Ok, so my goal for benchpress is 300 pounds 1 rep max. I mainly want to achieve this because I was in powerlifting in highschool and I thought that would always be great to achieve… anyhow. My buddy said that if you can get 225 ten times, then your 1 rep max is most likely right at or close to 300 pounds.
To me this sounds reasonable… but I’m not entirely sure. I can get 225 about 8 times with no help, and my 1 rep max is 275.
Seems like I will be able to get 10 reps of 225 long before I get a 300 1 rep max tho.
Imagine this: You train with 225 and continue to train. Every couple of weeks or so you squeak out one more rep. You add reps to 225, but have never attempted to lift anything higher than 225. You may eventually get strong enough to hit 225 ten times, but you will probably get crushed by anything over 250.
I’m not saying this is you, but I’m trying to stress the importance of using heavier weights and lower-rep sets.
Yes, most 1RM charts put 225 for 10 as a 300 1RM, but that is just a general guide. It may or may not apply to you.
So, after all that, my point is to use heavier weights, too, in lower-rep sets. Try some sets of 5 or 3 or even some sets of singles around 90-95% of your max.
Hope I made sense without rambling too much,
Toddy
Any two people who can bench 300 pounds would probably get a different amount of reps at 225. It’s got a lot to do with your overall muscle fiber makeup, fast twitch vs slow twitch.
I used to get 225 for 12 back when my 1RM was around 305.
Since I’ve been lifting heavier (relativley), I found out that high reps kick my ass. I tried warming up with 225 a while back (when my max was 335) and 9 reps into it my chest and triceps were burning. My 1RM went up, but the amount of reps I could get with 225 went down.
I’ve since trained with lighter weight for higher reps and my body adjusted to it quickly.
I was using incline bench and was trying for 15 reps. I used 145 and got 15 with my first set (felt like I could have gotten about 2 more reps), then burnt out at 8 reps on my second set. Two weeks later I was able to get 3 sets of 15 with it.
If you want to increase your 1RM you should realy try lifting heavier for less reps for a while. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your strength increases.
I just hit 300 max. I did the same thing you did. I practiced on reps with 225. I can bench 10 or 12 times. Don’t really know though because I don’t have a partner. So After I did 225 10 times I benched 275 once. Then loaded up 300 and pressed one time.
Benching “for reps” measures your muscular endurance, not overall strength. In the last 8 months I went from 275 to 315 on my bench. I did some OVT (5X5) and new GVT (10X5, 10X4, 10X3). I also focused on my back, when I realized I couldn’t row what I could bench.
I have no idea how many times I can bench 225. I did get it for my 10X4 workout toward the end of new GVT, which was about 3 or 4 weeks before I got 315.
The important thing here is to focus on your goals. Is the 300 lbs bench truly your only goal, or do you want it to be a by product of getting bigger and stronger? If you want there quickly, then you need to lift like a power lifter.