For a 180 lb man, 135 lb is Novice. Whether that is "good" depends on your bodyweight: at 132 lb it is Intermediate; at 292 lb it is Beginner. These are Stronger app levels, not measured ranks among all gym-goers.

Is 135 a Good Bench? How Rare It Really Is

Name: 135 lb bench press: percentile by bodyweight and age
Creator: Stronger

For a 180 lb82 kg man, 135 lb61 kg is

Novice

Men competing in our data who have benched it: 97%
Rarity: most lifters
On the bar: one plate a side

45 lb bar + 45 per side = 135 lb

in kg: 20 kg bar + 20 per side = 60 kg (≈ 132 lb)

What people claim

“What percent can bench 135?”, as the internet answers it

The numbers below are the ones that get repeated. Each one names whose data it is and whether anyone can trace it. Ours: 97% of men competing in our data, which is a count, not a guess, and describes people who compete.

90%Gravitus · 2026-09-06 · of Female public-sharing Gravitus bench lifters in the filtered reference cohort · method: Uses each public-sharing lifter’s all-time best Brzycki-estimated 1RM; extreme outliers are removed. Standard columns target the 5th, 20th, 50th, 80th and 95th percentiles. Sparse bodyweight groups a…Publisher's own users
60% (during first year)Shane Duquette (Outlift) · 2025-05-09 · of men · method: survey: newsletter convenience sampleSourced
56% (after one year)Shane Duquette (Outlift) · 2025-05-09 · of men · method: survey: newsletter convenience sampleSourced
1:100 (Proposed Odds table; see TN-ODDS.)Tim Henriques (T Nation) · 2023-02-17 · of women · method: coach opinionNo source found
approximately halfDebbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-07 · of men · method: none found: bodyweight and age assumptionsNo source found
44%Debbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-07 · of Source says adults ages 13–40; that is its wording, not a redefinition of adulthood. · method: other: claimed combination of assumed male/female averagesNo source found

4 more repeated claims

60-70%Debbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-07 · of men · method: none found: uncited trained-population estimateNo source found
top 15%Debbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-07 · of women · method: none found: uncited trained-female estimateNo source found
one-fifth (FAQ describes global individuals.)Debbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-17 · of FAQ describes global individuals. · method: none foundNo source found
70% (FAQ describes resistance-trained individuals.)Debbie Luna (Inspire US) · 2023-07-17 · of FAQ describes resistance-trained individuals. · method: none foundNo source found

At your bodyweight

Where 135 lands, by bodyweight

The same 135 lb61 kg is Intermediate at 132 lb60 kg and Beginner at 292 lb132 kg+. Drag the slider and watch the bands move under the bar.

Your bodyweight180 lb

135 lb61 kg

Beginner: from the bar
Novice: from 12155
Intermediate: from 16575
Advanced: from 20995
Elite: from 265120
World Class: from 331150

At 180 lb82 kg, a 135 lb61 kg bench is Novice for a man. 99% of men competing in this bodyweight bracket in the data have lifted it, which is most lifters. That is 0.75× bodyweight.

Percentile by bodyweight

Who benches 135, by bodyweight

Men · 135 lb61 kg bench by bodyweight · percent of men competing in the data who have lifted it
Bodyweight	Level	Have lifted it	Rarity	Ratio to bodyweight
under 14365	Intermediate	86%	most lifters	1.02×
14365–16575	Novice	97%	most lifters	0.88×
16575–18785	Novice	99%	most lifters	0.77×
18785–20995	Novice	99%	most lifters	0.68×
20995–231105	Beginner	99%	most lifters	0.61×
231105–254115	Beginner	99%	most lifters	0.56×
254115–276125	Beginner	100%	most lifters	0.51×
276125+	Beginner	99%	most lifters	0.46×

