Age 18 · men and women · the scale by bodyweight, not a guessed average
Average Squat for an 18 Year Old
Among 18-year-old men who compete, the median squat is 386 lb175 kg; among women who compete, it is 226 lb103 kg. Those are competition benchmarks. No general-population average exists: nobody has measured a representative sample of 18-year-olds, and the numbers that circulate are guesses. Below is the six-level scale by bodyweight, the same six levels Stronger scores every lift on, and beside each level how rare it is among 18-year-olds who actually compete.
- Men · 20995–231105 lbkg · Intermediate from
- 331 lb150 kg
- Novice from 276 lb125 kg · Advanced from 496 lb225 kg · Elite from 606 lb275 kg
- Women · 14365–16575 lbkg · Intermediate from
- 193 lb88 kg
- Novice from 116 lb53 kg · Advanced from 231 lb105 kg · Elite from 309 lb140 kg
Men · 220 lb100 kg bodyweight · age 18
- Beginner
- from the bar
- Novice
- from 276125
- Intermediate
- from 331150
- Advanced
- from 496225
- Elite
- from 606275
- World Class
- from 728330
Women · 154 lb70 kg bodyweight · age 18
The markers are the median among 18-year-olds who compete in our data: 386 lb175 kg for men, 226 lb103 kg for women. Treat them as a competition benchmark, not a general-population average; the lifters who enter a meet are its strong end.
Find your rank
Where does your squat sit at 18?
Your level comes from Stronger's scale at your bodyweight. Your percentile compares you with 18-year-olds who compete. Enter a set of up to twelve reps and we estimate the max; you do not need to test one.
331 × 3 ≈ 364 lb one-rep max (Epley). Up to 12 reps keeps the estimate honest.
Calculations run in your browser. We measure usage, including strength levels and broad bodyweight ranges.
Your squat
364lb
Intermediate
at or above 15% of men competing in the data aged 18 at your bodyweight
A 1.66× bodyweight squat is Intermediate for a 220 lb100 kg man at 18. Advanced starts at 495 lb225 kg, 131 lb59 kg away.
Standards at 18
Squat standards for 18 year olds, by bodyweight
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | World Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 14365 | 45201% | 165752% | 198908% | 29813550% | 36416583% | 43719898% |
| 14365–16575 | 45201% | 193881% | 2311054% | 34715747% | 42419285% | 50923199% |
| 16575–18785 | 45201% | 2201001% | 2651205% | 39718055% | 48522091% | 582264100% |
| 18785–20995 | 45201% | 2481121% | 2981355% | 44620262% | 54624893% | 655297100% |
| 20995–231105rail row | 45201% | 2761252% | 3311508% | 49622574% | 60627597% | 728330100% |
| 231105–254115 | 45201% | 3031373% | 36416514% | 54624887% | 667303100% | 800363100% |
| 254115–276125 | 45201% | 3311509% | 39718020% | 59527092% | 728330100% | 873396100% |
| 276125+ | 45201% | 36516616% | 43819935% | 65729899% | 803364100% | 964437100% |
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | World Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 12155 | 45201% | 83381% | 1386313% | 1657535% | 22010078% | 26512098% |
| 12155–14365 | 45201% | 99451% | 1657515% | 1989035% | 26512080% | 31714495% |
| 14365–16575rail row | 45201% | 116532% | 1938818% | 23110540% | 30914085% | 37016898% |
| 16575+ | 45201% | 132601% | 22010032% | 26512065% | 35316095% | 423192100% |
These are not the adult standards scaled down by a guess, and we do not invent a separate teenage scale either. The floors are the same six Stronger uses at any age, so a number means the same thing on the app and on this page. What changes with age is the small figure under each floor, the share of 18-year-olds who compete in our data and squat less than it. Reaching 331 lb150 kg at 20995–231105 is Intermediate on the scale, and the figure beneath it tells you how rare that is at 18. Only brackets with at least a hundred 18-year-old competitors are shown; the top one is open-ended.
13 to 18
How 18 compares to the ages around it
Eighteen is where the teenage curve hands over to the adult standards. Every point is a link.
boys, median competitor girls, median competitorage · lbkg · among lifters of that age who compete in our data
How we calculate
Where these numbers come from
Percentiles are built from 1,160,161 squat competition results (one per lifter per meet) by 422,537 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 squat, 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 squat less at the median than untested ones (men: 408 lb vs 430 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. The app divides your best estimated one-rep max by your bodyweight and compares it with a set of multipliers for each lift, so each cutoff is the floor of its band for that bodyweight, and crossing it puts you in. World Class starts at 1.2 times the Elite floor. 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.
