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

In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median for an 83 kg man at age 40 is 186.3 kg (410 lb), and for a 63 kg woman at age 40 it is 122.5 kg (270 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 squat strongest?

In these tables the 83 kg men's median peaks at age 30 with 210 kg (465 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 squat?

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 squat by age

In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median squat for an 83 kg man is 205 kg (450 lb) at age 25 and 157.5 kg (345 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 — 9,562 age-exact meet results in total.

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

OpenPowerlifting records a median squat of 205 kg (450 lb) at age 25 versus 157.5 kg (345 lb) at age 60 for 83 kg men in raw meet results.

Median squat by age — men raw meet results

Each cell is the median recorded squat at that exact competition age and bodyweight class, from 6,901 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	157.5345 lb	175385 lb	185410 lb	207.5455 lb	210465 lb
20	175385 lb	182.5400 lb	197.5435 lb	215475 lb	225495 lb
25	175385 lb	192.5425 lb	205450 lb	220485 lb	232.5515 lb
30	175385 lb	190420 lb	210465 lb	215475 lb	235520 lb
35	—	186410 lb	197.5435 lb	204.1450 lb	222.5490 lb
40	—	166.3365 lb	186.3410 lb	220485 lb	215475 lb
45	—	—	175385 lb	187.5415 lb	200440 lb
50	—	—	167.5370 lb	190420 lb	190420 lb
55	—	—	—	178.8395 lb	185410 lb
60	—	—	157.5345 lb	176.3390 lb	187.5415 lb

Median squat by age — women raw meet results

The same exact-age medians for five women's classes from 52 to 76 kg, from 2,661 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	102.5225 lb	105230 lb	110245 lb	125275 lb	130285 lb
20	110245 lb	116.3255 lb	120265 lb	122.5270 lb	130285 lb
25	106.3235 lb	115255 lb	130285 lb	125275 lb	137.5305 lb
30	—	110245 lb	125275 lb	125275 lb	132.5290 lb
35	97.5215 lb	105.3230 lb	105230 lb	120265 lb	127.5280 lb
40	—	102.5225 lb	122.5270 lb	118260 lb	120265 lb
45	—	—	105230 lb	117.5260 lb	119260 lb
50	—	—	—	108.8240 lb	105230 lb

When is the squat strongest? peak age

In the 83 kg men's class the highest median in these tables sits at age 30 (210 kg (465 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 competition-depth back squats: the IPF Technical Rules require the hip crease to drop below the top of the knee. A high squat will read 5–10% above your meet squat, so judge yourself against the standard at legal depth. Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999 explains why the kilos rise with bodyweight while strength-per-kilo falls (PMID 10613442) — read the percentile, not just the absolute number.

FAQ

What is an average squat for a 40-year-old?: In raw OpenPowerlifting meet results, the median for an 83 kg man at age 40 is 186.3 kg (410 lb), and for a 63 kg woman at age 40 it is 122.5 kg (270 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 squat strongest?: In these tables the 83 kg men's median peaks at age 30 with 210 kg (465 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 squat?: 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.