So I am on my 5/3/1 week of my third cycle of 5/3/1. I decided to test my true 1RM this week. I am doing this purely out of curiosity and to see what my real numbers are. My question is will this slow my progress with the program? For my last set im supposed to be doing 1+. Instead I stopped at 1 and then added more weight to go for a max. I know those extra sets are what build strength so am I hampering my strength gains by doing a 1RM instead of repping out with the weight I should be using?
Also how do you go about testing your 1RM. Today I benched and my last set of 1+ was 215. I did that then put 235 on and did 1 rep, realized I could do more and put 245 on and did 1 rep. I deffinately could have gotten more but I stopped cause I assumed fatigue from the previous sets would interfere. Is there a good wat about picking which weight to try for your max single? Or a progression based on percentages? Thanks
This is not a “3 weeks to be strong” program. So, no. Of course not. That’s a dumb question.
Every 11 weeks? Why would you? That’s only 3 cycles. Just keep going with the program. I guess you could if you were curious but there is no real advantage of doing that.
Testing true max twice a year is enough. 3x maybe if you were talking about hitting new max lifts in a competition setting.
Just get in there and do the program. The idea is to get stronger. The numbers are fairly irrelevant.
Wendler said somewhere that you can go for a few heavy singles after your work set, so if you wanna do that go ahead. I think there is a difference between heavy singles (90%+ 1RM) and going for a true 1RM. A true 1RM will generally not have great form, since you are straining extremely hard to do so, while 90%+ with rock solid form will help you become accustomed to heavier weights. The 5/3/1 program already includes these on the last set of the 3 day and the single on the 5/3/1 day, so you don’t need to add any more afterwards, but I like doing them every few workouts if I’m feeling fresh.
Maybe the question is more like, “Do I need a true 1RM for this program?” The answer is no. In fact the program does not even use your true 1RM to get your training weights, it uses 10% less than that. You can estimate a 1RM using the calculator he provides. Where your progress shows is not your tested 1RM but your reps and weights going up.
For a true 1RM you really need to treat it like a powerlifting meet and do it after a deload week. Not tacked on at the end of a training session. Yes, you can do it that way but it kind of misses the whole point. There is no way you are going to lift your 1RM after a 5/3/1 rep workout. It would be more like a 1/1/1 series of sets after some warm ups, just like a comp.
Sounds like you are just starting out and are all excited about 1RM so fine, go and give it a poke. It won’t destroy your program and it won’t be too much to set you back in training. Just don’t fret about it for your program settings, it doesn’t really matter.
I have been lifting for like a year and 4 months and never tested my 1RM. Haha so yeah this was just out of curiosity. And no the results will not be factored into my programming in any way. I wish I had treated it like a powerlifting meet and done it after a deload, but that would mess with the 5/3/1 programming. I’m hoping its close enough to accurate though. Anyone know how to progress with those singles though? Like how much weight should I add to each single as I get to my 1RM?
For example my next lift I’ll test is the deadlift. my last set of the 5/3/1 reps is 345. How should I work up to a 1RM from here?
I guess the only answer I have is I care haha Like I said I’ve never tested a true 1RM before and I want to know how much weight I can truly handle. I also wanted to see how accurate the 1RM calculator is, and for my bench it was pretty spot on. Besides I just wanted to experience how heavy a true 1RM felt.
When would you test though? Say testing bench before your bench workout for the week? IMO wasted workout. Testing it after your bench workout for the week? Won’t be accurate. Test it during the deload? Takes the point out of it
Anybody have any idea on how to work up to my 1RM on deadlifts? I’m doing the 5/3/1 sets which are 275x5, 310x3, 345x1. Agter that should i go up by 20lbs for each single? I’m assuming my 1RM is somewhere between 375 and 405.
[quote]bulkNcut wrote:
Anybody have any idea on how to work up to my 1RM on deadlifts? I’m doing the 5/3/1 sets which are 275x5, 310x3, 345x1. Agter that should i go up by 20lbs for each single? I’m assuming my 1RM is somewhere between 375 and 405. [/quote]
Tim Henriques had a great article on how to test your 1RM:
The key is to warm-up thoroughly without crossing the line into fatigue. It’s about juggling volume and load as you go from set to set. Something to keep in mind when you give it a shot.
Thanks Chris. His template for a 1RM for a high frequency warm up squat is EXACTLY what I was going to do for my deadlift. I’m not sure why his deadlift high frequency is different though. I thik im gonna use the squat template