Women · 135 lb61 kg bench by bodyweight · percent of women competing in the data who have lifted it
Bodyweight	Level	Have lifted it	Rarity	Ratio to bodyweight
under 12155	Elite	18%	1 in 6	1.23×
12155–14365	Advanced	35%	1 in 3	1.02×
14365–16575	Advanced	50%	1 in 2	0.88×
16575–18785	Advanced	55%	1 in 2	0.77×
18785–20995	Intermediate	56%	1 in 2	0.68×
20995–231105	Intermediate	62%	1 in 2	0.61×
231105+	Intermediate	70%	most lifters	0.54×

Percentile by age

Who benches 135, by age

Men · 135 lb61 kg bench by age · percent of men competing at that age in the data who have lifted it
Age	Have lifted it	Rarity	Median at this age
13 years old	36%	1 in 3	121 lb55 kg
14 years old	65%	1 in 2	154 lb70 kg
15 years old	85%	most lifters	187 lb85 kg
16 years old	93%	most lifters	209 lb95 kg
17 years old	97%	most lifters	231 lb105 kg
18 years old	98%	most lifters	248 lb112 kg
19 years old	99%	most lifters	265 lb120 kg
20–24	100%	most lifters	287 lb130 kg
25–29	100%	most lifters	309 lb140 kg
30–34	100%	most lifters	320 lb145 kg
35–39	100%	most lifters	325 lb147 kg
40–44	99%	most lifters	320 lb145 kg
45–49	99%	most lifters	314 lb142 kg
50–54	99%	most lifters	298 lb135 kg
55–59	99%	most lifters	276 lb125 kg
60–64	97%	most lifters	254 lb115 kg
65–69	95%	most lifters	231 lb105 kg
70+	85%	most lifters	193 lb88 kg

Women · 135 lb61 kg bench by age · percent of women competing at that age in the data who have lifted it
Age	Have lifted it	Rarity	Median at this age
13 years old	5%	1 in 22	83 lb38 kg
14 years old	7%	1 in 13	92 lb42 kg
15 years old	17%	1 in 6	99 lb45 kg
16 years old	19%	1 in 5	108 lb49 kg
17 years old	28%	1 in 4	116 lb53 kg
18 years old	35%	1 in 3	121 lb55 kg
19 years old	39%	1 in 3	127 lb58 kg
20–24	50%	1 in 2	132 lb60 kg
25–29	53%	1 in 2	138 lb63 kg
30–34	54%	1 in 2	138 lb63 kg
35–39	54%	1 in 2	138 lb63 kg
40–44	51%	1 in 2	138 lb63 kg
45–49	46%	1 in 2	132 lb60 kg
50–54	40%	1 in 2	127 lb58 kg
55–59	31%	1 in 3	119 lb54 kg
60–64	20%	1 in 5	108 lb49 kg
65–69	13%	1 in 8	99 lb45 kg
70+	6%	1 in 16	88 lb40 kg

What it takes

How long it takes to bench 135

Nobody has measured how long it typically takes to get here from a first session, so we would rather say nothing than guess. What has been measured is narrower, and it is below, labelled for what it is. Those are app logs that count from the day someone started logging, and coaches' opinions. These sources do not establish a reliable timeline for an individual lifter.

Measured, with conditionsHardy: 42% reached it within a year, 54% within two; those who did took a median of 1.8 monthsStarting point: Below the applicable plate threshold based on best logged set in the first 2 weeks; training before logging unknown. The printed starting count is not the 12- or 24-month denominator; those denominator counts were not supplied.
Coaches commonly sayEvan Porter: “a few months”Starting point: Fully grown man weighing about 130 pounds or more. opinion
Coaches commonly sayInspire US: “within a year”Author opinion

For women, 135 lb is Advanced territory, reached by 43% of women competing in our data; nobody has measured a typical timeline for women either.

135 lb61 kg is Novice for a 180 lb82 kg man on Stronger's scale. Use the bodyweight table above to find the level for your size; a strength level does not predict how long reaching it will take.

The path

13561HereNovice97% of men competing in our data
18584The rung aboveIntermediate90% of men competing in our data

Rep equivalents

Sets that equal a 135 bench

By the Epley formula, these sets predict the same one-rep max. Past ten reps the estimate gets loose, so the shorter sets are the ones to trust.

