Strength Standards Calculator

See how strong you are compared with drug-tested powerlifters of your sex and age, based on one of the largest published strength datasets.

Your details

Sex
years
kg
Your one rep max (fill in any)
kg
kg
kg

Your results

Enter your sex, age, bodyweight and at least one max.

How to use it

  1. Choose your units, then enter your sex, age and bodyweight.
  2. Enter your one rep max for any of the three lifts. You don't need all three. No recent max? Estimate it with the One Rep Max Calculator.
  3. Read your ratio (lift ÷ bodyweight) and your rank for each lift.
  4. The table shows what each percentile lifts at your bodyweight, so you can pick a next target.

How it's calculated

Your ratio. For each lift, your one rep max divided by your bodyweight. A squat ratio of 2.0 means you squat twice your bodyweight.

The norms. Van den Hoek and colleagues (2024) analyzed 809,986 entries from drug-tested, unequipped powerlifting competitions worldwide (1968 to 2022). They published the ratio at every 10th percentile (deciles), by sex and by United Nations age group. The calculator uses the adult groups: 18–35, 36–59, 60–79 and 80+. The 80+ groups are small, so treat those numbers with care.

For example, the median (50th percentile) for 18 to 35-year-olds:

Lift Men Women
Squat 2.28 × bodyweight 1.72 × bodyweight
Bench press 1.56 × bodyweight 0.96 × bodyweight
Deadlift 2.63 × bodyweight 2.06 × bodyweight

Your rank. Between two published deciles, your rank is interpolated in a straight line: a ratio halfway between the 40th and 50th percentile ranks about 45th. Below the 10th or above the 90th, the calculator only says “below” or “above”.

The percentile table multiplies each decile’s ratio by your bodyweight and rounds to 2.5 kg or 5 lb.

Limits. Ratios favor lighter lifters a little, because strength doesn’t grow as fast as bodyweight. The paper also publishes norms by weight class; this calculator uses the age-group tables, which cover every bodyweight.

Sources

  1. van den Hoek, D. J., Beaumont, P. L., van den Hoek, A. K., Owen, P. J., Garrett, J. M., Buhmann, R., & Latella, C. (2024). Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting: Data from 809,986 competition entries. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 27(10), 734–742. Tables 3 and 4. CC BY 4.0.

Questions

Who am I being compared with?

People who competed in drug-tested, unequipped (raw) powerlifting meets. They train these lifts specifically, so they're much stronger than the average gym-goer. Ranking in the 20th percentile here still makes you stronger than most people who lift.

Why does age matter?

Relative strength peaks between about 18 and 35 and drops with age. Comparing a 55-year-old with 25-year-olds isn't fair, so the calculator uses the norms for your age group (18–35, 36–59, 60–79 or 80+).

Do gym lifts count the same as competition lifts?

Not quite. In competition the squat must go below parallel, the bench is paused on the chest and lifts are judged. If your gym squat is above parallel or your bench bounces, your real rank is lower than the calculator shows.

Why is there no rank below the 10th or above the 90th percentile?

The paper publishes the 10th to the 90th percentile. Beyond those, we can only say "below" or "above", because the data doesn't show how far.

Updated November 9, 2026.