The test is straightforward. For the muscle you are targeting, and
we’ll use chest as an example, pick a standard exercise (in this
case, the bench press) and a weight that you can perform about 10
reps. This means that if you used that weight and pushed the
barbell until you couldn’t possibly lift it any more, you would
complete about 10 repetitions. This is known as your 10-rep max.

See our one-rep max calculator:

One-Rep Max Calculator

Now, simply perform 7 sets to failure. That’s it! Load the weight,
push out as many repetitions as you possibly could do, rest exactly
one minute, then repeat for a total of 7 repetitions.

Besides being a great workout in itself, this will tell you exactly
how to design your training program! Let’s explain. If you were to
perform the above test and your repetitions for each set looked
like this:

10, 10, 9, 9, 12, 11, 10

We would know you had a high endurance fiber distribution in your
chest. It may seem odd that you would suddenly have a higher rep set after fatiguing, but this can actually occur. It is a phenomenon
known as neuromuscular facilitation and happens as your central
nervous system adapts to the workout. For muscles that exhibit this
type of fatigue, you would want to perform higher repetitions – when
the typical recommendation is 12 reps, for example, you would
perform 15 – 20. When the typical recommendation is 4 reps, you
might perform 8 reps instead.

If your scores looked like this:

10, 8, 4, 2, 1, 1, 1

Then we would know this muscle fatigues quickly. We would assume it contains fast-twitch or "explosive" fiber. This muscle has more
potential to increase in size, but you must take care not to
annihilate it. For muscle groups that exhibit this type of fatigue,
we would work fewer repetitions. If the typical recommendation is 12
reps, you would perform only 8 – 10. If the recommendation were 4
reps, you would perform 2 – 3 reps instead.

This will be a continuum between fast and slow twitch, so there is
no exact method other than an actual biopsy of your muscle to
determine the structure. This type of test, however, can help you
get closer to a program that is right for you.

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This is one of the many training gems that are contained in the
299-page Training Encyclopedia, that is included in your Lose Fat,
Not Faith transformation guide. To pick up your copy today, visit: