What Is My One-Rep Max if I Lift 315 lb for 6 Reps?

315 lb for 6 reps, run through all seven published formulas — median 377 lb, and the 21 lb they disagree by shown rather than hidden.

Estimated one-rep max377lb

median of seven formulas — the full range is 362 to 383 lb

Lowest of the seven 362 lb
Highest of the seven 383 lb
Your set was 84% of max

The set you actually did
lb
Units

The formulas are ratios, so the unit only changes the label — 225 kg for 5 works exactly like 225 lb for 5.

Every one-rep-max formula applied to this set
FormulaEquationEstimate
Brzycki 366 lb
O'Conner 362 lb
Lander 369 lb
Wathan 379 lb
Epley 378 lb
Lombardi 377 lb
Mayhew 383 lb

Fitted on sets of 2 to 10 reps. Above 10 the estimates drift apart and none of them is dependable.

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Last checked

377 lb works out to 3x45 + 1x25 + 1x5 per side plus the bar — call it 375 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. 6 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 315 lb set represents about 84% of the estimated max.

How far 377 lb can be trusted

Six reps is where the equations start to separate. The 21 lb between 362 and 383 lb is wider than the same lifter would see from a triple, because past five reps the different curve shapes behind each formula begin to matter. Conditioning also starts to leak into the answer: a six-rep set asks something of your work capacity that a single does not, and lifters who are strong but poorly conditioned come out under-estimated here.

Training loads from a 377 lb max

Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 377 lb, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:

PercentageLoadTypical set
95%360 lbHeavy single
90%340 lbDoubles and triples
85%320 lbSets of four to five
80%300 lbSets of six
75%285 lbSets of eight
70%265 lbVolume work, ten or more

377 lb is 3x45 + 1x25 + 1x5 per side plus the bar, 375 lb loaded. At this load the 21 lb the formulas disagree by is bigger than a pair of 10s, which is a good argument for programming off the lower estimate — 362 lb — and letting the bar prove you wrong rather than the other way round. Warm-up jumps also get long here; work up in percentages rather than in fixed plate increments.

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 315 lb for 6 reps; the headline figure is their median. All seven assume a set taken close to failure with clean technique. At 6 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 377 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.

Common questions

315 lb for 6 reps is what one-rep max?

About 377 lb. The seven standard formulas range from 362 to 383 lb on these inputs, so the honest answer is “somewhere around 377”. In practice that is 3x45 + 1x25 + 1x5 per side plus the bar, or 375 lb loaded. Your 315 lb set is roughly 84% of that estimated max.

Why do the seven formulas disagree by 21 lb?

Each was fitted on a different group of lifters doing a different lift, so they curve differently as reps climb. At 6 reps that comes to 5.6%. Most calculators pick one of the seven silently; the spread is itself information about how much the number deserves to be trusted. All seven written out.

Should I try to lift 377 lb?

Not on the strength of an estimate from a 6-rep set, and not cold. From 6 reps the estimate carries a 21 lb spread, so build towards 362 lb first and let the bar tell you whether 377 lb is there. Make small jumps near the top, and set safety bars or use a spotter. If the point is to programme your training rather than to test, you do not need to attempt it at all — use the percentages above and adjust when your working sets start moving easily.