I modified Texas method a bit, but this makes more sense. Texas method has been great for me. Been on it for three years straight. Squat 5 rep max went from 310 to 460 during that time. The only thing I can get is working in enough volume for bench/press. It seems it’s one , or the other. I can’t get gains in both at the same time.
Sounds like I'm about as strong as you, but the issue that caused me to stop TM was that my knees couldn't handle the 5x5s as the months went by. I seem to do better with lower volume like a 531 type split
@@HooDRidEWhiteY I wonder if splitting the volume a bit between Monday and Wednesday would help. Do 4x5 on Monday, and add that one set at the end of Wednesday, or something like that.
@@AbcDino843 I appreciate the suggestion. Im realizing that I have personal issues that just aren't going to play nice with cookie cutter programs. Good call.
Thank you for this video. I've basically been running a modified (donkey) texas method this whole time. It just felt right. The details you outlined show me where I needed guidance at. Thanks again!
Thanks for the breakdown. Very interesting to see echoes of the Westside Conjugate Method, they get to the volume and intensity a different way but it’s definitely there. Variation is less important here but it’s all the same goal in the end. Great stuff.
Great video. Just reran a 4 day TM cycle for about 18 weeks. Looking to still run a 5x5 volume day with cycling intensity days. Very informative on how to manage and adjust volume. Thank you for this. Please upload the slides if you haven’t already.
For the slides, scroll through the comments on the original facebook live video linked here: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=515898532623169&id=142424022490628
That’s a crazy amount of useful information. This guy knows what he’s talking about. I’m still at the LP phase but I did get stuck at a certain weight during my work set sometimes. I overcame it by increasing the weight by about 10% for 2 sets of 2 reps then I would do my normal work set (3x5) at the weight I was stuck at. After about 2 sessions of that I am able to break through the stuck phase. Eventually that might stop working but for now it’s what helps me and it’s simple enough for me to follow
@@likeasir3015 yea I’m passed the LP phase. I’m 44 years old 5’9” at 200lbs. I’m at my desired strength level so I maintain by squating 450 for one set of 3, deadlift 575 for one set of 3, press 245 and bench 335 for one set of 3 These weights are heavy enough to keep me strong at those reps but you’re better off reading Practical Programming by Rippetoe for ideal results
Ok I have a bit of an issue with this approach to resetting volume day because in 3 months (12 weeks) you go from 280 to 295 for a 5x5, which is 3 weeks of intermediate progress. The intensity day however ends at 370x1, which predicts a 5rm of 320, which is what was done on week 2. What I’m getting at is that resetting the volume and tapering the intensity reps like this seems to vary the stress without actually increasing it. Are you actually getting stronger after week 3 or just more practiced for a 1rm? Can this actually be called an intermediate program if your 5rm only goes up 15 lbs over 12 weeks? If this is actually necessary for the lifter to run this program would t they be better off on HLM or just moving to advanced programming? Either way, thanks for the video. I’ve rewatched it several times over the past few months and it’s given me lots to think about. And yes, I have read ppst3.
Very good point. Also i think that weekly progression kinda overrated that in the sense that it doesn't last long enough to say it's weekly progression, it'll turn biweekly triweekly progression very fast
Great and much nedded vídeo, enlighting, fulling such a big gap left on the book. I'm running TM right now, at this point i was doing 5 sets of 1, and on the volumen day i was doing 4 sets of 3 at 90% (of intensity day). At first i started lowering volume, doing 4 sets of 5, then 3 of 5, then 4 of 3. The weight on intensity day keeps going up, bit i started to loose some muscle and gain fat (i suposse from cutting volume to a half), specialy around the mid section. Thanks so much, really appreciate this video.
It's mildly annoying that there is no convention for the notation for reps and sets. It's "reps x sets" in majority of the slides, "sets x reps" in others.
The convention I've been seeing lately is the number of reps goes after the first "x." So "1x5" means one set of five. "315x5x1" means one set of five at 315 lbs. I'm pretty sure this notation was what Paul was using in this video.
Not sure if you care anymore but it is most likely all "set x reps". If you look at everything Horn writes on his website, he uses a weird format of "reps x sets x weight" so he was most likely reading stuff wrong on accident on these slides out of habit
What if one lift can keep going up at 5s but the other is stalling? Would you just move onto triples for that lift while continuing with 5s for the other ??
