Go Back   Bodybuilding.net - Bodybuilding Forum > Members Section > Personal Journals


Marv's Journal



Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-14-2007, 04:31 AM
marv's Avatar
marv marv is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 293
Default Marv's Journal

G,day all. I am currently using the Texas Method and have decided to keep a journal. My goal is to continue making strength gains. This is my present set up:

Sunday:
Squat 5x5
Bench 5x5
Rows 5x5
Grip Work 5x5

Tuesday:
Over Head Squat 3x5
Front Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Chins 3x?
Grip Work 3x5
Hanging Leg Raises 3x?

Thursday:
Squat 1x5
Bench 1x5
DeadLift 1x5
Chins 3x?
Grip Work 3x5
Hanging Leg Raises 3x?
Calve Raises 3x5

My current Body weight is 88kg, Ive have started cuting back carbs and want to be leaner for summer around 81kg. My current PR's are:
Squat 135kg 1x4
Bench 110kg 1x3
Deadlift 170kg 1x3
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-14-2007, 12:43 PM
EricT EricT is offline
Rank: Heavyweight
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,314
Default

Good luck on your continuing progress.

This has been working for you well?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-14-2007, 01:52 PM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Holland
Posts: 99
Default

Good luck Marv. How long have you been using this method? Those are some great PR's mate.

Cheers,
Jeff
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-14-2007, 05:04 PM
marv's Avatar
marv marv is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 293
Default

Thanks Guys.
Okay all has gone well so far. However on Thursday's PR day I missed a rep on the Squat 135kg 1x4. I also missed reps on the bench 110kg 1x3. I felt fatigued. I also missed reps on sundays bench 95kg 1x5,1x5,1x4,1x3,1x3. I have been going strong for 7 or 8weeks, I guess I need to deload. I am planing to drop my main lifts by 10% on sunday's volume work out. I might change thursday to a dynamic day and work on power for a while! any suggestions guys?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-14-2007, 10:35 PM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Holland
Posts: 99
Default

How long have you been using this method? How many times have you deloaded before? Seven weeks is a pretty good run mate!

If this is your first time needing to back off, you could probably just do an easy week or two across the board, then roll back two weeks and run at it again. Perhaps change the parameters slightly, say from doing heavy 5's to doing heavy 3's or a few singles on Thursday, and maybe alternating 5x5 and 8x3 somehow on Sunday.

If you've had to deload a couple of times already, starting to add some power stuff on Thursday sounds like a good idea. Or maybe alternate power and intensity days on Thursday? I don't have all that much experience with dynamic stuff, so someone else can probably advise you on how to begin including it better than I can.

Let us know what you decide!

Cheers,
Jeff
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-15-2007, 11:27 AM
EricT EricT is offline
Rank: Heavyweight
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,314
Default

LOL, I've done many different intemediate 5x5 incarnations. No offense meant here but, with the proper circumstances and depending on the person, one may be able to go 15 to 20 weeks solid with nary a change, making PR's all along the way.

This is a malleable way of triaing. Everytime you hit a snag or don't get a PR does NOT mean you need to deload. If you need to deload everytime then why the heck are you managing fatigue on a weekly basis? I think around two months on average is when people will start having problems and need to make some adjustments.

No, little changes need to be made along the way and progress can usually be reestablished for a while without fully "deloading".

My first thought is, since you had trouble with bench on sunday and thursday that you could just adjust back Monday's workload a little. Not a back off in weight. Just a reduction in volume. You say you were fatigued. If fatigue is carrying over into Thursday then recovery is simply being outstipped or not allowed...so something needs to be done to allow recovery and still allow progress. But not a whole deload.

However, looking at your recovery day I'd suggest you cut back there a little and see if it helps you on thursday. I would take out the ab work and the chins and just do chins on thursday. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but it actually can be. you might think about reducing those front and overhead squats to 3x3's. Or perhaps do front squat for 3x3, and OH squats 2x5. Although I wouldn't do OH squats on that day (I usually don't like to do front squats either). OH squats are different enough that they don't really help keep you in that squatting groove.

With your corrent setup it IS possible that some fatigue is lasting into Sunday. You see if recovery day doesn't allow recovery but instead mounts up more fatigue that fatigue will carry over and accumulate during Friday. It's a mistake to think that PR day has no effect on your body. It does. It's just a different effect. But the effect is still cumulative. Especially considering the deads on thursday....

