Operator I/A?

[RT Maury]

I see lots of love for Operator but not much talk of I/A. In my opinion it's one of the best templates I've seen for general purpose strength within the confines of a cross-training program like TB. I'm not there yet (still using standard Op to build up), but are any of you running it, and if so how do you like it? I'm referring to I/A in the 3rd edition.

[Green2Blue]

I don't know that you have anything to "build up" to. If you want to do I/A just do it. Base building is what is typically done to "build up". I/A exists to provide people with more recovery time and possibly more volume. There isn't necessarily a strength requirement.

I think most people do standard Operator simply because it works. I've been lifting for a while and I still make great progress with standard Operator.

[J-Madd]

G2B hits this well, but here's some more to think about regarding transitioning from OP to OP I/A. The only difference between the two programs is that in OP I/A you have much larger range of volumes to worth within (3-10 sets) and a variability in terms of days between MS sessions (at least one day, instead of one day). Notice, however, that a lot of MS days might not be all that different from what you are doing in standard OP. Standard OP lets you go to as many as 5 sets/lift, and I bet that most days you won't go much further than that when doing OP I/A. The %s in OP I/A are a bit different (especially during week 3), but here too there is some variability, and you might work pretty closely where you would've were you sticking to standard OP. In short, there is a fine line between doing OP I/A and standard OP.

So why make the transition, and if so, when should you do it? One reason might be that your profession (e.g., shift work, travel, school) or broader life commitments (e.g., new baby in the house) are such that staying on a very tight schedule built on a standard seven day week is not tenable. You can turn that negative into a positive, and use those extra days between lifting sessions as a way to recover from an increase in volume. Likewise, if you are finding that you are not recovering from your MS sessions as well as you used to (things just aren't as crisp), then OP I/A lets you take all the time you need between sessions, but still make sure you are getting the work in by increasing the volume/session.

More generally, it makes sense to transition when you have come to the point that progress with standard OP has ground to a halt or slowed to a snail's pace. The temptation in those situations is to start adding weight to your training max and bust the plateau by lifting heavier weights. That will turn things into a grind, and you will miss the the magic of high-frequency training. Rather, in this style of training you beat a plateau by adding volume. Of course that will cost you in terms of recovery (nothing is free), but now you have the luxury to play with an extra day of rest. Further, as the weights get heavier, it will be hard to play very long in the 90%+ range, and OP I/A gives you the option to spend more time at 85%.

My advice is to milk standard OP for every last drop of progress you can before transitioning to OP I/A. Stay with it until your job/life demand it. There is no sense in introducing a solution to problems you don't have yet. Also, don't make the switch until you are really sure you can trust yourself to make good decisions in the gym. If you know that as soon as you have the option to do it you will push every session out to ten sets for each lifts, you might want to wait to make the transition. You still need to hold yourself to a less is more mentality -- K. Blacks "minimal effective dose."

[Barkadion]

G2B hits this well, but here's some more to think about regarding transitioning from OP to OP I/A. The only difference between the two programs is that in OP I/A you have much larger range of volumes to worth within (3-10 sets) and a variability in terms of days between MS sessions (at least one day, instead of one day). Notice, however, that a lot of MS days might not be all that different from what you are doing in standard OP. Standard OP lets you go to as many as 5 sets/lift, and I bet that most days you won't go much further than that when doing OP I/A. The %s in OP I/A are a bit different (especially during week 3), but here too there is some variability, and you might work pretty closely where you would've were you sticking to standard OP. In short, there is a fine line between doing OP I/A and standard OP.

So why make the transition, and if so, when should you do it? One reason might be that your profession (e.g., shift work, travel, school) or broader life commitments (e.g., new baby in the house) are such that staying on a very tight schedule built on a standard seven day week is not tenable. You can turn that negative into a positive, and use those extra days between lifting sessions as a way to recover from an increase in volume. Likewise, if you are finding that you are not recovering from your MS sessions as well as you used to (things just aren't as crisp), then OP I/A lets you take all the time you need between sessions, but still make sure you are getting the work in by increasing the volume/session.

