How To Determine Your 1 Rep Max (1 RM)
1. Choose the weight you can safely do for 5-8 reps in the red column on the left side of the chart.
2. Next, locate the total number of reps you performed in the green row at the top of the chart.
3. Where the “amount of weight” and the “number of reps” intersect is your 1 Rep Max (1 RM).
4. Make sure you perform your reps with good form. Do NOT bounce, cheat, or rock your body.
5. This chart works for pounds and kilograms. Here are some examples:
- If you bench press 135 lbs. for 7 reps, then your 1 RM = 165 lbs.
- If you squat 225 lbs. for 5 reps, then your 1 RM = 255 lbs.
- If you deadlift 315 lbs. for 8 reps, then your 1 RM = 395 lbs.
Introduction To Reps
In this video, I want to answer the most common questions that I get at the gym all the time, and that question is:
- How many reps should I do?
- Should I do high reps or should I do low reps?
The answers to all these questions depend upon what your goals are, and it also depends upon how you’re using the muscle fibers in the human body.
Let me explain to you on the same chart again using the previous muscle fiber chart.
If you train at 60% of your muscle capacity, the rep range is normally around 14 reps which is important to remember because this is the point in your body where your muscles will activate switch from using the slow twitch muscle fibers over to using the fast twitch muscle fibers.
In case you did not read my previous article on “Fast Twitch vs. Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers“…
The fast twitch fibers are the “strength/speed” fibers and the slow twitch fibers are the “endurance” fibers.
How Many Reps Should I Do To Gain Muscle And Burn Fat?
Now this is very significant, because if you train higher than 14 reps, then you will NOT be activating the speed/strength (fast twitch) fibers anymore.
Instead, you will start activating the endurance (slow twitch) fibers!
So if you are out there doing exercises with 50 reps, 100 reps, etc. and you’re wondering why your muscles don’t grow, it’s because you’re activating the incorrect muscle fibers!
If you are doing aerobics/cardio exercises to burn body fat or to increase your endurance and you’re NOT training to increase your strength/speed, muscle size, etc., then I would recommend that you keep everything above 14 reps or higher.
Training between 1 to 14 reps is more favorable for building muscle size and strength.
How Many Reps Should I Do If I’m A Beginner?
If you’re a complete beginner I would recommend that you do at least 15 or 20 reps just to be safe because if you don’t have any prior training experience then the risk of injury is a lot higher.
Normally in the first week, when I train you as a new client at the gym, I will have you start your training with 15 to 20 reps.
The reason why is because I want you to start activating the muscles and just start waking up the muscle fibers so that I can start training them.
The purpose of using 15-20 reps is NOT so that you can gain muscle or lose body fat but to simply “wake up” your muscles for training.
I just want your muscles to wake up so that you can start training. Nothing more.
During the second week, I’ll have you do around 14 reps, and depending on how fast you progress and how fast you learn to do the exercises.
I will start to increase the percentages so that your intensity level starts to go up, so that I can get you to build your muscle strength, speed, and size faster.
How Many Reps Should I Do For Advance Muscle Gain?
The next important figure that you want to understand in this rep range is what I call the 75% mark.
At 75% intensity, you’re able to do somewhere around 10 reps.
Now that’s very important. If you just remember that you can do 10 reps at 75% of your 1 Rep Max, you will can easily reverse engineer the rest of the corresponding rep ranges without having to use a calculator.
Normally when I go to the gym, it’s rare that I ever do higher than 10 reps for myself or any of the intermediate and advanced level athletes that I train unless it’s for injury rehab, physical therapy, etc.
The reason why is because I don’t want to waste time training the endurance muscles when the goal is to gain more strength, speed and size in the muscles.
I don’t like training close to the 60% rep range because most high school and college level athletes are usually genetically gifted whereby their bodies don’t activate the fast twitch muscle fibers until they train beyond 60% of their 1 Rep Max.
