Welcome to the SuperHuman one rep max calculator! This is a free tool I built for you guys to be able to calculate your 1 rep max accurately on all of the compound lifts, and to give you the exact information you need to see faster results in your workouts by selecting the proper weight and rep range.
When you are “lifting heavy” with the goal of building muscle it is recommended that you lift a weight that is 85-90% of your 1 rep max for 6-10 reps. By using the one rep max calculator, you can easily figure out what 85-90% of your 1 rep max is for all of the compound lifts.
Remember, You don't need to bench 400 + lbs to look big & aesthetic. My Bench PR is only 300 as of Dec 2020!
For sets where you are focusing on “time under tension” and triggering metabolic stress through sets where you take the muscle to failure in a higher rep range, I recommend that you pick a weight that is about 50% of your 1 rep max and you perform 15-20 total reps.
Both of these rep ranges are perfect for building muscle, and the one rep max calculator will give you the perfect weight to use in your training.
The other function of the one rep max calculator is to see how much you can lift for one repetition without having to actually perform a PR and risk injury.
For example the Superhuman one rep max calorie calculator will spit out your maximum strength on the bench press, squat, deadlift, barbell overhead press and many other compound lifts based on what you enter for weight and reps.
Before I give you access to the calorie calculator and you bookmark this page for future use, let’s make sure you know how to use the calorie calculator properly!
USING THE CALCULATOR
Our calculator is pretty easy to use and accurate but there are a couple of things to consider:
- 1Use the REAL weight you lifted, not more, not less
- 2Input the number of repetitions done with that weight until complete FAILURE - Inability to execute another repetition.
- 3Only use the calculator for compound movements - Bench, squats, deadlifts, rows, overhead presses
- 4Bookmark this page and use it frequently to assess how your strength is improving
- 5Bookmark this page and use it frequently so you can select the perfect weight for your balloon method workouts during your heavy overload sets and your lighter time under tension sets.
A Few more things to consider
UP TO 50% INTENSITY - ACTIVATION & WARM UP
In our book, a good workout relies on two things - Activation and overload.
The more weight you put on the bar, the more fibers you will recruit.
Nevertheless, gradually and methodically preparing the body for the bigger loads is an integral part of injury prevention & performance optimization.
Using up to 50% of your 1RM can be used as the "Activation” part of the workout. This is when you are focusing on putting maximum stress on the muscle for a longer period of time and taking your sets to failure in the 15-20 rep range.
This is brutal training and is the foundation of the Balloon Method Workouts along with your heavy overload sets. It’s the combination of BOTH that allows you to trigger the only 3 science backed ways your body builds muscle!
UP TO 90% INTENSITY - GAINS!
The Rock can bench over 400 lbs and squat over 500 lbs. How do you stack up?
You can't grow with an empty bar, that's for sure.
True stimulus for muscle gains comes when the effort is bigger.
This is exactly what makes the ~80-90% intensity range ideal for bulk muscle growth.
That is, 6~12 challenging reps in the 80~90% intensity range.
Doing more than 5 reps will get you in the 15+ second per set zone.
After the 15th second of intense work, the body starts utilizing muscle glycogen to grant energy for contraction.
This ultimately accounts for more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, increasing the volume of the muscle.
Strength gains are a secondary adaptation in this intensity range. The ~85% training range can be prioritized by people who have bodybuilding goals, rather than powerlifting goals.
90-100% INTENSITY
This intensity range, also known as the "Strength training range" is the intensity level at which you can do 1 to 5 repetitions.
When doing ~5 repetitions, you mainly utilize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and Creatine Phosphate (CP) to grant energy for muscle contraction.
Strength training does not utilize glycogen and so, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is not merely as prominent.
Instead, the body develops the strength of the muscle fibers (myofibril hypertrophy), as well as the nerve paths, to endure the strenuous loads.
Training in this intensity range mainly results in increases of relative strength (Strength, relative to your body).
The 90~100% intensity range can be prioritized by people who have powerlifting goals, more so than bodybuilding goals.
