Texas Method/Madcow Hybrid

Hey guys, was hoping for feedback on this concept I had for a training cycle.

Four day upper/lower split.
Each lift performed once per week with a variation performed an additional time.
Main lifts are performed on 5 descending sets:

  • first set is a PR (cycle through 5RM/3RM as per Texas Method)
  • following sets, dependent upon day, are a combination of drop and sets across to fulfill volume component. Example: 245x5,215x4x5 OR 245x5,225x5,205x3x5. PR is planned, drop sets flexible.

Split:

Monday:
Bench
OHP 3x3
Weighted Chins
Cable Rows 2x10

Tuesday:
Squat
SLDL/Deficit DL/Deficit SLDL 3x6
BB Hip Thrusts 3x10
Ab work

Thursday:
Press
Pause Bench 3x3
BB Row 3x5
BW Chins

Friday:
Box Jumps
Deadlift
Front Squat 3x3
BB Hip Thrusts 3x5
Ab work

Note on the hip thrusts: I’m throwing them in right now to work on an imbalance that’s making my squat form weak on the heaviest sets.

So yeah, thoughts on this?

What does this do for you that TM or Madcow doesn’t?

And what is “Ab work”? Your vagueness leads me to believe it’s more like “Random ab stuff if I feel like it which I won’t 90% of the time”. Which is fine, but probably not optimal. If you’re going to program it in, then actually program it in. Would you just write “chest work”?

[quote]goochadamg wrote:
What does this do for you that TM or Madcow doesn’t?

And what is “Ab work”? Your vagueness leads me to believe it’s more like “Random ab stuff if I feel like it which I won’t 90% of the time”. Which is fine, but probably not optimal. If you’re going to program it in, then actually program it in. Would you just write “chest work”?

[/quote]

I don’t think it addresses any particular issue, it’s just a concept for organizing it differently that may be more enjoyable and a bit easier to handle over the course of a week. The biggest thing I think is the idea of combining ID/VD squats compared to 4-day TM templates where both lower body days force you to tax yourself on squats.

I left it open because I find ab work to be individual preference, for me it’ll be two sets each of ab roller and planks with some cable chops if I’ve got the energy.

Might as well just do a 5/3/1 template, similar but better