How Much Can The Average Man Lift? - Outlift

How much can the average man lift? There are a few studies we can look at. I also surveyed 600 of our newsletter subscribers, asking them how much they could squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press.

Then, I broke down their answers based on how long they’d been lifting, seeing how long it takes people to reach a given level of strength, and noting where they plateau forever.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. How Much Can the Average Man Squat?
3. How Much Can the Average Man Bench Press?
4. How Much Can the Average Man Deadlift?
5. How Much Can the Average Man Overhead Press?
6. How Many Pull-Ups Can the Average Man Do?
7. How Much Can the Average Skinny Guy Lift?
8. How to Get Stronger
9. Summary

Introduction

There are three sources we can use to figure out how much the average person can squat, bench press, and deadlift:

1. Stronger by Science conducted a survey on aspiring powerlifters, asking them how long they’d been strength training and how much they could lift. The problem is that powerlifting attracts unusually strong people (selection bias), the people who aren’t good at it often quit (survivorship bias), and most people don’t train like powerlifters.
2. ExRx and StrengthLevel track the strength of people who use their websites and apps. However, we don’t know if people are entering real information or just playing around. For example, I used to plug in my goals to see if they were realistic or not.
3. The third source is a survey I conducted on 600 of our male newsletter subscribers. Most of these guys train for muscle size and general health, not maximal strength. Our readers also lean thin (because I run Bony to Beastly). However, their strength levels track pretty well with StrengthLevel.

The next thing to consider is that the average man is 5’9 and 197 pounds (CDC).

• Heaviness: Generally, the bigger and heavier you are, the better you’ll be at squats, bench presses, and overhead presses, but the worse you’ll be at chin-ups and push-ups.
• Height: The taller you are, the more the more muscle you can ultimately build, which will eventually allow you to get stronger. However, you need to build more muscle to get there.
• Muscularity: The more muscular you are, the greater your strength potential. That means if you’re thin, you might need to gain quite a bit of muscle to reach your strength potential.

How Much Can the Average Man Squat?

ExRx and Greg Nuckols both found that the average man can squat 225 pounds for a single repetition after a few months of strength training. However, when we surveyed our newsletter, we found that it takes most guys at least three years to squat 225 pounds (reference).

Part of the disparity comes from the way powerlifters squat. Most of them do low-bar squats with a wide stance and a shallow depth, just barely passing parallel. If you’re squatting for muscle size, overall strength, or general health, you’ll probably use a higher bar position, a narrower stance, and squat quite a bit deeper. Those changes are great for building muscle and improving mobility, but you’ll probably have to take about 25% of the weight off the bar.

If we look at advanced lifters, only 1 in 6 guys ever squats 315 pounds, even after over a decade of weight training. Thus, if you can squat three plates, you’re probably one of the stronger guys at the gym. That isn’t a limit, mind you. It’s just where most guys plateau.

If you train hard enough and smart enough for long enough, I suspect you can squat at least 405 pounds. However, most guys don’t. Many guys don’t even squat at all. So, seeing a four-plate squat is rare. It’s an impressive feat of strength for a natural lifter.

• Most beginners can work up to squatting 135+ pounds with a few months of training.
• Intermediate lifters with a few years of experience can often squat 225+ pounds for a few reps.
• About 17% of advanced lifters squat 315 pounds within their first decade of lifting.
• Most natural lifters could probably squat 405 pounds if they trained for it, but only about 6% ever get there.

How Much Can the Average Man Bench Press?

According to Stronger by Science and ExRx, the average powerlifter can bench press 135 pounds on his first try, 225 within his first year, and 315 with a decade of serious strength training.

As with the squat, remember that we’re talking about the powerlifting bench press, so consider that these guys are probably using an arch, using as much leg drive as possible, pausing with the barbell on their chests, and fully locking out the bar at the top.

In our survey, it took most guys a year to bench 135 pounds (reference). Most guys plateaued somewhere between 135 and 224 pounds. Only about 1/3rd of guys ever made it to 225 pounds, even after five years of training. Most guys stop making progress after those first 5 years.

