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Overhead Press One Rep Max Calculator

Estimate your overhead press 1RM from any working set

More accurate: rate how hard the set felt with RPE.

Quick estimate from the weight and reps of your hardest set.

Your Set

Enter the weight you lifted for your set

How many reps you completed

6 7 8 9 10
RPE

Estimated One Rep Max

260 lb

Example: 225 lb for 5 reps estimates a one-rep max of about 260 lb, averaged across the Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, O'Conner and Tuchscherer formulas. Enter your own set above to recalculate.

Enter a weight to see your estimated 1RM

Estimated One Rep Max

260 lb

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FitnessVolt Strength Score

Overhead Press, scored against self-reported gym lifters

99/100 Elite

You're among the strongest lifters at your bodyweight, a level few ever reach.

Elite · top tier. Outstanding.

99th percentile

Gym

Stronger than 99% of everyday gym lifters (n=115,964)

Source: Symmetric Strength self-reported gym data

Saved to your Strength Profile.

The two populations are shown separately, never blended: competition data is judged and weighed on the platform, gym data is self-reported. How the FitnessVolt Strength Score works →

Working Weight

% of 1RM Reps Performed

81.1% 5

Reps @ RPE

×

Rep Max Table

Estimated weights at different rep ranges based on your estimated 1RM

Reps RPE 10 RPE 9 RPE 8 RPE 7
1 260 250 240 230
2 250 240 230 225
3 240 230 225 220
4 230 225 220 210
5 225 220 210 205
6 220 210 205 200
7 210 205 200 190
8 205 200 190 185
9 200 190 185 180
10 190 185 180 175

See how you rank

Compare your one-rep max against 2.5M+ competition results and find your FVCP percentile and strength tier for your bodyweight.

See how you rank → FVCP percentile

Build your next training cycle

Turn your 1RM into a complete week-by-week plan with your numbers.

Pick a program and your lift, then generate a full cycle built from your estimated 1RM above.

This program does not feature that lift. Try another lift or another program above.

How to progress

Compare All Formulas

Formula E1RM Deviation

Average E1RM

Range

to

Confidence

%

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What is E1RM?

Your Estimated One Rep Max (E1RM) is the maximum weight you could theoretically lift for a single repetition. Unlike a true 1RM test, the E1RM is calculated from a submaximal set using the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale.

This calculator uses the Tuchscherer RPE algorithm, which maps reps and RPE to a percentage of your 1RM. For example, 5 reps at RPE 8 corresponds to approximately 81.1% of your max. The formula then works backwards to estimate your true 1RM.

For the most accurate results, use sets of 1-5 reps at RPE 7-9. Higher rep ranges (6-10) are supported but tend to be less precise. Maximum effort sets (RPE 10) also introduce more estimation error.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Tuchscherer RPE-based E1RM formula is generally accurate within 2-5% for trained lifters using sets of 1-8 reps at RPE 7-9. Accuracy decreases with higher rep ranges and at extreme RPE values. The formula works best when you have experience accurately rating your RPE.
RPE 8 is the most commonly used value for E1RM estimation because it provides a clear signal (2 reps left in the tank) while keeping you away from failure. If you are unsure, err on the side of a lower RPE. Most lifters overestimate their RPE by about 0.5-1 point until they develop calibration through experience.
Daily E1RM fluctuations of 3-7% are completely normal. Factors like sleep quality, nutrition, stress, time of day, and accumulated training fatigue all affect your daily performance. Rather than fixating on a single E1RM value, track the trend over weeks to gauge true strength progress.
For most training purposes, E1RM is preferable to true 1RM testing. True 1RM attempts carry higher injury risk, require significant recovery time, and need peaking protocols to be accurate. E1RM allows you to estimate your max from regular training sets without the fatigue and risk of maximal attempts.
Most 1RM calculators use formulas like Epley or Brzycki that only account for weight and reps. The RPE-based method adds a third variable: how hard the set felt. This means a set of 5 reps at RPE 8 (2 reps left) gives a different E1RM than 5 reps at RPE 10 (failure), making the estimate significantly more accurate. Switch to Advanced mode above to use it.

E1RM estimates are based on established 1RM formulas (and the Tuchscherer RPE chart in Advanced mode) and may vary from your actual one-rep max. Always use a spotter and proper safety equipment when lifting heavy weights.

How to Calculate Your Overhead Press 1RM

To estimate your overhead press 1RM, enter the weight you pressed and the reps you completed. For example, a 135 lb set for 5 reps projects to about a 155 lb overhead press one-rep max, averaged across the Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, O'Conner, and Tuchscherer formulas. The calculator below does this for you and shows each estimate side by side. For a more accurate result, switch to Advanced mode and rate how hard the set felt (RPE 6 to 10): 5 reps at RPE 8 sits at about 81% of your max.

Your overhead press one rep max (1RM) is the heaviest weight you can press overhead for one strict repetition from the front rack. It is the best single measure of pressing strength and the lift most lifters track the least accurately, because true OHP maxes are rarely attempted.

This calculator uses the RPE-based E1RM method from Mike Tuchscherer of Reactive Training Systems. Rather than grind a true max, rate any heavy working set on the RPE scale (6-10), enter the weight and reps, and the formula back-calculates your estimated 1RM with strong real-world accuracy across the 1-10 rep range.

How to use it for the overhead press: After a hard pressing set, note the weight and reps, then rate the effort honestly: RPE 10 means no reps left, RPE 9 means one rep left, RPE 8 means two reps left. Enter those three numbers below and the calculator returns your estimated OHP 1RM alongside the Epley, Brzycki, and Lombardi formula comparisons. Overhead press strength is the most variable of the main lifts, so expect day-to-day swings at the same RPE.

Use the result to set your next training cycle percentages, check how much you should overhead press for your bodyweight, or compare your press against the overhead press strength standards.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the weight you pressed overhead for your working set.
  2. Choose how many strict reps you completed. Sets of 1 to 5 reps give the most reliable estimate.
  3. For a more accurate result, switch to Advanced mode and rate how hard the set felt on the RPE scale (RPE 8 means two reps left in the tank).
  4. Read your estimated overhead press 1RM, then use the rep-max table to set your pressing weights.

What your overhead press 1RM means

Your estimated overhead press 1RM is the heaviest strict press you could lock out today. Because true OHP maxes are rarely attempted, an estimate from a quality working set is usually more current than your last tested max.

Sets of 1 to 5 reps give the most reliable estimate. Overhead press strength is the most variable of the main lifts day to day, so judge progress on the multi-week trend rather than a single estimate.

Where you rank: the FVCP percentile

A number on its own does not tell you whether you are strong. The FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP) answers that: it scores your overhead press 1RM against 2.5 million verified competition results and returns your exact percentile and strength tier for your bodyweight and sex. Most calculators stop at the raw number; FVCP tells you where that number stands among lifters who actually competed.

This is the difference that matters versus self-reported gym data: FVCP is built from judged, weighed, drug-tested-where-applicable meet results sourced from OpenPowerlifting, the largest public database of competition lifting. Your percentile reflects what real lifters hit on the platform, not what people type into an app.

Overhead Press Strength Standards →

Methodology

Estimates use the established formulas named on this page; percentiles and tiers come from the FVCP model built on 2.5 million-plus verified competition results from OpenPowerlifting and affiliated federations. Standards reflect raw (unequipped) lifts unless stated otherwise. Read the full methodology →

Related calculators and standards

Overhead Press Strength Standards See your FVCP percentile and tier Bench Press Calculator Estimate your bench press one-rep max How Much Should I Overhead Press? Pressing targets by bodyweight and level