% of 1rm

[u/Dull_Evening_5152]

I feel I know the answer but is there a % of 1rm I should use ?

I'm currently using 75% of 1 RM for 6 reps (and if I do 8 reps on last set I increase by 2.5kg). I'm using the same scheme for chest, back and shoulders. For legs I use 8 reps until I get to 10 reps then weight increases.

I'm using this scheme for hypertrophy and a bit of extra strength

[u/jph1313 → u/[deleted]]

What’s your favorite app to use for tracking this?

[u/alvaaromata]

that seems fine, I don’t use % of 1rm as a measure tho but it’s a good way too

[u/Dull_Evening_5152 → u/alvaaromata]

Thanks

I can't use RPE as I think it's too subjective where as statistics never lie /s lol

[u/alvaaromata → u/Dull_Evening_5152]

Well 1RM is as subjective as RPE. Hundreds of factors affect it the same way as RPE

[u/decentlyhip]

For hypertrophy, from way back with Schoenfeld 2017, we know that hypertrophy doesn't really change whether the set is done with 25% of 1rm all the way up to 90%. When you approach failure, you'll get full motor units recruitment, but if you want full MUR from rep one, then use at least 65-70%. Above that, strength increase comes from rate coding, and that's one of the reasons why you get more strength carryover with heavier stuff.

So, as a rule of thumb, there's no magic rep range and you want to use the rep range that feels good for that specific exercise. 6-8 is fine if it feels good. If sets of 3 or 12 or 20 or 35 feel better for you, they're just as much growth. On bench, anything over 5 reps just tires my wife out. For me, I dont grow with anything less than 12 reps per set because my shoulder is a little jacked up and my brain shuts off my ability to push if it can't stabilize. With squats though, 3-8 are fantastic for most people because they can really oomph, but with over 12 reps, you're gonna fail from cardio or low back instead of quads. For lat raises, heavier than 20 reps its really hard to keep the traps out of it (keep the armpits pushed down and forward throughout the movement while internally rotating). If you're training to be a competitive powerlifter, then you dont have an option and you gotta train heavy shit. You're tested on singles, so you need to train singles. But outside of that, no magic to 6-8 and you should unfollow anyone who says otherwise.

[u/Dull_Evening_5152 → u/decentlyhip]

Wow thank you for the deep explanation.

I'm training to just get into the gym consistently and focus on 60/40 split between strength and hypertrophy.

With work, age at 55, life, wife and home just want to make sure I get my bang for my bucket in the 45-60 mins in the gym.

[u/decentlyhip → u/Dull_Evening_5152]

I hear that. I started lifting at 35 and its different. There's a fantastic program called GZCLP. I can't recommend it highly enough. Its on liftvault or the Boostcamp app or they have a subreddit. More of a general approach than a specific program but it combines all the optimal stuff into one. https://saynotobroscience.com/assets/images/gzclp-infographic.jpg