This is why any knowledgeable and experienced trainer will train their clients slightly above 60% of 1 Rep Max.
I choose to start at 75% of 1 Rep Max because at this percentage range, there is no doubt you are training the strength/speed (fast twitch) fibers.
So 10 reps is the reason why you will see a lot of magazines, books, and online resources mention using 10 reps.
In other words, when I recommend intermediate and advanced level trainees use 10 reps, it is not an arbitrary or random number that I just pull out of my ass or do just because other people in the gym are doing it.
It is also not because it is an even number of reps and an easy number to remember.
The 10 reps I recommend are based on a precise scientific evidence of how the human muscles work.
Why Are Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers So Important For Muscle Gain?
The reason why I want you to train around 10 reps or less after you get pass the beginner’s level is because that ensures that you’re activating the strength/speed (fast twitch) fibers.
Remember, the fast twitch muscle fibers are the ONLY fibers in your body that can grow, expand and get bigger.
On the other hand, no matter how much you train the slow twitch (endurance fibers) they can NOT grow any bigger or stronger in size. They can only increase their efficiency in burning body fat and processing oxygen.
Now, the other figure that you want to understand is the 85% mark.
Keep in mind guys when I say “your muscle capacity”…
… it doesn’t matter if it’s your chest, shoulders, neck, biceps, legs, or ass muscles because the same rep range applies to all your skeletal muscles.
This includes your abdominal muscles as well even though everyone in the gym including dumb ass trainers want you to believe that the abdominal muscles are different and unique…
Trust me, they are NOT!
Your ab muscles comply to the same principles of rep ranges as any other skeletal muscles in your body.
In the list below, I show the corresponding number of reps you can perform at each percentage of your 1 Rep Max (1RM)… this is also called your training intensity level:
Training Intensity Vs. Rep Range:
100% of 1 Rep Max = 1 Rep (Very High Risk Training)
95% of 1 Rep Max = 2 Reps
90% of 1 Rep Max = 4 Reps
85% of 1 Rep Max = 6 Reps (Advanced Level Training)
80% of 1 Rep Max = 8 Reps
75% of 1 Rep Max = 10 Reps (Intermediate Level Training)
70% of 1 Rep Max = 12 Reps
65% of 1 Rep Max = 14 Reps (Beginner’s Level Training)
60% of 1 Rep Max = 16 Reps (% at which your fast twitch fibers begin to activate)
Do you notice the distinct inverse relationship of “how many reps you can do” to “the percentage of your 1 Rep Max“?
As you can clearly see for yourself, every 5% INCREASE in the percentage of your 1 Rep Max…
… will DECREASE your number of reps by a factor of “two reps”!
This is why it’s called an “inverse relationship” because every time you increase the weight, your total number of reps will decrease.
In case you forgot, the word “inverse” sounds fancy but it just simply means “the opposite”. So an “inverse relationship” simply means an “opposite relationship”.
What Is “1 Rep Max” And “1 RM”?
You hear the term “One Rep Max” quite often among guys at the gym but rarely do you hear girls talk about it because they normally give a damn about it.
It simply means the maximum amount of weight you can do for only one repetition.
For example, the most I have benched press so far is 325 lbs. for one repetition by myself. If I can do it for more than once it would not be my One Rep Max.
Do not be confused by the following terms because they all mean the same thing:
- One Repetition Maximum
- One Rep Max
- 1 Rep Max
- 1 RM
The most common spelling of One Rep Max that I have seen is probably “1 RM”.
Now what happens if you take 100% of your maximum capacity and you can do it for more than 1 rep?
Well, then that’s not your 1 RM!
1 RM means that you can only do it for one time. So if I take the bicep curl exercise and I can only curl 100 lbs. for one time then that would be my 1 RM.
If I can curl it for more than one rep then it’s not my 1 RM.
There is a direct relationship between rep range and what percentage of your intensity level that you’re doing and how many reps that you can do.
