Bench Press 1RM from 10 Reps — Epley and Brzycki Estimate
If you can bench press 100 kg for 10 reps, your estimated one-rep max is 133.3 kg — the average of the Epley estimate (133.3 kg) and the Brzycki estimate (133.3 kg). That is the headline number, and the rest of this page shows exactly how it was calculated, what loads to train with at every percentage of it, and how far you should trust it.
The Bench Press works the chest, triceps and shoulders, and it is a barbell lift. An intermediate lifter often benches around bodyweight, so a 100 kg bench for an 80 kg lifter is already strong, and 1.25 times bodyweight is a serious number in most gyms. The worked example below uses a 10-rep set with 100 kg as the load — that is an assumption for illustration, not a prescription for you. Put your own weight and reps into the One Rep Max Calculator and the same two formulas will estimate your own max in seconds.
An estimated one-rep max matters because almost every serious strength programme is written in percentages of it. "Five sets of five at 80%" only means something if you know what 100% is, and testing a true one-rep max is risky, fatiguing and unnecessary for most lifters. A submaximal set of 10 reps gives you the number without the risk — provided you understand the limits of the formulas, which this page sets out honestly.
Use the one-rep-max calculator for your own numbers
The worked example on this page uses 100 kg for 10 reps. Your numbers will be different, and the calculator does the same maths with them. Use the Bench Press 1RM Calculator for this lift, or the general One Rep Max Calculator for any lift, and you will get the Epley estimate, the Brzycki estimate, their average, and the full training-percentage table for your own max.
For comparison, here are the other one-rep-max pages for the bench press — the same two formulas applied to different rep counts:
- Bench Press 1RM from 12 Reps — Epley and Brzycki Estimate
- Bench Press 1RM from 15 Reps — Epley and Brzycki Estimate
- Bench Press 1RM from 20 Reps — Epley and Brzycki Estimate
The formulas, shown and cited
Two published formulas estimate a one-rep max from a submaximal set. Both are shown here with their sources, and both are worked through with this page's numbers.
Epley (Epley 1985): 1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)
Brzycki (Brzycki 1993): 1RM = weight × 36 ÷ (37 − reps)
Worked through for 100 kg × 10 reps on the bench press:
- Epley: 100 × (1 + 10 ÷ 30) = 100 × 1.3 = 133.3 kg
- Brzycki: 100 × 36 ÷ (37 − 10) = 100 × 36 ÷ 27 = 133.3 kg
- Average of the two: (133.3 + 133.3) ÷ 2 = 133.3 kg (294 lb)
The two formulas differ by 0.0 kg on this set. Sets of 10 reps are still a reliable basis for an estimate. At 10 reps the two formulas differ by 0.0 percent, which is a normal spread — the formulas were fitted to different groups of lifters, and they diverge slowly as the rep count rises. The average of the two is a sensible working estimate, and it is the number to base your training percentages on for the next four to six weeks. A 10-rep set is a good compromise between accuracy and safety: heavy enough to be informative, light enough that the test itself is not the workout.
Neither formula is magic. Both were fitted to real lifting data, and both assume the set was taken close to failure with good technique — a set of 10 reps with two more reps left in the tank will underestimate your max, because the formulas assume those 10 reps were hard. If you stopped well short of failure, add that to your interpretation: the estimate is a floor, not a ceiling. And if your technique broke down on the last rep, the set does not count for estimation purposes at all.
