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Deadlift max calculator

Enter a recent deadlift set and how many more reps you could have pulled. The calculator estimates your one-rep max with the same formula the RIRLift app uses, then gives your rep maxes and the loads for triples, fives and eights, rounded to plates you can load.

Unit
Reps in reserve

How many more you could have done. 0 means none.

Example result

Estimated deadlift 1RM

168kg

Brzycki, for comparison

168kg

140 kg × 5 with 2 in reserve counts as 7 reps to failure.

Your rep maxes
  • 162.5 kg2RM
  • 157.5 kg3RM
  • 147.5 kg5RM
  • 135 kg8RM
  • 130 kg10RM
Working loads from your estimated max, rounded to 2.5 kg
GoalSets × repsRIRLoad
Heavy triple3 × 32147.5 kg
Strength fives3 × 52140 kg
Volume sixes3 × 63132.5 kg
Back-off eights2 × 82130 kg
Build a deadlift session from this set

Deadlift examples

Four lifters, four ways of pulling. Stance, straps and how each rep starts all change what the number means.

  • Example 1

    Conventional, reset on the floor

    An intermediate lifter who pulled 180 kg for 5 dead-stop reps, letting the bar settle between each, with 1 left.

    Weight lifted
    180 kg
    Reps completed
    5
    Reps in reserve
    1
    • Estimated deadlift 1RM210 kg

    Dead-stop reps are the closest match to a max single, which also starts from the floor, so this estimate is one to trust. Run the next block's fives from the working-load table and re-check from the top set in three or four weeks.

    Build a deadlift session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Touch-and-go eights with straps

    A lifter training for muscle who did 315 lb for 8 touch-and-go reps in straps, about 1 short of failure.

    Weight lifted
    315 lb
    Reps completed
    8
    Reps in reserve
    1
    • Estimated deadlift 1RM399 lb

    This is a strapped, touch-and-go max. Bouncing off the floor helps the later reps, and straps take grip out of the question, so a beltless, strapless single from a dead stop may come in lower. Keep using this number for strapped sets, and test grip separately if you ever pull without them.

    Build a deadlift session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    Sumo triple, a few weeks in

    A woman who switched to sumo and pulled 100 kg for 3 with 2 in the tank.

    Weight lifted
    100 kg
    Reps completed
    3
    Reps in reserve
    2
    • Estimated deadlift 1RM113.5 kg

    Sumo and conventional are different lifts with different maxes. Log this one as its own number rather than mixing it with old conventional sets, and run the triples it suggests until the stance feels settled.

    Build a deadlift session from this set Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    Over 50, stopping well short

    A 55-year-old lifter who pulls once a week and did 225 lb for 6, stopping with 3 reps left on purpose.

    Weight lifted
    225 lb
    Reps completed
    6
    Reps in reserve
    3
    • Estimated deadlift 1RM285 lb

    Entering the 3 in reserve is what makes a conservative set useful: it still gives a fair max without a grinder. Train from the volume sixes and back-off eights, which keep every set 2 to 3 reps from failure.

    Build a deadlift session from this set Open with these numbers

Conventional, sumo, straps and touch-and-go

The calculator treats a deadlift set as a deadlift set. Four choices you make in the gym decide which deadlift that is, so keep them the same between the set you enter and the sets you plan from it.

If you train more than one style, run the calculator once for each and keep the numbers apart. The trap bar deadlift calculator does the same for the hex bar.

  • Stance. Conventional and sumo use different leverages, and most lifters are stronger in one. Enter sets from the stance you plan to train.
  • Straps. Straps remove grip as the limit. A strapped estimate is your max with straps on.
  • Touch-and-go or dead stop. Bouncing each rep off the floor makes later reps easier than a single from a dead start. For a max you'll test from the floor, enter a set where every rep started from a stop.
  • Belt. Same rule: estimate with the gear you'll train with.

How much should you deadlift?

