How much can the average man or woman squat?
It depends on who you count. If you mean everyone, including the large majority of adults who never load a barbell, there is no trustworthy number. Nobody has tested a squat one rep max in a representative sample of the general population, and most untrained people have never done a barbell squat, so they have no max to measure. Any figure you see for the "average man" without a source is a guess.
What we can model is the people who actually squat: regular gym-goers who have trained for at least a few months. In that group, the middle of the pack (the 50th percentile) squats about 1.35 times bodyweight for men and 0.95 times for women, at age 18 to 35. Someone who has never trained will usually land well below that, often below the Novice line in the tables, and that is a normal starting point, not a problem.
How Gripp's squat strength standards work
Gripp models squat strength as a spread of one rep maxes relative to bodyweight among regular gym-goers. Each level is a percentile band of that spread, so "Intermediate" means you squat more than half of the people who train, not that you are halfway to elite.
| Level | Percentile of gym-goers | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Bottom 25 % | under 1.13 × BW | under 0.77 × BW |
| Novice | 25th to 50th percentile | 1.13 × BW | 0.77 × BW |
| Intermediate | 50th to 80th percentile | 1.35 × BW | 0.95 × BW |
| Advanced | 80th to 95th percentile | 1.69 × BW | 1.24 × BW |
| Elite | Top 5 % | 2.10 × BW | 1.60 × BW |
Each number marks the bottom of its level. For the squat, the model starts from the bench press median and multiplies it by the squat to bench ratio seen in experienced recreational lifters and in a large powerlifting dataset, tempered a little because many gym-goers squat shallow or rarely. Men's Elite at 2.10 times bodyweight is still below the 2.28 of the median tested male powerlifter, so even the top 5 % of gym-goers would only be entering competition territory.
The standards assume a full back squat: hip crease below the top of the knee, then stand up to full hip and knee lockout. Half squats would move everybody up a level, which is why depth matters more than the number. Do not know your max? Put a recent hard set into the 1RM calculator and use the estimate.
Squat strength standards for men by bodyweight
Look up the row closest to your bodyweight. Each cell is the squat 1RM at which that level begins, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg (5 lb). A 120 kg man needs more on the bar than a 70 kg man for the same level, but a smaller multiple of his bodyweight: strength does not grow in step with size.
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (130 lb) | Under 67.5 kg (150 lb) | 67.5 kg (150 lb) | 80 kg (175 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 122.5 kg (270 lb) |
| 70 kg (155 lb) | Under 80 kg (175 lb) | 80 kg (175 lb) | 97.5 kg (215 lb) | 120 kg (265 lb) | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| 80 kg (175 lb) | Under 90 kg (200 lb) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 107.5 kg (235 lb) | 135 kg (300 lb) | 167.5 kg (370 lb) |
| 90 kg (200 lb) | Under 97.5 kg (215 lb) | 97.5 kg (215 lb) | 115 kg (255 lb) | 145 kg (320 lb) | 180 kg (395 lb) |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | Under 102.5 kg (225 lb) | 102.5 kg (225 lb) | 122.5 kg (270 lb) | 155 kg (340 lb) | 192.5 kg (425 lb) |
| 110 kg (245 lb) | Under 107.5 kg (235 lb) | 107.5 kg (235 lb) | 130 kg (285 lb) | 162.5 kg (360 lb) | 200 kg (440 lb) |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | Under 112.5 kg (250 lb) | 112.5 kg (250 lb) | 135 kg (300 lb) | 167.5 kg (370 lb) | 207.5 kg (455 lb) |
So the average squat for men who train, at 80 kg (175 lb), is about 107.5 kg (235 lb). A 140 kg (305 lb) squat at that bodyweight puts you in the Advanced band, ahead of roughly four out of five gym-goers.
Squat strength standards for women by bodyweight
Women carry relatively more of their muscle in the lower body than in the upper body, so the gap to men is smaller on the squat than on the bench press standards. The same rounding applies.