I know that may seem like overthinking the matter but I've done this type of thing A LOT so I've had some time to think .

I think right now your goal should be primarily to re-establish progress on Monday. Then see if that allows PR's to be re-established on Thursday.

As Jeffo was suggesting you should change up things on Thursday. Actually nothing formal. Basically you should change it up liberally and often. 5 here, 3 there...you can do 1's, 2's, 3's, etc..
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
or
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-15-2007, 06:26 PM
marv's Avatar
marv marv is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 293
Default

Thanks guys!

Jeff, I have reset once due to the flu. I started using TM around 4 months ago.

Thanks Eric that was the advice I needed. I increased all my lifts by 5kg for 3x5 today. This has given me back confidence. I will scrap chins and abs on Tuesday and lower squat volume also.

Sunday 16th september:
Squat 117.5kg 3x5
Bench 97.5kg 3x5
Rows 87.5kg 3x5
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-15-2007, 06:53 PM
marv's Avatar
marv marv is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 293
Default

I will correct myself, that was a 2.5kg increase on all my lifts today for 3x5.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-16-2007, 11:16 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
Rank: Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Holland
Posts: 99
Default

I see what you're saying Eric.

This is a malleable way of training for sure. I've had to adjust Monday upwards and downwards to keep Friday moving as well, usually between 3 and 7 sets depending on fatigue and perceived effort. Even then, I was still only able to do about 8 weeks before feeling generally worn out and sore, and not even all of those weeks were in PR territory.

I think one of my mistakes in the past was just trying to hit a heavier and heavier 5RM every Friday, never alternating or cycling my PR attempts. I think that was part of the reason I never saw more than about 8 weeks of straight training before feeling generally worn out, both physically and mentally. As you said, the Intensity day is stressful as well.

I still can't imagine going 20 full weeks straight of heavy lifting. I don't think my joints could handle that. Perhaps I'm just not cut out for that long of a run? Did you mannage to handle it fine?

And no offence taken. I'm used to people laughing at me Good advice by the way.

Cheers,
Jeff
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-16-2007, 11:48 AM
EricT EricT is offline
Rank: Heavyweight
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,314
Default

I wasn't laughing at you, bro . I was laughing at the general idea of what would be a good run. So much of everyone's idea of this stuff comes from guys doing on the internet who didn't realize that the wall they hit after after 7 to 9 weeks was just a signal that changes needed to be made, not that they had overreached and certainly not overtrained. Just hitting a stall, that one thing, is not a signal of over-reaching and needing a de-load.

You do get guys saying everyone needs to take a week off every two months regardless, for instance. But it depends on your trainging. Nothing wrong with a week off or a taper or whatever, but you don't need to cut short something where there is still progress to be made.

Not me I can't go 20 weeks straight with hardly any change on just the TM alone. I've done 5x5's where where progressive sets became sets across, this became that, and so on, and THEN I was able to make tremendously long runs. I milked each phase for everything it was worth before going on to the next change. For instance starting with something more like a Starr beginner program I hit a stall then backed off and got things going again, then took out a few reps in the lead up sets and got it going again for a couple weeks then switched to straight sets...all the while making apporpriate changes (for me) for the week.

But my joints were shot for sure after shit like that! No doubt. Yet I've seen guys do similar things with no complaints so I don't use myself as a gauge. Me and a 20 year old are very different. But for sure let me say that regardless, after a long run at heavy lifting, take a deload at least, try to peak and if needed take an entire week if not more!

Some can progress for very long periods of time. 20 weeks is an extreme example but a possible one. Anuj went 16 weeks and only stopped because he was leaving the country. He wasn't finished and still had many cards to play. But I'm just trying to illustrate my central point and that is to make small changes as you go along in order to keep progression going.

Also, a build up in the first 4 weeks before you reach your max on Mon, can make all the difference in the world. That can really be a "deload" from the previous period but it gets the body slowly into the swing of what is to come.

In fullbody 5x5's in general I have run them anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks but it's really up the individual and in the end I don't care if it's 8 weeks or what so long as someone lives up to their potential.

But I understand what you are saying, Jeff and I'm not saying you didn't do a good job for you. But what happens for me and you and what is possible is two different things. So while some people will progress longer than others, I don't want to give them the mindset that enables them to give up too soon!
Reply With Quote
Reply

  Bodybuilding.net - Bodybuilding Forum > Members Section > Personal Journals


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes



 



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:21 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.