You should notice a trend in my advice and opinion on training; illicit an adaptive stress to improve. A person who hasn’t done serious and consistent strength training will benefit from a Linear Progression (LP). There are different kinds of LPs, but the best will have a given set and rep scheme and will increase the load each workout. An LP will allow one day of rest in between training days and will typically average three training days per week. Some very good LPs include Starting Strength (SS) and the Greyskull LP (from Greyskull Barbell).

When a trainee can no longer recover after resetting several times, they will need to upgrade their programming to something more complex. The trainee is unable to adapt on a daily (by workout) basis, and must now shift into a weekly adaptation. During this time the trainee needs to specify some kind of goal; the goal will begin to funnel the training. That’s why I like to recommend that people compete; it continues the funnel into a spout that ends in competition day. In any case, a good next step for a trainee is upgrading their program to the Texas Method (TM).

The TM is designed to create a stress with higher volume, and then express the adaptation and further the stress with intensity. The by-the-book program (from the book, “Practical Programming” by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore) is
Monday — 5×5
Wednesday — Light work, commonly 80% for 2×5
Friday — 5 rep max (5RM)

Many people see this and implement it in all situations. If a person has come off of a LP, particularly SS, then this is a good transition. However, it works best as a general strength program and will be better off if modified for most trainees. When I use the term TM (I usually say “a TM set-up”), I imply a program that manipulates volume and intensity to yield a weekly progression. This means that you don’t have to be locked into the above template. After the beginning phases of any LP, there is no cookie cutter program. One-size-fits-all doesn’t apply to the human body because each individual is full of variances and peculiarities, and this is why programming is an art. It’s also why I bitch about needing more information if you ask me a question on pretty much everything (I do this all the time; my friends and girlfriend sometimes get annoyed). Most people don’t implement programs very well because they don’t know how to modify them for their own goals or situation. Tweaking the TM will be a focus in subsequent posts on the TM.

What is the TM good for?
The TM is a very good general strength program. It continues an appropriate dose/response of tonnage on the body while moving along the upper limit of stress that the body can handle (the latter references experienced trainees who have been on the TM for a few months). A proper LP will have established a good body size, and the TM can continue to build and refine mass, although it is not optimal. However, properly positioned assistance exercises can help increase the size of some body parts that may have been neglected during an LP (barbell curls, weighted dips, power shrugs, and neck harness being the best options for size).

The TM is also a good off-season strength program. Season athletes, those that compete in a sport with designated seasons of competition, will benefit from re-establishing or improving their strength base before getting into a strength maintenance and conditioning phase. It is also possible to switch early novice lifters (those who are on a LP) to a TM set up for various reasons. I have done so in trainees who have anatomical issues (typically asymmetry) as well as to has out subtle form issues — mostly in females in either case. I’ve had a trainee increase on a LP, yet had pelvic asymmetry (rotational scoliosis in the lumbar) to the point where a 3×5 volume three times a week was giving her problems. Instead, we switched to a TM set up; the volume 5×5 (and lower weight) allowed us to work on positional issues as well as conscious neurological innervation, and the intensity day of heavier weight allowed us to push the weight up without worrying so much about the technique. I have several other examples, but the point is that forcing a LP in spite of problems is going to exacerbate things.

The TM is great at continuing to establish a base of strength and can be tweaked for powerlifting competitions, but it has some drawbacks.



What is the TM not good for?
TM is not a good program for Olympic weightlifting — straight up. There is no way you can get appropriate work in the Olympic lifts (anything over 80% on a regular basis — i.e. each training session) while maintaining a good 5×5 to 5RM squat program. It just doesn’t work. I’ve tried, and I probably recover better than you. If you aim to compete in Oly, then switch to it. In my run up to going to senior nationals, I used the TM to get my strength back up after a low back injury, but it didn’t leave me with much time to focus on the Oly lifts for nationals (only five or six weeks). In any case, don’t attempt a TM while trying to get good Oly work.

Additionally, the TM is not a very good program if you need to get conditioned. This should be obvious, but when you’re training for strength it obviates for conditioning since conditioning will take away from recovery capabilities. Conditioning can be added to the TM, but it’s placement should be careful as not to interfere with strength (this principle is necessary in any strength and conditioning program).

TM consists of a lot of stress. If you’re doing it to get as strong as you possibly can, it is not easy. Eventually it will take seven to ten minutes of rest in between the 5×5 sets on volume day. The 5×5 can sometimes be a survival based workout (my most poetic moments when lifting, aside from the Olympic lifts, were on volume squat day). Not many people can handle it and not many people should. If you aren’t serious about competing — meaning you aren’t serious about eating, sleeping, recovery, mobility, and doing everything you can to improve in all aspects — TM will become too much for you. If you are an older guy (let’s say around 35 and up), then you will probably find that a TM set up is too much on your body. A good, hard TM is a young man’s program. The lifters who have had the most notable success using it (arguably limited to the people involved in this website) are all young and reckless. If your body can’t handle it (which is not the same as your mind handling it), then tweak it or change the overall program. If you admit that you don’t eat or sleep well, there are other programs that will help make progress, albeit slower progress for your capabilities (Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 is wonderful).

