Help with 1 rep lift

jaz050465
jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've just joined a gym and told them i want to do strength training. Today a trainer showed me lifts and is writing a programme for me based on percentages of my 1 rep lift ( not sure if I've got terminology correct).

Can anyone give me suggestions on approximate weights I should try to start with - i dont want to be way out and look daft

I'm a 48 year old female weighing 150 pounds and am 5ft 7. The exercises he suggested are:
Barbells:
Flat bench press
Close grip rows
Dead lift
Squat

Assisted tricep dips

Dumbells
Shoulder press
Twisting bicep curls.

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    don't worry about it. you're just starting out so your only focus right now should be on form, not how heavy your 1 rep max is. and you really couldn't figure it out right now if you tried because you're going to gain strength very quickly in these early stages as your CNS adapts.

    Start with something very very light (maybe even an empty bar), get the form correct and add weight each week. You'll figure out the right weights to use to get to the prescribed number of reps in a short time
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Start with whatever weight you used when he showed you the exercises.
    If he didn't check your form on the exercises, you should go back and ask him to.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    your one rep max is really an estimation based on what you've lifted in one set for reps. here is a 1 rep max calculator http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other7.htm

    it's something that builds up over time and as you get stronger. for a trainer to ask you for them now at the beginning kinda makes me think she doesn't really know what to do. tell her that you don't know them, but that you two should figure them out together.

    but it's an estimate. for instant lets say i went in and did bench press at 200 lbs for 3 reps. my 1RM is 212 lbs. but i bet if i went to the gym a couple of days later and after a quick warm up, i loaded up the barbell with 215 lbs i could probably do at 2 reps.


    btw, generally 1RM's are only applied to dead lift, squat, bench, and overhead press.
  • TwoPointZero
    TwoPointZero Posts: 187 Member
    If he didn't check your form on the exercises, you should go back and ask him to.
    This . . . One of the best uses of trainers is to get help with your form.
  • RobinsEgg
    RobinsEgg Posts: 3,702 Member
    Enjoy the squats - its the best exercise I have ever done. It totally transformed my leg strength. I also moved from a plain (no weight bearing) squat to a goblet squat with a kettleball or dumb bell. BEST SQUAT EVER. Hope your trainer has you doing them soon, if not, be suspicious of your trainer's skills.....

    Seriously, before I started doing squats I couldn't even walk a 1/2 mile, my legs were so weak. I started very gently - hardly even bending down. After a few weeks my improvement was amazing and I progressed to the goblet squat with weight. Now I am running UP stairs and walkiing 2 miles easily. I've lost 2 inches from my butt - thats the best improvement I must say!

    Good luck on YOUR program. I hope you don't lift too heavy too soon.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Thanks. He spent a lot of time demonstrating and correcting my form- I was pleased with that. I used the empty bar for each exercise. He kept on saying how important it is to get form right and to keep asking for help if I'm unsure. It's possible when I see the written plan, it will include the weight.
    Thanks for your help. Can't wait to start.
  • 1capybara
    1capybara Posts: 162 Member
    a friend of mine got a ruptured eye (im not sure of the exact terminology, maybe a detached cornea or retina or something)
    from doing 1 rep lifts. im not sure 1 rep lifts is a scientifically good idea. im sorry i cannot give a correct medical definition of what happened to my friend. most successful long term lifters say, for example, do 3 sets of 3-7 lifts, or whatever, but not 1 rep lifts. PLEASE research this more.
  • mandeenicoleb
    mandeenicoleb Posts: 479 Member
    Thanks. He spent a lot of time demonstrating and correcting my form- I was pleased with that. I used the empty bar for each exercise. He kept on saying how important it is to get form right and to keep asking for help if I'm unsure. It's possible when I see the written plan, it will include the weight.
    Thanks for your help. Can't wait to start.

    You got it! Master that form and then you can add on heavier weights with time as it becomes comfortable for you. The ability to lift a certain wait will vary from person to person, regardless of being the same gender/age/weight, etc.

    Lifting is very rewarding. I hope you enjoy yourself. Sounds like you're off to a great start. Don't be afraid to ask your trainer a zillion questions either! Let them work for the money :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    don't worry about it. you're just starting out so your only focus right now should be on form, not how heavy your 1 rep max is. and you really couldn't figure it out right now if you tried because you're going to gain strength very quickly in these early stages as your CNS adapts.

    Start with something very very light (maybe even an empty bar), get the form correct and add weight each week. You'll figure out the right weights to use to get to the prescribed number of reps in a short time
    this- and this some more. quiet a bit of this. He has you uset up with a good program of good compound lifts. And that's an excellent use of your time.

