Average Squat Weight: Strength Standards by Bodyweight

The squat carries more muscle and more load than anything else most people do in a gym, which is why the average squat weight climbs so quickly once training starts. An untrained man handles around three quarters of his bodyweight; a year of serious squatting usually doubles that.

Because the load scales with the lifter, standards are written as multiples of bodyweight. The tables below cover five training levels for men and women, first as ratios and then as real numbers at common bodyweights, in kilograms and pounds. They assume a barbell back squat to at least parallel, with no belt or knee wraps.

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	0.75×	0.5×
Novice	1×	0.75×
Intermediate	1.5×	1.25×
Advanced	2×	1.6×
Elite	2.5×	2×

What each level means#

Beginner#

You can squat the empty bar through a full range without your heels lifting or your back rounding. Depth and balance are the limiters here, not strength, and the weight rises fast once both settle.

Novice#

Around bodyweight on the bar for a man. Three to nine months of squatting twice a week gets most people here, and the load still goes up every session or two as long as recovery holds.

Intermediate#

One and a half times bodyweight — the number most lifters mean when they say someone has a decent squat. It usually takes one to two years, and by this point progress is measured in weeks, not sessions.

Advanced#

Double bodyweight. Very few people in a general gym squat this, and reaching it demands real programming: planned heavy and light days, accessory work for the posterior chain, and patience through plateaus.

Elite#

Two and a half times bodyweight puts a man in competitive powerlifting territory. It is the product of years of accumulated volume, a technique refined for leverage, and usually a deliberate approach to bodyweight itself.

Men's squat 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	45 kg	60 kg	90 kg	120 kg	150 kg
70 kg	52.5 kg	70 kg	105 kg	140 kg	175 kg
80 kg	60 kg	80 kg	120 kg	160 kg	200 kg
90 kg	67.5 kg	90 kg	135 kg	180 kg	225 kg
100 kg	75 kg	100 kg	150 kg	200 kg	250 kg
110 kg	82.5 kg	110 kg	165 kg	220 kg	275 kg

In pounds#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
130 lbs	100 lbs	130 lbs	195 lbs	260 lbs	325 lbs
150 lbs	115 lbs	150 lbs	225 lbs	300 lbs	375 lbs
170 lbs	130 lbs	170 lbs	255 lbs	340 lbs	425 lbs
190 lbs	145 lbs	190 lbs	285 lbs	380 lbs	475 lbs
210 lbs	160 lbs	210 lbs	315 lbs	420 lbs	525 lbs
230 lbs	175 lbs	230 lbs	345 lbs	460 lbs	575 lbs

Women's squat 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	25 kg	37.5 kg	62.5 kg	80 kg	100 kg
55 kg	27.5 kg	42.5 kg	70 kg	87.5 kg	110 kg
60 kg	30 kg	45 kg	75 kg	95 kg	120 kg
70 kg	35 kg	52.5 kg	87.5 kg	112.5 kg	140 kg
80 kg	40 kg	60 kg	100 kg	127.5 kg	160 kg
90 kg	45 kg	67.5 kg	112.5 kg	145 kg	180 kg

In pounds#

Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
110 lbs	55 lbs	85 lbs	140 lbs	175 lbs	220 lbs
125 lbs	65 lbs	95 lbs	155 lbs	200 lbs	250 lbs
140 lbs	70 lbs	105 lbs	175 lbs	225 lbs	280 lbs
155 lbs	80 lbs	115 lbs	195 lbs	250 lbs	310 lbs
175 lbs	90 lbs	130 lbs	220 lbs	280 lbs	350 lbs
195 lbs	100 lbs	145 lbs	245 lbs	310 lbs	390 lbs

How to test your one-rep max safely#

You can find your squat max without ever grinding a true single. Take a hard set of three to five reps with one or two left in reserve and put it into the one-rep max calculator. In that rep range the estimate is close enough to program from, and it costs you one working set rather than a week of recovery.

If you test for real, set the rack pins or safety arms at the height of your bottom position first, then build up with the warm-up calculator instead of guessing at jumps. Doubles at 70% and 80%, singles at 88% and 94%, three to five minutes of rest, one attempt. Squatting into a rack with the pins set correctly means a missed attempt costs you nothing.

Depth decides whether the number means anything. A squat to parallel and a squat cut three inches high are different lifts, and the standards on this page assume the hip crease drops to at least the top of the knee. Film a set from the side once and you will know which one you have been doing.

How standards shift with bodyweight#

Relative strength falls as bodyweight rises. A 60 kg lifter squatting double bodyweight is doing something considerably harder than a 110 kg lifter squatting the same multiple, because bodyweight grows faster than the muscle that moves it. Lighter lifters usually post the best ratios; heavier lifters post the biggest numbers.

To compare across weight classes properly, use a coefficient rather than a ratio. The Wilks calculator and the DOTS calculator both score a lift against bodyweight in a way that holds up at both ends of the scale, which is exactly what these multiples cannot do.

Bodyweight also cuts the other way in the squat specifically. Gaining mass tends to add absolute strength quickly, so a bulking lifter often adds weight to the bar faster than the ratio improves. If you are tracking your level rather than your total, watch both numbers.

How to move up a level#

Early on, the answer is simply frequency and small jumps. Squat two or three times a week and add the smallest available increment whenever every rep moves cleanly. When that stops working — and it always does — the progressive overload guide covers the ways to keep adding without adding weight.

From novice to intermediate, structure starts to matter. A 5x5 program is the classic route: heavy sets of five, one small weekly increase, and enough volume to drive adaptation. Alternating a heavy day with a lighter technique day is what keeps the increase sustainable.

Advanced squats are built between the sets rather than in them. Pauses at the bottom fix a weak position out of the hole, front squats and split squats fix quads that give out first, and Romanian deadlifts and good mornings fix a back that folds under a heavy bar. Diagnose which one ends your sets before adding accessories at random.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the average squat weight?

An untrained man squats roughly three quarters of his bodyweight and an untrained woman around half of hers. Among people who train regularly the average sits far higher — bodyweight to one and a half times it for men, and three quarters to one and a quarter times for women, depending on how long they have been lifting.

Is squatting your bodyweight good?

It is a solid novice benchmark for a man and a genuinely good intermediate number for a woman. In practical terms it means your depth, bracing, and bar position are working together, and it is the point where most people stop adding weight every session and start adding it every week.

How much should I be able to squat compared to my bench?

Roughly one and a half times as much. The standard ratio across levels is about 1 : 1.5 : 2 for bench, squat, and deadlift, so a 100 kg bench pairs with a 150 kg squat. Falling well outside that usually points to a training imbalance rather than a genetic one — most often too little squat frequency or a squat that has been quietly getting shallower.

How long does it take to squat 100 kg or 225 lbs?

Six months to two years for most men training consistently, and it is often the first serious milestone people hit because the squat responds so quickly to frequency. Women typically reach it in two to four years. Bodyweight matters a lot here: the same absolute number is a novice squat for a 100 kg lifter and an intermediate one for a 60 kg lifter.

Do these squat standards assume full depth?

Yes. They describe a barbell back squat where the hip crease reaches at least the top of the knee, performed without a belt, knee wraps, or a squat suit. A high squat can add 20% or more to the bar for the same effort, so if you have been stopping above parallel, expect the honest number to be lower than the one you have been logging.