"Average" is a tricky word when it comes to weightlifting. Fitness level, body type and exercise experience make for a lot of variation. But weightlifting standards can help you get a grasp on roughly how much weight a typical man can lift.
Beyond the bench press, you can also take a look at the current men's standards for tried-and-true tests of strength, such as the deadlift and squat. These numbers help paint a broader picture of how much weight the average American man is able to lift at different fitness experience levels.
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A Note About Language
Here at LIVESTRONG.com, we carefully consider language surrounding sex and gender. However, most exercise research still categorizes people as men or women, so we're using those terms where they are used by primary sources throughout this article.
More research is needed to more fully understand how biological differences may affect training in people taking hormones as part of gender-affirming care.
What Are Strength Standards for Men?
Strength standards are an estimate of the one-rep max weight for different types of exercises, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In any weight-lifting category, standards are based on lifts properly performed with no additional gear (except lifting belts, which are allowed).
As you look through the national standards for different lifts, keep in mind that these numbers don't exactly show how much the average man can lift, per NASM. So it's totally normal if your personal records don't exactly match the standard, as there are a lot of variables at play..
Instead, these values are a rough example of what an "average" adult man can lift, based on their body weight and experience level. Here, the data are broken down into three categories, including untrained (no prior lifting experience), novice (several months of experience) and intermediate (a few years of experience).
Why Is Body Weight a Factor?
In the lifting world, there are two main measurements of strength — relative and absolute strength. Absolute strength is the straightforward number of how much weight you can lift.
Relative strength is how much weight you can lift in relation to your body weight. So even though a 185-pound person and a 225-pound person may both be able to lift the same amount of weight (same absolute strength), the person who weighs less has a greater relative strength.
Bench Press Standards for Men by Body Weight
The bench press can serve as one indicator of your strength in other exercises, according to a small March 2013 study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. Researchers found that those who had higher max loads for the bench press also lifted more weight for at least four other exercises, including hammer curl, barbell biceps curl, overhead triceps extension and dumbbell shoulder press.
"Bench press has been a staple exercise for both testing and training the upper body strength of athletes in many professional sports including American football and basketball," write researchers, noting its consistent use as a measure for upper-body strength in numerous studies among the non-athlete population, too.
Body weight plays a key role in how much weight an individual is able to lift. The average American adult man weighs about 199 pounds, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And the average, untrained 198-pound man bench presses about 135 pounds, according to ExRx.net.
Use the chart below to get an idea of how you compare to the national average for the bench press.
National Bench Press Standards by Body Weight
Body Weight | Untrained | Novice | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|---|
148 lbs | 110 lbs | 140 lbs | 170 lbs |
165 lbs | 120 lbs | 150 lbs | 185 lbs |
181 lbs | 130 lbs | 165 lbs | 200 lbs |
198 lbs | 135 lbs | 175 lbs | 215 lbs |
220 lbs | 140 lbs | 185 lbs | 225 lbs |
242 lbs | 145 lbs | 190 lbs | 230 lbs |
275 lbs | 150 lbs | 195 lbs | 240 lbs |
319 lbs | 155 lbs | 200 lbs | 245 lbs |
320 lbs | 160 lbs | 205 lbs | 250 lbs |
Related Reading
Deadlift Standards for Men by Body Weight
In addition to the many benefits of deadlifting — like strengthening your glutes, legs and back — this classic barbell lift is a reliable and repeatable way to assess one-rep maxes, according to a small March 2018 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Use the chart below to get an idea of how you stack up against the national average deadlift, according to ExRx.net.
National Deadlift Standards by Body Weight
Body Weight | Untrained | Novice | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|---|
148 lbs | 125 lbs | 235 lbs | 270 lbs |
165 lbs | 135 lbs | 255 lbs | 295 lbs |
181 lbs | 150 lbs | 275 lbs | 315 lbs |
198 lbs | 155 lbs | 290 lbs | 335 lbs |
220 lbs | 165 lbs | 305 lbs | 350 lbs |
242 lbs | 170 lbs | 320 lbs | 365 lbs |
275 lbs | 175 lbs | 325 lbs | 375 lbs |
319 lbs | 180 lbs | 335 lbs | 380 lbs |
320 lbs | 185 lbs | 340 lbs | 390 lbs |
Squat Standards for Men by Body Weight
Alongside the bench press and deadlift, the squat is another solid indicator of overall strength, according to a small May 2015 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Researchers found the squat to be a good measure of improvements in strength and explosiveness in training for men.
