Prodigy

Hey everyone,

I have a few questions regarding incorporating my 1RM into my routine. My routine is set up so that each week, the mass of the weights used depends on a percentage of my 1RM.

The problem is, I have to calculate my 1RM after each week to find the weight that I need to use for the next week. Without doing this I am not increasing the intensity which means I am not really improving. So my question is, how and when do I do this? Or is there a better way?

I was thinking of just taking the number of reps I do in my final set and dividing it by a percentage that corresponds to that number of reps. This would work providing each week the number of sets are the same, because it would be all relative. However my routine is not set up like that, so the max found one week would not relate to the next week. For example, here is my Flat BP workout for 3 weeks.

Monday # 1: 6 sets of 6 reps at 80% 1RM.
Monday # 2: 4 sets of 12 reps at 75% 1RM.
Monday # 3: 5 sets of 10 reps at 70% 1RM.

So as you can see, if I use the above method to find my relative 1RM after week one (say i do 8 reps in my final set) then I have my 1RM relative to that number of sets. But then the next week, I have a different number of sets, so I can't use the relative 1RM for week 1 to find the poundage needed for week 2.

How do I get around this? I really like my routine, and don't plan on changing it as I have just finished putting a ton of work into developing it. I am going for hypertrophy with some strength gains, mostly hypertrophy so I can get big and then later I will develop strength (once I have something to develop onto. )

Thanks,
-Jon

Mudge

You can print this out and put it in your log book, take your weight on the far left first column and count right to the number of reps. If you count all the way over to the right that would be the estimated maximum if you did 10 repetitions with the weight from the first column, i.e. 135x10 = 176



Why only 6 reps @ 80% 1RM?

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Squaggleboggin

You don't need to know your 1RM to know you're increasing intensity. Say you can bench 100 pounds. Do sets of 60 and add 5 pounds to that per week. In 10 weeks, you will be benching 110 pounds and you know you've increased your strength and intensity. It's nice to know the ballpark percentage but it isn't necessary IMO. I started off my program using the percentages, but once I did that, I only added weight as needed rather than maxing out again and making the percentages match accordingly.

Push yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself.
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CowPimp

Agreed. Don't get so caught up in percentages. Just try to implement progressive overload. The only way to find out your new 1RM is to test it.

The only time it's bad to feel the burn is when you're peeing...

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Prodigy

Hey, thanks for the table.

Only 6 reps at 80% 1RM because I'm doing 6 sets of those 6 reps. I am going for hypertrophy, and I read that between 70% and 80% of 1RM for 36 - 50 reps (for total sets of each exercise) was optimal.

So I am varying it, first week is 6x6, second week is 4x12, third week is 5x10.

Is this not a good way of doing it? How would you do it?

Any suggestions welcome, I am fairly new and still learning how to set up the best routine for me.

Prodigy

So how should I do this with the setup that I have...the 6x6 one week, 4x12 the next, and 5x10 the week after? Is this a good way of doing it?

Basically I want to know how much I should do for each of the three set types.

I guess once I find a good ammount for the first week I can go from there using Squaggleboggin's method of increase?

Squaggleboggin

Well, here's what I do. I typically have a 3x3 warm up (three sets three reps each) followed by a 3x2 workout (three sets two reps each). If I complete the working sets (3x2), I add five pounds the next week. It's a small amount but it really adds up over time - I'm doing nearly 300 pounds with SLDLs (starting at probably 135), over 400 pounds with deadlifts (starting at 62.5 on a curl bar haha), and I can do an ATG back squat with 300 (starting with 40 pound dumbbells). I've come a very long way using my method, but I've used it with 5x5 and other routines as well. It works for me. Give it a try - it's simple. If it doesn't work for you after a while, there are plenty of other progressive overload methods to choose from.

So, in your case, estimate a weight you'll use for a given exercise during your 6x6 week. If that seems like a good weight, use it until your muscles are accustomed to the stress. The next time you do 6x6 with that exercise, add five pounds. Do this with each of your cycles (4x12 and 5x10 too) and see how it works out for you. Good luck.

Push yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself.
Knowledge is power. Obsessed with functional strength. Journal

CowPimp

That is one way of doing things. You could also combine them together in each workout. Also, you shouldn't limit yourself purely to the 70-80% range. Anywhere from 3-20 repetitions is useful for hypertrophy, although 5-12 repetitions is generally regarded as the target zone.

Check out this recent post by gopro about varying your repetition ranges to get an idea of what I'm talking about:

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/sh...ad.php?t=55641 (Vary Your Reps to Grow!)


If you care about strength, then implement a little more heavy lifting. Otherwise, play around with the rep ranges a little more. See what sparks growth more, or if there is a big difference at all.

The only time it's bad to feel the burn is when you're peeing...

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Prodigy

Hey that sounds really good. I'll give it a try starting tomorrow.

Thanks, and btw, great work with your lifts, those results are fantastic. What age did you start? (I noticed you are now 16).

Good luck with your training, I see you have set goals for Nov. 12. How are those coming?

Squaggleboggin

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement. I started about thirteen months ago. I've been researching like crazy and I've slowly incorporated the real stuff (as in the smart methods, not the stupid BB crap in magazines) into my routine. A couple weeks ago I did an ATG front squat of 260, an ATG back squat of 295 directly thereafter, and yesterday I hit a 410 deadlift. I expected the deadlift to go up more, but I've lost quite a bit of weight (the 410 was at 211) and my strength has still gone up, so I really can't complain. My bench is simply terrible. I've been doing bottom benches and this week I'm trying reverse grip bottom benches. I've also stopped doing the clean and press (even though it was my favorite lift) because of my shoulder, so I don't really know what that would be. Thanks again for your interest.

It's nice discussing your goals with others. Once you record your max (always record every workout and every PR, including your BW at that PR), I'd recommend setting some mid-term goals (six weeks to six months ahead of the present time) so you have something to aim for. I'd recommend starting your first set of goals about six weeks from the present so you can see whether your goals were realistic, and then you can set more accurate goals later on once you realize how quickly you gain strength. Good luck with your lifting.

Push yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself.
Knowledge is power. Obsessed with functional strength. Journal