Is a 180 kg squat good?
Weighted across 87,749 OpenPowerlifting raw male meet results, roughly 63% record 180 kg (395 lb) 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 63% of 87,749 raw male meet results record 180 kg or more after bodyweight-class percentiles are weighted by entry count.
Exact-load note. 180 kg is 397 lb; it is not the same load as the nearby 405 lb milestone (3.7 kg difference). This page answers the exact 180 kg query. If that other load is on your bar, use the 405 lb squat page.
180 kg squat for men
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 53 kg 117 lb | 99th | top 1% of raw meet results |
| 59 kg 130 lb | 88th | top 12% of raw meet results |
| 66 kg 146 lb | 75th | top 25% of raw meet results |
| 74 kg 163 lb | 55th | stronger than 55% of raw meet results |
| 83 kg 183 lb | 40th | stronger than 40% of raw meet results |
| 93 kg 205 lb | 29th | stronger than 29% of raw meet results |
| 105 kg 231 lb | 23rd | stronger than 23% of raw meet results |
| 120 kg 265 lb | 19th | stronger than 19% of raw meet results |
| 140 kg+ 309 lb | 18th | stronger than 18% of raw meet results |
180 kg squat for women
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 43 kg 95 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 47 kg 104 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 52 kg 115 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 57 kg 126 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 63 kg 139 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 69 kg 152 lb | 97th | top 3% of raw meet results |
| 76 kg 168 lb | 95th | top 5% of raw meet results |
| 84 kg 185 lb | 95th | top 5% of raw meet results |
| 120 kg+ 265 lb | 90th | top 10% of raw meet results |
Where 180 kg stands in the field
For men, a 180 kg squat is a top-10% lift up to the 53 kg class, top-quartile through 66 kg, at or below the field median from 74 kg up.
For women, a 180 kg squat stays a top-10% lift at every recorded bodyweight, from 43 kg to 120 kg+.
Weighted across 87,749 raw male meet results, roughly 63% record 180 kg or more. Weighted across 48,720 raw female meet results, fewer than 4% record 180 kg or more.
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
- Is a 180 kg squat good?
- It depends on bodyweight. A 180 kg squat 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.
- 180 kg squat — what bodyweight makes it impressive?
- Read down the bodyweight column: the lighter you are, the higher the percentile a fixed 180 kg squat 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 180 kg squat?
- Among 87,749 raw male OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries, roughly 63% record 180 kg or more after bodyweight-class weighting. Among 48,720 female entries, fewer than 4% do. The denominator is competition entries, not the general population — prevalence among all gym-goers is lower than either figure.
- Is squatting 180 kg impressive?
- It depends on bodyweight. In raw male meet results 180 kg reads around the 99th percentile in the 53 kg class and the 18th in the 140 kg+ class. The tables above give every class in between, for men and women.
- What percentage of meet results record 180 kg?
- Weighted across 87,749 raw male meet results, roughly 63% record 180 kg or more. Weighted across 48,720 raw female meet results, fewer than 4% record 180 kg 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.