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How often can/should you test 1rm?
duteshredded
Posts: 32 Member
Pretty simple, how frequently should I be attempting one rep maxes in my training? It’s not part of the program I’m doing that I’ve gotten online although I’m curious to know what my lifts are for 1 rep and through what I’ve came to the conclusion of is that they’re not really beneficial in terms of progress? So what’s the safest way to go about it all?
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Replies
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There's a lot of different speculation about how one should go about testing their one-rep max and when it should happen.
Are you familiar with the elite powerlifter and elite powerlifting coach Louie Simmons? Is conjugate system has you using max effort lifts every week where others are programmed every 4 weeks and others are every 12 weeks.
I guess it all depends on a few factors but I I would ask what are your goals to begin with? The program you found online, is it a free one? What's the overall goal of the program? Did you test your one-rep max prior to starting the program?0 -
There's a lot of different speculation about how one should go about testing their one-rep max and when it should happen.
Are you familiar with the elite powerlifter and elite powerlifting coach Louie Simmons? Is conjugate system has you using max effort lifts every week where others are programmed every 4 weeks and others are every 12 weeks.
I guess it all depends on a few factors but I I would ask what are your goals to begin with? The program you found online, is it a free one? What's the overall goal of the program? Did you test your one-rep max prior to starting the program?
It’s a ppl one on reddit(think it’s the most popular one) and no I haven’t checked my 1rms in forever I only know what my 5rms are, the program doesn’t mention anything about it but it’s something I’m curious about like I said, would adding a 1rm on the end of your working sets be detrimental much or?0 -
duteshredded wrote: »There's a lot of different speculation about how one should go about testing their one-rep max and when it should happen.
Are you familiar with the elite powerlifter and elite powerlifting coach Louie Simmons? Is conjugate system has you using max effort lifts every week where others are programmed every 4 weeks and others are every 12 weeks.
I guess it all depends on a few factors but I I would ask what are your goals to begin with? The program you found online, is it a free one? What's the overall goal of the program? Did you test your one-rep max prior to starting the program?
It’s a ppl one on reddit(think it’s the most popular one) and no I haven’t checked my 1rms in forever I only know what my 5rms are, the program doesn’t mention anything about it but it’s something I’m curious about like I said, would adding a 1rm on the end of your working sets be detrimental much or?
That wouldn’t be a true 1rm. 1rms will wreck you for that day. It takes a couple of days - sometimes longer to recover. Unless you are going to compete or testing a landmark like a 2 or 3 plate bench just do a set at your working weight to failure and put it into a calculator to get a ballpark.1 -
duteshredded wrote: »There's a lot of different speculation about how one should go about testing their one-rep max and when it should happen.
Are you familiar with the elite powerlifter and elite powerlifting coach Louie Simmons? Is conjugate system has you using max effort lifts every week where others are programmed every 4 weeks and others are every 12 weeks.
I guess it all depends on a few factors but I I would ask what are your goals to begin with? The program you found online, is it a free one? What's the overall goal of the program? Did you test your one-rep max prior to starting the program?
It’s a ppl one on reddit(think it’s the most popular one) and no I haven’t checked my 1rms in forever I only know what my 5rms are, the program doesn’t mention anything about it but it’s something I’m curious about like I said, would adding a 1rm on the end of your working sets be detrimental much or?
Okay, so I don't know much about the program. I assume if you're testing your 5 rep max then you probably are training to get stronger.
In my opinion if your goal is to achieve a higher one rep max then you should probably test it before starting the program so that you know the outcome once the program is over to see if it was effective towards your goals.
Definitely do not test your one-rep max at the end of a workout. You can test your one-rep max prior to a workout but as mentioned by jseams1234, testing a one-rep Max general leaves one pretty fatigued and can take some time to recover from. Depending on your level of experience with the lift and how long you've been currently working out, you can recover relatively quickly from a one-rep Max but that's with all things considered...
Does your current program have you doing any strength testing along the way? Perhaps if it does then instead of testing a 5 rep max or anything other than a one-rep Max, you can test your one-rep max in there instead.0 -
Are you planning on competing? If not, you don't actually need to know.
Testing frequently is counter productive to any hypertrophy goal: 1 rep won't produce hypertrophic stimulus, but it will generate large fatigue. You may find yourself just getting worse as fatigue accumulates faster than fitness.
