Strength standards calculator

Strength standards answer the question every lifter eventually asks: is this good? Enter your bodyweight and one honest set, and this calculator places that lift in one of six bands — from beginner to world class — using the same bodyweight multiples Tanko uses in the app.

Every lift as a bodyweight multiple

The e1RM ÷ bodyweight ratio that enters each band.

Male standards

Lift	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite	World class
Squat	1.00×	1.50×	2.00×	2.50×	3.10×
Bench Press	0.75×	1.25×	1.75×	2.00×	2.45×
Deadlift	1.50×	2.00×	2.50×	3.00×	3.60×
Overhead Press	0.55×	0.80×	1.05×	1.30×	1.60×
Bent Over Row	0.75×	1.00×	1.50×	1.75×	2.15×
Bicep Curl	0.40×	0.60×	0.85×	1.10×	1.35×
Wrist Curl	0.30×	0.55×	0.85×	1.20×	1.55×
Reverse Curl	0.30×	0.50×	0.75×	1.05×	1.35×
Cable Crunch	0.40×	0.70×	1.05×	1.45×	1.85×
Calf Raise	0.75×	1.25×	1.90×	2.60×	3.30×

Female standards

Lift	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite	World class
Squat	0.75×	1.25×	1.50×	2.00×	2.50×
Bench Press	0.50×	0.75×	1.00×	1.40×	1.75×
Deadlift	1.00×	1.50×	2.00×	2.50×	3.00×
Overhead Press	0.35×	0.55×	0.75×	1.00×	1.25×
Bent Over Row	0.50×	0.75×	1.00×	1.30×	1.60×
Bicep Curl	0.25×	0.40×	0.60×	0.80×	1.00×
Wrist Curl	0.20×	0.35×	0.55×	0.80×	1.05×
Reverse Curl	0.18×	0.32×	0.50×	0.72×	0.95×
Cable Crunch	0.25×	0.45×	0.70×	1.00×	1.30×
Calf Raise	0.50×	0.85×	1.30×	1.85×	2.40×

How the bands work

Every band is a bodyweight multiple, not an absolute number, because a 100 kg bench means something different at 65 kg bodyweight than at 110 kg. Your set is converted to an estimated 1RM first (Epley), then divided by your bodyweight, then placed against the table for your sex.

The multiples are the widely circulated flat ratios of the strength-standards family — good enough to place you in a band, and deliberately not pretending to be a competition formula. If you want a competition score instead, use the DOTS calculator.

Reading the result honestly

Two cautions. First, bands describe the lift, not you: most lifters are intermediate on one lift and novice on another, and that gap is the useful information — it tells you what to train. Second, the population these ratios describe is people who train seriously, so "novice" is not an insult; it's a large, healthy fraction of everyone in the gym.

In Tanko, standards run continuously: Pro places every canonical lift you log on these bands and paints them onto a muscle map, so the weak link shows up without you doing arithmetic.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a good bench press?

For a male lifter, bodyweight for a single is the classic intermediate marker; 1.75× is advanced. For a female lifter the same bands sit near 0.75× and 1.0×. Full tables by bodyweight are above.

Are strength standards accurate?

They're descriptive, not scientific. Different sources place the bands slightly differently, and none of them survey the whole population. Use them for direction, not identity.

Do these standards apply to any age?

They're not age-adjusted. Masters lifters should read the bands as a comparison against everyone, and judge progress against their own past numbers instead.

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