Deadlift standards for a 53 kg (117 lb) man

OpenPowerlifting records a median deadlift of 105 kg (230 lb) across 1,183 raw male meet results in the 53 kg class.

How a 53 kg man ranks in raw meet results OpenPowerlifting

This field contains 1,183 raw meet results in the 0–53 kg / 0–117 lb class. Percentiles describe recorded entries, not the general population, and repeat competitors may contribute more than one result.

At 53 kg (117 lb), Within the recorded meet results the top 10% reach 167.5 kg (370 lb), 62.5 kg (140 lb) above the median 105 kg (230 lb); the top 1% reach 201.3 kg (445 lb), a further 33.8 kg (75 lb) on top. Based on 1,183 raw meet results in this class.

The 53 kg class in the data what makes it different

Of the 96,871 raw men's deadlift entries behind these standards, 1,183 — about 1.2% — come from the 53 kg class, the thinnest qualifying cell in the men's field. It is also the lightest men's class with enough raw meet data to rank.

The step to 59 kg adds 55 kg (120 lb) (+52%) — the biggest single-class jump in the men's deadlift field.

In relative terms the median works out to 1.98× bodyweight, down from the field's per-kilo peak of 2.80× at 66 kg — the sub-linear scaling that makes the percentile, not the raw kilos, the honest comparison.

The median 53 kg man in this dataset squats 82.5 kg, benches 50 kg, and deadlifts 105 kg — a bench-to-squat ratio of 0.61 and a squat-to-deadlift ratio of 0.79. If your own ratios sit far from that, the outlier lift is usually the one with the most room to grow.

The classic milestones read differently in every class: here a 315 lb deadlift sits at roughly the 78th percentile (top 22% of meet-result entries), and a 225 lb deadlift sits at roughly the 47th percentile (stronger than 47% of meet-result entries).

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 a good raw deadlift for a 53 kg (117 lb) man?

In raw meet results at this bodyweight the median recorded deadlift is 105 kg (230 lb), the top 10% reach 167.5 kg (370 lb), and the top 1% 201.3 kg (445 lb). Source: OpenPowerlifting public competition meet data (CC0), dataset date 2026-05-10; this cell contains 1,183 meet results.

What deadlift puts me in the top 1% at 53 kg?

The 99th-percentile raw meet result for a 53 kg (117 lb) man is 201.3 kg (445 lb). The top-5% threshold starts at 182.5 kg (400 lb).

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is computed from OpenPowerlifting meet results (CC0 public dataset, dataset date 2026-05-10) for raw entries at this exact sex and bodyweight class. This cell contains 1,183 meet results; n is an entry count, not a unique-person count.

How much more do 59 kg men deadlift than 53 kg men?

At the median, 55 kg (120 lb) more — 160 kg (355 lb) versus 105 kg (230 lb). At the top-10% mark the gap is 47.5 kg (105 lb) (215 kg (475 lb) versus 167.5 kg (370 lb)). Per kilo of bodyweight the lighter class is the stronger one — which is why cross-class comparison uses percentiles or coefficients, not raw kilos.

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.