Guide
Training Max vs True Max
Quick answer
Your true max is the heaviest single that meets your standard. Your training max is a discount on that number. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 books use a training max so the percentages are based on a load you can hit on a normal day, not on the best day of the year.
This site's training max calculator takes 90 percent of the max you enter and builds the familiar week-by-week percentages from it. Ninety percent is the figure those books use. It is not a law of physiology.
Estimates only. Testing a true max carries risk; use a spotter or safety arms. Not medical advice.
Training max calculatorNinety percent of a max, then the 5/3/1-style weeks.Open →On this page
- Why use a training max at all?
- How does 5/3/1 use it?
- When do you raise the training max?
- Do other programs need one?
- Key takeaways
- FAQ
Why use a training max at all?
Because a program written off a true max assumes you can express that max on a Wednesday in week four. You often cannot. Basing 85 or 95 percent on a slightly lower number keeps the top set inside a range you can finish with a rep left.
If you feed the calculator a dream single you have never lifted, the training max is 90 percent of a dream. Start from a tested single or from a conservative estimate. The one rep max calculator is the estimate. Round down if the set that produced it was ugly.
How does 5/3/1 use it?
Four weeks. The working percentages, as Wendler published them, are 65/75/85 for the 5s week, 70/80/90 for the 3s week, and 75/85/95 for the 5/3/1 week, then a deload at 40/50/60. The last set of the main weeks is the one with extra reps if you have them. All of those percents are percents of the training max, not of the true max.
The calculator prints those loads. The books explain the assistance work and the progression. We do not reprint the program. Read the 5/3/1 guide for the shape of the month.
When do you raise the training max?
When the top sets are moving and the reps you expect are there. Wendler's typical jump is small: 5 lb on the upper-body lifts and 10 lb on the lower-body lifts, in the pound version. If the last set of the heavy week was a grind with nothing left, do not raise it.
A true max test is optional. You can run a long time on a training max that started from an estimate. Test when you need a real single, not every cycle.
Do other programs need one?
Any percent program needs an honest base. Call it a training max or call it a working max. The rule is the same: if the first work set is a miss, the base is too high.
Linear programs that just add a little weight each session do not need the 90 percent step. They need a load you can hit today and a plan for when you cannot.
5/3/1 is the program that uses the smaller number. Calculate the estimate before you take 90 percent of it. A chart built on the true max will not match the training-max weeks.
Key takeaways
- A training max is a smaller number you build from.
- 5/3/1's usual training max is about 90 percent.
- A true max is the single you could do today.
- Using the true max in a training-max plan makes the weeks too heavy.
FAQ
Is 90 percent the only option?
It is the usual 5/3/1 figure. If your estimate is already soft, you may not need a further cut. If your true max is from a meet and you are tired, 90 percent is the safer base.
Should the training max include a belt and wraps?
Match the equipment you will use on the work sets. A geared max is the wrong base for raw sets.
What if I do more reps than the plan?
On 5/3/1 the last set allows that. It is not a reason to skip ahead two cycles. Note the reps. Raise the training max by the small jump if the book says you earned it.
Can I use a 1RM formula as the true max?
Yes, if you label it as an estimate and you used a low-rep set. Then take 90 percent of that if you are running 5/3/1.
Where is the Wendler citation?
In the books, starting with 5/3/1 (2009) and the later editions. There is no stable free URL we will pretend is the source. The percentages above are the ones those books use.