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Strength Standards

How these standards are calculated

e1RM's strength standards use bodyweight-multiplier benchmarks averaged across three public sources:

  • Strength Level - derived from 150M+ user-logged 1RMs, weighted toward intermediate-to-advanced training populations.
  • ExRx.net - older but widely cited; data drawn from academic literature and standardized testing batteries.
  • Symmetric Strength - competition meet data weighted toward powerlifting populations.

The four-level breakdown corresponds roughly to Novice lifters with 0-6 months of consistent barbell training, Intermediate lifters with 1-3 years of consistent training, Advanced lifters with 3+ years of focused training, and Elite lifters near the top 5% by bodyweight. These are general targets, not federation rules. Equipment, pause vs touch-and-go conventions, depth standards, and federation rule differences can move the actual number by about 10%.

Your level

Intermediate

25 lb to reach Advanced at the nearest bodyweight class.

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BodyweightNoviceIntermediateAdvancedElite
110 lb70 lb110 lb150 lb195 lb
125 lb80 lb125 lb170 lb220 lb
140 lb90 lb140 lb190 lb245 lb
155 lb100 lb155 lb210 lb270 lb
170 lb110 lb170 lb230 lb300 lb
185 lb120 lb185 lb250 lb325 lb
200 lb130 lb200 lb270 lb350 lb
220 lb145 lb220 lb295 lb385 lb
240 lb155 lb240 lb325 lb425 lb
275 lb180 lb275 lb370 lb480 lb
300 lb195 lb300 lb405 lb525 lb

Compare your squat, bench, deadlift, and overhead press numbers against novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite benchmarks by bodyweight and sex.

Bodyweight-based
Lift benchmarks
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How to read these standards

Strength standards are practical reference points, not official rankings. Novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite labels depend on bodyweight, lift rules, equipment, age, and technique. Use the table as training context, not as a federation score.

How to read strength standards

Strength standards are reference points, not official rankings. They help answer whether a lift is roughly novice, intermediate, advanced, or elite for a given bodyweight and sex. The numbers should guide expectations and goal setting, not decide whether a training block is successful.

Standards differ across sites because datasets differ. A table based on user-submitted gym lifts will not match a table based on sanctioned meet data. Equipment, depth, pause rules, wraps, federation standards, age, and drug-testing pools all shift the numbers.

Use standards as context alongside your own trend. If your squat moves from novice to intermediate over a year, that is useful progress even if another site labels the same lift differently. For programming, the next realistic jump matters more than the label.

  • Bodyweight class matters
  • Technique and equipment can move numbers by 5-10%
  • Track one standard consistently over time

Practical example

If you are using the Strength Standards, enter the most repeatable inputs you have, write down the result, then check it against two weeks of real training or bodyweight data. A calculator is useful when it gives you a starting number and a way to adjust, not when it pretends one formula can remove uncertainty.

Limitations

e1RM calculators are planning tools for healthy adults. They do not replace medical advice, coaching judgment, federation rules, or lab testing. Use conservative inputs when recovery is poor, technique is changing, or the result would push you into loads you have not recently handled.

Sources

Complete strength standards dataset

These tables expose the core standards in static HTML so crawlers and LLMs can read them without interacting with the calculator. Values are rounded to the nearest 5 lb because real training loads need to be loadable, not mathematically over-precise.

The base table uses the 18-39 adult category. Age adjustments are listed separately because age, training age, injury history, and bodyweight change the interpretation more than a single table can capture.

Age adjustment factors

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Age group Multiplier Interpretation
18-39 100% Base adult standard
40-49 95% About 5% lower than base
50-59 88% About 12% lower than base
60-69 78% About 22% lower than base
70+ 65% About 35% lower than base

Level definitions

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Level Meaning
Novice Consistent basic barbell training, usually below one year.
Intermediate Repeatable technique with one to three years of focused training.
Advanced Multi-year focused strength training with specific programming.
Elite Top-end strength relative to bodyweight; often competitive or highly specialized.

Male standards, age 18-39

Squat

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 105 lb 150 lb 200 lb 250 lb
125 lb 120 lb 170 lb 225 lb 280 lb
140 lb 135 lb 190 lb 250 lb 315 lb
155 lb 145 lb 210 lb 280 lb 350 lb
170 lb 160 lb 230 lb 305 lb 385 lb
185 lb 175 lb 250 lb 335 lb 415 lb
200 lb 190 lb 270 lb 360 lb 450 lb
220 lb 210 lb 295 lb 395 lb 495 lb
242 lb 230 lb 325 lb 435 lb 545 lb
275 lb 260 lb 370 lb 495 lb 620 lb
300 lb 285 lb 405 lb 540 lb 675 lb

Bench press

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 70 lb 110 lb 150 lb 195 lb
125 lb 80 lb 125 lb 170 lb 220 lb
140 lb 90 lb 140 lb 190 lb 245 lb
155 lb 100 lb 155 lb 210 lb 270 lb
170 lb 110 lb 170 lb 230 lb 300 lb
185 lb 120 lb 185 lb 250 lb 325 lb
200 lb 130 lb 200 lb 270 lb 350 lb
220 lb 145 lb 220 lb 295 lb 385 lb
242 lb 155 lb 240 lb 325 lb 425 lb
275 lb 180 lb 275 lb 370 lb 480 lb
300 lb 195 lb 300 lb 405 lb 525 lb

