# How to warm up to a max PR



## Itburnstopee (Nov 30, 2017)

I'm going to attempt a 315lb bench next week. My bench is up from 235x5 (=290 max) to 250x5 so I figure I should be able to hit around 315 for a max. All of my Max's I've warmed up with something like ----x10 ----x8 ----x5 ----x3 ----X1 and then max the lift. what would be the best way to warm up to this bench max?


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## ECKSRATED (Nov 30, 2017)

135x10
185x3
225x1 maybe a double 
245x1
285x1
315x1


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## TrickWilliams (Nov 30, 2017)

ECKSRATED said:


> 135x10
> 185x3
> 225x1 maybe a double
> 245x1
> ...



No need for info from anyone else. 

Ecks numbers done lie.


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## Itburnstopee (Nov 30, 2017)

Thanks Ecks! I'm gonna go in and completely ****in smash this PR into the ground next week, I'll let y'all know exactly how amazing I feel after


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## ECKSRATED (Nov 30, 2017)

What's this hopefully shit???? Visualize yourself throwing that weight thru the ****ing roof and go get it done.


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## Itburnstopee (Nov 30, 2017)

ECKSRATED said:


> What's this hopefully shit???? Visualize yourself throwing that weight thru the ****ing roof and go get it done.


**** yeah! I fixed it


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## Gibsonator (Nov 30, 2017)

me personally, i wasn't able to smash 315 til i was hitting 275 for 3-4 but that's me. Ecks warm up looks legit. You got this man!


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 30, 2017)

I think this is short sighted to be honest burns. I am always the 1rm party pooper but I believe this for a reason. 

Here is my suggestion instead. Focus on building your 3rm. Less pain, more gains.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Nov 30, 2017)

PillarofBalance said:


> I think this is short sighted to be honest burns. I am always the 1rm party pooper but I believe this for a reason.
> 
> Here is my suggestion instead. Focus on building your 3rm. Less pain, more gains.



Yes it's a party pooper but I def learned from you that testing your max too often is a mistake and waste of time.


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## Itburnstopee (Nov 30, 2017)

PillarofBalance said:


> I think this is short sighted to be honest burns. I am always the 1rm party pooper but I believe this for a reason.
> 
> Here is my suggestion instead. Focus on building your 3rm. Less pain, more gains.


Ahhh :/ alright but as soon as I'm hitting a good 290x3 I'm gonna max it


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## TrickWilliams (Nov 30, 2017)

Itburnstopee said:


> Ahhh :/ alright but as soon as I'm hitting a good 290x3 I'm gonna max it



How do you plan on maxing without shitting your pants anyway?


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## Itburnstopee (Nov 30, 2017)

TrickWilliams said:


> How do you plan on maxing without shitting your pants anyway?


What do you mean without?


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## TrickWilliams (Nov 30, 2017)

Itburnstopee said:


> What do you mean without?



Nevermind. Sounds like a great plan. Be sure to record.


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## tinymk (Nov 30, 2017)

ECKSRATED said:


> 135x10
> 185x3
> 225x1 maybe a double
> 245x1
> ...




I agree with Ecksrated. Point is to get warm and focused on your warm ups, not fatigued. 
I personally will do my last warm-up at 50lb less then my opener paused.


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## ECKSRATED (Nov 30, 2017)

Well pillar ruined this thread. Go hit 300 for a double instead. 

A little rule I used to follow when I first started lifting was when I could bench 135 ten times I would add a plate and try 225. When I got 225 ten times I would add a plate and try 315. And so on. Never failed me. I think it's good to test every so often if you're not a competitive powerlifter to make sure you're getting stronger. Not every ****ing week tho. 

And there's no right way or wrong to warm up for a max effort attempt. Gotta find what works for u. Some guys add more reps and some take huge jumps. Everyone is different.


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## Itburnstopee (Dec 6, 2017)

Ego got the best of me and I hit 300x1, I could tell that had I attempted 315 there's no way I'd have gotten it back up once the bar touched my chest without my spotters help. Figured out that despite my best efforts to focus on engaging lats and tucking my elbows that I actually flare my left elbow at a 90* angle while the right is tucked. 90% sure I have a pinched nerve in the right shoulder so I'm speculating that the left is taking more of the load. Regardless I've made the choice to go back and worry about form here again, my ego keeps destroying any good form I have. I'd rather be a good lifter now and a great one/strong one later.


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## Gibsonator (Dec 6, 2017)

how often do you do dumbell chest & overhead press?


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## tinymk (Dec 6, 2017)

Success begins with balance/ stability on all 3 lifts(bench-squat-dead). If you would have got the lifts on video, several of us could give you some constructive criticism. 
Bar placement on the chest is critical to stability in the elbows. I place the bar so my arms are at 45 degrees on chest. Punch off chest straight up and as I near lockout I force my elbows to rotate out, kinda like a corkscrew, forcing the weight to lockout. If I "flare" just a hair to quickly, I lose my strength through transition into a lockout. 

