every lift, read by its own formula.
Every movement a coach adds is searchable and carries the one-rep-max formula it is measured by.
a library that knows how to read each lift.
A back squat and a barbell curl are not measured the same way, and a leg press is not measured like either. Every movement a coach adds is tagged with the muscles it works and the one-rep-max formula it is estimated by. The library does the thinking, so a percentage prescription always resolves to an honest weight.
nine lifts, tagged the way a coach would add them.
Each exercise carries what the coach needs to program it and what the system needs to estimate it: the muscles it works and the 1RM formula that reads it correctly.
| movement | muscles | 1RM formula |
|---|---|---|
| back squat | quads, glutes | standard |
| conventional deadlift | hamstrings, glutes, lower back | standard |
| bench press | chest, triceps | standard |
| overhead press | shoulders, triceps | standard |
| barbell row | upper back, lats | standard |
| barbell curl | biceps | back-bicep |
| hammer curl | biceps, forearms | back-bicep |
| leg press | quads, glutes | leg-press-ext |
| leg extension | quads | leg-press-ext |
Nine common lifts and the formula each one takes. A barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, machine, cable or bodyweight variation is tagged the same way.
three ways to estimate a one-rep max.
A one-rep max from a multi-rep set is always an estimate, and the right estimate depends on the lift. A heavy compound, a short-range arm curl, and a machine leg press each follow a different reps-to-load curve. Picking the wrong one quietly inflates or deflates every percentage that follows. Trainbase offers three, and the standard formula fits most lifts.
- what it is
- standardthe default reps-to-1RM curve for free-weight compounds
- back-bicepa flatter curve for short-range, high-rep arm work
- leg-press-exta separate map for machine pressing and extension
- which lifts use it
- standardsquat, deadlift, bench, press, row, and their variations
- back-bicepbiceps and forearm flexion: curls, hammers, preachers
- leg-press-extleg press, leg extension, and seated machine work
- why it differs
- standardbar-loaded compounds drop off predictably as reps climb
- back-bicepsmall muscles fatigue on a flatter curve; a generic formula overshoots
- leg-press-extmachine load is not bar load, so a free-weight curve does not apply
- best rep range to test
- standard3 - 6 reps
- back-bicep8 - 15 reps
- leg-press-ext6 - 12 reps
| standard | back-bicep | leg-press-ext | |
|---|---|---|---|
| what it is | the default reps-to-1RM curve for free-weight compounds | a flatter curve for short-range, high-rep arm work | a separate map for machine pressing and extension |
| which lifts use it | squat, deadlift, bench, press, row, and their variations | biceps and forearm flexion: curls, hammers, preachers | leg press, leg extension, and seated machine work |
| why it differs | bar-loaded compounds drop off predictably as reps climb | small muscles fatigue on a flatter curve; a generic formula overshoots | machine load is not bar load, so a free-weight curve does not apply |
| best rep range to test | 3 - 6 reps | 8 - 15 reps | 6 - 12 reps |
The formula is a property of the movement, not the client. Set it once on the exercise and every athlete inherits the right estimator automatically. Back-bicep is the lowest-confidence curve of the three, so any max it produces is always marked as an estimate.
find the lift, get the right yardstick.
A library is only useful if the right movement is one search away, and only honest if each one is read by its own formula. Type two letters; the result already knows whether it is a standard lift, an arm lift, or a machine lift, so the estimate is correct before you have finished assigning it.
the honest answers.
Why three 1RM formulas instead of one?
Because one curve cannot honestly read every lift. Heavy compounds, short-range arm work, and machine pressing each lose strength across reps at a different rate. A single formula would overshoot small muscles and misjudge machines, and every percentage built on it would inherit that error.
Can I add my own movements?
Yes, and that is how the library is built: every exercise is one a coach added, private to them. You name it and pick its 1RM formula, then mark the muscles it works on its own page, and from then on it is searched, programmed and estimated like any other.
How is the library organised?
Search first: a couple of letters is usually enough to land the lift, with two filters on top, muscle and 1RM calculator. That mirrors how a programme is actually built, so you reach for the next exercise by what it trains and how it is measured, not where it sits in an alphabet.
Do clients see the formula?
No. The formula is plumbing. A client sees the movement, the prescribed weight, and the reps to hit. The estimator runs underneath so the number they see is already the right one for that lift.