1 Rep Max Testing. Do I reeeeaaallllyyyy have to...?

emigliori

emigliori

Cathlete
I would love to hear from anyone and everyone regarding their experience with 1 rep max testing. I have never done it before and the dread factor is in full blown attack right now. It seems like an inordinate amount of time to dedicate and I would really like to jump into the Xtrain 90-day undulating program.

So, has anyone done a program with and without 1 rep max testing and did you notice a significant difference in outcome?

I have several cathe weight workouts, including Pyramid Upper/Lower, Gym style, Supersets, Push Pull, 4DS, LIS, etc, so I have a general idea of what might be challenging.

The truth is, I really just don't feel like doing it, but if it is going to make a big difference then I will.

Any insight anyone can offer would be very appreciated.

Thanks!!

Elizabeth
 
I am sure it would make some difference. I did one rep max for my STS rotation in 2011. However, I am not doing it this time. I am like you, I dread it and it is more of a pain for me than anything. Also I gauge my weights as I lift them and keep track in my head.

If there is any dread factor, I avoid them like the plague when it comes to my workouts. I want to keep them up and any dread will hinder that.
 
In a word - NO. Obviously, there are benefits to it if you have very specific and challenging goals. However, if you ensure you are challenging yourself in each workout, and keep track of what you're doing along the way, you'll be just fine.
 
I've never done it before (though I do plan to when I start STS in March) and I've always gotten great results. I just always try to lift to failure based on the number of reps being done. I learned that from ChaLean Extreme and have done it in every workout I've done since.

I am going to test it this time, tho. I plan to do all of the Xtrain strength workouts twice using my method, then do 1RM and see how my method stacks up agains 1RM. Should be interesting!
 
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I planned to do it...however

Hi,

I had every intention of doing the 1 rep max prior to starting xtrain, however since the workouts were not posted in the workout manager prior to getting the system, I didn't want to try to cram all of them in on the weekend before i started xtrain...I imagine my body would have been very sore from the full body lifting.

So, I did not do it prior to starting x train and I am doing fine in the workouts. I pretty much know what I can handle right now and make sure to make a note if I need to up the lbs during the next workout.
 
I did it for STS, but I'm not going to for Xtrain, I am tracking my weights during the upper body workouts and using my "method" of knowing if I need to go higher, lower, or it's just right with either an up arrow, down arrow, or nothing next to the weight. I am just writing in the Xtrain guide for now.
 
I'm doing it again....

I did it for STS and I plan on doing it again for XTrain. I think it really does help you to pick that perfect weight. I have gloves and the pace weights and I do find that it is a much better workout when the weight it really correct. I'm one of those people who would stay with the same weight no matter what if I didn't do it....so I think I'll spend some time doing it on Sunday.
 
No you don't, but the optimal results are better if you do. You can always use the weight I use as a gauge and adjust accordingly if needed.
 
I also find that my 1 rep max varies from day to day. It depends on how I feel that day, how I slept or if I have my period. I don't know if anyone else feels that way.
 
I did it for STS and that was painful but doing it for x-train was a lot better. It took about 1 1/2 hrs and I did it on a "weight lifting day" so I felt like I did something! For me it is great because I can see the changes from the first time. I've only done hard strikes so far and doing other workouts until they have all of the info loaded in the workout manager.
 
I think I am going to give it a try without it. I will follow Cathe's advice and use her weight as a guide (and drop it waaayyyy down, lol).

Galina,
I too have noticed that my lifting capacity changes from day to day. That was another reason didn't feel like going through the one rep max. My energy level changes from day to day depending on how much sleep I got.

I never expected Cathe to respond. I felt like I got caught cheating or something!! :)

She is so accessible, I love that about her. As long as she's making videos I'll be buying them.

Elizabeth
 
I'm not doing it for Xtrain either. I too have the huge dread factor!...lol. Since I have been lifting with Cathe's weight programs for years, it was pretty easy for me to figure out my 1RM on my own without the testing. But one thing I like about Xtrain compared to STS is we finally see what Cathe is lifting. I use that as a gauge. I never lift her weights and I'm usually a few lbs lower (like 5 to 10lbs...lol). I did Bi's and Tri's yesterday and was very surprised how close I was to 1RM I was. The only difference was I will probably use the weight gloves next time to add a little more.

