Back Squat Strength Standards

Measured — competition data

How strong is your back squat? Graded Beginner → Elite for your sex, bodyweight and age. Intermediate for a 180 lb man is about 296 lb; for a 140 lb woman about 160 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 413,867 competitive lifters — the best successful raw (unequipped) back squat 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 back squat good? Common loads, graded

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

A 135 lb back squat is below the Beginner standard for a 180 lb man — 61 kg, 0.75× bodyweight; 35 lb short of Beginner.
A 225 lb back squat is Novice for a 180 lb man — 102 kg, 1.25× bodyweight; 71 lb short of Intermediate.
A 275 lb back squat is Novice for a 180 lb man — 125 kg, 1.53× bodyweight; 21 lb short of Intermediate.
A 365 lb back squat is Intermediate for a 180 lb man — 166 kg, 2.03× bodyweight; 89 lb short of Advanced.
A 405 lb back squat is Intermediate for a 180 lb man — 184 kg, 2.25× bodyweight; 49 lb short of Advanced.
A 495 lb back squat is Advanced for a 180 lb man — 225 kg, 2.75× bodyweight; 27 lb short of Elite.
A 95 lb back squat is Beginner for a 140 lb woman — 43 kg, 0.68× bodyweight; 22 lb short of Novice.
A 135 lb back squat is Novice for a 140 lb woman — 61 kg, 0.96× bodyweight; 25 lb short of Intermediate.
A 185 lb back squat is Intermediate for a 140 lb woman — 84 kg, 1.32× bodyweight; 86 lb short of Advanced.
A 225 lb back squat is Intermediate for a 140 lb woman — 102 kg, 1.61× bodyweight; 46 lb short of Advanced.
A 275 lb back squat is Advanced for a 140 lb woman — 125 kg, 1.96× bodyweight; 49 lb short of Elite.
A 315 lb back squat is Advanced for a 140 lb woman — 143 kg, 2.25× bodyweight; 9 lb short of Elite.

Standards by bodyweight

Men

Back Squat 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 413,867 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	114 lb	150 lb	197 lb	302 lb	348 lb
130 lb	123 lb	162 lb	213 lb	328 lb	377 lb
140 lb	132 lb	174 lb	230 lb	353 lb	406 lb
150 lb	142 lb	187 lb	246 lb	378 lb	435 lb
160 lb	151 lb	199 lb	263 lb	403 lb	464 lb
170 lb	161 lb	212 lb	279 lb	428 lb	493 lb
180 lb	170 lb	224 lb	296 lb	454 lb	522 lb
190 lb	180 lb	237 lb	312 lb	479 lb	551 lb
200 lb	189 lb	249 lb	328 lb	504 lb	580 lb
210 lb	199 lb	262 lb	345 lb	529 lb	609 lb
220 lb	208 lb	274 lb	361 lb	554 lb	638 lb
230 lb	218 lb	287 lb	378 lb	580 lb	667 lb
240 lb	227 lb	299 lb	394 lb	605 lb	696 lb
250 lb	236 lb	312 lb	410 lb	630 lb	725 lb
260 lb	246 lb	324 lb	427 lb	655 lb	754 lb
270 lb	255 lb	336 lb	443 lb	680 lb	783 lb
280 lb	265 lb	349 lb	460 lb	706 lb	812 lb
290 lb	274 lb	361 lb	476 lb	731 lb	841 lb
300 lb	284 lb	374 lb	493 lb	756 lb	870 lb
310 lb	293 lb	386 lb	509 lb	781 lb	899 lb

