Squat Standards: How Much Should You Squat?

The short version

For a 180 lb (82 kg) man, a Novice squat starts at 180 lb (80 kg) and Intermediate at 270 lb (122.5 kg). For a 140 lb (64 kg) woman, Novice starts at 90 lb (42.5 kg) and Intermediate at 140 lb (65 kg). Anything under Novice is Beginner, where nearly everyone starts.

Find your squat 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

Squat standards for men

Squat standards for men, in lb
Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
120 lb	under 135	135	205	275	340
140 lb	under 150	150	225	300	380
160 lb	under 165	165	250	330	415
180 lb	under 180	180	270	360	445
200 lb	under 190	190	290	385	480
220 lb	under 205	205	305	410	510
240 lb	under 215	215	325	435	540
260 lb	under 230	230	345	455	570
280 lb	under 240	240	360	480	600

Squat standards for women

Squat standards for women, in lb
Bodyweight	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
100 lb	under 75	75	115	170	215
120 lb	under 85	85	125	190	240
140 lb	under 90	90	140	210	270
160 lb	under 100	100	155	230	295
180 lb	under 110	110	165	250	315
200 lb	under 115	115	180	270	340
220 lb	under 125	125	190	285	365
240 lb	under 130	130	200	305	385

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 squat?

For a 180 lb man, anything under 180 lb (80 kg) is Beginner. For a 140 lb woman, it's anything under 90 lb (42.5 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 squat good?

At an average bodyweight, squatting your own weight is around the start of Novice for men and around the start of Intermediate 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.