← Blog

What is the average squat by age and weight?

By Stelvo Team · · 7 min read · How we source this

Short answer: among the 185,114 men who have competed in raw powerlifting since 2020, the median best squat is 424 lb (192.5 kg), 2.2 times bodyweight; for 89,429 women it is 245 lb (111 kg), 1.6 times bodyweight — every one of them to a depth a referee passed. People who log their lifts on Strength Level average 289 lb (men) and 167 lb (women). Competitors are the top of the range, and a gym squat that stops above parallel is not the same lift.

What is the average squat for men?

About 2.2 times bodyweight among men who compete. We computed it from the OpenPowerlifting archive of sanctioned meet results (bulk data, public domain, snapshot of 26 September 2026): raw (unequipped) lifters, sanctioned meets dated 2020 or later, disqualifications excluded, each lifter's best successful squat, grouped by the IPF weight class of the bodyweight they weighed in at (International Powerlifting Federation technical rules). "Average" is the median, the lifter in the middle.

Men's weight class Median squat Top 25% Top 10% Median × bodyweight Lifters
up to 59 kg (130 lb) 254 lb 320 lb 375 lb 2.07 6,488
59–66 kg (130–146 lb) 331 lb 380 lb 430 lb 2.32 10,903
66–74 kg (146–163 lb) 369 lb 419 lb 468 lb 2.35 24,814
74–83 kg (163–183 lb) 408 lb 463 lb 507 lb 2.32 39,657
83–93 kg (183–205 lb) 441 lb 496 lb 546 lb 2.23 39,132
93–105 kg (205–231 lb) 468 lb 529 lb 584 lb 2.13 32,215
105–120 kg (231–265 lb) 496 lb 562 lb 628 lb 2.01 19,402
over 120 kg (265 lb) 524 lb 606 lb 683 lb 1.78 12,503
All men 424 lb 496 lb 562 lb 2.20 185,114

What is the average squat for women?

About 1.6 to 1.8 times bodyweight among women who compete, with the median woman at 245 lb.

Women's weight class Median squat Top 25% Top 10% Median × bodyweight Lifters
up to 47 kg (104 lb) 165 lb 204 lb 237 lb 1.66 2,756
47–52 kg (104–115 lb) 198 lb 237 lb 270 lb 1.80 5,925
52–57 kg (115–126 lb) 220 lb 259 lb 292 lb 1.81 9,691
57–63 kg (126–139 lb) 231 lb 270 lb 309 lb 1.75 14,738
63–69 kg (139–152 lb) 248 lb 287 lb 325 lb 1.71 16,353
69–76 kg (152–168 lb) 265 lb 303 lb 347 lb 1.63 14,459
76–84 kg (168–185 lb) 265 lb 314 lb 358 lb 1.51 10,185
over 84 kg (185 lb) 281 lb 336 lb 386 lb 1.28 15,322
All women 245 lb 292 lb 336 lb 1.62 89,429

The median woman squats 58% of what the median man does, a smaller gap than in the bench press (48%). That fits laboratory work finding women about 66% as strong as men in the lower body and 52% in the upper body (Miller et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1993).

What is the average squat by age?

It rises fast through the teens, peaks in the 20s and 30s and falls from the 40s. Each lifter's best squat at that age, any bodyweight:

Age Men: median Men: top 10% Women: median Women: top 10%
13 215 lb 320 lb 165 lb 243 lb
14 265 lb 386 lb 187 lb 265 lb
15 320 lb 435 lb 204 lb 285 lb
16 364 lb 470 lb 220 lb 303 lb
17 386 lb 502 lb 237 lb 320 lb
18 408 lb 524 lb 248 lb 331 lb
19 430 lb 546 lb 254 lb 336 lb
20–29 452 lb 584 lb 265 lb 353 lb
30–39 463 lb 606 lb 259 lb 353 lb
40–49 430 lb 568 lb 243 lb 331 lb
50–59 386 lb 509 lb 215 lb 298 lb
60–69 325 lb 452 lb 176 lb 258 lb
70 and over 243 lb 358 lb 143 lb 209 lb

At least 360 lifters in every cell. Age groups ignore bodyweight; teenagers are lighter. Past 50 the squat falls faster than the bench: the median man in his 60s squats 30% less than in his 30s, against 22% less on the bench.

How deep is a competition squat?

Deeper than most gym squats. Every lift in these tables was judged to depth by the meet's referees under their federation's rules; the IPF's fails any squat in which the lifter does not "bend the knees and lower the body until the top surface of the legs at the hip joint is lower than the top of the knees" (IPF Technical Rulebook, 2026). A squat cut above parallel is a shorter lift, so a half squat compared with these tables will flatter you.

How does that compare with ordinary gym-goers?

Lower, as you'd expect. Strength Level, which builds its standards from 7.0 million squat results logged by its users, puts the average squat at 289 lb for men and 167 lb for women, and its "intermediate" level for a 180 lb man — stronger than half its users — at 298 lb (Strength Level, squat standards). Those are self-reported and not depth-checked. Most adults never load a squat at all: only 31.0% of US adults do muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week (CDC/NCHS, 2022).

How much should I squat compared with my bench?

About one and a half times as much. The median male competitor squats 424 lb and benches 276 lb, a ratio of 1.54; for women it is 245 lb against 132 lb, 1.86, because women's lower body is relatively stronger. If your squat is barely above your bench, the squat is the lift with the most room to grow. See what is the average bench press by age and weight? for the bench tables, and rank your own squat by weight class and age with the strength percentile calculator.

How Stelvo handles this

Stelvo starts your squat from your age, sex and training history and suggests each session's weight from what you actually lifted last time, in small steps. Tell the coach about a knee that complains and it remembers, and plans around it.

FAQ

Is a 315 squat good?

For a man it is above Strength Level's average of 289 lb and its 180 lb intermediate level of 298 lb. Among competitors it beats the median only in the lightest class (254 lb, up to 59 kg); at 74–83 kg (163–183 lb) the median is 408 lb.

What is the average squat for a 16-year-old?

Among boys who compete, the median best squat at 16 is 364 lb; among girls, 220 lb. Teenagers who don't train squat far less.

Does squat strength drop with age?

Yes, from the 40s, and faster than the bench. The median competitor's squat falls from 463 lb in his 30s to 386 lb in his 50s and 243 lb past 70.

Sources

← All posts