Among raw powerlifting competitors, the median man at 82.5 to 90 kg has a best deadlift of 220 kg, about 2.5 times bodyweight, and the median woman at 57 to 63 kg pulls 125 kg, about 2.1 times. These are competitors, a stronger-than-average group, so read them as a target, not a starting line.

The deadlift standards page places your max against lifters of your sex and bodyweight.

Median best deadlift of raw powerlifting competitors, by bodyweight class
Bodyweight classMedian deadliftTimes bodyweight
Men, 67.5–75 kg200 kg2.7×
Men, 82.5–90 kg220 kg2.5×
Men, 100–110 kg242.5 kg2.3×
Women, 57–63 kg125 kg2.1×
Women, 69–76 kg137.5 kg1.9×

Deadlift technique

The lift this calculator is for

Barbell Deadlift

Glutes, Lower Back

Reps where the hips shoot up first or the bar drifts forward are still reps on paper, but they won't repeat at a heavier weight. Enter sets where your setup and back position held on every rep.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet, close to your shins.
  2. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees just enough to grip the bar with your hands right outside your legs.
  3. Bring your shins to the bar, lift your chest until your back is flat, and squeeze your armpits down as if bending the bar around your legs.
  4. Take a big breath into your belly, brace, and pull until the bar is tight against the plates without lifting it yet.
  5. Push the floor away and keep the bar against your body; once it passes your knees, drive your hips forward to stand tall.
  6. Lower by pushing your hips back first, then bend your knees once the bar passes them, and set it down under control.

Cues

  • Bar over midfoot
  • Pull the slack out first
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first, then push. Jerking it loose is when backs round.
  • Shooting the hips up first so the pull turns stiff-legged: keep your chest and hips rising together, and lighten the bar if you can't.
  • Letting the bar drift away from your legs, which makes the same weight much harder on your lower back.

Swap for: Sumo Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift

Full deadlift guide

Make it fit you

  • Pull 3 to 6 reps for the estimate

    Low-rep sets from a dead stop give the steadiest number. Past 10 reps to failure the calculator stops showing rep maxes, because no formula holds up out there.

  • One estimate per stance

    Keep a conventional max and a sumo max if you train both. Planning sumo sets from a conventional number gets the loads wrong by however much your two stances differ.

  • Round down to your plates

    Loads round to 2.5 kg or 5 lb. If your gym only has 5 kg plates as the smallest, round working loads down to the nearest 10 kg so the bar stays balanced.

  • Fewer hard sets than you'd bench

    The working loads here stop 2 to 3 reps short of failure, which is enough to progress without grinding every set. If your lower back is still tired at the next session, drop the back-off eights before cutting the top sets.

  • Re-check from a top set

    Run the calculator from your best working set every few weeks instead of testing a true single, which costs more recovery than it tells you. The deadlift chart turns any max into percentages.

Questions

How accurate is a deadlift max calculator?

From a hard set of 3 to 6 reps, it is a solid estimate. In LeSuer and colleagues' 1997 study, every formula tested underestimated the deadlift max, so a well-rested single can beat the number.

Should I enter touch-and-go reps?

Only if you train touch-and-go. Bouncing off the floor helps every rep after the first, so a touch-and-go set predicts a higher max than you would pull from a dead stop.

Do straps change my deadlift max?

They change what limits it. With straps you are measuring your back and legs; without them you are also measuring your grip. Enter a set with the same grip you plan to train with.

Is sumo or conventional deadlift stronger?

It depends on your build, and many lifters pull more one way than the other. Estimate each separately and train whichever you plan to keep.

What percentage of my deadlift max should I train with?

The working-load table under the result gives the loads for triples, fives, sixes and eights at the reps in reserve each one targets. For a full percentage table, use the deadlift chart.

What is a good deadlift for my weight?

Among raw powerlifting competitors, the median man at 82.5 to 90 kg pulls about 2.5 times bodyweight. Compare yours on the deadlift standards page.

Sources

Stop recalculating your deadlift

Log load, reps and RIR on every deadlift set and RIRLift keeps your estimated max current, then tells you what to put on the bar next session.

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