RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Calculators · free, no account

Bench press standards

Enter your sex, bodyweight and best bench press. You get your percentile among raw powerlifting competitors in your bodyweight class, your bench as a multiple of bodyweight, and how much more it takes to reach the next step up.

Sex
Unit

Example result

Your bench press percentile

22nd

Times bodyweight

1.25×

Against raw competitors, men 75–82.5 kg. 2.5 kg more reaches the 25th percentile.

Where you rank

A 100 kg bench press is stronger than about 22% of raw competitors, men 75–82.5 kg.

Bench press by percentile, raw competitors, men 75–82.5 kg
PercentileLoad× bodyweight
25th102.5 kg1.29×
Median120 kg1.48×
75th135 kg1.67×
90th150 kg1.85×
95th159 kg1.96×
Build a bench press session from your max

Bench press standards, four lifters

Same table, four different benchers. Where each one lands decides what to do next.

  • Example 1

    Dead on the median

    An intermediate lifter at 88 kg who benched 125 kg in his last test.

    Sex
    Men
    Bodyweight
    88 kg
    Your bench press 1RM
    125 kg
    • Your bench press percentile50th
    • Times bodyweight1.42 ×

    Half the raw competitors in his class bench more, half less. The 75th percentile is 17.5 kg away. Build sessions from his working max and let the rank follow, instead of re-testing.

    Build a bench press session from your max Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Two years in, 140 lb

    A woman who weighs 140 lb and benches 95 lb, training three days a week.

    Sex
    Women
    Bodyweight
    140 lb
    Your bench press 1RM
    95 lb
    • Your bench press percentile11th
    • Times bodyweight0.68 ×

    Low on a chart of competitors, but only 15 lb from the 25th percentile. With 2.5 lb plates that is a handful of small jumps. Add load whenever every working set finishes with 2 reps in reserve.

    Build a bench press session from your max Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    A 315 bench at 220 lb

    A heavier lifter, 220 lb bodyweight, who just hit three plates for a single.

    Sex
    Men
    Bodyweight
    220 lb
    Your bench press 1RM
    315 lb
    • Your bench press percentile61st
    • Times bodyweight1.43 ×

    Above the median for a strong group, and 21 lb short of the 75th percentile. Progress gets slow here: small jumps, more weeks at the same load, and sets of 3 to 5 that build the top end.

    Build a bench press session from your max Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    A 54-year-old lifter

    A woman in her fifties at 66 kg who benches 55 kg.

    Sex
    Women
    Bodyweight
    66 kg
    Your bench press 1RM
    55 kg
    • Your bench press percentile38th
    • Times bodyweight0.83 ×

    Her class includes competitors of every age, which puts her at the 38th percentile. Against women aged 50 to 59, her bench of 0.83× bodyweight beats the 0.78× median in the age table below. Her age group is the fairer goalpost; in her class, the median is 5 kg away.

    Build a bench press session from your max Open with these numbers

How much should you bench for your weight?

Bench standards scale with bodyweight, so compare multiples. Among raw powerlifting competitors, a stronger-than-average group, the median man in the classes from 60 to 100 kg benches 1.42 to 1.50 times bodyweight. The median woman from 48 to 69 kg benches 0.90 to 0.96 times.

Heavier lifters bench more in total but less per pound of bodyweight: the median man over 125 kg benches 1.13× his bodyweight.

Bench press as a multiple of bodyweight, raw powerlifting competitors (OpenPowerlifting)
Bodyweight class25th percentileMedian75th percentile90th percentile
Men, up to 60 kg (up to 132 lb)1.02×1.29×1.59×1.84×
Men, 60–67.5 kg (132–149 lb)1.25×1.48×1.71×1.92×
Men, 67.5–75 kg (149–165 lb)1.29×1.50×1.70×1.90×
Men, 75–82.5 kg (165–182 lb)1.29×1.48×1.67×1.85×
Men, 82.5–90 kg (182–198 lb)1.25×1.44×1.64×1.82×
Men, 90–100 kg (198–220 lb)1.23×1.42×1.61×1.78×
Men, 100–110 kg (220–243 lb)1.18×1.37×1.56×1.73×
Men, 110–125 kg (243–276 lb)1.09×1.29×1.48×1.64×
Men, over 125 kg (over 276 lb)0.94×1.13×1.33×1.50×
Women, up to 48 kg (up to 106 lb)0.73×0.89×1.09×1.31×
Women, 48–52 kg (106–115 lb)0.79×0.96×1.16×1.34×
Women, 52–57 kg (115–126 lb)0.80×0.95×1.13×1.32×
Women, 57–63 kg (126–139 lb)0.78×0.93×1.09×1.27×
Women, 63–69 kg (139–152 lb)0.75×0.90×1.06×1.23×
Women, 69–76 kg (152–168 lb)0.72×0.86×1.02×1.18×
Women, 76–84 kg (168–185 lb)0.66×0.79×0.94×1.10×
Women, over 84 kg (over 185 lb)0.56×0.67×0.80×0.94×

Bench press by age

As a multiple of bodyweight, the median male competitor benches 1.51× at 24 to 34, 1.32× at 50 to 59 and 1.14× at 60 and over. For women the same ages give 0.91×, 0.78× and 0.67×. To place yourself, divide your bench by your bodyweight and find your row.

