ExRx.net

For around 4 sets, I use:

3 reps: 90% of max/1RM
5 reps: 80%
10 reps: 60%

Obviously with higher number of sets, the weight used must be lower (smaller percentage of 1RM) and vice versa. What about you?

I use 5/3/1 style percentages on my bench, everything else I just pick a target number of reps and lift until I can't get that any more. So I may pick sets of 8 for example, start with an easy set of 8 and then do as many sets as it takes to get to a set of 8 that I almost can't complete (I may only get 6 of 7), and if I hit 8 reps then I try for a heavier weight next time.

Hmm... sorry it seems that I wasn't clear with what I mean. I want to know for X reps in Y sets, what percentage of 1RM do you use?

I'll be surprised if there are very many people who can give a simple answer to that.

4x3 @ 90% seems pretty intense to me. I do 90 for a set of 3 once per cycle.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Yeah doc 4 sets would be intense. But I often do 3x3 @ 90% with long rest between sets.

It doesn't have to be exact just an approximation of what you normally use.

You can use this: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html
Of course if you want to do more than one set, you load will be a little lower.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

Cool chart, stu. So it turns out that I'm not that far off but I think the chart is based on 1 set.

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Thanks TimD.

Kenny, I'm not sure I know my body well enough yet to train like that. Having a plan (that's based on percentages of a more-or-less arbitrary "training max" at least gives me a place to start. I love 5/3/1, but there are days that it doesn't work. I know that if I lift today, I'll either have to just use lighter than planned weights, or be stapled. There have been days lately that I've gone way over the reps on the last set. 5/3/1 at least allows the flexibility of doing more or just the minimum on the last set. The problem is that on days when I'm not as strong as other days, I sometimes can't make even the planned reps, and I leave the gym feeling like a weak old failure.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Kenny, will you be my coach? Where do you live? I'll be there tomorrow.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

yeah, I cant get away from pre-planning the session. For beginners like me, seems appropriate. On the final set of ramped sets, I'll "do what I can".

I'm a huge fan of Kenny's post. Love it, but I get where Doc and Oscar are coming from.

I'm certainly on more of a "chip" type path than a "follow a pre-written program from XYZ guru".

Actually, I made this thread to see how many reps in a set people can complete in a certain percentage of 1RM.

Well first off I've come to appreciate Wendler's insistence that a true 1RM is fiction. That's why I consider the 1RM used for calculating to be the "training 1RM". It is a hypothetical number based somewhat on experience but not to be taken too seriously as something that can be reproduced on demand like a scientific result.

But with that being said, since starting 5/3/1 I've come to realize my own most honest answer to your question is "I don't know but I'm enjoying finding out."

Example: After doing the daily dose on 5/3/1 for squats I've found that 5x10 @ 50% makes me "$h1t a kidney" as Wendler would say, and yet I know I can easily do more - more sets, or more reps, or more weight, and probably any 2 of the 3. I'm not used to the endurance stuff, and am now learning the endurance stuff is far more mental - it's about determination. So I might try 5x10 @ 55%, or perhaps 5x12 @ 50%.

I guess I'm saying that I don't know the answer to your question yet because I don't have the experience, but it seems to be another one of those areas where you can enjoy pushing the limit. If you can do 10 @ 50%, can you do 12? Then 15?

I realized that there's a fallacy in my question, I didn't take into account the fiber composition in a muscle group and how many muscle groups are involved in the exercise performed ("compound' vs "isolation").

For exercises that uses muscles rich in type I/IIa fibers, of course the reps can be higher (for a given percentage). For example, it has come to my knowledge that vastus lateralis muscle is composed mainly of type IIa/I fibers while fast twitch fibers predominantly exist in pectoralis majors (please correct me if I'm wrong). So the number of your 60% reps of squats and benches might be different.

I was thinking about squats when I typed my original post because that's what I usually do and my knowledge about the matter is pretty much limited to just the squat....