Programming For A 2-Week Layoff

[Spleen]

6'3, 20 years old, ~223 BW

Squat: 325 x 5 x 5 // 385 x 2 x 3
Bench: 195 x 5 x 5 // 215 x 2 x 3
Deadlift: 425 x 2 x 2
Press: 135 x 5 x 5 // 150 x 5 x 1

I had been running a modified version of the Texas Method for a few weeks when I unfortunately ended up taking a 2-week layoff due to final exams and a pretty nasty case of food poisoning. Combining this with not eating near to the amount of the ~4000-5000 calories a day I would usually have, I dropped from about 230 lbs BW to about 223. I've been reading on the forums that a 2-week layoff usually isn't enough to merit a significant deload in weights for an intermediate, but given my situation, I figured it wasn't wise to go straight back into my PR weights.

I decided to make a plan based on this article by Andy Baker, gradually increasing volume and intensity on all four lifts over a 2-week period. Once I get back to those previous PR weights, I'll jump right into a 4-day Texas Method split in week 3.

Week 1

Monday
Squat: 295 x 4 x 3
Bench: 175 x 4 x 3

Tuesday
Press: 120 x 4 x 3
Deadlift 385 x 1 x 2

Thursday
Squat: 305 x 4 x 4
Bench: 185 x 4 x 4

Friday
Press: 125 x 4 x 4
Deadlift: 405 x 1 x 3

Week 2

Monday
Squat: 315 x 5 x 4
Bench: 190 x 5 x 4

Tuesday
Press: 130 x 5 x 4
Deadlift 415 x 1 x 3

Thursday
Squat: 325 x 5 x 5
Bench: 195 x 5 x 5

Friday
Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Deadlift: 425 x 2 x 2

Given the lighter loads, I also might take some time after each workout to practice some accessories that I plan on incorporating into my next cycle of programming, specifically LTEs and SLDLs.

I did the first workout of week 1 today and it felt pretty good. A little too easy if I'm being honest, but we'll see how DOMS treats me in the morning.

So, is this a good idea, or could I build my numbers back up in a shorter amount of time? I want to find a good balance of getting back up to my previous weights as fast as possible without burning myself out too quickly.

[Mark Rippetoe]

At 6'3", 20 yo, and 230, why are you doing an intermediate program?

[Spleen]

I found it very difficult to progress in weight after only one workout, specifically for the bench and press, even with the first three questions accounted for.

Would it be wise to restart a cycle of the NLP?

Here are the numbers I stalled at. This was in late February.
Squat: 380 x 3 x 5
Bench: 195 x 3 x 5
Press: 137.5 x 3 x 5
Deadlift: 415 x 5

[Maybach]

The Texas method and pretty much every program in the grey book have a predictable, linear (over the timeframe handled by the level of advancement for which they are proscribed) increase in weights. If you need to reduce your loads, do so, and then resume the proscribed increase. There's no reason to change the program. Just do the weights from two weeks ago.

This is indeed conservative, but you missed the gym due to a stressful event and lost weight, so you will probably be not as strong.

And yes we are all special snowflakes but Rip is right: everything about the numbers you posted says you should still be doing an NLP