394 lb works out to 3x45 + 1x35 + 1x5 per side plus the bar — call it 395 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. At 8 reps the formulas are starting to drift apart — 24 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 315 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. 378 to 402 lb is a 6.1% 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, 394 lb, is a compromise between two genuinely different claims rather than a consensus.
Training loads from a 394 lb max
Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 394 lb, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Percentage | Load | Typical set |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 375 lb | Heavy single |
| 90% | 355 lb | Doubles and triples |
| 85% | 335 lb | Sets of four to five |
| 80% | 315 lb | Sets of six |
| 75% | 295 lb | Sets of eight |
| 70% | 275 lb | Volume work, ten or more |
394 lb is 3x45 + 1x35 + 1x5 per side plus the bar, 395 lb loaded. At this load the 24 lb the formulas disagree by is bigger than a pair of 10s, which is a good argument for programming off the lower estimate — 378 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 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 394 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 394 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.