My training varies. I have certainly used PTTP - that book is how I started lifting 20 years ago. And I have followed other StrongFirst templates by the book - the ROP, the Daily Dose Deadlift, and others. For about the last year I have been following the Faleev 5 x 5 as outlined in several places, the first for me being the Tim Ferriss blog with Pavel. There have been other 5 x 5 articles here over the years, and unless my memory is mistaken, none of them are quite as prescriptive as the ROP. Even PTTP contains a multiple options for implementation.
I think it's a fair generalization to make, however, that people who've been at this for a long time don't necessarily do best, years after they started, by following a template strictly by the book. The beauty of many of StrongFirst's templates lies in clarity with which they're taught and the ease with which they can be followed, but we also used to teach, at the SFG Level II, the idea of free-form training. (I don't know if we still do - it's been a while since I've been to a Level II.)
Although I've tried to address your question, @william bad butt, I think there's a problem with it. StrongFirst is principles-based. While the "templates" are, of course, based on those principles, when one has a good grasp of what those principles are about, there is nothing wrong and much right with putting them into practice on an individual basis and not strictly following one of the existing templates. A good example from my world might be practicing a musical instrument - I know how to practice, and while I continue to take lessons on some instruments and continue to talk to my teachers about how I practice, I'd be unnecessarily putting myself down if I didn't say I have a fairly good idea of what proper musical practice is for me - I play in front of people regularly, and if I didn't understand the principles, having been at this since the early 1960's, I'd be in pretty big trouble. The same goes for my strength training. From time to time, I discuss it on the forum and with my very knowledgable, smart, and gracious colleagues at StrongFirst, but sometimes the "template" is in my head and I don't roll out the implementation until it's pretty close to time to lift - and sometimes while I'm lifting, I'll reevaluate what I'd planned to do in light of how my session is unfolding.
E.g., in my current cycle, I'm following a 5 x 5 concept/template for SQ and BP but not for my deadlift. I could talk at length about why and about how I'm programming my deadlift, but that's another conversation. Suffice it to say that a very big part of what StrongFirst is about it technique, and technique and training template are different things, and my current deadlift focus is primarily on technique now, secondarily on assistance exercises, and the details of the programming come after that in importance. And it's a busy life here, so the training schedule sometimes revolves around that, too.
I ramble so I'll stop.
-S-
I think it's a fair generalization to make, however, that people who've been at this for a long time don't necessarily do best, years after they started, by following a template strictly by the book. The beauty of many of StrongFirst's templates lies in clarity with which they're taught and the ease with which they can be followed, but we also used to teach, at the SFG Level II, the idea of free-form training. (I don't know if we still do - it's been a while since I've been to a Level II.)
Although I've tried to address your question, @william bad butt, I think there's a problem with it. StrongFirst is principles-based. While the "templates" are, of course, based on those principles, when one has a good grasp of what those principles are about, there is nothing wrong and much right with putting them into practice on an individual basis and not strictly following one of the existing templates. A good example from my world might be practicing a musical instrument - I know how to practice, and while I continue to take lessons on some instruments and continue to talk to my teachers about how I practice, I'd be unnecessarily putting myself down if I didn't say I have a fairly good idea of what proper musical practice is for me - I play in front of people regularly, and if I didn't understand the principles, having been at this since the early 1960's, I'd be in pretty big trouble. The same goes for my strength training. From time to time, I discuss it on the forum and with my very knowledgable, smart, and gracious colleagues at StrongFirst, but sometimes the "template" is in my head and I don't roll out the implementation until it's pretty close to time to lift - and sometimes while I'm lifting, I'll reevaluate what I'd planned to do in light of how my session is unfolding.
E.g., in my current cycle, I'm following a 5 x 5 concept/template for SQ and BP but not for my deadlift. I could talk at length about why and about how I'm programming my deadlift, but that's another conversation. Suffice it to say that a very big part of what StrongFirst is about it technique, and technique and training template are different things, and my current deadlift focus is primarily on technique now, secondarily on assistance exercises, and the details of the programming come after that in importance. And it's a busy life here, so the training schedule sometimes revolves around that, too.
I ramble so I'll stop.
-S-
