Making Better Decisions in the Weight Room

If you’ve been in the gym for a while, you’ve probably heard people talk about their 1 rep max, it’s the absolute heaviest weight they can lift for a single repetition. In theory, this sounds like great way to design long(er) term programs. Just plug in the athlete’s 1-rep max and create some submaximal volume work over the requisite timeline and poof: you have a program.

There are several reasons why this should work but most of the time (like 99%), doesn’t. Today, we’re going to discuss why we recommend using a training max, and how it can help you get stronger, healthier, and more consistent.

man lifting weights at Brentwood Barbell

What’s the Difference (1RM vs. TM)

First, your all-time, 1 rep max (1RM). The heaviest weight you’ve ever lifted for one rep in a specific lift. Everybody loves this number but what is often forgotten are the special circumstances under which it was achieved. Think; fresh body, good sleep, great focus, optimal warm-up, and maybe a little adrenaline, and lastly a program phase that “peaked” you for that number (a peak is a specific phase of programming where we increase intensity and drop volume, thus improving your ability to hit heavy weights AND feel more energy doing so). For more on fatigue vs. fitness, check out my previous article: The 2-Factor Fitness Model.

Next up, a training max (TM). This number will be a percentage (often 85–90%) of your most recent (actual) 1RM. This weight should be used to base training on.

An athlete’s 1RM and TM will be more or less similar based on the special conditions under which the 1RM was achieved. For example, if the athlete runs a 3-week peak, his 1RM will have been achieved under fresh conditions and thus, likely much higher. If the athlete were to simply walk into the gym and work up to a single repetition, his weight would likely be lower and thus more similar to his/her training max.

In short, people can easily get themselves into trouble when they base day-to-day training on performances achieved under special (i.e., not day-to-day) circumstances. Let’s look at why this is the case.

Why a Training Max Works Better for Busy Adults

Strength isn’t static. I know, you benched 315 in high school, everyone did but that was a long time ago. More likely, your best lift might have happened on a perfect day six months ago. You were rested, well-fed, not stressed about work (or kids), and were peaked. Today, you’re stressed about an upcoming work deadlift, your kid got suspended, you haven’t slept well, and your nutrition was less than stellar over the weekend because you had college friends in town, and you decided to have a few drinks and get pizza on Saturday.

Sound familiar?

A training max builds in margin, letting you progress without pushing your body past its limits. Think of it as “working hard enough” to drive progress but also giving you enough wiggle room to account for less than awesome days.

Consistency is King

Lifting at or near your all-time max regularly will stiffen joints, tendons, and connective tissue. Over time, that can show up as pain, injury, and time away from training, and just generally feel like garbage.

Training max work keeps you in a safe, repeatable range where your form stays sharp and your body adapts without breaking down.

The adults we work with win on consistency, not intensity. They definitely work hard, no question, but we don’t ask them to train at red-line RPM levels each day.

More Good Days = Fewer Bad Ones

If your percentages are based on an all-time 1RM, you’ll hit days where the weight feels impossibly heavy. That kills confidence and makes you more likely to skip sessions. Or, more likely, you’ll simply miss the scheduled work. With a training max, you can complete the work and finish feeling like you could do more. I realize this is counterintuitive, but you should leave the gym (most days), feeling like you could do more.

Maximizing the Training Max

We like to keep our programming cycles short in duration (like ~ 3 weeks). This allows us to frequently examine the relationship between training maxes and the work being done. We can easily adjust the training max based on the athlete’s cycle performance. Examples here include fast/slow bar speed, AMRAP assessments with the training max, and just general athlete enthusiasm to train.

We have found that placing the primary barbell exercises on “cruise control” (i.e., training them sub-maximally with a TM) and pushing the assistance exercises, athlete’s feel better, enjoy their training more, and SHOW UP more frequently. These are all massive wins with working with busy adults (or anyone really).

How to Set a Training Max

The simplest way:

Find your current 1RM in a lift.
Multiply it by 85–90%.
Base all your training percentages off that number.

If your best squat is 200 lbs., your training max at 90% would be 180 lbs.
So if your program calls for 5 sets of 5 at 75% of your training max, you’re working with ~135 lbs.—not 150 lbs. That small difference means more quality reps, less wear and tear, and better long-term results.

The quality of this set up can be increased by keeping the training cycle short. From here, complete a 3–4-week program, if it goes well, the athlete can easily add 5-10lbs to his/her training max, repeat the barbell work with slightly heavier numbers and add in some new accessory work. This set up is incredibly simple and works incredibly well!

If the 1RM in question was set more than 6-8 weeks ago, I’d have the athlete just work up to a reasonable weight that day, we could then create a training max based on the number hit.

A note to consider – many athletes want to make a massive jump from cycle to cycle. Let’s use quick scenario to illustrate an important point.

John is completing a 4-week cycle for his squat, his TM is 315lbs. It’s going really well, and John decides on the last day he will work up to a new single repetition. It did go well and John hit 345 on this day.

John will very likely want to use this as his new training max for the next 3 weeks. I get it, it makes sense on paper but here’s the consequence of that decision.

Recent TM: 315
New TM: 345
Previous Session Ex: 315 x 5 x 5 = 25 reps at 315 (7,875lbs.)
New Session Ex: 345 x 5 x 5 = 25 reps at 345 (8,625lbs.)

In just 3 weeks, John expects his body to absorb an additional 800lbs during a single session. In our gym, we squat 2x per week so that’s 6 squat sessions over 3 weeks. Using this example, that would be an additional 4,800lbs. over just 3 weeks. Now the reality is that every squat workout isn’t 25 reps, but you can see how this is a massive increase.

My advice: take the single when it’s there and you’re feeling great. Then, pretend like it never happened. I’d recommend John enjoy the 345 but use 320 or 325 for his next cycle. I know people want to go faster than this. I also know as a physical therapist, that a lot of “healthy gym goers” are jacked up. I’ve made these mistakes in my own training many times.

Instead, win on consistency.

The Long Game Wins

Strength training isn’t about proving you can lift the most weight on any given day.
It’s about showing up, session after session, and stacking small improvements then using momentum to start walking, jogging, or rucking. And once you’re doing that consistently, start leveling up your nutrition.

1 year of lifting 3x per week, walking 10K steps per day, and eating adequate protein will put you in the top 10% of people as far as function, energy, and resilience go. I’ll take that.

Using a training max keeps you in the game longer, helps you progress more steadily, and very likely, reduces injury risk. Over time, you’ll not only surpass your old 1RM, but you’ll also do it with less aches, setbacks, and long layoffs that come from constantly chasing PRs. For more on that, read my pervious article: Raising the Floor.

TLDR

Your all-time 1 rep max is a milestone. Your training max is a strategy. If long term health and strength are important to you, choose the strategy.

Hope this helps. Want to talk more, Book a Meeting with one of our coaches.

Talk soon,

James