Volume/Intensity Day Ratios on TM

[Str8shutr]

Just now realized that my Volume to Intensity Ratio on the TM progression is off. Last week Volume day was 290x5x5, and Intensity day was 325x5. This week I was going to bump Volume to 295x5x5, with Intensity at 330x5. My stats: 36 yo male, 6'2", 280#s.

My question: Am I better off sticking with my planned jumps to 295 and 330 this week and then going to: week 2 295/335, week 3 295/340, week 4 300/345, week 5 300/350 at which point I would be at the recommended 85% ratio of V to I?

Or, should I deload to 280 (85% of 330# Intensity day) to avoid burnout?

Thanks,

Joe

[Michael Wolf]

Andy's our resident program guru so I'd like to get his opinion too, but my thought is that it depends how far along in the TM you are, and how you're handling recovery.
Being 36 is working against you a bit, but weighing 280 is in your favor here, unless you're trying to do this on a caloric deficit.

Volume Day @ 90% of Intensity Day is a good place to start, so if you've recently switched to the TM, you're probably fine continuing to move VD up every week for a little while. Most people find that after a while and with heavier weights, 90% is too much, and eventually lower their VD work to a lower % of ID. 80-85% seems to work for many, but I've seen anywhere from 75-90% work for people.

As an Intermediate lifter, some of this will be individual too. Finding that sweet spot that works for you is one of the joys of being an Intermediate.

All that background aside, to actually answer your question, I'd like to know how long you've been on Texas Method, where you ended your LP, and what your starting weights were when you began the TM.

[Str8shutr]

This will be my seventh week on TM.

I ended LP at 300 for LBBS.

Starting TM, my LBBS weights were 275x5x5 and 305x5.

I had one stall at 315, but busted through it the next week. The volume days were hard, but I am fully recovered at the end of the week, and it seems that the past two weeks volume day has been kind of light.

Yesterday I went ahead and did 295x5x5. First three sets were done with 5 minutes recovery, 4th with 8 mins, 5th with 10 mins. Total time for LBBS WO was 54 mins.

[Michael Wolf]

You started your volume days a bit more aggressively than I would have advised, but I don't think you need to change anything yet, especially since you're making weekly progress and feel recovered. When either of those two becomes an issue, holding VD steady (or possibly a small reduction, if it was recovery problems) while continuing to add weight to ID would probably be the first thing to try to get unstuck.

[Str8shutr]

Sounds good. Thanks for the good advice.

Regarding my recovery times at 295x5x5: First three sets were done with 5 minutes recovery, 4th with 8 mins, 5th with 10 mins. Is this about average, or am I stretching my recovery times a bit too much?

[Michael Wolf]

8-10 mins is on the longer side for this early in the TM at those weights, considering your bodyweight, but it doesn't strike me as out of the normal range.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Agreed with Wolf. You could also move to a split routine as described in Practical Programming to cut down your total training time per day.

[Str8shutr]

Thanks again. Will tighten up on the recovery times. I have basically been waiting until everything feels...not fresh, but at least rested. I am sure that I could do the fourth and fifth sets with 5 mins recovery, it just feels rushed, if that makes sense.

[Michael Wolf]

You're welcome. But I wasn't advising to reduce your recovery times just for the sake of less rest. If you need the 8-10 minutes of rest, you should absolutely take it. Don't miss reps because you didn't rest long enough.