    Don't sweat the 1RM right now.

    a friend of mine got a ruptured eye (im not sure of the exact terminology, maybe a detached cornea or retina or something)
    from doing 1 rep lifts. im not sure 1 rep lifts is a scientifically good idea. im sorry i cannot give a correct medical definition of what happened to my friend. most successful long term lifters say, for example, do 3 sets of 3-7 lifts, or whatever, but not 1 rep lifts. PLEASE research this more.
    People pop blood vessels doing this- sure. It happens. 1RM isnt' to be done all the time- it takes a lot out of you to do a competitive lift type deal. But there is nothing wrong with shooting for single rep sets (I do pyramid/progressive type lifts and at the top is often a fail or a one lift set) It happens. Obviously be smart about it and don't get crazy with that sort of thing till you are more experienced.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    don't worry about it. you're just starting out so your only focus right now should be on form, not how heavy your 1 rep max is. and you really couldn't figure it out right now if you tried because you're going to gain strength very quickly in these early stages as your CNS adapts.

    Start with something very very light (maybe even an empty bar), get the form correct and add weight each week. You'll figure out the right weights to use to get to the prescribed number of reps in a short time
    this- and this some more. quiet a bit of this. He has you uset up with a good program of good compound lifts. And that's an excellent use of your time.

    Don't sweat the 1RM right now.

    a friend of mine got a ruptured eye (im not sure of the exact terminology, maybe a detached cornea or retina or something)
    from doing 1 rep lifts. im not sure 1 rep lifts is a scientifically good idea. im sorry i cannot give a correct medical definition of what happened to my friend. most successful long term lifters say, for example, do 3 sets of 3-7 lifts, or whatever, but not 1 rep lifts. PLEASE research this more.
    People pop blood vessels doing this- sure. It happens. 1RM isnt' to be done all the time- it takes a lot out of you to do a competitive lift type deal. But there is nothing wrong with shooting for single rep sets (I do pyramid/progressive type lifts and at the top is often a fail or a one lift set) It happens. Obviously be smart about it and don't get crazy with that sort of thing till you are more experienced.
    He was writing up the programme so not seen it yet but I was to,do a certain percentage of the maximum weight I could do for one lift.
  • halleymw
    halleymw Posts: 246 Member
    In order to figure out the reps, you just have to pick a weight that you THINK you can do 10 reps of and give it a try. You started with the bar, which is 45 pounds. How did you feel after doing the reps? Did you do 10, and it was a breeze? If so, add some weight and try again. If you can't do 10, it was too much, if you can do 20, not enough. It is just a swag (scientific wild- a## guess) at this point since you have never lifted before. Do the exercises, and as long as you get around 8-16 done, there are one rep max calculators out there that will figure it out for you. You can always do it like stronglifts and just start with the bar and then progress.
    Mike
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Not that I disagree with programs like that but I'm surprised he/she has you doing that without learning anything. I would think you'd go through some introductory period of learning the form and using some lighter weight and then move into testing your 1RM. Even somebody that has good form, when doing a true 1RM their form usually breaks down a little.

    Like everybody else said, there's no way to suggest a starting 1RM weight. A 1RM is basically a true representation of your strength in that given exercise. The only exercises that really matter here are basically, Deadlift, Squat (back and/or front), and Bench Press (flat or incline really) and some methods would throw in the Standing Shoulder Press too. I like where your trainer is going but be careful and watch some videos on your own so you have some idea of what you're doing.

    1. So You Think You Can Bench
    2. "" "" "" Squat
    3. "" "" "" Deadlift
  • keflexxxx
    keflexxxx Posts: 25 Member
    not particularly relevant to OP's queries (which have been answered quite well) but worth remembering that 1RM calculators are basically just a bunch of guesswork, and they generally aren't very accurate. this is due to the fact that they can't account for training specificity particularly well.

    earlier this year i spent month working on my max singles, hammering them session after session. and it worked for a while, until it didn't. when i decided to drop the weight and increase the volume, i used a calculator to give me a rep estimate and it said i should have been able to do 150kgs for 5 on a back squat. well let me tell you, i couldn't come close to that; a triple was really pushing it. wound up dropping down to 130 and going from there.

    the reason for this is because i got really good at doing singles, it skewed the data. most people aren't as good at singles as i became, and so the calculator thought i could do more volume than i actually could. worth keeping in mind whenever you use such a thing.

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