Question: So if the 2 day method is for older populations due to their lower rates of recovery, would it not make sense to also use this format for stronger lifters as well? Say someone is pulling in the 6s or benching in the 4s (for singles)... that's going to take quite a bit out of you on those 5x5 days and of course the intensity days.
Is there a way to add exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, overhead press, rows and pull ups to the classic texas method or the 4 day one, i want to try it but i don't want to give up training those muscles , and how would you adjust volume and intensity for these
I’ve heard people say do not increase the weight on volume day unless you need it. i.e if you stall on ohp on friday, then next ohp volume day you add 2.5 lbs. Is there a problem with this approach?
i wish this excellent video and its concepts is available in worksheet format (or at least an app format) online! i know i know i should do it by myself but i am not that motivated :p
@Quentin Styger I cringe so hard when i hear people quoting Rippetoes dogmagic bullshit so proudly like you. The guy didnt say that he wanted to have abs, nor is it impossible to have elite level of strength while being lean.
A year late, but here's some unconventional wisdom for you: if you're extremely obese and cutting, run the program as if you were lean and bulking. Cutting will fuck your strength gains when leaning out below 20% bf, but you should have no problems if you're cutting while being clinically obese.
What do we do if we’re switching our upper body lifts to the 4 day template but our lower body lifts can still make make progress on the 3 day template?
I think there is a protocol in what to do when missing a lift. Go down with weight (5kg or smth like that) and start again from there. It's sorta fatigue management (deloadesk).
would try to hit it once more next week if it was due to miss grooved rep or bad sleep etc. if it dont work then probably would do like the video shows 2x3 next week intensity day
Great video. What's the best place to add some extra hypertrophy work? I'm thinking 5x12 tricep extensions and body weight chins after intensity session. That way theres a 3 day recovery before the next volume day
Paul - excellent video, thanks for posting. I'm 57 yo intermediate lifter and I cannot overhead press because of past shoulder injury and our gym doesn't have incline so I'm flat bench only. I would like to try the 2x a week TM (Volume Day, Intensity Day) and if it proved to be not enough recovery time I would move to M-F-W (every 5 days). What rep scheme would you recommend for my age? Maybe 3 x 5 for Volume and the 1 x 5 (3s,2s,1s) for Intensity Day ?
You can fix that. Just hang onto a bar every day and let your shoulder joint stretch for about 2 minutes total, however many times it takes you. I use wrist straps to hang on longer.
For the volume lifts in Andy Baker's Four Week TM cycle, he says 5 sets of 4 and 5 sets of 3..... is that right ? or should it be 4 sets of 5 and 3 sets of 5 ??
If you’re unsure about doing back off deadlifts, here’s what I’d do. Make it simple, ask yourself a couple questions. Do you progress without them? Do you recover from them? Make your decision based on your answers.
Is there a version for people who want to specialize in the press.? I’m confused on what to do. I did nlp for almost a year and now I’m all over the place with programming. I do press atleast 3 times aweek
I’m late to the party but the Short & Sweet version of the TM has really peaked my interest. Maybe I’m just stupid but how exactly do you progress the weight from week to week? Add 5lbs to your 1RM? And what does 100%x1-5 on the intensity day mean?
You should stick with the same nomenclature throughout. In the one chart 5X1 is 5 sets of one but then on your Texax Method chart 5X1 is one set of five. Very confusing.
It's all relative. If you're doing light weight then 5 sets of 5 is nothing but if you are really pushing yourself, it's hard to do 5 sets of 5 at 90% of what you can only do for 1 set of 5
@@maynardk1 ya but i was talking about volume, not intensity, i've run the program and stalled on it due to lack of volume... the intensity just crushed me in the end
Starting Strength promotes decrepit old man volumes for everyone. If you want to get big you need to start doing high volume, think 5x8-15 on compounds with high rep accessories as well.
@@ProphetFear well if you can add 5lbs to ur lifts every week, what do u think is gonna make ur back thicker doing some lat pulldowns high volume or adding 100lbs to ur deadlift?