I suspect your natural potential is much higher than that. If you keep bulking and benching, I suspect you could bench 225 pounds for a casual set of 8–12 reps and/or 315 for a single repetition. It takes serious training, though, and you may also need to gain quite a bit of weight. (I had to gain 70 pounds to bench 315, going from 130 to 200 pounds.)

• Most beginners can bench 135+ pounds for a few reps within their first year.
• Intermediate lifters can often bench 185+ pounds for a few reps.
• About 1/3rd of lifelong male lifters have benched 225 pounds for at least one repetition.
• As a natural lifter with average genetics, it’s realistic to bench 225 for a set of 8–12 reps or 315 for a single.

How Much Can the Average Man Deadlift?

According to Stronger by Science and ExRx, the average untrained powerlifter can deadlift 135+ pounds on his first try and 315+ pounds within his first year. Again, remember that we’re talking about powerlifting standards, so this is a conventional or sumo deadlift without lifting straps. Someone using lifting straps or a trap bar would likely be able to deadlift more.

Our survey found that the average beginner couldn’t deadlift 135 pounds, especially when doing sets of 5 or more reps (reference). Using less than 135 pounds usually means using smaller weight plates, extending the range of motion beyond what most people’s hip joints can comfortably handle. You can solve that by starting with a deadlift alternative like Romanian deadlifts, trap bar deadlifts, or raised deadlifts.

After a year of training, the average man can deadlift 185 pounds for a few reps. After 5 years of lifting weights, most guys are deadlifting between 225–404 pounds. Only 1 in 8 guys ever manages to deadlift 405 pounds. Most guys plateau after 5 years.

If you keep bulking and deadlifting, I suspect you can eventually work up to 405 pounds for a set of 5–10 reps or 495 pounds for a single. The most I’ve deadlifted is 405 for a set of 8.

• The average beginner can deadlift somewhere between 85–135 pounds for a few reps.
• Intermediate lifters can deadlift 185+ pounds for a few reps. Some can deadlift 315+ pounds.
• Advanced lifters usually plateau forever at 225–404 pounds. A 405-pound deadlift is impressive at most gyms.
• As a natural lifter with average genetics, it’s realistic to deadlift 405 for 5–10 reps or 495 pounds for a single repetition.

How Much Can the Average Man Overhead Press?

Powerlifters don’t train the overhead press, cutting out Stronger by Science. According to ExRx and Mark Rippetoe (of Starting Strength), the average untrained man can do a strict barbell overhead press with 85 pounds for a single repetition. Within his first year, he can work up to overhead pressing 135+ pounds. This assumes you’re practicing the strict standing barbell military press and devoting your training to getting stronger at it.

According to our survey, the average man starts off overhead pressing somewhere between 55–85 pounds for a few repetitions (reference). After a year of training, only 1 in 10 men can press 135 pounds overhead. After a decade of lifting weights, less than half of guys can overhead press 135+ pounds overhead.

Only 2% of guys ever press 225+ pounds. I think that’s because it’s rare to train the barbell overhead press with as much fervour as the other big compound exercises. I suspect most natural lifters could get there if they fought for it.

• The average beginner can overhead press 55–135 pounds for a few repetitions.
• Most intermediate lifters can’t overhead press 135 pounds.
• 40% of advanced lifters can overhead press 135+ pounds.
• As a natural lifter with average genetics, I think it might be realistic to overhead press 225 pounds for a single repetition. However, it’s more common to set a lifetime goal of overhead pressing your body weight.

How Many Pull-Ups Can the Average Man Do?

About a third of men can do 10–14 pull-ups (full breakdown). A third can do less, and a third can do more, putting it right in the middle.

It’s surprisingly hard to do more than 15 pull-ups. Most beginners can eke out 10+ pull-ups if they trim down their range of motion (doing half or quarter reps) and increase the amount of momentum they use (kipping).

As you get more experienced, you gain more muscle, strength, and coordination, but you also learn how to do pull-ups with stricter technique. You might still only get 10 reps, but now those reps are clean.

Plus, the more muscle you build, the more weight you need to lift. And pull-ups are a challenging exercise. If you gain 20 pounds of muscle, that can make pull-ups quite a bit harder.

