Flat Bench
Bench Press Standards: How Much Should You Bench?
For a 190 lb man, a good (intermediate) bench press is about 190 lb for one rep, which is bodyweight on the bar. Beginner is about 95 lb and elite about 380 lb. For a 150 lb woman the intermediate mark is about 90 lb. Enter your bodyweight below to see your own bench press standards and the level your best bench lands in.
Find Your Bench Press Level
Enter your bodyweight, pick your sex, and put in your best lift. Everything below updates as you type.
What Is the Average Bench Press?
Bodyweight on the bar for a man who has trained for a year or two.
Nobody tests the bench press of the whole population, so there is no official average. What these standards give is the typical bench for a lifter with a given amount of training at a given bodyweight. For someone who has trained regularly for a few months to a year, an honest estimated max usually sits between the novice and intermediate marks.
Average bench press for men
The intermediate standard for men is exactly bodyweight: 150 lb at 150 lb, 190 lb at 190 lb and 250 lb at 250 lb. A man who has trained for a few months to a year usually sits between novice (three quarters of bodyweight) and that mark, which at 190 lb bodyweight is about 145 to 190 lb. That is why "bench your bodyweight" is the classic gym milestone.
Average bench press for women
The intermediate standard for women is about 0.6 times bodyweight: 65 lb at 110 lb, 90 lb at 150 lb and 115 lb at 190 lb. Between novice and intermediate, a 150 lb woman who trains regularly benches about 60 to 90 lb. At lighter bodyweights the beginner mark is below the 45 lb of an empty Olympic bar (35 lb at 130 lb bodyweight), so a lighter women's bar or dumbbells are a perfectly good way in.
How Much Should You Be Able to Bench?
Five steps, each a multiple of your bodyweight.
It depends on your bodyweight and how long you have trained. For men the five levels work out at about half bodyweight (beginner), three quarters of bodyweight (novice), bodyweight (intermediate), one and a half times bodyweight (advanced) and twice bodyweight (elite). For women the same steps are about a quarter, 0.4, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.25 times bodyweight.
- Beginner: stronger than an untrained person, usually reached in the first few months.
- Novice: several months of steady benching.
- Intermediate: one to two years of consistent training; stronger than most people in a commercial gym.
- Advanced: years of focused training; competitive at a local level.
- Elite: among the strongest lifters, approaching competitive powerlifting standards.
Is a 225 Bench Good?
The plate milestones, graded against these standards.
- 135 lb (one plate a side): beginner for a 190 lb man, novice at 150 lb and intermediate at 130 lb. For a 150 lb woman it is advanced.
- 225 lb (two plates a side): intermediate for men from 170 to 210 lb bodyweight, advanced for a 150 lb man and novice at 250 lb, where the intermediate mark is 250 lb.
- 315 lb (three plates a side): advanced for men from 170 to 190 lb bodyweight and intermediate at 250 lb.
So yes: for most men a 225 lb bench is a good, solidly intermediate lift, and two plates a side is a fair target for anyone who has trained for a year or two. Put your own numbers into the calculator above for the exact verdict.
Where These Numbers Come From
Bodyweight ratios, the same ones used across the site.
Every level here is a fixed multiple of bodyweight, rounded to the nearest 5 lb (or 2.5 kg). They are the same bench press figures as our strength standards page and the bench press calculator, so the site never contradicts itself.
These standards are bodyweight-ratio approximations aligned with widely used references in the strength and conditioning field, including ExRx.net. Nothing here is measured lab data, and no table anywhere else has been copied. Treat every figure as a target to aim at, not a verdict on you.
Last reviewed: .
Bench Press Standards for Men
Estimated 1-rep max including the bar, by bodyweight.
