496 lb works out to 5x45 per side plus the bar — call it 495 lb in practice, since gyms rarely stock the odd change. 3 reps sits at the reliable end of the range these formulas were fitted on, so the 37 lb spread here is about as tight as the method gets. Your 455 lb set represents about 92% of the estimated max.
Why 3 reps gives a tight estimate
A triple is close to the best case for this method. The low end of the two-to-ten band is where these regressions were sampled most heavily, and it shows here — the seven land within 37 lb of each other, 7.5% of the estimate, which is small enough that choosing a different formula would not change how you train. If the third rep slowed down but the bar never stalled, 496 lb is a defensible working number.
Training loads from a 496 lb max
Programmes are written as percentages of the max, not as absolute weights. From 496 lb, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Percentage | Load | Typical set |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 470 lb | Heavy single |
| 90% | 445 lb | Doubles and triples |
| 85% | 420 lb | Sets of four to five |
| 80% | 395 lb | Sets of six |
| 75% | 370 lb | Sets of eight |
| 70% | 345 lb | Volume work, ten or more |
496 lb is 5x45 per side plus the bar, 495 lb loaded. At this load the 37 lb the formulas disagree by is bigger than a pair of 10s, which is a good argument for programming off the lower estimate — 482 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 455 lb for 3 reps; the headline figure is their median. All seven assume a set taken close to failure with clean technique. At 3 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 496 lb. This is a training estimate, not medical advice.