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Hex Bar Shrug strength standards

What is a good Hex Bar Shrug?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Hex Bar Shrug is about 293 lb (1.63x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 411 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 293 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 411 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 Hex Bar Shrug

A solid (Intermediate) Hex Bar Shrug for a 180 lb male is about 293 lb (1.63x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Hex Bar Shrug into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 411 lb (2.28x bodyweight).

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

Estimated Standards

How strong is your Hex Bar Shrug? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Equipment Hex Bar
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

How Strong Is Your Hex Bar Shrug?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 293 lbs (1.63x bodyweight) on the Hex Bar Shrug 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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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

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

293 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
1.63x 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 Hex Bar Shrug?

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 38 84 151 239 341
120 49 100 173 266 373
130 60 116 194 292 404
140 72 133 215 317 434
150 84 149 235 342 462
160 96 164 255 366 490
170 108 180 275 389 517
180 120 195 293 411 542
190 132 211 312 433 567
200 144 225 330 454 592
210 156 240 348 475 615
220 167 254 365 495 638
230 179 268 382 515 660
240 190 282 398 534 682
250 202 296 414 553 703
260 213 309 430 571 724
270 224 323 446 589 744
280 234 335 461 606 763
290 245 348 476 623 782
300 256 361 490 640 801
310 266 373 505 656 819

Is Your Hex Bar Shrug Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good Hex Bar Shrug at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Hex Bar Shrug is about 293 lb (1.63x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 411 lb (2.28x), and Elite is 542 lb (3.01x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Hex Bar Shrug is about 141 lb (1.01x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 223 lb (1.59x), and Elite is 318 lb (2.27x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Hex Bar Shrug?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 293 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 120 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 141 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 35 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 235 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 365 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 290 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 258 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 Hex Bar Shrug Strength?

How Hex Bar Shrug 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 88 155 247 360 487
20 100 178 283 412 557
25 103 182 290 422 572
30 103 182 290 422 572
35 103 182 290 422 572
40 103 182 290 422 572
45 98 173 275 401 543
50 92 162 258 376 509
55 85 150 239 348 471
60 77 137 218 318 430
65 70 124 197 287 388
70 63 111 177 257 349
75 56 99 158 230 312
80 50 89 141 206 279
85 45 80 127 185 250
90 41 72 114 166 225

What Do Hex Bar Shrug Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Hex Bar Shrug, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Hex Bar Shrug with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Hex Bar Shrug is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Hex Bar Shrug through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Hex Bar Shrug strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.

How to Progress Your Hex Bar Shrug

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Hex Bar Shrug to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Hex Bar Shrug 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
  • Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
  • Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
  • Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Hex Bar Shrug.
  • Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
  • Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
  • Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Advanced Isolation Techniques
  • Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Hex Bar Shrug plateaus.
  • Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
  • Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
  • Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
Calculate working set loads →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize Hex Bar Shrug strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
  • Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
  • Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
  • Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Hex Bar Shrug

  1. Stand in the center of a hex bar with feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and grip the handles of the hex bar with a neutral grip (palms facing your body).
  3. Keep your arms straight and your back flat; this is your starting position.
  4. Exhale and shrug your shoulders towards your ears, lifting the hex bar.
  5. Hold the contraction at the top for a moment.
  6. Inhale and slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips for Hex Bar Shrug

  • Keep your arms straight throughout the movement to focus on the trapezius muscles.
  • Avoid rolling your shoulders; lift them directly up and down.
  • Engage your core to maintain a stable posture.
  • Use a weight that allows you to perform the exercise with proper form.

Where Do These Hex Bar Shrug 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 28, 2026

Is Your Hex Bar Shrug Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Hex Bar Shrug 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 Hex Bar Shrug 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" Hex Bar Shrug 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 Hex Bar Shrug 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.