1RM Percentage Chart by Reps (NSCA)
Once you have a one rep max, training loads are set as percentages of it. The chart below is the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Training Load Chart, which maps each rep count to the percentage of maximum it corresponds to. Use the calculator first if you still need a max to take a percentage of.
Your estimated 1RM
93.3kg
Average of the Epley and Brzycki formulas.
| Formula | Estimated 1RM |
|---|
How we got this number
Epley: 80 × (1 + 5 ÷ 30) = 93.3 kg
Brzycki: 80 × 36 ÷ (37 − 5) = 90.0 kg
The chart
| Reps (RM) | % of 1RM |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100% |
| 2 | 95% |
| 3 | 93% |
| 4 | 90% |
| 5 | 87% |
| 6 | 85% |
| 7 | 83% |
| 8 | 80% |
| 9 | 77% |
| 10 | 75% |
| 12 | 70% |
It reads in both directions. Forward: a 225 lb (102 kg) bench max means 6 rep sets at 85%, which is 191 lb (87 kg), and 10 rep sets at 75%, which is 169 lb (77 kg). Backward: the NSCA’s own example takes an athlete completing 8 reps at 160 lb, reads 8 reps as 80%, and reports an estimated max of 200 lb.
Rep ranges and what they train
The boundaries are soft, but the pattern is consistent across programming texts:
- 1 to 5 reps, 87% and up — maximal strength.
- 6 to 12 reps, 70% to 85% — the hypertrophy range most gym programs live in.
- Past 12 reps, below 70% — muscular endurance, where the chart stops and metabolic factors start deciding how many reps you get.
How much this varies between people
More than a tidy table suggests. Reviewing the same relationship, Helms and colleagues note that individuals differ significantly in how many reps they can perform at a given percentage of maximum, and they put a number on the spread: at 8 reps with 70% of 1RM, trained squatters reported anywhere from 1 to 5 reps left in reserve, with a standard deviation of 1.2. Two lifters at identical relative loads can therefore be at genuinely different distances from failure.
That is the case for checking the chart against how the set actually felt, rather than obeying it.
The other conversion table
This page converts reps to a percentage. The companion page converts effort to a percentage: given how many reps you left in the tank, the RPE to percentage chart tells you what fraction of your max the set represented. Use this one to plan a session in advance; use that one to grade a set after it happened.
To produce the max these percentages apply to, use the one rep max calculator or the lift-specific bench press max calculator. For why two calculators disagree, see Epley vs Brzycki.
Frequently asked questions
How many reps can I do at 80% of my 1RM?
About 8, on the NSCA chart. That is a population average, not a promise — individual lifters differ substantially in how many reps they get at the same relative load.
What percentage is a 5 rep max?
87% of your one rep max. Working backwards, a 5RM of 200 lb implies a max near 230 lb, which is the same estimate the Epley and Brzycki formulas produce from that set.
Is 70% of 1RM heavy enough for strength?
It sits at roughly 12 reps on the chart, which is muscular endurance and hypertrophy territory. Maximal strength work generally lives at 85% and above, meaning sets of about 6 or fewer.
Where does this chart come from?
The National Strength and Conditioning Association distributes it as its Training Load Chart, adapted from Landers, published in the NSCA Journal in 1984. It is standard issue in certification coursework.
Does the chart hold for every exercise?
It was built around compound barbell lifts and its own worked example is a squat. Small-muscle isolation work often tolerates a few more reps at the same percentage, so treat it as a starting point there.
Sources
- NSCA Training Load Chart, adapted from Landers J. Maximum based on reps. NSCA Journal 6(6):60-61, 1984
- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J 38(4):42-49, 2016
Written by Lucas Silva · Reviewed by Lucas Silva · Updated on August 15, 2026