Estimated 1RM and Strength Numbers 

Strength Numbers is Volt’s legacy system of intelligently recommending loading for movements during your athletes’ workouts using projected one-rep maximums of three core lifts: squat, clean, and bench. These core lifts are programmed periodically throughout each Volt program, and are tested through Challenge Sets in your athletes’ workouts. e1RMs, on the other hand, are a dynamic and timely measurement of an athlete’s estimated maximum strength in a given movement during any given workout. The Smart Sets feature in Volt, powered by our Cortex training AI, uses e1RMs to recommend the most accurate loading possible for every set within a workout. So, how are e1RMs different from Strength Numbers?

Strength Numbers, like traditional max-strength testing, will only be updated at certain times throughout the year -- within specific Strength Capacity, Strength, and Max Strength blocks, to be specific. Volt uses 1RM - 5RM testing to find an athlete’s Strength Number in each of the three core lifts, asking athletes to lift as much as they can for the given number of reps. But while a true 1RM test is arguably the most accurate measurement of an athlete’s max strength in a given movement, Volt’s Smart Sets feature is continually updating your athletes’ estimated maxes in the background to adjust their weights a lot quicker. (See “What is an estimated one-rep maximum (e1RM)?” for details.) And, importantly, Smart Sets isn’t restricted to just three movements, but is working behind the scenes for every loaded movement in your athletes’ program.

In short, e1RMs are really helpful because they tell the athlete in real-time whether they need more or less loading from set to set to achieve results -- while avoiding overtraining. Strength Numbers are still great measurements of strength within low-rep, high-strength sets of the squat, clean, and bench, but the addition of e1RMs through the Smart Sets feature allows for simultaneously more flexibility (as they are not restricted to the same three movements) and more control over the athlete’s workload during every Volt workout.