Improve Your Lifts by Doing One Rep Max

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about one rep max, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about one rep max.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on one rep max now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

There has always been a debate on whether or not performing a single rep during your exercises is a superb idea. Many people think that if you want to know how much you can lift for one rep you can simply look it up in a chart and avoid any chance of injury. Others feel that there merely is no ground to max out. I’ve heard people say that you should worry about master form and measure your success based on the means you look, not how much weight you are pushing. Granted, if you are a bodybuilder you may not need to do singles but for the rest of us inserting singles in a program can be helpful for several reasons. In fact I swear by them.

Let’s face it everyone that lifts weights can’t help but talk about it. Just the fact that you’re bigger than most people you socialize with or meet will sometimes spark a conversation on the topic. Whether your buddy lifts or knows nothing about it you are likely to be asked the question, “How much can you bench press?” Are you going to reply, I can do 315 lbs for 6 repetitions? It just doesn’t paint the same picture as saying I put up 365 lbs. Perhaps you could care less what people think and the bragging rights don’t matter to you. However if you are a powerlifter or an Olympic lifter you will be tested with a one-rep max. Most high school and college football packages test their players with a one-rep max as well. If you don’t practice the one rep lift how will you be prepared?

If somebody asks you what you bench press, you could forever supply them a projected max founded on what the chart says right? Not inevitably. One of the most important reasons for doing singles is to break past barriers. Using our previous example, if you do 315 lbs for 6 reps you should be able to get a one-rep max of 365 lbs. This is not forever the case. People set up limits in their minds that are tough to overcome. I swear I have seen people do 295 lbs for three reps but they just can’t get 300 lbs. This has nothing to do with strength. This has to do with mental barriers and confidence issues. I personally would not tell someone my one rep max founded on reps. If I know that I have never benched that weight than I just can’t get credit for it based on a chart. Performing a single lift in the bench is a fantastic way to build confidence. Nothing feels amended than actually beating your personal best. If you keep doing singles you will break past sticking points and barriers that you have set for yourself. If you have a goal of benching 300 or 400 lbs the numbers can be very challenging to prepare for when you don’t practice singles. Working your way up with singles will provide you the confidence you need to reach your goals.

Many bodybuilders concentrate on their form and don’t care about how much their max is. Lifting singles can in reality help your form. When you are performing a one-rep max you have to have master form or you will not complete the lift successfully. When you are using lighter weight and doing many reps there is a lot of room for cheating and bad form. You can still complete the lift with sub par form by using other muscles to help. But, when you are maxing out you have only one chance to press the weight and to do so you need absolutely master form. You have to be mentally prepared and your groove has to be precise. There is no room for being sloppy. Before you start working out with singles it’s a good idea to practice strict form with higher reps first. Developing master technique is the key to a heavy single. If you are lifting 275 with careless technique for five reps you won’t be able to do a single of any significance. Build a base and let your body adjust to the heavier workloads. For 2 weeks lift with reps of five. After you have finished this stage you can progress and do sets of 3 reps. Now your form should be down and you have should have adjusted to lifting heavier weights. You can now insert singles to your routine that will help you in your quest for a big bench.

Exploit your weak areas with a single. Like I mentioned before there is more room for error when doing sets with higher reps. You could not be able to determine what aspect of the bench needs work. When you max out you will tend to see where you fell short. This is fantastic for evaluating what area needs improvement. Maybe you couldn’t lock out and you know that you need to work harder on your triceps. Lifting is all trial and error and the single is an effective means to measure your progress and assess what needs to be changed to break the stalemate.

Singles will assist you develop a different kind of strength compared to lifting higher reps. When you lift heavy weights you bring your attachments into the lift. Tendons and ligaments are often the key to unlocking your potential. If you are constantly lifting with higher reps you don’t activate your attachments. Functional strength lies in not in the muscles but in your tendons and ligaments. You’ve heard the expression that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Lifting heavier weight will strengthen your weakest link, which might not be getting the attention it so desperately deserves.

To follow are a few tips for a successful single. Proper warm up is essential to prevent a tear. At the same time there is a balance between warming up and tiring yourself out. I recommend the tracking before doing a single.

Warm up set of 10 reps with a very light weight.

Set of 5-6 reps.

Set of 2-3 with a heavier weight.

Set for 1 rep with a weight closer to your max.

Perform your single.

a few experts think that when performing a single you need a shorter rest period between sets because the progression of sets in warm up is shorter than in your normal workout. Powerlifters will assume that because they are handling with heavier weights they need a longer rest period between sets. I recommend waiting until you have completely returned to your normal breathing pace. Once this has happened get you mentally prepared and than it’s time for other set. Don’t wait so long that you get tight. Let somebody else do a set, get a drink of water and visualize your next lift. Performing a back off set at the end of your single lift will help you preserve the workload. It will also supply you the pump that you are search for.

Follow this advice and you can incorporate singles into your program. Doing them once a month is a superb starting point but as you become more experienced it is okay to do them more sometimes. Everyone is different so try for yourself and let singles assist you build confidence, strengthen your attachments, exploit your weak point, develop perfect form, and break past your personal barriers.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.


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