What Is A 1 Rep Max: How To Test 1RM, Warm Up, Weight Selection, Calculator

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How To Use Your 1 Rep Max To Decide How Much Weight You Should Lift

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m going to teach you how to calculate your 1 rep max, so you can scientifically choose the correct amount of weight, based on your specific training goals, and current strength levels.

Have you ever wondered how much weight you should be lifting during an exercise?

This is how to calculate your 1 rep max (1RM).

Don’t worry, this isn’t just for strength, it also works for muscle gain and endurance.

How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting?

I’ve been writing workout programs for men and women from all the over the world, since 2010.

One of the most asked questions I get is, how do I know how much weight I should be lifting for each exercise in your workout program?

This post will answer that question, so you can stop basing your weight selection off of feelings, and start basing them on results based science.

In this video, I’m also going to share:

Why Knowing Your 1 Rep Max Is Important For All Weight Training Goals
The Best Rep Range Guidelines Based On Your Goals
What Is A 1 Rep Max?
Why Do You Need To Calculate Your 1 Rep Max?
How To Calculate Your 1 Rep Max?
How To Properly Warm Up Before Testing Your 1 Rep Max?
How To Safely Test Your 1 Rep Max?
How To Calculate Your 1 Rep Max Using A Calculator?

Let’s get into it.

Why Knowing Your 1 Rep Max Is Important For All Weight Training Goals

When it comes to calculating your 1 rep max, most people think it’s only used in the world of strength based programing.

In my Live Lean Strength program, I’ve taught all of our trainees how to safely get stronger, by basing their lifts off a percentage of their 1 rep max.

However, knowing your 1 rep max helps ensure you are lifting at an intensity level that is in alignment with your goals, regardless if your goals are improving:

Muscular endurance
Muscle gain
Strength

Note: when I use the term “intensity”, I’m simply referring to the load or the amount of weight you are lifting.

The Best Rep Range Guidelines Based On Your Goals

As a general guideline, here are the best rep ranges associated with the following weight training goals:

Muscular Endurance:
- 13-20 reps
- Lifting with an intensity at approximately 65% of 1 rep max
Muscle Gain:
- 6-12 reps
- Lifting with an intensity at approximately 70-85% of 1 rep max
Strength:
- 1-5 reps
- Lifting with an intensity at approximately 85-100% of 1 rep max

What Is A 1 Rep Max (1RM)?

Getting stronger is a key component to becoming a Live Leaner.

In order to build strength, lifting heavier weight, in a smart and safe manner, is key.

Remember, we’re Living Lean for life.

Good luck doing that with a jacked up back.

In order to get stronger in a safe manner, calculating your 1 rep max is a great starting point.

According to this study, the 1 rep max test is also a proven and reliable way to test your muscular strength, as well as tracking your strength building progress over time.

Your 1 rep max is simply the highest amount of weight you can lift, with proper form, for just one rep.

This is an indicator of how strong you are on specific exercises.

In most cases, people either select a weight that is too light to properly build strength or too heavy for their current strength levels.

Lifting too heavy often causes more harm than good, as it leads to lifting with poor form, which overloads the joints with resistance, rather than the targeted muscles.

This is why so many people get injured when training for strength.

Even though you can test your 1 rep max on most exercises, the most common exercises to test your 1 rep max include:

Why Do You Need To Calculate Your 1 Rep Max?

Calculating your 1 rep max is one way to ensure you are safely lifting enough weight to get stronger.

Knowing your 1 rep max for a given exercise removes the guess work and emotions surrounding your weight selection for that exercise.

Once you calculate your 1 rep max, you can then objectively base all of your weight selections, for any rep range, regardless of your goals, off a percentage of your 1 rep max.

This is an effective and objective approach to weight selection, rather than relying on subjective feelings of how much you think you can lift for a given exercise.

It takes all the guess work away from selecting the correct weight and is the safest approach to optimizing strength building.

This is why using percentages of your 1 rep max is the most objective way to properly train for strength.

For example, if your workout program indicates 6 reps of the barbell deadlift, you can easily calculate how much weight you should be using to challenge your strength for 6 reps, based off of a percentage of your 1 rep max.

How To Calculate Your 1 Rep Max

There are a few different options to calculate your 1 rep max.

Option 1: Test Your 1 Rep Max

Progressively increase the weight until you can only complete 1 rep
This is a more accurate 1 rep max assessment, however due to the heavy loads, it puts you at a higher risk of potential injury.

Option 2: Estimate your 1 rep max with a calculator based on your 5 rep max

Rather than physically lifting your exact 1 rep max, you will estimate your 1 rep max using formulas based off of your 5 rep max.
Although this is not as accurate as actually lifting your 1 rep max, it is a safer approach.

