Strength Standards
Where do you actually stand? Compare your lifts against real data — by bodyweight and training experience.
What a "standard" actually measures
Strength standards turn a single number — the weight on the bar — into something you can compare. The trick is dividing by your bodyweight.
A 100 kg bench press sounds impressive until you ask: at what bodyweight? For a 70 kg lifter that's a 1.43× bench (advanced territory). For a 110 kg lifter it's 0.9× — solidly novice. Same bar, very different signal.
That's why every number on OpenCrunch is anchored to bodyweight. It's the only way to compare yourself to anyone other than your past self.
The five levels
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Untrained | Never trained the lift; a healthy adult on day one. |
| Novice | A few months of consistent training. |
| Intermediate | 1–2 years of structured work. The biggest chunk of gym-goers. |
| Advanced | Several years of focused training; turns heads in a commercial gym. |
| Elite | Competitive-level strength for the bodyweight class. |
Most people overrate where they sit. The numbers don't.
Common questions
Are these standards for raw or assisted lifts?
Raw — no bench shirts, suits, or wraps beyond a belt. They reflect what the lift looks like for a typical trainee, not equipped powerlifting totals.
Do the standards differ by age?
Yes. Peak strength sits roughly between 20 and 35; standards taper after that. Age-adjusted breakdowns are coming as we expand the data.