Estimate 1RM with velocity (e1RM), without a max out test

We all want to know our one repetition maximum (1RM) to measure strength, program our training based on %1RM and track progress. However, 1RM testing comes with several challenges, with injury risk being only one of them. As a result, many athletes train on a 1RM tested weeks ago, while that number can be 18% off from what they can lift today (study). Let’s fix that.

By Loek Vossen

This 1RM video is part of a VBT course. Enroll to the full course for free.

1RM topics we’re about to cover. Jump straight to:

• 1RM challenges.
• What does 1RM mean
• What is 1RM used for
• Traditional 1RM testing: protocol, problems, calculators
• How to estimate 1RM, using velocity
• How GymAware makes working with 1RM so much easier

Before we dive into it, do these challenges sound familiar?

1RM challenges. Sounds familiar?

But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.

What does 1RM mean

1RM stands for “1 Repetition Maximum”, and refers to the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition of a specific exercise.

For example, if your squat 1RM is 100kg, it means that 100 kg is the maximum weight you can squat for a single repetition.

Many athletes track their 1RM per exercise. For instance in an app:

But 1RM is more than just a measure of how much weight you can lift. It can be a useful tool in training.

What is 1RM used for

In practice, athletes, coaches and health professionals use 1RM in several ways:

• As a measure of maximum strength or strength imbalance
• As a number you can track to see strength progress over time
• To program loads in training as a percentage of 1RM (percentage based training)

Here’s an example of how you can track your 1RM over time, as a measure of strength progress:

Because of the value of knowing your 1RM, many athletes and coaches perform 1RM tests. There are two ways to test 1RM:

1. Risky traditional 1RM testing
2. Safely estimating 1RM (e1RM) using bar velocity

Let’s cover them both.

When you increase the load (%1RM), your maximal lift velocity decreases. This relationship allows you to accurately estimate 1RM by measuring velocity while lifting submaximal loads.

Traditional 1RM testing

Let’s talk traditional 1RM testing.

TL;DR: traditional 1RM testing and submaximal 1RM testing (e.g. 5RM) both require maximal efforts. Although it can be an accurate way to measure or predict 1RM, it also has some practical downsides, like injury risk. That’s why after this section, we’ll look at a way to estimate 1RM (e1RM) using velocity, to solve these problems.

Jump straight to:

• Traditional 1RM test protocol
• Traditional 1RM testing problems
• Traditional submaximal 1RM test
• Traditional 1RM calculators: are they accurate?

1RM test protocol

A traditional 1RM test is very straightforward. After a warm up, you try to lift a heavy weight that you think is your maximum weight for 1 repetition.

If you succeed, you know that your 1RM equals this weight or more. After some recovery, you try to lift a heavier weight. Repeat this process until you fail to lift the weight. The highest weight that you are able to lift equals your 1RM.

1RM testing problems

There are several potential problems associated with traditional 1RM testing. To name a few:

1. Injury risk: this 1RM test requires a person to lift the heaviest weight they are capable of. If you do this with bad technique, it’s easy to injure yourself.
2. Timing: 1RM testing can be very fatiguing. This doesn’t always fit into your training program, since it affects future workouts.
3. Rehabilitation: if you’re coming back from injury or if you’re an older adult, absolute beginner or someone with a certain medical condition, 1RM testing might simply be a bad idea (if not impossible in the first place).

The list goes on, but you get the point: you want to know what your one repetition max is, but you don’t want to test it. 

“It’s better to know what an athlete is capable of – than to actually find out.”

Travis Mash

The solution is simple: instead of testing, you can accurately estimate 1RM using velocity. But first: here’s why traditional “submaximal” 1RM tests have the exact same issues as traditional 1RM tests.

Submaximal 1RM test

A traditional submaximal 1RM test tries to solve the above mentioned problems. Here’s how such a submaximal 1RM protocol looks like:

Instead of doing a 1RM, you pick a submaximal weight and perform repetitions until failure.

For example: you start squatting with a 85 kg barbell. You keep going until you can’t do another repetition. Say you were able to do 5 repetitions.

As you can imagine, the number of repetitions with a submaximal load, gives you an indication of your 1RM. There are 1RM formula’s to calculate 1RM based on, say 5RM. 

However, with this submaximal test you still run into the same problems we mentioned in the previous section. Simply because this “submaximal” test is not submaximal. It requires repetitions until failure.

Plus the best predictor for 1RM is the number of repetitions performed at submaximal loads close to 1RM (e.g. 95%1RM for the bench press, according to this scientific study).

Doing such efforts can increase injury risk, they don’t always fit into your training program and they are not suitable for all individuals.

That doesn’t mean they are useless for everyone, all the time. So if you do want to perform such a submaximal 1RM test, simply plug your repetitions into a standard calculator:

Standard 1RM calculators

You can find many standard 1RM calculators on the internet. As we just mentioned, they require you to do a maximum effort test. 

Simply enter your barbell weight (e.g. 85 kg) and number of repetitions (e.g. 5) into the 1RM calculator, and it could say: “your estimated 1RM is 100 kg”.

