Average Overhead Press: Strength Standards by Bodyweight

The overhead press is the smallest of the big four numbers and the most honest. There is no arch to shorten the range, no leg drive if you press strictly, and nothing to hide behind — which is why the average overhead press is barely a third of the average deadlift.

The standards below are for a strict standing barbell press: no dip of the knees, no push press, bar from the front rack to locked out overhead. They are written as multiples of bodyweight across five training levels for men and women, then converted into kilograms and pounds at the bodyweights people actually train at.

Standards at a glance#

Each level is a one-rep max expressed as a multiple of bodyweight. Find your level in this table, then use the tables below it for the number at your weight.

Level	Men (× bodyweight)	Women (× bodyweight)
Beginner	0.35×	0.25×
Novice	0.5×	0.35×
Intermediate	0.75×	0.5×
Advanced	1×	0.75×
Elite	1.25×	0.9×

What each level means#

Beginner#

The empty bar overhead for controlled reps, with your ribs down and the bar finishing over the middle of your foot. Most untrained men press around a third of bodyweight, and shoulder mobility is often the first thing that has to improve.

Novice#

Half bodyweight overhead. A few months of pressing twice a week gets most men here, and it is usually the point where the lift starts to feel like strength rather than coordination.

Intermediate#

Three quarters of bodyweight, which in a commercial gym already looks impressive. Progress slows dramatically at this stage — a 2.5 kg jump can take a month, and that is normal rather than a plateau.

Advanced#

A bodyweight strict press. Far rarer than a bodyweight bench and a genuine marker of upper-body strength, it requires dedicated overhead volume rather than treating the press as a bench accessory.

Elite#

One and a quarter times bodyweight pressed strictly overhead is a number very few lifters ever reach. It belongs to people who have built their programme around the press for years rather than fitting it in after chest day.

Men's overhead press standards by bodyweight#

Every cell is a one-rep max, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg or 5 lbs. Find the row closest to your bodyweight and read across.

In kilograms#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
60 kg	20 kg	30 kg	45 kg	60 kg	75 kg
70 kg	25 kg	35 kg	52.5 kg	70 kg	87.5 kg
80 kg	27.5 kg	40 kg	60 kg	80 kg	100 kg
90 kg	32.5 kg	45 kg	67.5 kg	90 kg	112.5 kg
100 kg	35 kg	50 kg	75 kg	100 kg	125 kg
110 kg	37.5 kg	55 kg	82.5 kg	110 kg	137.5 kg

In pounds#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
130 lbs	45 lbs	65 lbs	100 lbs	130 lbs	165 lbs
150 lbs	55 lbs	75 lbs	115 lbs	150 lbs	190 lbs
170 lbs	60 lbs	85 lbs	130 lbs	170 lbs	215 lbs
190 lbs	65 lbs	95 lbs	145 lbs	190 lbs	240 lbs
210 lbs	75 lbs	105 lbs	160 lbs	210 lbs	265 lbs
230 lbs	80 lbs	115 lbs	175 lbs	230 lbs	290 lbs

Women's overhead press standards by bodyweight#

Every cell is a one-rep max, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg or 5 lbs. Find the row closest to your bodyweight and read across.

In kilograms#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
50 kg	12.5 kg	17.5 kg	25 kg	37.5 kg	45 kg
55 kg	15 kg	20 kg	27.5 kg	42.5 kg	50 kg
60 kg	15 kg	20 kg	30 kg	45 kg	55 kg
70 kg	17.5 kg	25 kg	35 kg	52.5 kg	62.5 kg
80 kg	20 kg	27.5 kg	40 kg	60 kg	72.5 kg
90 kg	22.5 kg	32.5 kg	45 kg	67.5 kg	80 kg

In pounds#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
110 lbs	30 lbs	40 lbs	55 lbs	85 lbs	100 lbs
125 lbs	30 lbs	45 lbs	65 lbs	95 lbs	115 lbs
140 lbs	35 lbs	50 lbs	70 lbs	105 lbs	125 lbs
155 lbs	40 lbs	55 lbs	80 lbs	115 lbs	140 lbs
175 lbs	45 lbs	60 lbs	90 lbs	130 lbs	160 lbs
195 lbs	50 lbs	70 lbs	100 lbs	145 lbs	175 lbs

How to test your one-rep max safely#

The press is the safest of the big lifts to test, because a failed rep can simply be lowered back to the shoulders or dropped forward in a rack. Even so, estimating is usually smarter: take a clean set of three to five reps and run it through the one-rep max calculator rather than spending a session chasing a single.

