The other day I wrote about what to do if you test for your RM but it doesn’t actually match the given RM - like a 5RM or 10RM.
But, it dawned on me I’ve never actually written down EXPLICIT instructions on how to properly test your RM, until someone brought it up on the StrongFirst forum.
So, you may want to print this out and put it in your training journal.
Here are 3 ways to test for an RM (In context, it was for a 10RM, but it will work for any RM prescription - just adjust accordingly - i.e. swap out “10RM” with “XRM”):
[1] Use the 5,4,3,2,1 countdown with progressively heavier bells as a warm up. Finish the last set - the "1" - with your old 10RM if you're going for a new 10RM. For some, this saves their energy.
[2] Use a "DeLorme" modification: Set 1 = 50% of old 10RM, Set 2 = 75% of old 10RM, Set 3 = 10RM for max reps OR new weight attempt for new 10RM.
[3] Use some lighter than your old 10RM KBs and do 3-5 warm up sets, going increasingly heavier and by feel on the reps. Make them controlled and make sure they feel LIGHT. Then use your new 10RM load and do 1-2 sets of LOW reps - like 1-3 to get used to the load. Then rest about 3 minutes and go for your 10RM.
Pick the one that you think will be most effective for you.
How do you know which will work best for you?
Your training should show you.
If you typically need a long warm up to get moving in your training, then you’ll typically need a bigger ramp up to hit your RM.
And vice versa.
The only true way to know is to test out each method to know for sure .
Remember, this isn’t life or death - no gold medals or corporate sponsorships on the line here. So you don’t have to get it perfect the first time, ok? You just have to get it going .
As far as rest before your RM testing?
If it was a particularly tough cycle, rest 48-72 hours instead of 24-48.
For example, you train M,W,F. check here You finish your cycle on Friday.
If you’re feeling beaten up from the workload, instead of testing on Monday, which is a usual training day, recharge an extra day (do some recovery work though) and then test on Tuesday.
Hopefully you found this valuable.
Be Well ,
Geoff Neupert.