434 lb works out to 4x45 + 1x10 + 1x5 per side plus the bar — call it 435 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. 4 reps sits comfortably inside the 2-to-10 range these formulas were fitted on, so this estimate is about as reliable as the method gets. Your 385 lb set represents about 89% of the estimated max.
How far 434 lb can be trusted
Four reps still sits in the well-behaved part of the range. The seven equations return 420 to 449 lb, and most of that 6.7% gap is them disagreeing about how fast strength falls off with reps rather than any of them being wrong. A set of four is also long enough that fatigue in the last rep is visible: if rep four was a grind, this estimate is honest; if it moved easily, 434 lb is on the low side.
Training loads from a 434 lb max
Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 434 lb, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Percentage | Load | Typical set |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 410 lb | Heavy single |
| 90% | 390 lb | Doubles and triples |
| 85% | 370 lb | Sets of four to five |
| 80% | 345 lb | Sets of six |
| 75% | 325 lb | Sets of eight |
| 70% | 305 lb | Volume work, ten or more |
434 lb is 4x45 + 1x10 + 1x5 per side plus the bar, 435 lb loaded. At this load the 29 lb the formulas disagree by is bigger than a pair of 10s, which is a good argument for programming off the lower estimate — 420 lb — and letting the bar prove you wrong rather than the other way round. Warm-up jumps also get long here; work up in percentages rather than in fixed plate increments.
The formulas behind this answer, and their limitations
The table above the fold is Epley (1985), Brzycki (1993), Lombardi (1989), O'Conner (1989), Wathan (1994), Lander (1985) and Mayhew (1992), each applied to 385 lb for 4 reps; the headline figure is their median. All seven assume a set taken close to failure with clean technique. At 4 reps you are inside the band they were fitted on, so the largest error here is not the equation but judging how close your set really was to failure — three reps left in the tank reads exactly the same to them. They also under-rate strong, experienced lifters, who hold a higher percentage of max at any rep count than the regression average. The full account — the populations behind each equation, what a bounced rep does to it, and why we stop at ten reps — is set out on the methodology page. Warm up thoroughly and use safety bars or a spotter before going anywhere near 434 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.