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1RM Percentage Chart: What Weight for 5, 8, 10 or 12 Reps

By 02apps studio · Published 11 September 2026 · Updated 11 September 2026

Quick answer

A 1RM percentage chart maps a share of your one-rep max to the number of reps most lifters can do there: 100% for 1 rep, 95% for 2, 90% for 4, 85% for 6, 80% for 8, 75% for 10, 70% for 12 and 65% for 15. To plan a session, take your estimated max, multiply by the percentage your program prescribes, and round to the plates you have. If your max is 100 kg and the plan says 3 sets of 8, load 80 kg.

Most strength programs prescribe weight as a percentage of your one-rep max. "3×8 at 80 percent" is a complete instruction only if you know two things: your max, and what 80 percent of it is. The one rep max calculator handles the first. This chart handles the second, and explains the rep numbers next to each percentage so you can tell a sensible prescription from an optimistic one.

The chart

The percentages are shares of your one-rep max. The rep column is how many full reps most trained lifters can complete at that load, taken close to failure. The weight columns are worked examples for five common maxes; find the column nearest your own, or multiply your exact max by the percentage.

% of 1RM	Reps	60 kg max	80 kg max	100 kg max	120 kg max	140 kg max
100%	1	60	80	100	120	140
95%	2	57	76	95	114	133
90%	4	54	72	90	108	126
85%	6	51	68	85	102	119
80%	8	48	64	80	96	112
75%	10	45	60	75	90	105
70%	12	42	56	70	84	98
65%	15	39	52	65	78	91
60%	18 to 20	36	48	60	72	84

The table works the same in pounds; the arithmetic does not care about the unit. A 225 lb max at 80 percent is 180 lb, at 75 percent 169 lb, and so on.

A few rows are worth reading twice. 90 percent for 4 is where heavy strength work lives; a lifter who can get 6 here has a max well above the number they are using. 80 percent for 8 is the most common prescription in general strength and physique programs, and the row where the chart is most reliable. 65 percent and below is where the rep count stops describing strength and starts describing endurance, so the reps there are a range rather than a figure.

Where the rep numbers come from

The rep column is the inverse of the formulas behind the calculator. Brzycki's equation, published in 1993, says that a set of n reps corresponds to 1.0278 − 0.0278 × n of your max: 5 reps at 88.9 percent, 8 reps at 80.6 percent, 10 reps at 75 percent. Epley's says 1 ÷ (1 + n ÷ 30): 5 reps at 85.7 percent, 8 at 78.9, 10 at 75. The chart rounds to the common values that programs actually use, which is why 5 reps sits at "about 85 to 87" rather than a single decimal.

Those are averages across many lifters. Two things move an individual off the chart:

Muscle fibre profile. Lifters who are explosive and fast-twitch dominant tend to get fewer reps at a given percentage: perhaps 6 at 80 percent rather than 8. Lifters built for endurance get more, sometimes 10 or 11 at the same load.
The lift. Deadlift sets end earlier than the chart predicts, because grip and lower back fatigue cut the set before the legs and hips are finished. Squat and bench track the chart well. Machine and isolation work tends to allow more reps per percentage than barbell compounds.

If you consistently beat or miss the rep column by two or more, the honest move is to build your own row. Note the weight and reps you actually get at each prescription, and after a month you will have a personal chart that fits you better than any published one.

How to plan a session from the chart

The routine takes about two minutes and does not change from week to week.

Get a current max. Take your best hard set on the lift from the last one to two weeks, ideally 2 to 8 reps, and run it through the calculator. If you tested a true single recently, use that. A max from three months ago is a guess dressed up as a number.
Find the prescription. Your program says something like "4×6 at 85 percent" or "top set of 3 at 90 percent, then 3×8 at 75 percent."
Multiply. Estimated max × percentage. With a 112 kg estimate, 85 percent is 95.2 kg and 75 percent is 84 kg.
Round down to real plates. 95.2 kg becomes 95 kg. 84 kg is already loadable. If your gym has no 1.25 kg plates, 83.6 becomes 82.5, not 85.
Check the rep column. If the program wants 8 reps at 85 percent, the chart says most people get 6 there. Either the program expects a lower effort than the chart assumes, or it was written for a different lifter. Adjust to 80 percent for the 8-rep sets and keep the 85 percent row for sets of 5 or 6.
Log the actual reps. Whatever you get at the prescribed weight becomes next week's input. If you got 9 at 80 percent, the calculator will nudge your estimate up and next week's weights follow.

