Whether I intended it or not, the theme of my blog this month is secrets, and one of the greatest tools in my personal trainer toolbox is Prilepin’s table. If you are looking to achieve your goals using tried-and-true science, or if you’ve heard of this table but don’t know how to use it, this is the blog for you.
What is Prilepin’s Table?
Prilepin’s table is a guide for weightlifting athletes designed by Alexander Sergeyevitch (A.S.) Prilepin, a weightlifting coach in the soviet union in the 70’s. He designed the table after years of observing the training journals of soviet weightlifters making note of the total reps and sets and how they related to the athlete’s 1 rep max (1RM).
The efficacy of the table is widely debated in the fitness industry, but in my experience, I have been able to get great results for myself, my friends, family, and clients using this table.
The core use is to understand how many total reps across your sets you should be doing based on your 1 rep max. I’ve already written a blog all about rep, set and loads and how this relates to your training goals. I have also written about 1 rep-max, so you can check those out and come back if those are unfamiliar to you.
To give you the sparks notes, training using your 1 rep max is a reliable way to not only train safely but to really personalize your training to your current strength and fitness level.
When you tie in Prilepin’s table to your 1RM training you also unlock a common table used by most, if-not all professionally trained personal trainers. That’s the table below:
| Training Reps, Sets, Rest and Intensity by Training Goal | ||||||
| Training Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Intensity | ||
| Endurance | 3-4+ | 12-20+ | 0-30s | up to 67% 1RM | ||
| Hypertrophy | 3-6+ | 6-12+ | 30-90s | 67% – 85% 1RM | ||
| Strength | 3-6 | 2-6 | 2-5 min | 85% – 100% 1RM | ||
| Power | 3-5+ | 1-2 | 2-5 min | 80-90% 1RM | ||
When you combine the two, you can create personal training programs for the rest of your life that are custom to you and will be using science to help you achieve your goals.
So let’s get into that!
How to use Prilepin’s Table
Let’s go through the table in detail. On the left-hand side you have your % of 1RM. This helps you understand that when you are (for example) training at 60% of your 1RM, your target reps per set between 3-6, your optimal total reps across all sets is 24, and your total range of reps is 18-30.
Of course, to really start using this table you need to know your 1 rep max for each of your core lifts. You can really go deep and learn your 1RM for every exercise you plan, but I don’t think that’s necessary, especially right at the start. Just determine your 1RM for your key lifts:
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Lat pull down
- Seated Row
- Overhead press
Once you have your 1RM, you can then look at the table and start thinking about what % of your 1RM you need to be training at based on your training goal. Again, I have a whole article about training goals, so go check that out for more info.
When you know that your goal is Hypertrophy, or growing your muscles, then you know from the table below that the rep range you want to be at is 6-12 reps, with a rest period of 30s – 90s.
| Training Reps, Sets, Rest and Intensity by Training Goal | ||||||
| Training Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Intensity | ||
| Endurance | 3-4+ | 12-20+ | 0-30s | up to 67% 1RM | ||
| Hypertrophy | 3-6+ | 6-12+ | 30-90s | 67% – 85% 1RM | ||
| Strength | 3-6 | 2-6 | 2-5 min | 85% – 100% 1RM | ||
| Power | 3-5+ | 1-2 | 2-5 min | 80-90% 1RM | ||
Taking that information over to Prilepin’s table, you’ll need to be lifting between 67 – 85 % of your 1 RM.
The real benefit here is that you can feel confident that the weight you are lifting is specific to your current fitness level. No more going into the gym and thinking you want to increase your muscle definition (tone) and picking up a random weight that you think you can lift for 8-10 reps for 3-4 sets.
Now you know that if your 1RM for deadlifts is 150lbs, your 70% 1RM is 105lbs. So your Hypertrophy workout at 70% of your deadlift 1RM will need a total of 24 reps over 4 sets, or 8 reps for 3 sets at 105lbs.
The Results from Using Prilepin’s Table
As I mentioned before, the use of Prilepin’s table is debated in the fitness industry, but the results, in my experience, are really impressive. When I first graduated from my fitness and health program, I created workout programs for my family using this method, teaching each of them the theory of rep and sets for training goals, and how to do a 1RM test.
Every single family member who followed the program improved their 1RM over the 16-week program. My brother-in-law, who was a police officer at the time, shared the program with his brother, who was an arborist, and both of them increased their overall muscle mass, didn’t experience any overtraining injuries, and even received feedback from their doctors that they’d done enough to strengthen rotator cuff muscles that their shoulders were more resilient against dislocation (a common issue for both).
Knowing that training plans can be this detail-oriented is why I am always a little irked by the random workout plans that folks are posting on social media. They are great to get you started, but when you’re really dialed into achieving a specific training goal and doing so in a way that is unique to you, then this method of combining Prilepin’s table with the personal trainer table is what will get you there.
Please let me know if you have any questions about creating training plans using this method. I am always up for helping out, or pointing you in the direction of more great resources.
Riley Pearce 