


Instead of doing a test, you can estimate your 1-rep max if you know your max amount of strength at a different rep range. Alternative: use a different rep-max and estimate with a calculator Once you’ve reached the highest weight you can lift for one rep, that is your new 1RM. Keep increasing weight until you reach your limit, resting in between tries. Go for the heaviest weight you can lift with good technique. Increase the load and drop the repetitions to one. Rest 1–5 min until you feel fully recovered. Increase the weight to a load you can do 3 reps with, which will be around 80% of your 1RM. How long exactly depends on when you feel 100% recovered and ready to complete the next step. Warm up with a weight you can comfortably do 6–10 repetitions with, which will be around 50% of your 1RM. To test your 1RM, use the following procedure: 1: Warm up Beginners don’t need to max out because their technique isn’t solid yet, which can be dangerous at high loads ( 3). A 2022 study found that 1RM testing was not ideal for beginners. If the technique is not dialed in from the start, the tension can target your muscles and joints improperly, which can be dangerous and work against your goals. As the weight gets heavier, it’s easy for your form to get sloppier. Pick an exercise you can do with good technique. When you fail, there needs to be something or someone to catch the weight to keep you safe from injury. If testing your 1RM for a free-weight movement, it’s imperative that you use a good spotter - or at the very least a safety rack for barbell movements. It’s been proven as a reliable way to test muscular strength.īefore you make the decision to test your 1-rep max in an exercise, here are a couple of parameters to consider: SummaryĪ 1-rep max is the most amount of weight you can lift for one rep of a given exercise. This applies to different age groups, males and females, and single-joint or multi-joint exercises ( 1).Īn older 2003 study determined that conducting a 1-rep max test is safe for healthy children and adults as long as they follow appropriate procedures - a finding that’s still cited by research today ( 2). It can also help you estimate how much weight to lift in the future based on the desired number of repetitions.įor example, if you want to challenge yourself with 5 reps of back squats and you know your 1-rep max number for this exercise, you can simply calculate the weight to put on the barbell as 85–90% of your 1-rep max.Īccording to a review from 2020, finding your 1-rep max is a reliable test of overall muscular strength. It’s used as a marker of overall strength and power in the exercise. A 1-rep max refers to the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition of a given exercise.
