Prediction of bench press lifting ability from submaximal repetitions before and after training

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of predicting maximal bench press lifting strength from submaximal bench press repetitions before and after a training program. College students (70 men; 101 women) were tested to determine their one repetition maximum (1‐RM) bench press lifting strength before and after 14 weeks of training. Several days after an initial maximum lift determination, each subject was randomly assigned a submaximal load corresponding to 55 to 95% of the 1‐RM and required to perform as many bench press repetitions as possible in 1 minute. The same percent 1‐RM was used following training, as was used before training, to test lifting capacity at a defined percent of the initial 1‐RM for a given individual. Men had a significantly greater 1‐RM bench press strength and absolute integrated submaximal weightlifting ability than women but were not significantly different in percent 1‐RM and repetitions. The exponential relationship between percent 1‐RM and repetitions before and after training did not differ significantly between men and women. Using this relationship, 1‐RM bench press lifting strength could be estimated with a validity coefficient of r >0.90 and a standard error of 2.9 to 3.5 kg for women and 5.7 to 6.6 kg for men regardless of the training state of each group. It was concluded that the number of repetitions completed in 1 minute of lifting a submaximal load can provide an accurate estimate of maximal bench press lifting strength regardless of training status.