134 lb works out to 1x45 per side plus the bar — call it 135 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. 5 reps sits comfortably inside the 2-to-10 range these formulas were fitted on, so this estimate is about as reliable as the method gets. Your 115 lb set represents about 86% of the estimated max.
How far 134 lb can be trusted
Five reps is the most common way people estimate a max and the rep count these equations were checked against most often. The seven put your max between 129 and 137 lb. A set of five is short enough that breathing and pacing do not dominate it, so what the bar does on the fifth rep is a fair proxy for what it would do on a single — which is the assumption the whole method rests on.
Training loads from a 134 lb max
Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 134 lb, to the nearest pound, because 5 lb steps collapse into each other at this load:
| Percentage | Load | Typical set |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 127 lb | Heavy single |
| 90% | 121 lb | Doubles and triples |
| 85% | 114 lb | Sets of four to five |
| 80% | 107 lb | Sets of six |
| 75% | 100 lb | Sets of eight |
| 70% | 94 lb | Volume work, ten or more |
At this end of the rack almost none of those percentages lands on a plate you own. 134 lb itself builds as 1x45 per side plus the bar, which is 135 lb — near enough, and the miss is smaller than the 8 lb the seven formulas disagree by. This is the weight range where a pair of 2.5 lb or 1.25 lb plates genuinely earns its place, because a 10 lb jump here is a much larger proportional step than it is at 300.
The formulas behind this answer, and their limitations
The table above the fold is Epley (1985), Brzycki (1993), Lombardi (1989), O'Conner (1989), Wathan (1994), Lander (1985) and Mayhew (1992), each applied to 115 lb for 5 reps; the headline figure is their median. All seven assume a set taken close to failure with clean technique. At 5 reps you are still inside the fitted band, but conditioning is now affecting the result alongside strength, and the seven have begun to curve away from each other. They also under-rate strong, experienced lifters, who hold a higher percentage of max at any rep count than the regression average. The full account — the populations behind each equation, what a bounced rep does to it, and why we stop at ten reps — is set out on the methodology page. Warm up thoroughly and use safety bars or a spotter before going anywhere near 134 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.