Before Maxing out [Forum Archive]

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Before Maxing out

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Posted by: ps2cho

Hey people.

Tommorow in wieght lifting i really want to hit 170 max on bench as the teacher is grading us if we have improved over the last 6 weeks. (i did 150 6weeks ago). I weigh 130lbs and i have done 165lbs before, but im skeptical to whether i can do 170.

Today i have made a smoothie with my whey protein in it along with 3 cheese sandwiches. Im saving some of the smoothie to give me a boost in the morning tommorow before i lift.

Apart from getting a good nights rest and eating another meal later for dinner, is there anything else that i should do to make sure my body is ready for maxing? Are there any workouts that are good?

I usually do some press-ups before i go to bed every night. Anything i should do?

Thanks, ps2cho

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

"Finding Your One-Rep Max

To determine your 1 rep max you should not train for 48 hours. You should also perform the test before you do any other exercise. If you try and test your 1 rep max after a hard workout you will not be able to lift maximum weight. You need to warm up properly before lifting, this will help to increase your strength and prevent injury. Start off by doing 5 minutes of light cardio (stationary bike, treadmill, jogging in place, etc.). Then do the following stretching and warm up exercises.

Arm circles:
Keep your arms straight and perform arm circles forwards and backwards. Do 15-20 circles in each direction.

Push ups:
Do a couple sets of push ups (do 20-30 total reps, i.e. 2 sets of 15 reps). Do not work too hard, you only want to get the blood flowing and warm up your joints.

Arm rotation for the rotator cuff:
Warm up your shoulder joints by standing with your arms straight out to the sides, bend your elbows so they are at 90 degree angles. Rotate your arms so that your forearms point up and then rotate your arms so that your forearms point out in front. Do 20-30 rotations.

Rear dumbbell flyes:
Hold a pair of light dumbbells and bend over at the waist. Keeping your back parallel to the floor, move just your arms and lift the dumbbells to the back in a fly motion. Really focus on squeezing the back of your shoulders together as you lift the dumbbells. Do 3 sets of 15-20 reps.

Here's how to determine your 1 rep max.

(Note: make sure to have an experienced spotter handy just in case you need help lifting the barbell.)

Do a couple of light sets for 5 reps. (do not wear your self out with too many reps)

Rest 2 minutes.

Increase the weight and do a set of 3 reps.

Rest 2 minutes.

Increase the weight and do another set of 3 reps.

Rest 3 minutes.

Increase the weight and do a single rep.

If you fail to lift the weight, rest 3 minutes, reduce the weight, and try to do a single rep again. If you succeeded in lifting the weight, rest 3 minutes, increase the weight, and try to do a single rep again. Keep repeating this process until you have found the maximum weight that you can lift for a single rep.

Write down your 1 rep max and the date you lifted it, this will help you keep track of your progress."

Posted by: TriZZle305

For me personally that would be too much right before i max out.. Make sure you get a good warmup with the arm circles and then one set of light bench press to get your form in order and some blood pumping then go for it... I believe its more the technique in "maxing out" then the pre-warmup... just make sure when you lay down to max out squeeze your shoulderblades together to make yourself more stable.. almost like you're sticking your chest out or up in the air .. get a good foot placement(never on the bench) and when you go down keep it under control nice and steady and once you tap your chest explode up through the weight, drive your feet into the ground like you're trying to push yourself off the bench, that force will travel all the way through your arms and help you get the weight up... but what is even more important is your concentration and your belief that you CAN get that extra 5 pounds... if you go in there unsure of yourself its likely that you will fail.

Posted by: TJ Cline

48 hours?????????? you should not lift for at least 6 days before the max.

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

48 hours?????????? you should not lift for at least 6 days before the max.

When I don't lift for 6 days, all my lifts go down for a week. But I would agree you shouldn't do any chest/shoulder/tricep work for 6 days.

