What's the difference between Texas Method and Madcow?

Both are weekly progression programs for intermediates. Texas Method uses a flat 5x5 volume day and a single heavy set of 5 on Friday. Madcow ramps up to one top set every day and uses a triple plus a back-off set on Friday. Results are similar, so pick the structure you prefer.

When should I switch from 5x5 to the Texas Method?

When you can no longer add weight every session despite eating, sleeping and deloading properly. For most lifters that happens after 4-9 months of linear progression.

How much weight do I add each week?

About 2.5 kg (5 lb) to the squat, bench and overhead press each time you hit the Friday set, and about 5 kg (10 lb) to the deadlift each Monday. The presses progress every other week because they alternate.

What if I can't hit Monday's 5x5?

Monday is too heavy. Lower it for a week or cut it to 4 sets, then build back up. Monday should be hard work, not grinding.

Can I run Texas Method for hypertrophy?

It's primarily a strength program, but the volume day provides a real muscle-building stimulus. For pure hypertrophy, higher-volume programs like a push/pull/legs split are a better fit.

How long can I run Texas Method?

Most lifters get 6-12 months of progress, longer with resets and variations. When weekly progression stalls for good, move to a program that progresses monthly, such as 5/3/1.

Texas Method: the complete guide with a real example week (2026)

The Texas Method is one of the best-known intermediate strength programs. Mark Rippetoe built it on ideas from Glenn Pendlay for lifters who have used up their beginner gains: instead of adding weight every session, you add it every week.

The week has three jobs: one day to build volume, one day to recover, one day to set a new record. This guide covers the structure, starting weights, a full two-week example with real numbers, and what to do when you stall. Compare it with other intermediate options in the strength programs guide.

The week at a glance

Day	What you lift
Monday: volume	Squat 5x5 at 90% · press of the week 5x5 at 90% · deadlift 1x5, heavy
Wednesday: recovery	Squat 2x5 at ~72% · the other press 3x5 at ~81%
Friday: intensity	Squat 1x5, new PR · press of the week 1x5, new PR

The percentages are of each lift’s Friday target: the set of 5 you’re trying to hit this week.

Monday: volume

Goal: accumulate enough work to drive adaptation.

Squat: 5x5 at 90% of Friday’s target
Bench or overhead press (whichever is this week’s press): 5x5 at 90%
Deadlift: one heavy set of 5

This day should be hard but completable. If you’re failing sets on Monday, the weight is too heavy.

Wednesday: recovery

Goal: practice the movements without adding fatigue.

Squat: 2x5 at 80% of Monday’s weight (about 72% of Friday’s target)
The other press: 3x5 at about 90% of its last Monday weight
Chin-ups and back extensions: a few easy sets

You should leave feeling better than when you arrived.

Friday: intensity

Goal: set a new 5-rep record.

Squat: warm up, then one set of 5 at the new target
This week’s press: one set of 5 at the new target

In the original program Friday also includes power cleans (5x3). Many lifters drop them or keep their weekly pull to Monday’s deadlift instead.

Bench and press alternate

The two presses take turns:

Week 1: bench on Monday and Friday, overhead press light on Wednesday
Week 2: overhead press on Monday and Friday, bench light on Wednesday

Both presses still get a heavy week every other week. That’s easier on the shoulders than pressing heavy twice a week.

Starting weights

Coming from 5x5 or StrongLifts: use your current working weights as the first Friday targets. A set of 5 at a weight you’ve been doing 5x5 with will feel easy, and that’s the point: the first weeks build momentum, and new PRs arrive within a month.

Starting from a tested 5-rep max: set the first Friday targets at about 95% of it.

Monday then runs at 90% of the target, rounded down to plates you can actually load. Wednesday follows from Monday.

