I found an interesting short article from Men’s Fitness that helps you to increase your one-rep-max lift.  It involves tricking your brain into thinking that you’re not lifting that much weight.

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO

After your warm-up sets, leave the weight you’ve been using on the bar. To get up to the amount you’ll need for a new one-rep-maximum lift, pile on the smaller plates that are available in the gym (the 35-, 25-, 10-, and five-pounders). Even though it would be more economical to slide on the standard 45-pound plates, make up the difference with those little plates. Don’t count up the pounds as you add weight–just estimate. Now lift–it may take a few attempts before you find your new max, but afterward, tally up the total number of pounds. We bet you’ll have gotten 5%-10% more weight on your last attempt than you planned.

HERE’S WHY

The nervous system controls your muscles but it also relays sensory information from the eyes to the brain, which controls perception and, in turn, performance. Take away that visual stimulus — in this case, by loading plates on that don’t look heavy — and you change your whole perception of the lift. Even though you know full well that the bar is heavy, your nervous system won’t make the same connection, and you’ll lift with more confidence. This allows your body to focus more on recruiting muscle fibers and less on how much weight is on the bar.

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