Posted by: ps2cho

Yea i think that that amount of reps on bench would tire you out too fast.
Thats another question. How slow should i bring it down for the max?
Should it be really slow and total control, or a reasonable speed down so that it does not impede the effect trying to go up? (like not fast enough that it is harder to stop when it gets to the chest)

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

Yea i think that that amount of reps on bench would tire you out too fast.
Thats another question. How slow should i bring it down for the max?
Should it be really slow and total control, or a reasonable speed down so that it does not impede the effect trying to go up? (like not fast enough that it is harder to stop when it gets to the chest)

Don't go slow for a 1RM

Posted by: ps2cho

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

48 hours?????????? you should not lift for at least 6 days before the max.

Yea when i didn't lift for 5days once my reps for 135 dropped from 6 to 3...thats too long...

Posted by: ps2cho

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

Don't go slow for a 1RM

So not too fast down, but not too slow right?

Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

When I don't lift for 6 days, all my lifts go down for a week. But I would agree you shouldn't do any chest/shoulder/tricep work for 6 days.

Have you ever lifted in a sanctioned power lifting meet????

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Have you ever lifted in a sanctioned power lifting meet????

No, I'm just saying when I don't go to the gym for 6 days my lifts are less when I come back. Also, I didn't write that artical I just got it from another thread.

Posted by: TriZZle305

I go down slow when i max out.. not as slow as if you were training negatives but under control, you dont want to come down too fast because you give your body no time to adjust to the extreme weight and you risk bouncing off your chest too hard..

Posted by: ps2cho

If your lifts are less after a certain amount of days...then why would you rest that long, only to loose more weight when you max?

Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

No, I'm just saying when I don't go to the gym for 6 days my lifts are less when I come back. Also, I didn't write that artical I just got it from another thread.

If thats true then you are not working out hard enough when you train. If you bench (i.e. chest) really hard, it will take a full week for you to recover.

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by TriZZle305

I go down slow when i max out.. not as slow as if you were training negatives but under control, you dont want to come down too fast because you give your body no time to adjust to the extreme weight and you risk bouncing off your chest too hard..

That's about what I ment, don't go as slow as when you are training, but kept it from bouncing. If you bounce it wouldn't count in a meet, not sure about your lifting class though.

Posted by: ps2cho

I dont think he's too picky unless its a blantant bounce where it could hurt us.
But bouncing it isnt good for our rib cage anyway is it?

Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

I dont think he's too picky unless its a blantant bounce where it could hurt us.
But bouncing it isnt good for our rib cage anyway is it?

OMFG

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

If thats true then you are not working out hard enough when you train. If you bench (i.e. chest) really hard, it will take a full week for you to recover.

I think we are misunderstanding each other. I do train chest once a week, and I do train hard enough. what I am talking about is, say I trained this week, chest monday, and finished my weekly training on sunday. Now say I took a week off training after that. Then after that week off I came back and did chest on monday that would be 7 days sence I lasted trained, but 14 days sence I trained chest.

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

I dont think he's too picky unless its a blantant bounce where it could hurt us.
But bouncing it isnt good for our rib cage anyway is it?

NO. That is very dangerous.

Posted by: ps2cho

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

OMFG

Please refer to the title of this board.

EDIT: yes i obviously know that it is bad. But at our weights of 150lbs'ish Im talking about a very slight resting kinda. I see a few kids do it when they rep and it doesnt look too good...

But still at any weight its not good.

EDIT agian: heh sry. I think i over exagurated a little when i said only if its a blatnat bounce. Im sure he will stop us in our tracks if we did. Although i have never seen him tell anybody.

Posted by: TJ Cline

Ok I thought this was easy but....If you have to do a max on bench press you need to take off at least 6 days from you're last chest workout before the max date. Also you need to take off 72 hours or more off of all exercising before the max date.

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Ok I thought this was easy but....If you have to do a max on bench press you need to take off at least 6 days from you're last chest workout before the max date. Also you need to take off 72 hours or more off of all exercising before the max date.

Yes, I agree with you. That is what I am trying to say.

Posted by: ps2cho

ok thanks guys, ill remember this.
Oh yes i have one last question.

I currently am looking more towards building more muscle for looks more than gaining strength for lifting(even though i find it a great morale boost!.)

I wanna build my chest more inwards basically as its kinda flat near the center between the two pektorials(is that the right muscle name?)
What's the best way to do that? I realize that favoring a closer grip on bench than a wider grip uses more chest correct? But any other good workouts to help here?

Thanks again for all replies...Im a Weight-Lifting-Newbie.

ps2cho,

Posted by: ihateschoolmt

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

I wanna build my chest more inwards basically as its kinda flat near the center between the two pektorials(is that the right muscle name?)
What's the best way to do that? I realize that favoring a closer grip on bench than a wider grip uses more chest correct? But any other good workouts to help here?

Thanks again for all replies...Im a Weight-Lifting-Newbie.

ps2cho,

you can't build part of your chest, but DB presses use more chest than bench press. Also, close grip uses more tricep, and minimizes chest usage.

Posted by: TriZZle305

you're a little backwards.. wider grip= more chest, closer grip=more tricep... get your diet in order and your chest will grow as a whole, not inward out or outward in

Posted by: ps2cho

Oh i always thought that Triceps were wide grip as your using more of an arm movement upwards and when you do close grip it seems that the chest has to kind of scrunch together a lot more.

That will help

Posted by: BigDyl

"Push ups:
Do a couple sets of push ups (do 20-30 total reps, i.e. 2 sets of 15 reps). Do not work too hard, you only want to get the blood flowing and warm up your joints."

I disagree with this. That is a hell of alot of push-ups, and they don't even "warm you up" for the exersize. I suggest starting light and working your way up doing warmup reps of said exersize.

Posted by: Squaggleboggin

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

If thats true then you are not working out hard enough when you train. If you bench (i.e. chest) really hard, it will take a full week for you to recover.

If it does take a full week, why does the famous Westside powerlifting routine call for biweekly training of parts? I know there is a dynamic and max effort day for chest each week, and obviously it's being worked very hard. Doesn't this go against what you're saying?

Posted by: KentDog

I would do a warmup set 8-12 reps of bench at a very light weight, then increase the weight by 20 lb increments doing one rep. Then when you feel you are getting close to your max, increase by smaller increments (10 pounds, then just 5). That's how I did it in high school.

Posted by: myCATpowerlifts

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

OMFG

What the hell is your problem dude?
Make sensible posts that are not critical.

How old are you?

Posted by: Dale Mabry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaggleboggin

His rule doesn't apply here because you don't max out every week for Westside. You need full recovery for a pure max out, you don't for a westside max effort day.

Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:

Originally Posted by myCATpowerlifts

What the hell is your problem dude?
Make sensible posts that are not critical.

How old are you?

I did make sensible posts; then this person started talking about bouncing the weight off his chest....I would say that technique is not sensible, and is open to disbelief and amazement. However in the future I will try ( but probably fail) to be more positive in my responses.

Posted by: Mudge

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

No, I'm just saying when I don't go to the gym for 6 days my lifts are less when I come back. Also, I didn't write that artical I just got it from another thread.

I would guess that your volume is low and higher reps? Anywho...

I dont see how a protein shake is going to bump up your max, and cheese sandwiches???

On the negative portion of the lift you go as slow as you need to avoid injury, but you dont want to go so slow that you tire out or kill the stretch reflex response.

Long rest periods between warmups on your way to your 1RM attempt. I also like to walk away from the bench, and then come back to the bench only when I'm fully ready. So if you've developed or noticed little mind things that help you out, use them.

Posted by: ps2cho

Ok in the end he did not do bench on thursday and we did deadlift max. I managed to do 250 on it after almost getting 285...soooo close. but i died on it and lost all my energy.

Ok so we are maxing bench on tuesday. I worked out hard on friday night and im really sore now so i'll rest and not do anything until tuesday when we max correct?

Would doing a few push ups every night help? or should i do complete rest and not work out anything?

thanks, ps2cho

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