Training volume calculator

How to use the calculator

1. Fill in the rows of the current session: exercise name, working sets, reps per set and training weight. Do not count warm-up sets — only working sets.
2. To compare with the previous session, turn on "Compare with the previous session" and fill it in with the same set of exercises.
3. Press "Calculate".

The result is the volume of each exercise and the session total in kilograms, and with the comparison switched on the difference from the previous session for each exercise and overall.

What training volume is

Training volume (tonnage) is the total weight you lifted during a session: for each exercise, multiply sets by reps and by the working weight, then add up. It is the crudest but simplest measurable measure of load: it needs nothing except a log.

The ACSM position stand lists volume-load among the core variables managed in resistance training alongside intensity and frequency. The meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues shows a dose-dependent relationship between weekly volume and muscle mass gain — but the relationship is non-linear, and "more" does not automatically mean "better".

How to check it by hand

Example: current session — squat 3 × 8 × 80 kg, bench press 3 × 10 × 60 kg, lat pulldown 3 × 12 × 45 kg. A week earlier — squat 3 × 8 × 75 kg, bench press 3 × 10 × 60 kg, pulldown 3 × 12 × 42.5 kg.

1. Exercise volumes now: 3 × 8 × 80 = 1,920; 3 × 10 × 60 = 1,800; 3 × 12 × 45 = 1,620 kg.
2. Session total: 1,920 + 1,800 + 1,620 = 5,340 kg (9 sets, 90 reps).
3. Previous session: 1,800 + 1,800 + 1,530 = 5,130 kg.
4. Difference: 5,340 − 5,130 = +210 kg, or +210 / 5,130 ≈ +4.1 %.

What to do with the result

• Compare comparable sessions: the same exercises and a similar order. Volume growth from swapping an exercise for a "higher-tonnage" one is not progress.
• Keep volume growth gradual: the reference from the load progression guide is to increase one variable at a time and in a small step.
• If tonnage rose while working weights stayed put, the volume grew through reps, and that is also a form of progression. For what matters more at your stage, see the progress tracking guide.

Limitations

• Tonnage is not a full measure of load: intensity (% of 1RM), speed, range of motion and technique are not in the formula.
• Exercises without external resistance (pull-ups, push-ups, plank) are not counted: they have no weight in kilograms.
• Comparison is by exercise name: rename it and there is no pair. With several exercises of the same name, all rows of the current session with that name are compared with the first occurrence of the exercise in the previous session.
• Volume is not a goal in itself: tonnage growth at the cost of technique is not progress.