Weight × reps that predict a 135 lb61 kg max
Weight	Reps needed	Predicted max
125 lb57 kg	2	133 lb60 kg
125 lb57 kg	3	138 lb63 kg
120 lb54 kg	4	136 lb62 kg
115 lb52 kg	5	134 lb61 kg
115 lb52 kg	6	138 lb63 kg
105 lb48 kg	8	133 lb60 kg
100 lb45 kg	10	133 lb60 kg

Read it the other way too: if you can bench 115 lb52 kg for a clean five, you almost certainly have 135 in you for a single, and it is worth finding out. Most lifters hit their first 135 this way, chasing a rep PR at a lighter weight until the calculator says the single is there.

Estimate your max from any set

Plate math

How many plates is 135?

One plate a side on a 45 lb20 kg bar. Here is the arithmetic in both units.

Pounds

45 lb bar + 45 per side = 135 lb

One 45 per side. Gym slang counts the 45s: this is “1 plate”.

Kilograms

20 kg bar + 20 per side = 60 kg

135 lb is 61.2 kg. In a kg gym the closest loading is 60 kg, about 132 lb.

Load any weight with the plate calculator

For women

135 for women

For a 140 lb64 kg woman, 135 lb61 kg is Advanced. 43% of women competing in our data have lifted it, about 1 in 2. The women's standards are their own table for a reason. At the same bodyweight the women's Advanced line sits near the men's Novice line, and a lift that is ordinary for a man can be exceptional for a woman.

Bench press standards for women, by age and weight

How we calculate

Where these numbers come from

Percentiles are built from 1,668,369 verified bench press attempts by 556,880 lifters, updated September 2026. We show the method so you can judge it.

The distribution. Our percentiles come from competition results in the OpenPowerlifting open dataset: each lifter's best successful raw bench, with sex, bodyweight and age recorded at the meet. These numbers describe competitive powerlifters, people who entered a sanctioned meet and trained for it. They are stronger than the general gym population, and far stronger than the general public. We say so wherever a percentile appears. Drug-tested divisions bench less at the median than untested ones (men: 276 lb vs 305 lb); the headline numbers pool both.

The levels. Six bands, the same six Stronger uses to score every lift in the app, and read the same way. Each cutoff is the floor of its band for that bodyweight, and crossing it puts you in. We do not redraw the scale from the competition data; we put the competition percentile beside every floor so you can see how rare each level is among people who compete.

Testing a one-rep max. Warm up to it in jumps that get smaller as the bar gets heavier, take three to five minutes between the last attempts, and use a spotter or safeties. If you would rather not max out, take a set of two to six clean reps and let the calculator estimate it; the Epley formula we use is accurate to within a few percent under ten reps.

Beginner: Can perform the movement with the empty bar or light weight; strength is still mostly a skill and nervous-system story.
Novice: Ahead of most people who do not train. Typically a few months of consistent, progressive work.
Intermediate: Ahead of the majority of regular gym-goers. Usually one to two years of structured training.
Advanced: Rare in a commercial gym. Years of programming, technique and bodyweight management.
Elite: The second-highest band on Stronger’s scale. Competition rankings are shown separately.
World Class: The highest band on Stronger’s scale, not a claim of a federation record or qualification.

Sources

OpenPowerlifting open datasetOpenPowerlifting project2026-09-05CC0Percentile curves, milestone shares, age curves and population counts: 556,880 raw lifters (best successful competition bench each), sanctioned meets only, para and equipped divisions excluded.
Stronger's Strength Score scale for the bench pressStrongerThe six level floors per sex and bodyweight bracket, exactly as the app scores a lift.
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Strength TrainingAmerican Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org2011-07-08American Academy of Pediatrics: Strength Training

