Bench Press Strength Standards

Measured — competition data

How strong is your bench press? Graded Beginner → Elite for your sex, bodyweight and age. Intermediate for a 180 lb man is about 201 lb; for a 140 lb woman about 88 lb.

How do you compare?

Weight lifted (lb)

Reps

Bodyweight (lb)

Sex

Age

Claim This Standing on Strenf

Standards are benchmarks for tracking progress and finding weak points — not the last word on your training.

These thresholds are percentiles of 549,835 competitive lifters — the best successful raw (unequipped) bench press recorded for each lifter in the OpenPowerlifting competition archive. Elite = top 5% of those lifters, Advanced = top 20%, Intermediate = the 15th percentile. Beginner and Novice fall below the competitive population, so they are not measured percentiles — they are spaced by model — methodology.

Is your bench press good? Common loads, graded

Tiers below are before age adjustment. Use the calculator above for your own bodyweight, age and rep count.

A 95 lb bench press is below the Beginner standard for a 180 lb man — 43 kg, 0.53× bodyweight; 20 lb short of Beginner.
A 135 lb bench press is Beginner for a 180 lb man — 61 kg, 0.75× bodyweight; 17 lb short of Novice.
A 225 lb bench press is Intermediate for a 180 lb man — 102 kg, 1.25× bodyweight; 87 lb short of Advanced.
A 275 lb bench press is Intermediate for a 180 lb man — 125 kg, 1.53× bodyweight; 37 lb short of Advanced.
A 365 lb bench press is Elite for a 180 lb man — 166 kg, 2.03× bodyweight.
A 405 lb bench press is Elite for a 180 lb man — 184 kg, 2.25× bodyweight.
A 45 lb bench press is below the Beginner standard for a 140 lb woman — 20 kg, 0.32× bodyweight; 6 lb short of Beginner.
A 95 lb bench press is Intermediate for a 140 lb woman — 43 kg, 0.68× bodyweight; 58 lb short of Advanced.
A 135 lb bench press is Intermediate for a 140 lb woman — 61 kg, 0.96× bodyweight; 18 lb short of Advanced.
A 185 lb bench press is Advanced for a 140 lb woman — 84 kg, 1.32× bodyweight; 5 lb short of Elite.

Standards by bodyweight

Men

Bench Press strength standards for men. Each cell is the estimated one-rep max in pounds (lb) needed to reach that Strenf tier at that bodyweight in pounds (lb), before age adjustment. Percentiles of 549,835 competitive lifters in the OpenPowerlifting archive (raw, best entry per lifter). Data generated 2026-06-12.
Bodyweight (lb)	Beginner (lb)	Novice (lb)	Intermediate (lb)	Advanced (lb)	Elite (lb)
120 lb	77 lb	101 lb	134 lb	208 lb	242 lb
130 lb	83 lb	110 lb	145 lb	225 lb	262 lb
140 lb	89 lb	118 lb	156 lb	243 lb	282 lb
150 lb	96 lb	127 lb	167 lb	260 lb	302 lb
160 lb	102 lb	135 lb	179 lb	277 lb	322 lb
170 lb	109 lb	143 lb	190 lb	295 lb	342 lb
180 lb	115 lb	152 lb	201 lb	312 lb	362 lb
190 lb	121 lb	160 lb	212 lb	329 lb	382 lb
200 lb	128 lb	169 lb	223 lb	347 lb	403 lb
210 lb	134 lb	177 lb	234 lb	364 lb	423 lb
220 lb	141 lb	186 lb	246 lb	381 lb	443 lb
230 lb	147 lb	194 lb	257 lb	399 lb	463 lb
240 lb	153 lb	203 lb	268 lb	416 lb	483 lb
250 lb	160 lb	211 lb	279 lb	433 lb	503 lb
260 lb	166 lb	219 lb	290 lb	451 lb	523 lb
270 lb	173 lb	228 lb	301 lb	468 lb	544 lb
280 lb	179 lb	236 lb	312 lb	485 lb	564 lb
290 lb	185 lb	245 lb	324 lb	503 lb	584 lb
300 lb	192 lb	253 lb	335 lb	520 lb	604 lb
310 lb	198 lb	262 lb	346 lb	537 lb	624 lb

