RPE Calculator and Chart: 1RM and Weights for Any Set
RPE calculator with the full RPE percentage chart: estimate your 1RM from a set you didn't take to failure, and get the weight for your next set.
Honest RPE and still no progress? Find what is holding you back.
10 = nothing left · 9 = one more rep in the tank · 8 = two more.
Will this number move? Save it and check back in 4 weeks: the check tells you whether it is still climbing or has stalled. No email needed.
Target load rounded to the nearest 5 lb. The chart is a starting point: its author, Mike Tuchscherer, recommends customizing it to your own lifts.
| Reps \ RPE | 10 | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100.0 | 97.8 | 95.5 | 93.9 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 | 87.8 |
| 2 | 95.5 | 93.9 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 |
| 3 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 (target set) | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 |
| 4 | 89.2 | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 | 79.9 |
| 5 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 (your set) | 79.9 | 78.6 | 77.4 |
| 6 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 | 79.9 | 78.6 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 75.1 |
| 7 | 81.1 | 79.9 | 78.6 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 75.1 | 73.9 | 72.3 |
| 8 | 78.6 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 75.1 | 73.9 | 72.3 | 70.7 | 69.4 |
| 9 | 76.2 | 75.1 | 73.9 | 72.3 | 70.7 | 69.4 | 68.0 | 66.7 |
| 10 | 73.9 | 72.3 | 70.7 | 69.4 | 68.0 | 66.7 | 65.3 | 64.0 |
| 11 | 70.7 | 69.4 | 68.0 | 66.7 | 65.3 | 64.0 | 62.6 | 61.3 |
| 12 | 68.0 | 66.7 | 65.3 | 64.0 | 62.6 | 61.3 | 59.9 | 58.6 |
Chart: Tuchscherer, “Customizing Your RPE Chart”, Reactive Training Systems (2016).
Numbers not moving for weeks? Find out why- Updated
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Enter a set you rated, such as 5 reps at RPE 8, and this RPE calculator gives your estimated one-rep max and the weight for your next target set. RPE 8 means two good reps were left. The full chart is below; the numbers are only as good as your rating.
What does RPE 8 mean?
Two reps left in the tank. Lifting RPE counts the clean reps you could still have done: RPE 10 is none, 9 is one, 8 is two and 7 is three (Zourdos et al., 2016).
| RPE | Reps left |
|---|---|
| 10 | 0, true max effort |
| 9.5 | 0, but a little more weight was possible |
| 9 | 1 |
| 8.5 | 1, maybe 2 |
| 8 | 2 |
| 7 | 3 |
| 6 or less | 4 or more, fast reps |
What is the RPE to percentage chart?
It lists the share of your one-rep max that a set of given reps and RPE uses. A single at RPE 8 is about 92% of your max, five reps at RPE 8 about 81%, and eight reps about 74%. Each RPE point equals one rep: 1 at RPE 9 is the same load as 2 at RPE 10.
% of 1RM, from the Reactive Training Systems chart, which its author says to customise for each lifter (Reactive Training Systems):
| Reps | 10 | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 97.8 | 95.5 | 93.9 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 | 87.8 |
| 2 | 95.5 | 93.9 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 |
| 3 | 92.2 | 90.7 | 89.2 | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 |
| 4 | 89.2 | 87.8 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 | 79.9 |
| 5 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 | 79.9 | 78.6 | 77.4 |
| 6 | 83.7 | 82.4 | 81.1 | 79.9 | 78.6 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 75.1 |
| 8 | 78.6 | 77.4 | 76.2 | 75.1 | 73.9 | 72.3 | 70.7 | 69.4 |
| 10 | 73.9 | 72.3 | 70.7 | 69.4 | 68.0 | 66.7 | 65.3 | 64.0 |
| 12 | 68.0 | 66.7 | 65.3 | 64.0 | 62.6 | 61.3 | 59.9 | 58.6 |
The calculator covers every rep count from 1 to 12.
How do you estimate your 1RM from an RPE set?
Divide the weight by the chart percentage. 275 lb × 5 at RPE 8 is 81.1%, so today's max is about 339 lb. You never have to go to failure, which is the point of an RPE 1RM calculator.
From that max, a triple at RPE 9 (89.2%) is about 300 lb and back-off fives at RPE 7 (78.6%) about 265 lb. For a set taken to failure, the 1RM calculator is simpler; for plain percentages, use the 1RM percentage chart.
How accurate are RPE-based estimates?
As accurate as your rating, and most lifters sandbag. Across 12 studies and 414 people, lifters underpredicted the reps they had left by 0.95 on average (Halperin et al., 2022).
- Rate the set the moment you rack it.
- Stay between RPE 7 and 10 and at 12 reps or fewer. Experienced squatters rated a true max 9.80; novices rated the same effort 8.96 (Helms et al., 2016).
- If your "RPE 8" sets never slow down, they are probably RPE 6 or 7, and every weight you get will be too light.
How do you use RPE to set your weights?
Work up to one top set at the prescribed reps and RPE, estimate today's max from it, and base your back-off sets on that number. Over 8 weeks, 21 trained men gained about 17 kg on the squat with RPE loading and 14 kg with fixed percentages, a difference that was not significant (Helms et al., 2018). The advantage of RPE: a bad day automatically gets lighter weights.
What if your RPE-based max stops going up?
Three or four flat weeks of honestly rated top sets is a stall. Check that sets are hard enough, then how you add weight, how often you practise the lift, and whether sleep, food and stress let you recover. Most stalls have more than one cause: find out which are yours.
FAQ
Is RPE the same as RIR?
The same idea from opposite ends: RIR counts reps left (2 RIR), RPE rates the effort (RPE 8). RPE 10 equals 0 RIR.
What is RPE 7?
Three reps left: a solid working set, not a grinder. Good for back-off sets and most weeks of a program.
Should beginners use RPE?
Use it, but expect to underrate at first. Film a few hard sets and compare the reps you thought were left with what happened.
What percent of 1RM is RPE 9 for 3 reps?
About 89%, per the chart above: roughly 300 lb on a 339 lb max.
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.