75/85% Volume Questions

I have a few questions about the 75/85% Volume Work approach outlined on pp. 74-80 of Beyond 531. I think it might be for me, and I gave it a try yesterday with SQ and MP, and things went well. I do have a few questions.

(A) It seems that Wendler takes the 75% and 85% recommendations pretty loosely. They are rules of thumb, but one need not get bent out of shape over the exact percentage. Does that mean that we are really talking about a perceived level of exertion as the right way to gauge the load? For example, should I be working with what I think is 75%-ish for me on a given day, as opposed to having a hard 75% number I stick to throughout the cycle?

(B) I take it that if you run this program right, you don’t need to deload, right? That seems to be sort of the point.

(C) While running this program, do you ever adjust the TM? I guess probably not, if you are just running an eight -week cycle before doing a peak. What if you are going to adopt this approach long-term, say six or twelve months? Should a guy go through a peaking cycle every few months to check what the training percentages might be?

Thanks!!!

1, NO. Stick with the %.
2. Yes you should deload before you need to deload.
3. Yes - this is all explained in the book but you do NOT NEED TO CHANGE IT but 1-2 times every 12 weeks or so.

I can’t say this enough, which I have expressed hundreds of times, DON’T FUCK WITH THE TM and think it means “progress”. There is a guy on the forum, as well as many other examples, of guys using no more than 80% TM and making very good gains - 400+ bench presses 600+ squats and 600-700 pulls. So the only time you “peak” is at the meet - that’s why we do this…to get stronger at a competition.

Thanks Jim. That’s super helpful.

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
3. Yes - this is all explained in the book but you do NOT NEED TO CHANGE IT but 1-2 times every 12 weeks or so.

I can’t say this enough, which I have expressed hundreds of times, DON’T FUCK WITH THE TM and think it means “progress”. There is a guy on the forum, as well as many other examples, of guys using no more than 80% TM and making very good gains - 400+ bench presses 600+ squats and 600-700 pulls. So the only time you “peak” is at the meet - that’s why we do this…to get stronger at a competition.[/quote]

Just to clarify: you increase the TM every 6-12 weeks (rather than every 3 weeks) on the 75/85 template?