How it works
Enter a recent heavy set of deadlifts: the weight and the reps you completed with good form. The calculator estimates your one-rep max and turns it into training weights, plates to load and rep maxes.
Deadlift estimates are the least reliable of the three powerlifts. The equations were built mostly on pressing and squatting, reps to failure vary more between lifters, and sets often end because grip, the lower back or breathing give out before the hips and legs do. Use your heaviest set of 1 to 5 reps and treat the result as a range.
The formula
w = weight lifted, r = reps completed
Epley 1RM = w × (1 + r ÷ 30)
Brzycki 1RM = w × 36 ÷ (37 − r)
Average the mean of 7 published equations: Epley, Brzycki,
Lander, Lombardi, Mayhew, O'Conner and Wathen
With 1 rep, the one-rep max is the weight lifted.Worked example
You deadlift 140 kg for 5 reps.
- Epley: 140 × (1 + 5 ÷ 30) = 163.3 kg.
- Brzycki: 140 × 36 ÷ (37 − 5) = 157.5 kg.
- The average of all seven equations is 161.7 kg.
- A working set at 80% is 129.3 kg, which rounds to 130 kg: 25 + 25 + 5 on each side of a 20 kg bar.
Style changes the number
- Touch-and-go or dead stop. Touch-and-go reps use the bounce off the floor, so they predict a higher max than reps reset on the floor each time.
- Straps. A strapped set can predict more than you could hold without straps. For a competition estimate, use sets without straps.
- Conventional or sumo. Estimate each stance from its own sets.
Questions
Why are deadlift estimates less accurate?
Because sets are often limited by grip or the lower back rather than the muscles that set your single-rep max, and because lifters differ a lot in how many reps they can do at a given percentage. Low-rep sets reduce both problems.
How many reps should I use?
One to five. A heavy triple or a set of five taken close to failure gives a far better estimate than a set of ten.
Should I count touch-and-go reps?
Count them if you want to predict a touch-and-go max. For a competition deadlift, where every rep starts from a dead stop, estimate from dead-stop reps.
Which bar weight should I choose?
The standard men’s bar is 20 kg or 45 lb, and the women’s bar is 15 kg or 35 lb. The plates column uses the bar you pick.
Add this calculator to your site
Gym, coach or blog? You can put this calculator on your own site for free. Copy the code below into your page’s HTML. The calculator updates itself whenever we improve it.
The short script lets the frame grow to fit the calculator on your page. Please keep the credit line underneath it.
Sources
- Brzycki M. Strength testing: predicting a one-rep max from reps-to-fatigue. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 1993;64(1):88-90.
- Mayhew JL, Ball TE, Arnold MD, Bowen JC. Relative muscular endurance performance as a predictor of bench press strength in college men and women. Journal of Applied Sport Science Research. 1992;6(4):200-206.
- LeSuer DA, McCormick JH, Mayhew JL, Wasserstein RL, Arnold MD. The accuracy of prediction equations for estimating 1-RM performance in the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 1997;11(4):211-213.
- Haff GG, Triplett NT, eds. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 4th ed. Human Kinetics; 2016. Percentage of 1RM and repetitions allowed.