How to use this bench press calculator
Use the bench press calculator at the top of this page. Pick pounds or kilograms, type the weight you just lifted, and type how many clean reps you completed. The bench press calculator updates as you type. You do not need to submit a form.
A clean rep is a bench press you finish with the same standard you would use in a meet or a logged training set: bar under control, a pause or touch on the chest if that is your rule, and lockout without a spotter taking the bar. Do not count a grind you only finished because someone lifted the bar for you. The calculator can only use the weight and the reps you enter. It cannot see your pause, your arch, or whether the last rep was a real bench press.
If you want a known starting point, tap the 225 lb × 5 example. That set is a common bench press session for intermediate lifters who train in pounds. The bench press calculator will show an estimated 1RM of 263 lb with Epley and 253 lb with Brzycki. Switch the unit control if you log the same bench press in kilograms; the weight field converts, and the 1RM follows.
Enter 1 to 20 reps. The useful range for a bench press 1RM estimate is closer to 2 through 10. A single clean bench press is already a 1RM, so the calculator returns the weight you typed. Sets longer than 10 reps turn into a different problem: fatigue and muscle endurance start to matter more than max bench press strength, and both formulas drift.
What 1RM and one-rep max mean
A one-rep max, written 1RM, is the heaviest bench press you could complete for one clean rep today. People also search for a bench calculator, a bench press 1RM calculator, or a one-rep max calculator. Those phrases ask for the same number this bench press calculator is built to estimate: a max bench press from a set that was not a max attempt.
A training log often stores a personal record, or PR, next to that 1RM. A PR is a best result you have already done. A 1RM estimate is a prediction from a lighter bench press. They can match. They often do not, especially if the last heavy bench press was weeks ago, or if the set you typed was easy.
Most lifters should not test a true bench press 1RM every week. A missed max bench press is a long recovery, and a sloppy max is a poor number to plan from. A bench press calculator lets you take a strong set of 3, 5, or 8 reps and turn it into a working 1RM. You can then pick next week’s bench press weight from the rep-max table under the result.
The Epley formula this bench press calculator uses
The main 1RM on this page is Epley. Boyd Epley published the poundage chart in 1985 in Boyd Epley Workout. The bench press calculator writes it as:
1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)
Read it in plain language. Each extra bench press rep after the first adds about one-thirtieth of the weight you lifted. Five reps add 5 ÷ 30, which is one-sixth. A 225 lb bench press for 5 reps becomes 225 × (1 + 1/6) = 262.5 lb, shown as 263 lb. That is the estimated one-rep max, not a promise that you will lock out 263 lb on the next attempt.
Epley is the default because it is short, widely used, and easy to invert. The chart under the 1RM does the inverse for 1 through 12 reps:
weight at a given rep count = 1RM ÷ (1 + reps ÷ 30)
If the estimated 1RM is 263 lb, a 5-rep bench press is 225 lb again. A 3-rep bench press is about 239 lb. An 8-rep bench press is about 208 lb. Those chart numbers are the same Epley math, not a second formula. Use them to pick a bench press weight for a planned rep target.
Epley tends to run a little high when the set is long. If you type 12 or 15 bench press reps, treat the 1RM as a ceiling, not a meet attempt. Keep the input set in the 2 to 8 range when you want the tightest bench press calculator reading.
Why the bench press calculator also shows Brzycki
Matt Brzycki published a second 1RM formula in 1993 in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. The bench press calculator shows it under the main result:
1RM = weight × 36 ÷ (37 − reps)
For the same 225 lb × 5 bench press, Brzycki is 225 × 36 ÷ 32 = 253 lb. That is 10 lb under Epley. Between 2 and 8 reps the two 1RM values usually stay close. Past 10 reps they spread. Brzycki also breaks down if reps approach 37, because the denominator goes to zero. This bench press calculator therefore stops at 20 reps and tells you to stay in 1 to 10 when you want a tighter pair of numbers.
