Question by Jason V: Question on crossfit workout. What’s the process of finding 1 rm?
Some workouts call to find 1 rm on am exercise, then work w a percentage of that 1 rm. How do I go about finding 1 rm?
Best answer:
Answer by Andrew
I’m a level I Certified CrossFit trainer and I typically have my clients learn the techniques correctly in their olympic lifts (ie. deadlift, back squat, power clean, snatch, etc.) before I allow them to progress to getting a 5, 3, or 1 rep max. Work on your form and watch videos on how to properly do the lifts. You can really strain something and hurt yourself if you do these wrong. So it wouldn’t hurt to practice practice practice before you start following the 7×1′s.
However, if you are at the point where you are strong enough and smart enough to execute the lifts correctly and safely then work up to a 1 rep max by implementing a couple of progressively growing light sets before hand (as a warm up) of maybe 2-3 sets of 3-5 repetitions of your desired lift. This will insure you are properly warmed up to engage the muscles needed. Like I said, LIGHT is the keyword here. If you may think your deadlift is around 400 then your three set/three rep warmup may look something like, 235 lb, 255 lb, 275 lb.
After your warm-up, I would say you would be ready to start adding the weight. Start off moderately heavy but don’t be a musclehead. It’s always smart to start light and progressively get heavier. If the weight feels somewhat heavy then this may be your max or close to it, jump up only a few pounds at a time. If it feels way too light then throw on some weight until you feel some stress. You are the judge here. Just make educated guesses on your weight at first and be SAFE. Have someone watch you or film yourself.If your form starts falling apart, quit lifting and clock your last lift. This will be your max.
Be safe the whole time!
Remember, weight on your heels, shoulders back, head up, back tight, and never round your back!
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