When you do test, warm up more than the light weights suggest — the shoulder needs the volume even if the bar does not. The warm-up calculator will build the ramp: doubles at 70% and 80%, then singles at 88% and 94% with two to three minutes of rest.

Define the rep before you judge the number. A strict press starts with the bar resting on the front delts and legs locked, and finishes with the bar directly over midfoot with the head through. Adding a knee dip turns it into a push press and is worth 10 to 20% — a completely different lift for comparison purposes.

How standards shift with bodyweight#

Overhead pressing punishes long arms and rewards a compact frame, so at any given bodyweight the spread between lifters is wider than in the bench. Height is not accounted for in bodyweight multiples at all, which is why tall lifters often sit a level lower on paper than their training would suggest.

When you want to compare fairly across bodyweights, use a coefficient rather than a ratio — the Wilks calculator and the DOTS calculator both do this, and both are far more informative than dividing the bar by your weight.

Bodyweight also has an unusually direct effect here. A heavier torso gives a more stable base to press from, so lifters who gain mass often add to the press faster than the ratio improves. Track the absolute number alongside the multiple if you are in a gaining phase.

How to move up a level#

The press is the lift where linear progression runs out first, simply because the jumps available are large relative to the weight on the bar. Fractional plates of 0.5 or 1 kg are not a gimmick here — they are the difference between progressing for months and stalling in six weeks. The progressive overload guide covers the alternatives once even those stop working.

A 5x5 program or any structure that presses twice a week — once heavy, once for volume — handles the novice to intermediate stretch well. Frequency does more for the press than intensity, because the limiting factor at this stage is usually the stability of the overhead position rather than raw force.

Beyond three quarters of bodyweight, build the parts that fail. Sticking at the eyes means the delts, so add seated presses and heavy front raises; sticking at lockout means triceps, so add close-grip work and overhead extensions. An upper back strong enough to hold the shelf you press from is what quietly separates an advanced press from an intermediate one.

Frequently asked questions#

How much can the average person overhead press?

An untrained man presses around a third of his bodyweight strictly overhead — about 27 kg (60 lbs) at 80 kg (175 lbs) — and an untrained woman around a quarter of hers. Among lifters who train the press regularly, half to three quarters of bodyweight is the usual range.

Is a bodyweight overhead press good?

It is excellent. A strict bodyweight press is an advanced standard for men and beyond elite for most women, and it is much harder to reach than a bodyweight bench because there is nothing in the lift to compensate with. Anyone pressing their own bodyweight overhead has trained the movement deliberately for years.

What percentage of my bench should I overhead press?

Roughly 60 to 70% for most lifters, so a 100 kg bench pairs with a 60 to 70 kg press. Below about half your bench usually means the press has been treated as an accessory; above 75% usually means the press has been the priority — neither is wrong, but it tells you which lift has been getting the attention.

Why is my overhead press stuck when my other lifts keep going up?

Because the smallest standard jump is a much bigger relative increase. Adding 2.5 kg to a 50 kg press is a 5% jump, while the same plate on a 150 kg deadlift is under 2%. Fractional plates, an extra pressing day, and more upper back work solve most press plateaus — the lift is not broken, the increments are just too coarse.

Does a push press count toward these standards?

No. These numbers describe a strict press with no leg drive. A push press typically moves 10 to 20% more weight because the legs start the bar moving, and a jerk more still. Both are useful training tools and legitimate lifts, but they are not what the tables on this page measure.