iron addict
10-20-2006, 01:56 AM
This is a topic that is long overdue to cover, but one I have put off writing because it just seems like common sense to me, but judging from the never ending queries from training clients and posts on the forums, it is apparently not. Here is a typical scenario. The trainee has always done reps in the 8-12 rep range and then decides to do some sets of 5 reps. The question becomes, how much weight to use? The short answer is the one I have a hard time understanding that doesn’t answer itself. Put a weight on the bar you think is a correct amount. If you only get 3-4 reps the weight was too heavy, reduce weight. If you get to rep 5 and it is obvious you have more reps STOP LIFTING, add some weight and try again.
Pretty simple huh? But it doesn’t work out that way for a LOT of lifters. Probably because they complicate things and have a few illusions about how critical a rep range is. I have lifters tell me they wasted 2-3 weeks trying to “find the weight” to use. First, let’s clear one thing up, suggested rep ranges are GUIDELINES only. If the routine called for 3 x 5, and the lifter got 2 x 5, and 1 x 4 the workout was hardly wasted. Yet I have lifters tell me they missed the numbers and somehow believe the workout was “wasted”. Definitely not the case.
One of the biggest mysteries for lifters that have always done high reps is how to go about finding a one rep max. That is the simplest of things and is actually a lot easier than finding a multiple rep max.
Here is an example for a lifter that “believes” he can bench 225-250.
Bar x 15
95 x 10
135 x 5
155 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
Now he is warm and simply just needs to keep doing singles in approximately 15-20 lb increments until he either gets a weight that is all he could possibly do and can’t imagine having another 5 lbs on the bar and making a rep, or he takes a weight and misses, in which case he can state that the last weight he got was his max, or close enough. This ONLY WORKS IF THE INCREMENTS ON THE LAST SINGLES ARE SMALL ENOUGH. If he gets 225 easy and puts 265 on the bar an gets crushed, his max very well might be 245, but since he got pinned he isn’t in as good a position to figure that out by working backwards from a weight that pinned him as he would have been if he took 245 after 225, and got it.
If testing for a set of 3 rep max do singles until the weight feels heavy and when you take a single that starts to feel heavy, rest, add a few lbs and go for a 3 rep max. If you make 3 reps easily, DON’T do 4 reps! Rack the weight, rest 3-5 minutes and add as much as you think you need to (not too much) and try again.
If you want to find a 5 rep max do a few triples until the weight starts to feel heavy BUT IS NOT A MAX TRIPLE, then add a few pounds and try for a 5 rep max. If you get it easily, DON’T do more reps! Rest 3-5 minutes, add weight and try again. If you get only 4 reps, you can bet that your 5 rep max is a BIT under the weight you got 4 reps with. Nothing complicated, no voodoo here.
If you want to find a 10 rep max, just do warm-ups, put some weight on the bar and if you get 10 reps, and when you got to rep 10 it is obvious you can do more, STOP LIFTING, rest, add some weight and try again. Better yet, at about rep number 8 it should be pretty damn obvious to you the weight is too light, STOP THERE, rack the bar and try again. Most people go the other way though, they put on too much weight and only get 5-6 reps. Well it should be damn obvious by about rep number 4 that there is NO F’in way you are going to get 10 reps, so don’t push and go to failure at 5-7 reps, rack the weight and try again.
A couple of other points to remember
It is better to err on the side of the weight being too light and cutting the set short and adding weight as opposed to the bar being way too heavy and you pushing way to hard and either going to failure, or pushing so hard you are in a fatigued state for your next attempts.
It is absolutely key that you write down your numbers so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you train.
Rep ranges are typically SUGGESTED RANGES. If you are trying to do 3 x 10 and get 3 x 11, or 2 x 10 and 1 x 8-9 you still had a productive workout. This is generally true, but is dependent of how the workout is structured. Some routines mean to have the reps reduced as fatigue sets in.
