Deadlift standards for a 53 kg (117 lb) man
The median gym-goer at this bodyweight deadlifts 93 kg (205 lb); an advanced lifter 125 kg (275 lb). Among raw competitors the median lifter deadlifts 105 kg (230 lb) and the top 10% reach 167.5 kg (370 lb) — all from real data, in kg and lb.
Average deadlift for a 53 kg man
This is the everyday yardstick — what gym-goers who log their lifts actually deadlift at this bodyweight (the 0–53 kg / 0–117 lb band). Source: StrengthLevel (153 million+ self-reported gym-log lifts); self-reported, so it skews a little stronger than a typical gym floor.
| Level | man, 53 kg | in lb |
|---|---|---|
| Beginneraround a first-month lifter | 44 kg | 95 lb |
| Novicea few months of consistent training | 65 kg | 145 lb |
| Intermediatethe median logged gym-goer | 93 kg | 205 lb |
| Advancedstronger than 80% of gym-goers | 125 kg | 275 lb |
| Elitetop 5% of recreational lifters | 160 kg | 355 lb |
How a 53 kg man ranks among competitors
If you compete (or want to know where you'd land at a raw meet), this is the field. Based on 1,202 raw lifters in the 0–53 kg / 0–117 lb class.
| Percentile | man (raw) | in lb |
|---|---|---|
| Median competitormiddle of the meet field | 105 kg | 230 lb |
| Top 25%experienced competitor | 137.5 kg | 305 lb |
| Top 10%regionally competitive | 167.5 kg | 370 lb |
| Top 5%nationally competitive | 182.5 kg | 400 lb |
| Top 1%international / record territory | 201 kg | 445 lb |
At 53 kg (117 lb) the median raw competitor lifts 12 kg (25 lb) more than the median logged gym-goer — 105 kg (230 lb) versus 93 kg (205 lb) at the 50th percentile. Within the competitive field 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 kg (445 lb), a further 33.5 kg (75 lb) on top.
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 the average deadlift for a 53 kg (117 lb) man?
- Among logged gym-goers at this bodyweight, the median (50th-percentile) deadlift is 93 kg (205 lb). A beginner is around 44 kg (95 lb) and an advanced lifter around 125 kg (275 lb). Source: StrengthLevel, 153 million+ self-reported gym-log lifts; self-reported, so the population skews stronger than a typical gym floor.
- What counts as a good deadlift at 53 kg?
- "Good" depends on the room you compare against. For a recreational lifter, anything above the 125 kg (275 lb) advanced mark is strong. To rank among people who actually compete, the median raw competitor at this bodyweight lifts 105 kg (230 lb) and the top 10% reach 167.5 kg (370 lb).
- What deadlift puts me in the top 1% at 53 kg?
- The 99th-percentile raw competitive deadlift for a 53 kg (117 lb) man is 201 kg (445 lb) — international and record territory. The top 5% (nationally competitive) starts at 182.5 kg (400 lb).
- Where does this data come from?
- Competitive figures are real OpenPowerlifting meet results (CC0 public dataset, snapshot 2026-05-16) for raw lifters at this exact sex and bodyweight class; the gym-goer figures are from StrengthLevel's 22,866,078 self-reported deadlift logs. No numbers are estimated — every figure is a percentile from the underlying sample.
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.