The utility of a TM set-up is very useful if you know how to tweak it, and use its principles for your goals. Remember, a program is supposed to work for you. In a TM set up, it aims to manipulate volume and intensity to improve strength. This doesn’t necessitate a 5×5 volume day and a 5RM intensity day, and in future TM posts, we’ll learn why and how to tweak it for your needs and goals.

Dr. Lon Kilgore is a patient, intelligent, and innovative man who continuously campaigns against conventional fitness wisdom and has mentored plenty of lifters, graduate students, and schmucks like me. He is releasing a fantastic — and incredibly practical — anatomy book entitled, Anatomy Without A Scalpel. This book is not only well put together with unique photos and drawings (Lon is an excellent artist on top of having a doctorate in anatomy and physiology), but it also features me as one of the models (no speedo, sorry). Dr. Michael Hartman was a graduate student of Dr. Kilgore and interviewed him about this textbook. Here are Dr. Hartman’s Blog and Dr. Kilgore’s store, book, blog, and site. I highly recommend the anatomy book and hope you enjoy the interview. If you have any questions, you may leave them in the comments (I can get a response from Dr. Hartman or Dr. Kilgore if they are good questions).

The following is quoted from part I and part II of Dr. Hartman’s blog that hosts this interview in its original form. These are just highlights and the full interview can be found in part 1 and part 2.


On how this book can help a trainer or coach:
A trainer should be able to use the information presented to produce a better and more efficient training plan for their charges. You would not ask a mechanic to supercharge your engine if you knew they did not know how your engine was built, how it turned the wheels, or what tools they needed. A trainee is paying the trainer to “supercharge” them and it is incumbent on the trainer to know the nuts and bolts of both the trainee’s body and the tools (exercises) they use.

A trainer should also end up being better able to identify which muscle or anatomical feature is presenting pain or soreness during or after training. If you don’t know anatomy, you can only guess at the site of the problem or hope that you can create a solution that works. Anatomical knowledge takes out guesswork and prompts correct solutions.

On how this book helps a trainee:
A trainee that trains himself would reap the same benefits as a trainer. Their exercise selection, programming, and assessment of problems will improve. For a trainee who is paying a professional trainer, it can serve as a means of assessing whether the trainer is providing your money’s worth.



On the content of the book:
The book is 324 pages – 310 pages of chapter content. I believe there are about 525 individual photographs and illustrations. About 1/3 pencil illustrations and about 2/3 photographs.

One (very good) reason why this book is different:
The other difference is in the level of explanation. The most popular exercise anatomy book in print has about 400 illustrations on less than 150 pages. Its just images with bullets and blurbs of text – very pretty images though. I’ve added a great deal of explanation on how to find the various anatomical structures along with information on why they are important and how they function in the real world.

Haven’t been on a computer much over the holidays (except to post on this site). Traveled yesterday, so I don’t really have anything for you today. There will be a chat room today at 5:00 EST (it will be done before tonight’s bowl game).
Chat Room Link
Note: When you enter the room you have the option of changing your name. Go ahead and change it lest you get a generic name.

If you have Facebook (and can get on at work), then check out the 70’s Big Fan Page (small updates are posted there on a regular basis).

Otherwise, let’s use the comments to talk about whatever. I’ve been mulling over some different ideas for the site, including a short podcast. I’ve got some video to edit from hanging with AC as well as Texas Method posts to write. Here’s a picture of:

My mom likes to leave the tv on as she goes through her morning routine. One show called “The Doctors” pissed me off this morning. For those of you who don’t know, there is a medical doctor, an OBGYN, a plastic surgeon, and a pediatrician. Today they were giving fitness advice, and it was a fucking joke. Let me clarify something: just because you are professionally called a Doctor — even if it’s a Doctor that treats the human body — it doesn’t mean you know dick about fitness or exercise.

These hosts of the show were demonstrating some kind of vibrating machine that you stand on. The main host, who is a young pencil-neck medical doctor, was sitting on this vibrating machine and said that it “really engages your abs”. I started cussing at the TV. A second later he pulled out a shake weight, and I left the room. Later, the OBGYN — who, by definition, inspects vaginas — was telling people to do wall sits in order to build muscle and burn fat (not to mention her own knees weren’t at a 90 degree angle, which was one of her requirements in her “explanation).



