How GYMDONE Calculates Your Strength Level

The Strength level card on an exercise's Progress tab compares your best recent lift with your body weight. It is an approximate benchmark that shows where you stand and how far the next level is. It is not a target for your next set.

Which exercises have a strength level

Strength levels are available for four barbell lifts:

• Barbell bench press
• Barbell squat
• Barbell deadlift
• Barbell overhead (shoulder) press

For every other exercise the card says that benchmarks are not available yet. Your records and progress chart for that exercise still work as usual.

Step 1: we estimate your one-rep max

GYMDONE looks at your completed working sets of this exercise from the last 90 days and picks the set with the highest estimated one-rep max (1RM).

• 1 rep: the weight you lifted is your 1RM.
• 2–10 reps: we use the Epley formula: 1RM = weight × (1 + reps / 30).

Example: 80 kg for 8 reps gives 80 × (1 + 8/30) ≈ 101.3 kg estimated 1RM.

These sets are not counted:

• warm-up sets
• sets without weight (bodyweight)
• per-side sets
• timed sets
• sets with more than 10 reps, where the estimate becomes unreliable
• sets you did not complete

Step 2: we compare it with your body weight

Each level starts at a multiple of your body weight. We use the latest body weight you recorded in Measurements and the male or female reference from your profile.

Your level is the highest one your estimated 1RM reaches. Below the Beginner threshold, the card shows Getting started.

Example: a man who weighs 80 kg has an estimated bench press 1RM of 101.3 kg. That is 1.27× his body weight, so his level is Intermediate. Advanced starts at 1.50 × 80 = 120 kg, so the card shows +18.7 kg to Advanced.

What the card needs from you

• Body weight: add it in Measurements. Without it the card asks you to add it.
• Profile reference: the benchmarks exist for a male or female reference. If your profile has neither, the card cannot show a level.
• A recent working set: at least one completed set of 1–10 reps with weight in the last 90 days.

What the strength level does not tell you

• It is approximate. The benchmarks do not adjust for age, height, training history or lifting technique.
• The distance to the next level is about estimated 1RM. It is not the weight to add to your next set. Increase working weights gradually and with good form.
• It is not medical or coaching advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with a professional before testing heavy lifts.

The bodyweight ratios are adapted from publicly available strength standards (Strength Level). They are reference benchmarks, not a complete assessment of your training.

Common questions

Why did my level go down?

Only the last 90 days count. If your best set is older than that, it drops out. The level also moves when your recorded body weight changes.

Why doesn't my dumbbell or machine press count?

The benchmarks are for the barbell versions of these four lifts. Dumbbell, machine and other variations load the muscles differently, so comparing them with barbell standards would be misleading.

Should I test a true one-rep max?

No, you do not need to. A set of 2–10 reps already gives an estimate. If you do try a heavy single, warm up well and use a spotter or safety bars.

Use the benchmark alongside your training log

Compare sets performed with a consistent exercise setup and technique. For practical working-weight decisions, read how to choose a working weight. Our estimated one-rep-max guide explains how an estimate differs from an actual maximal attempt.

If you would like to follow your own exercise records, you can try logging them in GYMDONE and use the strength benchmark as additional context.