LiftGauge

Is a 185 lb bench press good?

Short answer: it depends on bodyweight. A 185 lb (84 kg) bench press is elite for a lighter lifter and ordinary for a heavyweight. Here's the exact percentile at every bodyweight, against gym-goers and against competitors.

· OpenPowerlifting + StrengthLevel data

185 lb bench press for men percentile by bodyweight

Versus recreational gym-goers (StrengthLevel):

BodyweightPercentileReads as
50 kg 110 lb83thtop 25%
55 kg 121 lb76thtop 25%
60 kg 132 lb65thtop 50%
65 kg 143 lb56thtop 50%
70 kg 154 lb49thtop 75%
75 kg 165 lb40thtop 75%
80 kg 176 lb32thtop 75%
85 kg 187 lb26thtop 75%
90 kg 198 lb20thtop 90%
95 kg 209 lb17thtop 90%
100 kg 220 lb13thtop 90%
105 kg 231 lb11thtop 90%
110 kg 243 lb7thbottom 10%
115 kg 254 lb5thbottom 10%
120 kg 265 lb5thbottom 10%
125 kg 276 lb5thbottom 10%
130 kg 287 lb4thbottom 10%
135 kg 298 lb4thbottom 10%
140 kg 309 lb4thbottom 10%

Versus raw competitors (OpenPowerlifting):

BodyweightPercentileReads as
53 kg 117 lb87thtop 25%
59 kg 130 lb52thtop 50%
66 kg 146 lb30thtop 75%
74 kg 163 lb15thtop 90%
83 kg 183 lb9thbottom 10%
93 kg 205 lb9thbottom 10%
105 kg 231 lb8thbottom 10%
120 kg 265 lb8thbottom 10%
140 kg+ 309 lb8thbottom 10%

185 lb bench press for women percentile by bodyweight

Versus recreational gym-goers (StrengthLevel):

BodyweightPercentileReads as
40 kg 88 lb95th+top 5% or stronger
45 kg 99 lb95th+top 5% or stronger
50 kg 110 lb95th+top 5% or stronger
55 kg 121 lb93thtop 10%
60 kg 132 lb90thtop 25%
65 kg 143 lb87thtop 25%
70 kg 154 lb85thtop 25%
75 kg 165 lb83thtop 25%
80 kg 176 lb81thtop 25%
85 kg 187 lb77thtop 25%
90 kg 198 lb74thtop 50%
95 kg 209 lb70thtop 50%
100 kg 220 lb67thtop 50%
105 kg 231 lb64thtop 50%
110 kg 243 lb61thtop 50%
115 kg 254 lb59thtop 50%
120 kg 265 lb55thtop 50%

Versus raw competitors (OpenPowerlifting):

BodyweightPercentileReads as
43 kg 95 lb99th+top 1% or stronger
47 kg 104 lb97thtop 5%
52 kg 115 lb95thtop 5%
57 kg 126 lb93thtop 10%
63 kg 139 lb89thtop 25%
69 kg 152 lb83thtop 25%
76 kg 168 lb79thtop 25%
84 kg 185 lb76thtop 25%
120 kg+ 265 lb73thtop 50%

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 185 lb bench press good?
It depends entirely on bodyweight. A 185 lb bench press is elite for a lightweight lifter and average-to-good for a heavyweight. The tables on this page give the exact percentile at every bodyweight, against both recreational gym-goers (StrengthLevel) and competitive powerlifters (OpenPowerlifting).
185 lb bench press — what bodyweight makes it impressive?
Read down the bodyweight column: the lighter you are, the higher the percentile a fixed 185 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.
Is the comparison against gym-goers or competitors?
Both, side by side. The recreational percentile uses StrengthLevel's self-reported logs — the right yardstick if you train at a commercial gym. The competitive percentile uses OpenPowerlifting meet data — the yardstick if you plan to compete. The same lift usually ranks higher against gym-goers than against competitors.

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.