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BIOFITNESS CERTIFIED "WORKOUT PLANNING SPECIALIST"
Creating The Strength Test / Finding The Client's Capacity

BioFitness Institute Curriculum

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STRENGTH TESTING

Page Two of Four / Strength Testing

CONVERTING MAXIMUMS

PAGE THREE / STARTING RESISTANCES

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Step Two: The Set/Repetition Strength Test Conversion A Strength Test is designed to discover the client's absolute maximum strength. Absolute maximum strength is always measured in a one repetition maximum (1RM) however, up to five repetitions (5RM) can be used to accurately project an individual's absolute maximum (1RM). Multi-repetition maximums of more than 5RM are too far from a 1RM to have any relevance in predicting absolute strength. In order to understand this concept consider that doing a 60 meter dash will never predict a sprinter's 100 meter dash time as closely as a 90 meter dash will.

The BioFitness Institute believes that whenever estimating an unknown equivelency, such as a single repetition maximum from a multi repetition maximum, being conservative is of paramount importance. Since physical weakness can cause a sedentary, out of shape, client to be unable to reach a 1RM, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has published a conversion chart to help Personal Trainers plan for their clients.

Unfortunately, the NSCA conversion chart turns out to be very aggressive in its workload expectations when going from a multi RM to a single RM. The NSCA uses multiplication and division to determine resistances from percentages. This leads to extreme planning and increases the frequency of a client's susceptibility to failure and over-training! The BioFitness Institute, has chosen to use subtraction and addition to determine resistances from percentages. This creates conservative planning and improved client success.

According to the NSCA conversion table (see below) if a person is doing a (1RM) of a 100 lb. you can create a plan based on them being able to do 80% of 100 lb. or 80 lb. for 8 repetitions. The difference between 100 lb. (100%) and 80 lb. (80%) is 20%. Now lets use this math to go the other way from multi-repetitions to a single repetition. If a person is doing an (8RM) of 80 lb. the NSCA table says you can plan for that person to do a 100 lb. (1RM). But if 80 lb. times 8 repetitions is 80% and the difference between 80% and 100% is 20% than 80 lb. + 20% would be 96 lb. and not 100 lb.

As you can see the NSCA's idea of using just one formula to compute estimated maximums from both directions is extreme and not conservative. BioFitness uses two separate formulas. One formula is used to compute a single repetition maximum from a multi-repetition maximum and a completely different formula is used to compute a multi-repetition maximum from a single repetition maximum.

According to the NSCA repetition/percentage chart 80% of a 1RM can be done for 8 repetitions. This workload expectation only seems to work with beginners who have large untapped fitness potentials and are doing simple movement exercises. However, it has been the experience of the International Weightlifiting Federation (IWF) and it's participating countries, that as the clients strength grows doing an 8RM at 80% is unrealistic. Apparently, it is one thing to expect a person lifting 100 lb. to be able to do 80 lb. 8 times in a simple coordinated movement like a bench press and something quite different to expect someone doing 400 lb. once to do 320 lb. for 8 repetitions. Of course you would never know this until you are doing 400 lb. x 1. BioFitness agrees with the IWF that both beginners and experienced exercisers alike succeed better when 5RM is used at 80%.

The repetition/percentage charts taught by the BioFitness Institute improves on the NSCA with a formula that says if the client tests at 100 lb. for 1RM than 80 lb. would be their 5RM. But if the person tests at 80 lb. for 5RM they can do 95 lb. for 1RM. BioFitness believes that this modification will enable you to plan in a way that reduces the client's risk of over-training and failure.


BioFitness Repetitions / Percentages         NSCA Repetitions / Percentages 

       Working Down -    Working Up +          Working Up x or Down /
 
       1 x 1 = 100.0%    1 x 1 = 100%            1 x 1  = 100%
       1 x 2 =  95.0%    1 x 2 = wt. +  5.0%     1 x 2  =  95%
Test   1 x 3 =  90.0%    1 x 3 = wt. + 10.0%     1 x 4  =  90%
       1 x 4 =  85.0%    1 x 4 = wt. + 15.0%     1 x 6  =  85% 
       1 x 5 =  80.0%    1 x 5 = wt. + 20.0%     1 x 8  =  80%
                                                 1 x 10 =  75%
       1 x 6 =  77.5%    1 x 6 = wt. + 22.5%
       1 x 7 =  75.0%    1 x 7 = wt. + 25.0%
       1 x 8 =  72.5%    1 x 8 = wt. + 27.5% 
       1 x 9 =  70.0%    1 x 9 = wt. + 30.0%
       1 x 10 = 67.5%   1 x 10 = wt. + 32.5%
Plan   1 x 11 = 65.0%   1 x 11 = wt. + 35.0%
       1 x 12 = 62.5%   1 x 12 = wt. + 37.5% 
       1 x 13 = 60.0%   1 x 13 = wt. + 40.0%
       1 x 14 = 57.5%   1 x 14 = wt. + 42.5%
       1 x 15 = 55.0%   1 x 15 = wt. + 45.0%

Important Advisory

Please Note that Conversion Charts are equivalency methods.
A Conversion Chart compares work levels! (1 x 1 at 100% is the same as 1 x 15 at 55%)
Modifying the workload for a client requires further reducing the equivalent by a percentage.
Just using a Conversion Chart's equivalent percentage will not reduce the client's workload.
You will be over-training the client and their results will be less than projected.

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