Training volume calculator
Same formula as the Overload app
This training volume calculator adds up the tonnage, total reps and hard sets from a session or a whole week, so you can see exactly how much work you did. Enter each set as sets × reps × weight, and add your 1RM to also get INOL, a measure of intensity that flags when volume and heaviness together are pushing toward overreaching.
Sets
Tonnage
2940kg
How it works
Tonnage is simply sets × reps × weight summed across every row, the standard way lifters and coaches track total mechanical work for a session or a training block. It's a useful trend to watch over time, but it treats a light set and a near-max single as equally heavy per rep, which is where INOL comes in.
INOL (Index of Number of Lifts) weights each set by how close it was to your 1RM: reps divided by the distance from 100% intensity, capped at 95% so a true 1RM single doesn't produce an undefined result. Summed across a session, INOL above roughly 2 is commonly used as a signal that the session's combination of volume and intensity is on the harder end.
Add your 1RM to unlock the INOL total; without it, the calculator still reports tonnage, total reps and hard sets from your rows alone.
Frequently asked questions
What is training tonnage?
Tonnage is the total weight moved in a session: sets multiplied by reps multiplied by weight, summed across every exercise or every set of one exercise. It's a simple way to track whether your total workload is trending up or down over weeks.
What does INOL tell you that tonnage doesn't?
Tonnage treats a heavy single and a light set as equal per rep, while INOL weights each set by how close it was to your 1RM. A session with high INOL combines meaningful volume with real intensity, which is a better signal of accumulated fatigue than tonnage alone.
How many sets per muscle group per week is enough?
Most evidence-based guidelines land between 10 and 20 hard sets per muscle group per week for growth, with more experienced lifters generally needing more. This calculator counts hard sets across the rows you enter so you can total them against that range.
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.
See tonnage and INOL automatically in Overload
Overload computes tonnage and INOL per session and per muscle group as you log your sets, no manual adding required. Free on iOS and Android.