Weightlifting Performance Standards Tables
The standards presented in the following tables represent a performance that can be reasonably expected of an athlete at various levels of training advancement using standard full range-of-motion barbell exercises. In the tables, the term"untrained" refers to the expected level of strength in a healthy individual who has not trained on the exercise before but can perform it correctly. This represents the minimum level of strength required to maintain a reasonable quality of life in a sedentary individual. "Novice" means a person training regularly for a period of 3-9 months. This strength level supports the demands of vigorous recreational activities. An "intermediate" is a person who has engaged in regular training for up to two years. The intermediate level indicates some degree of specialization in the exercises and a high level of performance at the recreational level. The term"advanced" refers to an individual with multi-year training experience with definite goals in the higher levels of competitive athletics. The term"elite" refers specifically to athletes competing in strength sports. Less than 1%of the weight training population will attain this level.
Tables for the basic barbell exercises were developed from (1) definitions in "Practical Programming" by Kilgore, Rippetoe, and Pendlay, (2) the experience and judgment of the authors, (3) the exercise techniques described and illustrated in “Starting Strength” by Rippetoe and Kilgore, and (4) published performance standards for the sports of powerlifting and weightlifting.
Press - Adult Women
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
123 38 52 61 81 104
132 40 55 65 85 110
148 44 60 72 94 121
Squat - Adult Women
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
123 56 103 121 160 199
132 59 110 127 168 211
148 65 121 141 185 232
Bench Press - Adult Women
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
123 60 77 90 116 142
132 64 82 95 122 150
148 70 90 105 135 165
Deadlift - Adult Women
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
123 70 129 151 211 263
132 74 137 159 220 273
148 81 151 176 241 295
Power Clean - Adult Women
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
123 40 74 87 115 143
132 43 79 92 121 152
148 47 87 101 133 167
