Guides · Benchmarks

Powerlifting Strength Standards: Find Your Strength Level

How strong is strong? These squat, bench press and deadlift standards show what a beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced and elite lifter typically lifts at each bodyweight — and how Altis turns the same numbers into a live Elo rank.

What "strength level" actually means

A strength level is a percentile band. Instead of asking "is a 140 kg deadlift good?", it asks "how does a 140 kg deadlift compare to other lifters of the same bodyweight and sex?". Five bands are used almost everywhere:

• Beginner — stronger than roughly 5% of lifters; first months of training.
• Novice — stronger than ~20%; 6 months of consistent work.
• Intermediate — stronger than ~50%; two years of structured training.
• Advanced — stronger than ~80%; competitive at local meets.
• Elite — stronger than ~95%; national-level territory.

The bands scale with bodyweight because absolute strength rises with size, but not linearly — that's why coefficients such as DOTS exist.

Men's powerlifting standards

Read the row for your bodyweight, then find the column your current one-rep max sits between. Most lifters are not the same level on all three lifts — a common profile is intermediate squat, novice bench, advanced deadlift. That imbalance is exactly what to program around.

Women's powerlifting standards

For bench press, subtract roughly 35% from the squat column; for deadlift, add roughly 20%. Women typically hold a higher lower-body to upper-body ratio than men at the same relative level.

Bodyweight ratios as a quick check

• Novice: squat 1.0×, bench 0.75×, deadlift 1.25× bodyweight.
• Intermediate: squat 1.5×, bench 1.0×, deadlift 1.75×.
• Advanced: squat 2.0×, bench 1.5×, deadlift 2.5×.
• Elite: squat 2.5×, bench 1.85×, deadlift 3.0×.

A useful powerlifting total benchmark: 4× bodyweight is a solid intermediate total, 6× is advanced, 7.5×+ is elite territory.

How standards become an Elo rank in Altis

Static tables tell you where you stand today; they don't move when you add 2.5 kg. Altis converts each logged set into an Elo rating in three steps:

1. Estimated 1RM — your set (load × reps) is converted into an e1RM, so you never have to test a true max to be ranked.
2. Bodyweight normalisation — the e1RM is scored with a DOTS-style coefficient plus an exercise-specific factor, so a 60 kg and a 110 kg lifter are compared fairly.
3. Sigmoid Elo curve — the score is mapped through a non-linear curve into an Elo rating and a rank: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and above.

The bands line up with the table above roughly like this:

• Beginner / Novice → Bronze and Silver
• Intermediate → Gold
• Advanced → Platinum and Diamond
• Elite → the top divisions and the global leaderboard

Because the rating recalculates on every session, your strength level stops being an annual self-assessment and becomes a number that moves the week you get stronger.

How to raise your strength level

1. Pick the lift furthest behind the others and give it the first slot of the week.
2. Add load in small, repeatable jumps — see the Starting Strength routine for linear progression, or the 3-day split once linear gains stall.
3. Compare templates in the program comparison guide.
4. Log every working set so the Elo curve tracks the real trend, not your best day.

Frequently asked questions

Are these standards for raw or equipped lifting?

Raw — belt allowed, no suits, wraps or shirts. Equipped totals run substantially higher.

Do I need to test a true 1RM?

No. Estimated 1RMs from sets of 3–8 reps are accurate enough for benchmarking, and far less taxing. Altis ranks you from ordinary working sets.

Why is my bench "behind" my squat?

It usually is. Upper-body lifts progress more slowly in absolute terms, so a level gap of one band between bench and squat is normal, not a flaw.

Version française : Standards de force en powerlifting