Free coaching tool · updated 2026-10-16
Prilepin’s chart
Prilepin’s chart lists reps per set and total reps per session for each intensity zone. It comes from the training logs of Soviet weightlifters.
Session total = sets × reps at that intensity, compared with the zone’s optimal total and range.
Example: 5 sets of 3 at 80% of 1RM is 15 reps, the optimum for that zone. The range there is 10 to 20.
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Prilepin’s chart
Reps per set and total reps by intensity zone, with where the table comes from.
| Intensity | Reps per set | Optimal total reps | Range of total reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | 3 to 6 | 18 | 12 to 24 |
| 80% | 2 to 4 | 15 | 10 to 20 |
| 90% | 1 to 2 | 10 (snatch), 7 (clean and jerk) | 4 to 10 |
The formula
Session total = sets × reps, compared with the zone’s optimal total
- A. S. Prilepin built the chart in 1975 from the training journals of Soviet weightlifters over two 5-week cycles. It describes the snatch and the clean and jerk only.
- Many copies online add a row below 70%: 3 to 6 reps per set, 24 total, range 18 to 30. The version on this page, from Medvedyev, starts at 70%.
Source
Greg Everett, “Prilepin’s Table for Olympic Weightlifting”, Catalyst Athletics, 2019. His table cites Medvedyev (1986/1989).
Common questions
- Does Prilepin’s chart work for powerlifting?
- It was built from snatch and clean and jerk training. Powerlifters use it as a rough guide, but the numbers were never drawn from squat, bench press or deadlift logs.
- What does the optimal total mean?
- It is the number of reps in that zone, for one lift in one session, that the logs pointed to. The range gives the lower and upper ends.