how to prepare for max rep testing
New year, same ol brutally hard work and dedication. 2024 is not special, it will still come down working your ass off as violently towards a goal. Ok Let's talk about Block 1.
If I were to characterize this month as something, it would be setting a baseline.
What is our level of strength, body composition, and overall fitness? We have so many things we want to dive into: current body composition (fat mass, lean muscle mass), relative strength (KPI neutral grip pullup, KPI bench), overall strength (3RM front squat, 3RM neutral grip pullup, and 3RM trap bar deadlift), and as always our jump, eccentric hamstring strength, and grip strength.
Why so many metrics? One thing is that we all have different goals, so we want to accommodate those goals by having as many metrics as possible. Another aspect is that we want to understand where progress is occurring and then find out where that progress came from. This allows us to better understand what impact our program is having which allows us to write even better programs in the future.
The final aspect is that training can be a lot of things, but there is one certainty.
Hard work and consistency are the epicenters of anything positive that comes from spending hours training each week.
The reason why we all probably resonate with training, aside from looking amazing, is the association that you are rewarded for the effort you put in. There are not as many things as pure as working your ass off 3-4 times a week and seeing yourself improve. For us to see that we need markers of progress based on change from a baseline.
There is an adage in college S&C that I live by, “you don't rise to the occasion, you fall to your level of preparation”.
I love that line because it represents that there is no hiding when it comes to laying it on the line. You will be a product of the work you did, or you will be the victim of the work you did not do. We all face battles in our life, it is refreshing to have something that you put your heart and soul into and manifest itself into something better.
A couple of notes with rep max testing we need to establish.
You go to technical failure with at least one rep in reserve. Loss of ROM such as depth on squat, not getting above the bar on pullup, bouncing on the ground on deadlift, or not touching chest on bench or pushup means you reached your technical limit. Loss of position such as dropping your chest and butt back on squat, swinging on pullup, rounding back on deadlift, or arching on bench means you reached technical limits.
We see it all the time in training, this accommodating number on the bar or number of reps with altered ROM or position. We have lost sight of the point when we do this. The point is that exercises are a means to the end, not the end itself. Never sacrifice the integrity in which you do an exercise. The consequence is increased risk and equally important a detachment from standards. If you reduce ROM or alter position to reach an arbitrary number, you have no standard, and that number is meaningless. Success is relative to a standard of movement equally as much as change relative to baseline.
Tim Caron Pro Tips:
Warm-Up Sets Matter - Think like you are setting up for a free throw, have a routine
Control Your Breath - Reps are lost when we lose our inhale-exhale timing
3 Weapons - Where your eyes, hands and feet make a world a difference with technique
First Rep is Hardest - I'll spare the neurophysiology and hydrodynamics of why this is true, but associate your ability on the second, not the first rep
Set a Target - Having a number before you start can give objectives to reach during the set, you develop this understanding through training and how you feel during warm ups
Lock In - Avoid fraternizing, your level of focus will have a profound effect on performance
Focus on the three mantras of S&C:
Have Fun
Work Hard
Maintain the Standard