All 196 cited sources

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Bench Press Standards for Men and Women (lb) - Strength LevelStrength Level LimitedFAQ answer: How much do male lifters bench on average?
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Bench Press Strength Standards for Men and Women (kg)StrengthLog / StyrkelabbetFAQ answer: How much do male lifters bench on average?
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Bench Press Standards Revealed: Fitbod Data AnalysisThiago Marzagão / LinkedInFAQ answer: How much do male lifters bench on average?
How Rare Is a 225 Bench Press?AnabolicBodies2026-07-11FAQ answer: Is 225 lb a good bench, and what percentage of men can bench it?
Rogue 45LB Ohio Power Bar - Black ZincRogue FitnessFAQ answer: What is the average weight of a bench-press bar?
Frequently Asked Questions - Strength LevelStrength Level LimitedFAQ answer: Does bench-press weight include the bar?
Bench Press Bar Weight CalculatorGymCreekFAQ answer: How many plates are 135, 225 and 315 lb?
A Weight-Dependent 1RM Prediction Equation Optimized on 303,494 Near-Failure Sets Across 388 ExercisesThiago Marzagão / arXiv2026-03-18FAQ answer: Can a repetition calculator tell me my bench-press one-rep max?
Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting: Data from 809,986 competition entriesJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport / Elsevier; abstract indexed by NLM2024-07-11FAQ answer: Do paused and touch-and-go bench presses count the same in standards?
ACSM Unveils Landmark 2026 Resistance Training Guidelines — First Update in 17 YearsAmerican College of Sports Medicine2026-03-17FAQ answer: Is Smith-machine bench press good?
A comparison of muscle activity and 1-RM strength of three chest-press exercises with different stability requirementsJournal of Sports Sciences / Taylor & Francis2011-01-10FAQ answer: Is Smith-machine bench press good?
Training for the NFL Combine bench press testNFLFAQ answer: What is the average NFL Combine bench press?
NFL Combine PerformanceTony Villiotti / Ourlads Scouting Services LLCFAQ answer: What is the average NFL Combine bench press?
How Fast Do Lifters Really Get Stronger? What 5.8 Million Logged Sets SayHardy2026-09-03FAQ answer: How fast should my bench increase?
Bench Press Strength StandardsGravitusFAQ answer: Why do different strength-standard sites give different answers?
Bench Press Ratio (Cooper DVR) Norms by Age & SexFitnessNorms2026-08-11FAQ answer: Why do different strength-standard sites give different answers?
Bench Press Norms by Age & SexFitnessNorms2026-08-18FAQ answer: Are these numbers averages of everyone, gym members or powerlifters?
Bench Press Standards for Men and Women (kg) - Strength LevelStrength Level LimitedFAQ answer: What is the average female bench press in kilograms?
AMA: Megan Gallagher AKA MegSquats, creator of Stronger By The Day and Before The Barbell!Reddit / r/xxfitness2022-04-12FAQ answer: Do women’s strength standards underestimate women?
Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research / Wolters Kluwer; indexed by NLMFAQ answer: Do women’s strength standards underestimate women?
The Evolution of Normative Strength Values in Powerlifting from 2000 to 2024: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional AnalysisJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research / Wolters Kluwer; indexed by NLM2026-02-01FAQ answer: Do women’s strength standards underestimate women?
Daily Discussion ThreadReddit / r/xxfitnessFAQ answer: What should I do when the empty bar feels too heavy or intimidating?
strange_and_co — Reddit user profileRedditFAQ answer: What should I do when the empty bar feels too heavy or intimidating?
Sex Differences in Adaptations in Muscle Strength and Size Following Resistance Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisSports Medicine; indexed by NLMFAQ answer: Can women still gain upper-body strength after 50?
Resistance Training for Children and AdolescentsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics / PediatricsFAQ answer: What advice applies to a teenage girl just starting to lift?
Why the Bench Press Feels So Hard—And How to Get StrongerWomen’s Health / Cori RitcheyFAQ answer: Why does the bench press feel so hard?
Age is a poor predictor of maximal strength in competitive powerliftersKinesiology / University of Zagreb, hosted on HRČAK2025-12-31FAQ answer: At what age does bench-press strength peak?
