Strength Standards: Raising the Bar

As anyone that has trained for a sport will know, genetics play an essential role in determining your athletic potential. But what we often overlook is that genetics matter most at the advanced and elite levels of performance. The average person can still achieve a high level of proficiency in any physical attribute that they train for purposefully.

Strength is no different. While a 1,000 lb. deadlift is certainly beyond the genetical potential of most of us, a 400-500 lb. deadlift is quite achievable by most young males (<50) that devote 2-3 years to intelligent and purposeful training. Similarly, most young women can aspire to a 200-300 lb. deadlift. Moreover, progress in any type of physical training is never linear, but logarithmic. This means that most of the progress you make in those 2-3 years is achieved within the first four to six months, a period of time I like to refer to as The Strength Block.

My goal in this piece is to give you an idea of what constitutes average, intermediate, and advanced levels of strength, in hopes of inspiring you to undertake a commitment to The Strength Block. All it takes is three, 90-minute workouts each week.

Beginner Strength Standards (4-6 months)

The average trainee can expect to hit the following milestones within their first four to six months of following a good program, like the one I detail here:

• Deadlift: Males: 1.75-2x bodyweight | Females: 1.5x bodyweight

• Squat: Males: 1.5x bodyweight | Females: 1x bodyweight

• Bench press: Males: 1x bodyweight | Females: .75x bodyweight

• Overhead press Males: .75x bodyweight | Females: .6x bodyweight

• Chin Ups: Males: 5-10 reps | Females: 1 rep

Intermediate Strength Standards (2-3 years)

Those that continue to train consistently for a total of 2-3 years can expect to hit some of the following milestones:

• Deadlift: Males: 2.75x bodyweight | Females: 2.25x bodyweight

• Squat: Males: 2x bodyweight | Females: 1.5x bodyweight

• Bench press: Males: 1.5x bodyweight | Females: 1x bodyweight

• Overhead press Males: 1x bodyweight | Females: .8x bodyweight

• Chin Ups: Males: 10-15 reps | Females: 5 reps

Advanced Strength Standards (5 years+)

For our purposes, anything beyond the intermediate standards I have listed above is advanced. At this point, training becomes far more complicated and progress very incremental. Someone might pursue an advanced level of strength if they wish to compete or if they simply have a passion for the sport, but for most of you reading this, an intermediate or even beginner level of strength will suffice.

Masters (50-65 years of age)

Masters, or trainees that are between 50-65 years of age, will not be able to progress as quickly as their younger counterparts. But this is no reason to give up on training. They can still make substantial progress if the programming is properly adjusted to their needs. A healthy and mobile masters trainee can expect to achieve the following standards within six months:

• Deadlift: Males: 1.8x bodyweight | Females: 1x bodyweight

• Squat: Males: 1.25x bodyweight | Females: .8x bodyweight

• Bench press: Males: .9x bodyweight | Females: .6x bodyweight

• Overhead press Males: .7x bodyweight | Females: .45x bodyweight

• Chin Ups: Males: 1-5 reps | Females: 0-1 reps

Seniors (65+ years of age)

It is difficult to give strength standards for seniors, because this demographic varies greatly. But the logarithmic effect of training still applies. Relative to their staring point, they can still make exponential strength gains within their first six months of training. A 70-year old that struggles to stand up out of a chair unassisted, for example, can progressively increase his strength by first learning to squat from a 30’ box, and then a 28’ box, etc. Eventually, he too will gain the strength to perform a bodyweight squat and maybe even a loaded one.

If you don’t believe this is possible, check out the incredible work that Dr. John Sullivan is doing at Grey Steel Strength and Conditioning:

Finally, the standards I lay out here assume that you are average. However, it may just be that you’ve got a 1,000 lb. deadlift in you after all. There’s only one way to find out!