Sheiko Calculator
The formula
What the template day tells you
The Ukrainian school: light/medium/heavy days with fixed set-rep-percent combinations and thousands of clean technical reps.
Calculation: Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load. Enter your inputs and every substitution is shown below the result.
Reading the result
Nothing on the day is invented; the coach picks a template, the bar percentages do the rest.
Rules of thumb: Elite Sheiko plans: 150–200 squat reps per session at 70–85 %
Limitations and best practice
Judging a light day by the scale: its job is movement quality at speed, and heavy days are useless without it.
This calculator gives an estimate based on standard formulas; it is not professional financial, medical, legal or engineering advice. Verify anything you plan to act on with a qualified professional and your own records.
Frequently asked questions
Why never to failure?
How many sessions?
Source & methodology
Sheiko training templates (published plans).
Sheiko explained: formula, worked example and honest limits
This page was written for one job: turning your own inputs into a defensible figure, with the working shown. There are plenty of pages about Sheiko; almost none of them show the working. This one does: the formula, every input, a fully computed example, and a sensitivity analysis calculated live from this engine’s own defaults.
Like most useful measures, Sheiko is a summary, and summaries hide as much as they reveal. The companion outputs and the input table are here to reopen what the headline compressed.
Most confusion about Sheiko comes from mixing up the input you control with the input you merely observe. The formula treats them identically, but your decisions should not: one deserves measurement, the other deserves a defensible estimate.
What makes a calculation page trustworthy is that its copy is derived from its own arithmetic: here work-set load = 131.8 kg, recomputed every time a field changes, and the sensitivity section ranks the inputs that move the result — Competition max first, at ≈10.0 % of the headline for a ten-percent error either way in that input. Work down the page and by the end you could re-derive the result in a spreadsheet from memory.
The Sheiko formula, explained
Here is the complete model this tool runs — Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load — with each input explained below. If a competitor’s page gives you a different answer from the same inputs, this is the text that settles which of you is right.
Competition max (kg) (example value 170) is a plain measured quantity — the unit shown in the label is the unit the formula expects. Stay in one unit system top to bottom; conversion rounding is where small errors enter.
Day type (example value Medium 75–80 % × 5×5) is a selector, not a measurement: the engine follows a different route for each option. Use the value as of today, not as of the last time you looked — time fields drift silently.
What each “Day type” choice actually does: Light 60–70 % × 4×6 → 110.5 kg · Medium 75–80 % × 5×5 → 131.8 kg · Heavy 85–90 % × 3×2 → 148.8 kg — each value above is the model’s own output for that option, so the choice can be made on evidence rather than on what a category feels like it means.
The default Sheiko calculation, written out in full
Abstract formulas are hard to trust, so here is the complete substitution using the default inputs, written the way an examiner would want it. Starting figures: Competition max (kg), Day type. The endpoint of that chain is 131.8 kg of work-set load, sitting in the “The medium template runs 5×5 at 131.8 kg — 3,294 kg tonnage, the Sheiko point being that technique volume, not failure, builds the total” band.
- Day % = 77.5 %
- Load = 170 × 0.775 = 131.8
- Tonnage = 131.8 × 25 reps = 3,294
Work sets — 5. If your inputs change, this is usually the first companion figure to move.
Reps per set — 5. If your inputs change, this is usually the first companion figure to move.
Session tonnage — 3,294 kg. Compare it against the main result of 131.8 kg before drawing conclusions.
Percent used — 77.5%. Read next to the headline, this is the figure that shows the shape of the trade-off.
Overwrite any input above and every line of this example updates with it — the substitution is live, not a screenshot of somebody else’s numbers.
Scenario table: Sheiko at ±10 % and ±20 % of the key input
The honest version of any estimate is a corridor, and this one is cheap to produce: Sheiko was recomputed at 5 points along the dominant input, with every other field left untouched.
| Competition max setting | Work-set load |
|---|---|
| 80 % of the example value | 105.4 kg |
| 90 % of the example value | 118.6 kg |
| example inputs | 131.8 kg |
| 110 % of the example value | 144.9 kg |
| 120 % of the example value | 158.1 kg |
Across 5 settings of Competition max, the result spans 105.4 kg to 158.1 kg. A decision that only works at one row of this table is a decision waiting for an input to move. Reproduce it in the form above by editing Competition max alone; the substitution steps will follow your figures exactly.
The levers behind Sheiko, ranked by effect
This list was computed for this specific engine just now: each numeric input was nudged ±10 % while every other field held its example value, and the work-set load was recalculated from scratch. For Sheiko the ranking is measured rather than guessed, and it belongs to these defaults: shift the starting point and the order can shift with it.
