How often do you practice or train your 1 rep maximums (squat, deadlift, bench)?

About 3x per year at a meet I test.

If you are not a powerlifter, there is no benefit to testing other than bragging rights. There are several ways to figure out your 1RM without taxing your CNS and slowing or more than likely reversing your progress of training.

It's not common for injuries to happen on 1RM tests alone.

Literature suggests injuries are way more likely to happen from improper load management from training, not specifically performing a 1RM . To go further just because you feel a tweak during a lift doesn't mean you injured yourself during a lift.

There always a chance, but it's extremely low.

I usually open a lift with the same weight I have tripled at RPE 9.5 just before the meet or about 90% of my estimated 1RM.

Second lift varies depending on 1st, but it's in the 95-98%.

Third will be in the area of 102%.

The process as well as my actual training is controlled with fatigue, stress, and recovery in mind within my programming.

When I was in college, we would max out twice in a school year. It was fun! I played a team sport so everyone would be around you cheering. I think it would be hard to hype myself up for it now. And yes, as an American, I can’t afford an injury right now.

Found my bench by accident! I mentioned the weight and reps and someone on here said I'd found my 1 rep max...I'm not quite sure what this all means 😐

I tested bench after a 10 week training cycle, b/c I had taken a 7 week hiatus due to shoulder issue. I just wanted to see if I was close to previous max.

I tested deadlift at my last meet almost a year ago. I'm not competing again soon, so I will likely test deadlift in 5 weeks (at the end of my training cycle). I'm testing maybe 2-3 times a year depending on whether I feel like testing/competing at the end of 10+ week training cycles.

Never...I hardly ever even run heavy cycles anymore because I don't recover well from them and heavy lifting tends to interfere with other things I like to do like cycling, rock climbing, etc. I typically just work in either 8, 10, or 12 rep ranges. I've never felt compelled to test my 1RM as I am not a competitive lifter, powerlifter, strongman, etc. I mostly lift to cross train and maintain some semblance of a reasonable physique as I get older (44).

billkansas wrote: »

I think I'll continue performing the first set of my "competition lifts" as 1 rep at RPE 8 (1RM would be 1.08 * weight lifted at RPE 8 - thank you Barbell Medicine) and take a periodic video of it to make sure the bar is moving fast enough that I don't consider it a cheat of RPE 8. Then I can compare video to video and perhaps know that I am stronger.

Is this the decent approach for reliable 1 rep max "estimate"?

I'd like to compete someday. Gotta start somewhere! I think I will try and start testing my actual 1RM 3 or 4 times a year also.

Thanks for everyone's responses!

Yes that would get you in the area, but could be skewed depending when/how you do it.

The closer you test to one rep the more accurate and I personally never consider anything over three reps acurate. Just keep in mind, my calculations are indeed to help deyermine openers for competitions. My volume for training is 95% straight RPE.

Are you running any of the programs from BM that have a test week or deload at the end? That would give you a more accurate estimate then say you just test randomly when your body has more fatigue built up in the mist of bulk of volume.

By far the smartest thing I did for training was sign up for my first meet. Sign up today if the interest you, there is no better time.