5 min read · Updated
What Is a Training Max and How to Set One
A training max is a reference max set at 85 to 90% of your true 1RM. Learn how to set one for each lift, raise it each cycle, and reset it when needed.
A training max is the number your percentages point to instead of your true one-rep max (1RM). You set it a little below your real best, usually at 85 to 90%. Every load in the plan then comes from that lower number.
The result is training that stays fast, repeatable, and progressive for months. This guide explains why it works, how to set one for each lift you choose, and how to move it over time.
What a training max does
Your true 1RM is the most you can lift on your best day. Most training days are not your best day. Sleep, stress, and fatigue all pull your strength down a little.
A training max builds that margin in. If your bench 1RM is 100 kg and your training max is 90 kg, a set at 85% is 76.5 kg, not 85 kg. That gap turns grinders into crisp, repeatable sets.
The main benefits:
- Fewer missed reps. Planned sets stay doable on average days.
- Better technique. Lighter top sets let you keep bar path and depth tight.
- Longer progress. A small, steady raise each cycle beats big jumps that stall.
- One number for each lift. You can still use RPE to fine-tune daily loads.
Why your true max is a moving target
Strength varies from day to day. A systematic review of 1RM testing by Grgic and colleagues found that the coefficient of variation ranged from 0.5 to 12.1% across studies. Most tests were reliable, but a single test can still be off by several percent.
Lifters also misjudge how close they are to failure, though they improve with practice. In a study by Helms and colleagues, powerlifters picked loads for target RPE sets and missed by a mean of 0.33 RPE, or about one third of a rep. That is accurate enough to use RPE alongside percentages.
"We conclude that RPE may be a useful tool for prescribing intensity for squat, bench press, and deadlift in powerlifters, in addition to traditional methods such as percentage of 1RM."
Helms ER, Storey A, Cross MR, et al. RPE and Velocity Relationships for the Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift in Powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res, 2017. PubMed
A training max and RPE work well together. The training max sets the plan. RPE tells you on the day if the plan is a little heavy or light.
How to set your training max
Set one training max for each lift you program by percentage. Follow these steps.
- Find your current 1RM. Use a recent tested single or an estimate from a 3 to 5 rep set.
- Pick your margin. Use 90% if you are an experienced lifter with steady technique. Use 85% if you are newer, coming back from a break, or the lift is technical.
- Multiply and round down. Round to the nearest 2.5 kg or 5 lb.
- Repeat for each lift. A squat training max does not cover a front squat. Each variation gets its own.
Example training maxes
| Lift | True 1RM | Margin | Training max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 180 kg | 90% | 162.5 kg |
| Bench press | 120 kg | 90% | 107.5 kg |
| Deadlift | 210 kg | 90% | 187.5 kg |
| Overhead press | 70 kg | 85% | 57.5 kg |
Run percentages from the training max
Once each lift has a training max, write your sets as a percentage of it. Because the base is lower, the percentages can look higher than you expect. That is normal.
A simple three-week wave for one lift looks like this:
- Week 1: 3 × 5 at 65%, 75%, 85% of training max
- Week 2: 3 × 3 at 70%, 80%, 90% of training max
- Week 3: 5, 3, 1 at 75%, 85%, 95% of training max
The top set in week 3 at 95% of a 90% training max is about 85.5% of your true max. You should get more than one rep. Let the last set run as an extra-rep set if form stays clean.
A sample training week
| Day | Main lift | Top work | Accessories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Squat | 3 sets, week's wave | Leg press 3 × 10, plank |
| Tue | Bench press | 3 sets, week's wave | Row 4 × 8, curls |
| Thu | Deadlift | 3 sets, week's wave | Back extension 3 × 12 |
| Fri | Overhead press | 3 sets, week's wave | Pull-up 4 × 6, dips |
Add 3 to 5 back-off sets of 5 at 70 to 75% of training max after the main sets if you want more volume.
How to raise your training max
Raise each training max at the end of every cycle. Small, fixed jumps work best.
- Upper body lifts: add 2.5 kg (5 lb) per cycle.
- Lower body lifts: add 5 kg (10 lb) per cycle.
This matches the general guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine. Its position stand recommends a 2 to 10% increase in load once you can complete one to two reps over the target at the current load. On a 100 kg training max, 2.5 kg is a 2.5% raise, at the low and sustainable end of that range.
Only raise the training max if you hit the planned reps on the top set. If you missed reps, keep the number for one more cycle.
When to reset
Even a good training max catches up with you. Reset when any of these happen:
- You miss the planned reps on the top set two cycles in a row.
- Your top-set RPE in week 3 sits at 10 with no extra reps.
- You come back from a break of two weeks or more.
To reset, drop that lift's training max by 10%. Then build back up with the same small jumps. Most lifters pass their old number within a few cycles, with better reps along the way.
Build it in the free builder
Open the free program builder and add each lift you want to train by percentage. In the reference max field for each lift, enter your training max, not your true 1RM. For example, enter 162.5 kg for a 180 kg squat.
Then write each row as sets × reps at a percentage, such as 3 × 5 at 85%, and add a target RPE. The builder fills loads from your training max. To start faster, open the starter programs, pick one, and replace the lifts and maxes with your own.