Reading a program through the chart

Percentages also tell you what a program is trying to do, which helps when you are choosing between two.

Work above 85 percent for 1 to 5 reps builds maximal strength and skill under heavy load. It is demanding on the nervous system, so most programs cap it at one or two lifts per session and a handful of sets. Work between 70 and 85 percent for 6 to 12 reps is where most hypertrophy programs live, and the current ACSM guidance confirms that muscle growth happens across a wide range of loads as long as effort is high, so the row you pick is more about preference and joint comfort than about a single correct answer. Work at 65 percent and below is for technique, conditioning and higher-volume accessory sets, where the last rep should still look like the first.

A well-built week usually touches two of these bands on each main lift: a heavy top set or two, then back-off sets at a lower percentage for volume. Reading the chart makes it obvious when a program touches only one band, or asks for 5 sets of 5 at 90 percent, which almost nobody sustains for more than a session.

Common mistakes

Using a stale max. Strength moves in both directions. A layoff, a cut or a stressful month can take 5 percent off a max in a few weeks, and a chart built on the old number produces missed reps and frustration. Re-estimate often.
Using the wrong max for the variation. A front squat max is not a back squat max; a paused bench is not a touch-and-go bench. Each variation needs its own estimate, or a rough discount (front squat at about 80 to 85 percent of back squat is a common starting guess) until you have a real one.
Rounding up. It feels like nothing; it is the difference between a completed set and a failed one at the top end of the chart.
Treating the rep column as a target to beat every time. The reps are what a hard set at that percentage produces on a normal day. Turning every prescribed set into a rep-out test wrecks recovery and makes next week's chart wrong.
Ignoring the bar. If your max was estimated from plates only, every percentage row is 20 kg light. Enter the whole load.

Keeping the chart current without doing the sums

The chart is only as good as the max it is built on, which means the useful version is one that updates itself. Strongbro computes an estimated one-rep max from every logged set, keeps the best per exercise, and shows the working weights against it, so the percentages in your program refer to this week's strength rather than a number you tested in spring. The personal records feature covers how that tracks alongside your weight-at-reps bests, and how to apply progressive overload covers what to do when the chart says you are ready for the next increment.

The bottom line

A 1RM percentage chart turns one number into a whole session: 100 percent for 1, 90 for 4, 85 for 6, 80 for 8, 75 for 10, 70 for 12. Multiply a current estimated max by the percentage your program asks for, round down to the plates you can load, and check the rep column to see whether the prescription is realistic. Rebuild the chart whenever the max changes, and it stays a plan rather than a hope.

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Frequently asked questions

What percentage of 1RM should I use for 5 reps?

Around 85 to 87 percent. Most lifters get 6 reps at 85 percent and 4 at 90, so a set of 5 sits between them. For 5×5 programs, 85 percent is the usual starting point for the top sets; if all five sets are at the same weight, drop to 80 percent so the last set is still clean.

What percentage of 1RM is 8 reps?

About 80 percent. A set of 8 at 80 percent should end one or two reps short of failure for most lifters. If you routinely get 10 or more there, your estimated max is low, or you are a high-rep responder; either way, recalculate from that set and use the new number.

What percentage of 1RM is 10 reps?

Roughly 75 percent. This is the classic hypertrophy row: 3×10 at 75 percent is a hard, productive session for most people. Because 10 reps is the edge of where estimates stay tight, use a lower-rep set to find your max, then use this row to set the weight.

What percentage is 12 reps?

Around 70 percent. Twelve-rep sets suit accessory lifts and higher-volume phases. Past this row the chart becomes less reliable, since endurance and technique fatigue decide the rep count more than maximal strength does; treat 65 percent and below as guidance, not a formula.

Do I calculate percentages from a tested or an estimated max?

Either, as long as it is current. Most lifters use an estimated max from a recent hard set, recalculated every week or two, because it tracks their actual condition. A tested max from three months ago can be further from the truth than a fresh estimate from a set of 5.

Should I round up or down?

Down, to the nearest weight you can load. If the chart says 83.6 kg and your smallest plates are 1.25 kg, load 82.5 kg. Missing a prescribed rep costs more than lifting a kilogram less. Round up only when you have made every rep at the rounded-down weight for two sessions running.

What this is based on