What is strong? We live in a world filled with 1000 pound squat and 800 pound bench press Youtube videos. Kind of makes you feel weak, doesn't it? It sure makes me feel weak. There are a couple of key things you need to know about most of these lifts.
1000 Pound Squats and 800 Pound Bench Presses?
How are these guys able to move Herculean amounts of weight? Here are 2 major reasons.
#1 - Training Gear. The guys putting up these monster numbers are for the most part using training gear. What is training gear? Training gear includes the use of specialized squat suits and bench shirts that are designed to help powerlifters add hundreds of pounds to each lift.
So when you see a guy benching close to 800 pounds with a bench shirt on, there's a good chance he "only" benches 500 without a bench shirt. The same goes for squats suits. A squat of over 700 without a squat suit is fairly rare. Add in a squat suit, along with knee wraps and squat briefs, which go under a squat suit to help move even more weight, and these guys are squatting over 1000 pounds.
Training gear is not magical though. It requires an amazing amount of dedication and practice, and few can master it.
#2 - Drugs. Another factor adding to these monster totals is an obvious one - steroid and human growth hormone usage. Now it is certainly not my intention to label everyone with a big lift as a drug user. I've seen some pretty staggering natural lifts in my day. With that said, drug use is fairly common in the sport of powerlifting, and I'm not going to lie to you and pretend it's not.
There are some natural-only federations. Outside of this realm, your guess is as good as mine as to who is clean and who isn't.
Anti-Gear, Anti-Steroids?
Before we move on any further, I want to make something very clear. The point of this article isn't to bash lifters who use training gear or drugs. This article exists to provide natural and raw strength standards to lifters who will never use either. Period, end of story. I respect the iron, and the men and women who move it, and am not here to judge or stir up debates.
Raw, Natural Strength Standards
Let's dive into the topic of raw, natural strength standards by analyzing the national records of several drug-free powerlifting federations. Some of these federations are large, and some modest in size.
- USAPL
- 100% Raw
- NASA
- ADFPF
- UPA-AD
These numbers will give you somewhat of a reasonable look at "elite" strength levels. They are not meant to be elite standards in and of themselves. I will make an attempt to define my opinion of elite standards later on.
| Squats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Raw Records for Men | |||||
| Weight Class | USAPL | 100% Raw | NASA | ADFPF | UPA-AD |
| 132 | 479.50 | 530.90 | 275.58 | 247.50 | None |
| 148 | 473.75 | 550.90 | 473.99 | 445.50 | 220 |
| 165 | 534.50 | 530 | 512.57 | 447.70 | 529 |
| 181 | 562 | 601.10 | 540.13 | 500.50 | 529 |
| 198 | 573 | 610 | 644.85 | 550 | 600 |
| 220 | 650.25 | 650.30 | 699.96 | 583 | 633 |
| 242 | 705.25 | 700.70 | 650.36 | 621.50 | 705 |
| 275 | 766 | 850 | 755.08 | 599.50 | 640 |
| 308 | 854.25 | 826.70 | 766.10 | 599.50 | 704 |
| Bench Press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Raw Records for Men | |||||
| Weight Class | USAPL | 100% Raw | NASA | ADFPF | UPA-AD |
| 132 | 314 | 330.40 | 231.48 | 187 | None |
| 148 | 337.25 | 360.40 | 294.31 | 302.50 | 165 |
| 165 | 402.25 | 400 | 363.76 | 374 | 314 |
| 181 | 385.75 | 385 | 363.76 | 385 | 364 |
| 198 | 443 | 425 | 418.87 | 374 | 412 |
| 220 | 523.50 | 490 | 451.94 | 423.50 | 425 |
| 242 | 462.75 | 485.60 | 415.57 | 451 | 457 |
| 275 | 501.50 | 585 | 507.06 | 511.50 | 440 |
| 308 | 546.50 | 520 | 476.19 | 484 | 501 |
| Deadlifts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Raw Records for Men | |||||
| Weight Class | USAPL | 100% Raw | NASA | ADFPF | UPA-AD |
| 132 | 578.50 | 450 | 358.25 | 341 | None |
| 148 | 523.50 | 540 | 567.68 | 473 | 353 |
| 165 | 661.25 | 630 | 567.68 | 535.70 | 567 |
| 181 | 677.75 | 641.10 | 617.29 | 638 | 600 |
| 198 | 706.50 | 661.30 | 661.38 | 671 | 630 |
| 220 | 727.50 | 672.40 | 677.91 | 654.50 | 677 |
| 242 | 699.75 | 760.50 | 722.01 | 704 | 645 |
| 275 | 832.00 | 800 | 705.47 | 632.50 | 650 |
| 308 | 843.25 | 760.50 | 810.19 | 665.50 | 744 |
So, what do these numbers tell us? The first thing I noticed is that the following lifts are extremely hard to achieve:
- Squat - 600 pounds
- Bench Press - 400 pounds
- Deadlift - 650 pounds
It's safe to say that if you hit these numbers, you're well into Elite territory for a raw, natural lifter. It should also be noted that it is darn near impossible to hit a 2000 raw, natural powerlifting total. Only a small handful of natural lifters have performed this amazing feat.
