1 Rep Max: Good or Bad?

Here are the top 3 reasons that can hinder you doing 1RM:

1. Injury risk 

The closer you get to your 1 rep max the more likely it is you will suffer an injury, whether that be a muscle tear, ligament tear or even a tendon detachment. It's purely down to the fact that the level of stress is obviously higher and therefore so are the stakes. 

It's even more of a risk in those who are maybe not as experienced in working within such low rep ranges, with the sort of weight associated with it. When you are working so close to your maximal effort everything has to be held together or you're going to potentially be defeated by the weight and make yourself vulnerable. 

In reality, for body composition changes I don't feel its necessary to take this risk.

2. Testosterone 

One of the key benefits of resistance training for body composition results is the hormonal response you experience. Studies have shown that whilst working with around 85% of your 1RM for reps will lead to an increase in "free" testosterone, working close to your 1RM doesn't seem to have the same effect. Therefore if your goals are body composition based, this supports the idea that its just not worth the risk for the potential rewards. 

3. Composition Vs. Strength 

What are your goals? I want you to become stronger within every rep range I set to induce "progressive overload" however rep ranges between 1-5 are usually specific to strength sports rather than compositional changes. Like I've already mentioned it comes back down to not needing to take the risk for the potential rewards. 

If you want to maximize muscle mass, manage fat levels, get leaner and sustain this progressive cycle I don't feel you need to work in the very low rep ranges.