Texas Method routine

[ELmx479]

No, I didn't pick 25 different lifts and throw them together to say how does it look. I have done Starting Strength now for 8 weeks with a good bulking diet and I just feel it is time for a recovery day to keep things moving up. Here is my outline, pretty close to what I am doing now. Just looking to see if anyone would change anything and the reason behind it.

Edit- I know the first thing to change would be power cleans but I have problems with my elbow and it is too painful to even try to get in the finish position.


Monday / Volume day
Squat 5 X 5
Bench Press 5 X 5
Rows 5 X 5
Push Ups 2-3 sets
Abs 3 sets

Wednesday / Recovery day
Front Squat 3 X 3
Press 3 X 5
Pull/Chin Ups 3 sets
Calves 3 sets


Friday / Intensity day
Squat 1 X 3
Bench Press 1 X 3
Dead Lift 1 X 3
Dips 3 sets
Abs 3 sets

[brihead301]

Looks good to me.

What I did was change the reps on Wednesday to 3x3 instead of 3x5, and possibly I'll be switching to even lower reps. This lets me work with a little more weight, and since I'm too lazy to microload, I figure that doing a little rep adjusting on Wednesdays will allow me to continue to progress in the OH press too in the TM.

For friday, after you find that you stall in the 3 rep range, you can start to rotate between triples, doubles, and singles. By the time the rotation starts over (3 one week, 2 next, 1 the week after, 3 week after that) you should have moved up for your triple. That's what I'm doing with the bench press now.

Looks very similar to what I'm doing, and it's working for me.

[ZenMonkey]

Squat 5 X 5
Bench Press 5 X 5
Rows 5 X 5
Weighted Dips 3 X 5

Squat 2 X 5
Press 3 X 5
SLDL 3 X 5
Calves 3 sets
Abs 3 sets

Squat 1 X 3
Bench Press 1 X 3
Dead Lift 1 X 3
Weighted Pullups 3 X 5

That is what Id change while keeping some stuff the same.

I might think about incorporating a Front Squat and perhaps a Hang Clean and ditching the calves.

Otherwise it looks decent.

[brihead301]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was that it may be a better idea to do 3 sets of non-weighted pull-ups on volume day to failure. This causes more volume. Leave the weighted ones for intensity day. That was Rip's advice to me anyway.

[ELmx479]

Thanks for the feedback guys. That is a good idea about doing the weighted dips/pull ups on the intensity day. I may even start out doing them once a week like Zen posted. Also, on recovery day I plan to alternate between squats, lunges, and front squats all using light weight.

[ZenMonkey]

Either way you're gonna get jacked!

[Kastro]

Rows are not going to drive progress on your deadlift, period, defeating the whole purpose of Monday's workout. If you refuse to clean (which I don't recommend), my first choice of alternatives would be DE deadlift work, heavy straight-backed goodmornings, etc.

SLDL isn't exactly optimal for a recovery day, and especially not 3 sets of them. Make sure they're relatively light (a theme which should apply to your other Wed lifts too), and drop the volume.

[coldfire]

Rows are not going to drive progress on your deadlift, period, defeating the whole purpose of Monday's workout. If you refuse to clean (which I don't recommend), my first choice of alternatives would be DE deadlift work, heavy straight-backed goodmornings, etc.

SLDL isn't exactly optimal for a recovery day, and especially not 3 sets of them. Make sure they're relatively light (a theme which should apply to your other Wed lifts too), and drop the volume.

You are making it too simple. It's not that rows drive progress on deadlift. Cleans don't necessarily drive much progress on deadlift too. It's the whole workout that drives progress. Besides, deadlifts drive progress on deadlifts.

I agree about the SLDL part.

[ELmx479]

Rows are not going to drive progress on your deadlift, period, defeating the whole purpose of Monday's workout. If you refuse to clean (which I don't recommend), my first choice of alternatives would be DE deadlift work, heavy straight-backed goodmornings, etc.

SLDL isn't exactly optimal for a recovery day, and especially not 3 sets of them. Make sure they're relatively light (a theme which should apply to your other Wed lifts too), and drop the volume.

I was planning on doing the SLDL's light, what else should go in place of them on recovery day?
I don't refuse to clean, I actually would love to do them but my right elbow won't allow it. I can not even get under the bar in the finish position with just the bar sitting on the rack. I can not do close grip bench also.

[coldfire]

I would move the pull ups to recovery day instead of SLDLs.

[ELmx479]

Monday / Volume day
Squat 5 X 5
Bench Press 5 X 5
Rows 5 X 5
Dips 3 X Failure
Abs 3 sets

Wednesday / Recovery day
Squat/Front Squat 2 X 5
Press 3 X 5
Pull Ups 3 X 10
Calves 3 sets


Friday / Intensity day
Squat 1 X 5
Bench Press 1 X 5
Dead Lift 1 X 5
Weighted Dips 2 X 5
Abs 3 sets

[coldfire]

You don't really need SLDLs here. You can put them as a backoff set after deadlift.

[ELmx479]

I would like to do cardio because i'm not very active during the winter. I was thinking Wednesday after the recovery workout and Saturday? 2 days a week should be fine.

[brihead301]

The best thing to do would be give your routine a shot, and see how well you are able to progress on it. Once progress stops, then you know you need to change something.

[ELmx479]

The best thing to do would be give your routine a shot, and see how well you are able to progress on it. Once progress stops, then you know you need to change something.

What do you think about the cardio?

[brihead301]

There's nothing wrong with doing cardio. It's a healthy thing to do.

[ELmx479]

I would like to start doing Good Mornings in my routine along with Lunges to hit one leg at a time. This is pretty much how I have been doing the routine so far (6 weeks). Let me know where you guys would put them and if you would change anything..

Monday / Volume day
Squat 5 X 5
Bench Press 5 X 5
Rows 5 X 5
Push Ups 2-3 sets
Abs 3 sets

Wednesday / Recovery day
Front Squat 3 X 3-5
Press 3 X 5
Pull/Chin Ups 3 sets
Calves 3 sets


Friday / Intensity day
Squat 1 X 3-5
Bench Press 1 X 3-5
Dead Lift 1 X 3-5
Dips 3 sets
Abs 3 sets