one rep max

[jcol1460]

i posted this in my journal too, but i figured this would be the more appropriate thread:

question: how does one go about finding out one rep max? i would figure that if you start too heavy or too light, you'll get worn out and the max won't be accurate. always wondered and never asked my trainer to help me find out last year.

j.

[buff_n_blonde]

1. To do a 1RM, you first do a light warm-up (light weight, about 60% of your previous 1RM) of 10 repetitions
2. Then do a moderate warm-up (moderate weight, about 75% of your previous 1RM) of 6-8 repetitions.
3. Then you do a heavy warm-up (heavy weight, about 90% of your previous 1RM) of 2-4 repetitions.
4. If you feel you are properly warmed-up, you then select a weight that you can only do 1-2 times.
5. You should lift this weight only 1 repetition. (If you fail to lift this weight, go down 10-15 pounds and try again)
6. If you were able to lift that weight, then you would add 10 pounds to the bar, wait 3 minutes, then lift the new weight again.
7. If you were able to lift the new weight, then you repeat step 6 again, until you can not successfully lift the weight (total failure).
8. The last successful, completed repetition, with no assistance from a spotter, is your 1 repetition maximum. (1RM)

Hope this helps....