What is an average deadlift for a 40-year-old?

In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median for an 83 kg man at age 40 is 217.5 kg (480 lb), and for a 63 kg woman at age 40 it is 142.5 kg (315 lb). Bodyweight moves these medians more than a few years of age does — read your own class in the tables above.

At what age is the deadlift strongest?

In these tables the 83 kg men's median peaks at age 30 with 245 kg (540 lb). Bodyweight-adjusted, the DOTS median across all classes peaks at age 28 for men and 23 for women and declines roughly 21% and 22% by age 60.

Why do some ages show a dash?

A dash is a cell with fewer than 30 recorded meet results at that exact age and bodyweight class. Publishing a median from a thinner cell would be noise, so the table fails closed instead. n counts meet-result entries, not unique people.

Do these averages describe everyone who trains the deadlift?

No. Every number is the median of recorded raw OpenPowerlifting meet results at an exact competition age — people who entered a sanctioned meet. The general training population is weaker on average than meet entrants, so treat these as competition medians, not gym norms.

Average deadlift by age

In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median deadlift for an 83 kg man is 232.5 kg (515 lb) at age 25 and 183.8 kg (405 lb) at age 60. The tables below track the recorded median at twelve competition ages from 18 to 70, per bodyweight class and sex, in kg and lb — 11,250 age-exact meet results in total.

Updated 2026-07-26 · OpenPowerlifting meet-result data

OpenPowerlifting records a median deadlift of 232.5 kg (515 lb) at age 25 versus 183.8 kg (405 lb) at age 60 for 83 kg men in raw meet results.

Median deadlift by age — men raw meet results

Each cell is the median recorded deadlift at that exact competition age and bodyweight class, from 8,066 raw meet results across the shown cells. A dash means fewer than 30 meet results at that age and class — the cube refuses to publish a median there. n counts entries, not unique people.

Age	66 kg 146 lb	74 kg 163 lb	83 kg 183 lb	93 kg 205 lb	105 kg 231 lb
18	190420 lb	205450 lb	215475 lb	227.5500 lb	226.1500 lb
20	201.3445 lb	205450 lb	227.5500 lb	235520 lb	245540 lb
25	207.5455 lb	220485 lb	232.5515 lb	245540 lb	257.5570 lb
30	207.5455 lb	217.5480 lb	245540 lb	242.5535 lb	255560 lb
35	206.3455 lb	216.3475 lb	235520 lb	231.3510 lb	254.9560 lb
40	—	200440 lb	217.5480 lb	244540 lb	250550 lb
45	—	—	212.5470 lb	230505 lb	237.5525 lb
50	—	—	205450 lb	220485 lb	227.5500 lb
55	—	—	197.5435 lb	220485 lb	216.3475 lb
60	—	—	183.8405 lb	200440 lb	218.8480 lb
65	—	—	215475 lb	182.5400 lb	—
70	—	—	175385 lb	—	—

Median deadlift by age — women raw meet results

The same exact-age medians for five women's classes from 52 to 76 kg, from 3,184 raw meet results. Women's meet participation skews younger, so the honest table is shorter — dashes mark ages the data cannot support.

Age	52 kg 115 lb	57 kg 126 lb	63 kg 139 lb	69 kg 152 lb	76 kg 168 lb
18	120265 lb	120265 lb	130285 lb	140310 lb	142.5315 lb
20	122.5270 lb	130285 lb	140310 lb	142.5315 lb	145320 lb
25	137.5305 lb	137.5305 lb	147.5325 lb	147.5325 lb	157.5345 lb
30	132.5290 lb	135300 lb	147.5325 lb	150330 lb	157.5345 lb
35	110245 lb	138.8305 lb	130285 lb	145320 lb	146.3325 lb
40	—	125275 lb	142.5315 lb	141.5310 lb	142.5315 lb
45	—	118.8260 lb	125275 lb	165365 lb	137.5305 lb
50	—	—	130285 lb	145320 lb	140310 lb
55	—	—	—	148.8330 lb	130285 lb

When is the deadlift strongest? peak age

In the 83 kg men's class the highest median in these tables sits at age 30 (245 kg (540 lb)). Adjusted for bodyweight across every class, the DOTS median over 441,789 exact-age raw full-power meet results peaks at age 28 for men and 23 for women, and by age 60 sits about 21% and 22% below those peaks. Map your own result onto that curve with the strength age calculator.

These are dead-stop pulls; raw competition allows both conventional and sumo stance on the same scoreboard, so the standard pools them. Dead-stop is the meet standard — touch-and-go reps use the stretch reflex off the floor and read higher than a competition pull. Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999 is why the deadlift standard climbs with bodyweight while strength-per-kilo falls (PMID 10613442).

FAQ

What is an average deadlift for a 40-year-old?: In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median for an 83 kg man at age 40 is 217.5 kg (480 lb), and for a 63 kg woman at age 40 it is 142.5 kg (315 lb). Bodyweight moves these medians more than a few years of age does — read your own class in the tables above.
At what age is the deadlift strongest?: In these tables the 83 kg men's median peaks at age 30 with 245 kg (540 lb). Bodyweight-adjusted, the DOTS median across all classes peaks at age 28 for men and 23 for women and declines roughly 21% and 22% by age 60.
Why do some ages show a dash?: A dash is a cell with fewer than 30 recorded meet results at that exact age and bodyweight class. Publishing a median from a thinner cell would be noise, so the table fails closed instead. n counts meet-result entries, not unique people.
Do these averages describe everyone who trains the deadlift?: No. Every number is the median of recorded raw OpenPowerlifting meet results at an exact competition age — people who entered a sanctioned meet. The general training population is weaker on average than meet entrants, so treat these as competition medians, not gym norms.

Figures: OpenPowerlifting (public competition meet data (CC0), dataset date 2026-05-10). Cell n is a meet-result count, not a unique-person count. Full method at /method. Check your own lift on the percentile calculator.