More generally, it makes sense to transition when you have come to the point that progress with standard OP has ground to a halt or slowed to a snail's pace. The temptation in those situations is to start adding weight to your training max and bust the plateau by lifting heavier weights. That will turn things into a grind, and you will miss the the magic of high-frequency training. Rather, in this style of training you beat a plateau by adding volume. Of course that will cost you in terms of recovery (nothing is free), but now you have the luxury to play with an extra day of rest. Further, as the weights get heavier, it will be hard to play very long in the 90%+ range, and OP I/A gives you the option to spend more time at 85%.

My advice is to milk standard OP for every last drop of progress you can before transitioning to OP I/A. Stay with it until your job/life demand it. There is no sense in introducing a solution to problems you don't have yet. Also, don't make the switch until you are really sure you can trust yourself to make good decisions in the gym. If you know that as soon as you have the option to do it you will push every session out to ten sets for each lifts, you might want to wait to make the transition. You still need to hold yourself to a less is more mentality -- K. Blacks "minimal effective dose."

So.. Keeping in mind recent discussion about "deload weeks"..
It might be better to stay with standard OP and space it out by introducing deload/easy weeks. That's how I read it...

[DocOctagon]

So.. Keeping in mind recent discussion about "deload weeks"..
It might be better to stay with standard OP and space it out by introducing deload/easy weeks. That's how I read it...

Keep in mind the deload weeks are a recommendation for the over 40 (50?) crowd, not necessarily standard TB fare. Everything in context. The suggestion doesn't apply across the board. Younger lifters could easily bang out longer 9-12 week blocks.

[DocOctagon]

I see lots of love for Operator but not much talk of I/A. In my opinion it's one of the best templates I've seen for general purpose strength within the confines of a cross-training program like TB. I'm not there yet (still using standard Op to build up), but are any of you running it, and if so how do you like it? I'm referring to I/A in the 3rd edition.

J-Madd pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that most of the older or more experienced lifters probably run Op I/A unofficially anyway and just refer to it as Operator; taking an extra rest day here or there, perhaps increasing the volume for certain lifts during certain sessions "out of bounds" beyond 5 sets.

[J-Madd]

I see lots of love for Operator but not much talk of I/A. In my opinion it's one of the best templates I've seen for general purpose strength within the confines of a cross-training program like TB. I'm not there yet (still using standard Op to build up), but are any of you running it, and if so how do you like it? I'm referring to I/A in the 3rd edition.

J-Madd pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that most of the older or more experienced lifters probably run Op I/A unofficially anyway and just refer to it as Operator; taking an extra rest day here or there, perhaps increasing the volume for certain lifts during certain sessions "out of bounds" beyond 5 sets.

Exactly!

Bark raises a good issue to think about. If you need more recovery, you could do that between sessions, or out could do that with planned back-off weeks. Right now, I'm starting play around a bit more for the latter.

[RT Maury]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I have no intention of stopping standard Operator anytime soon, I was just curious what other's experiences were further down the path. Appreciate all the info...

[Maxrip13]

It's not just the older guys that follow a version of Op I/A. Im a younger guy (25) and due to previous injuries and a long training life through work and personal choice, I follow a more flexible Operator type template. I think it's the way to go if you want to join that 40+ training club in the future.

I am finding myself drawn more to operator I/A and sometimes even just doing it due to work commitments.

It fits in better with shift work, military/LEO work commitments and allows me a huge flexibility in my training.

I can decide to to throw in a hard conditioning session or a challenge type event because I have a spare weekend and then just take that extra day of recovery to compensate.

I also like the idea of keeping my training cycle brief to ensure I actually am able to complete it if work or life gets in the way e.g 3-4 week cycle vs 6+ week cycle.

I can definitely see why it's aimed at more experienced athletes. You really need to auto regulate and ensure you are consistent to make steady progress. You really need to take that ego out of the equation and be willing to stick with a weight for a couple cycles or else I could really see a tendency to use it as an excuse to max out every 3-4 weeks and try to progress at a rapid weight and miss all the bonuses of this style of training.

Long term, Op I/A is where I will end up, however I am enjoying the frequent practice that (mostly) following standard operator is giving me right now.

[J-Madd]

I think it's the way to go if you want to join that 40+ training club in the future.

This is how to think about things, i.e., in terms of decades of progress, now just next week! Well said Max.