Texas Method guide and free spreadsheet
Intermediate · 3 days a week · Until weekly records stop · Weekly volume, light and intensity days
The classic next step after novice progress ends: a volume day, a light day, then a Friday record attempt.
Free. The spreadsheet needs no account.
How Texas Method works
Texas Method splits the week into three jobs. Monday is volume: five sets of five at about 90% of your current five-rep best. Wednesday is a light recovery day. Friday is intensity day: work up to one all-out set of five and try for a record.
The logic is stress, recovery, adaptation. Monday's volume wears you down. Wednesday keeps you moving without adding fatigue. By Friday you should be fresh enough to beat the best five you hit a week earlier. That record is the week's progress, and it sets next week's weights.
Press and bench take turns. Week one benches on Monday and Friday and presses on Wednesday; week two swaps them. You squat all three days, deadlift once on Monday for a single set, and finish Friday with power cleans for sets of three.
The schedule
Train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or any other days with rest between. Every set uses the same weight, the one you can lift for the written reps.
Volume day (bench week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 5 x 5 |
| Bench press | 5 x 5 |
| Deadlift | 1 x 5 |
Recovery day (press week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 2 x 5 |
| Overhead press | 3 x 5 |
Intensity day (bench week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 1 x 5 |
| Bench press | 1 x 5 |
| Power clean | 5 x 3 |
Volume day (press week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 5 x 5 |
| Overhead press | 5 x 5 |
| Deadlift | 1 x 5 |
Recovery day (bench week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 2 x 5 |
| Bench press | 3 x 5 |
Intensity day (press week)
| Lift | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Squat | 1 x 5 |
| Overhead press | 1 x 5 |
| Power clean | 5 x 3 |
Week pattern: VB-RP-IB / VP-RB-IP, repeating.
Progression and stall rules
Beat last week on intensity day
Friday is the test. Work up to one set of five and try to beat your last best five on that lift. A new best moves the whole lift up, and the volume and recovery weights are rebuilt from it. Squat and deadlift usually gain about 5 lb (2.5 kg) a week. Bench and press alternate, so each rises about every second week.
Volume day is about 90% of that five
Monday is five sets of five at roughly 90% of your current five-rep best. It should feel hard but finishable with good form. If it does not, the weight is too high.
Recovery day is light on purpose
Wednesday is two sets of five squats at about 80% of Monday's weight, plus a light press or bench, chin-ups and back extensions. You recover from Monday so Friday can be a record.
If Friday stalls, trim Monday first
Cut volume day from 5x5 to 4x5 or 3x5, or drop Monday's weight 5 to 10% and build back. If records still stop, rotate intensity day through lower-rep sets (2x3, then 3x2, then 5x1) before returning to a set of five at a new weight.
Take a light week when you are worn down
Train at about half your normal weights for a week, or cut 10 to 15% before starting a new cycle. It clears fatigue that sleep and food have not.
Weekly volume
Work sets per lift, counted from the schedule above (warm-ups not included).
| Lift | Week 1 | Week 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 8 | 8 |
| Bench press | 6 | 3 |
| Deadlift | 1 | 1 |
| Overhead press | 3 | 6 |
| Power clean | 5 | 5 |
Who it suits
A good fit
- Lifters who have used up a novice linear program and now stall within a few sessions.
- People who like a clear weekly target: one record attempt, and everything else supports it.
- Anyone with a barbell, a rack, a bench, plates and three days a week to train.
Look elsewhere if
- True beginners who can still add weight every session. They get more from a novice program first.
- Lifters who cannot recover from five heavy sets of squats on Monday. Age, sleep, food and training history all matter.
- People who want lots of assistance work or muscle-group volume. The program is built on a few barbell lifts.
Common mistakes
Starting Monday too heavy
Volume day is about 90% of your best five. If you miss reps by set four, the weight is too high, and the fatigue carries into Friday.
Turning recovery day into a workout
Wednesday is light by design. Heavy squats there cost you on Friday, where progress is measured.
Going for a record on bad form
A five with a short range or a bounce does not count. Hold the weight next week instead of forcing a jump.
Jumping too much each week
A few pounds a week on the big lifts adds up. Large jumps use up your weeks fast.
Ignoring stalls
When Friday records stop for two or three weeks, change something: trim Monday volume, rotate the rep range, or take a light week. Repeating the same week harder rarely works.
Your sample week
For each lift, enter: Your current best for 5 reps, the weight you want to beat on intensity day. The weights below update as you type. Your numbers stay in your browser and are not saved. The numbers shown are an example lifter.
