Bench Press 1RM Calculator

Bench press is the lift where a small change in how the set was done makes the biggest difference to what the numbers mean. A paused set, a touch-and-go set, and a set with a long arch all carry the same weight and reps on paper, but they are not the same set. This calculator estimates your bench press one rep max from a rep set and shows a reps-to-percentage table, so you can set training loads from a real recent performance instead of a number you hit months ago.

It is built for lifters who programme bench day by percentage: heavy top sets, volume work, and close-grip variations that all need loads read off one max. It helps when you press a rep personal best and want to know what it implies for next week’s heavy single, or when you move between rep ranges and want a common reference point. Enter the weight and the reps from a set done the way you normally bench, take the estimate as a planning number, and let the next heavy bench day settle it.

Strength tools / Bench Press 1RM

Bench Press 1RM Calculator

Estimate your bench press one-rep max — Quick, Consensus, My Median and RPE.

Enter 2-3 recent sets to failure. We take the median of your sets' Epley estimates — no curve is fitted.

6 easy10 max effort

This estimate is for the flat barbell bench press with feet on the floor, bar touching the chest, and no bounce — a bounce off the chest or a big arch shortens the range and inflates the rep count, so the estimate will read high. Enter only paused or controlled-touch sets.

Bench responds to rep quality more than the other lifts: a set stopped with 1 rep in reserve estimates nearly the same as a true failure set at the same weight, while a set with a long pause at the chest estimates lower. In the RPE tab, rate honestly — RPE 9 on bench usually means 1 clean rep was left.

If your sticking point is 5–10 cm off the chest, your 1RM is usually limited by chest and shoulder strength off the chest, and high-rep estimates tend to overshoot — confirm with a heavy triple (3 reps) rather than a 10-rep set before loading a 1RM attempt.

Estimates only — see our Disclaimer

How it works

Enter the weight you pressed 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 reps-to-percentage table: for reps 1–12, what percentage of the estimate that rep count represents and the weight for it.

  • 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)) — where e (≈ 2.718) is Euler’s number; the calculator handles it, you only enter weight and reps.
  • Lander: 1RM = 100 × weight ÷ (101.3 − 2.67123 × reps)

Limits to know. The formulas cannot see how the set was done. A paused set is harder rep-for-rep than a touch-and-go set, so mixing the two across weeks makes the trend line meaningless — compare paused sets with paused sets, and touch-and-go with touch-and-go. In competition the bar must sit motionless on the chest until the referee signals press, which is stricter than any gym pause. Estimates are most reliable from sets of 1–5 reps and get shakier past 10 reps. The calculator also cannot account for grip width, arch, or bar path changes between sessions. 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 sets done to the same standard — all paused or all touch-and-go, same grip and arch. Enter two or three such sets and the calculator takes the Epley estimate from each and returns the median. Do not mix paused sets with touch-and-go sets in one My Median calculation, because they describe different efforts.

Frequently asked questions

Usually because the input set and the test were done differently. If the estimate came from touch-and-go reps and the test was a paused single, the paused single will read lower. Check that the input set matches the conditions of the lift you are predicting, and re-enter a set done the way you will test.

The formulas give the same output for the same weight and reps either way — they cannot tell the styles apart. The difference is in what the input means: a paused set is a harder input, so its estimate is the more conservative one. Keep one style as your logging standard so the numbers stay comparable.

Yes. The weight you enter must be the total load on the bar, including the bar itself. A “60 kg bench” means 60 kg total, not 60 kg of plates. If you are unsure of your bar’s weight, weigh it once or check the gym’s listed bar weight before logging sets.

Because at high reps the set ends for reasons the formulas do not model: local fatigue, breathing, and the bar slowing across many reps. The formulas were built on low-rep data, and the further the input set is from a single, the further the extrapolation has to reach. Use sets of 5 reps or fewer for the firmest bench estimates.

It varies by lifter, and it grows with the weight. Experienced lifters commonly report a 20–40 lb gap between a touch-and-go max and a motionless-pause max, with bigger benchers seeing the bigger gaps. Treat that as a reported range, not a conversion: the only pause number that matters is the one you measure with your own paused sets.

The formula cannot see grip width, but the muscles doing the work change with it: a wider grip leans on the chest, a close grip leans on the triceps. A close-grip set estimates a close-grip max, not your competition-grip max. Log the grip you used and compare like with like.

No. An arch shortens the range of motion, so the same weight can feel easier than with a flat back — but arching is legal in powerlifting within the rules (shoulders and glutes stay on the bench), and it is a trained technique, not a trick. The estimate assumes the same technique in the input set and the lift you are predicting, so compare arch-to-arch and flat-to-flat. If you change your arch, your old estimates stop describing your new setup.

Find the row for the rep count you plan to lift: it shows what percentage of your estimated max that rep count represents, and the weight for it. Read your working weight off that row, then work back down through warm-ups and working sets. The plate calculator turns each percentage into a per-side plate list, and the warm-up calculator maps the jumps to your top set. If you want to see where the number sits against other lifters, the strength standards calculator gives the comparison.