonable range and eat cleanly.

My takeaway from all the reading is that ID is supposed to be a new PR, whether it's a new 5RM, triple, single, or whatever, just do what works for you. Hope this helps/makes sense, ha.

It does man thank you. I'm giong to do one set of two, if i can get three great, if not fuck it. I hit my head pretty hard bailing that squat so I'm getting scared. haha.After all if I get a new double PR it's good.

Thanks for your input man.

[Brandin138]

I saw you mention Prowler work. I just found a new gym I'm going to join and they have prowlers and I'm stoked to try them. Were you using them while on TM? What days were you doing it on?

[tzanghi]

I saw you mention Prowler work. I just found a new gym I'm going to join and they have prowlers and I'm stoked to try them. Were you using them while on TM? What days were you doing it on?

The most common conditioning recommendations for TM are 1)the day after ID, and 2)the day after VD. I would advise against prowler work in favor of some HIIT to reduce the impact on recovery. I've done sprints on TM while dieting, and they can really kill progress.

[grand666]

I saw you mention Prowler work. I just found a new gym I'm going to join and they have prowlers and I'm stoked to try them. Were you using them while on TM? What days were you doing it on?

The most common conditioning recommendations for TM are 1)the day after ID, and 2)the day after VD. I would advise against prowler work in favor of some HIIT to reduce the impact on recovery. I've done sprints on TM while dieting, and they can really kill progress.

I've done it in the past when i was still misinformed and lost weight wit it. I saw the light and gained 30lbs back while doing SS and GSLP. But now that i have somewhat decent numbers, not nearly impressive, i'm content with cutting some fat over summer for the wedding and in winter gain some weight again to get my numbers up again.

Saturdays are in fact the day after ID so that's when I'll do the Prowler. But it will be very low volume as I'm on a calorie deficit. Just 4 "sprints", two up and two down tha'ts it. With only 90lbs on it.

There is something to say for the fat oxidation methods of protocols like prowler vs slow steady state cardio. Prowler is short and intense, and less than 10mins. I don't believe it will affect my recovery. I will however update this thread as I go along.

Farmers walks are right after recovery workout on Wednesdays. Also, very very low volume. Just three or four "walks" in either direction with only 90lbs in each arm. It works like a short intensity HIIT workout like the prowler.

I'll bookmark this thread and keep you guys up to date. With the lesser reps on ID and these very low folume HIIT type protocols, I believe it's enough to steadily lose fat, slowly.

Only way to learn it to try it.

[Manimal]

Im currently "dieting" (lost 20 so far on a 700/day deficit) and have used several different variations of the TM during this time. Andy recommended to someone else in his subforum a while back to drop volume to 3 sets of 5 and to triples on intensity day. I ran for a solid month with all my lifts on this plan, and did quite well. At first i was trying a 4 day a week split which worked well but i really lacked the energy and recovery to do volume and intensity in the same week after just a few weeks. Ive come to terms with the fact that im going to put on gains slower than an advanced lifter at this point and have since moved to a 2 week split with intensity day being between 3 and 5 singles. Just started it so the results arent in yet. You'll find out real quick that maintaining with a few gains is the best you can hope for.

Alot of folks like 5/3/1 while cutting but I'd be too afraid to take that kind of time to see if Im going backwards or not. If anything i would go with Karls 5/1 method.

[grand666]

Im currently "dieting" (lost 20 so far on a 700/day deficit) and have used several different variations of the TM during this time. Andy recommended to someone else in his subforum a while back to drop volume to 3 sets of 5 and to triples on intensity day. I ran for a solid month with all my lifts on this plan, and did quite well. At first i was trying a 4 day a week split which worked well but i really lacked the energy and recovery to do volume and intensity in the same week after just a few weeks. Ive come to terms with the fact that im going to put on gains slower than an advanced lifter at this point and have since moved to a 2 week split with intensity day being between 3 and 5 singles. Just started it so the results arent in yet. You'll find out real quick that maintaining with a few gains is the best you can hope for.

Alot of folks like 5/3/1 while cutting but I'd be too afraid to take that kind of time to see if Im going backwards or not. If anything i would go with Karls 5/1 method.

yeah I hear you I don't want to either. I'll do my frist double this Friday and see how it goes. I also like the idea of only triples on Deads too. Energy goes away quickly with deads man fuck. I'd rather do less reps and have proper form than being so OCD about 5 reps but my body just can't do it. I'll see what happens I think I'm going to like it.