// FREE CALCULATOR //
Enter the weight and reps from a hard bench press set to estimate your max bench: the heaviest single you could likely press. It uses the Epley formula, weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30), the same one the IronLedger app uses, with Brzycki beside it.
// ESTIMATED BENCH PRESS 1RM //
262.5 lb
From 225 lb × 5 with Epley. Brzycki gives 253.1 lb.
| % of 1RM | Load (lb) |
|---|---|
| 100% | 262.5 |
| 95% | 249.5 |
| 90% | 236.5 |
| 85% | 223 |
| 80% | 210 |
| 75% | 197 |
| 70% | 184 |
| 65% | 170.5 |
| 60% | 157.5 |
| 55% | 144.5 |
| 50% | 131.5 |
| Reps | Load (lb) | % of 1RM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 262.5 | 100% |
| 2 | 246 | 93.8% |
| 3 | 238.5 | 90.9% |
| 4 | 231.5 | 88.2% |
| 5 | 225 | 85.7% |
| 6 | 219 | 83.3% |
| 7 | 213 | 81.1% |
| 8 | 207 | 78.9% |
| 9 | 202 | 76.9% |
| 10 | 197 | 75% |
| 11 | 192 | 73.2% |
| 12 | 187.5 | 71.4% |
// QUICK ANSWERS //
Estimated one-rep max for sets lifters ask about most, in pounds. Epley and Brzycki agree exactly at 10 reps.
| Set | Epley | Brzycki |
|---|---|---|
| 135 × 5 | 157.5 | 151.9 |
| 135 × 10 | 180 | 180 |
| 185 × 5 | 215.8 | 208.1 |
| 225 × 1 | 225 | 225 |
| 225 × 3 | 247.5 | 238.2 |
| 225 × 5 | 262.5 | 253.1 |
| 225 × 10 | 300 | 300 |
| 275 × 3 | 302.5 | 291.2 |
| 315 × 1 | 315 | 315 |
| 315 × 5 | 367.5 | 354.4 |
// WHAT COUNTS AS A REP //
Under IPF rules the lifter keeps head, shoulders and buttocks on the bench and feet flat, lowers the bar to the chest or abdomen until the underside of both elbows is level with or below the top of the shoulders, holds it motionless, and presses on the referee’s command.
A pause on the chest removes the bounce, so the same weight is usually harder paused. If you will test or compete with a pause, estimate from paused reps rather than converting a touch-and-go set.
Grip width changes the range of motion, so estimate from the grip you will max with. See close grip vs wide grip for how the two differ.
Reynolds and colleagues found a 5-rep max predicted the bench 1RM better than 10 or 20 reps. A set of 3 to 6 close to failure is a good basis; above 10 reps the calculator flags the result.
// NEXT STEPS //
Percentage programs such as 5/3/1 work from a training max below your estimate. IronLedger’s 5/3/1 setup uses 90% of it by default.
Turn any load from the tables into plates per side with the plate calculator, and ramp up to it with the warm-up calculator.
The one rep max calculator is the same maths without the bench notes, for squats, deadlifts and presses.
// DIRECT ANSWERS //
Bench a weight for as many good reps as you can manage, ideally between 2 and 10, then enter the weight and reps above. With the Epley formula your estimated max is weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30), so 100 kg for 5 reps estimates a 116.7 kg bench.
About 262.5 lb with Epley (225 × (1 + 5 ÷ 30)) or 253 lb with Brzycki. The two formulas agree at 10 reps and drift apart either side, so a range of roughly 250 to 265 lb is the honest answer.
Fairly accurate from a heavy set. Reynolds and colleagues tested the barbell bench press and found the 1RM was best predicted from a 5-rep max, with less accuracy from 10 and 20 reps; they advised using no more than 10 reps.
From the kind of rep you want a max for. Competition rules require the bar to be held motionless on the chest before the press command, so if you will test or compete with a pause, estimate from paused reps. An estimate can only reflect the reps you actually did.
The arithmetic works for any set, but the formulas were built and tested on barbell lifts. Treat an incline or dumbbell estimate as a guide for that exercise only; it does not convert into a flat barbell max.
Yes. Log your bench sets in IronLedger and it estimates a 1RM from each one with Epley, keeps your best as a record and charts the trend over time. It is free, with no subscription.
// SOURCES //
Log your bench sets in IronLedger and it estimates a 1RM from every one, keeps your best as a record and charts it over time, with the same Epley formula. Free, with no subscription. iPhone now; Android is in closed testing.
Get IronLedger free on iOSThe same calculation is a free JSON API at /api/tools/one-rep-max and a tool on the IronLedger MCP server, so an assistant can run it and link back to this page with your numbers.
// MORE TOOLS //
Your estimated 1RM from any set, with a percentage table and the load each rep count should allow.
Turn RPE and reps into a percentage of your max, estimate a max from an RPE set, or find the load for a target.
Which plates go on each side of the bar, for any bar, in kg or lb, with the plates you actually own.