Barbell Finding a 5 RM for a new lift

[BJJ Shawn]

Hello all,

I will be transitioning from S&S which I have been doing for about 6 months, to doing the 10,000 swing challenge which includes 4 additional lifts, then finally to the russian bear from PTTP, which means picking up the barbell again for the first time in 26 months. Since what I did in deadlifts that long ago (and only 1 set a week at that) really has no bearing on where I'm at today, and the other 3 lifts I use I have never consistently lifted, where would you start to find your 5 rm?

Conventional reasoning says to start low, and increase each session until it feels like a tough but doable 5 reps with 1-2 in the tank, then work from there. However, in the 10,000 swing challenge, you will only do 4-5 sessions with each lift before the challenge ends, and Dan John says to use your 5RM in the lifts. I have a couple weeks before I will start this, so I have some time to figure it out, but without killing myself trying to do tons of extra lifts while doing S&S, what is a sound way to figure out a good 5rm?

 

[Antti]

Load the barbell lightly. Try to do five good reps. If successful, load some more and rest. Repeat the process until you fail. The weight you got five good reps with is your 5RM.

Absolutely no reason to make it more complicated than it is.

 

[BJJ Shawn]

Load the barbell lightly. Try to do five good reps. If successful, load some more and rest. Repeat the process until you fail. The weight you got five good reps with is your 5RM.

Absolutely no reason to make it more complicated than it is.

Thanks, my only concern with that is that I'm either already fatigued from the other sets, or I have to do it over multiple days causing havoc with my normal training. Since I have to find a 5rm with 4 lifts, is this too much extra work to add on to S&S?

I know I'm overthinking this, that is just what I do, lol. I'd rather be over prepared than go into it and fool myself.

 

[Chrisdavisjr]

You're never going to get a 100% accurate 5RM; the amount of weight you can move for 5 reps on any given day depends on a number of factors. As long as you've got a workable starting point you can 'adjust to taste' as you go along.

If it helps, go a little conservative with it and then establish a new more accurate 5RM at the end of the first cycle.

 

[Antti]

Thanks, my only concern with that is that I'm either already fatigued from the other sets, or I have to do it over multiple days causing havoc with my normal training. Since I have to find a 5rm with 4 lifts, is this too much extra work to add on to S&S?

I know I'm overthinking this, that is just what I do, lol. I'd rather be over prepared than go into it and fool myself.

If you plan to train them on separate days, test on separate days. If not, not.

I think in general S&S should be light enough so you shouldn't worry. If possible, add rest between the lifts and between your S&S practice. And even if you're not 100% fresh for some, don't worry about it at all.

 

[BJJ Shawn]

If you plan to train them on separate days, test on separate days. If not, not.

I think in general S&S should be light enough so you shouldn't worry. If possible, add rest between the lifts and between your S&S practice. And even if you're not 100% fresh for some, don't worry about it at all.

Thanks, that helps. In this 5 week cycle, each lift is only done once a week, and only 1 lift per session so I will add them one lift per day to my practice the next couple weeks which will approximate what I will be doing with the 10,000 swing challenge so it should get me in the ballpark.

Thanks again.