Overhead press percentile
Your overhead press ranked against all adults of your age and sex — and against NCAA Division I athletes. Strict standing barbell press from the shoulders to lockout — no leg drive, no layback past vertical.
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StrengthLifts, pulling and grip
Strict standing barbell press from the shoulders to lockout — no leg drive, no layback past vertical.
This is one test of the full battery. Get your overall athleticism rank across strength, power, agility and endurance.
Overhead press standards by age — men
Result needed to beat the given share of all men in each age group, for a bodyweight of 179 lb (the calculator adjusts for yours).
| Age | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th | 99th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 70 lb | 85 lb | 100 lb | 125 lb | 150 lb | 165 lb | 205 lb |
| 30-39 | 70 lb | 80 lb | 100 lb | 120 lb | 145 lb | 160 lb | 195 lb |
| 40-49 | 65 lb | 75 lb | 90 lb | 110 lb | 135 lb | 150 lb | 185 lb |
| 50-59 | 60 lb | 70 lb | 80 lb | 100 lb | 120 lb | 135 lb | 165 lb |
| 60-69 | 50 lb | 60 lb | 70 lb | 90 lb | 105 lb | 120 lb | 145 lb |
Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat as an informed estimate. Modeled: no population data exists for the strict press, so it is derived from the bench press model using the well-supported press-to-bench ratio of 0.64.
Overhead press standards by age — women
Result needed to beat the given share of all women in each age group, for a bodyweight of 153 lb (the calculator adjusts for yours).
| Age | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th | 99th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 35 lb | 40 lb | 45 lb | 55 lb | 65 lb | 75 lb | 95 lb |
| 30-39 | 30 lb | 35 lb | 45 lb | 55 lb | 65 lb | 70 lb | 95 lb |
| 40-49 | 30 lb | 35 lb | 40 lb | 50 lb | 60 lb | 65 lb | 85 lb |
| 50-59 | 25 lb | 30 lb | 35 lb | 45 lb | 55 lb | 60 lb | 75 lb |
| 60-69 | 25 lb | 25 lb | 30 lb | 40 lb | 45 lb | 50 lb | 65 lb |
Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat as an informed estimate. Modeled: no population data exists for the strict press, so it is derived from the bench press model using the well-supported press-to-bench ratio of 0.64.
Overhead press — NCAA Division I athletes
Pooled across sports with published testing data, weighted by the number of D1 athletes in each sport.
| 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th | 99th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 100 lb | 125 lb | 155 lb | 185 lb | 225 lb | 245 lb | 285 lb |
| Women | 45 lb | 55 lb | 65 lb | 75 lb | 80 lb | 90 lb | 100 lb |
Men: Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat as an informed estimate. Estimated from the D1 bench-press model using a 0.64 press-to-bench ratio, with added variation between lifts. The ratio comes from self-selected lifter standards, not paired D1 measurements.
Women: Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat as an informed estimate. Estimated from the D1 bench-press model using a 0.64 press-to-bench ratio, with added variation between lifts. The ratio comes from self-selected lifter standards, not paired D1 measurements.
Overhead press questions
What is a good overhead press for a 30-year-old man?
For a 30-year-old man of median US size (179 lb), 100 lb beats half of them, 120 lb reaches the 75th percentile, and 145 lb reaches the 90th of all men that age. The calculator adjusts these for your own bodyweight.
What is a good overhead press for a 30-year-old woman?
For a 30-year-old woman of median US size (153 lb), 45 lb beats half of them, 55 lb reaches the 75th percentile, and 65 lb reaches the 90th of all women that age. The calculator adjusts these for your own bodyweight.
How does that compare with D1 athletes?
Division I is a different population: our estimated median NCAA Division I man is at 155 lb, which would be the 92nd percentile among all men aged 18-29; and our estimated median NCAA Division I woman is at 65 lb, which would be the 87th percentile among all women aged 18-29. The D1 comparison is raw — no age or size adjustment — so it is you against the athletes as they are.
How accurate are these overhead press percentiles?
Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Modeled: no population data exists for the strict press, so it is derived from the bench press model using the well-supported press-to-bench ratio of 0.64. Modeled percentiles have no validated error margin. Results past the 99th percentile are shown as 99+ because the data cannot support more precision.
Related
Sources
- Mayhew JL, et al. Accuracy of prediction equations for determining one repetition maximum bench press in women before and after resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22(5):1570-7.
- Kim PS, Mayhew JL, Peterson DF. A modified YMCA bench press test as a predictor of 1RM bench press strength. J Strength Cond Res. 2002;16(3):440-5.
- Cooper Institute. Physical Fitness Assessments and Norms — 1RM bench press ratio table (machine-based; used for the age gradient only).
- Strength Level. Bench press standards.
- Hoffman J. Norms for Fitness, Performance, and Health. Human Kinetics; 2006 — NCAA Division I bench press tables, as reproduced in NSCA Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning.
- Latin RW, Berg K, Baechle T. Physical and performance characteristics of NCAA Division I male basketball players. J Strength Cond Res. 1994;8(4):214-8.
- Sell KM, et al. Comparison of physical fitness parameters for starters vs. nonstarters in an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse team. J Strength Cond Res. 2018;32(11):3160-8.
- Guthrie B, Fields JB, Thompson B, Jones MT. Physical performance assessments of strength and power in women collegiate athletes. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(6):984-93.
- Strength Level. Shoulder press and military press standards.