Bodybuilding/strength

Calibrate your loads and program your sessions: 5 tools to structure your training and compare your level.

Calcul 1RM (charge max) Votre charge maximale sur une répétition, à partir d'a sub-maximal test. Load percentages (% of 1RM) How much to load depending on your goal: strength, hypertrophy, endurance. Session volume / tonnage Total tonnage lifted: sets × reps × load. Key progress indicator. Discs to load on the bar How many disks on each side to reach your target load. Wilks / DOTS Score Compare the strength of several athletes of different weights (powerlifting).

Schedule your sessions with these calculators

The strength chain is simple to set up: start with your 1RM (maximum load on 1 repetition), then use the load percentages to frame each session according to the objective (pure strength: 85-95%, hypertrophy : 65-80%, endurance: 50-65%).

Once the load is known, the disc calculator tells you how to load the bar without mental calculations. The session volume (tonnage) then allows you to follow your progress over time, independently of the sensations of the day.

Compare your level with Wilks / DOTS

The Wilks and DOTS scores normalize performance in relation to body weight, which allows athletes from different categories to be compared. DOTS has been the official formula of the IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) since 2020 — Wilks remains used in many historic competitions.

Limits of 1RM calculations

The formulas for estimating 1RM (Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, etc.) become less precise beyond 10 repetitions. For a reliable calculation, test your 1RM on 3 to 8 repetitions max. Never test a real 1RM without progressive warm-up and without spotter.

À consulter aussi

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Questions fréquentes

Aucune n'is universally better. Epley and Brzycki give very similar results up to 10 repetitions. Beyond that, the error increases. The precision also depends on your level: the more advanced, the more reliable the calculation.

For an amateur athlete, every 8-12 weeks is enough. For an athlete in programming, every 4-6 weeks. Testing a real 1RM creates significant nervous fatigue: plan for 3-4 days of recovery afterwards.

For hypertrophy: volume (sets × reps) is the main lever, at moderate intensity (65-80%). For pure strength: intensity (load) takes precedence, with lower volume. The two are complementary in programming.

DOTS is more recent (2020) and corrects certain Wilks biases (especially among very heavy people and women). In the federation, DOTS is now the standard.