Average bench press by age
The average man aged 18-29 benches about 155 lb (72.5 kg) for one rep, and the average woman about 70 lb (32.5 kg). Both fall with age: by 60-69 the medians are 115 lb and 50 lb.
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StrengthLifts, pulling and grip
Barbell touches the chest, no bounce, hips stay on the bench, full lockout. Enter your best recent set. Only lift heavy with safety bars in place or someone spotting you.
"Average" here is the median of all adults of that sex and age at the US median bodyweight (179 lb for men, 153 lb for women), including the large share who never bench. It is not the average of people who lift, which is why it sits below gym-floor expectations. Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Modeled as a blend of untrained, recreationally trained and serious lifters, anchored to free-weight bench studies of untrained adults and strength-standards data. The methodology has the full derivation.
Average bench press for men by age
One-rep max needed to beat that share of all men in the age band, at 179 lb. The 50th percentile column is the median man.
| Age | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 130 lb | 155 lb | 190 lb | 230 lb |
| 30-39 | 125 lb | 150 lb | 185 lb | 220 lb |
| 40-49 | 120 lb | 145 lb | 175 lb | 210 lb |
| 50-59 | 110 lb | 130 lb | 155 lb | 185 lb |
| 60-69 | 95 lb | 115 lb | 135 lb | 165 lb |
Average bench press for women by age
One-rep max needed to beat that share of all women in the age band, at 153 lb.
| Age | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 60 lb | 70 lb | 85 lb | 100 lb |
| 30-39 | 60 lb | 70 lb | 85 lb | 100 lb |
| 40-49 | 55 lb | 65 lb | 75 lb | 90 lb |
| 50-59 | 50 lb | 55 lb | 70 lb | 80 lb |
| 60-69 | 40 lb | 50 lb | 60 lb | 70 lb |
Average bench press by age in kg
The same tables in kilograms, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg.
Men
| Age | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 60 kg | 72.5 kg | 87.5 kg | 102.5 kg |
| 30-39 | 57.5 kg | 70 kg | 85 kg | 100 kg |
| 40-49 | 55 kg | 65 kg | 77.5 kg | 95 kg |
| 50-59 | 50 kg | 57.5 kg | 70 kg | 85 kg |
| 60-69 | 42.5 kg | 52.5 kg | 62.5 kg | 75 kg |
Women
| Age | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 27.5 kg | 32.5 kg | 40 kg | 47.5 kg |
| 30-39 | 27.5 kg | 32.5 kg | 37.5 kg | 45 kg |
| 40-49 | 25 kg | 30 kg | 35 kg | 42.5 kg |
| 50-59 | 22.5 kg | 25 kg | 30 kg | 37.5 kg |
| 60-69 | 20 kg | 22.5 kg | 27.5 kg | 32.5 kg |
Bench press standards by bodyweight
Heavier people bench more, but less than a bodyweight multiple implies: strength rises with roughly the two-thirds power of body mass. At 18-29, a 140 lb man reaches the median at 135 lb and a 220 lb man at 170 lb. The full grid, from 100 to 260 lb with the 95th percentile, is on how much should I bench for my bodyweight.
Men, ages 18-29
One-rep max needed to beat that share of all men aged 18-29.
| Bodyweight | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 lb | 135 lb | 160 lb | 195 lb |
| 180 lb | 155 lb | 190 lb | 230 lb |
| 220 lb | 170 lb | 205 lb | 245 lb |
Women, ages 18-29
One-rep max needed to beat that share of all women aged 18-29.
| Bodyweight | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb | 60 lb | 75 lb | 85 lb |
| 160 lb | 75 lb | 85 lb | 105 lb |
| 200 lb | 80 lb | 95 lb | 110 lb |
Average bench press of NCAA Division I athletes
Pooled across every D1 sport by head-count, the estimated median D1 man benches 240 lb, the 92nd percentile among all men aged 18-29. The estimated median D1 woman benches 100 lb, the 88th percentile among all women aged 18-29. The bench press percentile page shows where any lift falls against both groups.
To move up these tables, how to increase bench press covers how heavy, how many sets and how often to bench, from the meta-analyses.
Questions
What is the average bench press?
For an average-size man aged 18-29 (179 lb) the median one-rep max is about 155 lb (72.5 kg). For an average-size woman the same age (153 lb) it is about 70 lb (32.5 kg). That is the median of all adults, including the many who never bench, not the median of people who train.
How much can the average man bench press?
The median man benches about 155 lb at 18-29, 145 lb in his 40s and 115 lb in his 60s, at the US median bodyweight of 179 lb. A man aged 18-29 benching 230 lb is at the 90th percentile for his age.
What is the average bench press for women?
The median woman benches about 70 lb at 18-29, 65 lb in her 40s and 50 lb in her 60s, at the US median bodyweight of 153 lb. 100 lb puts a woman aged 18-29 at the 90th percentile.
What is a good bench press for my age?
Against everyone your age, the 75th percentile is a reasonable bar for "good" and the 90th for "very good". For men that is 190 lb and 230 lb at 18-29, falling to 155 lb and 185 lb at 50-59. For women it is 85 lb and 100 lb at 18-29, and 70 lb and 80 lb at 50-59.
How does the average bench press compare with D1 athletes?
The estimated median NCAA Division I man benches 240 lb, which is the 92nd percentile among all men aged 18-29. The estimated median D1 woman benches 100 lb, the 88th percentile among all women aged 18-29. The D1 numbers are pooled across sports by head-count and are not adjusted for age or size.
How accurate are these bench press averages?
Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Modeled as a blend of untrained, recreationally trained and serious lifters, anchored to free-weight bench studies of untrained adults and strength-standards data. No representative sample of adults has ever been tested on a one-rep max bench, so every row here is a model, not a survey.
The bench is one of fifteen tests. Get your overall athleticism rank across strength, power, agility and endurance.
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