Masheen

Tools

Bench press standards by bodyweight

As a rule of thumb, these bands start a man's Novice bench press at 1 × bodyweight, Intermediate at 1.25 ×, Advanced at 1.75 × and Elite at 2 ×. For a woman the marks are 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25 ×. Type your bodyweight and best set to see your level and the next one. The multiples are round numbers from the Masheen app, not measurements.

Sex
Unit
kg lb

Used only to pick the multiples.

Bodyweight

Your best set

for

Your level Rule of thumb

Novice

1.17 × bodyweight

67% of the way from Novice to Intermediate

80 kg for 5 reps is an estimated max of 93.3 kg. At a bodyweight of 80 kg that is 1.17 × bodyweight. On these rule-of-thumb bands that is Novice for the bench press (men). Intermediate starts at 100 kg for you, 6.7 kg above your max.

A rule of thumb, not a measurement. Each level is a fixed multiple of bodyweight. Nobody measured a group of lifters to set these marks, and they do not compare you with anyone.

The five levels at your bodyweight

  1. Untrained from 40 kg

    0.50 × bodyweight

  2. Novice Your level from 80 kg

    1.00 × bodyweight

  3. Intermediate from 100 kg

    1.25 × bodyweight

  4. Advanced from 140 kg

    1.75 × bodyweight

  5. Elite from 160 kg

    2.00 × bodyweight

Each bar is one level, loaded for a bodyweight of 80 kg and drawn at the nearest weight a 20 kg bar and standard plates can make. The levels are rules of thumb, not measurements.

The next level

Intermediate starts at 100 kg for you, 6.7 kg above your max.

On the bar now: 25 + 10 + 1.25 per side, 92.5 kg in all.

To add: 2.5 + 1.25 per side. The bar then reads 100 kg.

Which bench press counts

In the Masheen app this band reads the flat barbell bench press, with a standard or a wide grip. Incline and decline presses are a different lift and are left out.

The table below multiplies a range of bodyweights by the bench press multiples. It answers "how much should I bench at 180 lb" with a rule of thumb and nothing more.

Each cell is a bodyweight times the multiple for that level. Find the row nearest your bodyweight. The numbers are rules of thumb, not measurements.

Bench press levels by bodyweight, men, in lb. Rule-of-thumb weights where each level starts.
Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
130 lb 65 130 162.5 227.5 260
150 lb 75 150 187.5 262.5 300
170 lb 85 170 212.5 297.5 340
190 lb 95 190 237.5 332.5 380
210 lb 105 210 262.5 367.5 420
230 lb 115 230 287.5 402.5 460
250 lb 125 250 312.5 437.5 500
270 lb 135 270 337.5 472.5 540
Bench press levels by bodyweight, men, in kg. Rule-of-thumb weights where each level starts.
Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
60 kg 30 60 75 105 120
70 kg 35 70 87.5 122.5 140
80 kg 40 80 100 140 160
90 kg 45 90 112.5 157.5 180
100 kg 50 100 125 175 200
110 kg 55 110 137.5 192.5 220
120 kg 60 120 150 210 240
130 kg 65 130 162.5 227.5 260
Bench press levels by bodyweight, women, in lb. Rule-of-thumb weights where each level starts.
Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
100 lb 35 50 75 100 125
120 lb 42 60 90 120 150
140 lb 49 70 105 140 175
160 lb 56 80 120 160 200
180 lb 63 90 135 180 225
200 lb 70 100 150 200 250
220 lb 77 110 165 220 275
240 lb 84 120 180 240 300
Bench press levels by bodyweight, women, in kg. Rule-of-thumb weights where each level starts.
Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
45 kg 15.7 22.5 33.8 45 56.3
55 kg 19.3 27.5 41.3 55 68.8
65 kg 22.8 32.5 48.8 65 81.3
75 kg 26.3 37.5 56.3 75 93.8
85 kg 29.7 42.5 63.8 85 106.3
95 kg 33.3 47.5 71.3 95 118.8
105 kg 36.8 52.5 78.8 105 131.3
115 kg 40.3 57.5 86.3 115 143.8

How it is worked out

Your best set becomes an estimated one-rep max with the Epley formula: weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30). One rep is taken as it is. This is the estimate the Masheen app uses for every lift.

