{"id":137802,"date":"2021-08-05T12:14:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T17:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=137802"},"modified":"2021-08-05T12:14:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T17:14:48","slug":"strength-benchmarks-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/health-fitness\/fitness\/strength-benchmarks-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Ya Bench? Strength Benchmarks for Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In any endeavor, it helps to have benchmarks to aim for so you can tell if you\u2019re making progress or not. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve taken up barbell training (and I hope you have, not only because every man should be strong<\/a>, but because weight training is simply a blast), you might be wondering: \u201cHow much weight should I be able to lift after training for a certain amount of time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, today we answer that question with the help of my personal lifting coach and head of Barbell Logic Coaching<\/a>, Matt Reynolds. <\/span><\/p>\n

Below, Matt shares the strength benchmarks he thinks the average man should be able to achieve after training for six months to four years. <\/span><\/p>\n

His benchmarks are based on <\/span>relative strength<\/i><\/b>, that is your strength relative to your bodyweight. <\/span><\/p>\n

These numbers\/timelines are rough benchmarks. They\u2019re not absolutes. You might hit these strength benchmarks sooner or later. Your mileage will vary depending on your unique circumstances. <\/span><\/p>\n

Novice Weightlifting Goals (6 Months of Consistent Training)<\/h2>\n

After six months of training, the average guy should be able to hit the following weights on the four main barbell lifts (note that we aren\u2019t tracking 1 rep personal records at this point. You\u2019ll start going for 1 rep PRs one year after you\u2019ve completed a linear progression, which takes about six months):<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Squat: 3×5 @ 1.25x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Deadlift: 1×5 @ 1.5x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Press: 3×5 @ 0.70x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Bench Press: 3×5 @ 1x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    So if you\u2019re a 200-lb man, your numbers would look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Squat: 3×5 @ 250 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Deadlift: 1×5 @ 300 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Press: 3×5 @ 140 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Bench press: 3×5 @ 200 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Intermediate Weightlifting Goals (1-2 Years of Consistent Training)<\/h2>\n

      After one to two years of consistent training, the average guy should be able to lift the following weight on the four main barbell lifts:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Squat: 1.75x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Deadlift: 2x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Press: 0.9x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Bench Press 1.2x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        If you\u2019re a 200-lb man, your numbers would look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Squat: 1 rep @ 350 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Deadlift 1 rep @ 400 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Press: 1 rep @ 180 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Bench Press: 1 rep @ 240<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Advanced Weightlifting Goals (3-4 Years of Consistent Training)<\/h2>\n

          After three to four years of consistent training, the average guy should be able to lift the following weight on the four main barbell lifts:<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • Squat: 2x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Deadlift: 2.5x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Press: 1x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Bench Press: 1.5x bodyweight<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Our 200-lb man\u2019s numbers would look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            • Squat: 1 rep @ 400 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Deadlift: 1 rep @ 500 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Press: 1 rep @ 200 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Bench Press: @ 300 lbs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              In any endeavor, it helps to have benchmarks to aim for so you can tell if you\u2019re making progress or not.  If you\u2019ve taken up barbell training (and I hope you have, not only because every man should be strong, but because weight training is simply a blast), you might be wondering: \u201cHow much weight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,7],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-137802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","category-health-fitness"],"featured_image_urls":{"large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2021\/08\/weight_lifting_goals_blank-538x280.jpg","aom":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2021\/08\/weight_lifting_goals_blank-372x230.jpg","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2021\/08\/weight_lifting_goals_blank-320x197.jpg","reactor-640":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2021\/08\/weight_lifting_goals_blank-640x394.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137802"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137816,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137802\/revisions\/137816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137802"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=137802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}