hi everyone,

i am planning on maxing out soon and i would appreciate every piece of advice anybody has to help lift the most possible weight when i do so, i.e. the best way to warm up before attempting the max lift.

this is what i did last time, when i maxed 200:

jogged in place for a few minutes
135x10
rest 3 mins
155x4
rest 3 mins
190x1
rest 3 mins

max attempt, 200

was this a good warm-up, or was it too much or too little? also, does the jogging in place help that much? i had heard that u can lift more if your heart rate is quickened, is that true?

also, can anybody suggest what, how long before, and how much to eat b4 i start the actual lifting to achieve maximum energy?

lastly, how and when should i incorporate stretching in there?

i am planning on maxing 215, in case u needed to know for your replies.

thanks in advance!

I don't max out myself, but I wouldn't recommend any stretching. Stretching actually can increase your risk of injury if done prior to exercise. Do it after.

wow, really? i had always heard that stretching b4 exercise decreases your risk of injury.

Well according to the food pyramid, Carbs are good for you. Which we now know, Carbs are bad. So its no surprise to me that they have found studies saying stretching before is an exercise is bad.

Carbs are not bad.. if all you eat is protein then protein will be used as energy not carbs. you need carbs if you want to get bigger. the only time i mean only time you should not eat carbs is when your trying to lose weight.

But if you eat to many carbs, it will turn into fat. So yes it will make you bigger, but fat wise. I try to only eat carbs about an hr before workout. B/c carbs are a good source of energy.

I disagree that stretching before exercise increases your risk of injury, unless you are trying to strech cold muscles, overstretch your muscles or overextend your joints. You should always try and do a warm up prior to stretching and gently stretch the muscles - not jerk them.
I would also recommend stretching in between sets instead of sitting or standing around idle, it helps the muscles recover and keeps them from tightening up.
P.S. Too much of any food that contains calories will turn into fat...not just carbs.

The food pyramid isn't based on research. Just opinion. The FDA isn't the best source of information.

So when studies reveal information that seems logical, I'll use it.

umm, thanks...but can anyone give me tips to warm-up, to maximize my lift?

heh...i bench 200 as well

i did a warmup similar 2 that...seemed to work pretty well, but there are more educated people around here than me...

is nobody else willing to help? :(

You know, it's really up to you to find out what's going to work for you. I have always done better when I do one light set of 10, and then maybe two pretty heavy sets before my max. Like 4x75% then 2x85%, then max. But I know quite a few people who have had more success doing a few light sets and then maxing. Take some time. You're the only one who can decide what's going to be best for you.

well of course it is up to me, but i came here cuz i assumed there are lots of people much more knowledgeable to me who could give me help that i could never find myself. all i wanted was some opinions, i see a lot of people come here and sign up just to ask a couple questions, and most seem to get a lot of help, but that wasn't the case for me for some reason.

thanks for your input anyway...i'll just figure it out myself like you said

What moire do you expect? Especially when you respond like a little *****.

Each persons body is incredibly different from the next. I told you what works well for me, and I pointed out that it's very different from some people I work with.

There are no secret tricks to warming up, or buidling muscles. You have to go work hard at it, and you learn along the way. I wasn't so lazy that I had to have older people tell me what to do every step of the way. Even if I did, I still would have had to go through the same process of finding out which of their methods--if any--was going to work for me.

whatever...i didn't "respond" like anything...i don't think asking for help qualifies under that. furthermore, i wasn't lazy either, asking for a little additional help isn't being lazy, i've been lifting for 2 years with pretty much zero help and i've come a long way like this. i also have put lots of time into researching over the net muscle growth, protein, lifting tips, etc. i don't need anybody to "tell me what to do every step of the way," i would just appreciate some advice here and there to help me get where i want to be faster. i don't think there's anything wrong with that...all i said was that i was frustrated becuz most other people on here seem to get much more feedback on questions than i did. but it's ok...and i didn't mean to come here and cause trouble, with steve or anybody, sorry guys.

oh and btw, sorry to break it to you steve, but in response to your claim that i have to go and ask "people older than me" to help every step of the way, you're not even older than me, in fact i'm a year older than you

I don't max out myself, but I wouldn't recommend any stretching. Stretching actually can increase your risk of injury if done prior to exercise. Do it after.

well, stretching is always a good idea, but now it is recommended that you do 5-10 mins of cardio to warm up your muscles before exercise, don't just do NOTHING

umm, thanks...but can anyone give me tips to warm-up, to maximize my lift?

sorry I didn't notice this one cuz of the new split page thing,
okay start by doing a q warm up set of about 20 reps really lightweight, this will pump synovial fluid into the joint lubricating it, after this put your hands in the small of your back with your knuckles touching (in a fist) as though u are being handcuffed, and stretch your elbows forward and hold for 10 secs, rest for about 30 secs and then do it again then hit the bench, and try to max out.

(rememebr, if you're gonna max out every single workout make sure that you don't over train)

I still don't understand why you're upset, or what you're expecting to get in the form of help? Nobody is gonna fly out to meet you for a workout. I told you what works for me. Try it, see if it works for you. That's why I stressed that you're still going to have to figure it out for yourself, even if someone here gives you advice. I'm sorry you skipped the portion of my message where I told you what I use for a max warmup. Just for future reference, what would you consider help here? I have always thought it was people giving suggestions for others to try? You've gotten that several times now, so are you just unwilling to go see if it works for you?

thank you mjmaciver!

steve, i did read your suggestion to a max warm-up, i'm sorry if i acted like i didn't, and i appreciate the help. and i DO agree with you that "help" should be regarded as suggestions by others, and that IS exactly what i was looking for. but no, i haven't gotten lots of those, in fact other than mjmaciver's suggestion, you were the only other one to really give me a suggestion for a max warm-up (the stretching thing i was merely curious about; the warm-up is clearly much more important).

suggestions are good and i expect nothing more, i don't expect someone to come out and work out w/me and be my personal trainer

Sonce noone is helping, i will try. First, stretching is good before, not to stretch the muscles, but to help get the blood flowing. A fast, light, set will have the same or better results. And when maxing out, do not wait so long between sets. Wait only for perhaps a minute. Between that time, get a sip of water or somthing.