The Performance of Powerlifting Athletes During Their LifetimeMHSalud / Universidad Nacional de Costa RicaFAQ answer: At what age does bench-press strength peak?
The Strength InitiativeThe Strength InitiativeFAQ answer: Is there a bench-press calculator that takes age into account?
Strength Level - Weightlifting Calculator (Bench/Squat/Deadlift)Strength Level LimitedFAQ answer: Is there a bench-press calculator that takes age into account?
Strength Standards CalculatorCalcoidFAQ answer: Is there a bench-press calculator that takes age into account?
Average Bench Press by Age: Standards TablesFitness VoltFAQ answer: Are online age charts measured data or modeled standards?
Van den Hoek Powerlifting (2024): Study ReferenceFitnessNormsFAQ answer: Are online age charts measured data or modeled standards?
Rise and Fall of Physical Capacity in a General Population: A 47-Year Longitudinal StudyJournal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle / Wiley; indexed by NLMFAQ answer: Is the widely reported age-35 fitness peak a bench-press 1RM result?
Maximal strength testing in healthy childrenJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research; indexed by NLMFAQ answer: Should a child or teenager test a one-rep max?
Bench Press Strength Standards (Ages 18–39, kg)ExRx.netExRx.net level definitions
Bench Press StandardsExRx.netLineage of the ExRx historical benchmarks tables
Female Bench Press Standards (lb)LiftCodexLineage of the LiftCodex tables
Bench Press Standards for Men and Women (lb)Strength Level LimitedFAQ answer: Is a 135 lb bench press good?
Rogue 45LB Ohio Power Bar – Bare SteelRogue FitnessFAQ answer: How many plates is 135 lb, and what is the nearest kilogram loading?
Strength Testing—Predicting a One-Rep Max from Reps-to-FatigueMatt Brzycki / Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance; author copy at Princeton1993-01FAQ answer: How many reps of 135 lb to bench 225 lb?
Prediction of one repetition maximum strength from multiple repetition maximum testing and anthropometryReynolds, Gordon and Robergs / Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research; Charles Sturt University2006-08FAQ answer: How many reps of 135 lb to bench 225 lb?
How Fast Do Lifters Really Get Stronger? What 5.8 Million Logged Sets SayHardy2026-09-03FAQ answer: How many reps of 135 lb to bench 225 lb?
Training for the NFL Combine bench press testNFL.comFAQ answer: Is the NFL Combine 225 lb bench test a one-rep maximum?
Energy deficiency impairs resistance training gains in lean mass but not strength: A meta-analysis and meta-regressionChaise Murphy and Karsten Koehler / Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports2022-01FAQ answer: Can I increase my bench while cutting weight?
American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of ReviewsAmerican College of Sports Medicine / Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise2026-04FAQ answer: How much bench volume and how close to my max should my working sets be?
IPF Technical Rules Book 2026, effective 01 March 2026, v3International Powerlifting Federation2026-03-01FAQ answer: Does a bounced, assisted or touch-and-go rep count the same as a paused competi…
Adult Activity: An OverviewCDC2023-12-20FAQ answer: Should everyone be able to bench their bodyweight?
Strength Standards: Are You Strong?T Nation / Tim Henriques2007-05-09FAQ answer: Is benching my bodyweight good or impressive?
Bench Press Standards Revealed: Fitbod Data AnalysisThiago Marzagao / LinkedInFAQ answer: How rare or impressive is benching twice my bodyweight?
Strength Standards CalculatorFORMA / Rab Nawaz2026-07FAQ answer: Is benching bodyweight and squatting 1.5 times bodyweight a required strength s…
Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting: Data from 809,986 competition entriesJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport / Elsevier; University of the Sunshine Coast repository2024-10FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting: Data from 809,986 competition entries [original paper, mirrored full text]Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport / Elsevier; copy hosted by Scribd2024-10FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Bench Press Standards for Men and Women (lb)Strength LevelFAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Normative Fitness Values: Among Teenage Male Competitive Hockey PlayersThe Sport