194 lb works out to 1x45 + 1x25 + 1x5 per side plus the bar — call it 195 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. At 8 reps the formulas are starting to drift apart — 12 lb between the lowest and highest here — which is the method telling you the estimate is getting soft. Treat the lower end as the safer number. Your 155 lb set represents about 80% of the estimated max.
Why 8 reps widens the answer
Eight reps is where this method starts costing you accuracy. 186 to 198 lb is a 6.2% band, and a set of eight tests how long you can hold a brace as much as how much force you can produce. Wathan and Mayhew were built on bench-press data containing long sets and read high here; Brzycki reads low. The median, 194 lb, is a compromise between two genuinely different claims rather than a consensus.
Training loads from a 194 lb max
Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 194 lb, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Percentage | Load | Typical set |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 185 lb | Heavy single |
| 90% | 175 lb | Doubles and triples |
| 85% | 165 lb | Sets of four to five |
| 80% | 155 lb | Sets of six |
| 75% | 145 lb | Sets of eight |
| 70% | 135 lb | Volume work, ten or more |
194 lb loads as 1x45 + 1x25 + 1x5 per side plus the bar, or 195 lb on the bar. Round every figure in that table to the nearest 5 lb and stop there — the seven formulas disagree by 12 lb on this set, so chasing a two-pound difference is chasing noise. If your gym stocks 2.5 lb pairs, save them for the top two rows, where a small miss costs the most reps.
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 155 lb for 8 reps; the headline figure is their median. All seven assume a set taken close to failure with clean technique. At 8 reps you are at the top of the band these equations were fitted on, and beyond it they diverge fast, so 194 lb is a ceiling rather than a target. 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 194 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.