The lifting standards I am about to present are merely guidelines. Use them to assess your progress, and potential for future gains. Don't be discouraged by the numbers of the top one percent of lifters. You can make amazing strides forward without having the best genetics, so remain patient and train smart. If you do so you will exceed your expectations.
Before I move forward, here are some simple definitions for standards names.
- Pro Strength - The very best of the best. Superhuman. Supreme strength.
- Elite Strength - You should be extremely competitive at a National level powerlifting meet.
- Extremely Strong - You will be one of the top lifters at most local, natural powerlifting meets. Your strength levels land you in the top 1% of humanity.
- Very Strong - In the muscle building and strength training realm, this would be considered intermediate level strength.
- Strong - Your lifts are around a 200 raw bench, 300 raw squat and 400 raw deadlift. This doesn't seem strong compared to powerlifting records, but you are still stronger than 90% of men walking the earth.
Raw Natural Strength Standards Based On Weight - Men
| Pro Natural Raw Strength Standards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men - By Weight | |||
| Weight | Squats | Bench | Deadlifts |
| 132 | 430 | 270 | 440 |
| 148 | 460 | 300 | 470 |
| 165 | 500 | 330 | 540 |
| 181 | 540 | 350 | 580 |
| 198 | 570 | 380 | 610 |
| 220 | 610 | 410 | 640 |
| 242 | 640 | 430 | 660 |
| 275 | 670 | 450 | 680 |
| 308 | 700 | 470 | 700 |
| Elite Natural Raw Strength Standards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men - By Weight | |||
| Weight | Squats | Bench | Deadlifts |
| 132 | 400 | 250 | 410 |
| 148 | 425 | 280 | 435 |
| 165 | 465 | 305 | 500 |
| 181 | 500 | 325 | 535 |
| 198 | 530 | 350 | 565 |
| 220 | 565 | 380 | 595 |
| 242 | 595 | 400 | 610 |
| 275 | 620 | 420 | 630 |
| 308 | 650 | 435 | 650 |
| Extremely Strong Natural Raw Strength Standards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men - By Weight | |||
| Weight | Squats | Bench | Deadlifts |
| 132 | 325 | 205 | 330 |
| 148 | 345 | 225 | 355 |
| 165 | 375 | 250 | 405 |
| 181 | 405 | 265 | 435 |
| 198 | 430 | 285 | 460 |
| 220 | 460 | 310 | 480 |
| 242 | 480 | 325 | 495 |
| 275 | 505 | 340 | 510 |
| 308 | 525 | 355 | 525 |
| Very Strong Natural Raw Strength Standards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men - By Weight | |||
| Weight | Squats | Bench | Deadlifts |
| 132 | 290 | 185 | 300 |
| 148 | 310 | 210 | 320 |
| 165 | 340 | 225 | 365 |
| 181 | 365 | 240 | 395 |
| 198 | 385 | 260 | 415 |
| 220 | 415 | 280 | 435 |
| 242 | 435 | 290 | 445 |
| 275 | 455 | 305 | 460 |
| 308 | 475 | 320 | 475 |
| Strong Natural Raw Strength Standards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men - By Weight | |||
| Weight | Squats | Bench | Deadlifts |
| 132 | 250 | 155 | 255 |
| 148 | 265 | 175 | 270 |
| 165 | 290 | 190 | 310 |
| 181 | 310 | 205 | 335 |
| 198 | 330 | 220 | 350 |
| 220 | 350 | 235 | 370 |
| 242 | 370 | 250 | 380 |
| 275 | 385 | 260 | 390 |
| 308 | 405 | 270 | 405 |
I used the following multipliers to determine these numbers:
- Elite = Pro x 92.5%
- Extremely Strong = Pro x 75%
- Very Strong = Pro x 67.5%
- Strong = Pro x 57.5%
The Last Word on Natural Strength
Most of you aren't competitive powerlifters, nor do most of you have the goal of weighing 270 pounds or more. So with that in mind, I want to end by presenting you with an easy set of natural strength standards to remember.
