5 3 1 for Powerlifting Question

Hey, I recently purchased the 5 3 1 for powerlifting e book. I have a question about the heavy singles. Are you supposed to do the heavy singles with 90% of your true 1rm or 90% of your training max? I THINK*** its supposed to be 90% of your training max but i can’t find out for sure from the book and also that doesnt seem that heavy to me. For example, my 1rm on bench is 300 lbs, so my training max would be 90 % of that which = 270… so my heavy singles would then only be 243?

It would be 90% of your true max. You could also use 100% of your training max.

[quote]newfielifter wrote:
Hey, I recently purchased the 5 3 1 for powerlifting e book. I have a question about the heavy singles. Are you supposed to do the heavy singles with 90% of your true 1rm or 90% of your training max? I THINK*** its supposed to be 90% of your training max but i can’t find out for sure from the book and also that doesnt seem that heavy to me. For example, my 1rm on bench is 300 lbs, so my training max would be 90 % of that which = 270… so my heavy singles would then only be 243? [/quote]

90% of your true max.

In addition to what the other guys said, don’t get terribly caught up in the percentage stuff. You can drive yourself mad with that stuff. if 300 is your real 1 rm your training max is going to be 270. on your “1” week or 95% you should be pressing 255ish. BTW, 95% of 90% is 85% of your real 1rm. You should generally be able to get 5 reps out of that percentage. In fact, I found that in 5-3-1 if my 1rms were what I said they were, 5-3-1 becomes 9-7-5 on the appropriate weeks, but I digress…

ok so enough of that. Hit your 1+ set with the 255ish. then add 10% or so, so 25# to the bar. hit a single. ad 5-10 more percent. etc. work up so that you get some decent weight in your hands but no grinders. shut it down and do your accessory stuff. Always end on a high note, even if that means shutting down earlier than planned.

I dont have the powerlifting version, I have the 2nd edition 531 book. But even if you didnt quite hit your true 1rm, is that such a bad thing since jims whole thing is start too light and make long consistent gains?

I have found this amazingly useful Wendler's 5/3/1 Spreadsheet by Jon K - Powerlifting & Strength Sports - Forums - T Nation

^Wow, that’s really nice.

[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
work up so that you get some decent weight in your hands but no grinders.
Always end on a high note, even if that means shutting down earlier than planned. [/quote]
QFT.