Training percentages for a 133.3 kg bench press max
Most programmes prescribe loads as a percentage of your one-rep max. The table below gives the load for every percentage from 50% to 100% of the 133.3 kg estimate, so you can read your working weights straight off it without doing the multiplication in your head between sets.
| % of 1RM | Load (kg) | Load (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 66.7 kg | 147 lb |
| 55% | 73.3 kg | 162 lb |
| 60% | 80.0 kg | 176 lb |
| 65% | 86.7 kg | 191 lb |
| 70% | 93.3 kg | 206 lb |
| 75% | 100.0 kg | 220 lb |
| 80% | 106.7 kg | 235 lb |
| 85% | 113.3 kg | 250 lb |
| 90% | 120.0 kg | 265 lb |
| 95% | 126.7 kg | 279 lb |
| 100% | 133.3 kg | 294 lb |
How those percentages are used in practice depends on the goal. Strength work lives at 85–95% of 1RM for sets of 1–5 reps, with long rests of three to five minutes. Hypertrophy work lives at 65–85% for sets of 6–12 reps, with rests of 60–120 seconds. Muscular endurance work lives at 50–65% for sets of 15 or more reps, with short rests. The same max produces all three training zones; what changes is the percentage and the rep count, not the lift.
A practical example: if your programme calls for five sets of five at 80% on the bench press, that is 106.7 kg for five reps, five times, with three minutes of rest between sets. If it calls for three sets of ten at 70%, that is 93.3 kg for ten reps, three times, with 90 seconds of rest. The table above is the only arithmetic you need; the programme supplies the sets, reps and rest.
What you can lift for other rep counts
If your estimated max is 133.3 kg, the table below gives the load you should be able to handle for each rep count, worked out from the Epley relationship between reps and percentage of maximum. Use it to pick weights for any set in your programme, not just the ones at your tested rep count.
| Reps | Estimated load (kg) | Estimated load (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 129.0 kg | 284 lb |
| 2 | 125.0 kg | 276 lb |
| 3 | 121.2 kg | 267 lb |
| 5 | 114.3 kg | 252 lb |
| 6 | 111.1 kg | 245 lb |
| 8 | 105.3 kg | 232 lb |
| 10 | 100.0 kg | 220 lb |
| 12 | 95.2 kg | 210 lb |
| 15 | 88.9 kg | 196 lb |
| 20 | 80.0 kg | 176 lb |
The row for 10 reps reads 100.0 kg, which sits within a kilogram or two of the 100 kg used in the worked example — the small difference is because this table is built from the averaged estimate rather than from either formula alone. That is the honest way to read it: the table is a guide for choosing weights, and the right weight on the day is the one you can lift with good technique for the prescribed reps, not the number in the cell.
How to use the result, and how to progress safely
Use the 133.3 kg figure as a planning number, not as a weight to attempt tomorrow. The safest way to use an estimated max is to base your training percentages on it for four to six weeks, then re-test with a fresh submaximal set and update the estimate. If the new set gives a higher estimate, your training weights go up; if it gives the same number, you have maintained; if it gives a lower number, you may be under-recovered and need a lighter week.
Add 2.5 kg to the bar when you complete all prescribed sets and reps at a given weight for two sessions in a row; 1.25 kg plates are worth owning, because 2.5 kg is a real jump on the bench. Train the bench press two to three times a week with 48 to 72 hours between hard sessions.
Warm up properly before any heavy set. For a bench press session, that means the empty bar, then 50 percent of your working weight for a few reps, then 70 percent, then your working sets — never jumping straight from the warm-up to a heavy load. And never test a true one-rep max alone, without spotters or safety bars. The whole point of estimating from a 10-rep set is that you never have to find out what your true max is by attempting it.
Recovery is part of the programme, not a break from it. The bench press stresses the chest, triceps and shoulders, and those muscles need 48–72 hours before they are trained hard again. Sleep, food and rest days are where the strength is actually built; the training session is just the stimulus. A lifter who adds weight to the bar every week while sleeping five hours a night will stall and then regress, and no formula can fix that.
Technique standards for the bench press
The bench press is performed lying on a flat bench with the eyes under the bar, feet flat on the floor, shoulder blades pulled together and a small natural arch in the upper back. The bar is lowered under control to the mid-chest, touched without bouncing, and pressed back up in a slight arc toward the rack. A set only counts for estimation if it follows that standard: touch the chest, keep the hips on the bench, keep the feet on the floor, and do not bounce the bar off the chest. A paused rep is stricter than a touch-and-go rep, so a 10-rep set done touch-and-go will usually give a slightly higher estimate than the same weight done with a one-second pause on the chest. Compare estimates only between sets done the same way.
