If you had a 30-pound barbell at home and you wanted to compare your muscular endurance to your younger brother’s, which method would be the BEST to use? A. absolute method B. maxing out C. prediction of 1 percent RM D. fixed percentage of 1 max RM
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The best method to compare your muscular endurance to your younger brother’s using a 30-pound barbell would be D. fixed percentage of 1 rep max (RM).
Explanation:
When assessing muscular endurance, the goal is to see how many repetitions an individual can perform with a given weight before reaching fatigue. The fixed percentage of 1RM method is often used in these kinds of tests because it standardizes the effort across different individuals by accounting for their maximum strength. Here’s why it works best:
- Absolute method (A): This method involves lifting a specific weight, like the 30-pound barbell, as many times as possible. However, it doesn’t consider the fact that people have different maximal strengths. One person might find 30 pounds very light and do more reps, while another might find it quite challenging. This leads to an unfair comparison.
- Maxing out (B): Maxing out refers to testing your one-rep max (1RM), which is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition. This is more of a test of maximal strength, not endurance. Additionally, maxing out is dangerous for individuals who don’t have proper training experience or might not be able to handle high-intensity lifts safely.
- Prediction of 1RM (C): This involves estimating what your 1RM might be based on how many reps you can perform at a sub-maximal weight. While this can give you a rough idea of your strength levels, it’s not the best method for testing endurance since it’s more focused on strength.
- Fixed percentage of 1RM (D): This method takes a percentage of your estimated 1RM (e.g., 50-70%) and measures how many repetitions you can do with that weight. By using a fixed percentage, you’re comparing endurance rather than raw strength, and it gives a more reliable, fair comparison between individuals of different strength levels.
In summary, method D is ideal for assessing muscular endurance while factoring in different strength capacities across individuals.
