University of Birmingham Sport
Repetition Maximum
It is all very well saying that you lifted 50kg on the Bench Press for 3 sets of 10 repetitions in the
weights room, however there is no way of quantifying the intensity or usefulness of your resistance
training session. In order to do this you need to know what your maximum capability is on that given
exercise, in simple terms what is the maximum amount of weight that you can bench press for one
repetition, this is often termed your One Repetition Maximum. If your maximum capability for one
repetition was 65kg then the training session mentioned above would represent a decent intensity,
however if your maximum capability is 90kg then this training session will not have been effective to
stimulate any improvements. It is not just One Repetition Maximum that can serve as a training intensity marker (although it is the most popular), three and five repetition maximums are also used, with
ten repetition maximums also being quite popular.
Finding your maximum capability can sometimes represent a challenge, especially to less experienced lifters. Firstly you will need a thorough warm up with a light weight for the exercise that you are
assessing your maximum capability, as well as some dynamic stretches for the target muscle groups.
This is vitally important as maximal lifting carries quite a high injury risk. The next step would be to try
to work off what you have previously lifted, so if you squatted 60kg for 5 repetitions then add 15% to
this to give you 70kg, attempt this weight. If you fail take off a little bit of weight and try again, if you
complete 70kg add a little bit more each time until you fail. If you have not previously lifted then it is
probably not sensible to be trying to determine your maximum capability, you need to give your body
time to adapt to general training for a period of time.
Now you know what repetition maximums are and how to obtain them you need to know how
to use them in your training. The percentage of your one repetition maximum that you train at will be
determined by your training goals; here is a basic guide below;
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Muscular Endurance- 50-70% of your One repetition maximum for around 12-30 repetitions per
set
Muscular Size- 70-80% of your one repletion maximum for around 8-12 repetitions per set
Muscular Strength- 85-100% of your one repetition maximum for 1-5 repetitions per set
Muscular Power- 40-70% of your one repetition maximum for 6-8 repetitions per set whilst moving the weight at speed
This is just meant to serve as a basic guideline, for more detailed advice consult a member of the
fitness staff.
Simon Donovan
University of Birmingham SPORT
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