The following goals are perfect for the lifter who wants to get big and strong, but who may never have any interesting in competing in bodybuilding or powerlifting. Reach these goals while focusing on conventional hypertrophy (muscle building) rep ranges, and you will not only add muscle to your frame, but also have the power and strength to back it up.
- Bench Press - 300 pounds
- Squats - 400 pounds
- Deadlift - 500 pounds
- Power Clean - 225 pounds
- Overhead Press - 225 pounds
- Barbell Row - 300 Pounds
There have been fewer than 85 men who have ever hit a 2000 raw powerlifting total. Of these men, only a very small handful accomplished this feat while competing in major drug-tested federations. I hope this helps put powerlifting numbers in perspective.
The use of bench shirts, squat suits, steroids and growth hormone has made it difficult for most natural athletes to understand just what strong means. I see far too many strong forum lifters refer to themselves as weak, simply because they do not understand what reasonable natural standards are. They talk themselves out of competitive powerlifting because of a misguided vision that everyone is putting up 2000 pound totals. Not true at all.
A 1200 pound 3-lift total (bench press, squats and deadlifts) is more than 95% of gym rats will ever accomplish. A 1500 pound 3-lift total is a huge accomplishment, and will be hard to beat at most local, natural powerlifting meets.
For those of you who are doubting this, let me leave you with some numbers from my first powerlifting experience. In 2011 I competed at a local ADFPF meet. This was my first competition and I had no idea what to expect. I certainly had no clue that I would be the strongest lifter at the meet. My 3-lift total was 1501 that day. The second best total was approximately 200 pounds below this level.
This reveals that a 1300-1500 pound total at most local, raw and natural powerlifting meets is fairly impressive. Those that achieve these levels usually move on to national-level competitions.
I currently hold 2 national-level deadlifting records, one in the ADFPF, and one in the UPA. Certainly not a legendary achievement (far from it), but my records do provide further evidence that a 1500-1600 pound total is noteworthy in the natural lifting world.
Did this article help? Let me know in the comments. I would also like to know where your strength levels currently are, and what natural goals you are after. Good luck, and smash PRs!
Comments (38)
Add a comment
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 17:28
I started lifting around 2 months ago so I'm a newbie!! I would like to know what would be the preferable set/rep range to increase my strength and power, because I know size comes with those two!! I'm doing only the big lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, barbell row(pendlay) and overhead press!!
Thank you!!
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 17:35
Stick with "about" 5-10 reps for most major compound lifts, and focus on progression. You need a fair amount of reps to not only work on form, but to also build muscle tissue which will help add more strength.
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 17:29
Thank for for this very informative article. It goes to show that most of the fitness and strength articles out there are by those who cheat. It is nice to know that we should look at what these folks say we should be doing for a program, knowing that they are cheating (special clothing and drugs).