Laura
 
OK! I just wanted to thank everyone for their replies and to say I started the 90 day undulating program. I did NOT do the 1 rep max, but I have been a habitual note taker with prior Cathe weight workouts so I reviewed those and had a great workout. I had taken almost 3 weeks off of any type of working out so my upper body strength was not quite what it was.

I did notice that as my upper body got fatigued, I had to lower my weight more and more especially with shoulders, so in those situations I do not think the one rep max would have benefited me because I wouldn't have been able to lift that weight anyway.

I am looking for a "Check-in" to jump into so I can go over my experiences with Xtrain with others doing the workouts and rotations especially. I've looked around the forum, but am not sure which one would be best for this. Any suggestions??

Elizabeth
 
I have to add...another reason I don't care for 1RM is when we start using heavier weights (15lbs and above), it really doesn't work for me. Dumbbells obviously were originally made years ago with men in mind. But to me, there is a HUGE difference between 15, 20, 25, 30 etc. I know there are some York dumbbells that finally came out with a 17.5 and a 22.5 db, but the shipping is ridiculous (due to weight...lol) and you can't find them in any of the sporting good stores.

So I find I'm probably not using the proper weights...the glove weights help some, but with the larger weights they become cumbersome. Cathe uses 30 and 35 lbs for some of the moves, and that is just too much for me! I am thinking of getting the 17.5 and 22.5, but I'm not sure if I would use them all that much. Hmmm...a quandry. But for now, 20 and 15 lbs is the highest I use.

Hope I didn't go too far off of topic.

Laura
 
I actually used the workout blender to create a 1 rm workout. I split them up and did chest, back, shoulders one day and did bis and tris a few days later. It worked great!
 
nccjones said:
I have to add...another reason I don't care for 1RM is when we start using heavier weights (15lbs and above), it really doesn't work for me. Dumbbells obviously were originally made years ago with men in mind. But to me, there is a HUGE difference between 15, 20, 25, 30 etc. I know there are some York dumbbells that finally came out with a 17.5 and a 22.5 db, but the shipping is ridiculous (due to weight...lol) and you can't find them in any of the sporting good stores.

So I find I'm probably not using the proper weights...the glove weights help some, but with the larger weights they become cumbersome. Cathe uses 30 and 35 lbs for some of the moves, and that is just too much for me! I am thinking of getting the 17.5 and 22.5, but I'm not sure if I would use them all that much. Hmmm...a quandry. But for now, 20 and 15 lbs is the highest I use.

Hope I didn't go too far off of topic.

Laura
Click to expand...

Laura - have you ever heard of Pace Weights or Plate Mates? They're magnetic weights that you can add to your existing dumbbells to help bridge those (unrealistic) 5 LB jumps. If you google these errs, they're easy to find. I have both and like both, but find I use the pace weighs (which come in 1/2 pound increments) more.

They aren't cheap, but I use mine all the time!

Good luck!
 
Trixoo said:
Laura - have you ever heard of Pace Weights or Plate Mates? They're magnetic weights that you can add to your existing dumbbells to help bridge those (unrealistic) 5 LB jumps. If you google these errs, they're easy to find. I have both and like both, but find I use the pace weighs (which come in 1/2 pound increments) more.

They aren't cheap, but I use mine all the time!

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I had never heard of these before and they sound great if I had iron dumb bells:(. I have the ones with rubber ends and a rubber grip that I buy from Dick's Sporting Goods.
 
nccjones said:
I had never heard of these before and they sound great if I had iron dumb bells:(. I have the ones with rubber ends and a rubber grip that I buy from Dick's Sporting Goods.
Click to expand...

I just got a full set of these, too, from Costco, except w/ a metal grip)...they have a great price on a good set (10-30 lbs with sand for $199).. I took one of my pace weights with me to the store first and it didn't hold on the 10 LB dumbbell, but held on all the others. These dumbbells are Cap brand.

Might be worth a shot. Also, using weighted gloves is another way to help yourself jump from one weight to the next.

Good luck!
 
/I don't have the time nor am I interested in doing all of the exercises.
However, I did it for 1 of the lower body exercises, just to gauge my potential compared what I've been lifting. I should be lifting 3 or 4 times what I've been lifting. :eek:

you could just pick the exercises that are most important to you,
then when you have time/need do the rest.
 
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