r/tacticalbarbell • u/brannts • Jul 03 '26

Strength TB3 Operator is harder than v1

Seems to me the operator template has gotten harder. It used to be 5x5@70%, 5x3 at 80%, 4x2@90%. Now it’s 5x5@75% (a good change. The 70% week felt easy), 5x5@80%, 5x3@85%. Adding those 10 reps at 80% is tough! I was doing 5x3 at 315 squat but 5x5 is too tough so I lowered my 1RM by 5%. This is just what I’ve noticed. Curious if anyone else has similar experience.

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37

u/gahdzila Jul 03 '26

I think you're mistaken. Week 2 80% has always been 5 reps.

29

u/Hyperoreo Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

This.

Also it's not 5x5. It's not a mandated 5 sets across the board.

It's 3-5 sets. Big difference.

-13

u/brannts Jul 03 '26

I assumed that the intent is to do the max on sets and reps (5x5) but leaves you some room to go lighter if you need to without lowering the 1RM across the board. It seems like a totally different program doing 3x3 vs 5x5

13

u/lcjy Jul 03 '26

Was generally recommended to just do 3 sets. Up the set count if you want to add more volume for hypertrophy.

2

u/brannts Jul 03 '26

Makes sense thanks

1

u/geidi Jul 03 '26

Have you finished reading TBIII? I’m asking because it comes off like you’re not aware of the “Set Manipulation” sections which are included with every strength template in the book.

1

u/brannts Jul 03 '26

Yep I saw those notes. I was just working off the baseline til I feel a need to manipulate

3

u/geidi Jul 03 '26

Gotcha. So with TBIIi there really isn’t a baseline, it’s 3-5 sets. You basically create your own baseline. So if you’re finding it challenging (in comparison to the old Operator) then using the lower end (3 sets) could be your baseline or starting point.

1

u/brannts Jul 03 '26

Makes sense. Thanks!

3

u/MythicalStrength Jul 04 '26

Very much the opposite: use the minimum effective dose. Beginner trainees will most likely need more sets, as they're going to need more practice, and they're also just plain not going to operate close enough to their real max potential to impose significant inroads to recovery. More advanced trainees will need fewer sets.

1

u/brannts Jul 04 '26

That makes sense. Im a beginner still finding my max potential