Rep range calculators that predict your max, or other rep ranges are based on AVERAGE lifters, with AVERAGE muscle fiber types and body mechanics. These will NOT give everyone accurate results so they are best used as something to give you an idea, they cannot be totally predictive and are thus simply best avoided.
This is simple stuff if you give it a bit of thought.
Iron Addict
Pretty simple huh? But it doesn’t work out that way for a LOT of lifters. Probably because they complicate things and have a few illusions about how critical a rep range is. I have lifters tell me they wasted 2-3 weeks trying to “find the weight” to use. First, let’s clear one thing up, suggested rep ranges are GUIDELINES only. If the routine called for 3 x 5, and the lifter got 2 x 5, and 1 x 4 the workout was hardly wasted. Yet I have lifters tell me they missed the numbers and somehow believe the workout was “wasted”. Definitely not the case.
One of the biggest mysteries for lifters that have always done high reps is how to go about finding a one rep max. That is the simplest of things and is actually a lot easier than finding a multiple rep max.
Here is an example for a lifter that “believes” he can bench 225-250.
Bar x 15
95 x 10
135 x 5
155 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
Now he is warm and simply just needs to keep doing singles in approximately 15-20 lb increments until he either gets a weight that is all he could possibly do and can’t imagine having another 5 lbs on the bar and making a rep, or he takes a weight and misses, in which case he can state that the last weight he got was his max, or close enough. This ONLY WORKS IF THE INCREMENTS ON THE LAST SINGLES ARE SMALL ENOUGH. If he gets 225 easy and puts 265 on the bar an gets crushed, his max very well might be 245, but since he got pinned he isn’t in as good a position to figure that out by working backwards from a weight that pinned him as he would have been if he took 245 after 225, and got it.
If testing for a set of 3 rep max do singles until the weight feels heavy and when you take a single that starts to feel heavy, rest, add a few lbs and go for a 3 rep max. If you make 3 reps easily, DON’T do 4 reps! Rack the weight, rest 3-5 minutes and add as much as you think you need to (not too much) and try again.
If you want to find a 5 rep max do a few triples until the weight starts to feel heavy BUT IS NOT A MAX TRIPLE, then add a few pounds and try for a 5 rep max. If you get it easily, DON’T do more reps! Rest 3-5 minutes, add weight and try again. If you get only 4 reps, you can bet that your 5 rep max is a BIT under the weight you got 4 reps with. Nothing complicated, no voodoo here.
If you want to find a 10 rep max, just do warm-ups, put some weight on the bar and if you get 10 reps, and when you got to rep 10 it is obvious you can do more, STOP LIFTING, rest, add some weight and try again. Better yet, at about rep number 8 it should be pretty damn obvious to you the weight is too light, STOP THERE, rack the bar and try again. Most people go the other way though, they put on too much weight and only get 5-6 reps. Well it should be damn obvious by about rep number 4 that there is NO F’in way you are going to get 10 reps, so don’t push and go to failure at 5-7 reps, rack the weight and try again.
A couple of other points to remember
It is better to err on the side of the weight being too light and cutting the set short and adding weight as opposed to the bar being way too heavy and you pushing way to hard and either going to failure, or pushing so hard you are in a fatigued state for your next attempts.
It is absolutely key that you write down your numbers so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you train.
Rep ranges are typically SUGGESTED RANGES. If you are trying to do 3 x 10 and get 3 x 11, or 2 x 10 and 1 x 8-9 you still had a productive workout. This is generally true, but is dependent of how the workout is structured. Some routines mean to have the reps reduced as fatigue sets in.
Rep range calculators that predict your max, or other rep ranges are based on AVERAGE lifters, with AVERAGE muscle fiber types and body mechanics. These will NOT give everyone accurate results so they are best used as something to give you an idea, they cannot be totally predictive and are thus simply best avoided.
This is simple stuff if you give it a bit of thought.
Iron Addict