You could also just load up your barbell and after some experimenting determine the maximum weight you can lift for any exercise, but this can be dangerous to do and maintaining good form is very difficult. One Rep Max testing is just a safer and quicker way of determining the maximum weight you can lift with proper form for any exercise.
Now, the purpose of one rep max testing is not so you can tell everybody the maximum weight you can lift for barbell curls or squats. Instead, we use this number to determine the weight you should use for any exercise for a desired number of reps. You need to know your one rep max for every exercise to determine the weight you should use to do a certain number of reps. Let’s say you change your routine to a higher rep program of 15 reps you will instantly know exactly what weight to use because studies show that a person should use 70% of their one rep max when doing 15 reps. One rep max testing simply takes the guess work out of weight selection and reduces the time wasted by trial and error. Not to mention it’s a lot safer to use a one rep max calculator than to try and see what your one rep max actually is. The other benefit of 1RM testing is that when you need to change your number of reps in your program you can easily determine the correct weight you should use without just taking a best guess. Let me summarize with the following example:
Let’s say you take a one rep max test for Barbell Curls and your one rep max is found to be 100 lbs. Now let me show how easy it is to determine the weight you should use for Barbell Curls in your exercise program:
1. If you want to do a warm up set you should use a weight of about 50% of your one rep max (.50 x 100 lbs = 50 lbs). Thus you should use 50 lbs in your warm up set.
2. If you want to do 15 reps you should use 70% of your one rep max (.70 x 100 lbs = 70 lbs). Thus, you should use 70 lbs if you want to do 15 reps
3. If you want to do 8-10 reps you should use 80% of your one rep max (.80 x 100 lbs = 80 lbs). Thus, you should use 80 lbs if you want to do 8-10 reps
4. If you want to do 4 reps you should use 90% of your one rep max (.90 x 100 lbs = 90 lbs). Thus, you should use 90 lbs if you want to do 4 reps
As you can see from the above example one rep max testing makes it very simple and easy to determine the correct weight to use for any exercise no matter what rep range is desired. Studies have shown that when people just use their best judgment in determining their one rep max they usually select a weight that is way too light and their results suffer accordingly.
So remember whey you want to...
1. If you want to do a warm up set you should use a weight of about 50% of your one rep max (.50 x 100 lbs = 50 lbs). Thus you should use 50 lbs in your warm up set.
2. If you want to do 15 reps you should use 70% of your one rep max (.70 x 100 lbs = 70 lbs). Thus, you should use 70 lbs if you want to do 15 reps (BEST FOR STRENGTH AND MUSCLE GAINS IN LOWER BODY EXERCISES)
3. If you want to do 8-10 reps you should use 80% of your one rep max (.80 x 100 lbs = 80 lbs). Thus, you should use 80 lbs if you want to do 8-10 reps (BEST FOR STRENGTH AND MUSCLE GAIN IN UPPER BODY)
4. If you want to do 4 reps you should use 90% of your one rep max (.90 x 100 lbs = 90 lbs). Thus, you should use 90 lbs if you want to do 4 reps (BEST FOR STRENGTH GAINS IN BOTH UPPER AND LOWER BODY EXERCISES)
USE THE ONE REP MAX (1RM) CALCULATOR BELOW TO FINE YOUR ONE REP MAX
(CHOOSE A WEIGHT YOU CAN DO NO MORE THAN 10 TIMES AND USE THE CALCULATOR BELOW)
One Rep Max Calculator
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The formula used for this is: weight/(1.0278-(.0278*reps))
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