What percentage of your 1RM can you lift for each rep count?
Short answer: a rep max chart turns a rep count into a percentage of your 1RM. By the Epley formula you can lift about 85.7% of your 1RM for 5 reps and 75% for 10. By Brzycki, 5 reps is 88.9% and 10 reps is also 75%. A single is 100% by definition.
Example: sets of 5 from a 140 kg max
Your squat max is 140 kg and the plan calls for a hard set of 5. The chart gives 85.7% for 5 reps by Epley:
- 140 × 85.7% = 119.98 kg
- With kilo plates on a 20 kg bar, the nearest loads are 120 kg (25 + 25 on each side) and 117.5 kg below it.
For a 315 lb bench max the same row gives 315 × 85.7% = 269.96 lb. The nearest loads are 270 lb (45, 45, 10, 10 and 2.5 on each side) and 265 lb. For any other max, the 1RM percentage calculator does the multiplying and the rounding.
Rep max chart, 1 to 12 reps
The percentage of your 1RM you can lift for each number of reps, taken to the last rep you can complete:
| Reps | Epley | Brzycki |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100% | 100% |
| 2 | 93.7% | 97.2% |
| 3 | 90.9% | 94.4% |
| 4 | 88.2% | 91.7% |
| 5 | 85.7% | 88.9% |
| 6 | 83.3% | 86.1% |
| 7 | 81.1% | 83.3% |
| 8 | 78.9% | 80.6% |
| 9 | 76.9% | 77.8% |
| 10 | 75% | 75% |
| 11 | 73.2% | 72.2% |
| 12 | 71.4% | 69.4% |
The chart stops at 12 reps because past that point the formulas disagree more and more, and a percentage says little about a set of 15 or 20.
How to read the chart
Find the number of reps you plan to do, read the percentage across, and multiply it by your 1RM. Then round to a weight your plates can make. The chart describes a set taken to the last rep you can manage. If your program wants reps left in the tank, use a lower percentage than the chart shows for that rep count.
The chart is a 1RM formula run backwards. The guide how 1RM is calculated shows the formulas themselves.
Epley vs Brzycki on the chart
The two columns meet at 10 reps, where both say 75%. Below 10 reps Brzycki gives the higher percentage, so it expects you to handle more weight for the same reps. Above 10 it gives the lower one. For the 5-rep example the difference looks like this:
| 5 reps from a | Epley (85.7%) | Brzycki (88.9%) |
|---|---|---|
| 140 kg max | 119.98 kg, load 120 kg | 124.46 kg, load 125 kg |
| 315 lb max | 269.96 lb, load 270 lb | 280.04 lb, load 280 lb |
Neither column is the true one. If the Epley weights feel easy for you at 5 reps, the Brzycki column may fit you better, and the other way round. Pick the one that matches what you actually do in training and stay with it.
Why a single is 100%
A one-rep max is the weight you can lift once, so 1 rep is 100% of it in every column. The Epley equation, taken literally, puts a single slightly above the weight lifted: 100 kg for 1 rep comes to 103.33 kg. This chart does not use that row, and fixes 1 rep at 100%.
If you want a real number for the top of the chart instead of an estimate, how to test your 1RM safely lays out a test day.
Mistakes with a rep max chart
- Treating the percentages as exact. They are averages. Your own rep counts at 85% may be one or two off.
- Using a max that is out of date. A percentage of an old 1RM gives old weights.
- Forgetting to round. 119.98 kg cannot go on the bar; 120 kg can.
- Mixing units. Take the percentage of a kg max in kg, and of a lb max in lb.
- Reading the chart for every set. The chart is for sets to the last rep. Most working sets stop short of that.
FAQ
What percentage of 1RM is 5 reps?
About 85.7% by Epley and 88.9% by Brzycki. For a 140 kg max that is 119.98 kg by Epley, so load 120 kg.
What percentage of 1RM is 10 reps?
75% by both Epley and Brzycki. For a 315 lb max that is 236.25 lb, so load 235 lb or 240 lb.
What percentage of 1RM is 3 reps?
About 90.9% by Epley and 94.4% by Brzycki. A set of 3 sits close to your max.
What percentage of 1RM is 8 reps?
About 78.9% by Epley and 80.6% by Brzycki, a little under four fifths of your max.
Why is 1 rep 100% on a rep max chart?
A single at your max is your 1RM by definition, so 1 rep is 100% in every column, even though Epley's equation would give 103.33 kg for 100 kg lifted once.