You’ve been on the Texas Method for a while, and you’ve even implemented some of the changes from The Texas Method: Part 1, but progress is starting to slow. After all, no program will work forever. Do not fret, for over the last several years we have been learning and tweaking this program into an amazingly efficient machine that has yielded a 661 competition squat, a 705 competition deadlift, 402 competition bench press, and a 275×3 standing press.
The Texas Method: Advanced teaches you how to control dosages of volume, how to structure the program for use in raw powerlifting, and a variety of important programmatic tweaks like “Intensity Day Rotations” and a new template that will push you past your sticking points. There’s 90 pages of information, and most of it can be pulled and used in almost any program. This is the most proven and effective programming tool 70’s Big has created to date. And did I mention that the forward is written by Brent Kim? Now you know it’s good.
Table of Contents
FORWARD From Brent Kim 04
CHAPTER 1 Relativity of Volume 06
CHAPTER 2 Using the TM for Powerlifting 10
CHAPTER 3 Modifying the Texas Method 26
CHAPTER 4 Advanced TM Modifications 51
CHAPTER 5 And Beyond… 68
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, CONTACT, AND PRODUCTS 88
REFERENCES 90
Some females that lift still have weaknesses in their shoulder girdle or upper back despite the fact that they have lifted for at least one year. This is more common when the female is taller or has longer limbs because they won’t have large amounts of muscle mass to improve the angle of muscle attachment (this concept was discussed in this post — more on the same topic). Doing presses and rows are good at developing this musculature, but some times a specific deficiency needs specific work.
Band pulls are typically used in powerlifting programs to strengthen the shoulder girdle. Many powerlifters and their coaches despise overhead because it’s labeled as “injurious”. We know that by pressing correctly in external rotation and achieving a good overhead position is not injurious and is exceptional at increasing the strength and stability in the shoulder girdle. My hypothesis is that assistance work like band pulls were created to help keep shoulders healthy because there was an absence in quality overhead work. They were also developed in the realm of physical therapy to address muscle imbalances, which would be the case in a guy/girl who has a weak upper back.
Here’s the experiment: throw them in at the end of your training on a daily basis for at least a month. If “daily” won’t work, then do them at least three times a week. They can be done on the weekend, and could probably be done the day before a lifting session (though I’d avoid it before the heaviest session). Let’s see if there’s a significant improvement in pull-up strength, overhead strength, or the ability to stay in external rotation on the bench or press (elbows staying in and under the wrists). Guys, if you have issues with flaring elbows or a weak upper back, then do this experiment. They will only help the shoulder and won’t cause any harm. Remember that most of these “female topics” also apply to guys.
The video below explains how to do them. Cliff notes:
– use a light band
– use a supinated (underhand grip) that is at or right outside of shoulder width
– horizontally abduct shoulders (reverse fly)
– keep elbows/wrists straight
– control out and in (don’t flop back in)
– use 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
– wear cool sunglasses
Please post your training PR’s and updates to the comments. Remember, it’s the best way to integrate yourself in this incredible community. Oh, and I’m more likely to help you or answer your question(s) if you post regularly; fuckin’ oath.
Last Week’s Challenge was to do at least two days of heavy farmer’s walks at the end of your training session. Did anyone hit this challenge up? Post your weight and estimated distance.
Next Week’s Challenge: Given this week’s article on conditioning, the challenge is to add in a day or two of conditioning into your program. Don’t over-complicate it, and no I’m not turning you into a CrossFitter. How intense the conditioning should be is dependent on what you’re adapted to. Just drop some sled drags/pulls in, do some kettlebell work, or try one of those fancy barbell complexes. If you hate it, well, shit, it’s only one week of it.
Weekly Recap
On Monday I recapped some of the Tucson, AZ seminar, but also traveled all friggin’ day (never good for mobility). Tuesday made the point that even strength athletes will benefit from conditioning, and unless it’s misused, it won’t interfere with strength training. Wednesday discussed training efficiency and urged readers to ensure that they were getting the most of their time spent training and recovery. Thursday started as a rant because of something corny I saw on Facebook (it was a picture of a self assurance fortune cookie that said, “You are wonderful,”) — it developed into having a mindset that always aims to improve, but then focused on being able to instill that in trainees/clientele as a coach or trainer.
There are tons of pictures from last week, but the most poignant lesson I learned is: “Don’t mistake a cactus for a tree.” In my defense, there are no cacti where I’m from. I leaned against one to step off of a trail, and ended up with at least 15 spines in my hand. Here’s a picture that encapsulates some pain and embarrassment.
I usually try to label these file names for your amusement
In other news, there will be a surprise for many of you on Tuesday.
There’s a dichotomy in how people are motivated. As a coach, it’s your duty to determine what this is and adapt to the needs of your trainee; you need to be the Batman they need, the one they deserve. It doesn’t mean you have to like it, because your primary goal should be to get the most out of that person.
Back in the day, advice from an old grandpa would be, “Quit crying. Get the shit done.” And it’s really a valid point of view. Other times it might be, “You suck. Get better.” Some people respond to this defiantly and strive to be better. The totalitarian coaching approach is documented in people like Bill Parcells and Bobby Knight; the players will almost rally against them in defiance to be successful.
Nowadays, people have feelings that need to be considered. God forbid you actually offend someone. Instead, things are focused on “You are wonderful. You can do this.” Instead of someone taking an objective look at themselves and realizing that they have work to do, society would like to convince them that they are perfect the way they are. Bullshit.
