A very common question we often hear in our discussion forums is – Can One Rep Max testing that is done in STS be applied to other weight workouts? The good news is – yes it can!
The entire purpose of 1RM testing is to help you determine the correct weights you should use for any exercise program that uses a normal rep pattern at a normal up and down cadence (less than or equal to 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down). If you’re doing a workout routine that has exercises that use a rep pattern like; 7 full reps followed by 7 half reps and finishes with 7 full reps with slow negatives, one rep max testing will not be very accurate, but can still help you make a better weight selection.
If you need to select a weight that you could only do for a certain amount of reps would you know what weight to use for every exercise? Most people don’t and studies show that when weight selection is left to an exerciser who has not done 1RM testing they usually select a weight that is way too easy to maximize their workout results.
Here is guide that can help you select the right weight depending on the amount reps you want to do for any exercise routine using a normal rep tempo.
For a warm up I suggest you use about 50% of your 1RM
If you want to do 20 reps: use about 60% of your 1RM
If you want to do 15 reps : use about 70% of your 1RM
If you want to do 10 – 12 reps: use about 75% of your 1RM
If you want to do 8-10 reps: use about 80% of your 1RM
If you want to do 6 reps: use about 85% of your 1RM
If you want to do 2 -3 reps: use about 90% of your 1RM
As you can see from the above list you can easily and quickly select the right weight for any exercise as long as you know the amount of required reps. For example, if your 1RM for a bench press is 100 lbs and you’re doing a workout routine that wants you to do 15 reps you would simply look at the above chart and see you should be using a weight that is 70% of your one rep max (100 x .70 =70 lbs).
The amount of rest between sets and the amount of sets will also be a factor in how well One Rep Max testing accurately predicts the correct weight you should use. Generally speaking you need at least 30 seconds rest between endurance exercises (15 -20 reps), 60 seconds rest between hypertrophy exercises (10- 12 reps), and 3 – 5 minutes of rest for strength exercises (6 or less reps). You may have to adjust your weights down if the exercise routine you are doing has quicker rest periods or has a high volume of sets. Your endurance and recovery level will also be a factor with most women generally needing much less recovery time than men.
You can easily calculate your One Rep max for any exercises by using our free one rep max calculator in our Free online Workout Manager.
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