Here is how to determine your 1 Rep Max (1 RM) using the strength chart below:
1. Choose the weight you can safely do for 5-8 reps in the red column on the left side of the chart.
2. Next, locate the total number of reps you performed in the green row at the top of the chart.
3. Where the “amount of weight” and the “number of reps” intersect is your 1 Rep Max (1 RM).
4. Make sure you perform your reps with good form. Do NOT bounce, cheat, or rock your body.
5. This chart works for pounds and kilograms. Here are some examples:
- If you bench press 135 lbs. for 7 reps, then your 1 RM = 165 lbs.
- If you squat 225 lbs. for 5 reps, then your 1 RM = 255 lbs.
- If you deadlift 315 lbs. for 8 reps, then your 1 RM = 395 lbs.
You can tell when you are training at 75% of your capacity on any particular exercise because you can only do 10 reps.
Likewise, if you see a person doing an exercise with 10 reps, you know immediately that they’re training with 75% of their muscle or strength capacity.
Just so you know, I did not pull these percentages and number of reps out the back of my ass!
These numbers were derived after extensive testing on hundreds of prisoners that I trained in prison.
I did testing on several hundred prisoners over a decade of time and that was how I discovered that everybody’s ten reps will equal to 75% of their 1 RM.
I’ve been to the gym many times where guys will tell me they can bench 400 pounds and I’ve watched them as they struggled to bench 300 pounds for 10 times!
They can only bench press 300 pounds for 4-5 reps but they’ll sit there and tell me that they can bench 400 pounds!
By understanding the relationship between rep range and intensity levels, I was able to see the truth for myself.
You can go and test it for yourself… if you go out there right now and take 85% of your 1 Rep Max, you’ll see that you can only do it for 6 times, or you can take 75% of your 1 Rep Max and see that you can only do it for 10 reps.
Obviously, there are some variance to these numbers…
If you can bench press 300 pounds for 10 reps, then the chances are your max is going to be somewhere around 395, 400, or 405 pounds.
Obviously there is going to be a slight margin of error, which can be plus or minus either way. But I can assure you that it’s very accurate!
- Anything that’s under 400 pounds, you can expect to have a 5 pound variance.
- Anything that’s over 400 pounds, you can expect to have a 10 pound variance.
- Anything that’s over 500 pounds, you can expect to have a 20 pound variance.
Transition From Slow Twitch To Fast Twitch Fibers
You will notice that I don’t list any reps under 60% of your 1 RM because when I train my clients for endurance or conditioning I don’t waste time counting reps.
In other words, when somebody’s running on the treadmill or they are running around the track, there’s really no point in me counting how many reps or how many strokes they’re swinging their arms or they’re swinging their legs because there’s too many for you to count.
Once you understand the different rep ranges that correspond with the different percentages of intensity level, you can formulate your workout plan to meet your goals.
If your goal is to be very fast, very strong and as muscular as possible, then obviously you want to train 14 reps or less.
Now if you’re training by yourself and you don’t have an awesome, super duper, personal trainer like myself training you, then what I would recommend you stay within 5 reps or higher.
Do not train below four reps or three reps because that’s very dangerous especially when you are a beginner or training alone.
If you do decide to train at 90% of intensity level, or 95 or 100% intensity level, make sure that you have a good workout partner or personal trainer that can help coach you and spot you correctly. Because if you don’t do it correctly, the risk of injury in this low rep range is very, very, high.
The higher the intensity level that you train at, the more prone to injury and the higher risk of injury that you will be at, even for someone that’s been training for over a decade and a half like myself.
When I train around the 1-3 rep ranges, I always make sure that I have a very solid crew of training partners around me.
It’s rare that I will train around the 1-2 rep range all by myself because it’s extremely dangerous at that level.
So when you’re at home training by yourself, make sure that you stay around six reps or higher.
Is It Better To Train High Reps Or Low Reps?
The only difference between training high reps versus low reps is the amount of time in which it takes to make progress.
