Bodyweight exercise load
Same formula as the Overload app
This bodyweight exercise load calculator works out the real load behind moves like pull-ups, dips or the deadlift, where part of the resistance is your own bodyweight rather than just the plates on the bar. Pick your exercise, enter your bodyweight and any added weight, and get the true load per rep along with an estimated 1RM for that movement.
Load per rep
52.5kg
Overload counts 70% of your bodyweight for this movement. View this exercise
How it works
Some exercises carry a fixed share of your bodyweight as resistance: a bodyweight pull-up typically counts around 70% of your bodyweight, while a push-up, where the arms brace over a shorter range, counts a smaller but real share too. Overload's exercise database tags each movement with this percentage.
The calculator multiplies your bodyweight by that percentage and adds any weight you strapped on or loaded, to get the actual working load for one rep. That load then feeds the same banded 1RM formula used across this site to estimate your max on the movement, so you can track progress the same way you would on a barbell lift.
This bodyweight share is a fixed estimate per exercise, not personalised to your build or leverage, so treat the load and 1RM as consistent for tracking trends over time rather than an exact biomechanical measurement.
Frequently asked questions
How much of my bodyweight counts on a pull-up?
Roughly 70% of your bodyweight is the typical estimate for a strict pull-up, since your arms and shoulders don't carry your full mass through the movement. Add any weight from a dip belt on top of that percentage to get your true working load.
Does the deadlift really use bodyweight resistance?
Yes, a portion of your own mass, mainly your torso and legs, moves and stabilizes through the lift beyond just the bar weight, so the deadlift actually carries a larger bodyweight contribution than a bodyweight pull-up. This calculator accounts for that share when estimating your 1RM.
Why does adding weight change my estimated 1RM by more than the added weight itself?
Because your bodyweight contribution stays constant while the added weight is what changes, a heavier vest or belt shifts a larger share of your total working load, which the 1RM formula then projects forward, so the estimate can move by more than the raw added kilos.
Related tools
- 1RM calculatorEstimate your one-rep max from any set of reps and weight, with a percentage table and the same banded formula the Overload app uses.
- Plate calculatorWork out exactly which plates to load per side for any barbell weight, free, with the achieved load and shortfall shown instantly.
- Warm-up sets calculatorBuild a free warm-up ladder of sets leading into your working weight, so every jump between the bar and your top set is planned.
- RPE calculatorConvert any set to a percentage of your 1RM or a target load from RPE, free, with a full table of reps against RPE 6 to 10.
Let Overload add your bodyweight automatically
Overload adds your bodyweight to every bodyweight-scaled set automatically, so pull-ups, dips and bodyweight squats track real load without manual math. Free on iOS and Android.