Is a 135 lb bench press good?
Weighted across 107,887 OpenPowerlifting raw male meet results, roughly 92% record 135 lb (61 kg) or more. This is not a population-prevalence estimate: the denominator is competition entries, n is not a unique-person count, and repeat competitors may contribute more than one result. Bodyweight changes the percentile sharply, so the tables below keep each men's and women's class separate, flag loads beyond the cube's highest breakpoint, and show kilograms beside pounds. Use your class as the answer, then open the percentile calculator for age, equipment, and exact-bodyweight controls.
In OpenPowerlifting, roughly 92% of 107,887 raw male meet results record 135 lb or more after bodyweight-class percentiles are weighted by entry count.
135 lb bench press for men
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 53 kg 117 lb | 66th | stronger than 66% of raw meet results |
| 59 kg 130 lb | 20th | stronger than 20% of raw meet results |
| 66 kg 146 lb | 10th | stronger than 10% of raw meet results |
| 74 kg 163 lb | 8th | stronger than 8% of raw meet results |
| 83 kg 183 lb | 7th | stronger than 7% of raw meet results |
| 93 kg 205 lb | 6th | stronger than 6% of raw meet results |
| 105 kg 231 lb | 6th | stronger than 6% of raw meet results |
| 120 kg 265 lb | 6th | stronger than 6% of raw meet results |
| 140 kg+ 309 lb | 6th | stronger than 6% of raw meet results |
135 lb bench press for women
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 43 kg 95 lb | 97th | top 3% of raw meet results |
| 47 kg 104 lb | 79th | top 21% of raw meet results |
| 52 kg 115 lb | 72nd | stronger than 72% of raw meet results |
| 57 kg 126 lb | 57th | stronger than 57% of raw meet results |
| 63 kg 139 lb | 52nd | stronger than 52% of raw meet results |
| 69 kg 152 lb | 42nd | stronger than 42% of raw meet results |
| 76 kg 168 lb | 39th | stronger than 39% of raw meet results |
| 84 kg 185 lb | 38th | stronger than 38% of raw meet results |
| 120 kg+ 265 lb | 35th | stronger than 35% of raw meet results |
Where 135 lb stands in the field
For men, a 135 lb bench press is at or below the field median from 59 kg up.
For women, a 135 lb bench press is a top-10% lift up to the 43 kg class, top-quartile through 47 kg, at or below the field median from 63 kg up.
Weighted across 107,887 raw male meet results, roughly 92% record 135 lb or more. Weighted across 56,646 raw female meet results, roughly 53% record 135 lb or more.
Competition bench is paused on the chest; a touch-and-go rep inflates the number by 3–6% from the chest-bounce. The standards below are raw (no bench shirt). Because Strength scales sub-linearly with bodyweight — heavier lifters lift more in absolute terms but less per kilo of bodyweight (Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999 (PMID 10613442)), the most honest read of "is this good" is your percentile at your bodyweight, not the raw kilos.
FAQ
- Is a 135 lb bench press good?
- It depends on bodyweight. A 135 lb bench press ranks much higher in lighter classes than heavier classes. The tables on this page give the percentile at every qualifying bodyweight class in OpenPowerlifting raw meet results.
- 135 lb bench press — what bodyweight makes it impressive?
- Read down the bodyweight column: the lighter you are, the higher the percentile a fixed 135 lb bench press represents, because Strength scales sub-linearly with bodyweight — heavier lifters lift more in absolute terms but less per kilo of bodyweight (Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999, PMID 10613442). The same bar is a top-tier lift at one bodyweight and a working set at another.
- What population does this comparison represent?
- OpenPowerlifting raw meet results, separated by sex and bodyweight class. It describes recorded competition entries rather than population prevalence, and n is a meet-result count rather than a unique-person count.
- How rare is a 135 lb bench press?
- Among 107,887 raw male OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries, roughly 92% record 135 lb or more after bodyweight-class weighting. Among 56,646 female entries, roughly 53% do. The denominator is competition entries, not the general population — prevalence among all gym-goers is lower than either figure.
- Is benching 135 lb impressive?
- It depends on bodyweight. In raw male meet results 135 lb reads around the 66th percentile in the 53 kg class and the 6th in the 140 kg+ class. The tables above give every class in between, for men and women.
- How many plates is 135 lb?
- On a standard 45 lb barbell, 135 lb is one 45 lb plate per side — "one plate" in gym shorthand. The total includes the bar: 1 × 45 lb × 2 + 45 lb = 135 lb.
- What percentage of meet results record 135 lb?
- Weighted across 107,887 raw male meet results, roughly 92% record 135 lb or more. Weighted across 56,646 raw female meet results, roughly 53% record 135 lb or more. The share is computed from per-bodyweight-class percentiles weighted by each class's meet-result count in the OpenPowerlifting raw dataset. n counts entries, not unique people, and the result is not a population survey estimate.
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.