You can use the chart below to get an idea of how your squats compare to the national average squat standards.
National Squat Standards by Body Weight
Body Weight | Untrained | Novice | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|---|
148 lbs | 100 lbs | 190 lbs | 230 lbs |
165 lbs | 110 lbs | 205 lbs | 250 lbs |
181 lbs | 120 lbs | 220 lbs | 270 lbs |
198 lbs | 125 lbs | 230 lbs | 285 lbs |
220 lbs | 130 lbs | 245 lbs | 300 lbs |
242 lbs | 135 lbs | 255 lbs | 310 lbs |
275 lbs | 140 lbs | 260 lbs | 320 lbs |
319 lbs | 145 lbs | 270 lbs | 325 lbs |
320 lbs | 150 lbs | 275 lbs | 330 lbs |
Overhead Press Standards for Men by Body Weight
Shoulder presses help build upper-body strength and core stability, and they can even help improve your overall posture.
Use the chart below to get an idea of the national standards for the men's overhead press.
National Overhead Press Standards by Body Weight
Body Weight | Untrained | Novice | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|---|
148 lbs | 70 lbs | 95 lbs | 120 lbs |
165 lbs | 75 lbs | 100 lbs | 130 lbs |
181 lbs | 80 lbs | 110 lbs | 140 lbs |
198 lbs | 85 lbs | 115 lbs | 145 lbs |
220 lbs | 90 lbs | 120 lbs | 155 lbs |
242 lbs | 95 lbs | 125 lbs | 160 lbs |
275 lbs | 95 lbs | 130 lbs | 165 lbs |
319 lbs | 100 lbs | 135 lbs | 170 lbs |
320 lbs | 100 lbs | 140 lbs | 175 lbs |
Beyond Average: World Records
Stepping well outside of the average, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) tracks the most exceptional weightlifters' records at the Olympic games. As per IWF rules, athletes perform a series of snatch and clean-and-jerk barbell lifts, with the best weight of each individual lift being added to an overall total.
These are the current world records for the clean and jerk.
- 55-kg (121-lb) weight class: 366 pounds, Om Yun Chol (People's Republic of Korea), 2019
- 61-kg (134-lb) weight class: 384 pounds, Eko Yuli Irawan (Indonesia), 2018
- 67-kg (148-lb) weight class: 414 pounds, Pak Jong Ju (People's Republic of Korea), 2019
- 73-kg (161-lb) weight class: 437 pounds, Shi Zhiyong (China), 2019
- 81-kg (179-lb) weight class: 459 pounds, Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria), 2021
- 96-kg (212-lb) weight class: 509 pounds, Tian Tao (China), 2019
- 109-kg (240-lb) weight class: 531 pounds, Ruslan Nurudinov (Uzbekistan), 2021
These are the current world records for the snatch.
- 61-kg (134-lb) weight class: 320 pounds, Li Fabin (China), 2019
- 67-kg (148-lb) weight class: 342 pounds, Huang Minhao (China), 2019
- 73-kg (161-lb) weight class: 371 pounds, Shi Zhiyong (China), 2021
- 81-kg (179-lb) weight class: 386 pounds, Li Dayin (China), 2021
- 96-kg (212-lb) weight class: 412 pounds, Lesman Paredes Montano (Colombia), 2021
- 109-kg (240-lb) weight class: 441 pounds, Yang Zhe (China), 2021
- ExRx.net: "Weightlifting Performance Standards"
- National Center for Health Statistics: "Body Measurements"
- ExRx.net: "Bench Press Strength Standards"
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: "Validity and Reliability of the Load-Velocity Relationship to Predict the One-Repetition Maximum in Deadlift"
- ExRx.net: "Deadlift Strength Standards"
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: "The Use of the Isometric Squat as a Measure of Strength and Explosiveness"
- ExRx.net: "Squat Strength Standards"
- Journal of Sports Science and Medicine: "Using Bench Press Load to Predict Upper Body Exercise Loads in Physically Active Individuals"
- ExRx.net: "Press Strength Standards"
- NASM: "One Rep Max (1RM) Calculator"
- IWF: "Technical and competition rules & regulations"
- IWF: "World Records"