You know what you lifted once. What should be on the bar for a set of eight? One lift in, a full chart out - no guessing between sets.
Nothing is sent anywhere - this runs inside your browser.
Enter a set you have done and we will build the whole chart.
Strength training is usually written as a percentage of your one rep max, because the same programme has to work for somebody squatting 60 kg and somebody squatting 200. "5 sets of 5 at 80%" means nothing until you know what your 80% is - that is what this chart is for.
| Reps | Roughly | What that range is good for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 90 to 100% | Pure strength. Heavy, technical, tiring - not where beginners should live. |
| 4 to 6 | 85 to 90% | Strength with a bit more practice at the movement. |
| 8 to 12 | 70 to 80% | The main muscle building range, and the friendliest on joints. |
| 15+ | Under 65% | Endurance. Still builds muscle if the set is genuinely hard. |
Close near the set you gave it, looser further away. Estimating a one rep max from a set of ten is a longer stretch than from a set of three, and people differ - two lifters with the same 5 rep max can have one rep maxes several kilos apart.
Use it as a starting weight, not a promise. If the chart says 72.5 kg for eight and you get twelve, the chart was low. Adjust to what actually happened.
Most people never need to. A true max attempt is technically demanding and is where form breaks down, which is where injuries happen. Working it out from a set of three to five gets you close enough for every practical purpose and costs nothing.
Because plenty of people here train at home and also lift somewhere once or twice a week, and because everything on this site is free with nothing behind a login. If you have no weights, the bodyweight exercises progress a different way - harder variations rather than heavier loads, which is what the easier-and-harder ladder on every exercise page is for.
Estimated maxes are a starting weight, not a target to chase in one session. Everything on this page is worked out from a formula or from published averages. It has never met you, and it cannot see your blood pressure, your medication or an old injury.
Talk to a doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular medication, have or have had an eating disorder, are recovering from injury or surgery, or are under 18. Stop and get advice if any exercise causes pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.
More about where these numbers come from is on the about page.