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 17:38
it helped me I was alil worried about giving a competition a try but I will work harder an give it a shot this yr thanks
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 18:05
I'd love to see this same type of write up/comparison for women too...
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 20:41
I have a ? Steve Im entering my first NASA meet been working out 10 weeks now hit 300 on bench 400 on dead lift haven't started squat yet but leg press 600 any tips on increasing strength and starting on squat Im 5'10 194 body weight
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 21:37
My only real advice is to start squatting. Nothing else will prepare you for squats. What's preventing you from squatting currently?
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 20:44
This is great information, and very useful for a comparison scale, but you left out half the population. Where are the stats for females?
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 21:36
Hi Lauren,
I will definitely get around to sorting some numbers for women.
Posted Mon, 01/28/2013 - 22:14
Ain't quite sure how to do proper form
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:23
Join the forum, we'll help you out.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:09
Hi Steve, are the chart numbers for a one rep max scenario or for what you are able to rep?
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:24
One rep max.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:10
very good article steve now i am planning to get in
Extremely Strong category in next 8-10 months.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:24
Good luck!
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:15
Great article! I have been using 531 for a while and loving the gains it has been giving me. I always leary of entering any type of competition due tp the massive numbers I saw
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 00:25
You would do very well at a natural show, and probably be hooked.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 09:09
Steve,
Any chance you could add an addendium talking about how long it takes the average lifter to hit these goals? Obviously so much goes into a projection like that, but some type of timeline could provide realistic goals for people.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 09:37
Good idea. I will see what I can do.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 09:51
I'm 6ft2, shirt sleeve length 35". At 198 I had no problem reaching 330 on squats, but could never bench above about 165. I notice shorter guys with shorter arms benched far higher weights. Does arm length factor into the above bench weight number?
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 10:27
No, I do not factor in natural leverages, or lack there of. The reason being is that I've seen far too many guys with what might be considered poor leverages lift amazing amounts of weight. Training time couple with proper training usually overcomes things such as sub-optimal leverages.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 14:00
I'm 6'1" with a 34" sleeve length, and when I started lifting I was 182. When I began working out in earnest, in 5 months I went from struggling to get 185 up to pushing toward 350 without taking protein or any supplements.
I'm not sure what your feelings toward benching are but I know that if I don't like doing something or don't like the way it feels while doing it I'm more than likely not going to do it, let alone do it well enough or frequently enough to get better at it.
I love bench, leg-press, squats, deadlift, straight-leg deadlift, rows. My numbers on those grow steadily as I work at them. I'm not super excited about pull-ups or curls, and you can probably guess that those numbers leave me wanting more, and I'm working on trying to find more reasons for enjoying those exercises.
Finding something that you like in each exercise makes working out more enjoyable rather than slaving away to reach a desired weight loss number or one rep max number. If you love it, you're going to want to get better at it and quick.
So just get on the bench and discover something you love about it.
Posted Tue, 01/29/2013 - 19:47
Richard I know how you feel. Im 6ft with a 38inch sleeve length. Thats right i said 38 inches! Anyway I train and workout very hard. I can squat 455, deadlift 525, row 265 but I cant for the life of me bench 225 for even 3 reps. Its terrible because all my other lifts continue to rise without the sheer dedication that I have for the bench. I have tried just about everything. I also was under the impression that my arm length may be to my disadvantage
Posted Thu, 01/31/2013 - 06:49
Steve I really enjoyed the article. I have been looking at several different areas trying to set my goals. It is good to find a place that breaks it down for a "normal" guy to understand. I was getting discouraged with my weight training, but now I can set realistic goals. Thanks.
Posted Sat, 02/02/2013 - 18:53
You know what would be awesome? If you could also provide such charts with the data for women. :-)
Posted Mon, 02/04/2013 - 09:44
I take it that at these meets the deadlifts are done without the aid of straps?
How do I improve this. I can lift good weight with straps but without, my grip is pathetic.