Journal / United States Sports Academy2020-09-18FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Effect of rest interval length on bench press performance in boys, teens, and menPediatric Exercise Science / Human Kinetics; abstract indexed by NLM2008-11FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Measures of Muscular Strength in U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2012CDC / National Center for Health Statistics2013-12FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Health-Related Fitness Measures for Youth: Musculoskeletal Fitness — Chapter 6, Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in YouthInstitute of Medicine / National Academies Press, hosted by NCBI Bookshelf2012-12-10FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old?
Realistic Expectations for a 13 Year Old AthleteStarting Strength forum / The Aasgaard Company2017-08-16FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old girl or female?
What is the average 18-year-old female bench press?Answers2025-07-25FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old girl or female?
Resistance Training and Milk-Substitution Enhance Body Composition and Bone Health in Adolescent GirlsJournal of the American College of Nutrition / Taylor & Francis2020-06-10FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old girl or female?
Resistance training and bone mineral density in adolescent femalesThe Journal of Pediatrics / Elsevier2001-10FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old girl or female?
The effects of free weights and elastic tubing resistance training on physical self-perception in adolescentsPsychology of Sport and Exercise / Elsevier2010-11FAQ answer: What is the average bench press for a 13-year-old girl or female?
Average Bench Strength For 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Year OldsPowerliftingTechnique.com2024-02-19FAQ answer: How much should a 13-year-old bench press in kg?
What Is The Average Bench Press For A 16 Year Old? Answered!HugATeen2023-09-21FAQ answer: How much should a 13-year-old bench press in kg?
Average Bench Press By Age: Standards, Strength Floors + What Research SaysMarathon Handbook2026-05-08FAQ answer: How much should a 13-year-old bench press in kg?
Youth Resistance Training: Updated Position Statement Paper From the National Strength and Conditioning AssociationNational Strength and Conditioning Association / Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research2009-08FAQ answer: Is my bench good for a 13-year-old?
Resistance Training for Children and AdolescentsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics / Pediatrics2020-06-01FAQ answer: Is my bench good for a 13-year-old?
Bench Press 1RM (One-Rep Max) Norms by Age & SexFitnessNormsFAQ answer: What percentage of 13-year-olds can bench a particular milestone weight?
Gym noobsBoards.ie2017-09-02FAQ answer: How long should it take a 13-year-old to reach a bench milestone?
Strength Training (for Teens)Nemours KidsHealth2022-03FAQ answer: Is bench pressing safe for a 13-year-old?
LTAD, Youth Resistance Training and Early Sport Specialization: What It All MeansNational Strength and Conditioning AssociationFAQ answer: How much lifting is too much for a 13-year-old?
IPF Technical Rulebook, effective 01 March 2026, v3International Powerlifting Federation2026-03-01FAQ answer: Is this bench technique or arch safe for a 13-year-old?
Frequently Asked QuestionsStrength LevelFAQ answer: For a 13-year-old’s benchmark, do the bar, repetitions, pause and equipment cou…
Most Bench Presses Of A 165-Pound Barbell By A 14-Year-OldRecordSetter2020-10-01FAQ answer: For a 13-year-old’s benchmark, do the bar, repetitions, pause and equipment cou…
World Powerlifting Rules of Competition, 1 January 2026World Powerlifting2026-01-01FAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?
Men’s World RecordsWorld PowerliftingFAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?
Women’s World RecordsWorld PowerliftingFAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?
RecordsInternational Powerlifting FederationFAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?
WORLD SUB-JUNIORS MEN’S EQUIPPED RECORDSGOODLIFT, linked by the International Powerlifting Federation2026-08-22FAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?
RecordsUSA PowerliftingFAQ answer: What is the bench-press record for a 13-year-old, and are viral claims verified?

