Squat standards for a 74 kg (163 lb) man
The median gym-goer at this bodyweight squats 113 kg (250 lb); an advanced lifter 147 kg (325 lb). Among raw competitors the median lifter squats 175 kg (385 lb) and the top 10% reach 222.5 kg (490 lb) — all from real data, in kg and lb.
Average squat for a 74 kg man
This is the everyday yardstick — what gym-goers who log their lifts actually squat at this bodyweight (the 66–74 kg / 146–163 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, 74 kg | in lb |
|---|---|---|
| Beginneraround a first-month lifter | 59 kg | 130 lb |
| Novicea few months of consistent training | 83 kg | 185 lb |
| Intermediatethe median logged gym-goer | 113 kg | 250 lb |
| Advancedstronger than 80% of gym-goers | 147 kg | 325 lb |
| Elitetop 5% of recreational lifters | 184 kg | 405 lb |
How a 74 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 11,963 raw lifters in the 66–74 kg / 146–163 lb class.
| Percentile | man (raw) | in lb |
|---|---|---|
| Median competitormiddle of the meet field | 175 kg | 385 lb |
| Top 25%experienced competitor | 200 kg | 440 lb |
| Top 10%regionally competitive | 222.5 kg | 490 lb |
| Top 5%nationally competitive | 235 kg | 520 lb |
| Top 1%international / record territory | 260 kg | 575 lb |
At 74 kg (163 lb) the median raw competitor lifts 62 kg (135 lb) more than the median logged gym-goer — 175 kg (385 lb) versus 113 kg (250 lb) at the 50th percentile. Within the competitive field the top 10% reach 222.5 kg (490 lb), 47.5 kg (105 lb) above the median 175 kg (385 lb); the top 1% reach 260 kg (575 lb), a further 37.5 kg (85 lb) on top.
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
- What is the average squat for a 74 kg (163 lb) man?
- Among logged gym-goers at this bodyweight, the median (50th-percentile) squat is 113 kg (250 lb). A beginner is around 59 kg (130 lb) and an advanced lifter around 147 kg (325 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 squat at 74 kg?
- "Good" depends on the room you compare against. For a recreational lifter, anything above the 147 kg (325 lb) advanced mark is strong. To rank among people who actually compete, the median raw competitor at this bodyweight lifts 175 kg (385 lb) and the top 10% reach 222.5 kg (490 lb).
- What squat puts me in the top 1% at 74 kg?
- The 99th-percentile raw competitive squat for a 74 kg (163 lb) man is 260 kg (575 lb) — international and record territory. The top 5% (nationally competitive) starts at 235 kg (520 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 24,851,640 self-reported squat 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.