Big Difference between 1 rep max & 5 rep max

[tomprice43]

Hi Coach,

This is my first time posting here so i'll give you a bit of background, I have followed you book, programs and some other strength routines since 2010, i started off with Starting Strength 3x5, moved to 5x5 then 5-3-1.

Since then I have concentrated alot more on Strongman Training as it benefited my sport of Rugby alot more. I've had great gains on using all your programs,

I have been a big fan of milk my entire life and ever since training I have drank 6 UK liters of full fat milk, that works out at about 1.5 US Gallons. I have never had any problems with drinking that much milk and it has massively attributed to my gains. I was already drinking close to 1 US Gallon before training just because i like it, so i will probably never stop drinking this much.

I will try and convert everything into lbs to make it easier as i know most people here are not familiar with the UK Metric system and our KG.

I'm 6ft 3 and started in 2010 with the following stats:-

Weight - 196lbs
Max Squat - 220lbs
Max Deadlift - 198lbs
Max Bench - 176lbs
Military Press - 110lbs

As of 3 months ago, (Almost exactly 2 years from starting and before my injury) my stats were the following:-

Weight - 266lbs
Max Squat - 507lbs
Max Deadlift - 562lbs
Max Bench - 418lbs
Military Press - 242lbs

As you can see coach rip, I have grown 70lbs in the last 2 years and more than doubled all my Max lifts. This has massively improved my performance on the Rugby field and has taken me to a victory at my regional strongman event. Without your book and routines none of this would be possible. I am a massive advocate of your programs and the GOMAD method of gaining weight. I have never gone over 12-14% bodyfat with it either. So I would like to thank you for everything you have done for me.

So now onto my queston, I have been out for 2 months with a back injury caused by an impact in Rugby, nothing serious but enough be recommended rest for 8 weeks. I have done this and have been back training for 4 weeks.

I couldn't think of any better way to start back into training after my first real time out, than where I originally started and got the most gains. The Starting Strength 3x5. Now here is where the problem arises.

I used the Starting Strength spreadsheet logbook, entered my 1 rep max to calculated my 5 rep starting figure. Now i'll use the squat as the example here as its the most effected but its pretty much the same for all my lifts.

Now with my max squat of 507lbs, i took that number and put it into the calculator, this gave me a 5 rep max of 450lbs. It soon became apparent to me that this was far to high for me to do 3x5 with. In fact i struggled with 1 set of 3.

After a bit of playing around i found that 363lbs was actually going to be my starting weight not 450lbs. I thought this may have been down to the fact I have been out for 8 weeks. To test this I built up to my 1 rep max doing singles, and low and behold I managed my previous max of 507lbs.

So my question to you coach rip is, why is my 5 rep max so much lower than my 1 rep max?

I can understand there a bit of a difference as I have been training for max lifts in strongman and I'm a very good sprinter so assume i have alot of fast twitching fibres. But doesn't this just seem to much?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Anytime you start back after a layoff, the work sets are NEVER calculated. They are titrated up from the warmups. Equations are wrong 90% of the time, because they cannot include all the factors that determine the extrapolated set of 5 TODAY. Start where the workout tells you to start, and go up from there. Your subsequent jumps will be bigger than they were the first time anyway, so if you guessed light by 20 pounds, the error will be made up in at most 2 workouts. But if you start 20 pounds too heavy, you're fucked.

[stef]

I used the Starting Strength spreadsheet logbook, entered my 1 rep max to calculated my 5 rep starting figure.

What is the "Starting Strength spreadsheet logbook"?

[Tamara Reynolds]

Now with my max squat of 507lbs, i took that number and put it into the calculator, this gave me a 5 rep max of 450lbs. It soon became apparent to me that this was far to high for me to do 3x5 with. In fact i struggled with 1 set of 3.

Even if the calculator you used accurately predicted your 5RM, your 5RM is NOT your 3x5 set. A 5RM is a SINGLE set of 5. It should be too heavy to do for 3 sets of 5 and it should be too heavy to start your worksets at.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yes, all kinds of other weird shit here.

[Frayedknot]

How many other 500 lb squatters struggle with these simple concepts?