If you’re losing weight, the opposite will happen. You might not be able to get any pull-ups at first, even if you’re quite strong. Then, when you get lean enough, your body will be light enough.

How Much Can the Average Skinny Guy Lift?

If you’re starting off thin or unathletic, the common strength standards can seem high. The average man is 5’9 and 200 pounds. If you weigh less than the average man, you’ll probably need to bulk up to match his strength. Here’s how to bulk.

The good news is that if you’re starting skinnier and weaker than the average man, you can expect more extreme “newbie gains,” building muscle faster until you catch up (full explanation).

The common rule of thumb is that most guys who can bench 315 pounds weight at least 200 pounds. That wound up being true for me. I benched 315 after bulking up from 130 to 200 pounds. It was a pretty shaky 315, and my butt came up, but I also managed to get 225 for a smooth 15 reps.

How to Get Stronger

There are a few things you can do to get stronger, in order of importance:

• Build bigger muscles. The bigger a muscle, the more force it can produce. That usually means spending 2–5 years training for muscle size and eating a good muscle-building diet.
• Train the exercises you want to get stronger at. This will help you bulk up the correct muscles, improve your coordination, and help you lift with better leverage. Powerlifters should focus on the squat, bench press, and deadlift, but if you want to get better at bodyweight exercises, do more dips, push-ups, pull-ups, and leg raises. If you want a more impressive biceps curl, spend more time curling.
• Lift in the rep range you care about. Powerlifters need to improve their 1-rep max. That means teaching their muscles to contract all at once, saving nothing for later. You might care more about how much you can lift for a set of 12 repetitions. That means teaching your muscles how to ration their energy over a longer set. You need to practice what you want to get better at. (You can get good at both if you practice both.)

If you want to get good at powerlifting, you probably want to bulk up by doing 5–10 reps per set, leaning more towards the lower side. Then, once you have big muscles, you can spend more time doing 1–3 reps per set. That can be as simple as warming up to a heavy single or two before doing your working sets of 5–10 reps.

If you want to get strong in a more general sense, you don’t need to worry about singles, doubles, and triples. Building strength in the 6–12 rep range is just as good for gaining general strength as doing sets of 1–5 reps, but it’s also easier on your joints, has a lower risk of injury, and is better at stimulating muscle growth. You might also want to focus on different compound lifts, such as doing deep front squats instead of low-bar squats.

Summary

• The average man can squat 135 pounds, bench 135, and deadlift 225 pounds within his first year of lifting weights. Most guys do at least a few repetitions per set.
• The average lifter eventually manages to squat 225 pounds, bench 185 pounds, and deadlift 275 pounds within about 5 years, at which point he plateaus forever. Again, most guys do at least a few repetitions per set.
• Most guys will consider you strong if you can overhead press 135 pounds, bench 225, squat 315, and deadlift 405, especially if you can do it for a few repetitions. Most lifelong lifters can’t lift that much.
• A man with average genetics could eventually overhead press 225 pounds, bench 315, squat 405, and deadlift 495 for a single repetition. However, it can take up to a decade of serious training, and you’d need to eat enough food to support muscle growth. Less than 1% of guys ever get there.

As always, if you want a customizable workout program (and full guide) that’s designed to help you gain muscle size and strength on the big barbell lifts, check out our Outlift Intermediate Bulking Program. We also have our Bony to Beastly (men’s) program and Bony to Bombshell (women’s) program for skinny and skinny-fat beginners. If you liked this article, you’ll love our full programs.

Shane Duquette

Shane Duquette is the co-founder of Outlift, Bony to Beastly, and Bony to Bombshell. He's a certified conditioning coach with a degree in design from York University in Toronto, Canada. He's personally gained 70 pounds and has over a decade of experience helping over 10,000 skinny people bulk up.

Marco Walker-Ng, BHSc, PTS

Marco Walker-Ng is the co-founder and strength coach of Outlift, Bony to Beastly, and Bony to Bombshell, and is a certified trainer (PTS) with a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences (BHSc) from the University of Ottawa. His specialty is helping people build muscle to improve their strength and general health, with clients including college, professional, and Olympic athletes.