Bench Press Standards: How Much Should You Bench?

The short version

For a 180 lb (82 kg) man, a Novice bench press starts at 135 lb (60 kg) and Intermediate at 180 lb (80 kg). For a 140 lb (64 kg) woman, Novice starts at 55 lb (25 kg) and Intermediate at 90 lb (42.5 kg). Anything under Novice is Beginner, where nearly everyone starts.

Find your bench press level

Weight lifted

Reps

Bodyweight

Standards for

Ageoptional

Put in a recent set, your bodyweight and Men or Women to see your level.

Weights in

Bench Press standards for men

Bench Press standards for men, in lb
Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
120 lb	under 100	100	135	205	275
140 lb	under 115	115	150	225	300
160 lb	under 125	125	165	250	330
180 lb	under 135	135	180	270	360
200 lb	under 145	145	190	290	385
220 lb	under 155	155	205	305	410
240 lb	under 165	165	215	325	435
260 lb	under 170	170	230	345	455
280 lb	under 180	180	240	360	480

Bench Press standards for women

Bench Press standards for women, in lb
Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
100 lb	under 45	45	75	100	135
120 lb	under 50	50	85	115	155
140 lb	under 55	55	90	125	170
160 lb	under 60	60	100	140	185
180 lb	under 65	65	110	150	200
200 lb	under 70	70	115	160	215
220 lb	under 75	75	125	170	230
240 lb	under 80	80	130	180	245

The weight is the whole bar, plates included. Ages 18 to 39. The calculator adjusts for your age.

What the levels mean

Beginner. Under Novice. Where nearly everyone starts.
Novice. A few months of steady training, usually 2 or 3 days a week.
Intermediate. Usually a year or more of training with a plan.
Advanced. Years of focused training.
Elite. Competitive lifters. Few people reach it on any lift.

Questions

How much should a beginner bench?

For a 180 lb man, anything under 135 lb (60 kg) is Beginner. For a 140 lb woman, it's anything under 55 lb (25 kg). In your first few months, pick a weight you can lift for 10 clean reps and add a little when every set hits its reps.

Is a bodyweight bench press good?

Yes. At an average bodyweight, benching your own weight is around the start of Intermediate for men and around Advanced for women.

Do I need to test my 1-rep max?

No. Put in any recent set of 1 to 12 reps and the calculator estimates your max with the Epley formula. Sets under 10 reps give the closest estimate.

Where do these numbers come from?

They're LiftCamp's own standards, set as multiples of bodyweight and scaled so heavier lifters need a little less per pound. They match the level the LiftCamp app shows on each lift. Other sites use different tables, so your level may differ by a step between them.

Track your level as you lift

The free LiftCamp app shows your strength level on all 7 of these lifts and how far you are from the next one, updated every time you log a set. Free on iPhone.

Free on iPhone. Coming to Android.