SD and RM Testing Timing

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imported_dawaro

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I have a question for the gurus that I havent been able to find an answer to in any of the FaQ's or websites. If I missed it I apologize in advance. I am often prone to ID-10-T errors:)

Are you guys retesting your RM's at the completion of the cycle? If so when?
I was thinking it would be good to restest at the end of the cycle and then start my SD. Any opinions?
My problem is right now I am far from what I would consider a strong individual, squat - 1.5xBW, bench - 1xBW, Row - .85xBW. With my current strength levels I am using smaller increments through the cycles so that each cycle starts with at least 70% of the cycle RM. That results in most of my lifts seeing 5# increases. From what I have read this is going to have more of an effect on strength than hypertrophy. With that being the case I think it is going to be important for me to retest my RM's after my first few cycles until I am at the point where I can use larger increments.
Since many of you have several cycles under your belt I would appreciate your input and advice, what do you think?
 
What I tend to do is find my new 5RMs at the end of a cycle and then work towards those next cycle.

For new 15RMs and 10RMs I add perhaps 5lb or 10lb according to how easy or hard they were to get last time around.

At the end of the day, load progression over the whole cycle is what matters most so 15RM and 10RM workouts are really just useful measures of progress rather than being essential to progress. After all, you might have a bad day on an RM workout and be off on your lifts, whereas the next session you might get them. Better to just keep the load progression going and make sure you are increasing your 5RMs by the end of your cycle (assuming you are bulking). Increasing your 5RMs will usually lead to increases in the other RMs anyway just as increasing your 1RM will likely increase your 5RM.

The good thing about always adding a bit to your 10RMs and 15RMs each cycle is that it makes you try really hard to get them which ensures that you are increasing strain on the tissue over the long term. Taxing to your CNS, yes, but that's where a bit of zig-zag can work wonders.
smile.gif


I hope that makes some sense?
 
<div>
(Lol @ Jun. 04 2008,10:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What I tend to do is find my new 5RMs at the end of a cycle and then work towards those next cycle.

For new 15RMs and 10RMs I add perhaps 5lb or 10lb according to how easy or hard they were to get last time around.

At the end of the day, load progression over the whole cycle is what matters most so 15RM and 10RM workouts are really just useful measures of progress rather than being essential to progress. After all, you might have a bad day on an RM workout and be off on your lifts, whereas the next session you might get them. Better to just keep the load progression going and make sure you are increasing your 5RMs by the end of your cycle (assuming you are bulking). Increasing your 5RMs will usually lead to increases in the other RMs anyway just as increasing your 1RM will likely increase your 5RM.

The good thing about always adding a bit to your 10RMs and 15RMs each cycle is that it makes you try really hard to get them which ensures that you are increasing strain on the tissue over the long term. Taxing to your CNS, yes, but that's where a bit of zig-zag can work wonders.  
smile.gif


I hope that makes some sense?</div>
Makes perfect sense. Thanks for the advice. At 170lbs I will be bulking for a while I think so I will focus on increasing the 5RMs.
 
I used to just add ten lbs to everything from the last cycle's 15's.
I've been on a pretty long strength and joint wrecker, so my HST is a ways back. I used this calculator to figure my weights from any rep/weight combos I had been doing:
http://www.health-calc.com/content/view/13/30/
It worked pretty surprisingly well (better than the ExRx calc) for me, except for the low numbers, like curls. My 15's were light, but with substance on my first workout of this cycle, and the deads hammered my adductors with DOMS. I'd say it was right on.
I may use this again.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Jun. 04 2008,5:47)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I used to just add ten lbs to everything from the last cycle's 15's.
I've been on a pretty long strength and joint wrecker, so my HST is a ways back. I used this calculator to figure my weights from any rep/weight combos I had been doing:
http://www.health-calc.com/content/view/13/30/
It worked pretty surprisingly well (better than the ExRx calc) for me, except for the low numbers, like curls. My 15's were light, but with substance on my first workout of this cycle, and the deads hammered my adductors with DOMS. I'd say it was right on.
I may use this again.</div>
thanks quad. I am going to have to try that out later when I have more time.
I have a excel rep calculator (cant remember where I down loaded it from or I would give credit to the source)that uses two weights at different reps to develope a slope to calculate the RM's that I have used in the past. I am interested in comparing the two.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Jun. 04 2008,8:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'll bet yours is better, due to more input and calculating around the curve. I'd like to see that thing.</div>
Here you go!
 
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