Deadlift

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 120 lb 180 lb 235 lb 290 lb
125 lb 140 lb 205 lb 270 lb 330 lb
140 lb 155 lb 230 lb 300 lb 370 lb
155 lb 170 lb 255 lb 335 lb 410 lb
170 lb 185 lb 280 lb 365 lb 450 lb
185 lb 205 lb 305 lb 400 lb 490 lb
200 lb 220 lb 330 lb 430 lb 530 lb
220 lb 240 lb 365 lb 475 lb 585 lb
242 lb 265 lb 400 lb 520 lb 640 lb
275 lb 305 lb 455 lb 590 lb 730 lb
300 lb 330 lb 495 lb 645 lb 795 lb

Overhead press

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 45 lb 65 lb 95 lb 120 lb
125 lb 50 lb 75 lb 105 lb 140 lb
140 lb 55 lb 85 lb 120 lb 155 lb
155 lb 60 lb 95 lb 130 lb 170 lb
170 lb 70 lb 100 lb 145 lb 185 lb
185 lb 75 lb 110 lb 155 lb 205 lb
200 lb 80 lb 120 lb 170 lb 220 lb
220 lb 90 lb 130 lb 185 lb 240 lb
242 lb 95 lb 145 lb 205 lb 265 lb
275 lb 110 lb 165 lb 235 lb 305 lb
300 lb 120 lb 180 lb 255 lb 330 lb

Female standards, age 18-39

Squat

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 60 lb 100 lb 140 lb 180 lb
125 lb 70 lb 115 lb 155 lb 205 lb
140 lb 75 lb 125 lb 175 lb 230 lb
155 lb 85 lb 140 lb 195 lb 255 lb
170 lb 95 lb 155 lb 215 lb 280 lb
185 lb 100 lb 165 lb 230 lb 305 lb
200 lb 110 lb 180 lb 250 lb 330 lb
220 lb 120 lb 200 lb 275 lb 365 lb
242 lb 135 lb 220 lb 305 lb 400 lb
275 lb 150 lb 250 lb 345 lb 455 lb
300 lb 165 lb 270 lb 375 lb 495 lb

Bench press

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 40 lb 60 lb 90 lb 115 lb
125 lb 45 lb 70 lb 100 lb 130 lb
140 lb 50 lb 75 lb 110 lb 145 lb
155 lb 55 lb 85 lb 125 lb 165 lb
170 lb 60 lb 95 lb 135 lb 180 lb
185 lb 65 lb 100 lb 150 lb 195 lb
200 lb 70 lb 110 lb 160 lb 210 lb
220 lb 75 lb 120 lb 175 lb 230 lb
242 lb 85 lb 135 lb 195 lb 255 lb
275 lb 95 lb 150 lb 220 lb 290 lb
300 lb 105 lb 165 lb 240 lb 315 lb

Deadlift

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 85 lb 125 lb 170 lb 220 lb
125 lb 95 lb 145 lb 195 lb 250 lb
140 lb 105 lb 160 lb 215 lb 280 lb
155 lb 115 lb 180 lb 240 lb 310 lb
170 lb 130 lb 195 lb 265 lb 340 lb
185 lb 140 lb 215 lb 285 lb 370 lb
200 lb 150 lb 230 lb 310 lb 400 lb
220 lb 165 lb 255 lb 340 lb 440 lb
242 lb 180 lb 280 lb 375 lb 485 lb
275 lb 205 lb 315 lb 425 lb 550 lb
300 lb 225 lb 345 lb 465 lb 600 lb

Overhead press

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Bodyweight Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 lb 30 lb 40 lb 55 lb 80 lb
125 lb 30 lb 50 lb 65 lb 90 lb
140 lb 35 lb 55 lb 75 lb 100 lb
155 lb 40 lb 60 lb 80 lb 110 lb
170 lb 45 lb 65 lb 90 lb 120 lb
185 lb 45 lb 70 lb 95 lb 135 lb
200 lb 50 lb 75 lb 105 lb 145 lb
220 lb 55 lb 85 lb 115 lb 160 lb
242 lb 60 lb 90 lb 125 lb 175 lb
275 lb 70 lb 105 lb 145 lb 200 lb
300 lb 75 lb 115 lb 155 lb 215 lb

How to interpret the tables

Compare like with like. A paused bench standard should not be compared with a touch-and-go gym bench, a full-depth squat should not be compared with a high squat, and strapped deadlift numbers should be kept separate from meet-legal deadlift numbers.

Bodyweight standards are orientation tools, not moral judgments. The most useful comparison is your own trend under the same movement standard across multiple training blocks.

Sources

Related calculators

Training guides

Wilks Calculator

Calculate your Wilks score from powerlifting total and bodyweight. Supports kg and lb inputs while normalizing totals for scoring.

DOTS Calculator

Calculate DOTS powerlifting points from squat, bench, deadlift, bodyweight, and sex. Compare totals across bodyweights with kg or lb inputs.

Questions lifters ask

Are these standards official? +

No. They are practical training benchmarks derived from bodyweight multipliers, meant to orient expectations rather than rank a federation total.

Why are standards different across websites? +

Different datasets, equipment assumptions, sex categories, and lift rules produce different tables. Use one table consistently for trend tracking.

How do I move up a level? +

The novice to intermediate jump usually takes 6-12 months of consistent training. Intermediate to advanced takes years and often plateaus at one or two lifts before the others catch up. Elite-level numbers typically require dedicated programming, bodyweight management, and competition experience.

Should I compare myself to lifters my age? +

If you are over 40, apply roughly a 5% reduction per decade to the listed standards. Peak strength for most lifters falls between ages 25 and 35. Beyond that, recovery and connective tissue resilience become as much of a limiter as raw strength.