Squat Calculator

Type in a squat set you took to failure: the weight on the bar and the reps. You get your estimated one-rep max (1RM), each of the seven formulas' results and your squat weights for 1 to 10 reps.

Squat 1RM from one to four plates

Each row adds one 45 lb plate per side to a 45 lb bar. That lb set is a common one, not a federation standard, so your gym's plates may differ. The two studies we used to check these equations tested the bench press and the leg press, not the squat, so a squat estimate carries their results over to another lift.

How deep a squat must go in a meet

The IPF Technical Rulebook (2026, section 4.1) sets out the competition squat like this:

• The bar sits horizontally across the shoulders, no lower than the level of the rear (posterior) deltoids, with the hands gripping it.
• You walk the bar back out of the racks and stand still, upright with the knees locked, until the "Squat" signal.
• You bend the knees and lower the body until the top surface of the legs at the hip joint is lower than the top of the knees. Only one descent is allowed.
• You come back up to an upright position with the knees locked, without a double bounce or any downward movement, and wait for the "Rack" signal.
• Two to five spotter-loaders stand on the platform.

Turning a squat estimate into a meet attempt in kg

In IPF-recognized meets the barbell is always loaded to a multiple of 2.5 kg, record attempts aside (section 6.3). With 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, here are the estimated maxes from the 5-rep sets above in kg, with the two nearest weights you could load.