- Competition max +10 % → Sheiko = 144.9 kg · −10 % → 118.6 kg (the work-set load shifts ≈10.0 %)
Competition max is the dominant lever here: ten percent either way moves the result by about 10.0 %, from 118.6 kg to 144.9 kg. That is where a careless figure does the most damage, so check it against a source. Everything below that can stay approximate, which is a licence to stop chasing data that would not change the decision.
Reading the result: bands, zones and thresholds
The value above only becomes useful the moment you know what it is being measured against. On the example inputs the band reads “The medium template runs 5×5 at 131.8 kg — 3,294 kg tonnage, the Sheiko point being that technique volume, not failure, builds the total”; your own figures place you on a different rung of the same ladder. Before treating the band as fact, note its width: ten percent either way on Competition max already spans 118.6 kg to 144.9 kg. The practical reading rules: compare against your own history before comparing against other people; treat band boundaries as zones, not walls — one point on the wrong side of a threshold rarely changes a real outcome; and when a companion output contradicts the headline, believe the pair.
Where Sheiko sits next to similar measures: this tool answers “how much is the Sheiko”, while the related calculators answer “what do I do about it”. Reading the result alone tends to over-weight a single snapshot; pairing it with the companion tools above turns the number into a decision.
The errors that quietly break a Sheiko figure
Judging a light day by the scale: its job is movement quality at speed, and heavy days are useless without it. This calculator gives an estimate based on standard formulas; it is not professional financial, medical, legal or engineering advice. Verify anything you plan to act on with a qualified professional and your own records.
Stopping at the first plausible answer. If the result surprises you, the productive question is which input would have to be wrong for the surprise to disappear — then go check that input.
This model has its own particular trap: Competition max carries ≈10.0 % of the response per ten percent of error, so effort spent elsewhere is largely decorative.
Another is comparing across contexts: a Sheiko computed with one set of conventions should never be lined up against a figure computed with another. Check the inputs behind both before ranking them.
Six things to confirm before acting on Sheiko
- Compare the output against one published benchmark or a colleague’s independent estimate.
- Record the date and the inputs alongside the number so future-you knows what was assumed.
- Re-verify Competition max against a source document — ten percent of error there moves the headline by ≈10.0 %.
- Note the date and the inputs beside the number so the figure can be audited later.
- Verify each input against its original source document, not memory.
- Repeat the ±10 % test on the inputs that matter and see whether the decision — not just the number — still holds.
A routine for decision-grade Sheiko
The tool does the arithmetic; the routine below is what makes the arithmetic trustworthy. Five steps, a minute total — and afterwards you will know not just what the number is, but which assumption produced it.
Step 1 — start from evidence. The inputs behind Sheiko are competition max (kg), day type. Write them down with their source next to each one; if you cannot name where a figure came from, that is the input most likely to be wrong. Write the assumptions in the same file as the result, and future arguments take minutes instead of meetings.
Step 2 — enter the conservative case first. Resist the flattering scenario. Type the inputs you would defend in front of a sceptical reader, read the Work-set load (131.8 kg for the example values), and note the verdict band. Re-running a number costs seconds; retracting a decision costs considerably more.
Step 3 — play with the inputs on purpose. Ten percent up, ten percent down, one field at a time. Within a few minutes you will know this calculation better than most people who quote its results. If a result feels obviously right, that is the moment to check the inputs hardest.
Step 4 — run the scenario trio. Expected, pessimistic, optimistic. The gap between pessimistic and expected is the number to plan against; the optimistic result is useful only as a ceiling. Write the figure down before moving on; memory flatters whichever number you saw last.
Step 5 — save the story with the figure. A number without its inputs and its date is unusable within a quarter. Record 131.8 kg, the assumptions behind it, and today’s date; your future self will be auditing a stranger’s arithmetic. The input you reach for first is usually the one you measured longest ago.
Where Sheiko matters in practice
Most Strength Training disagreements are arithmetic disagreements in disguise. When Work-set load of 131.8 kg sits on the table with its working shown, the conversation stops being about who sounds more confident and starts being about which input is wrong. Rounding early is the quietest way to introduce a permanent error.
Professionals in Strength Training use this style of calculation as a screening filter before spending real money or effort: a quick Sheiko check eliminates weak options in minutes, and the survivors earn the deeper, slower analysis. A figure nobody can reproduce is a figure nobody will act on twice.
Treat Sheiko like a smoke alarm rather than a painting — its value is in being tested periodically, not in being admired once. Rounding early is the quietest way to introduce a permanent error.
Sheiko — frequently asked questions
What affects Sheiko the most?
