Squat, Bench, Deadlift, China Buffet, Repeat

Thanks for the comments and kind words toonie. I can't wait for Friday, I really like the layout of this program. Thanks again for recommending it. I think I will try those lifts Friday and I should get them provided I'm focused and form is good.

You have to consider also I'm steadily gaining weight (I was normally 220-225 finishing up my routine about 3 months ago) so that's helped too. You weigh like 50 pounds less than me lol. Eventually I'll have to do some conditioning to strip a bit of fat off but I'm not even considering it until my gains slow considerably or stop altogether. My waist size has remained 35" ish so as long as it doesn't go up too much I'm gonna stick with eating like a madman and making gains.
 
Once I finish this semester of school, I have an 8month work-term. I plan to use that time to gain some weight. Probably do GOMAD for a few weeks.

Woo a reason to eat what I want, whenever I want.. bulking!

I'll probably go up to 180. We'll see how that goes haha.
 
Texas Method - Week 5 - Day 3 - 11/19/10
Weight: 233

Squats
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 4
225 x 2
*Belt*
275 x 1
315 x 1
350 x 2

Bench Press
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 3
135 x 3
185 x 1
225 x 3

Deadlift
135 x 5
225 x 2
*Belt*
315 x 1
405 x 2

Chinups
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 5

Comments:
Good but draining workout today. Squats went well, 350 x 2 was tough but I got it without too much trouble and the depth felt good. I could have been a little tighter on bench but I got the triple without a whole lot of difficulty. I feel like I'm good for 245+ on bench in 2 weeks as long as I keep eating and I'm focused. The first 405 rep was ugly but the second was much better, I was a lot faster off the ground. My arms felt pretty dead by chinups so I didn't get as many but I feel good about them. Hopefully I can get 8 reps my first set next Wednesday. Solid workout overall.
 
Texas Method - Week 6 - Day 1 - 11/22/10
Weight: 235

Squats
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 4
225 x 2
265 x 1
*Belt*
300 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 5

Press
Bar x 8
65 x 5
95 x 3
*Belt*
130 x 5
130 x 4 + 1 PP
130 x 5 ("Touch and go" from this set on)
130 x 4 + 1 PP
130 x 3 + 2 PP

Rows
195 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5

Dips
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 4

Comments:
Yet another absolutely exhausting Volume workout. Squats are getting pretty tough, even with 5 minutes rest time in between work sets. I still wasn't able to get all the reps on Press at 130. On the third set I started doing more "touch and go" instead of what I have been doing with a slight pause at the bottom. This helped get all the reps on the third set but I still had to Push Press the last rep of the fourth and last 2 reps of the fifth. I'm not sure what to do in 2 weeks time for these. Either drop back down to 125 and work up, or try 130 again and maybe net for only 1-2 reps being PP if I can't get them all, or reduce the volume to 3-4 sets, or look into microloading although this probably won't be an option until I get back from California. Rows went well, I took the time to reset after each rep similar to how I've been doing deadlifts and I prefer this as each rep is identical instead of the bar maybe starting out slightly too far in front or behind as has happened before. Dips went well I was just so exhausted by the last set I couldn't come out of the hole for the last rep, I'll definitely have these next week.

I'm going to be going down to California tomorrow for a few weeks to spend time with family. I plan on just getting some 2 week trial membership at a gym down there so hopefully training won't be affected too much. Any advice on the Press situation appreciated as always. Oh, and weight still continues to climb. This is about as high as I want to get for now so I might need to start watching what I eat (Gay) or doing some light conditioning on Tuesday or Saturday (Not as gay). Or maybe I'll just say fuck it and let the weight climb more. If my girlfriend or family says anything I'll just punch them in the ovaries. :icon_lol:
 
Hahahaha, watching what you eat isn't so bad but I definitely understand where you're coming from.

About the press. It was my understanding that everyone pretty much does TnG. I bring the bar just below my chin and essentially bounce my arms off my lats for the next rep. Also, progression is slow on press for everyone. I don't have micro plates but what I do is increase the weight but decrease the volume (ex 3x3 to 2x3) for a workout and then work the volume back in at that same weight. It seems to be working fine for me.

As far as technique is concerned on the press, I don't know how your press looks so I can't offer any specific advice but the things I find most helpful are keeping your glutes and abs tight, flaring your lats a lot (use them as a shelf to bounce out of the hole), and driving your head forward as you pass the sticking point. The last tip is HUGE. It helps a lot.

Anyway, beastly squatting and I hope the above helps. There have been some good threads on the main forum about SOHP previously. I'll do a search and post one or two in here if I find them.
 
Texas Method - Week 6 - Day 2 - 11/24/10
Weight: 234

Front Squats
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
*Belt*
225 x 1
255 x 3
255 x 3
255 x 3

Bench Press
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 3
175 x 2
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3

Power Cleans
95 x 3 (Hang cleans)
95 x 3 (Hang cleans)
135 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 1

Chinups
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 4

Comments:
Worked out at yet another gym today. This one is the typical fitness gym and it kind of sucks but it's close to my girlfriend's house and I got a 7 day pass for free. Front squats went ok but my wrists were starting to hurt, flexbility wasn't that great today. Bench press was ok but the bench was so slick I was sliding around on my set up. I tried to get someone to give me a lift off but it was a disaster and hurted more than it helped, I lost all tighntness. The other sets besides that went ok although my arch could have been better. Just practiced form mostly with power cleans and didn't push too hard. I only had like 4 minutes to do the chinups so I took really small rests compared to my normal 3-4 so I'm sure I'm good for more. Decent workout considering it's recovery day.
 
Texas Method - Week 6 - Day 3 - 11/26/10
Weight: 238

Squats
105 x 8
145 x 5
185 x 3
235 x 2
*Belt*
285 x 1
345 x 3

Press
Bar x 8
65 x 5
105 x 2
*Belt*
145 x 3

Deadlift
135 x 5
225 x 2
*Belt*
315 x 1
405 x 3

Chinups
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Comments:
This workout was short and tough. I got to the gym an hour and a half before it closed. I was warming up when this guy took the squat rack so I had to work in with him for my warmup sets which is why the weights look weird. Overall I did a lot less warm ups and less rest time due to time constraints. Squat went pretty well, I'm pretty confident in the depth of the 345 triple. Press was pretty easy I did the triple touch and go which seemed to be easier. Deadlift was so-so. I felt pretty solid on the warmup sets. The top set wasn't that great; I think I used my back too much. It was really sore immediately after the set, but within 5 minutes it was fine and I don't have any soreness today other than normal stiffness that I have after Friday workouts. I think my weight gain is going faster than my chinup strength, only got 3 x 5. I have been eating a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers. Pretty decent workout, Monday will be interesting I'll have to find bench spotters who don't suck.
 
Texas Method - Week 7 - Day 1 - 11/29/10
Weight: 238

Squats
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 4
225 x 2
265 x 1
*Belt*
305 x 5
305 x 5
305 x 5
305 x 5
305 x 5

Bench Press
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
165 x 2
210 x 5
210 x 5
210 x 5
210 x 5
210 x 5

Rows
205 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5

Dips
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 5
BW+35 x 3
BW+35 x 4
BW+35 x 4

Comments:
I'm pretty happy with this workout. Squats went pretty well, still tough but got them all. Bench press went better than expected. The third set was shitty, I lost upper back tightness so the last rep was a grind. The fourth was better though and the fifth wasn't great but got them all barely. For rows I accidentally upped the weight by 10 pounds. That's what I get for going on memory and not actually looking at the log or bringing writing down the sets before going to the gym. Not surprisingly it felt super heavy and reps were sloppy, so I stopped after the fourth set I'll just keep this same weight next week. My bodyweight continues to climb faster than my bodyweight exercise strength so didn't get all the dips. The third set was pretty shitty, don't know why I only got 3. Almost 3 hours from the start of warming up to finish. Chinese food to end it and then a nap.