How our scale compares

Our six levels are Stronger's own scale, and the percentages beside them come from competition results. The published tables below are the ones people actually copy; we keep them here word for word, and say whose numbers they are, so you can see how a “good” bench on this page compares to what other sources call good. None of them measures the general population either.

Strength Level Limited · 18 tables (lb, ratio, kg)Male and female Strength Level usersOriginally based on fixed Kilgore/ExRx tables in 2007. Publisher says July 2015 replaced that model with community-data regressions; May 2016 incorporated joint lift/bodyweight modelling. Current table belongs to the 2026 refresh. These are not independent probability estimates for all adults.
StrengthLog · 12 tables (kg, lb)Men and women who use StrengthLogStrengthLog says the standards are calculated from user training logs; no Kilgore derivation is claimed. Sample date, age distribution, lift-verification protocol and detailed statistical construction are not supplied on the inspected page.
Lon Kilgore / Kilgore Academy · 1 table (kg)Men and women, ages 15–89Author combines scientific literature, published drug-tested classic/raw lifting results and coaching observation. The author resource page explicitly says the 2023 revision supersedes prior tables. No cell-level dataset or reproducible estimation code is provided.
The Aasgaard Company · 2 tables (lb)Adult Men / Adult WomenSource specifies Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition techniques. Every bench numeric cell matches the inspected 2007 ExRx table, but level names differ. This is documented numerical identity, not proof of an unpublished licensing or authorship history.
ExRx.net · 1 table (lb)Adult men and womenExplanatory source credits Dr. Lon Kilgore, the training definitions in Practical Programming (Kilgore, Rippetoe, Pendlay), Starting Strength exercise technique and published lifting-performance standards. Numeric identity with the publisher-hosted 2012 Starting Strength sheet is directly established. Kilgore now says…
Gravitus, Inc. · 5 tables (lb)Male / Female Gravitus usersPublisher-owned app logs; best estimated 1RM per lifter, Brzycki formula, extreme outliers excluded. Asterisks designate weight points with fewer than 50 lifters, estimated by the publisher through allometric scaling. These estimated rows are retained as explicitly modelled published standards, not recomputed or repre…
Strength Origins · 2 tables (lb)Men / Women; raw, drug-tested, sanctioned full-power competitors, ages 16–65Publisher, not this inventory, processed OpenPowerlifting using Power Query; best-total performance per lifter-year, valid nonzero full SBD results, raw and drug-tested, weight classes rebinned to IPF style. No underlying data were downloaded or recomputed for this job.
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation / Springer Nature · 2 tables (kg, ratio)47 male Australian elite police officersPrimary retrospective cohort measurements; barbell touches chest, full extension, bench contact maintained. Same lead coach across tests.
Quincy Police Department / Board of Fire and Police Commission · 2 tables (ratio)MALE / FEMALE police-officer applicantsOfficial agency publication attributes POWER minimums to national norms and an approximately equivalent percentile standard across age/sex groups; underlying normative dataset and edition are not named.
BrianMac Sports Coach · 1 table (ratio)men / womenAuthor-published coaching judgment; no cell-level dataset or derivation is given. A separate McArdle citation is used by the page’s assessment machinery, but the source does not prove these two good thresholds are that table.
Topend Sports / Robert Wood · 1 table (ratio)adults; both sexes as stated by the publisherThe author explicitly attributes the scores to personal experience, not a federation, research sample or ACSM norm.
Healthline · 1 table (lb)Men / Women, ages 18–59; page explains sex as assigned at birthThe page links ExRx for these standards. Unlike the fixed numerical 2007 ExRx/2012 Starting Strength cells, this page prints ranges. No inspected evidence establishes how those range endpoints were constructed.
100% RAW Powerlifting Federation · 1 table (lb)Women competing in 100% RAW; ranking-informed performance classes, not population normsFAQ identifies PowerliftingWatch rankings, primarily 2008–2010, as the backbone of Elite standards, with formulas, federation input and judgment. Other classes are related to Elite. The female FAQ explicitly discusses limited participation and hypothetical stronger fields. No uniform male×factor derivation is stated.
TriageMethod · 1 table (ratio)Women using the publisher’s health-targets assessment; no sampled population disclosedPublisher explicitly sets female standards at approximately 60–75% of male standards, varying by movement. This is a stated coaching method; no fixed 0.6 factor is applied or inferred here.

