A common practice among people who have been exercising for a while is to track and adjust the load they use based on percentages of their 1RM (rep max - aka the most weight you’ve ever lifted, for 1 rep). This can be an interesting way to track progress over time, but the approach needs to be used with caution, and today we’ll explore why.
The first reason is that 1RM percentages are only accurate if we have an accurate measurement of our true 1RM. If we overestimate it, the training intensities will be too high, leading to poor execution and increasing the potential of injury. On the other hand, if we underestimate our 1RM, the training intensities will be too low, leading to limited progress. Testing (and constantly retesting) 1RM of multiple exercises demands a good amount of time, so may not be the best approach for those who exercise 2-3x/wk.
The second - and the most important - reason, is that a given percentage represents a different challenge depending on factors like the exercise chosen, the level of experience of the athlete, or even the gender of the athlete.
For example, one study (1) found that when exercising at 80% of the respective exercise, trained men can perform about 12 reps of back squats (BS), but only 9 reps of bench press (BP). With 60% of the respectives 1RMs, they performed 30 reps of BS, but only 22 of BP. Another one (2) showed significant differences on the number of reps performed by males and females at their relative percentages, and also different number of reps depending on the exercise chosen.
So for those reasons, when we program the workouts at Body Shop, we usually prefer to simply work with max repetitions for the day. For example, if we ask our clients to do 8-10 reps, we want a load that they can do at least 8 reps, but not more than 10. If they can do 11 or more, it’s too light. If they can’t get to 8, it’s too heavy. That simple! It goes without saying that the technique must be great, always.
That being said, tracking our loads can be great to see progress over time. Whether it is through a notebook, an app or a note on your phone. To keep it simple, my suggestion is to choose 4-5 movements (squat, deadlift, bench press, lunges and pull ups for example), and track your 1RM every 3-6 months. Keeping in mind that the more trained we get, the harder it becomes to lift heavier. A beginner may lift heavier every week, while an advanced gym goer may need months before hitting a new personal record.
Willian Alba
PMID: 17194239
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/1990/05000/relationship_between_repetitions_and_selected.4.aspx
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