Proper warmup before 1 rep max

[RayL]

Does anyone have good advice on the best way to warmup before attempting a 1 rep max? I know most guys out there will say..."why are you worried about a 1 rep max." Well, for me, it is a huge psychological barrier. I have come so close to a 300lb bench press so many times over the years but never quite achieving it because of tendonitis in my shoulders or some other factor that would cause me to stop training. I have never used any gear and wanted to achieve this before I do my first cycle. Recently, I did 295 for an ugly but successful repetition. I plan on trying 300 sometime next month. I am trying to figure out how many warm-up sets and how much weight I should use before I attempt this. Sometimes I feel like I warm-up too much, thus, reducing the amount of weight for my 1 rep max. On the other hand, sometimes the 1 rep max feels heavier if I don't use a heavy enough weight for the warm-up.

[Short_Guy]

While I have nothing constructive to add, I'd love to hear some opinions on this as well.

And I echo your "psychological barrier" comments 100%.

[powerlifterjay]

Well what i do is get good and warm with really light weight. Anyone who has seen my compete will vouch for the fact that i am usually the last lifter in the last flight, and i am ALWAYS the first one warming up. I do several speed sets with the bar only. Prolly 2 to 3 sets of 5. Between sets i am doing light rotator work with about 10lbs. I then do sets of 5 with 135. Usually 3 or 4. Then 225 for 5 2 sets, then 315x3 2 sets, 405x3, 455x1, 500x1 then max. For me a raw max is (was) 550. If i am competeing with shirt my max was 625 so i would shirt up at 500 and do 550 with shirt then max. So i assume you mean raw.

MY point in showing that was i get warmed up but as the weight gets taxing i hold back. But lift it enough times to get my muscles working.

For 300 i would probably do bar x 10, 135x5- 2sets, 185x3, 225x2 to 3, then here is where your judge ment comes in. What can you do for a hard ass , and i mean hard ass triple? Well do that once. Then go for 300. So maybe 260 -275 for 1 easy rep. Then go balls out!!

Hope this gives you a good idea of how i do it.

[RayL]

powerlifterjay, thanks for the advice. I will give it a try.

[chinups]

"What can you do for a hard ass , and i mean hard ass triple? Well do that once"

PLJay-What does thi mean? Do a weight for 3? Then max out.

[built4life]

warm up! dont warm up heavy at all. for a 1rm, i really dont think you should do them. i think that they are pointless. on the other hand i would say that doing 2 reps are the best. first things first. your mind is everything, then your body comes next. what i would do to prepare for the big day is to start with nutrition. for me i eat a big plate of spagetti 45 minutes before i hit the gym. (remember that 1rm maxes should not be attepted all the time and i find that the best time to do them is when your body lets you know, not when you let your body know, but on the other hand if you wanna force it, go for it.) second after gettting to the gym warm up with about 5 min of moderate cardio. dont lift cold. after that stretch. stretching has been known to decrease the amount of weight lifted but better safe than sorry. second warm up LIGHT! you dont have to go to failure just do about 12 and make sure that in doing this dont drain energy.warm up chest,stretch triceps and delts. this will insure that you successfully completed 2 nice reps with good form.

**first and foremost***
if your stuck in a rut apply these principles-
1.big triceps= big weight
2.big forearms(or work them out!)= stability(dumbells mostly)
3.properly developed shoulder(balance)= low risk to injury
4.PRACTICE FORM!!
5.big lats=big chest

train these areas hard for 6 weeks and try your 1rm after your rest days

[RealMenBench]

10 reps ... roughly 60% of your max (my previous max was 385, so the reps were 10x225 <--- 6 lbs. lighter than my 60%)

2 min rest

5 reps ... roughly 80% of your max (this was 5x315 for me)

2 min rest

3 reps ... roughly 90% of your max (this was 3x350)

rest 4 min

attempt 1 rep max (your judgement comes in here)

[temperoath]

I understand your psychological reasons for wanting to max. i usually only max out about twice a year, if that.

Any ways i agree with the other posts. Start of with a light weight for a couple of sets. This will get the blood shooting to your muscles.

Then you need to do a couple of weight acclimitization sets to get used to going heavier, and so you don't pull or strain anything. (One of my buddies jumped on a bench to max out without warming up, and put himself out for about 2 months....OUCH).

That being said, warming up is very important for maxing, and working out. Taking your strength into account, do those couple of warm ups, and a few acclimitization sets. Soon, you'll find out what warmup works for you, and you won't burn yourself out before the max attempt, but rather prime your muscle for maximum effort!