These groups pool every bodyweight. For the loads behind them, the average bench press calculator shows the median for your age and your class side by side.

Bench press as a multiple of bodyweight by age, raw powerlifting competitors, all bodyweights (OpenPowerlifting)
Age25th percentileMedian75th percentile90th percentile
Men, 18–231.26×1.44×1.63×1.81×
Men, 24–341.32×1.51×1.71×1.90×
Men, 35–391.26×1.46×1.67×1.86×
Men, 40–491.22×1.41×1.61×1.79×
Men, 50–591.14×1.32×1.51×1.69×
Men, 60+0.94×1.14×1.33×1.52×
Women, 18–230.75×0.90×1.08×1.25×
Women, 24–340.76×0.91×1.09×1.28×
Women, 35–390.71×0.86×1.04×1.23×
Women, 40–490.69×0.83×1.00×1.18×
Women, 50–590.65×0.78×0.94×1.11×
Women, 60+0.57×0.67×0.82×0.97×

Bench press technique

The lift these standards rank

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

A percentile only means something if your max is a full rep: bar touching the chest, hips on the bench, elbows locked at the top. A bounced or half rep inflates the number you compare.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes just under the bar and plant your feet flat, a little wider than your hips.
  2. Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench, keeping a small arch in your lower back with your glutes on the pad.
  3. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width and lift it out so it sits over your shoulders.
  4. Lower the bar under control to your lower chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your sides.
  5. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press up and slightly back toward the hooks.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinned
  • Elbows at 45 degrees
  • Touch, then press

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the bar off the chest, which adds pounds the muscles didn't earn.
  • Lifting the hips to finish a rep: that rep doesn't count toward a max.

Full bench press guide

Make it fit you

  • No recent max? Estimate one

    Enter a hard set of 3 to 8 reps in the bench press calculator and use its estimate here. Testing a true single isn't needed to see where you rank.

  • Near a class edge, check both

    At 82 kg you rank in the 75 to 82.5 kg class; at 83 kg, against heavier lifters. Run both bodyweights to see how much the line moves your rank.

  • Compare by age when it matters

    The calculator groups by bodyweight across all ages. If you are over 40, read the age table above as well; it is the fairer comparison for many older lifters.

  • Track the multiple, not just the load

    If you are gaining or losing weight, times bodyweight shows whether your bench is keeping up. A bench that holds while bodyweight drops is progress.

  • Rank all three lifts

    One lift tells you little about balance. The strength standards calculator ranks squat, bench and deadlift together and flags the one that lags.

Questions

How much should I bench?

Among raw powerlifting competitors, the median man benches about 1.42 to 1.50 times bodyweight and the median woman about 0.90 to 0.96 times, in the middle bodyweight classes. Competitors are stronger than average gym-goers, so reaching the 25th percentile of this table is already a solid bench.

Is a 225 lb bench good?

For most lifters, yes: two plates is a real milestone. Even among raw male competitors, 225 lb ranks at about the 39th percentile at 67.5 to 75 kg (149 to 165 lb), the 24th at 75 to 82.5 kg (165 to 182 lb) and the 17th at 82.5 to 90 kg (182 to 198 lb).

Should I be able to bench my bodyweight?

For men who compete, a bodyweight bench is the floor, not the goal: the 10th percentile at 82.5 to 90 kg is 1.08× bodyweight. For women it is a strong bench: 1× bodyweight ranks around the 61st percentile at 57 to 63 kg and the 72nd at 69 to 76 kg.

What is a good bench press for a woman?

Among raw female competitors, the median bench is 60 kg (132 lb) across all bodyweights, and 55 kg (121 lb) at 57 to 63 kg. Enter your numbers above to see your class.

Are these standards for average gym-goers?

No. They are raw powerlifting competitors, people who trained for and finished a meet, so they sit well above the average gym-goer. Use them as targets, not as a baseline you should already meet.

How do I increase my bench?

Add weight whenever your working sets finish with more reps left than planned, and hold it when they don't. The progressive overload calculator plans the jumps.

Sources

Move up the table

Log load, reps and RIR on every bench set and RIRLift keeps your estimated bench max current, then sets the loads for your next session.

Get RIRLift on the App Store Build a session

Coming to Android · Join the waitlist

4.8 on the App Store 3,000+ lifters
Built for real lifters and is so useful for tracking workouts in my Apple Watch
★★★★★ Alop72, App Store