How to Calculate 1 Rep Max
What is a 1 Rep Max?
Your 1 rep max is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single repetition. This is especially meaningful for the sport of Powerlifting because in competition, you will do your 1RM for the three lifts:
- Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift
But, you are not in a powerlifting competition, and only want to get stronger. And you know that there are few strength training exercises which will lean out your body faster than the deadlift.
How to Find Your 1 Rep Max Without Injury
Attempting a 1 rep max on a squat, deadlift, bench press is a terrible idea. Unless you have a deep seated desire to injure yourself. Instead, here is the formula to calculate your one rep max for use in a beginner deadlift program:
- 1 RM = weight * reps * 0.0333 + weight
Where:
1RM = the predicted maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single repetition.
Weight = the total weight including the olympic barbell and any additional weight lifting plates. This is not body weight.
Reps = number of reps or repetitions
This formula is based on the Epley formula. It was popularized by Jim Wendler in his book 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System to Increase Raw Strength.
As a result, the Epley formula is also known as the Wendler formula. This calculator works for the most important barbell compound lifts: squat, deadlift, overhead press, bent over row. And any other weight lifting exercise like the front squat.
How to Warm Up for a 1 Rep Max
To determine your 1 rep max deadlift the safe way, do the following:
- Test if you can easily lift two 20 pound kettlebells from the floor.
- Put the kettlebells down on the floor, push your hips back, grip the kettlebell handles, keep your back straight, tighten (brace) your core, and push the floor away with your feet.
- Do not lift the kettlebells with your arms. See the Essential Proper Deadlift Form Checklist for more deadlifts tips.
- Instead, keep your arms long, they are like hooks, only there to grip the handle tightly.
- It is your posterior chain that pulls the bar up.
- Posterior chain refers to the muscles that are on the back side of your body. Those muscles, your glutes, your hamstrings, these are the main muscles that do the deadlift.
If you can easily lift up two 20 or 30 pound kettlebells, next move on to an olympic barbell which has two 10 lb bumper plates on each side.
Bumper Plates
- Bumper Plates are an excellent tool for the deadlift beginner.
- This is because a 5 pound REP bumper plate has the same circumference as a standard 45 pound iron plate.
- But, these REP bumper plates comes in 5 lb, 10 lb, 15 lb, 25 lb 35 and 45 pounds.
- This means that you can warm up using bumper plates with the barbell already set at the normal height for a standard deadlift. The proper bar height for a deadlift is 8.75 inches no matter how tall or short you are.
- Always deadlift at the standard bar height. This is better for your safety and if you want to go beyond the deadlift for fitness, and pursue powerlifting.
- Another plus of bumper plates is that they are made out of virgin and recycled rubber with a cast iron core.
- As a result, you will not make as much noise deadlifting with bumper plates as iron plates. This is a welcome feature when you have a home or garage gym.
With a pair of 10 lb bumper plates, the total weight with a 45 pound olympic barbell is 65 pounds. Attempt to do 5 repetitions. If it feels easy, add another pair of 10 pound iron plates to bring the weight up to 85 pounds. Do 5 more deadlift repetitions.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult did that last set feel? Use a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest. If you felt like it is a level 6 or 7, that is heavy enough to determine your 1RM.
1 Rep Max Calculator Deadlift, Squat etc
How the 1RM Calculator Works
Here is how the 1RM calculator works: All you have to do is plug in the number 85 lbs and 5 reps to the 1 rep max formula:
- 1 RM = weight * reps * 0.0333 + weight
- 1 RM = 85 * 5 * 0.0333 + weight =
- 85 x 5 = 425
- 425 x 0.0333 = 14.1525
- 14.1525 + the original weight of 85 pounds = 99 or round up to 100 pounds.
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Rich is a Certified Personal Trainer-AAPT, an 