What percent of women can bench 135 lb?
Among 56,646 raw female OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries, roughly 53% record 135 lb or more after each bodyweight class is weighted by its entry count. This is a competition-entry estimate, not the percentage of all women or unique people.
The meet-result answer
OpenPowerlifting — weighted meet-result share. Across n=56,646 raw female meet-result entries, roughly 53% record 135 lb or more after each bodyweight-class share is weighted by that class's entry count. n counts entries, not unique people, and this percentage does not describe all women.
135 lb bench press by female bodyweight
OpenPowerlifting percentile by raw competition class; the weighted percentage above uses each row's meet-result n.
| 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 |
Reference-class read
In the 63 kg class, 135 lb is 1.2 kg (5 lb) above the 60 kg (130 lb) median and lands around the 52nd percentile. That cell contains 8,943 meet results; the fixed load changes rank as bodyweight changes.
Where 135 lb stands in the field
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 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
- What percent of women can bench 135 lb?
- Among 56,646 raw female OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries, roughly 53% record 135 lb or more after bodyweight-class weighting. The denominator is recorded meet-result entries, not all women or unique people.
- What population does this percentage describe?
- It describes 56,646 raw female OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries across qualifying bodyweight classes. It is not an estimate for all women, gym members, or unique people.
- Does bodyweight change the answer for 135 lb?
- Yes. A fixed 135 lb bench press ranks higher for a lighter lifter and lower for a heavier lifter. Use the tables above for the closest bodyweight, or the percentile calculator for an exact sex, age, bodyweight, and equipment comparison.
- Where does this estimate come from?
- It is calculated from 56,646 raw female OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries. Each bodyweight-class percentile is converted to a share at or above the load, then weighted by that class's entry count. n is not a unique-person count.
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.