I’ll share more details of each option in just a bit.

Regardless of which option you choose, it’s essential you follow a proper warm up first.

How To Properly Warm Up Before Testing Your 1 Rep Max?

I can’t say this enough.

Building strength in a smart and safe manner is key to Living Lean.

To safely build strength, a thorough warm up of the body, the muscles, and the joints is important.

Before testing your 1 rep max, you must complete the following warm up protocol.

The best way to warm up before testing your 1 rep max is to complete the same exercise with lower weight, for multiple warm up sets.

This will prepare you mentally and physically, while warming up the central nervous system, muscles, and joints.

How To Test Your 1 Rep Max

The warm up sets are based off of a percentage of what you estimate your 1 rep max will be.

For example, if you estimate your 1 rep max will be 225 pounds, your first warm up set will be 50% of 225 pounds, with rounding down equals, 110 pounds.

Warm Up Set #1:

8 reps x 50% of 1RM
Rest: 2 minutes

Warm Up Set #2:

5 reps x 60% of 1RM
Rest: 2 minutes

Warm Up Set #3:

3 reps x 70% of 1RM
Rest: 3 minutes

Warm Up Set #4:

1 reps x 80% of 1RM
Rest: 3 minutes

Warm Up Set #5:

1 rep x 90% of 1RM
Rest: 5 minutes

1 Rep Max Set:

1 rep x 100% of 1RM

If you want to attempt more weight, rest 5 minutes, then try it again.

Once you can only lift the weight with proper form for one rep, this is your 1 rep max.

How To Safely Test Your 1 Rep Max From Your 5 Rep Max?

For the given exercise, select a weight you think you can lift for 5 reps, with proper form, before you hit failure.
Complete as many reps with that weight as you can, with proper form, until you reach failure.
If you can lift that weight for more than 8 reps, stop, the weight is too light.
Take a 2 minute break, select a heavier weight, then try again until you hit muscular failure, between 5 and 7 reps.
Write down how many reps you completed, with proper form, using that weight.

If you are doing your 1 rep max test for multiple exercises, rest 2 minutes, then move on to the next exercise.

Complete only one 5 rep max test per exercise.

How To Use The One Rep Max Calculator

Now that you know your 5 rep max, it’s time to quickly input this data into the one rep max calculator on our website.

We have embedded a free quick and simple one rep max calculator below:

One-Rep Max Calculator

Inch Calculator

Input how much weight you lifted, in pounds or kilograms, in the “Weight” field.
Select how many reps you completed with proper form from the “Reps” dropdown box.
Click the “Calculate” button to get your 1 rep max amount and percentage calculations.
Make a note of your 1 rep max in your notes.

For example, if you lifted 225 lbs and failed at 5 reps on the barbell flat bench press, the amount calculated for your 1 rep max would show your percentages as follows:

This calculation is a rough estimate that shows your 1 rep max on the barbell flat bench press is approximately 253 lbs.

Since this is just an estimate, and the goal is to get stronger in a safe manner, I recommend you round numbers down.

This would be a 1 rep max of 250 lbs.

Now we have an objective measure to properly select the correct weights to optimally build strength safely, during your upcoming strength workouts.

Repetition Percentages Of 1RM

Now that you know your 1 rep max for a specific lift, you can select the correct weight based on the rep goal as indicated in your workout program, using the below percentages:

1 RPM = 100%
2 RPM = 95%
3 RPM = 93%
4 RPM = 90%
5 RPM = 87%
6 RPM = 85%
7 RPM = 83%
8 RPM = 80%
9 RPM = 77%
10 RPM = 75%
12 RPM = 67%
15 RPM = 65%

For example, here’s how to simply calculate how much weight to use if your workout program indicates 8 reps on the barbell flat bench press:

Your 1 rep max on the flat bench press was calculated at: 250 lbs
8 Reps = 80%
250 lbs x 0.80
Correct weight selection = 200 lbs for 8 reps

Bottom Line

As you can see, knowing your 1 rep max is important not only in strength based programs, but also muscle endurance and muscle gain programs.

Now that you know how to calculate your 1 rep max, you now have the power to stop basing your weight selection off of feelings, and start basing them on results based science.

If you’re ready to take your training to the next level, try our workout and nutrition app to get access to all of our workout programs, recipes, and meal plans.

Here’s a link to a free 7 day trial to get access to our app.

If you’re unsure of which program is best for your goals, go take our free Live Lean Body Quiz to quickly find the most suitable program based on your goals, fitness level, and access to equipment.

Keep Living Lean.

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Questions For You:

Have you ever calculated your 1 rep max?
What is your current fitness goal?

Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below.

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Brad Gouthro

Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.

www.liveleantv.com