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Bench Press vs Deadlift

Strength Standards Comparison

How does your Bench Press compare to your Deadlift? See side-by-side strength standards from Beginner to Elite.

Quick Answer: The average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is approximately 66% of their Deadlift, based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP) from 2.5M+ verified competition results.

What Is the Ratio Between These Lifts?

The average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is 66% of their Deadlift. This ratio is calculated from intermediate-level standards across all bodyweight categories.

Standards based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), calculated from 2.5M+ verified competition results via OpenPowerlifting.

When Should You Use Each Exercise?

Bench Press

  • Primary muscles: Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
  • Equipment: Barbell, Bench
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

Deadlift

  • Primary muscles: Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Lower Back
  • Equipment: Barbell, Weight Plates
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Advanced

How Should You Interpret This Comparison?

The ratio between your Bench Press and Deadlift reveals important information about your training balance. A ratio significantly above the average suggests relative strength in your Bench Press, while a lower ratio may indicate it is a relative weakness worth addressing in your programming.

Use these standards to identify imbalances, then target weak points with the Backoff Calculator for accessory volume or the Block Planner for structured periodization.

All standards are based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results. Learn more about our methodology.

Bench Press Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 53 84 125 173 226
120 63 97 140 191 247
130 73 109 154 208 266
140 83 121 169 224 285
150 93 133 182 240 302
160 102 144 196 255 319
170 112 155 209 270 336
180 121 166 221 284 352
190 130 177 234 298 367
200 139 187 246 312 382
210 148 197 257 325 397
220 156 207 269 338 411
230 165 217 280 350 425
240 173 227 291 362 438
250 181 236 301 374 451
260 190 245 312 386 464
270 197 254 322 397 476
280 205 263 332 408 488
290 213 272 341 419 500
300 220 280 351 429 511
310 228 289 360 439 523
90 19 40 71 111 157
100 23 46 79 121 169
110 27 52 87 130 180
120 32 58 94 139 190
130 36 63 101 148 200
140 40 69 108 156 209
150 43 74 114 163 218
160 47 79 120 170 227
170 51 83 126 177 235
180 55 88 132 184 242
190 58 93 137 191 250
200 62 97 143 197 257
210 65 101 148 203 264
220 68 105 153 209 270
230 72 109 157 214 277
240 75 113 162 220 283
250 78 117 167 225 289
260 81 121 171 230 295

Deadlift Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 96 144 204 275 352
120 111 162 225 300 380
130 126 179 246 323 407
140 140 197 266 346 433
150 154 213 286 368 457
160 168 229 304 389 481
170 181 245 322 410 503
180 195 261 340 430 525
190 208 275 357 449 546
200 220 290 373 467 567
210 233 304 389 485 587
220 245 318 405 503 606
230 257 332 420 520 624
240 268 345 435 536 642
250 280 358 450 552 660
260 291 370 464 568 677
270 302 383 478 583 694
280 313 395 491 598 710
290 323 407 504 613 726
300 333 418 517 627 741
310 344 430 530 641 756
90 54 90 139 198 264
100 61 99 150 211 279
110 67 108 161 224 294
120 74 116 171 235 307
130 80 124 180 246 319
140 86 131 189 257 331
150 92 138 197 267 343
160 97 145 205 276 353
170 103 152 213 285 363
180 108 158 221 294 373
190 113 164 228 302 382
200 118 170 235 310 391
210 123 176 241 317 400
220 127 181 248 325 408
230 132 186 254 332 416
240 136 192 260 339 424
250 140 197 266 345 431
260 144 201 272 352 438

How Does Muscle Targeting Compare?

Bench Press

Primary Muscles Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
Secondary Muscles Triceps
Equipment Barbell, Bench

Deadlift

Primary Muscles Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Lower Back
Secondary Muscles Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps
Equipment Barbell, Weight Plates

Where Can You View Full Standards?

Bench Press vs Deadlift: How Do They Compare?

The Bench Press and Deadlift are both popular exercises, but they target different muscles and have different strength expectations. This page compares their strength standards side by side so you can see exactly how your lifts stack up.

The tables above show 1RM strength standards by bodyweight for both exercises, from Beginner to Elite. Use the Male/Female toggle to switch between gender-specific data. All standards are based on 2.5M+ verified competition results from powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide.

Want to check your own levels? Visit the individual exercise pages for Bench Press or Deadlift to use the interactive strength calculator and find your exact percentile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on competition data, the average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is approximately 66% of their Deadlift. Ratios vary by bodyweight and training experience.
No. Different exercises involve different muscle groups and leverage advantages. The ratio between lifts varies by anatomy, training history, and movement patterns.
Difficulty depends on your individual strengths and training history. Compare the standards tables above at your bodyweight to see which exercise you are relatively stronger at. The exercise where your 1RM falls into a higher tier is the one you are more advanced in.
If both exercises target muscles you want to develop, incorporating both into your program can provide complementary training stimulus. Check the muscle targeting comparison above to see how they differ.
Increase training frequency for the weaker lift to 2-3x per week, add targeted accessory work, and use RPE-based programming to manage fatigue. Our Block Planner can help structure a program.
Standards are derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results and community-reported training data. They are broken down by bodyweight and gender to give you an accurate comparison. Learn about our methodology.

Standards reviewed by the Fitness Volt Editorial Team, certified strength training analysts.

What Other Exercises Can You Compare?