A slingshot is one good way to get used to your elbows seated in the right angle, have a good spotter, work with something you can hit without the slingshot and do sets of 3-5.


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## MrRippedZilla (Dec 6, 2017)

Tiny is on the money. I find that improving the setup to your bench can easily add 20-25% to your RMs. Easily. 

I don't want to hijack this thread completely but...does anyone have any experience warming up *heavier* than the PR attempt? I'm talking bench specifically. 
I ask because, for me, getting a feel for a heavier weight than I can handle (partial rep or just an isometric hold) tends to benefit my 3RM tremendously. I don't do any 1RM stuff nor do I work with any elite PLers so I'm interested to hear opinions on this.


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## ECKSRATED (Dec 6, 2017)

MrRippedZilla said:


> Tiny is on the money. I find that improving the setup to your bench can easily add 20-25% to your RMs. Easily.
> 
> I don't want to hijack this thread completely but...does anyone have any experience warming up *heavier* than the PR attempt? I'm talking bench specifically.
> I ask because, for me, getting a feel for a heavier weight than I can handle (partial rep or just an isometric hold) tends to benefit my 3RM tremendously. I don't do any 1RM stuff nor do I work with any elite PLers so I'm interested to hear opinions on this.



That's interesting and I'm willing to give it a try to see how it works zilla. I tend to get stronger and more confident the heavier I get into my session. On max effort days my last set (heaviest set) always feels the best. 


And burns don't beat yourself up man. Form breaks down when u get up near your max. That's why we practice technique so much with lighter weights. 
U can still lift heavy just focus of heavy triples and sets of 4 from now on. No need to test again for a good 3 months.


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## ECKSRATED (Dec 6, 2017)

tinymk said:


> Success begins with balance/ stability on all 3 lifts(bench-squat-dead). If you would have got the lifts on video, several of us could give you some constructive criticism.
> Bar placement on the chest is critical to stability in the elbows. I place the bar so my arms are at 45 degrees on chest. Punch off chest straight up and as I near lockout I force my elbows to rotate out, kinda like a corkscrew, forcing the weight to lockout. If I "flare" just a hair to quickly, I lose my strength through transition into a lockout.
> 
> A slingshot is one good way to get used to your elbows seated in the right angle, have a good spotter, work with something you can hit without the slingshot and do sets of 3-5.



Tiny is a smart dude. 

I made a video for these guys some time ago about bar path. Lots of guys push up towards their face wayyyyyyyy too much and fail reps because of it. Your elbows will flare too much and bar path is all ****ed up. Puts way too much stress on your front delts. Takes practice to get down tho.


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## MrRippedZilla (Dec 6, 2017)

ECKSRATED said:


> That's interesting and I'm willing to give it a try to see how it works zilla. I tend to get stronger and more confident the heavier I get into my session. On max effort days my last set (heaviest set) always feels the best.


Please do and report the results back to me. If it works for an elite bencher like you then that's stronger evidence for some of my theories around this


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## ToolSteel (Dec 6, 2017)

MrRippedZilla said:


> Tiny is on the money. I find that improving the setup to your bench can easily add 20-25% to your RMs. Easily.
> 
> I don't want to hijack this thread completely but...does anyone have any experience warming up *heavier* than the PR attempt? I'm talking bench specifically.
> I ask because, for me, getting a feel for a heavier weight than I can handle (partial rep or just an isometric hold) tends to benefit my 3RM tremendously. I don't do any 1RM stuff nor do I work with any elite PLers so I'm interested to hear opinions on this.


In a similar train of thought, I did do a mesocycle where I did 3 isometric deads before pulling. Pins set about an inch over the bar, and a full 5 second pull as hard as possible. 

When i would move on to regular Lars deads the speed off the floor was noticeably better. Some days it was drastic.


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## ECKSRATED (Dec 6, 2017)

MrRippedZilla said:


> Please do and report the results back to me. If it works for an elite bencher like you then that's stronger evidence for some of my theories around this



I'd probably do a static hold if anything. Ill give it a shot in the next week or so and report back


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## MrRippedZilla (Dec 6, 2017)

ToolSteel said:


> In a similar train of thought, I did do a mesocycle where I did 3 isometric deads before pulling. Pins set about an inch over the bar, and a full 5 second pull as hard as possible.
> 
> When i would move on to regular Lars deads the speed off the floor was noticeably better. Some days it was drastic.


Interesting. The heavier warmup approach seems to only work for my bench. DLs I'm good with just a few activation sets to make sure my posterior chain is firing. Squats I need the typical ascending warmup (takes me a while to get into a groove). 

It's obviously a neural thing, which relates speed as you mentioned. Knowing, for a fact, that you can handle a heavier weight across your chest seems to do better things vs knowing you can hold a heavier weight in front of you/on your back. At least for me and a few clients. Still intrigued to see if it translates at all to 1RM attempts in the elite (you, Ecks, etc).


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