1RM Chart: Percentage Chart for Your Training Weights
1RM chart: enter your max or one hard set and get a weightlifting percentage chart from 50% to 100%, rounded to real plates, with the reps each load allows.
Same max for months? The chart plans it; the diagnosis explains it.
A recent tested single, or a good estimate.
Enter your max (or one hard set) to build your percentage chart.
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- 2 min
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- LiftDecode
This 1RM chart turns your one-rep max into a full percentage chart, 50% to 100% in 5% steps, with every load rounded to real plates and the reps each load usually allows. Do not know your max? Enter one hard set and the chart estimates it first. Percentages get you close; how the bar moves on the day decides the rest.
How do you use the 1RM chart?
Choose "I know my max" and type it, or "From a hard set" and enter the weight and reps. The table updates instantly; loads round to 5 lb or 2.5 kg so you can load them.
Use a recent max. A number from six months ago will make every percentage too heavy or too light.
How many reps can you do at each percentage of your max?
Roughly 8 reps at 80%, 5 at 87% and 10 at 75%. The NSCA's training load chart gives these averages (NSCA):
| % of 1RM | Max reps (NSCA) | 300 lb max |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | 1 | 300 lb |
| 93% | 3 | 279 lb |
| 87% | 5 | 261 lb |
| 80% | 8 | 240 lb |
| 75% | 10 | 225 lb |
| 70% | 12 | 210 lb |
The calculator's own reps column uses the Epley formula solved for reps, which lands within a rep of this chart in the 75–95% zone (one-rep max formulas).
Which percentages build strength, and which build size?
Heavy percentages build the max; a wide range builds muscle. Across 21 studies, loads above 60% of 1RM raised one-rep max more than lighter loads, while muscle growth was similar when sets went to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
The ACSM position stand recommends 8–12 rep loads for novices and a periodized 1–12 rep range for intermediate and advanced lifters (ACSM, 2009). In practice: 80–90% for strength work, 65–80% for most hypertrophy sets.
Why do percentages miss for some lifters?
Because rep capacity varies a lot between people. At 70% of max, endurance runners did about 40 leg press reps and weightlifters about 18 (Richens & Cleather, 2014). If your sets feel far easier or harder than the chart predicts, rate them with the RPE calculator and adjust.
What if your max stops going up?
If the max you plan from has not changed in four to six weeks of normal training, the percentages are fine and something else is not. Find out what is holding your max.
FAQ
What is 70% of my 1RM?
Your max × 0.7: 210 lb for a 300 lb max. It usually allows about 12 reps, a typical hypertrophy load.
How many reps can I do at 80% of my max?
About 8, on the NSCA chart. Trained strength athletes often get fewer on squats and more on machines.
Should I use a tested or an estimated max?
An estimated max from a recent hard set of 3–6 reps works for most programs. Test a true single only before a meet or when the estimate clearly disagrees with what you lift.
Written and maintained by LiftDecode. Training and nutrition education for healthy adults, not medical advice — if you have a health condition or an injury, talk to a professional who can examine you.