Here’s the problem: we all know that this stuff is bullshit. I can make fun of these idiots every day, but it won’t matter because the viewers that buy into this malarkey don’t know the difference. It’s your responsibility to educate other people on what is or isn’t worth a damn. That means it’s your responsibility to learn not only “what to do”, but “why to do it”. I try to go over this stuff regularly so that you’ll have a conceptual understanding of the “why”, but I only reach three or four thousand people a day. There are millions — fucking MILLIONS — of people who now think wall sits will build their glutes.

I don’t want you go about this like an asshole, though. You need to respectfully inform — you know, teach them. If you go and say, “Oh, that’s a bunch of bullshit. You need to do this”, then you just drive people away. You owe it to people in your life, particularly those that you care about, to help them get on the right track. They all aren’t going to start squatting two or three times a week, but if they learn why compound strength movements not only build muscle, but that muscle helps burn fat, they may want to change their habits. But then again, most people are hopelessly stupid with their health. We can still try to help anyway by teaching, not bashing. Good luck. I’m here if you need help on how to do it.

I’m going to be hiking with my pup early Thursday morning, so here’s a quick Q&A.

From yesterday’s comments, aramirez asks

Reading about conditioning brings up a question I have had since I read the longevity and being active article a few weeks ago. I sit behind a computer all day. I train three times a week doing the main lifts (squats, press, bench press, deadlift, etc). No cardio, no conditioning. My cousin who is a conditioning/strength endurance guy, says that heavy weight training alone three times a week is not enough to maintain overall health. He says even though my strength and muscle mass is increasing, my cardiovascular health is not being trained therefore I am still prone to cardiovascular issues. Is this true? Taking extrinsic factors such as smoking, drugs, family disease history, etc. out of the picture is a cardio training component needed for overall health and longevity, or is weight training three times a week enough?

The first question I have is, “What is aramirez training for?” I get tons of questions — so much that I have been backed up on e-mails for a couple months now (the chat room is a way to get an immediate response). Over 90% of the questions are vague to the point that I can’t answer them without asking questions in return. If you are trying to get advice on inducing adaptations in your body — whether it be programming, exercises, food intake, injury issues, recovery issues, “mobility” issues, etc. — then I’m gonna need adequate information to give you an opinion on the matter. “Adequate information” means what you’re training for, what you’re currently doing, and current state of adaptation. Perhaps you don’t know how to identify some of those things (I guess I’ll give them operational definitions later), but make an attempt if you want a quicker, more concise answer.

With that being said, I will go ahead and assume aramirez here wants to get stronger while at the same time maintaining good health. He may participate in some kind of strength-related competition at some point, but we’ll go ahead and assume it’s a hobby. I’ll also go ahead and assume he isn’t “hardcore bulking” — a term I will use to explain someone who is completely committed to gaining weight (with a properly volumed program) quickly. People who should be “hardcore bulking” are skinny guys who are 90’s Small (it makes them more likeable). In any case, we’ll assume aramirez is your average strength training guy who wants to continue getting stronger with consistent barbell training over time, but wants to be healthy and doesn’t want his health to suffer.

In such a case, yes, conditioning is in order. Now, I don’t know what his cousin does (I don’t care), but aramirez doesn’t have to do anything fancy to maintain health. This is why retired or older lifters love the prowler so much; it’s something that stimulates their cardiorespiratory and vascular system to produce an adaptation, but it isn’t something lame like “jogging” or a LSD type endurance. It’s important to note several things:
1. A guy who just wants to maintain health doesn’t need a whole lot of conditioning, and doesn’t really need more than a day of effective conditioning.
2. The prowler meets the qualification of #1, but the prowler is also a supreme conditioning tool that can help a trainee obtain high levels of conditioning ability.
3. The prowler isn’t a requisite. You can use your car, assuming someone is behind the wheel and/or you aren’t rolling it towards a cliff.
4. Pushing things like a prowler or burning vehicle aren’t the only options. You can do higher rep sets on timed intervals with big lifts (think squat, deadlift, and power cleans). You can do barbell complexes. You can do lower rep callisthenic complexes. You can run intervals. You can combine these things with jumping if you want to feel more athletic.

Yes, some conditioning work will be helpful to maintain cardiovascular/respiratory health. No, you don’t need to think really hard on what to do or when to do it. Just throw it after one of the harder workouts, but don’t put it on a day before a harder workout (even if it’s your rest day from lifting). One day a week is fine for a guy who just wants to maintain. Two or three workouts can be used by a guy wanting to build a little conditioning. Four days a week is not necessary, unless you’re training for something. The priority is keep it short and intense, and don’t interfere with your lifting. If you disrupt recovery for strength training, then you are this guy: