Training
Prilepin's Chart
Prilepin's chart sets the reps per set and the total reps for one training session at each intensity, given as a percentage of your one-rep max. It comes from the training of Soviet weightlifters.
Reps per set and total reps at each intensity
Pick the intensity of your working sets, keep each set inside the reps per set, and stop when the session reaches the optimal total. The range runs from the least that still trains the lift to the most that stays useful.
| Intensity | Reps per set | Optimal total reps | Range of total reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 to 65% | 3 to 6 | 24 | 18 to 30 |
| 70 to 80% | 3 to 6 | 18 | 12 to 24 |
| 80 to 90% | 2 to 4 | 15 | 10 to 20 |
| Above 90% | 1 to 2 | 4 or 7 | up to 10 |
The chart has no row for 65 to 70%. Versions differ on the top row: some give 4 as the optimal total above 90%, others 7.
Your weights for each zone
Enter the best you have lifted in one lift, in training or in competition, to see the weights for each zone. Do not know your max? Estimate it with the one rep max calculator.
How to use Prilepin's chart
The chart counts the reps of a session, not the sets. At 70 to 80% of your max, six sets of three come to 18 reps, the optimal total, and four sets of three make a lighter day of 12. At 80 to 90%, seven or eight doubles land on 15.
The chart starts at 55%, so lighter warm-up sets sit outside it.
Competition attempts are a different question. For how often lifters make an opener, a second and a third attempt, and how the size of the jump changes the odds, see how often weightlifters miss.
Where Prilepin's chart came from
A. S. Prilepin coached Soviet weightlifters and drew the chart from their training in the snatch and the clean and jerk. Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell later made it popular with American powerlifters.
Because the numbers come from the two Olympic lifts, strength coaches treat them as a starting range for squats, bench presses and deadlifts rather than a rule.