Training Percentages Explained
The same 70% of your 1RM trains something different depending on what you pair it with. Here's what each band is actually for.
| % of 1RM | Primary goal | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| ≥ 90% | Max strength / peaking | Very low reps (1-3), long rests, low weekly volume. This is where competition-day strength is tested and built, but it's taxing on the nervous system and can't be sustained for many sets week after week. |
| 80-89% | Strength | The classic 4-6 rep strength zone. Heavy enough to build maximal-strength adaptations, light enough to do multiple quality sets in a session -- most well-known strength programs (5x5 style included) live in this band. |
| 67-79% | Hypertrophy | Roughly 8-12 reps. Enough mechanical tension plus enough total volume per set to drive muscle growth; this is the band most bodybuilding-style programming targets. |
| 50-66% | Endurance / technique / speed | Light enough to move fast and clean for many reps -- used for warm-ups, technique work, speed-strength (moving a submaximal weight as fast as possible), and deload weeks. |
If your training week also includes running or other conditioning work, the same idea of training in bands applies there too -- PaceNumbers' pace calculators help set target paces for easy, threshold, and interval days the way this page sets target percentages for strength, hypertrophy, and endurance days.
Rep estimate by percentage, 50-100%
Same rep estimates as the percentage chart and every calculator page, so a plan built from this table lines up with the working weights those pages compute:
| % of 1RM | Estimated reps |
|---|---|
| 100% | 1 |
| 95% | 2 |
| 90% | 3 |
| 85% | 5 |
| 80% | 8 |
| 75% | 10 |
| 70% | 13 |
| 65% | 16 |
| 60% | 20 |
| 55% | 25 |
| 50% | 30 |
Sources
- The strength/hypertrophy/endurance percentage-band framework follows the general periodization guidance taught across strength and conditioning coursework and textbooks (e.g. the NSCA's Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning), not a single study -- it's a widely shared coaching heuristic, and different coaches draw the band lines slightly differently.
- The specific rep-count figures in this table are derived from this site's Epley-based percentage model, documented on the percentage chart page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to train every band every week?
No. Most programs live mostly in one or two adjacent bands for a training block (e.g. 70-85% for several weeks), then shift. Constantly jumping between max-strength and endurance work in the same week tends to build neither well.
Is heavier always better for strength?
Not by itself. Strength is built by accumulating enough hard sets across a training block, and grinding every set above 90% burns you out before you can accumulate that volume. Most strength gains come from consistent, well-recovered work in the 75-90% range with occasional heavier singles or triples to test progress.
Why do the rep estimates in the table look different from other charts I've seen?
They're derived from this site's default Epley formula rather than copied from an uncited chart -- see /one-rep-max-percentage-chart for the exact math. Every published %1RM-to-rep chart, including this one, is an approximation; treat the reps as a planning range, not a guarantee.
Keep going
- See the full 50-100% grid with rep estimates once you know what each band is for. One Rep Max Percentage Chart
- Every percentage on this page is relative to your 1RM; estimate your squat max first if you don't have one. Squat Max Calculator