The estimate is divided by your bodyweight. The result, a multiple of bodyweight, is checked against five marks for your lift and sex. Your level is the highest mark you have reached. Below the first mark it still reads Untrained.

The next level starts at its multiple times your bodyweight. The gap is that weight minus your estimated max. The plates to add are the gap rounded up to the smallest pair of plates, so the loaded bar reaches the mark.

The multiples behind every level

Each number is the multiple of bodyweight where a level starts. These ten rows are the whole method. They are the tables in the Masheen app, copied here as they are.

Rule-of-thumb multiples of bodyweight where each level starts, men
Lift Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
Squat 0.75 × 1.25 × 1.50 × 2.25 × 2.75 ×
Bench press 0.50 × 1.00 × 1.25 × 1.75 × 2.00 ×
Deadlift 1.00 × 1.50 × 2.00 × 2.50 × 3.00 ×
Overhead press 0.35 × 0.55 × 0.80 × 1.10 × 1.40 ×
Barbell row 0.50 × 0.75 × 1.00 × 1.50 × 1.75 ×
Rule-of-thumb multiples of bodyweight where each level starts, women
Lift Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
Squat 0.50 × 0.75 × 1.25 × 1.50 × 2.00 ×
Bench press 0.35 × 0.50 × 0.75 × 1.00 × 1.25 ×
Deadlift 0.50 × 1.00 × 1.25 × 1.75 × 2.25 ×
Overhead press 0.20 × 0.35 × 0.50 × 0.75 × 1.00 ×
Barbell row 0.35 × 0.50 × 0.75 × 1.00 × 1.25 ×

What these levels are, and what they are not

They are rules of thumb. Each mark is a round multiple of bodyweight that gives a lifter a next number to aim at. They are the bands the Masheen app draws on its strength screen.

They are not measurements. No survey, study or competition record stands behind them. They say nothing about how other people lift, and they do not compare you with anyone.

They are blunt. A multiple of bodyweight takes no account of height, age, limb length or years of training. Two lifters of the same bodyweight can sit a level apart for reasons this page cannot see. Use the next mark as a goal, not as a verdict.

One page for each lift

Each lift has a page of its own, with its levels worked out for a range of bodyweights in pounds and kilograms.

Sources

  • The level multiples are Masheen's own rules of thumb. They are not taken from a study, a federation or a data set, so there is no outside source to list for them.
  • The one-rep max estimate is the Epley formula. Its source and its limits are set out on the One-Rep Max Calculator.
  • Bars are drawn with a 20 kg or 45 lb bar and the standard plate set, the same ones as the Plate Calculator.

Questions

Where do these strength standards come from?

They are rules of thumb: fixed multiples of bodyweight for each lift, the same ones the Masheen app uses. They do not come from a study, a survey or competition results. No group of lifters was measured to set them.

How much should I be able to bench press?

This page has no measured answer to give. As a rule of thumb, its bands start a man's Novice bench press at 1 × bodyweight and Intermediate at 1.25 ×. For a woman the marks are 0.5 × and 0.75 ×. Treat them as round numbers to aim at.

Are strength standards different for women?

On this page, yes. Each lift has one set of multiples for men and one for women. An Intermediate squat starts at 1.5 × bodyweight for a man and 1.25 × for a woman. Both sets are rules of thumb.

Why are the levels multiples of bodyweight?

A multiple of bodyweight scales a goal to your size with one multiplication. It is a simple rule and a blunt one: it takes no account of height, age or years of training.

Do strength standards change with age?

Not here. The bands use bodyweight and sex only, so the same multiples apply at any age. This page has no age data and does not make any up.

Do I need a one-rep max to use this?

No. Type the weight and the reps of your best set. For more than one rep the page estimates your max with the Epley formula, weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30), which is what the Masheen app does with your log.

Go deeper

Progressive overload, explained with a log What progressive overload is, five ways to add load ranked by how easy they are to write down, and one month of squats in a log with the sums done. Updated Double progression: reps first, then weight Double progression explained with numbers. Add reps to the top of your range, then add the smallest plate. The rule as a table, a worked example, and the sums. Updated

More tools

One-Rep Max Calculator A weight and reps in. Your estimated max out, on a drawn bar. Plate Calculator Type a weight. See the plates for each side. DOTS and Wilks Calculator Bodyweight and total in. DOTS and Wilks out, with two lifters on one board.