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | Under 40 kg (90 lb) | 40 kg (90 lb) | 50 kg (110 lb) | 65 kg (145 lb) | 82.5 kg (180 lb) |
| 60 kg (130 lb) | Under 45 kg (100 lb) | 45 kg (100 lb) | 57.5 kg (125 lb) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 95 kg (210 lb) |
| 70 kg (155 lb) | Under 52.5 kg (115 lb) | 52.5 kg (115 lb) | 62.5 kg (140 lb) | 82.5 kg (180 lb) | 107.5 kg (235 lb) |
| 80 kg (175 lb) | Under 52.5 kg (115 lb) | 52.5 kg (115 lb) | 65 kg (145 lb) | 87.5 kg (195 lb) | 112.5 kg (250 lb) |
| 90 kg (200 lb) | Under 55 kg (120 lb) | 55 kg (120 lb) | 67.5 kg (150 lb) | 87.5 kg (195 lb) | 115 kg (255 lb) |
A woman who squats her own bodyweight for a single is past the median of women who train, which puts her in Intermediate or higher at every bodyweight in the table. If the empty 20 kg (45 lb) bar feels heavy at first, a goblet squat with a dumbbell is a good way to build the pattern before moving to the barbell.
Average squat by age
Gripp adjusts the levels for age using the ratio between age-group and young-adult medians in powerlifting data. Up to 35 nothing changes. After that, the line for each level moves down gradually, so a 55 year old who squats the same as a 25 year old scores higher.
| Age | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 35 | 90 kg (200 lb) | 107.5 kg (235 lb) | 135 kg (300 lb) |
| 40 | 85 kg (185 lb) | 102.5 kg (225 lb) | 127.5 kg (280 lb) |
| 50 | 77.5 kg (170 lb) | 92.5 kg (205 lb) | 117.5 kg (260 lb) |
| 60 | 70 kg (155 lb) | 85 kg (185 lb) | 105 kg (230 lb) |
| 70 | 65 kg (145 lb) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 95 kg (210 lb) |
| Age | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 35 | 45 kg (100 lb) | 57.5 kg (125 lb) | 75 kg (165 lb) |
| 40 | 45 kg (100 lb) | 55 kg (120 lb) | 70 kg (155 lb) |
| 50 | 40 kg (90 lb) | 50 kg (110 lb) | 65 kg (145 lb) |
| 60 | 35 kg (75 lb) | 45 kg (100 lb) | 57.5 kg (125 lb) |
| 70 | 32.5 kg (70 lb) | 40 kg (90 lb) | 50 kg (110 lb) |
These are model values, interpolated between age bands, and they assume that gym-goers age like competitive lifters do. Treat them as a fair comparison, not a target you must hit. Starting to squat at 50 or 60 still brings fast gains in the first months.
Front squat, hack squat and other variations
The tables are for the barbell back squat. Other squats load you differently, so their numbers are not comparable one to one:
- Front squat: Gripp estimates it at about 80 % of your back squat. An 80 kg man with a 107.5 kg back squat would front squat around 85 kg (185 lb).
- Leg press: often 1.5 to 2 times your squat, but it depends so much on the machine's angle and sled weight that standards are close to meaningless. Compare yourself on the same machine over time. The leg press guide covers setup.
- Hack squat and pendulum squat: machine dependent for the same reason. Track your own progress instead of a chart.
- Bulgarian split squat: loaded per leg with dumbbells, and balance limits it before strength does. See the Bulgarian split squat for programming.
- Belt and knee sleeves: a belt typically adds a few kilos to a max. Compare raw lifts with raw lifts.
How to move up a squat level
Squat strength responds well to simple, steady loading. Most people below Intermediate can add weight to the bar for months before progress slows.
- Squat two to three times a weekThe squat is a skill as much as a strength test, and practice spread over the week grooves it faster than one long, exhausting leg day. Novice programs like Starting Strength and StrongLifts 5x5 squat every session.
- Work in the 3 to 8 rep rangeHeavy sets of 3 to 8, done for 3 to 5 sets with 2 to 3 minutes between them, move the number on this page most directly. For muscle, add lighter, higher-rep work from the leg workout for muscle.
- Add weight when you hit every repWhen all your sets reach the top of the rep range, add 2.5 to 5 kg (5 to 10 lb). That is progressive overload, and it is how every level on this page is reached.
- Back off when you stallIf you miss reps at the same weight three sessions in a row, drop the load about 10 % and build back up. When that stops working, a slower program such as 5/3/1 fits better.
See your squat level in Gripp
Gripp is coming to iPhone. Log your squat sets and Gripp keeps an estimated 1RM on a progress chart, rates your legs against people of your age and bodyweight, and tells you what to lift next session.
Join the waitlistThe levels are Gripp's own estimates for regular gym-goers. They build on the Cooper Institute bench press norms, Falch et al. (2023) and normative data from van den Hoek et al. (2024), "Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting", J Sci Med Sport 27(10):734-742, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Gripp converted the data into age and bodyweight factors. The levels are indicative and may change.