Posted Thu, 02/28/2013 - 11:51
Andy, I was in the same boat as you for quite a while and honestly all you can do is work on your forearms as well as take off the straps. It may be frustrating at first feeling like you can't do as much without the straps on but honestly what you want to do is slowly eliminate them from your workout, I went from struggling on shrugging 225 without straps on to dead-lifting over 400lbs strapless in 6-8 months of weekly forearm workouts. I usually only do 2-3 exercises with 4 sets of 10-15 depending once a week of things like wrist curls or reverse bicep curls with a straight bar or preacher bar and work your weights up. That along with trying to not use straps unless absolutely necessary will get your grip strength building before you know it. Also farmers walks without straps are great.
Posted Tue, 02/05/2013 - 09:35
Just a question about the numbers (and in counting weight in general). Do these numbers include the standard 45lb olympic bar or are these numbers strictly in plates?
Posted Tue, 02/05/2013 - 10:58
Hey Steve, great read.
I'm 47 and have been lifting on and off for 20 years but still consider myself intermediate at best. I'm 170 pounds and have 5 rep maxes of 225 for squat, bench and dead lift. I know I need to work squat and dead lift. I had shoulder surgery a few years back which led to an inability to hold a bar for squats and gave a sensation of pulling my arm off on heavy dead lifts. My shoulder now feels great and I'm really wanting to focus on increasing my strength.
My concern is my age. Is it too much risk to train with low reps on the big three at 47? I know guys do it but I have no background in focusing my workouts on these lifts. If so can you recommend a good routine to follow?
Above all I want to be healthy and strong leading into my 50's
Thanks,
John
Posted Wed, 02/06/2013 - 10:45
Yes this helped thank you. I was wondering why my lifts seemed strong at the gyms but not on the Internet.
Posted Fri, 03/15/2013 - 18:25
Great article, would have loved to see some women's numbers!
Posted Sun, 03/17/2013 - 21:39
Steve,
Thank you for your article. I am eager to read more of your work. Others have complemented you on the content of your post and I wholeheartedly agree. I would also add that you write well and communicate clearly - I learned a lot and am eager for more.
Best of luck on your quest.
Posted Tue, 03/19/2013 - 05:59
Thanks for the great article, I have always felt very weak in comparison to the numbers i hear people pushing. I weigh about 193 pounds and am currently lifting about 240 bench, I wont mention deadlift and squat as my training has been terribly inconsistant and am still trying to build the deadlift and squat. Your article has put my own strengths into perspective and while 1200 pound powerlift total is still quite a distance for me I feel more confident that I can achieve such totals one day.
Posted Thu, 03/28/2013 - 07:15
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the article.After reading it i realized that i am very weak in my squat.
my height is 5'8" and i weigh 145-150 lbs and my lifts are:
Bench:225
Squat:225
DL:315
I was thinking of starting with your 5day power muscle burn split in 5 weeks
For someone like me who needs to drastically improve his squat,would you recommend the 5 day split workout as it is or wd some changes (Days on which to train a particular body part)?or should i go for some other workout routine?
Thanks,
Ishan
Posted Thu, 04/04/2013 - 19:45
Very good article. You proposed weight goals for the five lifts are on the money.
Posted Tue, 04/16/2013 - 16:52
Im 148-150lb. In your formula, squats seem high and bench and deadlift are low. I know it's going to be different for everyone, but bench isn't even a strong lift for me and I'm above the "extremely strong" standard. Just doesn't seem right.
Posted Tue, 04/23/2013 - 16:17
Hey Steve,great article I have been reading some articles on the conjugated method of training and purchased some bands from westside barbell. Which color of bands would suitable for me to use on my dynamic effort days on my 3 main moves. I have the purple,green and blue bands my lifts are deadlift 350, squat 315, bench 240. Im 32, and weigh 175
Posted Tue, 04/23/2013 - 17:14
Great article Steve. I have recently started trainign using the conjugated method and puchased 3 different color bands from westside to use on my dynamic days. Which bands should I be using for my 3 main lifts. My lifts are: Deadlift 350,Squat 315,Bench 240
Add new comment