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 lb | 55 lb | 85 lb | 110 lb | 165 lb | 220 lb |
| 130 lb | 65 lb | 100 lb | 130 lb | 195 lb | 260 lb |
| 150 lb | 75 lb | 115 lb | 150 lb | 225 lb | 300 lb |
| 170 lb | 85 lb | 130 lb | 170 lb | 255 lb | 340 lb |
| 190 lb (your bodyweight) | 95 lb | 145 lb | 190 lb | 285 lb | 380 lb |
| 210 lb | 105 lb | 160 lb | 210 lb | 315 lb | 420 lb |
| 230 lb | 115 lb | 175 lb | 230 lb | 345 lb | 460 lb |
| 250 lb | 125 lb | 190 lb | 250 lb | 375 lb | 500 lb |
Bench Press Standards for Women
Estimated 1-rep max including the bar, by bodyweight.
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 lb | 30 lb | 45 lb | 65 lb | 100 lb | 140 lb |
| 130 lb | 35 lb | 50 lb | 80 lb | 115 lb | 165 lb |
| 150 lb | 40 lb | 60 lb | 90 lb | 135 lb | 190 lb |
| 170 lb | 45 lb | 70 lb | 100 lb | 155 lb | 215 lb |
| 190 lb | 50 lb | 75 lb | 115 lb | 170 lb | 240 lb |
| 210 lb | 55 lb | 85 lb | 125 lb | 190 lb | 265 lb |
| 230 lb | 60 lb | 90 lb | 140 lb | 205 lb | 290 lb |
| 250 lb | 65 lb | 100 lb | 150 lb | 225 lb | 315 lb |
A Worked Example
One set of five, turned into a level.
A 190 lb man benches 205 lb for five reps. The one rep max calculator puts that at an estimated max of about 235 lb. On the men's table, the 190 lb row reads 190 lb for intermediate and 285 lb for advanced, so his bench is intermediate, with 50 lb to go before it reaches advanced.
That gap is a long-term project, not a next-month target. A structured block such as the 12-week bench press program adds a few percent at a time, so going from intermediate to advanced usually takes years of steady work rather than one heroic cycle.
What These Standards Cannot Tell You
Setup, rules and age all move the number.
A bench press is not one fixed lift. Grip width, arch, leg drive and whether the bar pauses on the chest all change what you can press. These standards assume a normal touch-and-go bench with the bar touching the chest and the elbows locked out at the top. A competition bench with a pause on the chest usually comes in a little lighter.
The tables also do not adjust for age, height or arm length. Long arms make the bar travel further, and recovery changes as you get older. Use the levels to set your next target and to compare yourself with your own past numbers, not as a ranking against other people.
More Tools
Estimate your max, then see where it ranks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about bench press standards.
How much can the average man bench press?
A man who trains regularly usually has an estimated max between the novice and intermediate marks, which at 190 lb bodyweight is about 145 to 190 lb. The intermediate standard is bodyweight: 150 lb at 150 lb and 250 lb at 250 lb. Enter your bodyweight above to see your own figures.
What is the average bench press for women?
A woman who trains regularly usually sits between the novice and intermediate marks, about 60 to 90 lb at 150 lb bodyweight. The intermediate standard for women is about 0.6 times bodyweight, so 115 lb at 190 lb.
Is a 225 bench good?
Yes, for most men. Two plates a side is intermediate from 170 to 210 lb bodyweight, advanced for a 150 lb man and novice at 250 lb. It is a fair target after a year or two of steady training.
Is a 135 bench good?
It depends on your bodyweight. For a 190 lb man 135 lb is beginner, for a 150 lb man it is novice and for a 130 lb man it is intermediate. For a 150 lb woman a 135 lb bench is advanced.
Is a 315 bench good?
Yes. Three plates a side is advanced for men from 170 to 190 lb bodyweight and intermediate at 250 lb, where advanced starts at 375 lb.
What is the average bench press by age?
These standards do not adjust for age. They describe healthy adults, and age mostly changes how fast you recover and progress. Older and younger lifters can still use the tables as a reference, but expect your numbers to shift with training age, hormones and recovery capacity.
Does the bar weight count in these numbers?
Yes. Every figure is the total load including a 45 lb Olympic bar. A bar with one 45 lb plate on each side is 135 lb.
How are these bench press standards calculated?
Each level is a fixed multiple of bodyweight (for men 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5 and 2 times bodyweight; for women 0.25, 0.4, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.25), rounded to the nearest 5 lb. They are the same figures as the strength standards page.