Deadlift 1RM Calculator
Estimate your deadlift one-rep max — Quick, Consensus, My Curve and RPE.
Enter 2-3 recent sets to failure. We find your curve — more accurate than any generic formula.
Deadlift is the only big-four lift with no eccentric lowering to build stretch reflex — every rep starts dead from the floor, so bar speed and position off the floor dominate the estimate. A slow, grinding 5-rep set estimates lower than a fast 5-rep set at the same weight; treat the number as a starting point for your next top set, not a tested max.
Grip and upper-back fatigue cap deadlift rep sets before leg strength does: if your hands or upper back gave out first, the estimate understates your leg and hip strength. Use straps or a mixed or hook grip on test sets so grip is not the limiter, and re-test if grip failed.
Do not test a deadlift 1RM off a high-rep set after heavy squats or rows in the same session — accumulated back fatigue makes the set harder and the formula reads it as a lower max. Test deadlifts fresh, after a full warm-up, on a day without prior heavy back work.
Deadlift estimates degrade fastest above 5 reps — use sets of 1-5 reps for the most reliable estimate. Sets above 10 reps on deadlifts are not recommended as 1RM inputs here.
| Reps | % 1RM | Weight | Note |
|---|
FAQ note: Deadlift 1RM estimates from high-rep sets run less reliable because fatigue builds faster on deadlifts.
See also: One-Rep Max Calculator · Warm-Up Generator · Strength Standards Calculator
Estimates only — see our Disclaimer
Estimates only — see our Disclaimer
What this calculator does
Deadlift numbers move more than other lifts’ numbers do. A set of five that felt steady can estimate a max ten kilograms away from what a set of eight estimates, and both can be wrong in different directions. This calculator is built for that problem: it estimates your deadlift one rep max from a rep set, shows the estimate alongside a percentage table, and states the limits plainly so you use the number with its uncertainty attached rather than as a verdict.
It is built for lifters who programme deadlift day by percentage — top sets, back-off sets, and warm-up jumps all read off the same max. It helps when you pull a rep personal best and want to know what it implies for next week’s heavy single, or when you switch between rep ranges and want a common reference point across blocks. Enter the weight and the reps from a real set, take the estimate as a planning number, and let the next heavy session confirm or correct it. The bar is the final judge.
How it works
Enter the weight you pulled and the reps you completed. The calculator applies six published 1RM formulas — Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, O’Conner, Mayhew, and Lander — to that set and shows a percentage table so you can read off training loads from 50% to 100% of the estimate.
- Epley: 1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)
- Brzycki: 1RM = weight × 36 ÷ (37 − reps)
- Lombardi: 1RM = weight × reps^0.10
- O’Conner: 1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 40)
- Mayhew: 1RM = 100 × weight ÷ (52.2 + 41.9 × e^(−0.055 × reps))
- Lander: 1RM = 100 × weight ÷ (101.3 − 2.67123 × reps)
Limits to know. Deadlift estimates degrade fastest above 5 reps. Above that range, grip, position, and fatigue between reps vary so much that the same weight and rep count can describe very different sets — and no formula can tell them apart. The most reliable inputs are sets of 1–5 reps with consistent, full-stop reps. The percentage table caps at 10 rows: it shows the loads that matter for programming and stops there rather than stretching into a long table of near-identical rows. For the general case across lifts, use the one rep max calculator.
Calibrate to your own sets (My Median)
Population formulas assume an average lifter. My Median calibrates to you: enter two or three sets you actually lifted, and the calculator takes the Epley estimate from each set and returns the median — the middle value. One outlier set pulls the median far less than it would pull an average. My Median fits no curve and models nothing about your strength curve; it is a median of Epley estimates, and it still needs honest, comparable inputs.
Use dead-stop sets done to the same standard — bar settled fully between reps. Enter two or three such sets and the calculator takes the Epley estimate from each and returns the median. Do not mix touch-and-go sets with dead-stop sets in one My Median calculation, because they describe different efforts.
Frequently asked questions
Why do deadlift estimates change so much with reps?
Because the deadlift has no stretch-shortening help between reps and each rep starts from a dead stop, so small changes in setup and fatigue compound across a set. A 5-rep set and an 8-rep set with the same weight describe different kinds of effort, and the formulas extrapolate from them differently. Low-rep inputs keep that spread narrow.
Should I use touch-and-go or dead-stop reps?
Use the reps you actually did, and be consistent about it. Dead-stop reps — where the bar settles fully between reps — are the steadier input, because every rep starts from the same place. Touch-and-go reps can inflate the rep count and make the estimate read high. Whichever style you log, compare like with like over time.
What if my deadlift is much stronger than my squat?
That is common and it does not make the estimate wrong. The calculator only sees the set you entered; it does not compare your lifts against each other. If the gap keeps growing, that is a programming question for your own plan, not something this estimate can settle.
Can I use numbers from a set with straps?
You can enter any set you completed, but keep the conditions consistent. A strapped set and an unstrapped set at the same weight are not the same input — grip changes how the set ends. If you log strapped sets, compare them against other strapped sets.
How do I turn the estimate into a training max?
Take a conservative share of the estimate — many lifters programme off 90–95% of it — and set your working percentages from that training max. The plate calculator then works out the plates for each set, and the warm-up calculator maps the jumps to your top set. To compare the number against other lifters, use the strength standards calculator. Check the result against a real heavy single before treating it as settled.