Volume day (bench week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 220 |
| 2 | 5 | 220 |
| 3 | 5 | 220 |
| 4 | 5 | 220 |
| 5 | 5 | 220 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 165 |
| 2 | 5 | 165 |
| 3 | 5 | 165 |
| 4 | 5 | 165 |
| 5 | 5 | 165 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 250 |
Recovery day (press week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 175 |
| 2 | 5 | 175 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 95 |
| 2 | 5 | 95 |
| 3 | 5 | 95 |
Intensity day (bench week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 245 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 185 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 135 |
| 2 | 3 | 135 |
| 3 | 3 | 135 |
| 4 | 3 | 135 |
| 5 | 3 | 135 |
Volume day (press week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 220 |
| 2 | 5 | 220 |
| 3 | 5 | 220 |
| 4 | 5 | 220 |
| 5 | 5 | 220 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 105 |
| 2 | 5 | 105 |
| 3 | 5 | 105 |
| 4 | 5 | 105 |
| 5 | 5 | 105 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 250 |
Recovery day (bench week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 175 |
| 2 | 5 | 175 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 150 |
| 2 | 5 | 150 |
| 3 | 5 | 150 |
Intensity day (press week)
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 245 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 115 |
| Set | Reps | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 135 |
| 2 | 3 | 135 |
| 3 | 3 | 135 |
| 4 | 3 | 135 |
| 5 | 3 | 135 |
The spreadsheet
The file has three sheets: your numbers, the full week with every weight as a formula, and a progress table that carries the weights forward. It opens in Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice. The weights in the link below use the numbers you typed above.
Open it in Google Sheets
- Download the .xlsx file above.
- Go to Google Drive and choose New, then File upload, and pick the file.
- Double-click the uploaded file and choose Open with Google Sheets.
- Choose File, then Save as Google Sheets so you can edit it.
Want the weights to follow you into the gym? Create a free account and the program loads into Train for you.
How it compares
Texas Method vs Starting Strength
Starting Strength is the novice program you run first, adding weight every session. Texas Method takes over when that stalls and moves progress to a weekly record. Read the Starting Strength guide.
Texas Method vs 5/3/1
5/3/1 plans a month of percentages ahead and keeps most sets submaximal. Texas Method asks for a record attempt every Friday, so it is less forgiving and moves faster while it works. Read the 5/3/1 guide.
Load Texas Method into Train and log each session against the plan.
Start it in Symmetric StrengthThe workouts in Train carry the first week of the two-week press and bench rotation, and do not carry the weekly swap. Use the schedule above for both weeks.
Common questions
Who created the Texas Method?
It is linked to Olympic weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay, who used a similar weekly structure with lifters at the Wichita Falls Athletic Club. Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore popularized it in Practical Programming for Strength Training. Sources differ on details, so check the book for the original.
What weight do I enter in the spreadsheet?
The weight you can lift for five good reps on each lift, the one you want to beat on intensity day. The sheet works out Monday's 90% and Wednesday's light weights from it.
How long can I run it?
As long as you set a new five-rep best most weeks. For many lifters that is a few months. Once weekly records slow, a longer cycle suits better.
What are the Wednesday chin-ups and back extensions for?
They fill out the light day with upper-back pulling and low-back work after Monday's squats and deadlifts. The sheet lists only the barbell lifts, so add them yourself. The app template uses three sets of eight chin-ups and five sets of ten back extensions.
Why does the app show only one version of the week?
Bench and press swap each week. The workouts in Train carry the bench week. The spreadsheet shows both weeks, and you can swap press and bench in Train yourself.
What do I run after it?
Common next steps are a weekly-wave program such as 5/3/1 or a longer periodized plan, once weekly five-rep records stop coming.
Know where you stand
Before you start, check how your lifts compare on the strength standards, estimate a max with the one-rep max calculator, or score your total with the DOTS calculator.
Sources and credit
The Texas Method is linked to Glenn Pendlay and was popularized by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore in Practical Programming for Strength Training. This guide describes the program in our own words; the book has the full text.
- Texas Method program overview with origin and weekly progression (Liftosaur)
- 12 ways to skin the Texas Method (Barbell Medicine)
- Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe's site (startingstrength.com)
Checked . Symmetric Strength is not affiliated with Glenn Pendlay, Mark Rippetoe, Lon Kilgore or Starting Strength. Program names are used only to identify the programs.