For example, if I want to get a bigger bench and bigger chest muscles faster, then I would train with heavier weights and lower reps.
The problem with using heavier weights is that if you don’t do it correctly, the exposure to injury is extremely high!
Matter of fact, every one that I have ever seen train around the 1-3 rep ranges near the 90-100% rep ranges will eventually end up getting hurt after 1-3 months of continuous training.
Usually, if it’s an upper body exercise, the injury usually occurs around the rotator cuff or elbow joints.
So if you’re one of those people at home reading this and you see yourself getting hurt around your elbows and your shoulder joint quite a bit, then back off and do a lighter weight with a little bit more reps until you have a good training partner or a bad ass trainer like myself training you.
How Many Reps Should I Do If I’m A Woman?
The fast and slow twitch muscle fibers behave the same way in men and women so the question of, “How many reps should I do if I’m a woman?” is not necessary because the muscle fibers in men and women are trained the same way.
However, a woman will not gain the same amount of muscle as men because they have lower testosterone levels.
If you’re one of those girls that just want to come to the gym and workout to look good and you’re not worried about athletic performance but simply just want to have a kick ass body, then I would recommend you just stay around the 10-14 rep range.
It’s more than enough to develop quality toned muscles and never have to worry about the risk of injury.
The biggest thing that a lot of girls want at the gym is to lose body fat and have toned (firm) muscles.
What does toned muscles mean?
A “toned” muscle is simply a “hard” muscle. It’s not soft, it’s not squishy, and it’s not flabby?
Ideally, I recommend that girls train around the lower range of the fast twitch fibers and the high range of the endurance fibers so that you can develop muscles that are toned and strong at the same time.
Remember, a toned muscle is nothing more than a hard, strong muscle!
Most girls make the mistake of only training the endurance fibers in the gym such as aerobics classes, running the treadmill, jumping rope, swimming, etc. and go home.
These exercises will allow you to lose body fat, however, when you reduce it, the muscles will be very soft and it will not to be toned or firm like you want it.
So if you’re a girl reading this article, make sure that you train the slow twitch (endurance) fibers to lose body fat and also train a little bit of the fast twitch (strength) fibers too so the muscles stay hard and toned.
How Many Reps Should I Do And For How Long?
When I was training people at Gold’s Gym, I would require each client to train at different rep ranges depending on their experience level so I don’t hurt anyone so they get the fastest results possible.
- If you are new to the gym or haven’t worked out in 3-5 months… I will have you workout with 10-16 using 60-75% of your 1RM.
- If you have been training with me for 3-6 months, I will have you train at the intermediate level and use 6-10 reps using 75-85% of your 1RM.
- If you are very strong already and have been training with me for several years, then I will have you train between 1-4 reps using 90-100% of your 1RM.
It normally takes a week to two weeks to get past the beginner’s level which is also known as the “Muscle Wake Up Phase” where the goal is to just simply wake up the muscles for training.
The intermediate level will normally take 6-8 weeks of training and then you will move to the advance levels.
Regardless if you are a beginner or advanced lifter such as myself, you still want to complete each level of training.
For example, even though I know how to train at the advanced, the intermediate, and beginner’s level…
… if I haven’t worked out for more than a couple weeks, I immediately go to the gym and my first one or two workouts, will be at the beginner’s level, and then the next four weeks will be at the intermediate level, and so on.
So I progress through each training level very fast but I still go through the process.
I hope that you found this article helpful and that this will answer your questions about the different rep ranges that you can train in and clear up the confusion and the nonsense that everybody has on Google and YouTube about what’s the proper rep range in training.
The answer simply depends upon what your goals are and what it is that you are trying to do for your body.
Thanks for watching this video and reading this article, in the next section on How To Gain Muscle, I’m going to clearly explain:
- How tension in your muscles triggers muscle gain.
- How the time that your muscles are under tension will help you gain muscles fast!
- What are the common misunderstandings of time under tension.
So keep an eye out for my next exciting and fun filled, action packed email!