The short answer: Competition max. The longer answer is the sensitivity table on this page, where every numeric input was probed by ten percent and the work-set load recalculated — Competition max moved it furthest, by roughly 10.0 % (118.6 kg to 144.9 kg).
How much does the “Day type” choice change the answer?
Across every option this tool offers, the work-set load ranges from 110.5 kg (Light 60–70 % × 4×6) to 148.8 kg (Heavy 85–90 % × 3×2) with all other inputs held at their example values. The per-option table is printed in the inputs section — this is a decision that genuinely moves the number, not a cosmetic dropdown.
What is a typical Sheiko?
There is no honest universal average for Sheiko, but there is a reference point: the defaults on this page produce 131.8 kg (The medium template runs 5×5 at 131.8 kg — 3,294 kg tonnage, the Sheiko point being that technique volume, not failure, builds the total). Replace the inputs with your own and compare — that comparison is the useful meaning of “typical”.
How do I calculate Sheiko by hand?
Use the stated model — Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load — and substitute in the order the tool prints (it starts from Day % = 77.5 %). On the example inputs the hand route lands on 131.8 kg, exactly what the calculator shows. A spreadsheet reproduces it in two or three cells; doing it once by hand is what makes the automated answer trustworthy.
What happens to Sheiko if competition max changes by 10 %?
The engine was re-run with that field moved by ten percent while everything else stayed fixed: the work-set load goes across 118.6 kg to 144.9 kg, a swing of roughly 10.0 % around the 131.8 kg baseline. That ratio is the practical definition of how much this input matters.
Is the Sheiko result of 131.8 kg good or bad?
Neither, on its own — the label “The medium template runs 5×5 at 131.8 kg — 3,294 kg tonnage, the Sheiko point being that technique volume, not failure, builds the total” is the band this figure falls in for the example inputs, and your own inputs will place you elsewhere on the same ladder. Judge the number against your history and your alternatives, and remember that a ten-percent error in Competition max alone moves it by ≈10.0 %.
Can Sheiko be negative or empty?
Yes, and that is informative rather than broken: a negative Sheiko usually means the inputs encode an outflow or a shortfall, and the verdict band above labels exactly that situation instead of hiding it.
How do I calculate Sheiko manually?
Write down the inputs, then follow the printed steps in order — Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load. A spreadsheet replicates it with two or three cells. The manual route is worth doing once to build intuition; after that the calculator saves time and eliminates transcription slips.
Why never to failure?
Failure wrecks the movement pattern the system is buying; reps stay technically perfect.
How many sessions?
Four to six per week with two heavy days — the volume is the periodization.
Do I need an account to use this Sheiko calculator?
No, and no data leaves the tab. The engine runs in the page itself, which is why the worked example, the bands and the sensitivity ranking all respond instantly to your keystrokes.
Key terms on this page
- Work sets
- 5 in the default Sheiko calculation — one of the secondary figures an experienced reader checks before trusting the primary number.
- Reps per set
- 5 in the default Sheiko calculation — one of the secondary figures an experienced reader checks before trusting the primary number.
- Session tonnage
- 3,294 kg on the example inputs — a companion figure printed beside the headline of Sheiko so that no result is read in isolation.
- Work-set load
- The primary output of this tool: 131.8 kg for the default inputs, computed exactly from Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load.
- Worked example
- Every substitution in order, from the example inputs to 131.8 kg — the audit trail for the headline figure.
- Verdict band
- The interpretation attached to a result (“The medium template runs 5×5 at 131.8 kg — 3,294 kg tonnage, the Sheiko point being that technique volume, not failure, builds the total” on these inputs), which turns a bare number into a position on a scale.
- Sensitivity (±10 %)
- How far the Sheiko moves when a single input is nudged ten percent either way; the ranked list on this page is computed live from this engine.
Methodology, sources and limits
Everything above runs on one stated formula, applied without hidden coefficients: Fixed set/rep/percent templates; tonnage = sets × reps × load. Source of record: Sheiko training templates (published plans). Where a professional version of this calculation differs, it differs in inputs and jurisdiction-specific coefficients, not in the algebra — which is why re-checking your inputs beats hunting for a second calculator.
Nothing here replaces a qualified professional, and nothing here is approximate either — the arithmetic is exact, and the honesty is in the inputs you supply. The promise to the reader is narrow and testable: same inputs, same output, no silent rounding, and no figure presented without the formula that produced it.
Next steps after the calculation
Re-run the calculation with your own figures, stress the two most sensitive inputs by ±10 %, and only then act on the result.
This page was written for people who need one trustworthy number before their next decision, and the promise is that nothing above required trust. Bookmark the tool, re-run it whenever an input moves by more than a few percent, and keep the date with the number.