The lift. The standards assume a barbell back squat taken to competition depth, hip crease below the top of the knee, high bar or low bar, in sleeves or bare knees. That is the lift a meet judges and the one the competition percentiles come from. A squat cut above parallel is an easier lift and will not compare.
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 squat inside a rack with the safeties set, or with two spotters. 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
- The lowest band on Stronger’s scale, from the empty bar up to the Novice floor.
- Novice
- The second band on Stronger’s scale, from the Novice floor up to the Intermediate floor.
- Intermediate
- The third band on Stronger’s scale, from the Intermediate floor up to the Advanced floor.
- Advanced
- The fourth band on Stronger’s scale, from the Advanced floor up to the Elite floor.
- 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: 422,537 raw lifters (best successful competition squat each), sanctioned meets only, para and equipped divisions excluded.
- Stronger's Strength Score scale for the squatStrongerThe app's six levels per sex, as multiples of bodyweight. Each table floor is worked out for the middle of its bodyweight bracket, and the app scores a single rep about 3% above the weight lifted, so near a floor the app's level can differ from the table's.
- NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and GuidelinesNational Strength and Conditioning Association / Strength and Conditioning Journal2017-12NSCA: NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines
For lifters and coaches
Squatting at 18, answered
What is the average squat for an 18 year old?
Among 18-year-old men who compete in our data, the median squat is 386 lb175 kg; among women who compete, it is 226 lb103 kg. That is a competition benchmark, not a general-population average: the lifters who enter a meet are the strong end of their age group. No study has measured a representative sample of 18-year-olds on the barbell squat, and the figures that circulate online are guesses copied between sites, so no general-population average exists. The table on this page gives the level for an 18-year-old at each bodyweight.
What is a good squat for an 18 year old?
For a 220 lb100 kg 18-year-old man, Intermediate starts at 331 lb150 kg and Advanced at 496 lb225 kg. For a 154 lb70 kg woman, Intermediate starts at 193 lb88 kg and Advanced at 231 lb105 kg.
Is it safe for an 18 year old to squat?
Yes, on the same terms as for any adult lifter: technique before load, weight added in small steps, and a set-up that makes a failed rep safe. The spotter answer below covers that last part for the squat.
Should an 18 year old test a one-rep max?
Not casually. A true max is the one set where technique is most likely to break. Estimate the max from a set of three to five reps instead; it is within a few percent, and the number on this page is exactly as useful. A qualified coach can supervise a max test when there is a reason for one.
Does an 18 year old need a spotter to squat?
A rack with the safeties set, every set, and a spotter or coach on the heavy ones. The NSCA's professional standards say attentive spotting must be provided. Set the safeties just below the bottom of the squat and teach the 18-year-old to dump the bar onto them before the first heavy set: the rack is the spotter that never misjudges a rep.
Sources: NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines (National Strength and Conditioning Association, 2017)
Should an 18 year old be able to squat their bodyweight?
It is a milestone, not a requirement. For a 220 lb100 kg 18-year-old man, a bodyweight squat is Beginner on the scale, and 1% of 18-year-old competitors in our data at that bodyweight squat less than it. For a 154 lb70 kg woman it is Novice, and 6% of 18-year-old competitors at that bodyweight squat less. Nobody has measured how many 18-year-olds in general can do it, and we would not guess.
How much should an 18 year old squat in kg?
The same scale, in kilograms. For a 100 kg 18-year-old man, Intermediate starts at 150 kg and Advanced at 225 kg; for a 70 kg woman, Intermediate starts at 88 kg and Advanced at 105 kg. The lb/kg toggle at the top of the page switches every number, including the table.
Track the number as it climbs, scored for your bodyweight and sex.
Stronger scores every set against standards adjusted for your bodyweight and sex, shows a strength level for each muscle group on a colour-coded body map, and keeps the log so the progress is visible week to week. Technique first; the app keeps the score.
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Squat standards at 18: Intermediate from 331 lb for a 220 lb man and from 193 lb for a 154 lb woman. Median among 18-year-old competitors in our data: men 386 lb, women 226 lb. Previous: Average Squat for a 17 Year Old.