If we were perfect the way we are, then we wouldn’t have anything to strive to achieve. There wouldn’t be anything to do but wallow in our perfectness, and that’s exactly what these people tend to do. It’s the reason fat people think that not only do they NOT have to pay for two seats on an airline, but that the airline should accommodate THEM by changing their policy (and lose millions of dollars in the process). Yeah, they are so lazy that instead of changing themselves, they developed a narcissism so powerful that other people should sacrifice their resources to accommodate such laziness.
This, my friends, is what the FUCK we’re up against.
But don’t worry, you won’t ever be coaching or training any of these people because they will never make the decision to stop being what they are. As a senior in high school I had to write a satire that was in the vein of Jonathan Swift (who, by the way, had some of the biggest testicles in history). My “modest proposal” was to take all of the fat and lazy people and ship them directly into the sun. This was made more awkward when I saw my obese teacher’s face when she handed the paper back to me. I don’t know if I wrote it then, but the cost of a sun-shipment would be less than a) the cost of supporting them via healthcare and b) the irritation caused by having to hold their hand and trying to get them to change – especially when they are convinced they don’t have to. Who knows, maybe their lard could be used as fuel (just like on steamboats on the Mississippi River used to do).
Look, I’ve been the trainer in a local “Biggest Loser Challenge”; you can’t help someone who isn’t committed. The TV show has to offer a quarter million dollars to get them to do it! You can’t teach or transform someone who is not willing to do what it takes; it’s just so easy to quit. Arnold Schwarzenegger realized the same thing when he quit personal training because people didn’t care as much as he did. Then he went and made millions of dollars, badass movies, and was the first foreign-born governer since Irish-born John G. Downey in 1862. Why? Because he gave a shit. No big deal.
There will be those people who are “lost causes”, but there are many more on the bubble. It’s all about motivation. If someone is paying you money to coach them, you have a choice. Do you stubbornly stick to your principles and run trainees off who aren’t compatible with you? Or do you adapt your style to get the most out of your trainee and eventually teach them the way of the Force? The former doesn’t require any skill as a coach. The latter is how you can make a difference. Your pick, champ.
Edit: The e-mail below was entered incorrectly earlier. To inquire about a consultation, e-mail 70sBigConsult@gmail.com. The link below is fixed now. 2nd Edit: When I wrote the edit above, I left the bold HTML tag open, hence the big, bad boldness. I’ll close this italics tag now.
Earlier this year I talked about how I observe levels of efficiency in everything; a “proficiency in efficiency”, if you will. I think about what order I should complete my daily tasks and how to best run errands when I leave home. I observe and analyze walking gait, posture, and running and lifting mechanics. I can see every mechanical problem in a person through observation. That left foot is rotated out when walking; I remember my first navicular drop. That thoracic flexion, internal shoulder rotation, and cervical extension is gonna continue your downward spiral, champ. Oh, you’re chronically anteriorily rotated in your hip? Have fun with that hyperlordosis, chief.
It’s different than ascending from Plato’s cave. It’s more like seeing some 60 year old guy’s balls in the locker room; you can’t un-see it. But I do not long to be like all of you, those who are naive and ignorant of a wrinkly pair of grandpa testicles. No, I must teach you to abre los ojos and SEE! I must show you the way of the plums. I must teach you that which from of. It is my density.
If we’re going to spend five to twenty hours of our week training, then we damn well better be efficient in how we spend that time. That’s a large portion of our waking hours! There’s 168 hours in a week. 56 of those should be spent sleeping (8 hours/night). 40 of those are spent at school or work. That leaves us with 72 hours of waking hours. Depending on how much you train, eat, and spend doing recovery work, that could be 10 to 20 hours of activity; about 14 to 28% of your non-working hours respectively. That’s time that we could be spending with our family, making money, doing the horizontal rumba, or doing anything else that relaxes or makes us happy. It damn well better be efficient.
Teaching efficiency at the 70's Big Seminar in Tucson
Take a step back from your programming template. Is it working towards your goal(s)? Do you even have a goal? Does the set/rep scheme fit that goal? Do the selected exercises meet that goal? Are you fluctuating training variables appropriately for your current state of adaptation? Does your template provide adequate recovery? Are you properly implementing sound diet and mobility habits? These are all things that will dictate the success of a program. If these things are not dialed in, then you won’t be making efficient progress. It means that your hard work in and out of the gym is resulting in less of a return on your time investment. That, my friends, is bullshit.
This website exists to help with that problem. New and old posts (use the search bar) aim to help improve your training from an acute and chronic perspective. I don’t like seeing guys drive their dick into the ground because of poor programming choices (last weekend in Arizona, the female equivalent of this term was affectionately coined “burning the labia off”). I give readers the chance to ask questions every week, and I write posts, articles, and books to help with common issues. If something is inefficient, you (the reader) have plenty of ways to find out why and how to correct it. I’ll back up everything I say with logic and physiology or I’ll find someone who is smarter than me to answer your question. All you have to do is ask, because I’d hate for your to have to lose your dugan in the garden of inefficiency.
Lastly, I’ve been on a hiatus from doing Programming Consultations. Those will start back up next week. They will consist of a one time consultation and programming template creation. We will also be starting to do “Weekly Programming” in which you have contact with the consultation team each week to have regular guidance. 70’s Big does not create cookie cutter templates and all programs are custom made for the individual. If you are interested, send an inquiry to 70sBigConsultation@gmail.com. Here is a video that briefly shows some of what is done for consultations.
I enjoy helping people make their training as efficient and productive as possible. I’ll continue doing my best to help (and entertain you) by writing for the website, conducting seminars, writing books (there are many en route), consulting, and, of course, answering your weekly questions on this website. Whether it’s through me or someone else, make sure your training is proficiently efficient. Take this opportunity to get it figured out ascend from the cave…and see an old man in budgie smugglers.