Here’s an example of an underlying 1RM formula, according to this scientific paper*. It requires you to use a weight that you can only lift 5 times.

1RM formula

1RM formula: 1RM = 1.0970 x (5RM weight [kg]) + 14.2546

*This specific 1RM formula was created for a chest press exercise. The leg press formula turned out to be different (1RM = 1.1307 x (5RM weight) + 0.6999).

Are 1RM calculators accurate?

Yes 1RM calculators can be accurate, but as we’ve seen, science shows that the 1RM formula differs per exercise. Most 1RM calculators don’t take this into account.

Another aspect is that the 1RM prediction from a calculator is likely to be more accurate when you use higher loads. According to this scientific paper: “no more than 10 repetitions should be used in linear equations to estimate 1RM”. Which makes sense, right?

So how do we skip these risky max efforts all together?

How to estimate 1RM (e1RM), using velocity based training

Here’s something you can probably relate to. The more weight you add to the bar, the slower you move. This load-velocity relationship is the foundation of velocity based training.

Take for instance a bench press. When you lift an unloaded barbell, you can move it very fast. When you bench press your 1RM weight, the barbell speed is very low.

We can use this load-velocity relationship to estimate your e1RM. The best part: you don’t need to do any maximal effort.

Here’s how to calculate your 1RM, using bar velocity. Note that this could simply be part of your warm up. According to this scientific paper, all you need to do is:

1. Measure your maximal (bar) velocity when lifting a light load (e.g. ~50% expected 1RM)
2. Measure your maximal (bar) velocity when lifting a heavy load (e.g. ~80% expected 1RM)
3. Draw a linear line between these 2 data points, similar to the image below
4. Determine your 1RM

Now before you do this, know that GymAware and FLEX have a built-in protocol in the app that estimates your 1RM. No need to do any calculations or estimations yourself. Learn more about how GymAware makes working with 1RM so much easier.

For now, let’s assume you want to calculate your 1RM, using the above mentioned 4 steps.

After finishing step 1 and 2, you have two points with both a load (x-axis) and a velocity (y-axis). You can now draw the linear line. Simply use a graph/grid paper and a pencil and start drawing. Or use a software tool like Excel.

PS although you only need 2 loads to draw a linear line (2-point method), it has a catch: with only two loads, a single off rep tips the whole line. More loads across the range give you a more reliable slope and let you spot a bad rep before it skews your estimate. This is why the GymAware and FLEX 1RM protocols use several loads, not two.

Here’s an example of how physical preparation coach Mladen Jovanovic used Excel to determine 1RM, using a force-velocity curve.

Make sure to make the linear line long enough. It should cross the horizontal x-axis. However, this is not where you determine your 1RM!

1RM Minimum Velocity Threshold (MVT)

Say you’re doing a bench press, lifting with maximal intent (as fast as possible). You’ve loaded the bar so heavy that it only goes up at 0.1 m/s. Than it’s unlikely you’ll succeed that rep. Why? Because literature shows that the slowest velocity at which athletes succeed a bench press is 0.16 m/s. Therefore, 0.16 m/s is called the Minimum Velocity Threshold (MVT) of a bench press.

When your velocity is below the Minimum Velocity Threshold of an exercise, you’re unlikely to complete that rep.

Put differently: your Minimum Velocity Threshold equals the velocity at 1RM (V1RM).

Interestingly, literature shows that the Minimum Velocity Threshold is not only the velocity at 1RM, it’s the velocity of any last rep before failure. A 1RM is just the extreme case of this: a set where the first rep is also the last.

So whether you do a set to failure with only 1 rep (aka 1RM), or a set to failure with 10 reps (aka 10RM), the velocity of the last successful rep in a set to failure seems to be very similar.

We can use this piece of information to estimate 1RM based on our linear load-velocity relationship.

Our e1RM is where the linear load-velocity line crosses the Minimum Velocity Threshold.

You can see this crossing point in Fig 1 (above) where the linear line crosses the MVT of 0.16 m/s at 90kg. Which is why e1RM for this athlete equals 90kg.

Note that the MVT is pretty stable between athletes, but differs by exercise.

Meaning most lifters will have a MVT of about 0.16 m/s for the bench press, but the MVT of a squat is typically 2x higher. Here’s an overview of literature derived MVTs per exercise:

Minimum Velocity Threshold table

Of course, you can find some differences between athletes, and therefore also in literature. Mainly because elite athletes are better at ‘grinding’ their last rep at lower velocities. Although you can measure your personal MVT by doing any set to failure, it’s equally fine to not stress about it and simply stick to the MVT provided in the table. Even though your personal MVT might be slightly higher or lower.

You can also forget about everything mentioned so far, and simply let GymAware do the work for you.

Using GymAware to work with 1RM

The GymAware ecosystem makes working with 1RM so much easier. Let’s start with the simple steps to estimate 1RM, and finish with how you can put those numbers into practice with GymAware Cloud.

Test e1RM frequently, without risk, during warm up.