What apps publish about their own users

Strength Level: average bench of 212 lb among male Strength Level cohort; no fixed bodyweightMethod: Self-submitted lifts feed fitted strength/bodyweight distributions. Rep sets can be converted to estimated 1RM. FAQ describes removal of implausible, duplicate, bot-like and unusually frequent entrie…. Not a general-population figure.
Strength Level: average bench of 112 lb among female Strength Level cohort; no fixed bodyweightMethod: Self-submitted lifts feed fitted strength/bodyweight distributions. Rep sets can be converted to estimated 1RM. FAQ describes removal of implausible, duplicate, bot-like and unusually frequent entrie…. Not a general-population figure.
StrengthLog / Styrkelabbet: median bench of 100 kg among male users in the 24,408-user bench standards cohortMethod: Public standards cite users’ training logs, but do not fully disclose selection, deduplication or fitting. The separate 2019 Swedish report analyzes logged single repetitions, not a stated rep-max co…. Not a general-population figure.
StrengthLog / Styrkelabbet: median bench of 47 kg among female users in the 24,408-user bench standards cohortMethod: Public standards cite users’ training logs, but do not fully disclose selection, deduplication or fitting. The separate 2019 Swedish report analyzes logged single repetitions, not a stated rep-max co…. Not a general-population figure.

Our own figure, for comparison: the median competitor in the data benches 281 lb127 kg (men) and 127 lb58 kg (women).

Questions people ask

135, answered

How many people can bench 135?

97% of men competing in our data have benched 135 lb. Among women competing it is 43%. These are people who train and test the lift; in the general population the share is much smaller, and nobody has measured it.

Is 135 a good bench?

For a 180 lb82 kg man, 135 lb is Novice. Whether that is “good” depends on your bodyweight: at 132 lb60 kg it is Intermediate; at 292 lb132 kg it is Beginner. These are Stronger app levels, not measured ranks among all gym-goers.

How many plates is 135?

135 lb is one plate a side on a 45 lb bar: 45 lb bar + 45 per side = 135 lb. In kilograms the closest loading is 20 kg bar + 20 per side = 60 kg.

How long does it take to bench 135 lb?

We do not have enough data to give an honest estimate yet. Heavier lifters get there sooner; lighter lifters and anyone training the bench once a week take longer.

Is 135 a good bench for a woman?

For a 140 lb64 kg woman, 135 lb is Advanced; 43% of women competing in our data have lifted it. The women's standards

How many reps of 110 equals a 135 bench?

By the Epley formula, 7 reps. Rep-max estimates are least reliable past ten reps, so treat it as a target, not a certificate.

How many reps of 135 does it take to bench 185?

By the Epley formula, 11 reps at 135 lb predicts a 185 lb single. That is past the ten-rep range where the estimate stays honest, so read it as “not there yet” rather than a target: build the single from heavier sets of three to six. The 1RM calculator does the arithmetic for any weight and rep count.

Does 135 include the bar?

Yes. A bench is always counted as the total on the bar, and that is how every number on this page is recorded. 135 lb on a 45 lb bar is one plate a side; the nearest kilogram loading is 60 kg (20 kg bar + 20 per side = 60 kg), which is why the kilogram figure and 135 are close cousins, not the same lift.

Does a touch-and-go 135 lb count the same as a paused one?

In a training log, most people count it; on a platform it does not. The IPF's technical rules require the bar to be held motionless on the chest until the referee's press command, and our percentiles come from meets judged to a pause, so a paused 135 lb is what the 97% figure describes. A touch-and-go rep is somewhat easier, by an amount that varies lifter to lifter, and Stronger's scale does not distinguish the two. Log which one you did and compare like with like.

Sources: IPF Technical Rules Book 2026, effective 01 March 2026, v3 (International Powerlifting Federation, 2026)

Stronger · Strength Score

Track your strength level as you work toward 135.

Stronger scores every bench set you log against these standards, adjusted for your bodyweight and sex, and tells you which of chest, shoulders and triceps is the one holding the number back. That is the Strength Score.

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