Just reading that... I don't quite understand when it said:

MAX-EFFORT LIFT - Work up to a max set of 3-5 reps.

So how many sets am I suppose to do and should I warm up by lifting 60% of the max weight for 3 - 5 reps that I can do ?

General rule of thumb-1 warm up set for every 100 pounds of your target max.
It should take you about 6-8 total sets. Joe advises that the skinnier you are, the more sets you should use.

An example he gives in themanual on page 10 of WS4SB III is a box squat of 315 for 3 reps
95X5, 135X5, 185X3, 225X3, 275X3, 295X3, 315X3

This is from Joes site:

Notes regarding warm-up sets

You’ll notice that I don’t list the number of warm-up sets for your main lift on Max-Effort days or Repetition Upper Body days. Instead, I use the term “work up.” This is because the number of warm-up sets you’ll be performing is determined by how strong you are! The stronger you are, the more sets you’ll need to reach your max weight. I favor multiple sets of low reps for warming up on Max-Effort Day and just 1 or 2 sets of 6-8 reps before your first exercise on Rep Upper Body Day.

Before you warm up with weights, however, you should be performing a 5-15 minute general warm-up. Make sure you have a light sweat going before getting under the bar.

Here’s an example of “working up” to a max set of 3 reps in the box squat. Assuming the athlete’s goal is to box squat 315 lbs. for 3 reps, a sample warm-up would look something like this:

95 X 5
135 X 5
185 X 3
225 X 3
275 X 3
295 X 3
315 X 3

It should be noted that these warm-up weights are not engraved in stone! Some people like to take bigger jumps and some prefer smaller. YOU must figure out what works best for YOU! The one thing I will suggest is that if you are a weak, skinny bastard, you must make sure you’re performing at least 5 total sets for your max-effort exercise. For example, let’s say you’re going for a 5RM in the box squat and your goal is 185 lbs. Don’t just do 95 X 5, 135 X 5 and 185 X 5. Skinny bastards need more volume in order to grow, so make sure you make smaller jumps in weight and get more sets in before your main set.

On Rep Upper Body Day - where you’re performing “3 sets of max reps” - you won’t need to perform as many warm-up sets before your first actual work set because you’re not handling a maximal weight. For example, let’s say a workout calls for you to perform 3 sets of max reps of DB benches on the Swiss ball. If you’re using 65 lb. DB’s, and your goal is 25 reps on the first set, I suggest you only perform 1 or 2 sets of 6-8 reps before your first work set. Here, you might do 45 lb. DB’s for 8 reps and then 55 lb. DB’s for 6 reps. Another option would be to perform just 1 set of 8 reps with 50 lb. DB’s before your first work set. Again, you must decide, through trial and error, what works best for you!


The full article can be found here:
DeFranco's Training - Articles

Which one are you doing???

Just curious.

Good luck.

thanks for the input guys... I was just thinking, when the guy said:

“3 sets of max reps”

That seems to include warm up reps too? I mean how many sets of MAX i.e. 65lb.s dumbells shouold I actually do then after the 2 warmup sets of 45 and 55 lbs respectively or is that included in the max number of sets ?

Max number of sets=typically 6-8 sets. This is for warm-up and work sets.

Thanks for the reply...

Just one more thing, when he said: Restoration techniques, what does that actually mean?