Women

Back Squat 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 413,867 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	73 lb	100 lb	137 lb	233 lb	278 lb
130 lb	79 lb	108 lb	148 lb	252 lb	301 lb
140 lb	86 lb	117 lb	160 lb	271 lb	324 lb
150 lb	92 lb	125 lb	171 lb	291 lb	348 lb
160 lb	98 lb	133 lb	182 lb	310 lb	371 lb
170 lb	104 lb	142 lb	194 lb	330 lb	394 lb
180 lb	110 lb	150 lb	205 lb	349 lb	417 lb
190 lb	116 lb	158 lb	217 lb	368 lb	440 lb
200 lb	122 lb	167 lb	228 lb	388 lb	463 lb
210 lb	128 lb	175 lb	239 lb	407 lb	487 lb
220 lb	134 lb	183 lb	251 lb	427 lb	510 lb
230 lb	141 lb	192 lb	262 lb	446 lb	533 lb
240 lb	147 lb	200 lb	274 lb	465 lb	556 lb
250 lb	153 lb	208 lb	285 lb	485 lb	579 lb
260 lb	159 lb	217 lb	296 lb	504 lb	602 lb
270 lb	165 lb	225 lb	308 lb	524 lb	626 lb
280 lb	171 lb	234 lb	319 lb	543 lb	649 lb
290 lb	177 lb	242 lb	331 lb	562 lb	672 lb
300 lb	183 lb	250 lb	342 lb	582 lb	695 lb
310 lb	189 lb	259 lb	353 lb	601 lb	718 lb

Same standards in kilograms (kg)

Men

Back Squat 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	51 kg	68 kg	89 kg	137 kg	158 kg
59 kg	56 kg	73 kg	97 kg	149 kg	171 kg
64 kg	60 kg	79 kg	104 kg	160 kg	184 kg
68 kg	64 kg	85 kg	112 kg	171 kg	197 kg
73 kg	69 kg	90 kg	119 kg	183 kg	210 kg
77 kg	73 kg	96 kg	127 kg	194 kg	224 kg
82 kg	77 kg	102 kg	134 kg	206 kg	237 kg
86 kg	82 kg	107 kg	142 kg	217 kg	250 kg
91 kg	86 kg	113 kg	149 kg	229 kg	263 kg
95 kg	90 kg	119 kg	156 kg	240 kg	276 kg
100 kg	94 kg	124 kg	164 kg	251 kg	289 kg
104 kg	99 kg	130 kg	171 kg	263 kg	302 kg
109 kg	103 kg	136 kg	179 kg	274 kg	316 kg
113 kg	107 kg	141 kg	186 kg	286 kg	329 kg
118 kg	112 kg	147 kg	194 kg	297 kg	342 kg
122 kg	116 kg	153 kg	201 kg	309 kg	355 kg
127 kg	120 kg	158 kg	209 kg	320 kg	368 kg
132 kg	124 kg	164 kg	216 kg	331 kg	381 kg
136 kg	129 kg	170 kg	223 kg	343 kg	394 kg
141 kg	133 kg	175 kg	231 kg	354 kg	408 kg