Never deal with stale 1RMs anymore. Estimate 1RM frequently, without injury risks, during the warm up. So it doesn’t cost you an entire training day anymore.

The e1RM test protocol is very similar between FLEX and GymAware RS. It comes down to doing a couple reps – all below 85% 1RM – and the app will estimate 1RM automatically. Here are 3 tips to get the best 1RM prediction:

1. Complete a warm up before you start the protocol.
2. Always lift as fast as possible. Also when the load is below 70% of 1RM. Lifting with less than maximal intent at lighter weights will skew the results upwards. 
3. Execute all lifts at all loads with similar form. E.g. do not ‘shorten up’ your squats, as the weight gets heavier.

Pick the protocol you’d like to learn more about:

FLEX – 1RM test protocol+

This 1RM video is part of a VBT course. Enroll to the full course for free.

GymAware RS – 1RM test protocol+

Using GymAware, maximum strength can be predicted for a given exercise without the need to go to failure. GymAware Cloud users can estimate 1RM very simply by collecting results over a range of lift weights and then selecting the 1RM report.

Here’s how to perform a 1RM prediction in the GymAware Cloud:

For the basis of this guide we will look at a bench press. In order to generate the ‘power & force/velocity profile’ it is recommended that at least 4 sets of 1-2 reps are completed each with a progressive load. As the load increases the bar speed decreases. As this is a sub maximal assessment, it is recommended that once bar speed drops below 0.5m/s you end the test and use the report to predict your maximum. 

To generate the report go to ‘finder’ > ’reporter’ then select ‘GymAware’, ‘athlete name’, ‘bench press’, and ‘test date’ from the four lists. Press ‘Generate report’ and in the report window select ‘1RM’ profile. Press ‘Generate report’ to view your graph and corresponding data.

Test one exercise, get a 1RM for many

Even with a simple e1RM test as described above, you don’t want to 1RM test all the exercises you do, weekly.

Here’s how to solve that. In GymAware Cloud, pick one reference exercise (e.g. back squat) once and define related lifts (e.g. front squat, overhead squat etc.) as a percentage of it:

Front squat → 85% of back squat
Overhead squat → 70% of back squat
Box squat, pause squat, and so on → whatever % you set

Now every athlete who tests their back squat, automatically has a (new) 1RM for all of them. No separate test for each required.

From there the app does the loading. Athlete A tests 110kg on back squat, so their front squat 1RM is set at 93.5kg, and a 60/70/80% workout loads the bar at 56, 65 and 75kg on its own.

No 1RM yet? No problem.

New athlete, no 1RM numbers yet? With percentage based programming that’s a dead stop: no 1RM means no loads.

GymAware fills the gap from the first set. Load a weight you can handle for set one, and the app treats that as the prescribed percentage, working backwards to a temporary 1RM, and using that temporary 1RM for the remaining sets. The session runs from rep one.

Example: say the workout opens at 60% and the athlete loads 60kg. GymAware reads 60kg as 60% and sets a temporary 1RM of 100kg, then fills the rest of the sets against it. If the athlete adjusts the bar mid-session, the temporary 1RM moves with them, re-populating the remaining sets to match what they’re actually lifting.

That (updated) temporary number holds until you enter a tested 1RM or the athlete runs a Predictive 1RM Protocol. So a first session is never wasted.

Coach 30 athletes, program once

Coaching over thirty athletes, each with a different 1RM, each needing their own load for every set? No problem!

Program the session once in GymAware Cloud, in percentages: Set 1 at 60%, Set 2 at 70%, Set 3 at 80%. Assign it to the squad. Every athlete opens the same workout on their station, and the app loads their bar from their 1RM. Athlete A pulls 56kg, Athlete B pulls 72kg, both hitting 60% of their own max. You wrote one workout. Thirty people trained to thirty individual prescriptions.

Note that instead of prescribing 1RM percentage based, you can also prescribe velocity based.

Auto-round weight to loadable increments

If you do 1RM percentage based training, you’ll know this one.

Say your deadlift 1RM is 95kg. The program calls for 5 reps at 85%. That’s 0.85 * 95 = 80.75kg. Good luck loading that.

GymAware auto-rounds for you, to a weight you can actually make. So instead of 80.75kg, it shows 80kg. You can edit the rounding yourself (e.g. nearest 5kg) in GymAware Cloud.

It’s a small thing. But it’s the details that make your session run.

Feeling stronger (or weaker) today?

Some days the programmed weight is wrong for how you feel that day. Fresh and flying, or flat and heavy. You don’t want to stop and rebuild the session around it.

Just change the bar weight on the set. GymAware updates that set and leaves your saved 1RM untouched. One heavy or light day never pollutes the number you program from, so the reference data you’ve built up stays clean.

Adjust the bar, keep training. Nothing to rebuild.

Ready to go beyond 1RM programming?

Estimating your 1RM without maximal efforts is just one way of using the load-velocity relationship. Learn more about velocity based training by downloading our whitepaper: How to get started with velocity based training [use case]. Get it for free:

Loek Vossen

Human Movement Scientist | Marketing and Education