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Strength ratios calculator
Among raw powerlifting competitors, the median man's squat is 85% of his deadlift and 1.5 times his bench press; the median woman's squat is 83% of her deadlift and 1.8 times her bench. Enter two or three of your maxes, and your bodyweight to compare within your class, and the calculator compares your ratios with theirs, names the lift that lags, and says how much it would take to catch up.
Example result
Squat
+12.5kg
A 152 kg squat would match your bench press and deadlift at the ratios between the median lifts of raw powerlifting competitors (men, 75–82.5 kg).
| Ratio | Yours | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press ÷ squat | 0.71 | 0.67 |
| Deadlift ÷ squat | 1.29 | 1.17 |
| Bench press ÷ deadlift | 0.56 | 0.57 |
Strength ratio examples
Four lifters, four different gaps. The lift that lags is where the next block's extra sets go.
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Example 1
A bench-first lifter
An intermediate man who has trained the bench hardest: squat 140 kg, bench 100 kg, deadlift 180 kg.
- Compare with
- Men
- Bodyweight (optional)
- 80 kg
- Squat 1RM
- 140 kg
- Bench press 1RM
- 100 kg
- Deadlift 1RM
- 180 kg
- Lift that lags mostSquat
- To catch up with your other lifts+12.5 kg
His bench and deadlift agree with each other; the squat is the one behind. Putting squats first in the session for a block, with a set or two more each week, is the direct fix.
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Example 2
Bench equals squat
A man who benched for years before he started squatting: 225 lb on both, 315 lb deadlift.
- Compare with
- Men
- Squat 1RM
- 225 lb
- Bench press 1RM
- 225 lb
- Deadlift 1RM
- 315 lb
- Lift that lags mostSquat
- To catch up with your other lifts+80 lb
A gap that size is more than a bad week. Squat before benching for the next block, keep the bench where it is, and re-check with fresh maxes.
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Example 3
A squatter's stuck deadlift
A heavy lifter, over 125 kg bodyweight, who squats and deadlifts the same 405 lb, with a 275 lb bench.
- Compare with
- Men
- Bodyweight (optional)
- 280 lb
- Squat 1RM
- 405 lb
- Bench press 1RM
- 275 lb
- Deadlift 1RM
- 405 lb
- Lift that lags mostDeadlift
- To catch up with your other lifts+25 lb
Entered at 280 lb, he is compared with the heaviest class, where the median deadlift is only about 1.05 times the squat. Against that class his deadlift is 25 lb behind, not the 75 lb a comparison with all men would suggest, so a few weeks of deadlift-first sessions closes it.
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Example 4
Two lifts, in balance
A woman who squats 90 kg and deadlifts 110 kg and hasn't tested her bench.
- Compare with
- Women
- Squat 1RM
- 90 kg
- Deadlift 1RM
- 110 kg
- Lift that lags mostNone
Her squat and deadlift sit right on the reference ratio, so neither needs special attention. Any two lifts are enough; add the bench once she has a number.
Squat to deadlift and squat to bench ratios
The reference lifts are the median best squat, bench press and deadlift of 284,400 men and 132,730 women who competed raw in full-power meets, from OpenPowerlifting. For men, the squat is 85% of the deadlift (squat to deadlift ratio 0.85) and the squat to bench ratio is 1.50. For women, the squat to deadlift ratio is 0.83 and the squat to bench ratio 1.79: women's benches are lighter relative to their legs.
The table shows the same ratios the calculator does, with the lighter lift on top. Competitors are a stronger-than-average group; the ratios are what this page uses, not their absolute numbers.
| Lifters | Squat | Bench press | Deadlift | Bench ÷ squat | Deadlift ÷ squat | Bench ÷ deadlift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 187.5 kg | 125 kg | 220 kg | 0.67 | 1.17 | 0.57 |
| Women | 107.5 kg | 60 kg | 130 kg | 0.56 | 1.21 | 0.46 |
How the ratios shift with bodyweight
Heavier lifters squat closer to their deadlift. Among men, the median deadlift is 1.27 times the median squat up to 60 kg bodyweight and 1.05 times over 125 kg. Bench ÷ squat barely moves with bodyweight.
