Feasibility of the 2-Point Method for Determining the 1-Repetition Maximum in the Bench Press Exercise

This study compared the concurrent validity and reliability of previously proposed generalized group equations for estimating the bench press (BP) 1-repetition maximum (1RM) with the individualized load-velocity relationship modeled with a 2-point method. Thirty men (BP 1RM relative to body mass: 1.08 [0.18] kg·kg ) performed 2 incremental loading tests in the concentric-only BP exercise and another 2 in the eccentric-concentric BP exercise to assess their actual 1RM and load-velocity relationships. A high velocity (≈1 m·s ) and a low velocity (≈0.5 m·s ) were selected from their load-velocity relationships to estimate the 1RM from generalized group equations and through an individual linear model obtained from the 2 velocities. The directly measured 1RM was highly correlated with all predicted 1RMs (r = .847-.977). The generalized group equations systematically underestimated the actual 1RM when predicted from the concentric-only BP (P