A full two-week example

A lifter with Friday targets of squat 100 kg (225 lb), bench 80 kg (185 lb), overhead press 55 kg (125 lb) and deadlift 140 kg (315 lb). Work sets only, rounded down to loadable weights without microplates:

Day	Lift	Sets x reps	Weight
Mon (week 1)	Squat	5x5	90 kg / 200 lb
	Bench press	5x5	70 kg / 165 lb
	Deadlift	1x5	140 kg / 315 lb
Wed	Squat	2x5	70 kg / 160 lb
	Overhead press	3x5	42.5 kg / 100 lb
Fri	Squat	1x5 PR	100 kg / 225 lb
	Bench press	1x5 PR	80 kg / 185 lb
Mon (week 2)	Squat	5x5	90 kg / 200 lb
	Overhead press	5x5	47.5 kg / 110 lb
	Deadlift	1x5	145 kg / 325 lb
Wed	Squat	2x5	70 kg / 160 lb
	Bench press	3x5	62.5 kg / 145 lb
Fri	Squat	1x5 PR	102.5 kg / 230 lb
	Overhead press	1x5 PR	55 kg / 125 lb

Rounding makes some sets a little lighter than the exact percentage (72 kg can’t be built without microplates, so it becomes 70). That’s intentional: slightly under beats a weight you can’t load.

Weekly progression

Each time you hit the Friday set, next week’s target goes up:

Squat: +2.5 kg (+5 lb) every week
Bench and overhead press: +2.5 kg (+5 lb) on their heavy week, so every other week. Microplates let you use smaller jumps on the press
Deadlift: +5 kg (+10 lb) each Monday you complete the set of 5

Monday’s volume weight follows automatically, because it’s 90% of the new target.

Week	Friday squat	Monday squat
1	100 kg x5	90 kg 5x5
2	102.5 kg x5	90 kg 5x5
3	105 kg x5	92.5 kg 5x5
4	107.5 kg x5	95 kg 5x5

Handling stalls

When you miss a Friday set:

First miss: keep the weight and try again next week. One bad day isn’t a stall.
Second miss: take some volume out of Monday (4x5 instead of 5x5, or a little lighter) so Friday comes in fresher.
Third miss in a row: reset that lift’s target about 10% and build back up.

After two or three reset cycles on the same lift, weekly progression has done its job. The programs guide covers what to run next.

Common mistakes

Monday too heavy

Monday should feel like work, not war. Grinding volume day means you arrive at Friday already beaten.

Wednesday too hard

Wednesday is not a bonus workout. If you’re sore on Friday, Wednesday was too heavy.

Too much assistance

The main lifts already carry a lot of stress. Chin-ups, back extensions and maybe some arm work are enough.

Skipping the structure

Volume, recovery, intensity is the whole idea. Don’t add sets to Friday or turn Wednesday into another heavy day.

Variations

Reduced volume

For older lifters or those with limited recovery: 3x5 on Monday instead of 5x5, the rest unchanged. Progress is slower but easier to sustain.

Four-day split

For more frequency: volume squat on Monday, volume press on Tuesday, light squat and light press on Thursday, both heavy sets on Friday. More gym days, but the stress is spread out.

Texas Method vs Madcow

Aspect	Texas Method	Madcow
Volume day	5x5 at one weight	Ramping sets to one top set
Recovery day	Very light	Light squat, weekly press and deadlift
PR day	One heavy set of 5	A heavy triple, then a back-off set of 8
Bench and press	Alternate weekly	Bench Monday and Friday, press Wednesday

Results are similar. Pick the structure you prefer. The Madcow vs Texas Method comparison goes deeper.

Who should run the Texas Method

Good fit:

Finished 4-9 months of linear progression
Squat around 1.25-1.5x bodyweight
Want to keep a strength focus
Can train 3 days a week consistently

Not a good fit:

True beginners: run linear progression first
Lifters chasing maximum muscle size: a higher-volume program suits you better
Lifters with limited recovery: try the reduced-volume variation

Running the Texas Method in Lift5x5

Lift5x5 runs the Texas Method as a Pro program, so you don’t have to keep a spreadsheet:

Every day is laid out with its warm-up ramp and work sets, rounded to plates you can load, in kg or lb.
Bench and overhead press alternate by themselves over the two-week rotation.
Hit the Friday set and next week’s target goes up. Miss it and the weight stays for another try, and a lift that misses three Fridays in a row resets about 10%.
Your 5x5 working weights carry over as your first Friday targets when you switch.

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