Training max rounding explained
Percentage programs give you numbers like 95.625 kg. No gym can load that. Every sheet has to round, and the rule it uses changes what you lift.
Training max, briefly
Many percentage programs work from a training max (TM) instead of your true one-rep max. 5/3/1 recommends starting the TM at 90% of your max, though its author says there is "no hard rule". nSuns starts at 90% too. GZCL uses a "Goal Weight", roughly a 2–3RM, rather than a classic TM.
(Sources: jimwendler.com, "The Training Max: What You Need to Know"; The Fitness Wiki, nSuns LP; Swole at Every Height, "The GZCL Method, Simplified". All checked 19 October 2026.)
SpreadLift is not affiliated with or endorsed by the creators of nSuns or GZCL; names used descriptively.
Your smallest plate sets your increment
Plates go on in pairs, so the smallest change you can make is twice your smallest plate:
- 1.25 kg plates → 2.5 kg steps
- 0.5 kg plates → 1 kg steps
- 0.25 kg plates → 0.5 kg steps
Rounding to anything finer than that is pointless, because you can't load it.
The three common rules
| Rule | What it does | Typical spreadsheet formula |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest | Rounds to the closest loadable weight. Exact halfway cases go up (101.25 → 102.5) | MROUND(x, 2.5) |
| Down | Always rounds down, so it's never heavier than written | FLOOR(x, 2.5) |
| Up | Always rounds up | CEILING(x, 2.5) |
Worked example: TM 127.5 kg
| % of TM | Exact | Nearest 2.5 | Down 2.5 | Nearest 0.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65% | 82.875 | 82.5 | 82.5 | 83 |
| 75% | 95.625 | 95 | 95 | 95.5 |
| 80% | 102.0 | 102.5 | 100 | 102 |
| 85% | 108.375 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 108.5 |
| 95% | 121.125 | 120 | 120 | 121 |
The rules often agree, but not always. At 80%, "nearest" and "down" are 2.5 kg apart. Over a whole cycle of sets, that adds up.
Things to check in your sheet
- Which rule does it use? Look at the weight formula, not just the result.
- Does it round the TM itself, or only the set weights? Rounding both compounds the error.
- Does the increment match your gym? A sheet set to 2.5 lb steps in a kg gym gives you weights you can't load.
- Kg or lb? Make sure the units match your plates.
How SpreadLift rounds
- Your sheet's rule wins. If the sheet uses MROUND, FLOOR or CEILING, SpreadLift uses the same rule and step.
- Otherwise, nearest with ties up. Working sets round to the nearest loadable step, like MROUND. The default step is 2.5 kg or 5 lb per lift.
- The training max stays unrounded. For example, a 90% TM of 142.5 kg is stored as 128.25 kg. It's shown as 128.5, but that's for display only. Only the working sets are rounded, so 85% of it is 109.0125 kg, which rounds to 110 kg. If you'd rather round the TM too, there's a per-program "Round training max" setting, which is off by default.
SpreadLift keeps the sheet's own %/training-max maths, so it's still worth checking the rounding in the sheet you import. Use the free Plate Calculator (kg & lb) to turn the final number into plates per side. If your sheet uses RPE as well as percentages, try the free RPE & e1RM Calculator.
Check your numbers and train safely
Rounding errors are small, but mistakes like using the wrong TM or the wrong units aren't. Check your heavy sets before you load them, and train with safeties or spotters.