Starting Strength to Texas Method to...

[AndrewC]

Mark,

We obviously thank you for outlining your ideas in starting strength and introducing your Texas Method as a means of intermediate progression.

I was just curious (and I know advanced programming can be complicated so I'm not asking you to explain your philosophy there as I'm sure it's pretty individual)... but say a lifter has already hit this "405x5" benchmark you mention in your T-Nation article.

I'm a huge fan of the 5x5 and the Texas Method... it's what my training background is grounded on... but how do you personally approach going beyond the Texas Method? What are some of the first adjustments you make for advanced intermediate trainees once they start approaching a 500, 600 squat? Do you still have your guys squatting 3x a week?

You addressed the question of "what now" after starting strength with the Texas Method... I would love to hear a bit about a "what not" after the Texas Method... if there is an "after"


Thanks !

[Mark Rippetoe]

Is there a specific problem with your understanding of Chapter 8 in PPST2 that I can address?

[AndrewC]

Is there a specific problem with your understanding of Chapter 8 in PPST2 that I can address?

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.. sorry about that!

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

AndrewC,

It is important to understand that programming at the advanced and really even the intermediate level is extremely individual and thus goal dependent.

For novices, their sport or future goal of choice isn't all that important. They just need strength which is general and will thus apply to everything that they do.

At the intermediate and advanced stages training will be tailored to match specific goals.

So to your question....some weightlifters may squat 3x/week, some may squat 6 or 7. Some Powerlifters may squat 3x/week, but many only squat 1x/week. Strongman athletes will generally squat at least 1x/week, but they may rotate different rep schemes ranging from explosive doubles, max effort singles, high rep sets of 15-20, etc to accomodate the vary unique needs of their sport. So you see, as they say...it all just depends.

The major difference between intermediate and advanced programming is how often records can be broken. An intermediate can generally break records every week, advanced lifters will set new records much less frequently. So an advanced and intermediate lifter may both squat using 5x5 and the intermediate can hopefully use a higher weight each week. The advanced guy is going to have to cycle his weights in some form or fashion.

Take a look at Westside....they break records every week (or try to), but they do so on different lifts. So if a lifter had 4 different squat variations in his max effort rotation he would be setting a new PR on each variation approximately once per month. They also cycle the volume, working in 3 week waves. An intermediate really doesn't need that much complexity.