How to use the training goal rep and load calculator
Pick your one-rep max, your training goal and the exercise type, and the page turns the matching rep range and share of 1RM into an actual load in pounds. Add your sets per session and sessions per week and you also get weekly total sets and weekly volume load, so the answer does not stop at a rep range.
The rep ranges follow Schoenfeld's materials and ACSM guidance: 1 to 5 reps at roughly 87 to 100% of 1RM for strength, 6 to 12 reps at 65 to 85% for hypertrophy, and 15 or more reps below 60% for muscular endurance, with the endurance load taken from the 40 to 60% range ACSM publishes. Rest between sets follows ACSM as well, at 2 to 3 minutes for multi-joint lifts, 1 to 2 minutes for single-joint lifts and under 90 seconds for endurance work (current as of October 2026). Weekly volume load multiplies the midpoint of the load range by reps and sets, and the screen prints the exact figures used.
There are limits. Testing a true one-rep max carries injury risk, so entering a figure from a rep-based estimate is the safer route. Rest length is an area where Schoenfeld's systematic review concluded both short and long rest can be useful, so do not read those numbers as fixed rules. The page recommends no weekly set target of its own; it only adds up the set structure you type in.
Frequently asked questions
No. Published weekly set targets per muscle group differ between sources, so there is no single figure to build on. This calculator only adds up the set structure you enter and reports weekly sets and volume load.
Enter a figure from a rep-based estimate. Testing a true maximum carries injury risk and is not recommended, and an estimate is accurate enough for working out a load range.
Schoenfeld's systematic review concluded that both short and long rest periods can be useful for hypertrophy. The figures on screen are ACSM ranges rather than absolute rules, so adjust based on the reps you can actually complete.