Women

Back Squat 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	33 kg	45 kg	62 kg	106 kg	126 kg
59 kg	36 kg	49 kg	67 kg	114 kg	137 kg
64 kg	39 kg	53 kg	72 kg	123 kg	147 kg
68 kg	42 kg	57 kg	78 kg	132 kg	158 kg
73 kg	44 kg	61 kg	83 kg	141 kg	168 kg
77 kg	47 kg	64 kg	88 kg	150 kg	179 kg
82 kg	50 kg	68 kg	93 kg	158 kg	189 kg
86 kg	53 kg	72 kg	98 kg	167 kg	200 kg
91 kg	55 kg	76 kg	103 kg	176 kg	210 kg
95 kg	58 kg	79 kg	109 kg	185 kg	221 kg
100 kg	61 kg	83 kg	114 kg	193 kg	231 kg
104 kg	64 kg	87 kg	119 kg	202 kg	242 kg
109 kg	67 kg	91 kg	124 kg	211 kg	252 kg
113 kg	69 kg	95 kg	129 kg	220 kg	263 kg
118 kg	72 kg	98 kg	134 kg	229 kg	273 kg
122 kg	75 kg	102 kg	140 kg	237 kg	284 kg
127 kg	78 kg	106 kg	145 kg	246 kg	294 kg
132 kg	80 kg	110 kg	150 kg	255 kg	305 kg
136 kg	83 kg	113 kg	155 kg	264 kg	315 kg
141 kg	86 kg	117 kg	160 kg	273 kg	326 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 back squat, 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	72 lb	110 lb	154 lb	220 lb	281 lb	2,568
Men 115–123 lb	127 lb	176 lb	230 lb	287 lb	344 lb	2,783
Men 123–132 lb	155 lb	215 lb	276 lb	347 lb	408 lb	7,366
Men 132–149 lb	187 lb	254 lb	325 lb	386 lb	448 lb	20,538
Men 149–165 lb	226 lb	298 lb	364 lb	430 lb	491 lb	39,235
Men 165–182 lb	259 lb	331 lb	397 lb	463 lb	525 lb	49,081
Men 182–198 lb	270 lb	350 lb	419 lb	485 lb	551 lb	41,899
Men 198–220 lb	298 lb	375 lb	446 lb	518 lb	590 lb	50,912
Men 220–243 lb	314 lb	397 lb	474 lb	551 lb	628 lb	34,023
Men 243–276 lb	314 lb	408 lb	502 lb	584 lb	672 lb	21,618
Men 276–309 lb	315 lb	419 lb	515 lb	610 lb	705 lb	7,626
Men 309–2205 lb	320 lb	440 lb	546 lb	661 lb	773 lb	5,008
Women 0–115 lb	95 lb	138 lb	182 lb	226 lb	276 lb	14,133
Women 115–123 lb	121 lb	160 lb	204 lb	248 lb	292 lb	10,604
Women 123–132 lb	132 lb	176 lb	220 lb	265 lb	309 lb	14,809
Women 132–149 lb	143 lb	187 lb	234 lb	281 lb	331 lb	29,876
Women 149–165 lb	154 lb	198 lb	254 lb	303 lb	358 lb	24,628
Women 165–182 lb	154 lb	204 lb	259 lb	314 lb	375 lb	14,300
Women 182–198 lb	154 lb	209 lb	265 lb	325 lb	391 lb	8,753
Women 198–220 lb	154 lb	209 lb	270 lb	331 lb	397 lb	6,094
Women 220–243 lb	165 lb	220 lb	281 lb	347 lb	410 lb	3,681
Women 243–276 lb	165 lb	226 lb	298 lb	369 lb	441 lb	2,766
Women 276–309 lb	159 lb	237 lb	314 lb	397 lb	468 lb	1,116
Women 309–2205 lb	179 lb	237 lb	314 lb	408 lb	510 lb	450

Age adjustment

Age changes the bar. An Intermediate back squat for a 180 lb man is about 279 lb at 40, 260 lb at 50, and 239 lb at 60; for a 140 lb woman, about 147 lb, 137 lb, and 124 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 back squat. 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 back squat for a 180 lb man?

Around 296 lb reaches Intermediate on the Strenf ladder; 522 lb is Elite. Thresholds scale with bodyweight — see the full table.

What is a good back squat for a 140 lb woman?

Around 160 lb reaches Intermediate; 324 lb is Elite. Women's thresholds are percentiles of women's back squat results in the same competition archive, scaled for bodyweight and age.

What is a good back squat for my age?

For a 180 lb man, an Intermediate back squat is about 279 lb at 40, 260 lb at 50, and 239 lb at 60. For a 140 lb woman: 147 lb at 40, 137 lb at 50, and 124 lb at 60 — based on strength-retention curves from Masters competition results.

How are these back squat 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 back squat 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 397 lb; near 140 lb, about 234 lb. Adjusted for age, an Intermediate back squat for a 180 lb man is about 279 lb at 40, 260 lb at 50 and 239 lb at 60; for a 140 lb woman, 147 lb, 137 lb and 124 lb.

Does age affect the back squat 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.