Masheen

Numbers and scores

Strength standards

Also called strength levels, strength level, lifting standards, novice intermediate advanced

Strength standards are tables that sort a lift into named levels, such as novice, intermediate and advanced, by how the weight compares with bodyweight.

kgUntrained40Novice80Intermediate100Advanced140Elite160
Intermediate: 100 kg. An 80 kg man's bench press: Untrained from 40 kg, Novice 80 kg, Intermediate 100 kg, Advanced 140 kg, Elite 160 kg.

In plain words

A standards table takes your best lift, measures it against your bodyweight, and gives the result a name. There is no single official table. Different sites publish different ones: some are built from logged lifts or competition results, some are rules of thumb. The level names are shared; the numbers are not. Masheen's are rules of thumb: fixed multiples of bodyweight, one table for men and one for women, covering the squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press and barbell row. The app says as much on the screen: these levels come from bodyweight multiples, not population data. The lift is taken as a one-rep max.

An example

Masheen's men's bench press levels start at 0.5, 1.0, 1.25, 1.75 and 2.0 times bodyweight. For an 80 kg man that is Untrained from 40 kg, Novice from 80 kg, Intermediate from 100 kg, Advanced from 140 kg and Elite from 160 kg. So a 105 kg bench press reads as Intermediate, with 35 kg to go to Advanced. The women's table uses 0.35, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25.

Often confused with

DOTS DOTS gives one score for a whole total, allowing for bodyweight; strength standards put a single lift into a named level.
One-rep max A one-rep max, or 1RM, is the heaviest weight you can lift for one full rep of an exercise, and no more.
Estimated 1RM An estimated 1RM, or e1RM, is a calculated guess at your one-rep max, worked out from a set of several reps with a formula instead of a heavy single.
DOTS DOTS is a points score from a weight lifted, usually a powerlifting total, and the lifter's bodyweight, so lifters of different sizes can be compared.
Powerlifting total A powerlifting total is the sum of your best squat, best bench press and best deadlift, each a single rep.

Updated . How these pages are researched and corrected: editorial policy. Every term in the glossary.