How do I find my max?

akrepel85

I was a heavy lifter when I was in high school. I was strong too, but I stopped lifting and have lost all my strength. It has been ten years and I'm finally starting to lift again. I know that I've lost strength but I want to test my max levels, across the board, now so that as I start I can see the progress as I tend to forget where I started. Also this is the type of routine that my trainer told me to use to help me build strength and get back into lifting so I am thrilled to have found this group as I can't afford a trainer all the time.

Also I'm 5'2" I've found that sometimes my height makes it difficult for me to be taken seriously in the gym by other lifters. I'm not use to this as I was able to out leg press senior football players when I was a sophomore. Does anyone have suggestions on how to handle this? I'm still a bit sensitive about my size and capabilities as I am just starting my weight loss journey again.

tameko2

If you haven't lifted at all in 10 years I don't think it's a good idea to try and do maximal weight sets to failure your first time out the gate.

I'd go ahead and start with the recommended start weights even if they sound stupidly light. People underestimate how fast this program ramps up your weights. If you don't stall, in 12 weeks you will be squatting 225 and benching 135 for 25 reps. Those are good numbers to launch from and you'll be confident that you'll know the movements well enough to do some 1 rep max testing.

Also at that point you will have a decent sense of what a good number to try would be. I'm assuming from the way you phrased this that you don't even have a faint idea of what your 1 rep max might be and unless you have some idea of it there's really no way to test it.

akrepel85

I've been doing machine weights again for about 2 months and I know how to test my max on the machine. I've been working on form with the bar as I haven't been heavy lifting in so long but I can do that all day long. I'm really trying to figure out where to start from. Everything I find is saying start with half my max and work up from there. I just need to know how to do it because I've forgotten how to find my max. I'm overly cautious as it is so I wouldn't be testing without a spotter at least and I'd probably start under half max even then. I just don't want to start to heavy because I don't know where to start and going up in 5's will drive me crazy until I hit a challenging weight.

tameko2

weight machines are nothing like free weights though.

I assume you're here because you're planning to do SL5x5 right? Seriously, just follow the program. You don't absolutely *need* to know your 1rm to do that. Add 5lbs to each exercise at each workout (and 10 to deadlifts). My big 6'2" 220 husband started with the empty bar. He was a little embarrassed but he knew he was following a good program, not just going to the gym and messing around like most people do, and he knew he would get his weights up really quickly.

Yes, the first week or two feel ridiculously easy, but I wouldn't really sweat it. If you are just desperate to not start with the empty bar because it makes you feel really bad to do that and you are just dead confident that your 1 rep maxes are really high then pretend you've already done SL for 4 sessions and add those weights (so squat 65, Deadlift 115, press 55, bench 55).

No one who's a novice (and 10 years off makes you a novice, ask anyone) should be 1rm testing. Its dangerous.