Texas Method Calculator: Weekly Weights for All Three Days
Turn your 5-rep maxes into a full Texas Method week, with Monday, Wednesday and Friday weights worked out for you.
TL;DR
A Texas Method calculator builds all three training days from your 5-rep maxes: Monday volume at about 90%, Wednesday recovery at a lighter percentage, and Friday intensity where you attempt a new 5-rep max, with weights rising week to week rather than workout to workout.
Weights build week to week here, not workout to workout. Bench press and overhead press swap the volume day each Monday.
Monday
| Exercise | Sets | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 5 × 5 | 250 lb(90%) |
| Bench press | 5 × 5 | 175 lb(90%) |
| Deadlift | 1 × 5 | 345 lb |
Wednesday
| Exercise | Sets | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 2 × 5 | 200 lb |
| Overhead press | 3 × 5 | 95 lb |
| Chin-ups | 3 × To failure | - |
| Back extension | 5 × 10 | Pick your own weight |
Friday
| Exercise | Sets | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 1 × 5 | 280 lb |
| Bench press | 1 × 5 | 200 lb |
| Power clean | 5 × 3 | Pick your own weight |
A "+" means as many reps as you can with good form on that last set.
Log Your Texas Method Week in PR Streak
Build your own Texas Method routine with rep ranges and rest times, then save it in one tap so Monday, Wednesday and Friday are ready to go every week. PR Streak shows what you lifted last time next to every set and catches every PR automatically.
What Is the Texas Method?
The Texas Method is an intermediate strength program described by Mark Rippetoe, based on a Doug Hepburn bench workout passed on by Bill Starr and developed at Wichita Falls; Glenn Pendlay is commonly credited alongside it.
Instead of adding weight every workout like a beginner program, it spreads progression across a week: one heavy volume day, one lighter recovery day and one day to attempt a new personal record.
The Texas Method Weekly Split
- Monday (volume): squat 5x5 at about 90% of your 5-rep max; bench press or overhead press 5x5 at about 90%, alternating which one each Monday; deadlift 1x5 heavy
- Wednesday (recovery): squat 2x5 at 80% of Monday's squat weight; whichever press you didn't do for volume, 3x5 a little lighter than its last 5x5 weight; chin-ups, 3 sets to failure; back extensions 5x10
- Friday (intensity): squat 1x5 aiming for a new 5-rep max; the week's volume press for 1x5 heavy; power cleans 5x3
How This Texas Method Calculator Sets Your Weights
Enter your squat, bench press, overhead press and deadlift 5-rep maxes (the 1RM calculator can estimate a 5RM from your 1-rep max), and the calculator works out Monday, Wednesday and Friday from them.
Monday's squat and volume press use about 90% of that week's max. Wednesday's squat uses 80% of Monday's weight, and Wednesday's lighter press uses 90% of its own last 5x5 weight. Every result rounds to a weight you can load and alternates bench press and overhead press as the Monday volume lift each week.
How to Progress on the Texas Method
Loads rise weekly here, not workout to workout. A common approach adds about 5 lb to the squat and 2.5 to 5 lb to the presses each week; this calculator defaults to 5 lb (2.5 kg) and lets you set your own increment.
Friday's new 5-rep max becomes the base for the following week's Monday volume day, so a good Friday performance carries straight into next week's numbers.
Who the Texas Method Suits
The Texas Method is built for intermediate lifters, people who've already used up the easy gains of adding weight every single workout and need a week, not a day, to recover enough to hit a new personal record.
Spreading volume, recovery and intensity across Monday, Wednesday and Friday works because Wednesday's recovery day sits between the two hard days, so you arrive at Friday fresh enough to push for a new 5-rep max. For more on the program's background, see our Texas Method guide.
How to Run the Texas Method Well
Use safeties or a spotter for Friday's heavy single at squat and the volume press, since that's where you're testing a new max. Use the plate calculator to load Monday's 5x5 sets quickly so you can focus on the work itself.
Treat Wednesday as genuine recovery, not a second hard day: the lighter squat and press work there is what makes Friday's new max possible.
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Texas Method?
The Texas Method is an intermediate strength program described by Mark Rippetoe, spreading squat, bench press or overhead press, and deadlift work across a Monday volume day, a Wednesday recovery day and a Friday intensity day each week.
Who created the Texas Method?
Mark Rippetoe described the Texas Method, based on a Doug Hepburn bench workout passed on by Bill Starr and developed at Wichita Falls, with Glenn Pendlay commonly credited alongside it.
How many days a week is the Texas Method?
Three days a week: Monday for volume (squat and press 5x5, deadlift 1x5), Wednesday for recovery (lighter squat, press, chin-ups and back extensions), and Friday for intensity (a new 5-rep max attempt plus power cleans).
What do I do on Wednesday in the Texas Method?
Squat 2x5 at 80% of Monday's weight, do 3x5 on whichever press you didn't use for volume on Monday at a lighter weight, then 3 sets of chin-ups to failure and 5x10 back extensions.
How much weight do I add each week on the Texas Method?
A common approach adds about 5 lb to the squat and 2.5 to 5 lb to the presses per week, since loads here rise weekly rather than every workout. This calculator defaults to 5 lb (2.5 kg) and lets you set your own increment.
Do I alternate bench press and overhead press on the Texas Method?
Yes. Monday's volume press alternates between bench press and overhead press each week, both for 5x5 at about 90% of that lift's 5-rep max, while Wednesday's lighter press day uses whichever one you didn't do for volume that Monday.
Is the Texas Method good for beginners?
It's designed as an intermediate program for lifters moving on from a beginner linear progression, once adding weight every single workout stops working and a week-long volume, recovery and intensity cycle is needed instead.
Sources
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