Women

Bench Press strength standards for women. Each cell is the estimated one-rep max in pounds (lb) needed to reach that Strenf tier at that bodyweight in pounds (lb), before age adjustment. Percentiles of 549,835 competitive lifters in the OpenPowerlifting archive (raw, best entry per lifter). Data generated 2026-06-12.
Bodyweight (lb)	Beginner (lb)	Novice (lb)	Intermediate (lb)	Advanced (lb)	Elite (lb)
120 lb	44 lb	58 lb	75 lb	131 lb	163 lb
130 lb	48 lb	62 lb	81 lb	142 lb	177 lb
140 lb	51 lb	67 lb	88 lb	153 lb	190 lb
150 lb	55 lb	72 lb	94 lb	164 lb	204 lb
160 lb	59 lb	77 lb	100 lb	175 lb	217 lb
170 lb	62 lb	82 lb	106 lb	185 lb	231 lb
180 lb	66 lb	86 lb	113 lb	196 lb	244 lb
190 lb	70 lb	91 lb	119 lb	207 lb	258 lb
200 lb	73 lb	96 lb	125 lb	218 lb	272 lb
210 lb	77 lb	101 lb	131 lb	229 lb	285 lb
220 lb	81 lb	106 lb	138 lb	240 lb	299 lb
230 lb	84 lb	110 lb	144 lb	251 lb	312 lb
240 lb	88 lb	115 lb	150 lb	262 lb	326 lb
250 lb	92 lb	120 lb	156 lb	273 lb	340 lb
260 lb	95 lb	125 lb	163 lb	284 lb	353 lb
270 lb	99 lb	130 lb	169 lb	295 lb	367 lb
280 lb	103 lb	134 lb	175 lb	305 lb	380 lb
290 lb	106 lb	139 lb	182 lb	316 lb	394 lb
300 lb	110 lb	144 lb	188 lb	327 lb	407 lb
310 lb	114 lb	149 lb	194 lb	338 lb	421 lb

Same standards in kilograms (kg)

Men

Bench Press strength standards for men, in kilograms. Each cell is the estimated one-rep max in kilograms (kg) needed to reach that Strenf tier at that bodyweight in kilograms (kg), before age adjustment. Converted from the pound figures above at 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. Data generated 2026-06-12.
Bodyweight (kg)	Beginner (kg)	Novice (kg)	Intermediate (kg)	Advanced (kg)	Elite (kg)
54 kg	35 kg	46 kg	61 kg	94 kg	110 kg
59 kg	38 kg	50 kg	66 kg	102 kg	119 kg
64 kg	41 kg	54 kg	71 kg	110 kg	128 kg
68 kg	43 kg	57 kg	76 kg	118 kg	137 kg
73 kg	46 kg	61 kg	81 kg	126 kg	146 kg
77 kg	49 kg	65 kg	86 kg	134 kg	155 kg
82 kg	52 kg	69 kg	91 kg	141 kg	164 kg
86 kg	55 kg	73 kg	96 kg	149 kg	173 kg
91 kg	58 kg	77 kg	101 kg	157 kg	183 kg
95 kg	61 kg	80 kg	106 kg	165 kg	192 kg
100 kg	64 kg	84 kg	111 kg	173 kg	201 kg
104 kg	67 kg	88 kg	116 kg	181 kg	210 kg
109 kg	70 kg	92 kg	121 kg	189 kg	219 kg
113 kg	72 kg	96 kg	127 kg	197 kg	228 kg
118 kg	75 kg	100 kg	132 kg	204 kg	237 kg
122 kg	78 kg	103 kg	137 kg	212 kg	247 kg
127 kg	81 kg	107 kg	142 kg	220 kg	256 kg
132 kg	84 kg	111 kg	147 kg	228 kg	265 kg
136 kg	87 kg	115 kg	152 kg	236 kg	274 kg
141 kg	90 kg	119 kg	157 kg	244 kg	283 kg

Women

Bench Press strength standards for women, in kilograms. Each cell is the estimated one-rep max in kilograms (kg) needed to reach that Strenf tier at that bodyweight in kilograms (kg), before age adjustment. Converted from the pound figures above at 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. Data generated 2026-06-12.
Bodyweight (kg)	Beginner (kg)	Novice (kg)	Intermediate (kg)	Advanced (kg)	Elite (kg)
54 kg	20 kg	26 kg	34 kg	59 kg	74 kg
59 kg	22 kg	28 kg	37 kg	64 kg	80 kg
64 kg	23 kg	30 kg	40 kg	69 kg	86 kg
68 kg	25 kg	33 kg	43 kg	74 kg	92 kg
73 kg	27 kg	35 kg	45 kg	79 kg	99 kg
77 kg	28 kg	37 kg	48 kg	84 kg	105 kg
82 kg	30 kg	39 kg	51 kg	89 kg	111 kg
86 kg	32 kg	41 kg	54 kg	94 kg	117 kg
91 kg	33 kg	44 kg	57 kg	99 kg	123 kg
95 kg	35 kg	46 kg	60 kg	104 kg	129 kg
100 kg	37 kg	48 kg	62 kg	109 kg	136 kg
104 kg	38 kg	50 kg	65 kg	114 kg	142 kg
109 kg	40 kg	52 kg	68 kg	119 kg	148 kg
113 kg	42 kg	54 kg	71 kg	124 kg	154 kg
118 kg	43 kg	57 kg	74 kg	129 kg	160 kg
122 kg	45 kg	59 kg	77 kg	134 kg	166 kg
127 kg	47 kg	61 kg	80 kg	139 kg	172 kg
132 kg	48 kg	63 kg	82 kg	144 kg	179 kg
136 kg	50 kg	65 kg	85 kg	148 kg	185 kg
141 kg	52 kg	67 kg	88 kg	153 kg	191 kg

Competition percentiles (raw, by bodyweight class)

Best successful raw lift per athlete in the OpenPowerlifting archive — p50 is the median competitive lifter in that class.

Observed competition percentiles for the bench press, by sex and bodyweight class. Every percentile value is a lift in pounds (lb); bodyweight classes are shown in pounds (lb), converted from the archive's kilograms. Population: raw (unequipped) competitors in the OpenPowerlifting archive, best successful attempt per lifter — not the general population. p50 is the median lifter in that class. n is the number of lifters in the class. No age adjustment is applied. Data generated 2026-06-12.
Class (bodyweight, lb)	p5 (lb)	p20 (lb)	p50 (lb)	p80 (lb)	p95 (lb)	Lifters (n)
Men 0–115 lb	55 lb	72 lb	110 lb	160 lb	243 lb	4,954
Men 115–123 lb	85 lb	116 lb	155 lb	204 lb	258 lb	4,845
Men 123–132 lb	110 lb	144 lb	187 lb	235 lb	281 lb	11,197
Men 132–149 lb	132 lb	171 lb	220 lb	265 lb	309 lb	29,929
Men 149–165 lb	154 lb	198 lb	243 lb	292 lb	336 lb	54,108
Men 165–182 lb	176 lb	220 lb	265 lb	314 lb	364 lb	65,507
Men 182–198 lb	187 lb	237 lb	287 lb	340 lb	391 lb	59,368
Men 198–220 lb	200 lb	254 lb	309 lb	364 lb	419 lb	68,344
Men 220–243 lb	210 lb	270 lb	331 lb	391 lb	452 lb	46,637
Men 243–276 lb	215 lb	281 lb	353 lb	419 lb	480 lb	30,924
Men 276–309 lb	215 lb	287 lb	364 lb	441 lb	507 lb	11,052
Men 309–2205 lb	220 lb	298 lb	380 lb	463 lb	535 lb	6,973
Women 0–115 lb	60 lb	77 lb	100 lb	132 lb	162 lb	18,410
Women 115–123 lb	70 lb	88 lb	115 lb	138 lb	171 lb	13,533
Women 123–132 lb	77 lb	95 lb	121 lb	149 lb	182 lb	18,291
Women 132–149 lb	83 lb	105 lb	127 lb	160 lb	193 lb	34,563
Women 149–165 lb	85 lb	110 lb	138 lb	171 lb	209 lb	28,156
Women 165–182 lb	88 lb	110 lb	138 lb	176 lb	220 lb	16,442
Women 182–198 lb	88 lb	110 lb	143 lb	176 lb	225 lb	10,185
Women 198–220 lb	90 lb	116 lb	143 lb	176 lb	220 lb	6,909
Women 220–243 lb	95 lb	121 lb	154 lb	187 lb	231 lb	4,285
Women 243–276 lb	99 lb	127 lb	157 lb	198 lb	243 lb	3,266
Women 276–309 lb	105 lb	132 lb	170 lb	209 lb	259 lb	1,338
Women 309–2205 lb	116 lb	140 lb	176 lb	225 lb	272 lb	619

