What are strength standards?

Strength standards are benchmarks that tell you what a given lift means at your bodyweight and sex — average, good, advanced, elite. They exist because a 100 kg bench means something very different for a 60 kg lifter than for a 120 kg lifter. LiftGauge builds them from real data, not rules of thumb.

Which standard should I compare against?

If you train at a regular gym, use the recreational (StrengthLevel) tables. If you compete or want to know your meet placement, use the competitive (OpenPowerlifting) tables. Both are shown on every page so you can see the gap.

Are these standards accurate?

They are percentiles computed directly from large real datasets (tens of millions of gym logs; hundreds of thousands of competition entries), not estimates. The main caveat is that StrengthLevel is self-reported and skews stronger than the true gym average. Method and sources at /method.

Strength standards

How strong is your squat, bench, deadlift, or total — really? These standards come from two real datasets: 153 million+ self-reported gym-log lifts (the typical gym-goer) and OpenPowerlifting competition meets (people who actually compete). Pick a lift, find your bodyweight, read the level in kg and lb.

Updated 2026-06-16 · OpenPowerlifting + StrengthLevel data

Standards by lift

Each lift has a full table by bodyweight and sex, then a detail page for every weight class.

Two honest yardsticks

Recreational (StrengthLevel). 153 million+ self-reported gym-log lifts. This is the right comparison if you train at a commercial gym — "is my lift normal?" It's self-reported, so it skews a little stronger than the average gym floor.

Competitive (OpenPowerlifting). Real results from sanctioned raw powerlifting meets, by sex and bodyweight class. This is the right comparison if you plan to compete — "where would I place?" The same lift usually ranks lower here than against gym-goers, because the room is self-selected for strength.

Is a specific lift good?

Answer the milestone questions directly — what percentile a fixed barbell is at every bodyweight:

FAQ

What are strength standards?: Strength standards are benchmarks that tell you what a given lift means at your bodyweight and sex — average, good, advanced, elite. They exist because a 100 kg bench means something very different for a 60 kg lifter than for a 120 kg lifter. LiftGauge builds them from real data, not rules of thumb.
Which standard should I compare against?: If you train at a regular gym, use the recreational (StrengthLevel) tables. If you compete or want to know your meet placement, use the competitive (OpenPowerlifting) tables. Both are shown on every page so you can see the gap.
Are these standards accurate?: They are percentiles computed directly from large real datasets (tens of millions of gym logs; hundreds of thousands of competition entries), not estimates. The main caveat is that StrengthLevel is self-reported and skews stronger than the true gym average. Method and sources at /method.

Competitive figures: OpenPowerlifting (public competition meet data (CC0), snapshot 2026-05-16, CC0). Recreational figures: StrengthLevel (153 million+ self-reported gym-log lifts; self-reported). Full method at /method. Check your own lift on the percentile calculator.