The calculator compares with all lifters of your sex. If you are much lighter or heavier than average, read your row here before deciding a lift lags. The powerlifting calculator puts the three lifts together as a total.
| Bodyweight | Bench ÷ squat | Deadlift ÷ squat | Bench ÷ deadlift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men, up to 60 kg | 0.66 | 1.27 | 0.52 |
| Men, 60 to 67.5 kg | 0.64 | 1.22 | 0.53 |
| Men, 67.5 to 75 kg | 0.67 | 1.21 | 0.55 |
| Men, 75 to 82.5 kg | 0.67 | 1.17 | 0.57 |
| Men, 82.5 to 90 kg | 0.66 | 1.16 | 0.57 |
| Men, 90 to 100 kg | 0.67 | 1.15 | 0.58 |
| Men, 100 to 110 kg | 0.67 | 1.13 | 0.60 |
| Men, 110 to 125 kg | 0.67 | 1.10 | 0.61 |
| Men, over 125 kg | 0.67 | 1.05 | 0.63 |
| Women, up to 48 kg | 0.55 | 1.31 | 0.42 |
| Women, 48 to 52 kg | 0.57 | 1.26 | 0.45 |
| Women, 52 to 57 kg | 0.55 | 1.26 | 0.44 |
| Women, 57 to 63 kg | 0.54 | 1.22 | 0.44 |
| Women, 63 to 69 kg | 0.55 | 1.20 | 0.45 |
| Women, 69 to 76 kg | 0.54 | 1.20 | 0.45 |
| Women, 76 to 84 kg | 0.53 | 1.19 | 0.45 |
| Women, over 84 kg | 0.54 | 1.16 | 0.47 |
How the ratios are compared
The reference is the ratio of the median lifts of raw full-power competitors in OpenPowerlifting's public-domain meet results: each lifter's best squat, bench and deadlift across all their meets, 417,130 lifters in all. It is the ratio of the median lifts, not the median of each lifter's own ratios.
With your bodyweight, the reference is the median lifts of competitors in your own sex and bodyweight class instead, because the ratios shift with size: the men's median deadlift runs from about 1.27 times the squat in the lightest class to 1.05 in the heaviest.
For each lift you enter, the calculator predicts it from each of your other lifts at those ratios and averages the predictions. The lift furthest below its prediction is the one that lags, and the gap is rounded to 2.5 kg or 5 lb. A gap smaller than that counts as balanced.
expected squat = average of (bench × 187.5 ÷ 125, deadlift × 187.5 ÷ 220)
100 × 187.5 ÷ 125 = 150; 180 × 187.5 ÷ 220 = 153.4
average 151.7 kg, shown as 151.5 kg; gap 11.7, shown as +12.5 kgMake it fit you
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Use maxes from the same month
Ratios only mean something if the lifts are current. Estimate each from a recent hard set with the one-rep max calculator rather than mixing an old test with a new one.
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Match your bodyweight
Very light or very heavy lifters should read their row in the bodyweight table. A deadlift close to the squat is ordinary for a heavy man.
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Two lifts are enough
Leave a lift blank if you don't train it. The comparison uses whichever pair or trio you enter.
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Sumo, wide grip, high bar
The reference lifts are competition lifts with every legal style pooled. If you squat high bar or pull sumo, track your own ratio over time rather than reading one gap too literally.
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Fix one lift at a time
Give the lagging lift the first slot in the session and a little more weekly volume for a block, keep the others where they are, then re-check.
Questions
What is a good squat to deadlift ratio?
Among raw powerlifting competitors, the median man's squat is 0.85 of his deadlift and the median woman's 0.83. Heavier lifters sit closer to 1.
What is a good squat to bench ratio?
The median man squats 1.50 times his bench and the median woman 1.79 times hers. In every bodyweight class the median man squats at least 1.48 times his bench.
Should my squat be more than my deadlift?
Usually not. The median competitor's deadlift is heavier than their squat in every bodyweight class, for men and women, though the gap narrows as bodyweight rises.
Are strength ratios different for women?
Yes, mostly in the bench. The median woman's bench is 0.56 of her squat against 0.67 for men, while squat to deadlift is close for both.
Which lift should I bring up first?
The one the calculator names, if the gap is more than a plate jump or two. Put it first in the session for a block and check again with fresh maxes.
Related calculators and templates
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Powerlifting calculator
Your squat, bench and deadlift as a total.
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Squat standards
How your squat compares with lifters your weight.
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Bench press standards
How your bench compares with lifters your weight.
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Deadlift standards
How your deadlift compares with lifters your weight.
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One-rep max calculator
Current maxes from recent hard sets, before you compare.
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How to break a lifting plateau
What to change once you know which lift is stuck.
Sources
Keep all three maxes current
Log load, reps and RIR on every set and RIRLift keeps your estimated squat, bench and deadlift maxes current, then sets each lift's loads for your next session.
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