How accurate is a deadlift 1RM calculator?

Across the seven formulas the spread on a 3-rep set is typically 6–10 % for the deadlift — narrower than bench or squat, because the deadlift has no eccentric (LeSuer et al. 1997, J Strength Cond Res 11:211–213). Either the bar comes up or it does not, and that is a cleaner signal than a grinding press or a high squat.

Touch-and-go or dead-stop reps for the input?

For a meet-relevant 1RM, anchor from dead-stop reps — touch-and-go deadlifts inflate the projection by 3–8 % because the stretch reflex and bounce help break the bar off the floor. At the meet you reset every rep.

What RPE should I input on deadlift?

RPE 8–9 is the sweet spot. The deadlift fatigues central-nervous-system more per rep than bench or squat, so RPE 10 sets are best avoided as input — your judgment of "one in the tank" is less reliable when the bar takes 5 seconds to lock out.

Should I use straps for the input set?

No, if you want a meet-relevant projection. Use the grip you would compete with — mixed or hook, no straps. Strap-pulls project a higher 1RM than your meet pull, because the meet has a 60-second clock with double-overhand-to-mixed transitions.

How often should I test my deadlift 1RM?

Less often than squat or bench — every 8–12 weeks for peaking blocks; the deadlift recovers slower. Daily projection from training sets (this page) replaces frequent maxing, which is especially valuable on the deadlift because of its recovery cost.

deadlift 1RM calculator

Your deadlift 1RM is your one-rep maximum on the deadlift. Enter the heaviest set you can do — load × reps × RPE — and LiftGauge runs seven formulas (Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, O'Conner, Wathan, Lander, Mayhew) in parallel, reports the mean and spread, and ranks your result against real OpenPowerlifting meet data. No signup, no ads, offline PWA.

Lift-specific anchor: in deadlift-naïve adults conventional and sumo 1RM are statistically equivalent, with torso-to-leg ratio as the only significant antropometric predictor of which stance favours the lifter — Cholewa et al. 2019 (J Sports Sci Med, PMID 31427866, n = 47). Replicated in trained women across conventional, sumo, and hex-bar — all three 3RM loads within ± 3 kg of each other (Gundersen et al. 2025, PMID 39705135).

Bar

Units

load · kg !kg · plates only · bar adds on top total · — kg · bar 20 + plates

reps !1–12

RPE !6.0–10.0 rate of perceived exertion · 6 = easy, 10 = max effort

1RM spread mean of 7 formulas — see /method § 1

spread — – —± — %

what is your deadlift 1RM

Your deadlift 1RM is the heaviest weight you can lift from the floor to lockout — knees straight, shoulders behind the bar — under your own control, without hitching or a downward motion of the bar (IPF Technical Rules 2026, rule 6.6). Sumo and conventional are both 1RMs; they're different ratios. The deadlift is where 1RM testing is most defensible because there's no eccentric to absorb — either the bar comes up or it doesn't.

Because true 1RM deadlifts cost more in fatigue per attempt than squat or bench, every formula on this page estimates the 1RM from a sub-maximal set. The cleanest input is 2–4 reps at RPE 8–9, with each rep reset on the floor (no touch-and-go bounce). Touch-and-go deadlifts project a higher 1RM than the same load done dead-stop, because the stretch reflex and bounce help — but the actual 1RM is a dead-stop pull off the floor.

why seven formulas, not one

Single-formula 1RM calculators hide the disagreement between estimators. LeSuer, McCormick, Mayhew, Wasserstein & Arnold (1997, J Strength Cond Res 11:211–213) tested seven 1RM equations against actual 1RM tests in trained lifters across squat, bench, and deadlift. At 5 reps the estimates spread by roughly 8–12 %; at 8 reps the spread widens further. No single formula was uniformly best — Mayhew tended high on bench, Brzycki tended low past 6 reps, Wathan handled the mid-range best on squat for the trained subjects. On the deadlift this matters because picking your favorite formula picks your favorite number.

