What powerlifters actually lift

The median competitor

The typical raw male powerlifter weighs 87.6 kg (193 lb) and totals 542.5 kg (1,196 lb): a 195 kg (430 lb) squat, a 125 kg (276 lb) bench press and a 225 kg (496 lb) deadlift. The typical woman weighs 67.6 kg (149 lb) and totals 312.5 kg (689 lb), with a 115 kg (254 lb) squat, 61.2 kg (135 lb) bench and 136.5 kg (301 lb) deadlift.

These are people who chose to compete, so they are stronger than the average gym member. For where an everyday lifter stands, use the strength standards; this page shows the competitive end of the same scale.

Totals rise with every weight class, but more slowly than bodyweight: the heaviest men total about 1.9× what the lightest do. That is why formulas like DOTS and Wilks exist. Try the Wilks, DOTS and IPF GL calculator.

Bench press by bodyweight

How many lifters hit the milestones

A three-plate bench is a genuine rarity even among competitors: about 27 in 100 men reach it, and roughly 4.4 in 100 bench four plates. A triple-bodyweight deadlift is closer to one man in five (18.8%). Half of all men pull five plates (50%).

How fast new lifters improve

The median man adds 7.1% to his total in his first year of competing and 15.7% by year three; a quarter of men add 24.8% or more. Women improve faster in relative terms: 8.9% in year one and 20% by year three. Lifters who stop competing drop out of these numbers, so they describe people who keep at it.

Strength and age

Relative strength peaks in the twenties for both sexes and falls slowly: a man in his late forties scores about 90% of the peak, and a man in his early sixties about 77%.

The shape of a total

For men the bench press is 64% of the squat and the deadlift 115%; for women the bench is 54% of the squat and the deadlift 119%. Of a man's total, 36% is squat, 23% bench and 41% deadlift.

Drug-tested and untested raw lifters total almost the same at the median: 540 kg (1,190 lb) against 555 kg (1,224 lb) for men, and 312.5 kg (689 lb) against 307.5 kg (678 lb) for women. Single-ply (equipped) lifters, a much smaller group, have a median total of 567.5 kg (1,251 lb) for men and 337.9 kg (745 lb) for women.

Full tables

Questions

Method

Source: the OpenPowerlifting database (revision of 2026-11-14), which records results from 12,628 full-power meets in this window across federations worldwide. Included: men and women at raw (sleeves only) full-power meets dated 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025 with a valid squat, bench, deadlift, total and bodyweight. Each lifter counts once, at the meet with their best total in that window: 123,060 men and 58,970 women. Weight classes are the IPF's, assigned from recorded bodyweight rather than each federation's own classes. Bodyweight bands and age groups with fewer than 200 lifters are left out. Progress figures follow lifters whose first recorded meet was a raw full-power meet in 2015–2022 and compare their best raw total in each following year with the first meet.

Limits: competitors are a self-selected, stronger-than-average group; equipment rules differ slightly by federation; and progress numbers only include lifters who competed again.

Related

• Strength standards — where an everyday lifter stands, Beginner to Elite, for any bodyweight.
• How much should a 180 lb man bench?
• Wilks, DOTS and IPF GL calculator — score your own total the way these lifters are compared.
• One-rep max calculator — estimate your max from a set.
• Workout programs — powerlifting programs like 5/3/1 and GZCLP, explained day by day.

Splyt is a workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch that tracks your squat, bench and deadlift from every set you log. Get Splyt free on the App Store.