Weight and Reps

Weight and Reps
Posted on 06 February 2009 by Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv

The appropriate training load - how much weight is used can vary based on your fitness goals. The appropriate training zone is somewhere between 55% - 85% of your 1RM (the one-repetition maximum - the maximum weight you can lift for one rep). “…this is considered the appropriate training zone to facilitate a training effect in resistance training.” - ISSA, Fitness: The Complete Guide.

55%-65% of your 1RM = high repetition resistance training (15 reps or more). Training in this zone is best for muscular endurance.

75% - 80% of your 1RM (8 -10 reps) Training at this intensity will result in muscle growth .

Training at 85% - 95% of your 1RM (1 - 6 reps) increases strength and power.

1 rep 100% of 1rm

2 reps 95% of 1rm

3 reps 93% of 1rm

4 reps 90% of 1rm

5 reps 87% of 1rm

6 reps 85% of 1rm

7 reps 83% of 1rm

8 reps 80% of 1rm

9 reps 77% of 1rm

10 reps 75% of 1rm

12 reps 67% of 1rm

15 reps 65% of 1rm

20 reps 55% of 1rm

To find out what is your 1RM, choose and exercise, for example chest press and weight that you can lift with a good form for 10 reps. Lets say that you thought you can lift 20 pounds for 10 reps, but you successfully completed only 7 reps. Look at the chart below and the percentage that relates to 7 reps. As you can see 7 reps relates to 83%. To determine what is your 1RM, take the weight lifted ( in this example 20 pounds) and divide it by 83% like this: 20 : 0.83 = 24 pounds. Your 1RM is 24 pounds for chest press.



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11 Comments For This Post

1. hanan Says:
February 12th, 2009 at 12:34 am

thanx
2. gIgA Says:
February 18th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

Hi!!1 thanx for all the recomendations .
3. Steve Clark Says:
February 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am

Hi Zuzana.
You’re an inspiration. My wife and I are interested in tips for improving overall fitness, diet and nutrition. It’s a challenge hitting 40 and having kids, but we need an improved healthy lifestyle. We’re interested in home techniques when not at the gym.
Keep up the good work!
-Steve
4. paul Says:
March 6th, 2009 at 12:17 am

why a max of 1 min rest between sets ? why not more ?
5. Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv Says:
March 6th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

Hi Paul,

Because short rest periods between sets such as 30 seconds to 1 minute produce the largest increase in oxygen consumption which results in greater metabolic responses. You will also increase your ability and strength to train in a great state of fatigue. The oxygen consumption and metabolic responses decrease when you follow the 3 minutes of rest between sets in strength training or power training.
Best,
Zuzana.
6. beach girl Says:
April 11th, 2009 at 8:09 am

Hi Zuzka, I’m a personal trainer too and I’ve spent quite a few hours looking at your website and videos ;o) Good stuff :o) I’d like to know how heavy do you normally train your legs and shoulders - let’s say how many kg/pounds would you use for deadlifts, squats, lunges, lateral raises etc… I like your videos and I know it’s a great help for many people out there… But I’d like to know more about your own resistance traning. I started to prepare for a fitness competition so it’s all about self discipline and time management for me these days… Thank you very much for your answer. xx
7. Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv Says:
April 11th, 2009 at 1:52 pm

Hi Beach girl,
I change the intensity of my workouts a lot. I usually work within the range of 55% to 75% of my 1RM. I don’t go for heavier weights than that. I wish you a lot of success for your competition. If you want to share your experience with the competition and the preparation, you are more than welcome.
8. Lucie Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

Hi, I’ve got one question : What creates the most calorie deficit - lifting heavy weights (1-6 reps) or light weights (15 and more reps.) ?

Basically which is better for body fat loss or are we going to enter the famous debate: Steady State Cardio versus High Intensity Interval Cardio ?

Cheers.

PS: I love the web page and the videos. You’re making staying in shape simple. (simple does NOT mean EASY ;))

Diky.
9. Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv Says:
July 18th, 2009 at 8:56 am

Hi Lucie,

the most calorie deficit creates lifting heavy weights for high reps. In this case heavy really means medium heavy - not super heavy, but neither barbie weights. Rock your body workout is a good example of heavy weight/high rep workout routine that will literally kick your …zadek :)
10. Lucie Says:
July 18th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

Funny.

Thanks a lot.

PS: Are you going home for holiday? ;)
11. Zuzana - BodyRock.Tv Says:
July 18th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

Lucie,

I just want to avoid the cold winter in Canada that’s why I will go home for some time. I am still enjoying the summer here tho :)

4 Trackbacks For This Post

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July 8th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

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2. Fitness Blogger » Blog Archive » Weight and Reps | Fitness Advice, Workout Videos, Health & Fitness … Says:
July 12th, 2009 at 10:44 pm

[...] Zuzana – BodyRock.Tv wrote an interesting post today onWeight and Reps | Fitness Advice, Workout Videos, Health & Fitness …Here’s a quick excerpt [...]
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July 12th, 2009 at 10:56 pm

[...] Zuzana – BodyRock.Tv wrote an interesting post today onWeight and Reps | Fitness Advice, Workout Videos, Health & Fitness …Here’s a quick excerpt [...]
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July 14th, 2009 at 9:55 pm

[...] Zuzana – BodyRock.Tv wrote an interesting post today onWeight and Reps | free fitness, and exercise videos, workouts and …Here’s a quick excerpt [...]

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Tracking your fitness progress

I’ve noticed over the course of my own fitness journey that it can be really difficult to spot day to day changes and your overall progress. Of course I can see my new muscles during my weight training workouts and directly after - I tend to stay inflated for a few hours after my workouts - but the gradual changes can be much harder to spot.

I think it’s really important to take a before picture so that you have a visual record of where you were starting from. I really wish that I had taken some pictures, but at the time I avoided it because I was embarrassed about the way I looked and taking a picture in my underwear seemed like the worst idea ever. Zuzana kept telling me - your going to regret not having a picture - I should have listened.

It’s funny when I do notice my new muscles now - when I brush my teeth my biceps seem to take a life of their own. My teeth have never been so clean. More important than taking pictures or checking your progress in the mirror is having your body fat percentage measured. I am lucky to have this data from when I started so that I now have a more exact way to gauge my progress.

It takes about 20 minutes to calculate your body fat percentage, and Zuzana has all the steps you can follow here. Without knowing where I was starting from I would have no clear idea beyond the mirror to know if my fitness strategy is working or not. Having this information can save you a lot of time and effort by ensuring that you are actually making progress.

If you have not taken the time to do things like measure your body fat and calculate your daily caloric requirements then maybe it’s time to bite the bullet and get serious about knowing where you stand. I can tell you that it’s really helped me get that much closer to my fitness goals.

Best,
Frederick.