What counts as a personal record?
Decide what you are measuring before comparing sets. A weight PR, a rep PR and an e1RM PR answer different questions. Keep the exercise variant, equipment, technique and weight units consistent. A heavier machine stack on a different machine is not a clean comparison.
| Measure | Before → after | What improved |
|---|---|---|
| Weight PR | 80 kg × 8 → 82.5 kg × 8 | Heavier load for the same reps |
| Rep PR at a weight | 80 kg × 8 → 80 kg × 9 | One more rep at 80 kg |
| e1RM PR | 80 kg × 8 → 80 kg × 9 | Epley estimate: 101.3 → 104.0 kg |
| Volume of one set | 80 kg × 8 → 80 kg × 9 | 640 → 720 kg of volume load |
These rows illustrate the measures; the same set can improve several of them. An estimated max is not a tested max, and one set’s volume is not the whole workout’s volume. Read the e1RM explanation and workout-volume calculation for the limits of each comparison.
How Setlane counts a workout record
Finish the workout first. Setlane compares that session with completed workouts before its date. You do not mark a PR manually. A set must beat the relevant baseline; a weight recorded as zero produces zero e1RM.
What personal records does Setlane track?
Open an exercise, then Stats. Under the period totals there is a Personal records card with four lifetime bests for that lift: Heaviest weight, Best e1RM, Best volume set, and Best reps at weight. They are not a session recap. The chart on the same screen is progressive overload, not a fifth record.
- Heaviest weight. The greatest load in one set.
- Best e1RM. The highest estimated 1RM from Epley’s 1985 formula, rounded to one decimal. A 92.5 kg set for 8 is 117.2 kg.
- Best volume set. The greatest weight × reps in a single set, not the whole session.
- Best reps at weight. The most reps in one set. If two sets match on reps, the heavier one wins.
These four are how progressive overload shows up as discrete events: the bar got heavier, the estimate moved, one set did more work, or you added reps.
What records can one workout earn?
After you finish, Workout details lists records earned in that session. The baseline is every completed workout before that date. A session can earn Heaviest weight, Best e1RM, or better reps at that session’s heaviest weight. Best volume set lives on the exercise, not as a third “earned this workout” type.
- Heaviest weight, when the top load exceeds the historical maximum.
- Best e1RM, when the raw Epley value exceeds the historical maximum.
- Better reps at that session’s heaviest weight.
If nothing in the session beats history, the tab is empty — that is a normal week, not a missing feature.
What does Free show for personal records?
Setlane Free always shows heaviest weight on the exercise. After a workout it highlights one record: Biggest win. You still see that more records were earned; the extra values stay behind Pro.
Setlane Pro shows all four exercise cards and lists every record that session earned. ChatGPT and Claude follow the same split. A Free account does not receive Pro record values through the connection either.
Can ChatGPT read my personal records?
Yes, if the connection is on and your plan includes those values. You do not need tool names. On Free, ChatGPT will not invent the Pro record cards. For the rest of what it can read, see ChatGPT with Setlane.
“Show my bench press personal records.”
“Which personal records did I earn in my latest completed workout?”
Frequently asked questions
Which personal records does Setlane Free show?
On each exercise, Free shows heaviest weight. After a workout it highlights one Biggest win. Pro adds best e1RM, best volume set, and best reps at weight, and lists every record that session earned.
Does an active workout count toward a personal record?
No. Only completed workouts contribute. The comparison is against completed sessions before that workout’s date.
Can ChatGPT list my personal records?
Yes, with a connected Setlane account. ChatGPT returns the same record types your plan can see. It cannot invent Pro records on a Free account, and it cannot change an active workout.