A third published option is Lombardi (1989): 1RM = weight × reps^0.10, from Beginning Weight Training. This bench press calculator does not print Lombardi in the result box. The page chose Epley on purpose. Use a hard set in the low-rep range, read Epley as the main bench press 1RM, and glance at Brzycki to see whether the two formulas agree.
How to read the rep-max chart
The table under the result is a bench press calculator chart for the 1RM you just produced. Row 1 is the estimated max. Row 5 is a 5-rep bench press at that same 1RM. If you change the weight or the reps, the chart recalculates from the new Epley 1RM.
Use the chart in one direction at a time. If you already did 5 reps, trust the 1RM and look at rows 2, 3, or 8 for the next session. If you want a 3-rep bench press next time, take the 3-rep row, not a random cut such as “80 percent” from another site. Those percent tables are often a different model. This chart is only Epley inverted.
The bench press calculator does not add plates for you. It does not know whether your gym uses 45 lb or 20 kg bars, and it does not split the remaining weight into collars and discs. If you need a plate-by-plate breakdown, write that down after you pick the bench press weight from the chart.
What this bench press calculator does not estimate
This page estimates a bench press 1RM from bar weight and reps. It does not turn push-ups into a bench press. It does not rank you by age, height, sex, or percentile, and it does not say how much you “should” bench press. Those are strength-standard questions, not a one-rep max estimate. It also does not estimate calories from a bench press session.
Squat, deadlift, incline bench, and overhead press are different lifts. This bench press calculator stays on the bench press. Those 1RM numbers belong on their own pages later.
How to use the 1RM in training
Treat the number as a planning 1RM, then prove it with another bench press set rather than jumping straight to a max attempt. If Epley says 263 lb and Brzycki says 253 lb, an honest working max for the next block is nearer the lower number, or an average, until you hit a clean heavy double or triple.
When the set you typed was a grind, the bench press calculator will still give a 1RM. That 1RM is optimistic. When the set was easy, the 1RM is conservative. The formula does not know RPE. If you train with RPE, log the RPE next to the set in your own notebook and only type sets that were a true 8 or 9 when you want a sharper bench press 1RM.
Warm up as you would for any heavy bench press. The calculator does not replace a spotter, a rack with safeties, or a reason to stop. A 1RM estimate is training math. It is not medical advice and it is not a coaching plan.
Sources for the formulas
- Epley, B. (1985). Poundage chart. In Boyd Epley Workout. Lincoln, NE: Body Enterprises.
- Brzycki, M. (1993). Strength testing—Predicting a one-rep max from reps-to-fatigue. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 64(1), 88–90.
- Lombardi, V. P. (1989). Beginning Weight Training: The Safe and Effective Way. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.
- LeSuer, D. A., McCormick, J. H., Mayhew, J. L., Wasserstein, R. L., & Arnold, M. D. (1997). The accuracy of prediction equations for estimating 1-RM performance in the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 11(4), 211–213. Cited as a comparison study; this page does not reuse its error tables.
Common questions about this bench press calculator
Is a bench calculator the same as a 1RM calculator?
On this site, yes. A bench calculator, a bench press 1RM calculator, and a one-rep max calculator are the same tool: weight and reps in, estimated bench press 1RM out. The H1 is bench press calculator because that is the main search phrase for this page.
Which 1RM should I believe if the two numbers disagree?
Use Epley as the printed 1RM and Brzycki as a check. If they are within a small plate of each other, either number is fine for picking the next bench press. If they split by a lot, your rep count is probably too high. Run the bench press calculator again with a heavier weight and fewer reps.
Can I enter kilograms?
Yes. Switch the bench press calculator to kilograms. The 1RM and the chart stay in kilograms until you switch back. The example button returns to 225 lb × 5 because that example is a pound-based bench press set.
Does the bench press calculator store my numbers?
No. The weight and reps stay in your browser. There is no account. Refresh the page and you are back to the 225 × 5 example.