Why you need a workout diary
One of the basic rules for muscle growth is constantly increasing weight during exercise. In order to track the change in this working weight, the trainee will definitely need a training diary . Moreover, the paper version is more convenient.
If you exercise without a training diary, and without fixing the working weights, and rely solely on your memory, then monitoring your progress is almost unrealistic, since you will not be able to remember the weekly weights in the exercises performed.
How often do you need to increase weight?
If you are working to increase muscle mass, fixing the weekly working weight in basic exercises (squats, bench press, standing press, deadlifts and deadlifts) is rule number one, since the weight must constantly increase.
Note: despite the fact that every week it is necessary to add at least 1-2 kg to the weight of the barbell, this does not mean that in a year you will increase the working weight by 100 kg. Obviously, you cannot constantly increase the weight, and weight cycles alternate with light workouts.
How do I keep track of the progress of my scale?
Often the question is how to compare the progress of the working weight, and how to determine which of the loads was more – 5 reps with a weight of 80 kg or 7 reps with a weight of 75 kg? Sometimes it is recommended to multiply the weight, but this is not entirely correct.
For example, in our case, you will need to compare 5 * 80 = 400 kg and 7 * 75 = 585 kg – in the second case, the figure is almost 50% more, but this does not mean that you did the exercise 50% better. For a correct comparison, the 1MP indicator is used.
One max rep
In theory, 1MP (one maximum repetition) is the weight with which you are technically able to perform the exercise correctly once. But it is obvious that in reality this is impossible, since you will not be able to work with such a large weight.
1MP is a purely theoretical number calculated by the formula, and is used only to compare the working weight. Trying to do the exercise with only one repetition of maximum weight is strictly not recommended, as it is extremely traumatic.
How is 1MP calculated?
Empirically, based on multiple measurements, the following formula was derived to calculate this indicator: 1MP = WEIGHT / (1.0278- (0.0278 * POVT)). For ease of use, the coefficients are given below (1) :
- 3 reps – 1.059
- 4 reps – 1.091
- 5 reps – 1.125
- 6 reps – 1.161
- 7 reps – 1,200
- 8 reps – 1.242
- 9 reps – 1.286
- 10 reps – 1.330
How do I use the odds?
Above, we tried to compare 5 reps with a weight of 80 kg and 7 reps with a weight of 75 kg. To determine 1MP, you need to multiply the working weight by the coefficient of repetitions made with this weight. In our example, these will be the following numbers: 80 * 1.125 and 75 * 1.2.
Both in the first and in the second case, the result is 90 kg. Conclusion: despite the fact that more repetitions were done, there was no real progress in the working weight, although multiplying and calculating the total lifted weight gave a completely different result.
What is 1MP for?
In addition to the task of tracking progress in basic exercises, the 1MP indicator may be required to calculate the optimal working weight. In this case, 1MP is taken as 100%, for the maximum, and decreasing coefficients are applied.
For example, for muscle growth in a beginner, it is not critical with what weight he works – with 60% of 1 MP, or with 90% of 1 MP, but it is obvious that in the case of performing an exercise with 60% of 1 MP, the technique will be better, and safety will be higher. (2) . More details in the next article.