If you want to know for programming purposes, you're probably better off practicing to learn your reps in reserve for rate of perceived effort.1 -
duteshredded wrote: »There's a lot of different speculation about how one should go about testing their one-rep max and when it should happen.
Are you familiar with the elite powerlifter and elite powerlifting coach Louie Simmons? Is conjugate system has you using max effort lifts every week where others are programmed every 4 weeks and others are every 12 weeks.
I guess it all depends on a few factors but I I would ask what are your goals to begin with? The program you found online, is it a free one? What's the overall goal of the program? Did you test your one-rep max prior to starting the program?
It’s a ppl one on reddit(think it’s the most popular one) and no I haven’t checked my 1rms in forever I only know what my 5rms are, the program doesn’t mention anything about it but it’s something I’m curious about like I said, would adding a 1rm on the end of your working sets be detrimental much or?
Okay, so I don't know much about the program. I assume if you're testing your 5 rep max then you probably are training to get stronger.
In my opinion if your goal is to achieve a higher one rep max then you should probably test it before starting the program so that you know the outcome once the program is over to see if it was effective towards your goals.
Definitely do not test your one-rep max at the end of a workout. You can test your one-rep max prior to a workout but as mentioned by jseams1234, testing a one-rep Max general leaves one pretty fatigued and can take some time to recover from. Depending on your level of experience with the lift and how long you've been currently working out, you can recover relatively quickly from a one-rep Max but that's with all things considered...
Does your current program have you doing any strength testing along the way? Perhaps if it does then instead of testing a 5 rep max or anything other than a one-rep Max, you can test your one-rep max in there instead.
It’s not really a strength program. Just a more all around program for people who’d prefer to do a split and train more frequentlt than do full body 3x a week. It doesn’t have any 1rm testing in the program hence why I was asking if and when would be best to test it out.
It’s not something serious for me but something I’d like to eventually know and test out once I’ve noticed a big jump in the 5 rep range, hitting the 4/3/2/1 club is sort of a goal of mine too0 -
If you plan on competing with 1RM then I would practice near maximal singles especially a few months out from the comp, but not anything at failure or very near.
If you don't plan on competing with 1RM then I wouldn't advice to do so.
It actually takes away from progress not drives progress. It simple isn't important and is poor load management and increases injury risk.
If you are running percentages within a template its much more beneficial to do a rep scheme at 3-5 reps leaving two in the tank and mathematically decipher your estimated 1RM. It is more accurate towards the three reps but five will give you a really good idea.
All said and done. Have patience and just train. You'll progress more optimal if you leave the test of a 1RM for another day if you decide to compete.1 -
Things to consider when training heavy or testing your 1rm is that it's really hard on your nervous system.
(This is anecdotal) I ran a strength program template like Louie Simmons conjugate program and I was doing 1 upper body 1rm test and 1 lower body 1rm test every week for 12 weeks. I didn't get hurt or have any recovery problems. All my lifts went up exponentially. However, the program is very focused on balance and makes sure recovery is taken seriously.0 -
If you plan on competing with 1RM then I would practice near maximal singles especially a few months out from the comp, but not anything at failure or very near.
If you don't plan on competing with 1RM then I wouldn't advice to do so.
It actually takes away from progress not drives progress. It simple isn't important and is poor load management and increases injury risk.
If you are running percentages within a template its much more beneficial to do a rep scheme at 3-5 reps leaving two in the tank and mathematically decipher your estimated 1RM. It is more accurate towards the three reps but five will give you a really good idea.
All said and done. Have patience and just train. You'll progress more optimal if you leave the test of a 1RM for another day if you decide to compete.
I disagree that it's not important. I think that's up to the lifter. Some people like knowing their true numbers.
I also disagree that testing a 1rm is poor load management. Perhaps you could explain what you mean by that? I'm paraphrasing here but Load management is all about being able to recover and progress right? How does 1rm testing take away from that in such a detrimental way that you'd advise against it?
7 days a week of 1rm testing sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but I don't see why you can't hit a max 1rm and then focus on recovery to balance it out from there.
I can see from the standpoint that hypertrophy is the goal then 1rm testing becomes less important.0
This discussion has been closed.
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