An estimate is a guess
Five reps at 100 kg works out at anywhere from 112.5 kg to about 117 kg, depending on the formula. On a program run at 80% of your max, that’s 90 kg or 93 kg on every working set. For a whole block.
Estimates drift, too. A few months of sets at RPE 8 can leave the number well above or below what you can actually lift. A test settles it. Then the next block is built on what the bar said.
When to test
- Fresh. Straight after a deload or a lighter week. Never in week three of a hard block.
- Rarely. Every 10 to 16 weeks is plenty. Test more and you’re practising testing, not getting stronger.
- Not before a meet. If you’re competing in the next few weeks, the meet is the test.
Three attempts, not one
Warm up the way you would at a meet: the bar, a few sets of falling reps, then singles. Then three attempts, with three to five minutes between them.
| Share of target | Target 140 kg squat | |
|---|---|---|
| Opener | About 90% | 127.5 kg |
| Second | About 95–96% | 135 kg |
| Third | The number you came for | 140 kg |
The opener is a weight you could triple on a bad day. If the second flies, the third can go to 142.5 kg. If it was slow, take 137.5 kg, or stop.
Five rules for a fair test
- 01
Same standard every time
Squat below parallel. Pause the bench on your chest. Lock the deadlift out. Otherwise the number means nothing next time.
- 02
Set the safeties
Safety bars for squat and bench, or a spotter who knows the job. A miss should be an annoyance, not an injury.
- 03
Spread it out if you like
All three lifts in one day rehearses a meet. One lift per session across the week is easier to recover from. Both give honest numbers.
- 04
Stop after a grinder
A rep that slows to a crawl tells you what you need to know. The next attempt usually fails and costs you recovery for nothing.
- 05
Build from what you made
The next block starts from your best good lift. Not the one you missed. Not the one you hoped for.
From the Compound founder. Notes on training, not medical advice.