It may surprise some of you, but testing your one repetition maximum (1RM) could be harmful because tests don’t build strength despite draining you.

In many situations, it’s better to get stronger by doing triples and sets of five with good form instead of jeopardizing your health for the sake of 1RM tests in the gym.

For instance, if you can squat 300lbs for 5 reps and through effort and intelligent programming take your squat to 350×5, your 1RM will go up without stressing your body with absolute limit weights.

1RMs Do Not Build Muscle

If all you do is test your 1RM, you will not build a lot of muscle mass because you won’t be lifting a sufficient tonnage (volume) for hypertrophy to occur. The weight may be heavy, but the actual work is not enough to initiate optimal hypertrophy.

But John Broz says that I can squat all day?

Everyday squatting is reserved for gifted professional athletes on anabolic steroids and growth hormone who have dedicated their existence to fighting gravity. Regular folks won’t benefit much from a similar schedule. Maxing on squats every day would probably cause a regression in the life of the average human.