So Friday I'm thinking of 385 for squat (Ambitious), 255 for bench (Super ambitious), and 455 for deadlift (Ultra ambitious!). I think I can get them all but maybe it's a little too much asking for it all in one workout. We'll see how I feel, any comments?
 
Great work, pretty soon you'll be repping 3 plates for your Monday squats.

I think all those numbers look good for Friday. The deadlift might be tough coming at the end of the workout but I think it's still doable.
 
I won't call 455 ultra ambitious, from the looks of it I'd say its in the ballpark on the right day.
 
Thanks guys. I think I might try 375 for squat and then try 385 if I get it, 245 for bench and then try 255 if I get it, and 455 for deadlift. This is the first time since the first week where I'm doing all new 1RM on Friday so I want to get as much out of it as I can, but I'd much rather succeed on my first llift and fail on the second then fail first or worse than that fail at all the top sets. I think the above plan looks pretty solid after playing around with some 1RM calculators.
 
Good stuff.

I understand where you're coming from.You would rather ensure you hit some PR and not burn yourself out trying for an ambitious weight.

However, I really think you can hit that squat and bench no problem. The deadlift might be a bit harder since it's last.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I wish you the best for Friday!!

p.s. If you hit a 385 squat, 255 bench, and a 455 deadlift, that's a 1095 total. If you're feeling really good, add 5 lb somewhere =p haha
 
Texas Method - Week 7 - Day 2 - 12/1/10
Weight: 240 (Omg fatass!)

Front Squats
Bar x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
*Belt*
260 x 3
260 x 3

Press
Bar x 8
65 x 5
95 x 3
130 x 3
130 x 3
130 x 3

Power Cleans
95 x 3 (Hang cleans)
95 x 3 (Hang cleans)
135 x 3
155 x 2

Shrugs (So the workout wasn't a total waste)
135 x 10
225 x 10

Chinups
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 5

Comments:
So today's workout seemed kind of pointless, but it got me thinking. I think I've been reaching too much on Wednesday's workout for awhile now. It's not really feeling too much like recovery.

Front squats have been getting heavier and heavier and I had too much forward lean on my work sets and my wrists were killing me so I cut it to just two sets. Press was sort of hard, I felt like my triceps and shoulders were fried. My elbows were killing me once again doing power cleans.

So I'm thinking of switching up my Wednesday workout so that it is a bit more light and hopefully it will help keeping Monday/Friday gains up for another few weeks or so. I'm thinking of something like this:

Power Shrugs: 5 sets of 3
Squats: 2 sets of 5 at 80% of Monday's weight
Press/Bench: 3 sets of 3 at previous Monday's weight
Chinups: 3 sets to failure

I just can't seem to get the power clean form down so I'm going to drop them for now and sub in power shrugs or maybe even high pulls. I don't plan on doing olympic lifting any time soon so I think I'll still get a majority of the benefits I'd get from power cleans from either of those two lifts and they are far less technical. I'll probably try to relearn the clean at a later time, preferably with a coach or someone who knows how to do them correctly.

As for front squats, they're starting to get really hard on my wrists and I'm leaning forward a bit too much. I'm gonna take a break from them but I'll come back to them eventually. Taken from the TNation writeup on Texas Method, I'll do 2 sets of 5 squats at 80% of Monday's weight instead.

This should make Wednesday more about recovery now and less about trying to basically mimic Monday but with less volume which is what I was doing. I'm still optimistic about Friday, everything should go well.

Oh and up to 240 now, I need to stop eating so much. :icon_chee
 
It's funny. I just realized the same thing about my wednesdays today. You're idea makes sense. I think it looks good.
 
WIMPS! MY WEDNESDAY IS STILL GOING STRONG!!!!!!












But my Mondays have been sucking ass *cuts wrists*
 
Good work as usual DBS. I'm excited for your Friday too!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,977
Messages
55,458,689
Members
174,787
Latest member
Freddie556

Share this page

Back
Top