The most common errors are bouncing the bar off the chest, lifting the hips off the bench, letting the bar drift toward the face on the way up, and flaring the elbows wide. Each of these lets you lift more weight with worse technique, and each of them inflates the estimate.
What the number does NOT tell you
An estimated one-rep max is a useful number with clear limits. First, it is an estimate, not a measurement. Your true max can only be found by attempting a maximum lift, and the estimate can be off by 5–10% in either direction even from a good set. That is why the percentage table above should be treated as a guide: if 80% feels like 90% on the day, trust the feeling, not the table.
Second, the formulas assume good technique. A bench press performed with a shortened range of motion or momentum will produce a higher rep count than a strict set, and the formulas will reward that with an inflated max. Compare estimates only between sets done the same way — same depth, same pause, same standard. A stricter set that gives a lower estimate is more useful than a sloppy set that gives a higher one.
Third, a one-rep max says nothing about your health, your body composition or your overall fitness. It measures one thing — the most weight you can lift once in this movement — and a big number in one lift does not imply a big number in another, let alone general health. It also says nothing about injury risk: a lifter with a large estimated max and poor technique is closer to an injury than a lifter with a modest max and excellent technique.
Finally, the formulas are population tools. They were fitted to groups of lifters, and individuals vary. Some lifters are naturally better at high reps than at singles, and the formulas will underestimate their max; others are the opposite, and the formulas will overestimate. Over time you will learn your own pattern — whether your true max tends to sit above or below the estimate — and you can adjust your training percentages accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
What is my bench press 1RM if I lift 100 kg for 10 reps?
Using the worked example on this page: Epley gives 133.3 kg and Brzycki gives 133.3 kg, so the averaged estimate is 133.3 kg. That figure assumes the 10-rep set was taken close to failure with good technique. For your own weight and rep count, use the Bench Press 1RM Calculator.
Which formula is better, Epley or Brzycki?
Neither is clearly better in general — that is why this page averages them. Epley (1985) tends to give slightly higher estimates at higher rep counts, while Brzycki (1993) is often a little more conservative. From sets of ten reps or fewer the two usually agree within a few kilograms, and the average is a sensible compromise. Above ten reps both become less reliable, and the gap between them — 0.0 kg here — is a warning sign rather than a detail to average away.
How accurate is a 1RM estimated from 10 reps?
Reliable enough to programme from. From sets of ten reps or fewer, Epley and Brzycki usually agree within a few percent, and the average is a sensible working estimate. It is still an estimate with error bars of several kilograms either way, so treat the training percentages as a guide and adjust by feel on the day — if 80 percent feels like 90 percent, trust the feeling, not the table.
Do I need a spotter to test my bench press?
For a true one-rep max, yes — always. For a submaximal set like the one on this page, a spotter is still wise, and safety bars set just above your chest are a good substitute. If you train alone, the safety bars are not optional: a failed rep with no spotter and no safeties is how bench press injuries happen.
What weight should I train with for strength on the bench press?
Strength work is usually 85–95% of your estimated max. For a 133.3 kg max, that is 113.3 kg to 126.7 kg, for sets of 1–5 reps with three to five minutes of rest. For muscle growth, use 65–85% (86.7–113.3 kg) for sets of 6–12 reps. The full percentage table above covers every step from 50% to 100%.
How often should I re-test my bench press max?
Every four to eight weeks is enough for most lifters. Testing more often wastes training time and adds fatigue without new information, because strength changes slowly. Re-test with the same rep count and the same technique standard as last time, so the two estimates are genuinely comparable, and update your training percentages from the new figure.
Related pages
Estimates only, not medical advice. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day women, 1,500 kcal/day men — consult a healthcare professional before a very-low-calorie diet.