TM & "elderly"

[JohnRoman]

I've heard the TM is hard on those over 45.

Anybody have advice on how they went about it and got it to work?
Did it as is?
Increased recovery days between lift days?
Split the program?
Recovery day training/conditioning?
Minimized accessory lifts?

Also, what kind of program/frequency were you running before going to TM?

[Keith Friedman]

Hi John,

I've just started Texas Method -- heck, I live here. Volume Day is a butt-kicker, but getting your butt kicked is good.

I do Volume Day on Saturday, so I can take a nap when I get home from the gym. (Light Monday and Heavy Wednesday)

[Scott Hanson]

I just completed a cycle of TM that lasted about 10 weeks. I'm 52 and did the standard template, including the 5x5 volume days and alternating the two presses each week, lifting 3x per week. The only real change was that I sometimes took an extra rest day before intensity day and then only one rest day between intensity and volume, thus it became more of a Intensity-Volume-Recovery setup. I actually seemed to recover pretty well and PR'd multiple times in all lifts (except dead-lift, which I dropped due to a high hamstring injury) for 1 rm, 3 rm, and 5 rm. I rotated 5, 3, and 1 rep maxes on intensity day (I know this isn't "the program") and kept the volume quite low on intensity days. The only problem I experienced is that I ramped up the volume day percentage steadily, which meant that the weights for volume and intensity were only 5% to 10% different by the end. I compensated toward the end by not increasing my volume day loads for the last 3 weeks, but even so, I finished with 5x5 at 285 for squat volume day and a max set of 5 at 302, barely a 5% differential. Most people say this should be more like 12% to 15%.

Right now, I'm considering returning to 5-3-1 with Boring But Big assistance, but if I started TM again I'd drop the volume day to 3 sets of 5, and try to push the intensity day a bit more.

Last summer I did a GSLP template, stalled out toward the end of summer, did one cycle of 5-3-1, then started in on TM. Before last summer, I had completed a SS cycle until stalled/injured, then 5-3-1 for over a year.

[Bean1871]

I've heard the TM is hard on those over 45.

Anybody have advice on how they went about it and got it to work?
Did it as is?
Increased recovery days between lift days?
Split the program?
Recovery day training/conditioning?
Minimized accessory lifts?

Also, what kind of program/frequency were you running before going to TM?

John,
I am 52, and just resuming after two months off. I started TM after reading Practical Programming. Once SS progression slowed, I found that an extra day in between workouts was needed for rest, and quickly moved to a split, and then to an OLAD (one lift per day) format that I tolerated very well. Due to work and time commitments, three lifts in a session was just too much. TM is hard enough as is, and I needed an extra day or two of recovery time.

My modified TM/OLAD hybrid consisted of doing Bench on M/W/F, Squats on T/TH/SAT, and Pulls on Sunday. When the weights get close to max, I move to a Bench M/TH, Squats TU/FRI, Pulls on WED (Rows)/SUN (Deads). Seems to work well for me. Volume sessions rarely went over 45 minutes.

I haven't found many published studies or programming specifically tailored to the over 40 lifter, and would be very interested in seeing some more. Until then, I believe that the conventional wisdom has been to lift heavy, eat a bit more moderately than the kids, and take more rest periods.

[bob g]

I use a TM template with three sets of five reps for Volume work. I squat two days a week instead of three doing them on Volume and Recovery days. Press and Bench alternate each workout so these rotate evenly through the Volume-Recovery-Intensity scheme. My V-R-I days fall on Wed-Sat-Mon and lately, due to scheduling issues, I've been splitting the Volume workout to 3x5 presses on Wed and 3x5 squats on Thurs. If life gets in the way and I miss a workout I make sure to get a Recovery lift in instead of compensating for the missed day with heavy work. My recovery is dialed in and I'm hitting some decent lifts lately. This isn't my first rodeo, I was a college athlete just after the transition from leather football helmets, but I've found this scheme to be perfect for my goals.

[xcardiobunny]

Posting so I'll be able to find this thread again easily.

[Mark E. Hurling]

This isn't my first rodeo, I was a college athlete just after the transition from leather football helmets, but I've found this scheme to be perfect for my goals.

Too funny bob.

[jimk]

I've been very happy with my gains on the Texas Method. I started the program about 9 months ago and made slow but steady progress on all my lifts. I'm 58, 195, and the real eye-opener for me was cutting back on the volume day from 5 sets to 4 after I had stalled for a few weeks; the lower stress helped me up my Intensity Days to where I was hitting PRs just about every week again. Like Keith I do my volume day on the weekend (Sunday), so I can take it easy, plenty of rest between sets; it takes me a couple of hours but I enjoy it. On my recovery day I do three sets of squats with just an empty bar to stretch and grease up the joints, 12-15 reps each, and on my Intensity day I go for 3-5 sets of heavy singles or doubles instead of going for one set of 5. I alternate Bench and Press every week like the book says, and alternate DLs and Power Snatches alternate volume days (can't rack a clean due to shoulder/flexibility issues and general incompetence) and since the weight on my Snatch is so light I sometimes throw some sets in there on my recovery day too. Do 3-5 sets of dips and chins every workout to failure, the only assistance work I do.

I reset to address some form issues at the beginning of the year, dropped the weights especially on the squats to perfect my form, and upped the sets back to five. When I stall next, will drop to 4 sets on the volume day, and then when I stall will drop to 3 sets. I found that if I respect the volume day the rest of the program works really well without wrecking too much havoc on the body.

[bob g]

Outstanding, Jim. You're using some very smart programming. The money quote:

I found that if I respect the volume day the rest of the program works really well without wrecking too much havoc on the body.

[jimk]

Thanks, Bob. Why is it so hard to recognize that sometimes less is more?