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barbell straight leg deadlift strength standards

What is a good barbell straight leg deadlift?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate barbell straight leg deadlift is about 245 lb (1.36x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 310 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 245 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 310 lb Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
Check My Level Estimate Your 1RM Methodology
Evidence ledger No blended rankings
Primary source FitnessVolt standards model
Available views Standards
Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.

Quick Answer barbell straight leg deadlift

A solid (Intermediate) barbell straight leg deadlift for a 180 lb male is about 245 lb (1.36x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own barbell straight leg deadlift into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 310 lb (1.72x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

barbell straight leg deadlift demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your barbell straight leg deadlift? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles hamstrings
Equipment barbell
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - The level table for this exercise is modeled from FitnessVolt strength ratios for a related base lift, not from direct measurements of this movement. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your barbell straight leg deadlift?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 245 lbs (1.36x bodyweight) on the barbell straight leg deadlift ranks Intermediate on the FVCP competition scale, stronger than ~50% of verified competition lifters at this bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.

Over 40? Our calculator also reports an age-adjusted percentile and an age-30 equivalent using the McCulloch age factor, so masters lifters are compared to lifters their own age. See the age-adjusted (Masters 40+) standards below for the full breakdown.

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
Your FVCP:
Age-adjusted percentile
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
th percentile

Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your lift falls, not a measured frequency count.

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Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted barbell straight leg deadlift entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

245 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
1.36x x Bodyweight

Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.

Enter your numbers above first. We publish reader benchmarks only after a sample threshold is met.

How Much Should You barbell straight leg deadlift?

Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 69 104 147 198 253
120 80 117 162 216 274
130 91 129 177 233 293
140 101 142 192 249 312
150 111 153 206 265 329
160 121 165 219 280 346
170 130 176 232 295 362
180 140 188 245 310 378
190 150 198 257 323 393
200 158 209 269 336 408
210 168 219 280 349 423
220 176 229 292 362 436
230 185 239 302 374 449
240 193 248 313 386 462
250 202 258 324 397 475
260 210 266 334 409 487
270 217 276 344 420 500
280 225 284 354 431 511
290 233 293 363 441 523
300 240 301 372 451 534
310 248 310 382 462 544

Is Your barbell straight leg deadlift Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good barbell straight leg deadlift at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell straight leg deadlift is about 245 lb (1.36x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 310 lb (1.72x), and Elite is 378 lb (2.1x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell straight leg deadlift is about 136 lb (0.97x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 185 lb (1.32x), and Elite is 238 lb (1.7x).

How Much Should You Be Able to barbell straight leg deadlift?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 245 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 140 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 136 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 62 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 206 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 292 lb at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male lifts about 242 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 215 lb. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

How Does Age Affect barbell straight leg deadlift Strength?

How barbell straight leg deadlift standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 106 150 206 270 338
20 122 173 235 309 387
25 125 177 242 317 397
30 125 177 242 317 397
35 125 177 242 317 397
40 125 177 242 317 397
45 118 168 230 300 377
50 111 158 215 282 354
55 102 145 199 261 328
60 94 133 181 238 299
65 85 120 164 215 270
70 76 108 148 193 242
75 68 96 132 173 217
80 60 86 118 154 194
85 55 77 106 138 174
90 49 70 95 125 156

What Do barbell straight leg deadlift Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are developing the hip-hinge pattern for the barbell straight leg deadlift, learning to load your hamstrings and glutes while keeping a neutral spine under tension.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the barbell straight leg deadlift with a consistent hinge pattern and controlled eccentric. You are building posterior chain strength and grip endurance through progressive loading.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your barbell straight leg deadlift leverages a strong hip drive and solid lockout. You program variations strategically, use RPE to manage intensity, and have built serious hamstring and glute development.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have optimized your barbell straight leg deadlift setup, grip strategy, and bracing sequence for maximal output. You train with periodized blocks and manage recovery to handle high-intensity pulling sessions.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your barbell straight leg deadlift is competition-caliber. You have dialed in every variable from stance width to breathing cadence and can execute near-maximal pulls with technical consistency.

How to Progress Your barbell straight leg deadlift

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your barbell straight leg deadlift to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the barbell straight leg deadlift 1-2x per week, drilling the hip-hinge pattern with moderate loads.
  • Focus on keeping a neutral spine throughout the entire range of motion.
  • Use linear progression: add 5-10 lbs per session while form remains solid.
  • Build grip endurance with holds at the top of each set.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Add a hinge variation (deficit, pause, or tempo) to address weak positions.
  • Program the barbell straight leg deadlift with RPE 7-8 working sets and occasional heavier singles.
  • Strengthen your grip separately if it becomes a limiting factor.
  • Begin tracking volume load to manage posterior chain fatigue.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Periodized Training Blocks
  • Run 4-6 week blocks alternating between volume accumulation and intensity peaks.
  • Use RPE 8-9 for top sets, with calculated backoff sets at RPE 7.
  • Address posterior chain weak points with targeted Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, or glute-ham raises.
  • Manage weekly hinge volume (10-16 hard sets) to avoid CNS fatigue.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Competition-Level Peaking
  • Run peaking cycles with precise RPE targets for each session.
  • Optimize your setup: stance, grip, hip height, and bracing sequence.
  • Manage recovery carefully - heavy hinge work has high systemic fatigue.
  • Test your barbell straight leg deadlift in competition or mock-meet conditions.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform barbell straight leg deadlift

["Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward.","Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Bend at your hips and lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.","Lower the barbell until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.","Engage your hamstrings and glutes to lift the barbell back up to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete barbell straight leg deadlift guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These barbell straight leg deadlift Standards Come From?

FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

Is Your barbell straight leg deadlift Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your barbell straight leg deadlift against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:

  1. Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
  2. Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
  3. Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
  4. Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can barbell straight leg deadlift 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" barbell straight leg deadlift depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training background. The Intermediate tier is a useful first serious target, while Advanced and Elite represent much harder standards. Use the table above for the number closest to your bodyweight.
Many lifters can reach the Intermediate tier on the barbell straight leg deadlift after steady training, but the timeline depends on starting point, technique, programming, recovery, and bodyweight changes. Treat the tier as a benchmark, not a deadline.
Yes. Competition views use verified meet-result data where available, gym percentile views use self-reported gym cohorts, and reader-submitted benchmarks are shown only after enough entries are logged. The populations are labeled separately.
For weighted lifts, enter a clean raw 1RM or an estimated 1RM from a recent hard set. For rep-based movements, enter controlled full-range reps. Avoid equipped lifts, partial reps, or bounced reps unless you are comparing against the same style every time.

Related Exercise Standards

Related Calculators

One Rep Max Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE
Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.