I'm one of those guys (26 of age). My recovery isn't great but i do respond to low volume which is nice. Doing less and getting good results. It's a win imho.
Extremely over complicated program. Weight training is not that difficult. SS made it kinda easy with 3x5 workout with compound movements. Once the Progression reaches its peak change is easy. Stick with the Bench, Squat, Deadlift and Overhead Press for sets and reps with moderate weight to do 10-12 reps. No need for anyone to keep pushing the limits and get injured like Andy Baker and tear up a body part. Starting Strength 5x5 are all good to get basics of Barbell Training. But when people start to over thing the basics that is when serious injuries happen case in point Andy Baker. Plenty programs that offer progressive overload by adding reps and sets without destroying your ligaments
At the beggining I thought you were trolling. If you don't like the program that's ok, but this just isn't your place if you think you can continue building strength with "moderate weights in sets of 10-12 reps". Or if to you weight training is just "getting jacked" then again, this just isn't your place.
@@Russocass You are Crazy to think that BS. Do you realize you can get super strong benching 225 lbs 3x10 Deadlift 300 3x10 Squat 300 3x10 Overhead press 135 3x10. And still run a 7 min mile and not look like a overweight powerlifter.
Doing a limited variety of exercises over extended periods of times is _exactly_ how you erode those ligaments and tendons to get pain and injuries. Probably good to use some common sense and add variation. Not that I'm a fan of SS either.
You guys are hopeless. No one thinks sets of 10 makes you stronger. Every single piece of research puts 10s in the hypertrophy range. You will make gains but if you aren’t a young male then strength is the only useful goal since there isn’t enough test to bulk. I dislike Texas method as there is too much guesswork if you don’t have a coach. I can see opportunities to improve this but these guys have experience running this. If you consider a tear unacceptable, stay out of the gym.
@@Xplora213 "No one thinks sets of 10 makes you stronger." Find whoever said that and slap them. If you're getting tears in training and you can't even squat 4 plates, then your training just sucks.
hi mate as much as I appreciate your lecture could you not speak to me like I'm a f****** idiot I'm British I understand the difference between volume and intensity
Great explanation about volume day reduction as intensity day increases, Paul. That's an interesting strategy.
Yes I wasn't sure what to do when I could no longer add weight to volume day. Ended up changing volume day rep range to 4sets of 8 and deloaded.
sir, you are a legend, when i set world records with this tips im gonna go back here to thank you.
Did you set any records?
@@Train_Eat_Rest_Repeat he plays league
Is there a video where this specific guy talks about the LP? This format is badass.
This is the video that got me into SS 100%. I realised ™ is not just a cookie cutter template and there is a lot behind it. These people know science.
I modified Texas method a bit, but this makes more sense. Texas method has been great for me. Been on it for three years straight. Squat 5 rep max went from 310 to 460 during that time. The only thing I can get is working in enough volume for bench/press. It seems it’s one , or the other. I can’t get gains in both at the same time.
Sounds like I'm about as strong as you, but the issue that caused me to stop TM was that my knees couldn't handle the 5x5s as the months went by. I seem to do better with lower volume like a 531 type split
@@HooDRidEWhiteY I wonder if splitting the volume a bit between Monday and Wednesday would help. Do 4x5 on Monday, and add that one set at the end of Wednesday, or something like that.
@@AbcDino843 I appreciate the suggestion. Im realizing that I have personal issues that just aren't going to play nice with cookie cutter programs. Good call.
Thank you for this video. I've basically been running a modified (donkey) texas method this whole time. It just felt right. The details you outlined show me where I needed guidance at. Thanks again!
Thanks for the breakdown. Very interesting to see echoes of the Westside Conjugate Method, they get to the volume and intensity a different way but it’s definitely there. Variation is less important here but it’s all the same goal in the end. Great stuff.
Great video. Just reran a 4 day TM cycle for about 18 weeks. Looking to still run a 5x5 volume day with cycling intensity days. Very informative on how to manage and adjust volume. Thank you for this. Please upload the slides if you haven’t already.
