EVOLVE Flagstaff Training Load calculator
Load Calculator
Instructions:
Complete a general warm-up, then 2–3 specific warm-up sets of the main movement.
Do one challenging set of ~10 reps. Don’t go to failure, but it should feel hard. If you’re unsure, err slightly heavier and stop at 8–9 clean reps. This is your anchor weight.
Enter that weight in the calculator.
Select the intent for the movement or workout.
Use the calculator’s recommended range to set your working weight.
Of course, it the range doesn’t look or feel right, adjust up or down appropriately.
If you want to do an “anchor set” at a different rep range, you can select that in the calculator.
“how much weight should I use”?
It’s one of the most common questions in strength training—and one of the hardest to answer—because it depends: mainly on how you feel today and how challenging a given weight feels for you.
For years, we coached athletes to tune into their body—warming up, then choosing a weight that felt appropriately challenging for the day’s intent. This approach is called autoregulation, and it often outperforms rigid prescriptions because it teaches you to listen to your body: push when you feel good, pull back when you’re fatigued.
That said, a bit more specificity helps many people. Traditional methods like linear progression or percentages of a tested 1-rep max can work, and are based on real exercise science, but they break down when you haven’t tested recently—or ever—or when a new member joins mid-cycle. They also don’t adapt to real life. If you’ve been traveling, slept poorly, or didn’t eat before training, those numbers may overshoot; if you’re feeling great and psyched to lift, they can undershoot.
Our system blends both approaches. We keep the science-backed recommendations, but anchor everything on how you feel today. For each main lift, you’ll warm up and then perform one challenging set of 10 reps—your “anchor set.” You choose your intent for the day, and our calculator gives you a recommended weight range for that focus.
Behind the scenes, the calculator uses well-established formulas to estimate your 1-rep max and apply proven training percentages that strength and conditioning coaches have relied on for decades. What’s unique is that it recalculates your recommendations every time you train, using that day’s anchor set. The result: a simple, science-backed plan that automatically adjusts to your real-world energy, recovery, and performance—without you having to do any math.
If it’s a tough day, the range adjusts down; if you’re flying, it nudges you up. These numbers are estimates—use them as a starting point and always adjust up or down to keep your workout safe, effective, and right for you.
Looking for a Flagstaff gym that values smart progress over guesswork? Our Flagstaff fitness classes use this approach daily so you can build strength with confidence, no matter where you are starting from.