LiftGauge runs all seven (Epley, Brzycki, Lombardi, O'Conner, Wathan, Lander, Mayhew) and shows the mean ± spread. RPE-anchoring follows Tuchscherer's Reactive Training Manual (RTS Press, 2008): the bar-speed-derived %1RM table at RPE 6–10 for reps 1–12. The implied 1RM divides your top-set's actual %1RM into the load; the seven formulas agree on easy reps and diverge on hard reps. Reading the spread is reading the uncertainty.

deadlift-specific notes

On the deadlift, the typical limiter is grip — long before the back gives, the bar rolls out of mixed-grip or hook-grip hands. Single-rep failures on the deadlift are most often at the floor (couldn't break the bar off), but multi-rep failures and projection-error live in the last 5 cm before lockout, where the hips finish under load. If you wear straps for your top set, the projection over-estimates your meet 1RM, because at the meet you pull double-overhand-then-mixed without straps.

Practical adjustment: on deadlift, anchor the input from a raw-grip set (mixed or hook, no straps), with each rep reset on the floor — touch-and-go deadlifts project a higher 1RM than dead-stop pulls by 3–8 %, because the stretch reflex helps off the floor. RPE 9 on deadlift means one rep in the tank with controlled lockout and clean reset. Swinton et al. 2011 (PMID 21659894) found that conventional vs sumo barbell deadlift 1RMs disagree by ~3 % at the group level — pick a stance and stay there for projection.

deadlift percentile context

Reference cohort below is a neutral cell (raw, male, ~83 kg, all ages) for a head-line read. The full per-user cell — your sex, your bodyweight class, your age, your equipment — lives on /rankings. Source: OpenPowerlifting public meet data (CC0 license, snapshot 2026-04, ~141,000 raw-lifter records).

RPE → load for deadlift loads in your unit · rows = RPE · cols = reps · highlighted = your input

common rep ranges for deadlift optimal · NPL · range — Charniga / Medvedyev 1986 § 3.2

NPL = number of prescribed lifts per session in this intensity zone. Range is the productive band; below it is too little volume, above it is too much. Prilepin's zones are powerlifting-anchored — they apply to the deadlift with the same shape.

how to use this page

Pick your bar weight (15 kg, 20 kg, or 45 lb) and your unit (kg or lb) using the chips above.
Enter the load (plates only — the bar weight is added automatically), reps you completed, and the RPE you'd call honestly (6 = easy, 10 = max effort).
Read the headline mean ± spread band, the seven individual formula estimates, the RPE → load chart for your training percentages, and your percentile vs OpenPowerlifting meet data.
For the full meet protokoll (plate-load visual, warmup ramp, lift-toggle), open /calculator. For percentile against your sex, bodyweight class, age, and equipment, open /rankings.

FAQ

How accurate is a deadlift 1RM calculator?: Across the seven formulas the spread on a 3-rep set is typically 6–10 % for the deadlift — narrower than bench or squat, because the deadlift has no eccentric (LeSuer et al. 1997, J Strength Cond Res 11:211–213). Either the bar comes up or it doesn't, and that's a cleaner signal than a grinding press or a high squat.
Touch-and-go or dead-stop reps for the input?: For a meet-relevant 1RM, anchor from dead-stop reps — touch-and-go deadlifts inflate the projection by 3–8 % because the stretch reflex and bounce help break the bar off the floor. At the meet you reset every rep.
Sumo or conventional for the input?: Either, but they're different 1RMs. Swinton et al. 2011 (PMID 21659894) found that conventional vs sumo barbell deadlift 1RMs disagree by ~3 % at the group level. Pick one and stay with it for projection consistency.
What RPE should I input on deadlift?: RPE 8–9 is the sweet spot. The deadlift fatigues central-nervous-system more per rep than bench or squat, so RPE 10 sets are best avoided as input — your judgment of "one in the tank" is less reliable when the bar takes 5 seconds to lock out.
Should I use straps for the input set?: No, if you want a meet-relevant projection. Use the grip you'd compete with — mixed or hook, no straps. Strap-pulls project a higher 1RM than your meet pull, because the meet has a 60-second clock with double-overhand-to-mixed transitions.
How often should I test my deadlift 1RM?: Less often than squat or bench — every 8–12 weeks for peaking blocks; the deadlift recovers slower. Daily projection from training sets (this page) replaces frequent maxing, which is especially valuable on the deadlift because of its recovery cost.

Calculators

Sections

Specialty