Preparation for 1RM - Bench

What is a good protocol to warm up for it? I can do 6x190 on a 3rd work set and I want to try 225 1RM. How should I warm up? Are there some generalization to other lifts?

Thanks

I’m not an authority, I’m a beginner but… Today I hit my recent goal of 300lb. bench. For me I opened with a quick couple of reps on jus the bar. This is mostly to check my form and see how I feel. For info on form look for article on T-Nation about how to bench big. I belive the poster in name Dave Tate. He has some awesome powerlifting article.

Anyway, don’t burn yourself out just a quick four to six for feel. Then, I moved up to a plate (45) on each side but since you are hitting 225 total I would say start with maybe a 25 on each side. Hit this for four reps. Then I went to 225 and hit it for four reps. I’m not sure what would be best for you. 135 is probably a little light, maybe 185ish. Hit that for like two reps.

Remember every rep in your warm up counts, you don’t want to do too many. Additionally you want to get your form as perfect as possible for each one. If you have any big changes to make, now is NOT the time. “Go with what you know”.

So after your, 12ish rep warm-up go for the big one. Then I like to cool it back down, this is not neccessary but it feels good to me.

So that is how I go about it. I’m sure there is a better method and I look forward to hearing it from someone but this is what works for me.

Starkmann

I would do something like this:
45x5
95x5
135x3
185x3
205x1
225x1

[quote]AceQHounddog wrote:
I would do something like this:
45x5
95x5
135x3
185x3
205x1
225x1[/quote]

Yeah this is a good way to do it. You can warm up and adapt the CNS without muscle fatigue.

Thanks guys. I’ll try. So it just

20%
40%
60%
80%
90%
100%?

What about rest intervals? 2-3 minutes in the beginning, 5 mins - the last two?

A few weeks ago I tried this:
warmup- 2 sets 135x3 fast
185x1 rep fast
225x1 rep as fast and hard as possible
275x1
295x1
315- failure
This seemed to work real well. Not too many sets and reps before the big lift.
It’s important to be fresh and warm, stay focused.

Oh, a 5-7 min. rest for a well recovered c.n.s., thats where staying warm is also important. A towel over the head and shoulders helps me stay warmed up and focused. Like a Parrot.

There are some articles covering this, they recommend to warm up the motor units you will be using. So keep the reps below six and the weight fairly heavy. If you do 190 for six I would do that for two sets of 3 then go for it. You should have no trouble with 225.

Here’s what Dave Tate uses as an example for ME work on a 2 board press from the 8 keys article:

2 board press: (185 max)

3x5@45lbs
1x3@70lbs
1x3@95 lbs
1x1@115 lbs
1x1@135 lbs
1x1@155 lbs
1x1@175 lbs
1x1@190 lbs

You could probably knock out 2-3 sets if you’re just looking for your 1 RM