What is the Texas Method?
Rippetoe describes the Texas Method as the next step after novice linear progression. A beginner on Starting Strength adds weight every workout. After some months that stops working, because a single session no longer gives enough stress to force progress, and the lifter cannot recover from a heavy session every 48 hours either. The Texas Method spreads the stress over a week: a lot of volume early, a light day to recover, and one heavy set to show the result.
In his article on the program, Rippetoe traces it to Doug Hepburn's old bench press workout, heavy singles followed by 5 x 5, as Bill Starr told it to him. Doing both on the same day was too much to recover from, so the 5 x 5 moved to Monday and the heavy work to Friday, where a single set of 5 replaced the singles. Other accounts credit coach Glenn Pendlay with the original idea, worked out with one of his athletes at the Wichita Falls Athletic Club in Texas, which Rippetoe then built into a full program in his book Practical Programming for Strength Training.
The Texas Method template
The bench press and the press alternate each week. The one you do for 5 x 5 on Monday is the one you test on Friday; the other gets lighter work on Wednesday. Here is the two week rotation:
| Monday: volume | Wednesday: light | Friday: intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Squat 5 x 5 (about 90 % of 5RM) | Squat 2 x 5 (80 % of Monday) | Squat 1 x 5, new 5RM |
| Bench press 5 x 5 (about 90 % of 5RM) | Press, 3 light sets | Bench press 1 x 5, new 5RM |
| Deadlift 1 x 5, heavy | Chin-ups 3 sets to failure | Power clean 5 x 3 (or power snatch 6 x 2) |
| Optional: brief arm work | Back extension or glute-ham raise 5 x 10 |
| Monday: volume | Wednesday: light | Friday: intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Squat 5 x 5 | Squat 2 x 5 (80 % of Monday) | Squat 1 x 5, new 5RM |
| Press 5 x 5 | Bench press, 3 light sets | Press 1 x 5, new 5RM |
| Deadlift 1 x 5, heavy | Chin-ups 3 sets to failure | Power clean 5 x 3 (or power snatch 6 x 2) |
| Optional: brief arm work | Back extension or glute-ham raise 5 x 10 |
- Monday: the 5 x 5 sets are "across", the same weight for all five sets. Rippetoe allows up to 8 to 10 minutes between sets. Deadlifts are one heavy set of 5 after the squats and presses, because most lifters cannot recover from deadlift volume on top of 5 x 5 squats.
- Wednesday: squats are 80 % of Monday's work weight for 2 sets of 5. The light press or bench is 3 sets a little lighter than that lift's last 5 x 5, enough to feel the load without eating into recovery. Chin-ups are the only lat and arm work in the program; Rippetoe likes 3 sets to failure with 5 minutes between sets. Back extensions are optional if you are tired.
- Friday: warm up mostly light, take doubles or singles up to the work set, then do one set of 5 at a new 5 rep max, or within about 2 % of one so the technique stays clean. Power cleans or snatches replace the deadlift because it was trained on Monday.
Texas Method math: how to set the weights
Two ratios drive the whole program. Monday's 5 x 5 is about 90 % of your 5 rep max, and Wednesday's squat is 80 % of Monday's weight. Friday is the number you are chasing.
| Day | Rule | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Friday target | New 5RM, a small step above the last | 142.5 kg (314 lb) x 5 |
| Monday | About 90 % of 5RM, 5 x 5 | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Wednesday | 80 % of Monday, 2 x 5 | 100 kg (220 lb) |
Coming straight off a novice program, Starting Strength coach Andy Baker suggests using your last completed 3 x 5 weight as your first Friday 5RM, and setting Monday about 10 % lower. If you finished the novice phase grinding, plan the first two or three weeks a little lighter and aim to hit a new 5RM in week 3 or 4.
If you do not know your 5 rep max, the 1RM calculator can estimate one from a recent set; the squat calculator also shows the weights for other rep counts.
How the Texas Method progresses
Progress is weekly. Each Friday a new 5RM is attempted, and when Friday goes up, Monday and Wednesday follow on the next week. Rippetoe's own article does not set fixed increments. A common rule of thumb is 2.5 kg (5 lb) a week on the squat and deadlift, and 1 to 2.5 kg (2.5 to 5 lb) on the bench press and press each time that lift has its Friday, which with the alternation is every second week. Small plates make a big difference on the presses.
When you stall
These are options used widely in the Starting Strength community, not a fixed sequence from Rippetoe's article. Try them one at a time:
- Check recovery firstRippetoe is blunt that the Texas Method breaks lifters who do not eat and sleep enough. Fix food and sleep before changing the program.
- Trim MondayDrop from 5 x 5 to 4 x 5 or 3 x 5, or lower Monday's weight 5 to 10 % for a few weeks while Friday keeps climbing.
- Change Friday's repsMove the intensity day from a 5RM to a heavy triple, double or single. Baker describes Friday PRs at 5, 3 or 1 reps as normal options once 5s stall.
- Move onWhen weekly progress stops on most lifts despite these changes, it is time for a program that progresses over longer blocks, such as 5/3/1.
Run the Texas Method in Gripp
Log every set of the week. Gripp keeps an estimated 1RM per lift on a progress chart, so you can see whether Friday's 5RM is still climbing or Monday's volume is wearing you down, and it rates your squat, bench and deadlift against lifters of your age and bodyweight.
Join the waitlistWho the Texas Method suits
- Good fit: lifters who have run a novice program to its end and still recover well, especially younger lifters with competitive goals in powerlifting.
- Good fit: people who can commit to long Monday sessions and three training days every week.
- Less ideal: busy adults who train for health. Baker writes that recreational lifters over about 35 to 40 years old usually do better on a heavy, light, medium program or a split routine.
- Less ideal: lifters mainly after muscle size with lots of exercises. A bodybuilding style plan such as PHAT fits that goal better.
Variations: 4 day and old man Texas Method
Two variations come up often. The 4 day Texas Method splits the week into upper and lower days, with a volume day and an intensity day for each half, so each session is shorter and the squat and pressing days stop competing for recovery. It works much like an upper lower split with Texas Method loading.
The old man Texas Method is a community name for gentler versions aimed at older lifters, usually with less volume on Monday. There is no single official template, so treat these as adjustments to the base program rather than separate programs.