For the slides, scroll through the comments on the original facebook live video linked here: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=515898532623169&id=142424022490628
Can this be added to the podcast feed please? Great video
That’s a crazy amount of useful information. This guy knows what he’s talking about. I’m still at the LP phase but I did get stuck at a certain weight during my work set sometimes. I overcame it by increasing the weight by about 10% for 2 sets of 2 reps then I would do my normal work set (3x5) at the weight I was stuck at. After about 2 sessions of that I am able to break through the stuck phase. Eventually that might stop working but for now it’s what helps me and it’s simple enough for me to follow
That’s a great idea for breaking through stalls. I’ve never heard of that before. How’d it work out for you now? Are you past the LP phase now?
@@likeasir3015 yea I’m passed the LP phase. I’m 44 years old 5’9” at 200lbs. I’m at my desired strength level so I maintain by squating 450 for one set of 3, deadlift 575 for one set of 3, press 245 and bench 335 for one set of 3
These weights are heavy enough to keep me strong at those reps but you’re better off reading Practical Programming by Rippetoe for ideal results
Just found this; very helpful, thanks for sharing.
Ok I have a bit of an issue with this approach to resetting volume day because in 3 months (12 weeks) you go from 280 to 295 for a 5x5, which is 3 weeks of intermediate progress. The intensity day however ends at 370x1, which predicts a 5rm of 320, which is what was done on week 2.
What I’m getting at is that resetting the volume and tapering the intensity reps like this seems to vary the stress without actually increasing it.
Are you actually getting stronger after week 3 or just more practiced for a 1rm?
Can this actually be called an intermediate program if your 5rm only goes up 15 lbs over 12 weeks?
If this is actually necessary for the lifter to run this program would t they be better off on HLM or just moving to advanced programming?
Either way, thanks for the video. I’ve rewatched it several times over the past few months and it’s given me lots to think about. And yes, I have read ppst3.
Very good point. Also i think that weekly progression kinda overrated that in the sense that it doesn't last long enough to say it's weekly progression, it'll turn biweekly triweekly progression very fast
So what temperature should I cook a chicken at?
Great video! Very informative and helpful. Wish it was in HD though.
Great and much nedded vídeo, enlighting, fulling such a big gap left on the book. I'm running TM right now, at this point i was doing 5 sets of 1, and on the volumen day i was doing 4 sets of 3 at 90% (of intensity day). At first i started lowering volume, doing 4 sets of 5, then 3 of 5, then 4 of 3. The weight on intensity day keeps going up, bit i started to loose some muscle and gain fat (i suposse from cutting volume to a half), specialy around the mid section. Thanks so much, really appreciate this video.
Whats the view on rows and paused deadlifts on mondays instead of cleans. Should be enough time to recover until friday do You think?
It's mildly annoying that there is no convention for the notation for reps and sets. It's "reps x sets" in majority of the slides, "sets x reps" in others.
The convention I've been seeing lately is the number of reps goes after the first "x." So "1x5" means one set of five. "315x5x1" means one set of five at 315 lbs. I'm pretty sure this notation was what Paul was using in this video.
Not sure if you care anymore but it is most likely all "set x reps". If you look at everything Horn writes on his website, he uses a weird format of "reps x sets x weight" so he was most likely reading stuff wrong on accident on these slides out of habit
@@samj8932 to the OPs point, this is annoying
his notation seems to be consistent with SS. for some weird reason everyone seems to so sets X reps but weight X reps X sets
Great video! Much appreciated. Would you please consider uploading this Keynote file?
What if one lift can keep going up at 5s but the other is stalling? Would you just move onto triples for that lift while continuing with 5s for the other ??
Question: So if the 2 day method is for older populations due to their lower rates of recovery, would it not make sense to also use this format for stronger lifters as well? Say someone is pulling in the 6s or benching in the 4s (for singles)... that's going to take quite a bit out of you on those 5x5 days and of course the intensity days.
Is there a way to add exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, overhead press, rows and pull ups to the classic texas method or the 4 day one, i want to try it but i don't want to give up training those muscles , and how would you adjust volume and intensity for these
When switching from 5 singles to 3 singles on intensity day as written in the grey book, do you also reduce the weight on monday?
How could be the Press set up In the two day version? I don't bench.
I’ve heard people say do not increase the weight on volume day unless you need it. i.e if you stall on ohp on friday, then next ohp volume day you add 2.5 lbs. Is there a problem with this approach?
Are the slides available anywhere? Would like them so I can take some notes
Good luck doing 5x5 volume squat and 3x5 volume deadlift in the same session
Eh you'd be surprised. 85% of your 1x5 intensity working weight is quite a bit lighter.
i wish this excellent video and its concepts is available in worksheet format (or at least an app format) online! i know i know i should do it by myself but i am not that motivated :p
Short and sweet version, when do you increase weight? Since you're doing only 70-85% of 1rm.
Thank you ❤️
What about adding rows on Wednesday followed by Chins?
Did he post this PowerPoint anywhere? Really useful stuff
If someone wanted to preserve as much strength as possible while cutting, would you recommend a HLM program instead of the Texas Method?
@Quentin Styger I cringe so hard when i hear people quoting Rippetoes dogmagic bullshit so proudly like you. The guy didnt say that he wanted to have abs, nor is it impossible to have elite level of strength while being lean.
@Quentin Styger I didn't ask about abs, just losing weight.
A year late, but here's some unconventional wisdom for you: if you're extremely obese and cutting, run the program as if you were lean and bulking. Cutting will fuck your strength gains when leaning out below 20% bf, but you should have no problems if you're cutting while being clinically obese.
Thank you, i understand 👍
What do we do if we’re switching our upper body lifts to the 4 day template but our lower body lifts can still make make progress on the 3 day template?
Google starting strength intermediate programming for the upper body lifts, its exactly what you are looking for
Perfect, thanks
I have missed 1reps of squat at intensity day.Should i try one more week? Could it just be a bad week?or should i reset?
I think there is a protocol in what to do when missing a lift.
Go down with weight (5kg or smth like that) and start again from there.
It's sorta fatigue management (deloadesk).
would try to hit it once more next week if it was due to miss grooved rep or bad sleep etc. if it dont work then probably would do like the video shows 2x3 next week intensity day
Great video. What's the best place to add some extra hypertrophy work? I'm thinking 5x12 tricep extensions and body weight chins after intensity session. That way theres a 3 day recovery before the next volume day
Thank you
Great stuff!
I add 2.5lbs for upper?? How can you do that in the UK??? The lowest you can add on is 2.5kg.
same in Aus. You need to buy fractional plates and bring it in your bag with you
Paul - excellent video, thanks for posting. I'm 57 yo intermediate lifter and I cannot overhead press because of past shoulder injury and our gym doesn't have incline so I'm flat bench only. I would like to try the 2x a week TM (Volume Day, Intensity Day) and if it proved to be not enough recovery time I would move to M-F-W (every 5 days). What rep scheme would you recommend for my age? Maybe 3 x 5 for Volume and the 1 x 5 (3s,2s,1s) for Intensity Day ?
You can fix that. Just hang onto a bar every day and let your shoulder joint stretch for about 2 minutes total, however many times it takes you. I use wrist straps to hang on longer.
good resource
For the volume lifts in Andy Baker's Four Week TM cycle, he says 5 sets of 4 and 5 sets of 3.....
is that right ? or should it be 4 sets of 5 and 3 sets of 5 ??
great stuff
Do you have to do the back off sets for deadlift on intensity day?
If you’re unsure about doing back off deadlifts, here’s what I’d do. Make it simple, ask yourself a couple questions.
Do you progress without them?
Do you recover from them?
Make your decision based on your answers.
Is there a version for people who want to specialize in the press.? I’m confused on what to do. I did nlp for almost a year and now I’m all over the place with programming. I do press atleast 3 times aweek
great vid
I’m late to the party but the Short & Sweet version of the TM has really peaked my interest. Maybe I’m just stupid but how exactly do you progress the weight from week to week? Add 5lbs to your 1RM? And what does 100%x1-5 on the intensity day mean?
On Friday you set a 5 rep max (pr) then on Monday you do 5x5 of 80-90% of whatever you did on Friday. This is a good program.
Instead of 5x5 for volume can I do 3x8 which still equates to 25 reps
I thought the classic Texas Method had power cleans on Friday and deadlifts on Monday
Can BW chins be replaced with weighted ones?
I can't 1x5 Deadlift after 1x5 Squat
I do barbell rows instead of power cleans. Cleans scare me. I’m old and could break.
Rows give more carry over to deadlift and are easier to recover from so tbh I still don't see the point in the clean unless ur an oly lifter
@@its_james_fitness how could they give more carry over the deadlift? They are very different exercises. Not saying that rows are bad though.
Try Power Cleans on non-DL days at a light weight (~70% 1RM) for 3x3. I like to do them before I squat.
@@Russocass ed coan and cailer woolam advocate them. They strengthen the back, grip etc.
You should stick with the same nomenclature throughout. In the one chart 5X1 is 5 sets of one but then on your Texax Method chart 5X1 is one set of five. Very confusing.
I agree. Should always be sets x reps
Seems like a simple error but he should have at least adressed the error. Even if you catch it it still makes it very difficult to follow.
22:55 useful
Im not sure you have enough ads. What is 90% of Ads day?
how would anyone consider this high volume? maybe old people but thats it.
It's all relative. If you're doing light weight then 5 sets of 5 is nothing but if you are really pushing yourself, it's hard to do 5 sets of 5 at 90% of what you can only do for 1 set of 5
@@maynardk1 ya but i was talking about volume, not intensity, i've run the program and stalled on it due to lack of volume... the intensity just crushed me in the end
Starting Strength promotes decrepit old man volumes for everyone. If you want to get big you need to start doing high volume, think 5x8-15 on compounds with high rep accessories as well.
@@ProphetFear well if you can add 5lbs to ur lifts every week, what do u think is gonna make ur back thicker doing some lat pulldowns high volume or adding 100lbs to ur deadlift?
I'm one of those guys (26 of age). My recovery isn't great but i do respond to low volume which is nice.
Doing less and getting good results. It's a win imho.
Too many commercials
Let me introduce you to the wild concept of use an adblocker on your computer. They are free.
I promise not to tell rip I hate cleans also
“Youre the meat in this situation”…. Im gonna say it… THATS WHAT SHE SAID!!!
42:30
Hot danged!
360p ? Srsly?
I just really hate the idea of not putting the deadlift first on the single day you do deadlift.
Why not just do HIT?
Great video. But imma give ya a dislike for hating powerkleans >:(
Extremely over complicated program. Weight training is not that difficult. SS made it kinda easy with 3x5 workout with compound movements. Once the Progression reaches its peak change is easy. Stick with the Bench, Squat, Deadlift and Overhead Press for sets and reps with moderate weight to do 10-12 reps.
No need for anyone to keep pushing the limits and get injured like Andy Baker and tear up a body part.
Starting Strength 5x5 are all good to get basics of Barbell Training. But when people start to over thing the basics that is when serious injuries happen case in point Andy Baker. Plenty programs that offer progressive overload by adding reps and sets without destroying your ligaments
At the beggining I thought you were trolling. If you don't like the program that's ok, but this just isn't your place if you think you can continue building strength with "moderate weights in sets of 10-12 reps". Or if to you weight training is just "getting jacked" then again, this just isn't your place.
@@Russocass You are Crazy to think that BS. Do you realize you can get super strong benching 225 lbs 3x10 Deadlift 300 3x10 Squat 300 3x10 Overhead press 135 3x10. And still run a 7 min mile and not look like a overweight powerlifter.
Doing a limited variety of exercises over extended periods of times is _exactly_ how you erode those ligaments and tendons to get pain and injuries. Probably good to use some common sense and add variation. Not that I'm a fan of SS either.
You guys are hopeless. No one thinks sets of 10 makes you stronger. Every single piece of research puts 10s in the hypertrophy range. You will make gains but if you aren’t a young male then strength is the only useful goal since there isn’t enough test to bulk.
I dislike Texas method as there is too much guesswork if you don’t have a coach. I can see opportunities to improve this but these guys have experience running this.
If you consider a tear unacceptable, stay out of the gym.
@@Xplora213 "No one thinks sets of 10 makes you stronger." Find whoever said that and slap them. If you're getting tears in training and you can't even squat 4 plates, then your training just sucks.
If your just training for strength for general well-being then why would you put your body through this
Trying to make texas method better is like putting make up on a pig. Just do an actual good program.
hi mate as much as I appreciate your lecture could you not speak to me like I'm a f****** idiot I'm British I understand the difference between volume and intensity