TEXAS PERIODIZATION METHOD

TEXAS PERIODIZATION METHOD
By Shane Robert

The Texas Method is a training program that has gained notoriety among lifters thanks largely to internet lore. Often touted as the follow up to a novice linear progression, it has been popular with lifters from all over the world and all iron disciplines for its simplicity and effectiveness. Like many of its predecessors, the Texas Method is considered a 5x5 program that uses the Heavy/Light/Medium system. Both methods have been around, in some form, forever, but owe their modern influence to Bill Starr’s The Strongest Shall Survive. You can read more about 5x5 here, and H/L/M in other parts of this blog. 

As good as the original program is, it starts to stall out sooner than would be ideal. Especially for advanced lifters. It also tends to lack the phasic structure that is so beneficial to long term gains. Fortunately, there are ways to combine classic periodization with the Texas Method for a pretty awesome program.

The original Texas Method is done as follows:

Day 1: 5x5 w/90% of 5RM 

Day 2: 2x5 w/80% of 5RM of 5x3 front squats

Day 3: 1x5 w/max weight, adding 5 pounds each week

Rinse and repeat until you die. The advantage of this method is frequent practice with a specific movement, as well as frequent heavy loading. You can see, however, how this might run out of progression pretty quickly for intermediate to advanced lifters. This is where the concept of classic periodization comes in. As a quick refresher, here is how this kind of program is typically setup: 

Phase 1: Hypertrophy, 3-5 x 6-12

Phase 2: Basic Strength, 4-6 x 4-6

Phase 3: Strength and Power, 3-5 x 1-5

Phase 4: Peaking or Maintenance, 1-3 x 1-3

If these concepts are put together, we create a program that can be run for much longer while still retaining the positives of the frequent movement practice and heavy loading of the original Texas Method. 

Periodized Texas Method

Start with the same H/L/M setup but the first block is 10 reps. Determine your 10 rep max and start with 85-90% as your “intensity day” weight. Use 85-90% of that for the volume day, and 75-80% for your light day. Add 5 pounds each week for as long as you can. Here is an example for a lifter with a 10RM of 225 pounds:

Day 1: 5x10 (medium/volume day) w/175

Day 2: 2x10 (light day) w/140

Day 3: 1x10 (heavy day) w/195

Each week, you add 5-10 pounds until you can’t. I would opt for 7.5%, which is around 2.5% of 300, the likely 1RM for someone who can do 225 for 10. That will likely get you 4-8 weeks of training before running out of progression, with an average of 6, which will end the block with 240x10 on the heavy day and 220 for 5x10. Again, for a slower progression, just increase 5 pounds per week. You also don’t have to progress at the same rate. The heavy day can go up 7.5, while the medium can go up 5. 

At this point, drop some weight off the bar, around 10%, and start the process over again using 8 reps. Follow the same format as above. When that runs out after another 4-8 weeks, repeat the process using 5’s, then 3’s. At that point, you have trained for somewhere between 12 and 32 weeks and will be FAR stronger than when you started. 

What to do then? Start the process over again with 10’s! Or, find another program. Either way, the time you spent following this program will have solidified your movement patterns and built a decent amount of muscle, priming you for some serious gains.