The Army Training System - AskTOP

A better and easier method is therepetition maximum (RM) method. Theexerciser finds and uses that weightwhich lets him do the correct numberof repetitions. For example, to developboth muscle endurance and strength, asoldier should choose a weight for eachexercise which lets him do 8 to 12 repetitionsto muscle failure. (See Figure3-1.) The weight should be heavyenough so that, after doing from 8 to 12Figure 3-1repetitions, he momentarily cannotcorrectly do another repetition. Thisweight is the 8-12 RM for that exercise.MUSCULAR ENDURANCE/STRENGTH DEVELOPMENTTo develop muscle strength, theweight selected should be heavier andthe RM will also be different. For example,the soldier should find thatweight for each exercise which letshim do 3 to 7 repetitions correctly.This weight is the 3-7 RM for thatexercise. Although the greatest improvementsseem to come from resistancesof about 6-RM, an effectiverange is a 3-7 RM. The weight shouldbe heavy enough so that an eighthrepetition would be impossible becauseof muscle fatigue.The weight should also not be tooheavy. If one cannot do at least threerepetitions of an exercise, the resistanceis too great and should be reduced.Soldiers who are just beginninga resistance-training programshould not start with heavy weights.They should first build an adequatefoundation by training with an 8-12RM or a 12+ RM.To develop muscular endurance,the soldier should choose a resistancethat lets him do more than 12 repetitionsof a given exercise. This is his12+ repetition maximum (12+ RM).With continued training, the greaterthe number of repetitions per set, thegreater will be the improvement inmuscle endurance and the smaller thegains in strength. For example, whena soldier trains with a 25-RM weight,gains in muscular endurance will begreater than when using a 15-RMweight, but the gain in strength willnot be as great. To optimize a soldier’sperformance, his RM should be determinedfrom an analysis of the criticaltasks of his mission. However, mostsoldiers will benefit most from a resistance-trainingprogram with an 8-12RM.3-3