Age adjustment

Age changes the bar. An Intermediate bench press for a 180 lb man is about 189 lb at 40, 177 lb at 50, and 162 lb at 60; for a 140 lb woman, about 81 lb, 75 lb, and 68 lb at the same ages.

Your lift is scaled by these multipliers before grading (derived from Masters competition data):

Age adjustment applied when grading a bench press. Each value is a dimensionless multiplier applied to the lifter's estimated one-rep max before it is compared against the tier thresholds, so a higher multiplier means a smaller lift reaches the same tier. Derived from median best lift-to-bodyweight ratio by age band among Masters competitors, relative to the 24–34 band. This is a cross-sectional comparison between age groups, not a record of individuals ageing. Bands outside the listed range are clamped to the nearest value. Data generated 2026-06-12.
Age band (years)	Men (× multiplier)	Women (× multiplier)
14-17	×1.205	×1.193
18-23	×1.012	×0.993
24-34	×1.0	×1.0
35-39	×1.042	×1.064
40-44	×1.074	×1.095
45-49	×1.109	×1.129
50-54	×1.154	×1.182
55-59	×1.194	×1.234
60-64	×1.267	×1.326
65-69	×1.344	×1.396
70-79	×1.493	×1.566

FAQ

What is a good bench press for a 180 lb man?

Around 201 lb reaches Intermediate on the Strenf ladder; 362 lb is Elite. Thresholds scale with bodyweight — see the full table.

What is a good bench press for a 140 lb woman?

Around 88 lb reaches Intermediate; 190 lb is Elite. Women's thresholds are percentiles of women's bench press results in the same competition archive, scaled for bodyweight and age.

What is a good bench press for my age?

For a 180 lb man, an Intermediate bench press is about 189 lb at 40, 177 lb at 50, and 162 lb at 60. For a 140 lb woman: 81 lb at 40, 75 lb at 50, and 68 lb at 60 — based on strength-retention curves from Masters competition results.

How are these bench press standards calculated?

Directly from percentiles of raw competition results in the OpenPowerlifting archive. Tiers run Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite, adjusted for sex, bodyweight and age.

What is the average bench press by age?

There is no trustworthy general-population average for any gym lift — no such dataset exists, and sites publishing one are averaging their own users' self-reported entries. What Strenf can tell you is where you stand among people who competed. The median (p50) competitor near 180 lb bodyweight benches about 265 lb; near 140 lb, about 127 lb. Adjusted for age, an Intermediate bench press for a 180 lb man is about 189 lb at 40, 177 lb at 50 and 162 lb at 60; for a 140 lb woman, 81 lb, 75 lb and 68 lb.

Does age affect the bench press standard?

Yes — standards are age-adjusted using strength-retention curves derived from Masters competition results, so a 55-year-old is graded against age-appropriate expectations.